handsful

The above picture is of an unassuming basketball bin, used to…hold basketballs. There are several of these (though, larger in size) at the gym where my boys and oldest daughter play Upward League basketball. I was picking up my sons (and dropping off my daughter) for practice last night and found my son, Payton, with 2 good-sized gashes in his head…one on his forehead, in the hairline and one on the side of his head, in his hair. Seems he ran into the basketball bin on his way to the bathroom. Judging by the dried blood on his shirt, it wasn’t a pretty site. I can’t very well blame the coach for not taking care of my son…his Dad is the coach.

So, I left Abbey with Randy and went searching for an open urgent care. The first one was closed (8 minutes prior to us arriving) and the next one said they don’t accept head lacerations. Huh? So, we drive to the ER and he’s checked in at about 8:45. The triage nurse sees him and tells us to wait for a room to open up. Oh, and the check-in nurse has already told us that it’s *really* busy tonight. Randy shows up with Abbey about an hour later and I take the kids home while he stays with Payton.

They finally get home a little before 1am! His front gash is glued shut (ewww..) and his side gash is closed with 2 staples. Ordinary, metal looking staples! I mean, are these things sterile??

So, we’re calling Payton our “Little Craft Project” with his glue and staples! Oh, and he’s the only one of my kids ever to need stitches (he had three of those years ago…again, on his head!) He can’t wait to show us friends at his basketball game on Saturday and at church on Sunday. Boys are weird. But, I love mine!

Welcome, 2007!! I hope and pray that this is the year we meet Lainey. Or, at the very least, that we know who she is and can gaze at her picture, anticipating a trip to China. It’s hard to explain, but my heart can almost “see” her. Like, I’ll just undoubtedly know it’s Lainey when I see her for real. God has already chosen her as mine…I can find peace in that while we wait!

We had a grand Christmas that stretched across 9 days! We had Christmas here at our home with just the 6 of us, and then made our annual after-Christmas trip home to see our families. We just got home last night! Days and days of seeing family that we dearly love! My kids were so happy, spending time with 10 of their cousins. They are all such best friends and they hated to say goodbye. To all of our NC family, we love and miss ya’ll already.

So, what does the title of this post mean? Well, before we left for NC, we managed to take down the very wilty Christmas tree in the front room. But, ALL the other Christmas decorations were waiting for us when we walked in last night. Add bags and bags of gifts, and the luggage and bags from 6 people, and I’m literally trying to “find” the house. So, why am I posting instead of tackling all this? Hey, I needed a break!! Okay, break over. Back to work.

Happy New Year, everyone! I’ll share a few pictures from our trip when I get another breather.

Today has been a day of memory-inducing…foods! First, my sweet cousin Peg in NJ sent us an absolutely wonderful Christmas gift today. First a little explanation. I grew up spending summers in South Jersey visiting my grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin. One of the highlights of our trips (other than family, of course!) was always the food…Philly soft pretzels, italian ice, and Tastykakes! Fast foward to today…the box that arrived was filled with authentic philly pretzels (vacuumed sealed and ready to warm up!), Tastykakes (chocolate, my fav!), Herr’s potato chips, and Goldenberg’s peanut chew candies! Oh my!! Those pretzels were GOOD! For those interested, go to www.phillymemories.com. Thanks again, Peg!

Here’s the second treat for today! These cookies come from a recipe that came with my Mom’s cookie press that she received in 1963 for a wedding present. I can’t remember a Christmas without these cookies! I now make them with my kids (with explicit instructions to share with my Mom!) I bought a new press last year, thinking it would work so much better than Mom’s screw-type one. Wrong. I’m back to using Mom’s and it works like a charm. I lost count on how many we made! Abbey posed for this picture…and, then grabbed a cookie!

Wasn’t it just yesterday that she lost her first tooth?? On 12/10, Abbey lost her LAST baby tooth. The very last one! That tooth joined her other ones in the little jar I’ve kept them in since that first little one fell out. Here she is, proudly showing the tooth in her hand and the gap it left. Just another sign that she’s growing up. Sigh.

