Christmas Hoopla, Pictures, Awards & More!

First things first. LISA@KENTUCKY WOMAN tagged me for this CHRISTMAS HOOPLA which originated at ANDREA'S BLOG.

And yes, I'm well aware that the button says "Meme", but I already had a button made up that says "meme" and I don't have time to make one that says "Christmas Hoopla" right now, so take deep breaths and we'll get through this, 'kay? Okey dokey then.

So, hear ye, yea verily and all that good stuff. Here are the rules for the Hoopla:

1. List 12 random things about yourself that have to do with Christmas.

2. Please refer to it as a ‘hoopla’ and not the dreaded ‘m’-word…

3. You have to tag specific people when you’re done. No “if you’re reading this, consider yourself tagged” stuff is allowed…then nobody ends up actually doing it. The number of people who you tag is really up to you — but the more, the merrier to get this ‘hoopla’ circulating through the blogosphere.

4. Please try and do it as quickly as possible. The Christmas season will be over before we know it! Let’s involve as many people as possible! ;o)

5. Please give Andrea some link-love as the “Hoopla-Creator!”


1. ) Christmas is my favorite holiday, hands down. It has everything going for it: giving, getting, cooking, eating, friends and family, and most importantly of all, JESUS!

2. ) I'm strictly a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas colors on lights, decorations, ornaments, etc. Give me pine green, holly red, silver and gold, and snowy white. Those are my favorites. That said, to each his/her own and I'm not dissing anybody else's decorative color choices. Variety is the spice of life and all that jazz. I see lots of things I like at somebody else's house but it's just not anything I'd choose for myself.

3. ) I love to cook, bake and make candy, so Christmas is a busy time for me. And I love to share my bounty, so we all benefit from my efforts. I cook, you appreciate. Works for me. ;o)

4. ) I love snow. That said, I live in Northeast Arkansas, in the heart of the MidSouth. We don't get that much snow and most of it happens after Christmas. But when we get that rare white Christmas, it just does something wonderful and magical to this 44 year old kid's heart. It's like a special gift from God, just for me because He knows how much I adore snow anytime, but especially on Christmas.

5. ) Every time I make my Mama's Christmas cakes and candy, I cry. Because I miss her, but mostly because it floods my mind with all the bittersweet memories of happy Christmases past.

6. ) There is no home so humble, no gift so meager, no time in life so dark but that it can't be made more beautiful and wondrous by the soft glow of a lighted and decorated Christmas tree.

7. ) If I have all the things money can buy and don't have the Christ Child in my heart, I am a pauper.

8. ) As poor as we were in materialistic things as we were growing up, my family is as rich as royalty in Christmas memories and love for one another.

9. ) Of all the gifts I've ever been given, outside of Jesus' gift of Salvation, the most valuable ones can't be contained by extravagant boxes and gay ribbons and bows. I don't remember most of the toys and gifts I've received over the years, but I remember the love. The togetherness. The loved ones that made Christmas what it was.

10.) I love Christmas carols and hymns!

11.) Christmas is even more magical and wondrous when viewed through a child's eyes. This Grandma can hardly wait for Emmy to open her gifts on Christmas morning, and it will only get better as she gets older.

12.) Christmas just isn't Christmas unless you spend it with people you love. The End.

And as instructed, I'm tagging CECIL, GREENEYES, MIGHTY MOM, PEA and ZZTOP.

Have at it, ladies.KAREN has been a busy girl, handing out awards left and right while I was too sick to even turn on my computer. Praise the Lord I'm much, much better and now to acknowledge the awards Karen has given me.

Thanks, Karen!

Just a note, I'm working on making a separate page to display my awards. I've noticed, and several people have told me that my blog takes a long time to load. I know it's all the awards on my sidebar, and I've already put some of them away for safekeeping until I have my page ready, then I'll put a link in my sidebar to the awards page. So if you don't see an award that you know you've given me, chances are that it's put away until I have my page ready. It's not because I don't appreciate each and every award, because I do. I just need to do some blog-keeping.
As promised several posts back, I have some Emmy pictures and some others to post. First, Emmy's first picture with Santa, taken December 9, 2007. Remember that date, there'll be a quiz later....Emmy is 7 months old here.

And for comparison, Jessica's first Christmas, December 11, 1987. Notice the dates? Twenty years apart, almost exactly. Only 2 days difference. Now what are the odds of that happening???

Jessica is 5 weeks old in this picture. I know you really can't tell a lot from these pictures, but it's amazing how much Emmy looks like Jessica when she was the same age. Not all the time, but when she has certain expressions on her face or wears particular colors and such.And as promised, some of my candy I've made. Here we have coconut bon bons, butter pecan toffee and chocolate glazed butter pecan toffee. The plain toffee WAS mine. As in, it's gone to that Great Candy Store In The Sky.

Don't hate on me, but I don't care much for chocolate. I'll eat some every now and then, but I much prefer white chocolate or pastries or fruit, or my favorite, cheesecake.

And a couple of pictures from our Christmas supper with Lamar's Mom and StepDad. Lamar's Mom made turkey and dressing for supper and then we exchanged our gifts. Here's Jessica, Jason and Emmy, then me and Emmy. Before both of us were sick, fortunately.

And I think that's quite enough for one post. Actually, it's more than enough but I wanted to get all this done before I forgot to do it.

Y'all have a happy, blessed and joyous Christmas season, y'hear?