Look What the Diva Sent

Okay, we interrupt this Tour of Homes for an important weather alert! We are locking down, preparing for winter weather and a possible ice storm. Schools have closed, practices have been cancelled and Walmart is sold out of...just about everything!

In the event of the aforementioned bad weather, we could be out of power for a few days. So, just in case, I wanted to make sure to get this thank you in. The other night, Tigerfan stepped out the door to turn on Christmas lights and found a big box. It was a Christmas surprise from my bloggy friend, The Purple Diva. She is sooo sweet, ya'll! And she always has something funny or cute on her blog so go check her out! Anyway, here is what was inside the box:

Okay, I realize, my photography skills are right up there with my technology genius. but included in this box were two packages of Christmas cookies, a precious angel ornament and another little decoration. An ornament for each of the kids, a bag a candy for each of the kids, some bracelets for Dancer, cars for the big boys and the cutest little book for Tigercub! Is that not the sweetest thing. I told you, my bloggy friends make me happy, ya'll are too sweet.

On that note, I got in trouble this morning. Tigerfan got caught up on the ole blog and read things that make me happy post. I didn't mention him! Oops! This oversight was not intentional...it is inferred that he makes me happy, thus, I married him! Anyway, stay tuned, I must write a Terrific Tigerfan post soon to keep peace!

Have a great Monday and, weather permitting, I'll be back soon!

Please Join Me for a Little Christmas Tour

Welcome to the Tiger Den! I am so glad you stopped by! I have been trying to have a little Christmas "open house" for a couple of weeks now, but my technology challenges have left my lovely pictures trapped in my camera with no way out. Last night after much pleading and gnashing of teeth (okay, all I had to do was ask nicely) my sweet Tigerfan rescued the pictures and saved what would surely be my last chance to astound you with the lack of decorating talent in me!


Would you like a little snack? I can offer you a nice cold cup of chocolate milk, hot chocolate, of course Diet Coke or water. Unfortunately, I don't drink coffee. However, if you would care to bring some along I DO have a coffee pot and I LOVE how it smells, so feel to brew you a cup while you are here!


How about a little gingerbread man shaped chocolate chip cookie, decorated by my oldest three assistants?

We are nothing here, if not creative!

Now, for the tour. For those three of you who come around these parts regularly...you are FINALLY going to see some of the new furniture. We got our curtains on Wednesday so I retook the living room pictures to include them. Try to contain your excitement!

First, the tree:

Don't worry, we haven't lost any lights, they are just blinking...a little compromise so I can keep my pretty white lights but the kids get the joy of blinking! I realize now this picture doesn't show you a lot about the tree. It does, however, let you see my lovely new curtains! The top of the lovely, yet artificial and therefore not needle losing tree is bedecked with a plaid bow. The tree is encircled with wooden cranberries and covered in little apples left over from our first Christmas together when all we could afford was a couple packages of apple ornaments and a million ornaments from students saying "World's Greatest Teacher"! Those ornaments have since found there way to, ahem, other locations, but the apples remain. Most of the other ornaments are the yearly grandson, granddaughter Christmas ornaments from Hallmark that Nana gives the kids each year. The other remaining decoration from years gone by are the little bows gently placed all over the branches. Also left over from an early Christmas with no money when we bought fabric remnants and painstakingly cut them into strips and individually tied about 5 million bows to add as fillers! As for the rest of the living room, we have the mantle and the piano:


Please notice the stockings. They are all lovingly handmade by Tigerfan's grandmother. She makes them and then hand stitches a gazillion sequins to make Christmas pictures all over them. They are a treasure! You will also notice, however, that one of them is turned the wrong direction. She made Dancer's stocking the opposite way of everyone else's and, of course, you cannot remake a family heirloom.

Okay, for the last of the tour we have my little collection of snowmen,

And our nativity. I would like more nativities. If you are amazed at the lack of decorations, let me assure you, the children each have a tree and decorations in their rooms and the guest room has a lovely tree, unfortunately it is Christmas headquarters right now and cannot be photographed! I also purged A LOT this year in an effort to refocus on the real meaning of Christmas. So, if I didn't LOVE it or if it didn't reflect the meaning of Christmas, we donated it.

Each year as we set up the nativity, we read the Christmas story and the children place the pieces on the nativity as each character is mentioned, a tradition from my childhood.

