Life Happens

My life has been hectic and crazy since my last post. My family (in different variations) celebrated Thanksgiving at home, have been to see the Callaway Gardens light show, attended a Christmas party, been to several chemo treatments (for my step-dad), worked, finished up a semester of college, and shopped, shopped, shopped for Christmas gifts.

(Our 'failed' Christmas Card Photo - the Chapple/Keene totem pole...failed because we couldn't line ourselves up straight!)


(Arthur holding Alex, my brother's pup. Arthur would love to have a pup of her own.)

Thanksgiving was nice and quiet. My oldest daughter, 'Arthur', and her husband drove up from Pine Mountain to have deep-fried turkey, dressing, sweet potato souffle, and cheesecake while giving thanks for our many blessings this year. We took many family pictures...posing this way and that, trying to get that perfect pic for our Christmas greeting cards this year. Of course, no one can agree which is the best one, so I ended up with two finalists, and used them both.
(My adopted daughter, Krumm, and daughter Courage, in front of a store in down-town Lawrenceville...'Girls Night Out' ...after dinner on the square.)

My younger daughter, 'Courage', and I drove to Pine Mountain one Sunday to go see the 'Fantasy in Lights' display. SIL (son-in-law) 's parents joined us and we dined at KFC and proceeded to the gardens to visit the Christmas Village and ride the trolley to see the lights. It was cold which I think enhanced the 'Christmas Spirit' feeling of the event.

(The 'failed' chocolate-fudge layer cake. The layers are not consistant in size, the fudge icing bled between layers. Not pretty...but doggone tasty!)


Courage and I attend the (5th annual, I think) Granny's Girl's Christmas Tea, which is not a 'tea' but really a sit down dinner, ornament exchange and reminisce-fest. My cousin 'Deputy Shell' hosted this year. Her house was adorable...her hubby had adorned the outside of the house with lots of lights and Shell had decorated the inside of the house and they had an enormous Christmas Tree that was very tall and very big around, I believe it was a Leland cypress. The meal she served was a Puerto Rican pork roast, potato salad, brown rice, salad, rolls and Tres Leche cake. Everything was so beautiful and so delicious. I really enjoy getting together every Christmas with my aunt and cousins to remember our mother/grandmother/great-grandmother and just get caught up on everyone's lives.
(Hubby and Courage pick out our tree...almost a 'failed' evening as hubby put the tree on top of the car before getting a fresh cut off the bottom and getting it bagged.)


My step-dad continues to receive chemo treatments twice a month for his brain tumor/cancer. He is doing okay...his tumor remains half the size it was in the beginning, but the chemo seems to be taking a toll. His doctor has recommended he finish up this 'round of chemo' and maybe take a break to let his body heal and build back up. About 3 or 4 more treatments and we will see what happens.

(My step dad, Ed, trying to coax Alex, the pup, to come to him. Was a fail because Alex walked right over and bit his big toe!)



Courage finished her fourth semester at Georgia Perimeter...hopefully with some good final grades. She has one more semester and she will graduate from GP with an associates degree in science. She is thinking about continuing to live at home and attending a local college to obtain her bachelor's degree in science. After that, off to medical school. Which one??? Someplace pretty close by I hope! (Emory? Mercer? Medical College of GA?)

(Mouse cookie...idea for upcoming
parties???)

Arthur and her hubby have become quite the hikers. They hike very often at local parks near their home and have even been able to get 'moi' and Courage to join them on several occasions. We all love hiking and being outdoors and feel this is going to be something we will all get more and more involved in and good at.

We have all been doing shopping for Christmas gifts. It is a challenge again this year, as I am not making a very good salary this year, and hubby isn't either. I do feel like things will change in 2010. I am actively pursuing gainful employment and am feeling the end result will be a better paying job with good benefits and I feel like it is going to happen soon! I feel like the economy is slowly getting better and therefore hubby's business will pick back up and he will start bringing in more income too.

(Courage and Arthur decorate a cookie at the Christmas Village at Callaway Gardens before seeing the light display. Not a fail, thankfully!)

I made chicken dumplings in the crock pot today and have ate myself silly. I also made my first 11 layer chocolate cake and it was not pretty, but it was very tasty. Now I am up late because I have severe reflux disease and cannot lay in my bed (though it sits at a near 45 degree angle) for fear of regurgitating and drowning in chocolate fudge cake icing. It is quite a shame, but I am 12 pounds heavier this Christmas than I was last Christmas. I vow to join the gym and maybe re-join Weight Watchers as soon as I land that gainful employment.



(Gorgeous pic of King of the House...Lex. He has beautiful whiskers. A fail - he turned his head when I was photograhing him - that turned out to be awesome!)