"My House is a Wreck!"

Hi! I am Elizabeth. Things have been happening pretty fast in my life! I
just married Mr. Right, became a stepmother to two fabulous kiddos, and had a
new baby- all in the last year and a half! Add a couple of moves and my 36th
birthday in there and you will understand why I am feeling the need to record
this crazy stage of our lives! At least now I can come back and read about it
someday- I know I won't remember! Oh, and keep in mind that I while I am posting
the good memories and high points of our daily life- my house really is a wreck!


Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Thinking about Christmas

Well, every year I plan to do my Christmas shopping early.  I dream of having everything wrapped and under the tree by the first week in December and then spending the rest of the season baking cookies and singing carols!  I imagine a season with no stress and  peaceful candlelight church services!  In my perfect world, not only is my shopping done early, but I also have thought ahead about my "party clothes", and each event we attend is easy and stress free with outfit, shoes and accessories ready to go!  Ha!  Dream On!  My typical routine is to still be shopping the week before Christmas, still be wrapping the gifts on Christmas Eve, and to be running around trying to find something to wear while my husband sits in the car waiting for me to hurry up for each event!  WHY?  Why do I do this to myself?  And my family?

So, this year I need to change my ways.  I have a Christmas Party at my house the second week of December, and a trip out of town the first weekend of December.  I have to be bringing my "A" game in order to not embarrass the family!!  And, let's face it, I have John Stephen to think about- I cannot continue this craziness!  So I am going to really try to to do better this year! 

1.  Make a list of all gift recipients and their gift ideas.
2.  Buy all of the men something and quit agonizing about the perfect gifts for them.
3.  Plan to buy some clothes in November for the Holiday season
4.  Order personalized/monogrammed gifts early for a personal touch
5.  Make a hair appointment for the week before Thanksgiving
6.  Christmas Cards/ AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 
7.  Plan with family and get our family stuff on the calendar before things get crazy!
8.  Do a little cooking and freezing early!!

A note on the Christmas Cards:  John Stephen is growing so fast that I feel like I need to take the Christmas Card photo in November or early December so it will be current. But I really could get it over with and ready to mail if I would take the pic early. Oh, what to do?  I really wanted the Christmas tree in the background!  Also, since we have moved for the millionth time I should put our new address on the card and get them out early so that we can get some cards here!!   

Welcome to the mind of a crazy person.  I realize that these types of thoughts in September are not rational or normal, but if I don't get it together now then we will be right back in the same routine!  I always feel like the perfect gift is going to come along at the last minute! I just can't pull the trigger!  Oh well, that is how I was when shopping for houses, and husbands too!  Better late than never!  I'll keep you posted!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Baby!

Today is my husband Don's Birthday!  He is 45!  He is celebrating his big day on a goose hunting trip in Canada!  Don is not one of those fanatics who lives to hunt and who spends all of his free time in the woods, but he does like to hunt a few times a year.  And he likes to spend the rest of his time with me!  He called me from the lodge tonight and we got to visit for a few minutes. I sang "Happy Birthday to You" in my best Marilyn Monroe impersonation!  Just Kidding, but I would have if I had thought of it.  He is on this trip with my Dad and my Dad's dog, Horton.  They are having fun and got 117 geese just today!! 

Don's nickname since elementary school has been "Big Daddy"! Tons of our friends call him "Big Daddy"!! And since he is 6'4- it just works!  I NEVER call him Big Daddy unless I am joking around!  But in my best Marilyn Monroe singing voice I just want to say..."Happy Birthday, Mr."' Big Daddy", Happy Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiirthday toooooooooo YOU!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Greetings from the Land of Cotton

Well, it is cotton picking time here in Arkansas!  And since I come from a "Farm Family" I thought I would share some pics of my cottontop in the cotton!
 We had lunch with my brother Rafe today and then we went out to the farm for a quick look at the cotton.  Something about a field of cotton makes me feel connected to all of the generations of my family that are now long gone.  And it also makes me feel like Scarlett O'Hara after the War of Northern Aggression-  "Cotton oughta go sky high next year!"


I meant to get some cotton to put in a big bunch on my breakfast table, but I forgot my clippers!  Shoot!  I made a wreath of cotton one year and it was really pretty- maybe I need to do that again this year! 

There are a lot of things in my area of the country that aren't really pretty to look at.  We have a lot of poverty, trailer parks, bad perms, architectural blunders, BUT we have miles and miles of breath taking cotton fields and bean fields and rice fields.  And they are so pretty that they make up for the other stuff! I'll be back soon with some pics of our favorite 7th grade football player! 

Monday, September 6, 2010

So Long Seersucker...

Bye Bye white shoes!  Summer is officially over, at least in the world of fashion.  Too bad it will feel like summer here in the South until at least October!  Hope you had a nice Labor Day Weekend!  We had a great time at the lake.  Maybe one of our best weekends yet!  We ushered in football season with a win for the Razorbacks!  Pig Soooie!


As you can see, we had things set up in "high tech redneck" fashion for the big game!  Since we were expecting a big crowd, and everyone wanted to be outside with the grill and the PERFECT weather, we put the TV outside under a tent!!  There were kids playing everywhere, people throwing the football around, and tons of yummy food coming off of the grill!  The outside TV was a perfect setup!

Pax and Syd had time on Sunday morning to play a little wiffle ball! 
And, John Stephen had some fun swingin' and watching the wiffle ball game!  Good weekend, great friends! 

I hate to say goodbye to summer, but the busy fall has arrived!  Time to shift into overdrive!!  And I guess I need to buy John Stephen some clothes since I made the mistake of buying tons of seersucker for the summer, and now I have to pack it away (like any good Southern mother)!  Toodle Loo!