White Christmas and Other Fun Stuff

Well, as some of you know, I had a WONDERFUL Christmas.....Just look!  There it is, in all it's glory - complete with finger smudges on the screen!  My very own iPad! Car Guy and My Boys got it for me and then my Sainted Mother bought me the case with the blue tooth keyboard.  Aren't they just the best?!  I was not expecting this at all so you can imagined how shocked and pleased I am.  Do you like the screen saver?  There is this drawing program on the iPad and Number Two Son drew that up form me real quick.  Isn't it so cheery? Once I figure out how to get the pictures from the camera to the iPad without using the computer, I'll be able to do all my blogging from it and I won't have to stand in line behind the family for my computer time....Life will be good!

I also got this amazing pocketbook.  It's the perfect size to carry the iPad and it's totally groovy, man!  I received so many wonderful gifts from my amazing family -  Some bowls and a blouse from Anthropologie, a Fossil pocketbook, some bath salts....I'm so overwhelmed by it all, that I can't remember everything.  I was totally spoiled.

And then there was this..........SNOW!!!  We had a White Christmas.  The last time this happened in North Carolina (with decent accumulation) was 1969.  I can honestly say, I don't remember it. There have been a few Christmases where we've had some dustings, but nothing like what we got this year.  We received six inches and it was beautiful.

I thought I'd make this a nearly perfect post by adding some pretty crochet.  This is the shawl that I made for my mother-in-law.  She was very happy with it.

And then I decided to make this a perfect post...here is a little something for the ladies.....a man washing dishes.  This is probably a fantasy for some woman, but this is Car Guy washing the dishes at his mother's house.  Isn't that the sweetest?  I think I'll keep him.



I hope everyone had an amazing Holiday - be it Christmas, Hannukkah or whatever you celebrate and that you were as fortunate as I was and were able to spend this time with family and loved ones.

I'm off to get ready for the New Year.  We always have a party here and there is much to do.  I hope the New Year finds you happy and well and that your hopes and dreams come true!  Until next year......

Merry Christmas!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas. I'm taking a quick break to say hi and show off my new iPad, which I'm using right now! This was my gift from Car Guy & The Boys! We are going to have a late diner with my Sainted Mother after our crazy day of travel. I'll post all the crazy details tomorrow! Have a great night!

Comfort Food

Have you ever had a bad day and you know that a certain meal will make you feel better? Well, I'm having one of those days.  It started with a stupid mistake on my part that almost crashed a system at work...oops!  Not good! Fortunately for me, the powers that be were really nice.  They didn't blow up, didn't chew me out and better still, they didn't fire me...not that I think they would, but it could happen. Then there is the whole Christmas gift fiasco.  I order a REALLY nice gift for someone and it cost quite a bit of money.  I'm not saying what or for whom just in case they might pop in and visit and spoil the surprise. Anyway, I know that the shipping address was spot on.  I double triple checked it when I ordered the item.  FedEx (and here I am naming names) delivered it to the wrong address and I have no clue where.  Their Proof of Delivery system doesn't provide the actual address that the package was delivered to.  So I called FedEx.

Melissa's call log:

"Thank you for calling FedEx, this is Michelle, how can I help you?" (Way too chipper)
"Hi Michelle,  This is Melissa and my package was delivered to the wrong address."
"What's that tracking number please?"
"XXXXXXX"
"Yes ma'am.  That package was delivered this morning." (All smiley voice.)
*BIG sigh* "Yes, I know, but it wasn't delivered to the address on the package"
"It was signed for by a T. XXXXXX."
Another *BIG sigh* "Yes ma'am, I know that.  However, I work in an office of 35 people and T. XXXXX doesn't work here and the package was not delivered here."
Long pause "Oh.  What was that tracking number again?"
Thump - that was my head hitting my desk. "XXXXXX."
"What did the package contain?"
"A fkjshdfskjdfh."
"Oh dear, umm. Can I get your last name please?"
"Johnson."
"A phone number I can reach you at."
"336-XXX-XXXX"
"Where was the package being shipped to?"
ARGH!!!! politely said "8203-L XXXXXXXXX, Greensboro, NC 27XXX"
"And where was the package delivered?"
REALLY?!?! "Michelle, please don't take this the wrong way when I say this, but if I knew that I would have gotten in my car and picked it up myself and we would never be having this conversation."
"Oh, right. Sorry.  Your case number is 1XXXXXX. I've put a tracer on the package and someone will be calling you about this shortly."
"Thank you Michelle."
"Thank you Ms. Johnson. Have a wonderful afternoon."

The sound you now hear is my head repeatedly being beaten against a brick wall.  The scabs will look really great in the Christmas pictures.

Now what does comfort food have to do with all this you ask?  Well after a morning like this, I promptly went out and bought this.....

Photo courtesy of Bojangles website.

