Christmas Eve

My favorite time of the year! I love Christmas Eve fun, and family. Hopefully I get the food made and kitchen cleaned up. I am really disappointed its raining and not snowing. Cortni made it home at about 11:30pm. It took her awhile to get out of the city. She was loaded down with presents and 2 dogs. I need to post a picture of them because it's really funny. Ones a giant and ones a miniature. Guess who's boss? Britni and Sebastian will not come in till really Christmas morning (2am). They will be at Sebastian's parent tonight and leave in time to get here to open presents before Kevin has to leave to go to work. (that part I hate) So I better get to work! have a great day. Cherish you family and friends in your life and remember the true meaning of Christmas would not be without Jesus.

Last Minute Stuff

I have 2 days to get my act together. Here is a list of the stuff I still have to do before tomorrow at 6:30pm.

Bake sweets (I didn't get done on Sunday)
Clean the main living area - done
Clean the kitchen after I bake
Put all of the living room furniture that is crammed in the dining room back in the living room (Kevin cleaned the carpet) - done
Put the rest of the ornaments on the basement tree (don't ask)- done
Put the Christmas decoration boxes back in the closet (not as easy as it sounds) -done
Clean up the basement-done
Make the soups for tomorrow night (finally came up with a food theme - Soup Kitchen)
Hang Lights around the dance floor (this will be fun)
Fix the floor cleaner so I (or hopefully Kevin) can finish the hall carpet - done
Wrap presents -got some done ran out of boxes
Make a quick trip to Lafayette to get a couch - I'm still working on this - not going to happen today
Make supper for tonight - Chili - done
Do a last book order for the store before 11am - done thanks Emily!
and have another cup of coffee!!!! - done and now I am on to Diet Pepsi!!!

Have a great day and if your bored call me . . . . . .

Baking Day!

This afternoon has been set aside to get my baking done/started. Usually I make the same type of stuff each year and take some to Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the Rudolph Christmas. Sometime there is even some left for New Years! I have been making buckeyes for awhile using the same recipe until last year when Kevin (so rudely I might add) informed me he didn't like MY buckeyes. So last year I went on strike and refused to make any! At Thanksgiving Bailie asked if I would make them again. So after Kevin trying to convince me it just must have been a bad batch, I have agreed to do them again this year. So I have a feeling even if he hates them and it makes him sick I wouldn't know!
Last night I tried a pretzel recipe from Brittany and they are great. If you have any ideas for some good easy stuff let me know.
Well I need to go and clean up the kitchen so I can mess it up again. Pictures to follow!

My mom has made these every since I can remember.

Gretchen's Cookie receipe

Time to Panic

It is offical close enough to Christmas for me to start to panic. I waited to late to start shopping and then I need to get my house ready for parties and Christmas morning. By the way Christmas morning is really early at our house. 3 am. Kevin seems to always get the short straw when it comes to working on Christmas and the girls still want to open present on Christmas morning instead of waiting. He has to leave at 4am so we have to start really early! After he leaves we all go back to bed. Then go to my parents for dinner and when Kevin gets off work we open presents.

So I could use some help with the Christmas Eve party. Each year who ever is home and can come we meet at Becky's (my sisters) or our house. We take turns. No presents are exchanged just have some fun on Christmas Eve. We started doing themes years ago and have gone through a lot of them So this year it is my turn and I was having a hard time coming up with a new theme. Past theme have been . . . dinner and a movie, the Grinch and green food; caroling; talent night; deal or no deal, Haley won $20 bucks and someone won a roll of toilet paper; who wants to be a millionaire; Mexican; Chinese; and mystery theater. Anyway after doing some search I found a 40's USO theme. So appropriate since it feels like we in the depression. Some ideas were swing dance. So since Britni is going to get married in the come month, years? hopefully soon, and will have dancing I thought it would be fun, and funny, to learn some basic dance steps. Kevin decided to make a dance floor in the basement and string lights, Mal's going to teach us some step. Now is where I get stuck. I need easy food ideas and anything else you can think of to make the evening fun. Let me know soon I'm running out of time.

I'm Dreaming of a White.. . . .

BOWL OF MASHED POTATOES

No Kidding! I dreamed I didn't feel well and all I wanted was a bowl of mashed potatoes and lots of butter. I woke up with a bad headache and craving mashed potatoes .

