Black Friday Tradition with My Girl

Tay and I look forward to our special early morning Black Friday shopping day each year. We planned it out the night before, based on what stores open at what time and mostly, on what time we could get to Chic fila for our breakfast recharge..lol. 

We woke up extra early but it was hard to get moving, so we ended up leaving the house at 6ish. It was starting to get light outside so we were a tad bit disappointed in ourselves but decided to play things by ear, having no time restrictions. We really had nothing in particular that we were shopping for either, so that made us extra chill this year. We got to Walmart, the parking lot was surprisingly full! We looked through all the sale stuff and ended up just buying Dad some jeans and some AA batteries..we are so boring. lol. 

We grabbed bfast and sat in the warm car, eating in the parking lot of Target, our next stop. It looked so crowded, we almost felt like backing out but went on in. We found a couple little gift items but nothing much. The line was down by the time we checked out too so that was awesome! 

We went to Michaels, then the mall. We had never gone to the mall on Black Friday before so that was new...it was bustling with shoppers and pretty awesome to see. Tay got a couple things from Hot Topix and Earthbound. I felt like we barely got anything, but Tay mentioned that she felt like our shopping morning was a win, I'll take it! One thing that her and I agreed upon, is that the mall arcade is not what it used to be...such a let down with the grabber machines, no attendants, no tickets, no prizes. But that's okay, we still had a wonderful morning together and a free day ahead. Happy girls! 

Thanksgiving 2021

I used to menu plan and start cleaning and cooking, days in advance but I feel like we have this down to a science and no longer need the big prepping. I had the ingredients bought the week prior and it worked out great since we had to work on Wednesday. We moved dinner time to 3pm, so there was no big rush that morning, we got up and started cooking and even the kids pitched in...Blake made the green bean casserole and Tay made the cheesy potato bake. We actually got dinner done early and ready to eat by the time Diana & Danny walked in. I do need to remember to bake the desserts the day before, because cheesecake and buttermilk pie DO NOT like to be cooked on a lower rack, below the turkey...oops. The juicy turkey, all the fixins' and fresh baked rolls made up for the dark bottomed desserts..lol.

Billy said grace, we ate to our hearts content, thankful for our blessings. Aunt Sissy brought a bunch of scratchers for us to try our luck at. Turns out, we will have to focus on our blessings because none of us got lucky. We cleaned up the plates and Blake immediately cleared the table and broke out the Aggravation game. We brought up the 6 player version so we could all participate, it sure makes a difference having the extra people constantly plucking you off the board and sending you back home! The added "aggravation" sure gave us lots of memories of Mom and how upset she would get, she was out to get ya! And SO WAS DIANA!! She couldn't reach the board so she would point her finger with vigor and she directed us where to land her marble! She was more worried about taking us off than winning and getting herself to safety..lol! We were laughing and shouting and having the best time ever...it was the longest game of Aggravation ever. It took over 2 hours for Diana to bring in a win! The guys continued playing just to see who came in 2nd, 3rd, etc...Blake was a sore loser, coming in dead last..lol. 

The boys headed over to Aunt Susie's house with a turkey dinner delivery. She was happy to get the Thanksgiving meal without having to come over, possibly driving in the dark. It really was a blessed day to be thankful for. 

A Different New Year's Eve

This New Year's Eve began with Blake at the oral surgeon at 7:30AM for the extraction of 6 molars. He needed his wisdom teeth removed and we tried to have it done before Christmas but it turned out that he had two other molars that weren't in yet and in the way. After speaking with the ortho, we were back for all 6 of them to be removed. It is a bummer that it happened on New Year's Eve, but we are glad to get it over with. Blake did great and hasn't done any fun stuff to video and share! The only silly thing he did was when the nurse asked us which one of us would like to pull the car to the door for him, Blake says, "I could drive." We are all like, "No Way Buddy!". lol. Blake spent the day napping on the couch with Dad keeping an eye on him. I ran to get Blake's pain meds and Tay went to her friend's house.

Once Tay was back home, we eventually figured out a dinner plan...we decided to pick up some dinner from The Chicken Coop. We ordered extra mashed potatoes and gravy for Bubby and I mixed up some bread pudding with vanilla sauce while Billy went to grab the food. It was a great choice, food was great and we didn't have to cook! Win Win! 

The boys were watching Madalorian, so Tay & I decided to try the TACO CAT GOAT CHEESE PIZZA GAME. It was hilarious, we had a blast! The boys kept shushing us and Blake was getting mad because we were having too much fun aka "being loud and annoying" lol. Eventually, we got everyone to join in, we all had fun playing it. Then Dad taught us how to play rummy, which was taxing for him..lol! Blake caught on easy, Tay and I struggled a bit but hung in there. Blake and I ended with a few hands of Uno...which I won! woo hoo! 