That's right.  Bojangles Chicken Supreme Meal .  Fried Chicken, Seasoned Fries, a big ol' fluffy biscuit (I buy them since I can't make them) and a giant Dr. Pepper....Comfort food.  My hips and thighs are eternally grateful.  They weren't jiggling enough...WRONG.   So the system is up and running beautifully and T. XXXXXX still has my package.  But guess what?  I feel better....and ready for a nap. Maybe when I wake up, everything will be fixed.  What do you think?


3:03 - Package update.  Package was shipped next door and is now safely in my grubby little paws.  Yea!  *Big Sigh*

A Christmas Story

It's starting to feel like Christmas.  We actually had some snow flurries last night!  We don't typically see snow until January or February.

We had a wonderful weekend complete with the obligatory wrestling tournament, Christmas party and shopping.  Whew!  I'm tired!


We know that Christmas is in full swing at my house when the infamous "Leg Lamp" is displayed in the front window.  It's fragile, so it must be Italian. That's pronounced Fra-gi-le.  If you have no clue what I'm talking about, go rent the movie "A Christmas Story."  It's a family favorite and I promise you will laugh. Pay close attention to the father when he's working on the furnace.  It reminds me of Car Guy when he's working on something that isn't going his way.

I'll catch up later this week when I have a chance to download some pictures!  Happy Monday!

My Baby!

I can't believe it.  My baby...my youngest... turned 15 today!  I wasn't ready for this.  I'd hoped he'd stay little forever.  He has always been so sweet. Seriously, look at that face!  He was, and still is, such a happy child. 

He was fifteen days old on his first Christmas.  We took him everywhere - my mother-in-law's house, my father-in-law's house, my aunt's house and my mother's house - all in one day.  The only time he fussed was when he was hungry and even then, he wasn't a screaming baby. My point here is that he's never been one to complain. 


He makes my heart swell.

He makes me smile.

He has a kind heart, but he's not a pushover.

To this day, when I get home, I know I can count on a hug from him. I understand him because he's so much like me. He even argues like me....that's worrisome. He also has my temper....that's worrisome too. But he's a good boy. Only now......

He's not a boy anymore.  He's a young man. He makes his mom very proud and I love him dearly. I can't even begin to express how much he's enriched my life and made me a better person for being a part of it.  He teaches me something new about myself, and this life, everyday.

Now please excuse me.  There's a box of tissue around here somewhere and I need to find it *sniff* because that loud noise you hear is my heart shattering into a million little pieces.

Winter Wonderland

Hello All!!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! As you can see, we did get that snow on Saturday.  It was so pretty and gone by Sunday.  I have to apologize for the blurry picture, but it was so cold that my hands were shaking...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  Also, you may notice that we're missing a couple of shutters.  We had a storm last week with really strong winds.  They were so strong that the shutters ended up in the yard.  They are now in the garage, waiting on the purchase of the clips to reattach them.

Our weekend was very busy.  We went to the Mike Raybon and Kathy Dick Invitational Wrestling Tournament.  The Mike Raybon Invitational is the Varsity Tournament and the Kathy Dick Invitational is the Junior Varsity Tournament. These tournaments are probably my favorite tournaments because I have a personal connection to the name sakes.

A million years ago (according to my boys) when I was in high school, Mike Raybon was our wrestling coach and Kathy Dick was our wrestlette advisor. Those of you who have never been involved in wrestling are probably wondering what a wrestlette is.  No, wrestlettes are not female wrestlers, they are score keepers, statisticians, clock workers, runners, etc. I was a wrestlette my sophomore, junior and senior years in High School.  I developed a very healthy respect for the sport and for Coach and Kathy. Coach was awarded the Wrestling Coach of the Year Award while I was in high school and he retired in 1984 with a 216-45-2 record that included 14 conference championships and 3 state championships. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1997 and is also in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame and Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame.  Kathy was also a guidance counselor and was a rock for me during those awkward high school years.  She helped teach us the importance of hard work and a job well done.  She is the only woman to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. As you can see, they've had amazing careers and continue to be very involved with wrestling even though they've both retired.  I love these tournaments because it gives me a chance to see these two wonderful people.

Here is Number Two Son.  He wrestled in the Kathy Dick Invitational.  He won his first round with a pin! He lost his second round and was very upset because we all thought he had his opponent pinned......doesn't that look like a pin to you?  Evidently it wasn't and he was pinned in the next period.  He went to the consolation round and lost by points. This was his first tournament and I was so very proud of him because he did his best and worked really hard. 

Number One Son wrestled in the Mike Raybon Invitational.  He also won his first round with a pin.  He lost his second round, so he went to consolations and a chance for third place.  He wasn't too happy about this, but he brushed it off and ate a biscuit and drank some Gatorade.  Then he was up for his third match....while is brother is wrestling on another mat.....ARGH!!! I looked like a crazy woman who couldn't decide which direction to go in.  Number One Son wrestled his little heart out and........

CAME IN THIRD FOR HIS WEIGHT CLASS FOR THE WHOLE TOURNAMENT!!!!!  Woohoo!  He wants to make it to States this year and if he keeps this up, I think he'll do it. Can you tell how disgustingly proud I am of these two boys?







