Mollie and her Snuggie debut....

Yep...she got one too!!!

#25 Merry Christmas to ALL

Thank you all for your love throughout 2010. Merry Christmas!!!

And thank you for your support as I tried to blog about 25 days of Christmas in my life. I hope you weren't bored.

Here I am with one of my gifts that were under my tree.

What we did, Who and what did we see???

I told you we were busy, busy, busy!!! Here are a few pictures of what we did on Christmas Eve day.....



We saw a Pink Bug....Mollie said it looked like a Barbie Car



Mollie got her Christmas Pajama's



We met Mother and Daddy (Grandmom and Grandpop) and had a nice lunch in Mississippi



Mollie got a super cool snowglobe from Grandmom and Grandpop



Mollie sucked on a lemon



I wore a Santa Hat



Mollie Wore a Santa Hat



We stopped and got some cheese on the way home

#24 Christmas Eve

Almost there folks!!! Christmas Eve 2010!!! I have not let you down with my Christmas Blog Countdown. I can't promise I will do this again next year but I feel like I have accomplished a great feat.

Today, I am busy, busy, busy...as the magician in Frosty the Snowman says.



I hope everyone has all their shopping done and are with family and friends.




If you haven't watched It's a Wonderful Life this year or have never seen it...today is the day!!!




Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? - Clarence

#22 Growing an Abominable

Christmas post number 22!!! Mollie and I are growing an Abominable. Do you know the toys that you put in water and they "grow"? Well, we found an Abominable Snowman several weeks ago but we saved him until today. So what you see is a tiny bumble in a bowl of water. We will keep you posted on his growth.

#21 More Elves

These little fellers are also from my childhood. They used to sit on our piano every Christmas. Now they live with me.

#20 Sweet Story Book

Christmas Memory...
Sweet Story Book by LifeSaver Candy is one of the things I remember in my Christmas Stocking. I LOVED them and still do. I got one for Mollie's stocking this year and they don't put as many rolls in them as they used to. They also have hard and gummie Lifesaver Candy books now.
My favorite were the Butter Rum and WinterGreen flavors. YUM!!!
I found some old photos on the internet.

#19 Skipping Christmas

Noooo....I am not skipping Christmas this year but, I am reading Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. We watched Christmas With the Kranks on TV over the weekend and it is based on this book. I have read it before but after seeing the movie, I decided to make it one of my "Christmas Countdown" activities!!!

#18 Old Friends

Meet some old family friends. These little guys have been a part of the Dorriety family for many years. In fact...they are antique probably.
I love them and remember them from when I was little.

#17 Christmas Episode

As I was driving to work this morning...I was thinking about what I could post as my Christmas blog #17. Well, what popped into my mind was a Christmas tv episode of The Brady Bunch. The one where Carol loses her voice and she was supposed to sing a Christmas song at church. The youngest daughter, Cindy, asks Santa to give her mommy her voice back for Christmas.

Wedding 12/11/2010

BEFORE

Julia and David Stevens were married 12/11/2010. Between Cindy, Alisha, and myself we decorated, coordinated, and cleaned up. Here is what the chapel looked like before and after the wedding foo foo was added.



AFTER

#16 Christmas Activity

I engaged in a solo Christmas activity. Christmas Puzzle and Crossword. FUN!

# 15 Does anyone really like it?

First off...did you think I would make it this far with my Christmas countdown? I mean really. Who thought I was blowing a bunch of hot air? Well, you have 15 days and 15 posts about Christmas. Whew. 10 more to go. Can I actually keep up the momentum? Can I actually find 10 more Christmas topics to blog about?
The answer will be on December 25th.

My question today is. Does anyone REALLY like it? I haven't been exposed to any in years so I don't know. Do people still make it? Do people still eat it?

You know what I am talking about.




Fruit Cake

Report Poster and Beautiful Model

Mollie did a report on Bear Bryant for English. She hasn't gotten her grade yet but I couldn't wait to show you the poster. Grade will be announced later.

#14 Fat Lights and Icicles

I grew up in the age of real Christmas Trees that smelled awesome, dripped sap, had a stand you had to keep water in, and left a mess of prickly pine needles on the floor. But, wasn't it great? It wasn't until I became a teenager that we got a "fake" tree. And that was OK too but trying to match all the same color wire branches together and then figuring out which branches were the longest and put those on the bottom and then making sure the lights were wrapped evenly so you didn't look off balance was hard work!! The artificial trees of today are so EASY. They come in two major pieces and are like an upside down umbrella. And who ever came up with pre lit trees is a genius!!! Unfortunately, the life expectancy of our modern Christmas Tree is about three years. I mean you can use it longer but its "fluffiness" usually dies after a couple of years. Oh well.


Now, back to the thoughts of live and sappy trees. Do you remember the smell? It was so wonderful. And the "FAT" lights? They would heat up and smell hot and they would also BURN you fingers. (I know this from personal experience) And the icicles. Not the tinsel on a string but, the real stuff that you would throw as hard as you could trying to make sure the top of your tree had a clump of the shiny stuff. (i was shorter back then.)

Now, those were the days.

#13 Does Anyone Remember This Stuff?

THERE IS A CAUTION TO USE “PROPER PROTECTION FOR THE HANDS SHOULD BE TAKEN WHEN USING ANGEL HAIR”. IT IS “SPUN GLASS”. “USE WITH CAUTION.”


