Dog Pee & Pioneer Woman

So I made the mistake of stopping by Pioneer Woman this morning and now I'm wanting to make this Southwest Corn Dip & the Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Bites plus I drooled over a couple of others. My menu for today and tomorrow is already planned and I've shopped, so I'm not prepared to be adding new items. I had purchased the Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook for my sil that lives in Houston for Christmas. She loves to cook and I just knew it was the PERFECT gift. I wrapped it real pretty and put it under the tree and then dog pee happened. Our old smelly Boston peed in front of the tree and it traveled to the one present under the tree and so now I had a Pioneer Woman Cooks with wet dog pee on one corner. I ripped off the paper sniffed the corner and although it did not stink of pee I knew I had to get another. So off to Borders with my 30% coupon in hand I go the Sunday before Christmas and repurchased the book. I'm so proud and it is so worth it because I know she is going to LOVE this book. We arrive in Mississippi and my sil from Houston always has books from a friend of hers that works in publishing. She throws a pile of cookbooks on the bed and says take what I want, but she thinks the Pioneer Woman Cooks looks really good and she would like to keep that one or I can take it and she will just get another one from her friend. I gave the book to her on Christmas morning and we had a good laugh-haha and I came home and had not one, but three Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbooks. I returned one to Borders and still have the dog pee one and the free one from my sil. I'm not sure what to do about the dog pee one, but I've never given away anything on my blog. Haha!

Christmas

Our Christmas on the coast spent with my husband's family was very pleasant. We ate delicious food and received thoughtful gifts. It's nice to have a family to spend time with on the holidays. I did miss going to the Christmas Eve service at our church and we considered going somewhere on the coast, but got wrapped up in cookie making and just being together. I love this retro tablecloth.
I thought the decorations on the sideboard were magical.
We always ride through neighborhoods looking at lights and we found this one. It cracked us up.
We are also Saints fans and love this family's support and Christmas spirit.

My Gratitude list continues:
16. cold brisk wind on sunny days
17. our tolerant cat
18. my daughter's sitter
19. clementines in season
20. warm socks

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm officially 47 today. I make it sound like I have been waiting on it to get here. Today we travel to the coast to spend the holidays with my husband's family. Saying we are going to the coast sounds much more glamorous than we are going to Mississippi. It is the beach though. Looking so forward to getting there. I still have my secret love affair going on with Mississippi and ask God each day if we should go. I've also realized that I don't pray enough about little things. My big list where I pour out to God about my children's futures and major events or needs I take before him regularly, but I don't think I'm trusting God to work in my everyday things. It's not that I don't think he cares or would intervene, it's just that I think I know what he would want so I act without laying it before him. My gift to myself today is a commitment to take each thing before him and ask for his direction.
I loved the way my mantle turned out this year!

Phillipians 4:6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. NLT

Christmas Shopping

My plans for the day are to go shopping. Hopefully, I will finish the majority of things I wanted to purchase today. We are trying to keep it simple this year and the only one I get a little out of hand with is The Bird. I am clueless as to what to get T-Bone too. Wish me luck!
This is our Christmas card photo from last year made on the beach at Thanksgiving.

Christmas Shopping

I really enjoy the holidays, but my lack of time to browse and go out looking for "special" gifts is so limited (nonexistent)and mall shopping is just not my thing. My sil and I do have a trip planned to go visit little shops in Virginia-Highlands or Decatur in November, but I'm worried that many shops may be out of business. It would be nice to do most of my shopping online, but sometimes that is hard if you can't see it first. I do love this little rack from At West End and think my other sister in law might like it. Have you started shopping yet?