Last stop, the front of the house. This was an afterthought, taken last night in the dark, but maybe you can get the idea:

Well, thanks for dropping by! Enjoy the rest of the houses on the tour and feel free to come anytime! I LOVE unexpected guests...especially if they have good housecleaning skills! ☺

For more homes, check out BooMama's Tour of Homes. You can also check out some homes at the homeschool blog page:

Throwing a Fit Friday

This is where you SHOULD find my fit Friday post. Hosted by the beautiful and getting fit Missy! However, I have officially given up trying to be a hottie for the holidays, I will resume efforts on January 1st. I will continue to do my best and try to exercise, but the fact of the matter is, I am worn slap out and when you never get into bed before midnight or 1 a.m. it is just too dang hard to drag your booty out of bed at 5 to exercise! I am trying. I made it three days this week (at least I hope...I am optimistically typing this Thursday night assuming I will get up Friday, which I need to do because when I am through typing I am going to go sit on the couch with Tigerfan, watch House Hunters, eat popcorn and peanut M&M's and drink a Diet Coke and there is NO SHAME!). I ate okay, I have no idea what I weigh. One day I weighed in at 133 and did the "happy dance" but let's face it, the scales lie, so if I stepped on it now, it could say 139 and I would slip into a desperate depression, so I won't look...sometimes it is just better that way. Anyway, the next two weeks are crazy with parties and party food, choir productions, tutorial activities, blah, blah, blah. So, I will do my best, but I am not going to beat myself up over it and when I make my annual tray of goodies to send to Tigerfan's office, I WILL sample! I mean, I have to make sure they taste right!



So, one of my good friends sent me this in an email because she knows about my weigh in woes. Thought my Hottie sitters might enjoy it! I would love to give credit to the original author, but I don't know who it is, surely a Hottie in Training like us!


HOLIDAY EATING TIPS:



1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.





2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!





3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.





4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.





5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?





6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.





7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.





8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?





9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.





10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.





Remember this motto to live by:"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO, what a ride!"Have a great holiday season.

Tragedy at the Tiger Den

I still remember the highchair that all the kids used at my grandma's house. It was a little wooden chair with a tray that could be removed so when they outgrew the need for the actual highchair, the tray could be taken off and the chair just pulled up to the table like a booster seat. I assume it was the chair my mom and aunts used, although I guess I never really asked.


So, when we found out we were expecting our first little cub, we didn't purchase the practical plastic model. A friend having a garage sale was selling her Jenny Lynn Style highchair and with a little nostalgia and a lot of budget concerns, we purchased our own little wooden highchair.

I love that chair. All of my kids have sat there for their first time in a highchair. We have celebrated first birthdays and had countless snacks and meals there. It hasn't been as easy to clean or maintain as the modern day models. The wooden spindles get caked in food and it is hard to get it out. The straps have long since worn off and now the babies get "buckled in" with a handkerchief tied around their middle. There are lots of memories in that chair. It is cute, I have never minded how it looked sitting in the kitchen and I have always pictured my own grandkids coming to visit and sitting in that chair, pulling them up to the table to eat a snack or color a picture.

Until today when the unthinkable happened. Dancer was playing with Tigercub and leaned over on the tray...and it COMPLETELY split in half! We knew it was weak and had warned the kids, but it still surprised me. So now, my precious little highchair full of memories will soon be making a trip to the dump, I guess. :(

Even worse, tonight at supper, Tigercub had to sit in a booster seat. Oh my, he is too young for a booster seat! Although he thoroughly enjoyed having access to all the wonderful things on the table as well as sitting next to his "twin", baseball boy. At the end of the meal, he even reached over and grabbed B.B., hugged his neck, and started patting him on the back! Which made for a bright spot in what would otherwise be a very dark day...the day the highchair died.

Now, I need to figure out what my nostalgia item will be now. Can you pass down a blog to your grandchildren?

Six Things That Make Me Happy

A few days ago, The Mother Load mercifully tagged me for this meme. I was quite appreciative because I have been in a bit of a bloggy slump and can only think of things to whine about...so this helps!

First, let me tell you what brings me joy. Because happiness is fleeting, but joy is eternal and that I get from my assurance of my salvation through Christ and the knowledge that He has plans for my future, plans to prosper and not to harm me! So, even on the days where I left happiness at the tenth load of laundry or in the toilet that desperately needs scrubbing, I always have that joy to cling to. This has been important lately, because, truly, there haven't been a lot of "happy" days. I am struggling a bit right now but oh, the joy that this, too shall pass!

Okay, now on to business!

1. The feel of Tigercub's tiny little arms squeezing my neck when he first wakes up in the morning. I cannot even tell you what it does to this tired soul when that precious boy smiles, grins, hugs my neck and pats me on the back. It is so important to carry that feeling with me throughout the day when I am chasing him off the stairs, repairing broken ornaments, putting the pans back in the cabinet (again), and vacuuming up the soil from the houseplant he tried to eat (again).

2. The boys VOLUNTEERING to clean out their room and give away some toys and get it organized! Football boy has already cleaned out two cabinets and filled two garbage bags with things he is willing to part with! Oh, glory, I thought this day would never come!

