Maybe we can find somewhere that is a little of both. I guess time will tell. Anyway I hope to see you there.

After the parade was over (it was very good) we all went to a local park and had a huge cookout. We were able to secure the last open grill and we had plenty to eat. I am sure that we will all remember this day for a long time.

I feel that it is time to move on to other things. There are birthdays coming up and I have a lot to look forward to. Now that the holiday season is over, it is good to be done with it. For all those who still have their tree up, I say its time to take it down.

For some reason, at this time of year, the hustle and bustle just doesn’t seem to be such a nuisance. As a matter of fact, it’s a little more welcomed. Hearts are open and full of good cheer.

But Christmas music, also known as yuletide carols passed down through many generations just add so much to the sprit of Christmas. Mostly if there is music in the air there is music in the heart. So in the spirit of Christmas, keep a song in your heart.

They said the mall was packed and that the lines were very long to check out. I knew right then that I was wasting my time. I decided to go home and take my chances on the internet. When I arrived home, I went online and started to check out some different sites. I finally found a site I liked and started doing some serious shopping. That’s when I found a hoodie that I really liked.

The price was good and I thought I would order it. After all, why should I go out get something when I can have it delivered to my home. I turned on the T.V. and thought about how much better my time was spent that fighting the traffic and the crowds.

I went into the garage and got out our boxes with all the stuff. I have some neat graveyard items as well as some whacked out ghouls. I have some lights to plug in and a great scary record to play. I know the kids will enjoy coming to my house this year.

One girl bought a rack of lamb ribs, marinated them for a couple of hours and then cooked them on the grill over charcoal.

My buddy in Dallas says he got a whole leg of lamb, cut it in half and grilled half of it for his Easter dinner. The dog got the bone and everyone was happy.

Maybe the problem for me with lamb is that I’ve never had it grilled. I always had it baked like a roast beef and served with mint jelly. I guess I’d be willing to try it again if someone wanted to grill it and let me taste it. I don’t think I want to try it badly enough to do it myself, but I’ll consider any offers from my friends . . .

I always think of those rabbits when people start talking about the Easter Bunny. Hope you have a nice Easter.

My sister has got to be one of the best cooks on the planet. I’m getting super excited for the holidays now that I know she’ll be there in full force, dishing up some of my favorites…like her mac and cheese, green bean casserole and stuffing recipes. Yum! I’ve told her she should totally open up a restaruant. In fact, she’s worked in the kitchen of quite a few…just not as a chef, since she doesn’t have technical culinary training from a culinary school. Either way, she’s good, let me tell you.

I’ve been trying to get her to look at Domain Names Packages so she can potentially start up her own recipe site. I know I’d go there every day, and I’m sure once everyone else tasted her yummy concoctions, they would, too! But until then, I will just settle with being spoiled with her food during our family get togethers this Christmas. I’ve already got my stretchy-waisted pants on deck and ready to go–ha!

As the snowflakes gently glide to earth in a seemingly graceful dance, I feel the spirit of Christmas starting to emerge. I suddenly get the undeniable urge to dig out the Christmas decorations and start the all too familiar holiday tradition of turning our home into a Christmas wonderland.

This is the time of year I love the most, our family seems to grow closer as we share the experience of the meaning of the season. Not only is it in the festivities but the celebration of the birth of Christ that we instill in our children as they grow into adult hood.

As we share in the decorating of our home we listen soothingly to the sounds of the seasons radiating from the radio. As the decorating fills our home with joy and happiness the excitement of the season grows with the twinkling of the multi-colored lights, the whimsical scenes painted on the window accented with the snow edged window panes that gives off a nostalgic picture of Christmas past. I love the older traditional decorations that have been pasted down for generations in our family. It gives us the impression of lost loved ones returning in spirit to celebrate the season with us.

The final touches to our decorating tradition is to sit among the beautiful decorations in the family room and enjoy a big bowl of popcorn as we enjoy a holiday special on our direct tv deals. There is nothing more special that this family time shared with one another.

My Mom and I teamed up against them for a game of pinochle. Mom and I lost by one point but it was fun all the same. They will be leaving soon but it was nice to see them and catch up on family matters. Christmas is truly magical for those who are fortunate enough to have family to spend it with.

I woke up this morning, raised the shade in my bedroom window and was surprised to see that it had snowed overnight. This is the first snow of winter this year. The first snow is always special to me for some reason. I remember as a child that when the first snow came, we would all race home, grab our sleds and head for the nearest hill.

It didn’t matter that there may have been only one inch of snow on the ground when we got there and it wasn’t good for sledding, but, we would wait. Sometimes we waited for hours for the conditions to be just right. Once they were, we would set sail down those hills on our sleds as fast as we could. The races we had were fantastic, the crashes were always fun for some reason and just the general comraderie we felt with our friends was worth all of the cold and runny noses.

Today, I still get that feeling when I see the first snow of winter. I think maybe I should grab my sled and hit the hills. I am sure my back and legs would not appreciate that, so I think I’ll leave that for the kids and just watch. Once we have finished out sledding, we can all go inside and watch a great movie on our satellite tv from www.DirectStarTV.com.

This past Black Friday I found some really wonderful deals at Walmart. The best deal would be the $199 laptop, which retails for about $500! I was there just after midnight on Thursday morning, and was in line to get it and after about 30 minutes of waiting I did! I am currently using the new laptop to write this blog for you, and couldn’t be happier with my deicsion to go out and shop on Black Friday at Walmart.

It was a successful trip, lots of great deals, and lots of new things were bought. I easily saved over $500 on my purchases this day, so I cannot complain about the lines and the waiting, it was well worth it. I got home around 6am, made a cup of coffee, sat ont he couch and watched some Satellite TV and just relaxed.

I am definitely looking foward to going out next yearr on Black Friday and getting some more great deals. This was my first year going and shopping on this crazy day, but in the end it was a successful trip and will be made again in years to come!