Time went by surprisingly quick, especially since we had been up super early for the surgery. Before ya knew it, it was almost midnight! The rain had changed to a solid sheet of ice outside, we had to put the gate up to protect the dogs from falling on the deck and then the clock struck midnight and as Taylor blew her little paper celebratory horn, Milo joined in! Howling like crazy..lol! This was the first year that we didn't have foods, activities and games planned or watch the NYC countdown ball drop, but that's all alright. We got Blake taken care of, spent some time together and said good bye to 2020, hopeful for what 2021 will bring! 

Joyful Christmas Eve 2020

Blake came down upon Taylor's request, she has been ready to open presents since she woke this morning..lol! I'm so happy that she is down here with me, still excited for this fun stuff! We gathered in the living room, while Dad read Luke 2:1-14, telling of the good news of Jesus' birth, the reason for the season! Then we said a prayer over our blessings we were about to receive and asked God to help us bless others with our gifts. 

We all naturally just started by giving Milo & Millie their presents first. Millie was so excited to rip into hers, revealing her very own sqeaky slipper that was stuffed with a filled hoof! Now, maybe she won't need to steal Bubby's! lol! She loved both items and went running around wildly. Meanwhile, Milo was lounging lazily on the couch and gently nuzzled his gift while Bubby held it up to him. He is so lazy that he started to lick the filled hoof inside without bothering to unwrap it. lol..Blake said no no no, and made him get up and actually open it..lol. Millie ran crazy with her bone while Milo quietly chewed on is all evening, silly doggos!

Next, we opened a special gift that came from Wichita...Andrew and Allison sent the kids each a Target gift card, which they are both super excited about! Then, there was the cutest cloth gift bag inside, that happened to match both kids' pajamas..lol. Inside, was a hand-tied Chiefs fleece blanket! Such a sweet and cuddly warm gift! They got Dad some awesome Black Rifle Coffee, that supports Veterans and I got this lovely book of prayer that is so pretty I would like to set it up as decor! They are so thoughtful!

Blake opened a pro pc tech tool kit, to further his career and help him with his project tomorrow. He also got a floating shelf for his room and a poop knife (don't even ask..lol) from his friend Noah. He got a pair of shoes and some clothes and some sprite soda...which confused him a bit. Taylor gave him a yellow Adidas hat he had been wanting and then when he opened his final gift, he realized why he got soda earlier...he got his own mini fridge for his bedroom..lol. He has been asking for one for years and I always laughed it off because no kid needs a fridge in his room, he doesn't come downstairs enough as it is...none of that has changed but he did get it..he's a good kid and I'll just have to lure him down for something other than thirst..lol. 

Tay got the mini mic that she has been wanting and a mini wacky waving tube guy for her desk..lol. She got a genuine feather pen with ink to practice calligraphy, a motion face washing brush & cleansers (she's a sucker for that kind of self care stuff!), some tall black boots,and some stuff to decorate her room! Blake got her an adorable yellow "Bee Kind" sweatshirt that she loves! 

Dad got some wireless earbuds, some rum that I couldn't pass up because it was called "The Kraken", a couple history books- 1776 & Miracle in Philadelphia, and some Jefferson small batch bourbon- which went along with the history theme. We also got him a patriotic grunt style tee that has the flag and the word "relentless" on it...it was soooo fitting for him and will look great during his podcast..lol!

I got a beautiful One Year Chronological Bible...the entire story in order and waiting to be read...I can't wait! Billy got me a super nice document/photo scanner too, that will help with organization and sharing family photos! I also got the shower foot scrubbie thing i wanted and the ornament book of Jesus' names...love all my gifts so much! 

I gotta say, this year I really felt this incredible joy while we were all opening our gifts. I wasn't trying to stay organized or keep track of which gift was opened first or by who, no trying to clean up as we go...just pure fun of gift giving, making trips into the kitchen for snacks, refills of home made coquito with drunken raisins & time together. Taylor got out her wacky waving tube man and batteried him all up to see him dance. He blew straight up, stayed, then collapsed, to never get back up again. I was bummed that he was a disappointment and immediately jumped on amazon reviews to prove to her that others said he was awesome...trying to justify buying such a silly gift. The very first review said, "tube man has become a friend for life...someone you can really count on cheering you up when feeling down", Tay looks at him laying lifeless on the table and says, "seems to me, I'm the one having to lift HIM up" I cracked up til I cried! He is being sent back but it was all worth those laughs.  

Christmas Eve Day Preppings

I started the day with excitement, happy to wake up early, have some coffee and get last minute details completed. I am beginning to realize that the idea of being completely caught up and able to relax seems more like a carrot forever dangling just out of reach. It may not be a goal I need to set for myself, but rather looked at like a blessing of things I "get" to do. What a blessing that I woke up able to complete my to-do list, have plentiful food to prep, and home to clean and amazing family to do it all for! Cheers to all the parents out there, doing last minute stuff, running around like chickens with our heads cut off, beating ourselves up for forgetting a tiny detail...we got this! Time to chill and enjoy these moments!

