All is well...again...

Second round of antibiotic for me within less than 2 months...I'm going for a record I believe! I used to never, ever get sick and now it seems like I stay sick. I started feeling bad last Saturday, and it progressively got worse, cough, snot flying everywhere, sore throat, headache, stomach ache, the whole kitten kaboodle. I just got over this mess probably around the first part of November and lucky me, I got it back! I have felt good enough today though to CLEAN...I always feel like my house is just loaded with germs and cooties whenever someone is sick and I always feel the need to scrub everything down...so that's what I did today! It also makes me feel better when I know my house is cootie free!!! LOL
I don't really have much to update about. Things have been fairly "quiet" around my neck of the woods...just working, going to church, staying home...the usual. Here is something FUNNY: BLAST FROM THE PAST!!! Oh Lord, what HAIR...this is me and my BFF when we were in 10th grade, I think it was 1996. JENNIFER, I know you are gonna read this...what the heck was up with our curly, curly hair?!!? Hey, guess what we were doing?! Reading a letter! LOL We had "code" names in school..don't ask me why but I remember when we wrote letters to each other we'd use fake names...I think I was Jocelyn and I can't remember who Jennifer was. That's about all the high school memories I want to share...the rest can be left forgotten. I found this pic this morning when I was downstairs packing up mine and John's yearbooks to bring upstairs. It rained pretty bad yesterday and we had some water leakage down there so I didn't want to leave things like that down there to be destroyed. I ran across old pictures and had to share this one...I thought it was hilarious! I found one of my sister too, but I figure I better not post it. Although I know she doesn't read this blog, if she ever found out that I posted that pic online I believe she'd kill me. LOL
This picture was taken last Friday night by my husband who does not take good pics which is why it is blurry. That is my niece Rebekah with me. Her birthday is in a week or two and we took her shopping Friday...big mistake! Uuugghhh...I will never do that again until she's 20! The plan was to buy her clothes. I know kids don't like getting clothes, but my nieces and nephew do not know how to take care of toys and stuff such as that, so I told them I was not wasting my money this year on things that would be trash within a month. Poor Rebekah had a total misunderstanding of the situation and was VERY shocked when we got to Kohl's and she had to try on clothes!!! She stressed me out majorly! She ended up getting a dress, a toothbrush that plays a song (WHAT IS THE POINT??? A SINGING TOOTHBRUSH?!?!), and a necklace and bracelet set from me and John and that was it! When we took my other niece Hannah, she wasn't so difficult and we managed to get her all sorts of clothes. Rebekah just would not work with me. BTW, Jennifer that is my new hairdo if you can tell it in the fuzzy picture.
Here is another one of R...just because I think she's cute.


I gotta go get ready. Just talked to John, he is on his way to pick me up and he'll be very upset if I'm not ready to walk out the door. Chat later!

CHRISTMAS MEME


1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate with little marshmallows, and lots of them!


2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? All gifts are wrapped, unless I get tired and then they at least get a gift bag or box with some sort of design on it.


3. Colored light on house/tree or white? I have colored lights on my tree, but none on my house...maybe next year.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yeah, usually I do, but I can't find any this year...my hubs told me he'd get me some but I've yet to see it.

5. When do you put your decorations up? As early as possible...I'd decorate in July if I could.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? cranberry sauce...I usually don't eat it any other time but thanksgiving and Christmas.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? You know, when you're little, everything is special...I enjoyed it all, going to see family, getting toys, the whole nine yards.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't ever really remember believing in Santa...I had older cousins/sister so I'm sure they spoiled it for me before I could believe.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? With my family, we have always opened gifts on Christmas Eve...John's family does Christmas Day though. (maybe that's why I don't believe in Santa...because we had all our gifts on Christmas Eve and there was never anything on Christmas morning from him)

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? SNOWMEN...EVERYWHERE!!!

11. Snow. Love it or dread it? I LOVE it, if it would ever happen!!!

12. Can you ice skate? Ummm...that would be a negative...my feet stay planted FIRMLY on the ground!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I can remember getting a barbie pool one year...I remember mom making me play with it in the dining room so that if I got water in the floor, I could wipe it up with a paper towel and it wouldn't get in the carpet. And I remember a doll house too that I really loved.

