Road Trip!

Kendra, Kim and I dropped Mac and Paul at the airport this morning. They are heading to Colorado to pick up the last of our stuff that we had to leave in storage when we went to Germany.

The girls and I got on the road today as well.  In El Paso tonight.  Nice hotel. We arrived early enough to catch a movie "P. S. I love you".  I loved it..

Two more days and us girls will be back in Alabama.  Taking the "scenic" route... which really just means, we're taking shorter legs this time than when we headed out to Phoenix.

More later.

The Challenges of Geography

No girl, I did not see ya....I am in Mississippi, lol so you missed me.
Have a good nights sleep when you can.

Hugs
erica

 

Erica, for some reason I thought you were near Mobile, AL and that is where I waved.. LOL.  I'll wave at you on my way through Mississippi.

 

Sherry,  I drove down along the east coast (sort of)... through VA, NC, SC and a snip of Georgia into AL.  I didn't think I was close enough to MO to wave.  But I'm waving at you now!!! Did you see?  LOL

 

Christmas is over.  So much to say, but can't really devothe the time now because I'm on dial up and I just don't have the patience for the lap top.  My typing goes to crap when I have to use the lap top. 

 

We are all healthy and at this point, looking forward to getting back to our own space. We will be back in AL by middle of next week, but it will be another week after that before we have internet back into the house.

 

All y'all are going to have to remind me that I have stories to tell... LOL

In Transit

Mood: Harried

We have brushed the dirt off our feet from Pax River. The graduation was nice and the visit with Paul's parents was pleasant for the most part. I'll give details once I'm back on my own computer with some semblance of privacy.

We have been through Ft. Rucker already and Paul has signed for our new (to us) housing. I like it, it's pretty good size and I think we'll be able to fit all our furniture.

We are heading to Phoenix now, currently mid way through Texas and getting ready for the last day of this drive. 

Can't wait to get to Mom's and not have to sleep with the kids anymore. :)

Still don't have all my xmas shopping done.. that sucks.  And it's hot down here... what happened to winter

Hey Erica, I waved as I drove past your area of AL...;)  did you see me?  LOL

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehn, Good bye

I'm sneaking away from my work for just a few minutes to say So long for now.  Paul is taking the kids to the guest house because they have ceased to be useful in the preparation of the house for moving.  They got their rooms done and did what we asked them to all day long, but now it's just easier if they are out from underfoot and Paul and I finish up the rest.

I still have a lot of sewing to do to finish up these Christmas gifts, but I think I will manage.  The hard part is that I still need the sewing machine for a few more items and they are going to want to pack that up tomorrow.  I may need to carry my machine with me at least for part of the time.  Too bad they don't make a disposable sewing machine.

Well. .the other option is to cut bait and just buy gifts for the four ladies I didn't have time to make these runners for... It wouldn't be the WORST thing... And it would save me from any more sewing at this time.  I can finish them up in Alabama and send them out ahead of next year so they get a larger amount of time to use them.  I've almost got my self talked into that....

I've been Elfed!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1212326407

Okay.. so maybe not me so much as my tribe.  For your dancing pleasure, I present my lovely babies and their Daddy. 

he he he....

Der Schnee! Der Schnee!

Mood: Flabbergasted!

Since that little mood slot up there doesn't ever have the exact mood I'm in, I've decided to start adding my own.

It is snowing today in Southern Maryland.  I watched the news this morning while Kimberly was getting ready for school ... .at 6 am this morning, we didn't have snow, but they were predicting it.

I had to leave the house around 9:30 am to pick up our other car... still no snow.. but it was cold and overcast. After picking up the car and sending Kendra off to school (YAY for having a second driver when Paul's not home), I went off to Walmart to pick up a few essentials.  By the time I was done in Walmart (and it was a reasonably short trip), it was snowing outside. Lots and lots of little snowflakes.  Nothing accumulating.

I was torn between heading for home (I had no coat... why I left the house with no coat, I couldn't tell you... I chalk it up to 24 winters in Phoenix) and making my last stop at JoAnn Fabrics for more batting.  Knowing that I couldn't really finish my sewing without more batting I decided to make the stop before coming home. 