I baked the last two days but waking to a clean kitchen & after harnessing some energy from the espresso, made me try a couple more recipes. I thoroughly enjoyed playing Christmas music, baking and meal prepping.

Billy had a couple errands and took Tay along, she is pretty much always up for going along...I love that about her! While they were out and Blake was still sleeping, I went ahead and downloaded photos from my too-full phone to my pc and backed them up on an external drive for safe keeping. It always feels good to get this done, as pictures are my most precious earthly possession! Baking and backing up photos at the same time and I didn't burn a thing! Wooo hoo!!

Blake came down several times, to see if I needed help with anything, he is so sweet. He made some trips downstairs with stuff and then he even helped wrap the doggy gifts. He made sure to tuck a stuffed hoof bone into each gift so the dogs would know to rip into them..lol!

When they got back, Tay and I got to deliver a gift to one of our favorite families. Milo & Millie got to go for a ride while Taylor played Santa and sneak the gift onto their porch! My friend loved her gift, which was an ornament book of Jesus' many names. I knew, the moment I saw the book that I wanted to give them one and I actually bought me one too..lol. I love it! 

Billy made candied bacon and I made pinwheels and cream cheese pickles, along with a meat/cheese tray..that was all, simple this year and ready for Christmas Eve fun!

Black Friday with My Gal

Tay and I planned to get up at 5am to head to the stores. I guess we were super excited because we ended up awake at 3am giggling, making Dad mad. We tried to go back to sleep but couldn't so we just got up. I had an espresso and we pulled ourselves together enough to go out into public..lol. Turns out, nothing was open except for Kohls. Taylor found some fun little trinkets but that was all. We were really hoping Chic-fil-a would be open so we could get our early morning fuel but it wasn't...as we headed to walmart, I noticed STARBUCKS had JUST opened their drive thru...I typically do not give Starbucks my business, but coffee could not be passed up! We went all through Walmart and didn't see any big deals that we had to have. We ran by the house to drop stuff off and take a potty break quietly then finally got our Chic-fil-a breakfast, ate in the Target parking lot before strolling through there. Then we hit Michaels for some much needed craft stuff then back to the house to unload..lol! I'm exhausted just rehashing this morning!

 

We ended up picking up Dad and going to a furniture store to see if there was any living room furniture that was on sale. We found the same set we like before but still didn't purchase because there is a long wait on delivery. We grabbed Culver's for lunch then went to Farm & Home for a great sale item for my sister for Christmas. They were sold out so I was bummed. Oh well, it was a great day of shopping! Happy Black Friday!

 

Family Thanksgiving 2020

I planned ahead for this Thanksgiving, just like any other. We are not letting 2020 steal our family traditions! We did decide to move the meal time a little later so we can have a more relaxing morning and allow time for everyone to get here. It was nice to wake up and enjoy my coffee before starting on the food. Most of the dishes were prepped ahead of time, we mostly just had the turkey & desserts to do. Tay and I tried to make a pumpkin sheet cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and failed, not once but TWICE! lol! We liked the icing though! Anyways, we cooked all day and decided we would not make quite as much next year, but then again, we always say that. Taylor and I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade as we baked. Even though it was a bit lame and pre-recorded due to covid, we were especially excited to see the Hamilton performance. It wasn't the same actors but they still did okay. We followed it up with viewings of the champion dog show and even saw some new breeds! 

We were so thankful that Diana and Danny came over to celebrate with us, Aunt Susie and Stanley ended up not being able to. Billy said grace, asking for God's protection over our nation and our health and then we dug in! We chatted for awhile and got to play some LCR. Not sure who the actual winner was, but there was certainly alot of quarters flying around the table..lol! It was a nice thankful afternoon together.

We had planned to decorate the kid's tree, but decided on just giving them their special ornaments and doing the rest of the memory reading and decorating another night. Especially since Tay and I had to go to bed early so we could wake up for Black Friday shopping!!!  Anyways, back to the ornaments...Taylor got a Hamilton ornament which is very reflective of her year. We spent hours upon hours in the pool jamming to the entire musical back to back. And every car ride to anywhere, was spent singing aloud to the musical. It's the kind of stuff that sticks in your head and you even sing it in your sleep...there were times I had to beg Tay for a break, just to clear my head..lol. 

Blake's ornament I found especially for him, as he claims to be too grown up to keep getting a yearly ornament gift, I just can't help it. His ornament is a computer circuit board cut into a star to hang! I chose this because he is taking a computer technology class at the career center this year in school and it is a really special opportunity! I am so proud of him and I'm sure he loves his ornament..lol.