3. Seeing the house all decorated up for Christmas! It is sooo pretty! This year I did something I have wanted to do for a long time! Most of our "decorations" were gifts from students over the years and many I put out because I remembered the student or I just felt guilty but I didn't LOVE them. This year, we are simplifying and focusing on the real meaning of the holiday, so if I don't love it, I did not put it out. Our church is trying to raise money to build a clean water well in Africa through Blood:Water Mission. We had a big yard sale this weekend, so everything I didn't use, I donated for the yard sale. I felt no guilt (totally unlike me) because it was for such a good cause! Wow, that is two for the price of one: happy decorations AND cleaning out!

4. My Momma and Daddy! I am so blessed to have such amazing parents! I do not get to see them as often as I like, but I am so grateful for them! On the same note, I really have amazing in-laws, too!

5. My bloggy friends. I tend to get a little isolated at home sometimes because of homeschooling and the sheer torture of getting out with all the children all the time, if I go, they go! So, when I get a comment or an email or a word of encouragement from someone I have never met but dearly love, it means the world to me!

6. CHOCOLATE! No explanation needed!

Okay, I am tired, Dancer is screaming for computer time and the boys need guidance in their room before the baby wakes up, so I am tagging anyone who wants to participate, if you do it, please leave me a comment so I can come check out your list!

Happy Monday

Fit Friday

My daddy used to say, "I am so far behind, I have to look forward to see backward!"

That is how I feel right now. About EVERYTHING. I am just struggling to keep my head above water! As a result, I have not been too successful in the weight loss efforts lately! I have million excuses. One of which is being gone for 10 days 6 of which were in DisneyWorld, not a good place to be watching your figure! I have been so busy and so darn tired, I just haven't exercised like I should. And, frankly, I am just too dad gum tired right now to even try very hard, I have slipped into my old patterns of eating the kids leftovers, getting my easy breakfast, blah, blah, blah. I should have maintained my "no fail environment" as Dr. Phil would say, but that would require effort and I just don't have it in me right now.

I know, you are all astounded at my wonderful attitude!

Anyway, in three weeks, I have lost about 1 pound. Considering my efforts, that should be good news and I should be grateful. frankly, I am just bitter that I can't lay around in bed eating bon bons and miraculously lose 10 pounds.

I really am going to try to do better. I will try to get back on board this week and get serious. No more excuses. Really.

Disney Details

Whew, what a week! We had such a great time spending Thanksgiving with the mouse! I highly recommend it...if you don't mind sharing the holiday with about a million of your closest strangers standing in 2 hour lines and eating mediocre food!

Seriously, the week was fun! It was so much better this time around, knowing what to expect, being familiar with the park, knowing what we could leave off! It was also EXHAUSTING! I now need another vacation to recuperate! That is the down side of Thanksgiving away...when you get back, the house is still a mess and in need of decorating, the laundry is out of sight, the refrigerator is bare, and life is still moving at light speed!

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the week:




We stayed at the Pop Century hotel which was loaded with items from the decades like this, the kids loved them!

Lunch day one was with the Playhouse Disney characters! Fun!

Nana and Papaw (who made this trip possible by paying for it!) with the grandkids.

Dream with Mickey show at the castle. I am sure it was wonderful, however, midway through the show Minnie simply disappeared and the show was abruptly ended with apologies and fireworks. I feel bad for Minnie, but I find it strangely amusing!

Hanging out with Turk at Animal Kingdom. The high points that day were the Nemo show, which was AMAZING, definitely a must see, and the Expedition Everest ride. Unless you ask Baseball boy who in a fit of bravery decided to ride. He will not make that mistake again. Yetti, B.B. will NOT be invading your territory again. Not ever. Really.

Tigerfan as the Elephant Leader in Lion King. He may have found his calling!

Breakfast with Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, and the Mad Hatter. So much fun and truly, I think Tigercub has found a future, He was scared of all the characters but LOVED the Mad Hatter. He was crazy, silly, goofy, he fit in very well with us!

Our favorite meal! Although we spent Thanksgiving eating at the Sci-Fi Cafe, our favorite place was probably this, the Whispering Canyon Cafe! I HIGHLY recommend it if you are ever in the park! The food was actually good and we had so much fun! Please notice all the ketchup bottles in the above picture. If you asked for ketchup they SCREAMED at the top of their lungs and whoever had ketchup brought it ALL to your table. This was a dream come true for B.B. who thinks ketchup is a food group in and of itself!

Our family in front of the Gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian. Okay, I realize you can't see the gingerbread house, but trust me, it is there and quite magnificent. However, it was more important to capture a decent picture of the family, okay, of me to post on the internet for the three of you who really care.

Okay, I really must go get on that to do list, but if you have enjoyed this little walk through our Disney Thanksgiving, there are 223 more pictures where these came from...just let me know and I'll send 'em your way! ☺