Getting Ready...

It's the most wonderful time of year for this December Girl...Thanksgiving yesterday, decorating today...however, I will confess I quit and handed it over to my elves...isn't that the reason we have kids? Cheap Manual Labor. Normally, I am all over the decorating, however, after giving my Scrooge a huge pep talk about the wonderfulness of decorating, taking a yoga class, losing my cool because I am married to the only man in the world that doesn't like Disney World, Birthdays, Christmas, or the Beach...I broke 3 ornaments and knew it was time to hit the shower and let the pros handle this festivity.

H has already opened the Christmas present which arrived today...didn't I teach them not to open boxes which arrive at this time of the year? H also knows the concert tickets she is getting since she picked them out...we have hit the age of no surprises. I am sad. Very sad. On the bright side, I will be seeing Fall Out Boy with my favorite 13 year old elf for St. Patty's Day. Here is the pic she took of us after we got the tickets ordered...She posted it on Instagram as #awesomesaucy. I'm cool for a really old mom but I will never be so cool as to use "awesome saucy." Hmmm, maybe I will be cool enough after a Fall Out Boy concert.

Roo took over the Thanksgiving Dinner (Yummy!) So I took the Scrooge for a walk.

Oh, M got out the Monopoly and proceeded to kick my butt...he lost interest after 15 minutes or so (I think it is because Sister No.1 was trying to watch all the Friends Thanksgiving episodes while playing). I will make his day tomorrow and challenge him to a rematch...he will have my undivided attention...and I will kick his bootie!

Aunt Shirley

Greetings, Aunt Shirley! I hope you are feeling better and getting stronger every minute of every day! I was looking for some old Thanksgiving pictures and ran across this picture...

Oh, Boy!

Happy Thanksgiving! My favorite holiday of the whole year! Thanksgiving holds my best childhood memories. We would always go to Aunt Betty's for the day, play croquet, dad would put the turkey on the barbecue (the year it burned was the best tasting turkey ever) my grandma would request my cousins to play It's a Small World on the piano (it was her favorite), and at the end of the day, my aunt would sit down and play some Christmas Carols for us. You know, I used to think it was too early for Christmas Carols then but now the Christmas celebration starts before Halloween and we aren't really calling it Christmas any longer...It's Happy Holidays and schools have "Winter Break." I will jump off my soap box before I say things like it's a "Christ Mass" and hurt myself.

In high school, Dad took us to Missouri to his aunt's house for Thanksgiving. We got to miss school, fly on a plane, Aunt Myrt would have a back porch full of pies, and if we were really lucky, we would get some snow. One year it started snowing around 10-11 pm. My brother and I just stood out under the streetlight catching snowflakes with our tongue. I am sure if any neighbors saw us they thought "Those California people are really crazy." However, for born and raised desert rats, snow was a treat. (After living in Massachusetts, I now understand why my dad would always say "I hate snow.") One of my aunts had a bowling alley so we could play pinball and bowl to our hearts desire. I felt very grown up when my aunt would turn me loose behind the snack bar counter...I got to heat up the Honey Buns for her customers and slather them with butter...craziest thing I had ever seen but after tasting it, I could see what all the fuss was about.  I wouldn't ever eat one of those calorie laden buns again but it sure is fun when you're a teen not worried about calories.

Now...Roo is filling up my kitchen with yummy baking smells emanating from The Pioneer Woman and Ina Garten's recipes. There was a firing of her sous chef, Hannah, for laziness and deserting her post. Matthew took up the place of H for a few minutes before we all ditched Thanksgiving preparations for a UAH hockey game. It is time to pass on some Thanksgiving memories for my kids...I'm praying they love Thanksgiving as much as I do. I am sad they will never know the joy of a leisurely day without checking electronics...I wonder what their Thanksgiving will be like in 40 years...

Have a wonderful and blessed day, everyone!

Woodlawn

I forgot!!! Our Church is doing the annual "At the Movies" series...usually they cannot broadcast online due to copyright issues but the producers of Woodlawn gave our church permission to use the movie. Our pastor uses movies as modern day parables to share God's Word. Greg, Matthew, and I were able to watch online between hockey games yesterday...and you can, too!

Not quite as much fun as being there since coke and popcorn boxes are handed out as you enter but still better than missing 3 of the 4 messages like I thought I would with travel hockey. Yay!

https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/woodlawn

Traveling

Time is flying! Last week, Indiana...This week, Georgia. The best thing about Georgia? Karen lives there, love my bestie. We got to scream together, eat together, drink together (non-alcoholic...unlike Test Pilot School Days when Massucci Beergharitas were de rigueur! But then, Starbucks has become de rigueur...)

This week, my favorite holiday of any, Thanksgiving. Not for the food, but for the simplicity of the day...gratitude. Celebrating when what we have is way more than we need. We are so blessed. I am so blessed. See my pictures below...proof that I am abundantly blessed. 