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? Family, the birth of Jesus and trying to focus on that instead of worrying over who I bought something for and who I didn't.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I don't think I really have one...I LOVE it all.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? PUNCH...either mom, me, or my sister will make punch every year...slush punch...we eat the meal and stuff ourselves...and then we pack it in real good with lots, and lots, and LOTS of punch. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

17. What tops your Christmas tree? A snowman head...he has earmuffs on...LOL

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I like to give...especially to my nieces and nephew...

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

20. Candy Canes. Yum or Yuck? Depends what flavor...I have blueberry flavored at work now...they are good.

21. What do you want for Christmas? I already have it...I got a new camera...YAY....woo hoo!!!

22. Do you attend an annual Christmas party? No, not always...

23. Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear PJ's? I wouldn't call it dressing up...we usually go to mom and dads and there's been times that I take my PJ's with me...this year mama says we're doing it at my house so I might not even fix my hair! HAHAHA

24. Do you own a Santa hat? nah

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? split up with family...Eve with my parents, sister, her family....Day, I try to spend time with John's family and then I go to my aunts because up until Feb. my grandmother was alive and we always had Christmas with her. I'm gonna miss her this year! : ( and then usually I go back to mom and dads Christmas night just to hang out.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was gonna wait and do this tomorrow, but I just looked at the clock, and it is almost tomorrow! So I figured by the time I actually get finished, it'll be after 12:00 and it will be Thanksgiving Day!
I just wanted to take the time to say Happy Thanksgiving and to tell what I am most thankful for. First and foremost, The Lord above for salvation and mercy! I thank God for saving me and for everything! HE is the reason I can be thankful for so much. Without Him I am nothing, I have nothing, but with Him I have everything!!!
I am thankful for my parents. God placed it in their hearts before I was born to raise me and my sister in church, and that's where I've always been, around God's people. I'm thankful that they raised me right, taught me right, and for
the unending love they pour out to me. They both mean the world to me.
I'm thankful for my sister, my 2 nieces, my nephew, and my brother-in-law. My family is important to me...I don't know where I'd be in this world without each one of them.
I am thankful for my husband! If anyone knows anything about me at all, it's that I prayed and prayed and prayed for God to send me a good man, and I got the best of the best! He is so good to me and I am so undeserving. John and I have had many obstacles along the way, but it seems each one has only made us stronger. He's my one true love, my soul mate, my world.
I'm thankful for friends. I don't get really close to many people, but the ones that I do, they find resting places in my heart for a lifetime. This is one of them.
Jennifer and I met our freshman year of high school and we've pretty much stuck together since then. Besides John, she is the only other person who knows just about all there is to know about me. She has been a shoulder to cry on many, many times and for that I am grateful. I love you girl!!!
I am thankful for my job, even though there are days I HATE it...but God has given it to me and I appreciate the opportunity to make a paycheck. I am also thankful for my home. The Lord really opened a door for us when He gave us this house...a house that is OURS! I love being here. I'm thankful for my little Tatum because he makes me laugh, and he makes me happy when I am sad. I'm thankful for my cat (she's at my parents house though) Cricket. She's over 15 years old and I LOVE her to death. I grew up with her and seeing her now get old and not able to get around too good really hurts, but thinking back on the memories of her and sleeping with her at night, cuddling up near her and listening to her purr, there's nothing I'd take for those days. She'll always be my baby.
I have so many blessings...I'd be here till the end of time telling about everything I am thankful for. I said before, God has richly blessed me in so many ways. I hope that everyone can say the same. God Bless!!!

28 years ago...

Oh Good Lord...say it ain't so Joe!!! I am flippin' 28 years old today! How is that possible!? It's like I woke up and BAM, I'm old!!! OK, OK...I KNOW that technically I am not OLD OLD, but it just does not seem possible that I...me...HOLLY can be 28! I'm not ungrateful either for the years that the Good Lord has blessed me with...I feel very lucky to have made it this far. It's just so ironic how time flies! It seems like only yesterday I walked across the stage to get my high school diploma, I remember that day so well...I can remember the day I turned 16 and got my license, I even remember the first day of kindergarten. Some memories stand out better than others, but I can remember quiet a bit and it doesn't seem like so long ago. This coming May will be my 10 year class reunion! Go figure! I don't plan to attend, I'm just stating the fact that time is quickly passing me by. All in all, I can say that my life has been fulfilling. I remember times when I thought my life was not so great, and I'm sure there will be times ahead of me when I feel the same way, but I have been so richly blessed! My mom called me before 7 this morning to let me know how much PAIN she was in 28 years ago today in labor with me...I told her I've never caused her a day of pain in my entire life! (I wish that was true). It's been a good day. As you get older, birthdays just slip by as another day. I've tried to pull the "but it's my birthday" card with JW today a few times and he's been good enough to baby me! *aaawww* I tried to scan some pics
of me when I was a little girl, but I can't even figure out this stupid scanner...I did manage to get one.