Does anyone remember this stuff? It was BEAUTIFUL and I always wanted to touch it but was not allowed to because it is made of GLASS!!!! (They probably thought I would eat it. HaHa)
I found this picture and "WARNING" on the internet.

#12 Christmas Eve at our house....

The book you see was purchased in 1995. (the year Mollie was born) Every year of Mollie's life, I have read this book, Twas the Night Before Christmas, to her on Christmas Eve. It is a tradition I hope will continue.

# 11 Yearly Ornament

A tradition Mollie and I have tried to develop is to get a new ornament for our tree every year. Here are this year's.

This is Mollie's "Be Merry"




The skating snowman is mine.

#10 Christmas Memory..a TREE to EAT

Christmas countdown entry #10. We had a TWO trees every year when I was growing up. One for presents and one to eat. YES...one to EAT!!! Hence...the GUMDROP TREE!!!

#9 Oh Christmas Tree 2010

Christmas countdown 2010. Entry #9. Our Christmas tree is up, decorated, and has presents underneath. YAY!

#8 Christmas Countdown 2010

I decorated my cubicle at work.

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

I got this book from Mindy. It's been a long time since I was anxious about getting to the end of a book. I was thoroughly enthralled with this story. It was very entertaining. Thanks Mindy!

#7 Christmas Entry

I wore a Christmas Red sweater to work. Thanks to my sister, Joni, who cleaned out her closet, I have a red sweater. (I NEVER wear red)

December 7, 1941 Remembered

On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. Remember those who protect our country today.

#6 Christmas Countdown

Wow! Six days with a Christmas post EVERY day so far!!!
Day number 6. My Favorite Christmas Movies List. Some oldies and some new ones.

1. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

2. Frosty the Snowman

3. The Year Without A Santa Claus

4. Santa Claus is Coming to Town

5. Christmas Vacation

6. White Christmas

7. Miracle on 34th Street

8. Bells of Saint Mary

9. It's a Wonderful Life

10. The Holiday

11. Elf

12. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

13. A Charlie Brown Christmas

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

We went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 over the weekend. I have not kept up with Harry movies or books and I was talked into going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
I went in knowing that it was going to be over 2 hours long and was expecting I would be watching the time. To my surprise...even not seeing all the movies...it was very, very good. It was entertaining and I did not watch the clock. In fact, I was shocked when it was over. I can't wait to see Part 2 next year!!!

#5 in the Christmas Countdown

My favorite things that Santa brought me. Although Santa was always VERY good and generous to me. There are some things he left that stick in your mind.
These are not the actual pictures of MY toys but I grabbed a couple off the internet to share.
One of my favorite things I ever got was my cash register. No wonder I like shopping. HAHA! I remember it looked very much like this one.



It was a pinkish red color and the play money would sometimes get stuck and jam up the drawer but I always seemed to manage getting it open. Loved it and loved playing store.

One other thing that I wanted soooo badly and got was. A baby Crissy doll. She was fat and big and she had a head full of hair which would grow.

December 4th...the countdown continues

December 4th's Christmas Countdown entry is a list of my top 10 favorite Christmas Carols that I came up with from memory. I just jotted down what popped into my head first. I am sure there are others. They aren't in in particular order of preference. These are just some Christmas songs that you MIGHT catch me singing along with these artists versions.
1. The Christmas Song - Nat "King" Cole

2. White Christmas - Bing Crosby

3. Little Drummer Boy - Harry Simeone Chorale

4. Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

5. Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad

6. Madonna - Santa Baby

7. John Lennon - Happy Christmas

8. John Cougar Mellencamp - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

9. Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus is Coming to Town

10. Alvin and the Chipmunks - Christmas Don't Be Late

December 3rd

December 3rd...Mollie and I recently discovered that we both like peppermint bark with dark chocolate. I needed to run into Walgreens and saw Andes Peppermint Crunch Thins. You see the green Andes mints all the time. I am not a fan of them but the RED ones caught my eye. I guess they must be seasonal. Anyway, I got them and as Mollie said...they are festive looking. So, this is my day three Christmas entry.

Pioneer Woman Meatloaf

I made the Pioneer Woman's Meatloaf recipe. Here is what I think. I love the sauce on top. I love that it's wrapped in bacon. The actual "loaf"...I think it lacks something. If I make it again I will add some onion and sauce to the meat.
It wasn't horrible and Mollie liked it and ate it so, it wasn't a total bust.
Love you Pioneer Woman!!!

December 2nd

December 2nd. My holiday happy for today is...I painted my fingernails Christmas Red.

December 1st

Ok...I'm going to really, really, really, really, try and post something every day NICE about the holidays until Christmas. Something I like about Christmas or something "Christmasy" I did. I have to be honest. Christmas is not my favorite holiday. It just seems to bring a lot stress and pressure. Pressure to buy things. Pressure to go here and there. And for what? Maxed out credit cards? Worrying about not having money for Christmas?
Oh don't get me wrong. I LOVE giving presents. It just seems so rush, rush, rush.
So, here is my mission. One Christmas activity per day for the next 25 days. YIKES!

Please go ahead and note...to gear up for the "Christmas mood" ....I added Johnny Mathis, Sleigh Ride as my ringtone on my phone.




Today I went to Target on my lunch break and got a Christmas present for Mollie. I cannot tell you what it is. Not that she would actually read my blog, but just in case.

I also have been listening to Christmas music at my desk today.

So, wow...I am ahead of the game. Two Christmas activities in one day. Whew!!!
December 1st...DONE!