First week in December is Cincinnati, and we get to visit Dave and Rita. More Test Pilot School friends....I need look no further than my friends to know I am blessed. I am amazed by the goodness of God and the people He has put in my life...and then there are my kids...they make me grit my teeth, melt my heart, and most of all...they humble me. Thursday night, M tells me I'm cute when I am mad...on Friday, H tells me I can't do an evil eye. What is worse than knowing your kids find you amusing when you've turned into "Crazy Mom?" 

So...H wants to play hockey...things are about to get really interesting in my world. Competitive siblings, H in a male dominated sport, MORE stinky hockey equipment...I think I should have got 2 of the Yankee Candle car fresheners from Cracker Barrel...one for the front and one for the back of the mini van. 

Speaking of mini vans, I have my first vanity plate "ICEMOM." I walked up behind Miss Daisy (my mini van, and yes, I name my cars, don't you?) and saw the "Skate" and "Hockey" magnet and thought I need a plate with "IceMom" on it. Our 28th anniversary was coming up so that is what I asked for. Greg made the mistake of saying he didn't have time to go to the DMV to order a plate. Lauren immediately pulled up the online site with her phone (gotta love the phone in her hands, she can find anything! I digress), she checked to see if it was available and voilà, Greg was shamed by my 3 blessings to order the plate. I went and paid for it since he is so busy and now Miss Daisy is properly accessorized for all of my trips to the Rink...now that I think about it... I should have made it "2theRnk." However, if anyone asks why Greg gave me "IceMom" as an anniversary present, I will say it's because I'm a cold hard b____. I'm working on my hockey mom image. I haven't quite achieved that "Pit Bull with lipstick" image  yet. Although I do have a really pretty lipstick. 

See? Pretty red lipstick!

Sisters of a different Mister (This is what I look like at 10 pm and I have been up since 4 am...not a pretty sight but Karen looks good!)

One of the moms took this over the weekend. I took a picture of the digital screen with my phone. That's my boy!

Hannah is so thrilled she is going to be able to learn to play hockey. She will have the skating down cold but stick handling will be the trick...and learning the game strategy. Smart penalties...not so smart penalties. Girls can play down so she would be in Matthew's league but she wants to play Bantam and doesn't mind there is checking...Aaagggghhh!

Yeah, That was a penalty...

I noticed when the coaches yell at Matthew the silent e in Bice is being pronounced...I kind of like it! I think it started with the head coach, he is from Slovokia and I think they pronounce all vowels. 

This last game was a rough one...even the coach drew a penalty. I was hysterical!! I asked Greg "Why are they talking to Vachon (Asst. Coach) and not Martin (head coach)? And the next thing you know, Martin is screaming at the refs "You talk to me, first!" Yeah, we could all hear that on the other side of the ice...The Kennesaw team had a huge player number 19 who played extremely dirty and drew only two penalties in 3 games...we have a tiny (fierce Canadian boy) on our team who checked the guy back and drew a penalty...Love that boy...it was like watching David and Goliath.

So we tied one game and lost the other two...if our boys would just cover the net for the rebounds...at least they're passing this year and my D-Man is fierce. I have named him "El Fuego."

28

I can't believe it has been 28 years since we got married...We've been married so long we both drew a blank on how to celebrate. Lauren made us dinner reservations at Cotton Row. Very Yummy, very odd characters...the guy next to me was talking to his roll and smiling at his roll...a lot. I was entertained with very odd noises emitting from the Roll Smiler. I observed one couple who did not speak a word to each other the entire night...however, when the woman went to powder her nose, the male asked for an update on the Alabama game, pronto! There was one young man drinking alone at the bar and I couldn't help but wonder why drink alone on a Saturday night, here? At this age, I would be at a fun place that at least had a TV to watch the Bama game...and someone to talk to...but what do I know? I can't even plan an anniversary.

Hannah put her theater skills to work and did my makeup, Roo utilized her amazing hair skills, and Matthew acted as photographer and documented the big date. I knew I had kids for a reason.

Chef Matthew

Matthew made breakfast yesterday for us. He wants to conquer the cooking badge for Scouts next. He did an excellent job. His sister even gave him the high compliment that no syrup was necessary for her pancakes...as you can from my plate, I went the syrup route. This past weekend he helped Lauren make meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts. I think his cooking badge will not take long. He is a fast learner. He even doubled the pancake recipe (we make our pancakes from scratch and use real maple syrup...let's face it, my snobbery does not only apply to tea and salads.)

Scary...Not so Scary

Miss Hannah utilized her lessons from Theater Makeup and Spanish Class for her Skating School's Halloween Party...M refused to dress in anything but his skating gear. For Halloween, Miss H went bowling with a friend and Mr. M went to a Party which left Roo and me holding down the fort...it was a rocky start with all the rain. We had a fun porch with music and everything...I felt like I threw a party and nobody came...then the rain stopped and we were pulling out the Kids' school snacks for treats when we ran low on candy.