Chrimmatime in review

I hope you had a MERRY CHRISTMAS! I did. I enjoyed my week and a half of freedom. Mostly I enjoyed not having a 4:30am alarm clock. I made my own set of wreaths for my front door. I'm extremely proud of this. I am not a crafty person. Creativity and craftiness is my sister's gift, not mine. I think they're ok, but I have big plans for better wreaths for next year. Our tree is a little Ethiopian, if you don't mind the absolutely not politically correctness of that statement. I am also not a PC kind of person... in case you haven't noticed. I decided it was pretty bare, as you could see the wall through the Charlie Brown branches of our fake Christmas tree, so I threw some tinsel on it. It helped. Historically, I haven't been a tinsel kind of gal, but I think I just became one. I like it. 

It was a very different Christmas this year without my Papaw Buster, but it helped me remember and focus on what Christmas is all about. Papaw spent this Christmas in Heaven! It was also the first time in more than 30 years that he celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ with his wife, and that really, truly does bring joy to my heart.

This was also the first Christmas I spent with Matt's family. He always comes to our big family Christmas get-togethers, but his family usually has theirs on Christmas day, so I haven't spent it with them before. This year they had it early, and it was such a fun, relaxing weekend at Lake Guntersville! Matt's gift to me was the most wonderful, perfect, special gift I think I've ever received. I am working on a post about it. It is a story of its own. You'll just have to wait :)

This is also the first time in a very long time that I have not watched A Christmas Story. Not one single time. I usually watch it no less than 5 times, but this year sleep was far more enticing than movies. I did a lot of sleeping on the couch. I guess that way I felt more like I was at least around my family, even if I was unconscious. I did watch It's a Wonderful Life. One of my favorites. And my dad and I watched about 5 episodes of Locked Up. There was a marathon on Christmas day. What a weird thing to watch on Christmas day...

So here are a few of my favorite pictures from Christmas break. 

 I bought this ornament last year for like 25 cents, and I think Katie named it Herbert.

Lake Guntersville

The new bridge at home! Fancy, huh?

My FAVORITE Christmas Eve dinner!

My father, of all people, taught me a little trick I've gone almost 25 years without knowing. It changed my life. Did you have any idea that if you just brush the end of your hairdryer with a toothbrush it gets all of the fuzz out?! It's so easy. And fast. How did my dad know that and I didn't?? That little gem was a Christmas present in itself!

Only in the MS Delta.

An original oil painting that I bought in Spain 3 years ago. I finally got it framed.

Love this one.

Not cute. Matt would not participate. But he feels left out when I do not include him in my blog! So there is our one and only Christmas picture, turd.

You know you're old when you ask for a tie organizer for Christmas.

Sandidge and Vegas came to visit!!!

Welcome, 2011. Welcome to my life.