Not sure why it is in black and white...it didn't scan that way. Oh well! I don't really know how old I was in this pic, I think mama told me I was like 6 months or something...who knows?! I gotta say, I was a cute kid! LOL JOKING!! *toot toot* LOL
Thank you God for 28 years...I pray for another 28 more!

Decorating Part 2; The Tree

OK...I am finished! My living room is all decked out and I'm tired! Here it is...

I tried to take a pic with the lights on, and then off, just to see which pic would turn out better. But as I said before, my camera is sickly; so any picture I get it to take I'm happy about! In any case, I'm VERY pleased with my tree! I think it looks really good. I'm not much of an interior decorator, or whatever you want to say, so anything that I can make look decent, I'm really proud of! My parents came over last night because our burglar alarm system went off while we were all out to eat, the police was called to the house...it was dramatic...apparently my 4 legged child set off the motion sensor in the basement...moving on though...my dad strolls thru my snowman wonderland and looks at my mom and says, "she really goes all out with this decorating doesn't she?!" YEAH RIGHT...I've seen homes where they decorate each and every room and spend butt loads of money doing so...I, on the other hand just do my LR and that's about it. I'm hoping that next year maybe we can do more on the outside. Even my peace lily got a little decoration.

This plant was from my grandmothers funeral back in Feb. so it means a lot to me. I'm trying my very best to keep it alive and take good care of it. It's pretty huge and needs a lot of TLC.

Here are my ornaments I talked about in a post before that I bought from Pigeon Forge. Again, my camera isn't taking good pics, so they are a little blurry.
This one is Tatum's. Usually all of my ornaments have some sort of snowman or snow theme to them, but I thought this one was really cute and I'm sure Tatum appreciates having his own ornament! LOL
I really like this one! Not sure if it's clear enough to read, but it has our names on the snowballs and the year at the bottom...soooooo flippin' cute! I LOVE it!!!!

Well, it's waaaay past time for bed! Back to work tomorrow, but only for 2 days! : ) Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!

Decorating Part 1

Well, I've worked for 2 days now and I think I have everything just the way that I want it. There are a few more details that need to be complete but so far I'm pleased!
Because it has snowed up in the mountains and we were unsure of how safe the roads would be, or what kind of mess we'd get into, we decided to just go ahead and do an artificial tree this year. I gotta say, it's one of the most "real" looking fake trees I've ever saw! HA We got home about 10:15 last night and I went straight to work putting it together. I let John and Tatum do the easy part...
Sorting everything out and putting the poles into the stand! I had the tedious job of shaping each and every branch. That is the part of a fake tree that I HATE!! It took forever...While I was trying to work, Tatum was running around being nosey and checking out all of my snowmen. I turned my head from him just for a second and this picture says it all...
John was like, "Holly, Holly...he's getting the snowmen." I turned around and he had grabbed this one...
Uummm...I don't care how cute and cuddly you are, you DON'T mess with my snowmen! LOL This one happens to be the 1st one of my collection from Hallmark that I have been collecting since 2003. Each year they have brought out a new one and I usually go the first day they put them on sale to buy one. I've taken pictures of all of them. Here is 2004.
2005...
2006...
2007...And 2008...
All of them sing, some shakes, some dances. I'm sure you've seen the commercials on TV advertising them. I LOVE them all but I think 2004 is my favorite. John's is 2005, the snowman playing the piano. It is pretty cute.
OK, so anyway, we got the tree together and I decided to go ahead and knock out the other tedious task which is putting on the lights! I LOVE lots and lots of lights, I just wish there was an easier way of putting them on and taking them off. The trees with the lights already on them just don't seem to have enough lights for me. I digress! John did good though...he helped me the whole time...by the end, we were both dizzy headed from going 'round and 'round the tree with the strands of lights. I think it was about 1:30 this morning when we finally went to bed. He got scared that I was just gonna stay up all night and decorate but I figured I better get some sleep or it would be untelling what my tree would end up looking like. I got up this morning around 9:30ish and started again...it's finished, all but a few more snowflakes which I need to go buy...but then I think it's gonna look like the bomb dot com!!! HAHA : ) I'll do more pictures later this evening or maybe a video...My camera is sorta on the blink, so I can only get a few pics before it stops working. Ugghh...I really want Santa to bring me a NEW camera for Christmas, but he told me he was BROKE! WHAT?!?! GO FIGURE!