Oh tidings of comfort and joy!!!
(I also must have woke up with Christmas songs in my head)

Christmas Decorations

Last week I finally got around to putting up decorations. I don't have the basement done but the rest is. Every year I reuse most of the same stuff minus the things that some how get broken during the time it's in storage. I decided to take some pictures so next year I won't have to remember where I put stuff. This tree is fake and we always decorate it in red, white and silver is the fancy one. We also put a real one up in the basement. It's the fun tree with all the kids ornaments collected through out the years. Every year each one of us gets a new ornament. Something to do with things we're into, or places we've gone. If it doesn't have the date we try and write it one it. Each of the girls has a box for theirs. I always said they could take them when they get married but now I don't want to part with all the memories. I'll try and get a picture of it up when it's done.

The girls got me this last year from pottery barn. I have been getting a piece of the dish set each year. When you have the last name of Rudolph it just seem like it was made for me!

With a Grateful Heart

After I had time to get over my broken door I realized I should be very grateful the my family. No matter what I get myself into they are always there for me. It took no time on Sunday before they started showing up at the store to help patch the door and clean up. It really got done rather quickly. Besides physical help they also are always encouraging when I get down. Life doesn't always make sense and I often question what is going on but no matter what my family has been there for me. Thank you all, I love.

I'm Ticked!

My store got vandalized last night. First I was just mad I had to go into Danville at midnight, then I was mad when I got there and saw the hole in the door, then I was a little mad when the cops left me and Mal there and we didn't know what to do, then I was made because we had to clean up the mess!! I don't know what I'm suppose to learn from this lesson because for now it just seems to be costing me more money that the store does not have. What ever happen to retail making money in the fourth quarter. It just seems to be flying out the window or in my case the door!

Looking for the Light

I am often looking for the miracle or that special thing in my life or the quick fix. Maybe it's right in front of me and I don't even know it. It's stinging the little things together that's important. What ever life throws at me God has already given me the things I need to get thru them. I just need to use them.

One of my favorite passages in Isaiah : wait on the Lord ... they shall run and not be weary, . . . I am weary.

Sometimes we get what we wish for.

We all want things whether it's physical, emotional or spiritual. Have you ever wanted something so bad you were willing to give up other things for it. But then when you got it, you were disappointed or consequences came with it. I know I have.
I am afraid of some of the consequences America might have to pay for the choose we have made. We want change, better economy, low gas prices, better environment, better schools for our kids. But do we make good decisions or do we want someone else to fix the problems. Do we complain about companies taking their businesses over seas, but do we support local business. Do you know over 40% of local business tax stay local and only approximate 20% of big box companies do? Do we want a more resourceful government and better environment but we don't even give a thought about all the waste we create. Do we get involved in the schools or just like to complain about them. Try volunteering in a classroom. You might learn a thing or two.
Sometimes I get on a soapbox and sometimes I fall off.

Buy local first!! You might find some great things and also meet some great people.

My Heart is at Home

I got to leave work early today and was able to get home before Kevin had to leave for work. This doesn't happen often. We work different shifts so most of the time we miss you other. But today we did have a little time together before he left. I just love our home. Both the physical and the emotional side of our home. I an getting more and more attached to being at home. Maybe it is because it doesn't seem like I get to spend enough time here. I'm glad my heart yearns for our home. When I'm not there it's where I want to be and when Kevin and the girls aren't there it's where I want them too. That's the best, when we all are standing around the kitchen island talking, drinking coffee, eating, sharing stories, crying and laughing. We've had good news and bad news here but they are sweet times to cherish.

The Smart Clock

We have an alarm clock in our bedroom that is to smart. It automatically adjust the time for you. The problem is it thinks it knows when we're suppose to change the time and it on occasion thinks we should live in Illinois. So this morning it set the time back 1 hour. So Mal and I got ready for church and when we pulled in the parking lot we couldn't find a parking place which isn't usual for Sunday School. We then looked at the car clock and realized it was almost 11 (In. time) Sunday School starts at 10 and church at 11. We were really confused.
This same clock has 2 buttons on the top of it that is used to set alarm times but one day when I was changing it the buttons fell into it. So now we have to use a pencil and stick it down into it to try and change the clock. I hate this clock. Kevin uses a really cheap travel alarm and his watch alarm as back up in case the alarm clock changes or doesn't go off. Why don't we just buy a new one? Who knows?

New Blog

I have had a blog for my business for awhile now and decided to start a personal one where I will be able to be more personal than I feel I should be on the store's blog. A place to talk about my family and my life as time is going by. I chose this title because I have lived long enough to realize time goes by quickly and life changes with it. I often wish I could turn back time because I missed taking it all in. For the most part I wouldn't change things because even the bad times have made me the person I am today. Life experiences are who we are and what we make of them. I have travel alone, with family and friend, but without God there this journey would be impossible. To everything there is a season/ He is my hope through this life as time goes by.