My friend Jessica tagged me for this one! Her blog is under Life Is Goodunder my “Adoption Friends” links.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Summer camp counselor
2. Clerk for accounting office at the local power company
3. Teller for same company above!
4. Current job; homeschooling momma / stay at home mom

Four Movies I have watched over and over:
1. The Replacements
2. Shawshank Redemption
3. Notting Hill
4. The Princess Bride

Four places I have lived:
1. Raleigh, NC
2. NJ (city? I was a baby!)
3. Chapel Hill, NC
4. Jacksonville, FL

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. House!!
2. Supernanny
3. American Idol
4. Monk 

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. San Francisco, CA
2. Myrtle Beach, SC
3. Orlando, FL
4. Williamsburg, SC 

Favorite foods:
1. Mac n’ Cheese
2. Chicken and Pastry (it’s a southern thing)
3. Chipped beef on toast (I know, kinda weird)
4. Anything involving chocolate

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. at a spa, having a massage
2. on vacation anywhere, with just my husband
3. on vacation anywhere, with my husband AND kids
4. In China, meeting Lainey!

Hey, if you answer these and post them to your blog, let me know! :)

Randy bought me the Roomba vacuum cleaner 2 Christmas’ ago. I love this thing. We have a black dog and light tile floors (as seen above!) all over the house. Black dog hair shows up really well on these floors! (Note to self: next house, dark floors) Not too long ago, Roomba slowly started losing battery power and finally quit about a month ago. The new battery came in the mail yesterday and today…he’s back in business! I love watching that little guy suck up dog hair. I’m easily entertained.

Leslie tagged us on her blog (“My Girls – Leslie” on my side bar) so, here goes! Christmas Questions!

* D: Donna R: Randy

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? D: Hot Chocolate R: What’s wrong with Mountain Dew?
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? D: We’ve never given gifts from Santa. The kids have always known he’s pretend! R: True – But we still normally put a few presents out where the kids can see ‘em.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? D: Colored lights on indoor trees, white on garland and wreath at the front door. R: Red and White lights on my N.C. State Tree, colored lights on the live indoor tree, white lights on the outdoor wreath and garland around the door, and colored lights on the drake elm outside. I’ve got a little Griswald in me.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? D: NO R: What she said.
5. When do you put your decorations up? D: A day or 2 after Thanksgiving. R: . . . is when we start, and then we normally finish a day or 2 before Christmas. Again, it’s the Griswald in me.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? D: Sweet Potato Casserole! R: Pecan Pie. It’s not dessert if you eat it first.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: D: More like “funny memory”…seeing the bicycle under the tree and thinking “oh no, I have to learn to ride that thing.” R: My brother and I waking up before daybreak, yelling down the hall to our parents, and playing a riveting game of “can we get up yet?” for about an hour.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? D: I have no memory of that! R: I don’t either . . . pretty sure my older brother had something to do with it, tho.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? D: When I was a kid, mom would let me open 1 present on Christmas eve! R: Sometimes D & I will open one or so the night before, but we always make the kids wait.
10 How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? D: Randy does the lights, then the kids gather around me and I give them ornaments to hang. R: Check . . . except for some particularly special ones that we hang up high to make sure they don’t get broken – ornaments from our trees as children, from my grandparent’s tree, etc.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? D: Love it, but never see it! (Florida!) R: I love it, too. Looks VERY pretty on T.V.
12. Can you ice skate? D: Tried to once…did okay. R: I can rollerblade. I’ve heard it’s similar.
13. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? D: Doing all those traditions with the kids…like, baking the SAME cookies that I did with my mom. R: And obviously doing everything we can to keep ourselves and our kids focused on why we celebrate Christmas and why Jesus came to Earth in the form of a baby.
14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? D: My Grandmom’s chocolate pie R: Hmm…already ate the Pecan Pie for dinner, so I’ll have some of my mom’s raisin nut log for dessert.
15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? D: Taking a picture of the kids as they each hang their “Baby’s First Christmas” ornaments. And, reading an advent book each night with the kids. R: I’ll agree with Donna on the advent book (we read Jotham’s Journey, then Tabitha’s Travels, and are working on Bartholomew’s Passage this year). We loved doing a “Walk through Bethlehem” at my dad’s church in N.C. (the kids loved seeing my dad as a wise man), but we’ve missed that since moving.
16. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? D: Giving…love to see the person’s face as they open the box! R: Giving. Especially if it’s something the person didn’t specifically ask for, but you know they are going to love it.
17. What’s your favorite Christmas Song? D: Joy to the World! R: Hmm…I like Away in a Manager. I always picture my Abbey-girl singing it at the top of her lungs when she was 5.
18. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?  D: As long as it’s a non-traditional flavor (Jellybelly!), then I love ‘em. R: Not so much.

Join in the fun! Copy the questions and answer them on your own blog or email your answers to me! Merry Christmas…