So Funny

OK, Tatum is not the topic of this blog...I was just looking thru some old pics and ran across this one and it made me LOL!!! I KNOW this dog thinks we torture him by playing dress up, but this was an opportunity I could not pass up! He is like, "there is NO way I'm looking at that camera with this dorky hat on my head."

So anyway, I'm all excited because the work week is over for me and tomorrow I get to start decorating for Christmas!! :) The plans for a real tree might have changed though...not sure just yet. J.W. has about talked me into buying an artificial tree this year. Which it does make sense to do so, but I really love a live tree!
This was our 1st tree as a married couple! And this is our "1st Christmas" ornament...
I bought it in Pigeon Forge, TN at The Christmas Place. I try to buy at least one ornament from there each time we visit P.F. I'll take pics of my new ornaments I had personalized back in March when we were up there. I really like that store a lot. I'm a sucker for any kind of Christmas store though. I really like the Christmas Mouse too...there is one in Myrtle Beach, SC. Gaalee, I'm a dork! I just love Christmas and decorating! I DON'T however like the gift buying and stressfulness of making sure you have bought enough for everyone. Christmas shouldn't be about gifts, but about the birth of Jesus, and just being able to spend time with family. Oh well...no sense in getting off on a soap box there!

John just came in...he had to take his daughter to the doctor a little while ago...she has strep throat! Ugghhh...I pray that we don't end up with it. She doesn't seem to feel sick, she's just had a fever the past 2 days and this morning said her throat hurt. Other than that, she's bouncing around as usual!

I'll most likely be back tomorrow...later!

I should really be in the bed

Church time comes early and here I am posting a new blog! Good Grief! I just wanted to share a pic that I took a few moments ago.This is my baby Tatum! He is my only "child" and I love the little fart! He was my Valentines present in 2007. I have never been a dog person, we had one when I was a little girl, but we ultimately became a cat family. So, having Tatum around has been interesting. He's so funny! He is 2 years old and still to this day whines like he is only a few months old. He is spoiled! Anyways, J.W. gave him a bath this afternoon and sprayed him with skin so soft...which I HATE. That stuff stinks! He (my husband) tried using it on himself when he'd shave his head, but I had to ban him from it. In fact, I made him wash his head off because the stuff was making me sick it smelled so bad...so now, what does he do?! Sprays my poor dog with it!!! I don't know how Tatum feels about it...he's probably not so happy if he's anything like me! LOL
I feel like I need to share a little about myself or something. I mean, I've given you my cooking blog complete with play by play turkey pics so maybe someone might want to know something about the crazy turkey girl! Hey, that's funny...I AM a turkey girl...my b-day falls on thanksgiving some years...this year though it's on Tuesday(25th)! I'll be 28 in case that's of any importance. I have been married for 2 years to my first and only sweetheart, J.W. (John). First marriage for me, second for him. He has 2 children from his previous marriage, one of which stays with us every other week...she is 6. I'm telling ya, to all the step mom's out there, it's a tough job! Some days I just wanna throw up my hands and say FORGET ABOUT IT...I'M GOING HOME TO MOM AND DAD!!! But I love this man...I did NOT marry his children! John is good to me...I KNOW that I am his everything and his princess! I don't doubt that and I'm glad that there is no question about it. Anyways, we just recently bought a home...which I LOVE! I'll share pics later on...no time now. It's nothing fancy...but it's HOME. There's still a ton of work to be done around here but we'll get there one day. What else?! I work for our local hospital here...I do physician credentialing as well as processing of refunds...jack of all trades ya know! I've worked there for 7 1/2 years...
I have one older sister who has given to me 2 nieces and 1 nephew all of whom I adore! They are also my "children". My oldest niece who just turned 10 asked me and John to adopt her last weekend. Bless her heart...she doesn't know her aunt Holly is crazy and does good to take care of a dog, much less a kid. I try to be a good aunt...when it was just me on my own, I spoiled them ROTTEN, but now that I'm married with BILLS, they've not been so lucky...however they still love me! :) They are good kids! Their dad, my sister's hubby is a preacher...my preacher actually at the church I attend...and I will hear about it if I don't make it there on time in about 9 hours...lol
My parents are my ROCK...I don't have a clue where I'd be if it wasn't for them. They mean the world to me and I love them to the end of time and back.
OK...this has got to end for now...I will not wake up if I don't get to bed NOW! I have GOT to have my beauty rest...GOOD NIGHT!