Sunday, we went to the Christmas Parade for my home town.  I forgot my camera, so there are no pictures of marching bands, girl scout troops or Santa. It's probably just as well as it was freezing cold and all the pictures would probably have been blurry.  

I didn't get a lot of crocheting done this weekend.  I took it with me to the wrestling tournament, but with two boys wrestling, I didn't do anything but make a mess. So I'll leave you with one more blurry Chirstmassy Picture...Here are the neighbors' decorations up the street.  Makes me think of the Griswold's from the movie "Christmas Vacation."  You can never have too many lights.....which is really sad, since I haven't gotten my outdoor decorations up yet.

Good Morning!

Good Morning Everyone!  I thought it was time to put on a little holiday cheer.  The new banner picture is actually about 8 years old.  It's my kitty Oreo as a kitten.  He's really an overweight curmudgeon now...he also hates when I tell people that.  He's quite self-conscious of his weight.  If you try to talk to him about it, he starts twitching his tail furiously and occasionally he'll actually talk back.  He's not as vocal as our friend Raymond, but he can be quite talkative.  Anyway, that is one of my favorite pictures of him.  Car Guy took it the first Christmas we had Oreo.

Between this picture and the weather, I'm starting to get into the spirit of things.  There is a chance for some precipitation this weekend....and it could come in the form of, dare I say it, snow?!?!  Not in North Carolina!  Not where I live!  We hardly ever get snow, just ask Erica.  I know that Teresa and Manda have already had some snow and that Sandi and Alice are heading into spring, so no snow there.  Denise had some chilly weather, but the she said the birds must of complained so the city paid the heating bill.  I love hearing and seeing how the weather is around the world. Around here, we are always crossing our fingers for a "White Christmas."  And once in a blue moon we might get a dusting, but not often. So I'm like a little kid watching the weather reports and crossing my fingers that we get a little of the white stuff.

I added the links above in hopes that anyone who should stumble upon my blog will go visit these lovely ladies.  I've only been blogging for a few months and these ladies have been wonderful support, leaving comments and making me feel welcome.  So thanks!  And please, if you're new and drifting through (and I know you do)  leave a comment, stay a while, meet some lovely ladies and make new friends. Spread a little Christmas Cheer with me!

A New Week

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!  For those of you not in the US, I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  I'm finally back amongst the real world after a lovely long week-end! Since I've been away for a while, you get a "No Picture" post.  I just haven't had time to get the pictures uploaded to the computer.

We had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving at my Sainted Mother's house.  Long time family friends Brenda and Dick were there too.  For the first time in 17 years, we only went to one house on Thanksgiving, so I actually got to bake a couple of chocolate pies and make some stuffing to take over. We had the obligatory turkey, green bean casserole, candied yams, stuffing...all the fixings.  Brenda made the most amazing sweet potato salad with sweet potatoes, onions, pineapples...all kinds of yummy goodness. I'm waiting on the recipe.  It was divine.  We had a wonderful time and halfway through the day I realized that I'd left the camera at home......Argh!  I guess it was better to forget the camera instead of the food.

Friday morning we got up bright and early, grabbed some breakfast and headed over to the coliseum for the Craftsman's Fair.  I wish I could have taken the camera so that I could show you all the talent that was on display, but that's not allowed.  I'm afraid I didn't get any gifts.  Nothing really jumped out at me that seemed appropriate.  I did get some WONDERFUL tea from a company called Blessed Botanicals.  They make the most amazing organic, herbal  teas.  I purchased Full Moon Winter Chai, Lemon Mint, and My Last Nerve Teas, all of which are delicious. They are also a North Carolina company, which I love.

Saturday was spent at the Bandys Duel Wrestling Tournament.  Six High School wrestling teams meet in Catawba, NC at Bandys High School.  The schools are from North and South Carolina and there was some amazing and talented kids there.  Both boys wrestled and did pretty well, each getting a victory with a pin and each getting pinned - Ugh!  There were a lot of screaming Moms there supporting each other and our boys.  It's a long day and everyone comes away bone tired...including the parents.  We get to spend the next three weekends doing this.  It's crazy, but when it's over, we miss it.

Sunday was spent quietly at home.  Boy, were we tired!  We ate brunch, watched a movie and then went to church for the Hanging of the Greens Ceremony.  This is the first service of the Advent season when we light the Christmon Tree and hang the evergreen garlands in the Sanctuary.  It is probably one of my most favorite services with candle light and Christmas carols. It's also wonderful because you get to see people that you haven't seen in while.  I saw my fifth grade teacher! How cool is that?!

Christmas is fast approaching and there is so much to do! Lots and lots of blocking...Sigh...why can't these things block themselves?  I also thought I'd try to do some baking this year, but with all the wrestling, I don't know if there will be time.  I also have to sit down and have a meeting with Santa AFTER I pry wish lists from The Boys. AND I  have no clue what to get Car Guy and he's not helping! I'm glad the rest of my family isn't so difficult!

Well I hope everyone's week is going well.  I'll try to get a little more organized so that you have something to look at next time :)