Leaving Joann's I noticed that the snow was really coming down! The flakes were bigger and there was a bit of a wind to boot, so I felt like I was in a big snow globe.  I ran into the Pizza Hut that was right there and grabbed two personal pan pizzas for lunch (for Mac and I).  The Pizza guy told me that the internet weather site is predicting snow through the weekend.  Now normally this would be kind of cool... but since my packers are coming on Monday to pack and loading my stuff on the truck on Tuesday of next week... I can't say that I am particularly thrilled to think it's going to snow all weekend. Movers are NOT exactly known for their consideration of water absorbing furniture.

My forecast says something different.  Sun all weekend long.. rain on Tuesday. Not exactly much better, but I'm hoping that my forecast is more accurate.

Christmas Meme

I am a fugitive from my continuing sewing projects (although I have gotten 5 of 11 gifts done), here's my take on the latest Meme to hit the journal airway.  ;)

 

 

1. Egg nog or Hot Chocolate?    

Hot Chocolate, and the best I ever had was in a pub in Amsterdam.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?     Santa uses wrapping paper with santas on it.   3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?     My deal with the lights is that they have to twinkle, I don't care what color as long as they are twinkling.   4. Do you hang mistletoe?   What? and give the Nargles a chance to invade my home? No, but I did notice that our neighbor hood trees have mistletoe in them (Mistletoe is a parasitic plant).    5. When do you put up your decorations?   Typically I put up the decorations during the T-giving holiday (when I'm officially allowed to start singing Christmas songs), but this year.. with the move, we're not decorating OUR house.    6. What is your favorite holiday dish?     dressing cooked in the turkey with giblets.   7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:    Waking up early to find that Santa had been to visit.   8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?   I'm not sure that there was ever a big announcement.. there just came a year when I was a teenager that the presents began showing up under the tree as they were purchased and wrapped.   9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?    We do.  Since I was a child, our family always opened one. I had to fight Paul on this, but we've continued the tradition. We allow the kids to open one gift under the tree on Christmas Eve that has come from out of town to us. 10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?   First, we all drink some rum eggnog.... no .. lol.. we decorate as a family and as each ornament is hung on the tree I tell the kids whose ornament it is and what it represents (I have collected an ornament per kid per year since each was born). When they finally move away and decorate their own trees, they will have this beginning group of ornaments to start with. Hopefully, the stories will be remembered and shared with their families.    11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?   I love snow!  I miss it when we don't have any, but honestly, I've spent more Christmases without than with (I'm from Phoenix).   12. Can you ice skate?   I've always enjoyed ice skating, but I took lessons when I was pregnant with Mac, so now I actually can skate without looking too foolish.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My engagement ring. :) I received it Christmas 1979   14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?   Time with family.   15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Christmas colored Jello poke cake. My SIL would make this layered cake that had one layer of red and one layer of green. It was frosted with whip cream.  I love this cake.     16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?     Taking the kids to buy their father's gift. My dad used to take us to buy my mom's.  Now I take the kids to buy Paul's. We have a fun time, deciding what he'd like and then we go to lunch.   17. What tops your tree?     Most years, it's the Angel from mine and Paul's first Christmas.   18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?     I love giving, especially when I know I have managed to get just the right "surprise" gift.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?  Mary Did you know? and O Holy Night   20. Candy Canes?    We usually hang candy canes on the tree. The kids like them.   21. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized? Or is it still magical for you? No retailer in their right mind would shy away from promoting their goods during such a time, so I can't really blame them. I think that for our family, commercialism hit a peak a few years back and since then we've made a decided effort to scale back.

Sewing, Driving, Moving

This is a drive by posting.. ...

Kendra is a licensed driver now and has gone out twice without parents in the car.  She is feeling all growed up! LOL... and .. hey on the plus side, I now have someone (besides Paul) to send off for bread, milk, etc.

I am sewing like a crazy woman.  I planned on making table runners for all the adult females on my list.  That is 11 runners.  I am hoping I have them just about done when we leave here (at least the machine sewing part, I can do the last of the hand sewing as we drive cross country).

Movers come Monday Dec 10... I'm going to be pushing it close.. but I think I can accomplish it all in time.  Paul has already set up a day by day calendar of what I "should" try to work on each day to be ready by the 10th.  Thank goodness one of us is organized!