Success!

I did it! I fixed my first turkey, and it turned out wonderful! I started before 11:00 this morning.

You gotta know, I don't deal with raw meat to good. It just freaks me out...so having to handle this bird and clean it was very stressful to me. Not to mention, I had no idea that there would still be hairs on this thing! Good Lord! I thought I was gonna have to turn my wax pot on and wax my turkey. LOL I think all total, I called my mom 7 times to ask her questions as I continued thru the process, and maybe 2 calls to my sister. Mom told me I could put veggies or some sort of fruit inside to give it some flavor...so I went with an onion. I only have 2 bags of these things in my fridge so I felt like I could spare one for the bird. I really couldn't tell that it done much for it though...OK, so off to the oven it goes!
Actually, I already had put the darn thing in the oven and it had been in there for about 10 minutes when I realized I didn't cover it with foil. It wasn't so easy putting foil on a pan that was already hot but I managed to do the best I could. At that point I was getting more and more stressed because I'm O.C. about things going just right.
Half way mark! I thought I'd be smart. I have one of those flavor injector thingys...ya know, the ones that look like a syringe with a removable needle. I was using it to squirt some of the juices from the bottom of the pan onto the turkey (as per my mother's instructions), when the idea hit me to use the needle part and inject some of the juice INTO the turkey! Yeah, not a smart move! As soon as I pulled the needle out, I got squirted down the front of my shirt...obviously the turkey did not want any extra juices and it spit it back at me. Oh well...
The end is near! Hallelujah! It has been a looong day in the kitchen. I finally got down to the last hour and uncovered it to let it brown. I also put my yummy stuffing in the oven to bake. MAN...this is gonna be an awesome meal! My mashed taters are ready and all that is left is the gravy and the rolls and the cranberry sauce. I thought my husband and I would actually get to sit down to a dinner together but he was called away to work, so I ended up eating on my own.
The finished product! I cannot tell you how proud I am of myself! 5 hours of cooking and oh my gosh it was worth it! J.W. says it's the best turkey he has ever eaten in his life! I'm sure he's just trying to score some major "hunny" points but hey, I'll believe him!
Just proof you should never underestimate yourself. I have figured out that I truly like to cook and try new recipes. Go to www.kraftfoods.com for great recipes ideas, and also www.allrecipes.com...these are my two favorite websites. I'm always checking them out for new ideas.
Next weekend?! CHRISTMAS DECORATING! Yippy! I'm hoping that me and my sweets can make it up to the mountains to a tree farm to pick out a Christmas tree! We just bought our home back in July so I'm excited to decorate for Christmas this year. I am a snowman FREAK! My tree will be decked out from top to bottom in snowmen as well as the rest of my house! Pictures forthcoming I'm sure!
Well, that's about it for today. I'm pooped! I think it's time to go find a good Lifetime movie and chill out. I'll check back in later!

The beginning

Do I know what I'm doing? HECK NO! That's why I'm gonna send my very dear, very bestest friend a message in a few to help me out! LOL Blogs interest me...my hubby tells me I'm being nosey reading about other people and their lives but I don't look at it that way. I've read many, many blogs throughout the years...recently I even followed John McCain's daughter Meghan on her blog. It was enlightening...interesting.
OK, so tomorrow I'm going to do something I've never done - cook a turkey! SCARY, but I'm sooo excited. I usually just wait on my mom to cook one for Thanksgiving and Christmas and that's when I get my turkey fix...but a wild hair hit me earlier this week and I called my hubs up and told him I wanted to cook a turkey. An hour later he's calling me to tell me that I have a turkey! He went out and bought one! Bless his heart, he gets excited when I even mention cooking he'll do anything to make a good meal possible. Not saying I don't ever cook, because I do. Tonight we had tacos. It was ok...neither of us care for them that much but it was something and I did fix it! Really though, I cook quite a bit. I just HATE the clean-up afterward. Anyways, I've got all these plans for tomorrows dinner and I'm hoping that I don't screw this turkey up because I'll probably cry my eye out! Pictures will be coming...yes I plan to document my first turkey! :)
Alright...this is a start! We'll see where this thing goes from here!