Comfort Food

I am completely over Christmas now.  Moved on, made my peace, hallelujah and amen.

One thing I can truly enjoy is the food.  I have missed some things, some gastronomic encounters, so here is my top five:

5.  Earl's Rib Palace.  A real crowd pleaser for all the Franks' clan.

4.  Ted's Cafe Escondito - nothing compares to those tortillas, the salsa, the queso, the you-name-it.

3.  Hideaway Pizza - I am not a New York style pizza fan, which is all there is in Atlanta.  I can't imagine why people don't prefer Hideaway in Georgia, because they are really missing something.

2.  Mom's Snacketizers - a Christmas tradition.  We have many meals focused on our all-time faves.

1.  Mom's Christmas dinner - the best, hands down.  I drove half way across America for the family, the friends, and the cornbread dressing.

Second Order of Business

We had a wonderful day with the family yesterday.  Everyone was very happy, but alas, I managed to remain a little mad.  You see, the postman delivered the missing package at about 4:00, after I had checked every tracking device, purchased duplicate items, and left to see James Bond.  So, today I get to return many duplicated items.  Back to the mall, which I have tried to avoid, yet again.  I hate the mall...must kill the mall.

But that is not the only Christmas pothole I managed to hit.  Thanks to my clueless, time-challenged daughters, they woke at 3 AM and checked out the Santa presents before anyone sane would choose to wake up.  The girls came and woke me up, having already looked through their stuff, then told me the time, I clarified the time again with them, then told them to go back to bed and leave me alone until there was a six on the clock because in my mind six is plenty early for Christmas morning.  They stayed up, opening their gifts and stockings.  Which means that for the first time there are no Christmas morning videos and pictures.

I wish I could have another Christmas do over...again.

First Order of Business

It's the day before Christmas and my good mood is gone.  The extra large package of Christmas gifts that I packed and shipped from Atlanta has not arrived.  I spent a lot of money on that box and 13 days was not enough time for the box to get to its final destination.  I am mostly aggravated and partly ticked off.  I get to spend the next few hours shopping with all the procrastinators at the mall, a place that I have completely avoided since December 4th.  

I need Hideaway pizza - probably the Sooner Schooner.  The pizza will be mine today.

After the shopping for the second time, I will be making my candy cane cookies, for the second time.  Due to an unforeseen complication of trying to appease to many people at once, I burned Santa's cookies.  My all-time favorite cookies that I get once a year.

I need a Christmas do-over.

One Nice, Cozy Family

Highlights from our day of togetherness:

1.  The girls belting out "Ring of Fire".  It would make all rednecks proud.

2.  Endless games of "Would You Rather...".  Purchase of this book was a mistake, I must admit.

3.  Not one clean bathroom.

4.  A major wardrobe issue for Scott.  So sorry, babe.  You really looked like you belonged at that truck stop.

5.  Toe Socks for the uncoordinated.  Roxy made an executive decision to wear them, but not over her toes, so they shoot out in precarious angles through her Crocs.

6.  Dang cold weather.

7.  Two smoking vehicles and one gas leaking vehicle - all in dang cold weather.  So glad our vehicle is solid, comfortable, and almost new.

We made it!

Festivus Redux

1. Our aluminum pole made a great weapon during the feats of strength. (see photo)

2. Scott has no real challenger with the wrestling portion of the evening because all the household females are extremely ticklish.

3. The added event of our evening, cookie decoration, got a little sick and wrong. (see photo)

4. The airing of grievances was too much fun for Scott. On further reflection, the females realized that Scott airs the same grievances on a regular basis. This makes Festivus a little more ordinary, a little less festive.

5. The girls had simple grievances: Roxy does not like getting yelled at, Darby has a grievance with everything that Roxy is, does, and will be, and my grievance is toothpaste left in the sink. Can't you people just rinse properly?

6. I can't wait for Festivus next year. Oh, wait...the road trip will give Scott another Festivus Redux on grievances.

Scott's Elf Nightmare

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Party @ the Church

Yes, my church had a Christmas party for all the kids. It was very fun and the girls had a great time with games, stories, Santa, and gingerbread houses. Darby made a gingerbread church with a stacked peppermint steeple and it was too cute! Roxy was so excited to get to wear pajamas to church because it was a Polar Express theme, and her little friend had the exact same pair of pajamas, the Target ones with puppies all over them. Those girls are on the same wavelength in many ways. It was so fun to be at a Christmas party with so many friends from church. I will look forward to next year's party, too.