Thursday Top 10: Christmas Traditions

It's been a long time since I've done one of Beth's Thursday Top 10 lists.  I just haven't had the time recently, but Beth love's me, so I'm forgiven.  Right, Beth?
Anywhooo....for this week's topic, Beth wants to hear our top 10 Christmas traditions.  Oh my!  I'm having some mixed emotions about Christmas this year.  Nothing major, just a little sad about the kids growing up, changes, and Christmas not being the big family deal it's always been.  The kids will be here on Christmas Eve and Megan will be here on Christmas morning, but it looks like it will just be us and my mom and her husband for dinner and the rest of the day.
Now, about those (in no particular order) traditions....
1.  Putting the tree up, if not the day after Thanksgiving, then at least during that long weekend.  I do it mostly myself these days, but I did wrangle Megan and Cody into helping a bit this year and we had fun.
2.  Christmas Movies!  I am a Christmas movie addict. And I like 'em really cheesy and goofy.  My absolute favorite, that I can quote nearly line for line, is A Christmas Story.  I will watch it several times and the whole family watches it together once after dinner on Christmas Day.  Poo....that's another tradition down the drain. :(
3.  Making chocolate candies.  I learned how from a family I babysat for when I was a kid and my aunt got into it later and I did some with her.  She gave me all her molds so I can make candy for pretty much any holiday.  The kids never were real into this one...too much patience required for them.
4.  Goofy Christmas hats and headbands.  I started wearing a Santa hat on the school bus when I first started driving.  Since then it's kind of become my "thing."  I have a whole collection of Christmas ones and quite a few for other holidays, too.  I was thinking this morning as I put on the first one, a headband sporting candy cane horns, that maybe I should take pictures every day post them?
5.  Baking Christmas cookies.  This is one thing I can at least get Megan in on and my mom is usually in on it, too.  There are some kinds we make that require two bakers.
6.  Driving around after church on Christmas Eve to look at the lights.  We won't be doing that one this year, either, since it's our year to have Matt's family on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day....and we won't be going to church since Ashlei's a Jehovah's Witness.  She said Matt and Sora could go with us, but I don't want to separate the family on Christmas Eve, so we will stay home together.
7.  Last-minute shopping and wrapping marathon.  It's what happens in a family of procrastinators, but it usually ends up being fun.
8.  The Artis Family Christmas, not to be confused with an old-fashioned Griswold Family Christmas (ie. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation).  This is when Tim's whole family gets together....somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 of us.  It rotates through the family year to year so we all get a turn at hosting it.  Matt hasn't been able to come the last couple of years because it's ALWAYS on Saturday and he has to work Saturdays in December.  This year, Tim is saying he may have to work, too.  I am not thrilled.
9.  Even though the kids are grown and stopped believing in Santa a long time ago....the gifts still do not go under the tree until after they've gone to bed.  It's what my dad did.  Of course he also didn't put the tree up until after I went to bed on Christmas Eve until I was 8 or 9.  I think "Santa" was nuts, but I did love waking up on Christmas morning and being able to tell by the smell of pine that Santa had come.
10.  Christmas Eve church services.  So beautiful and my very favorite of the year.

My Big Fat Labor Day Weekend

I don't know how in the world she had time to come up with a Top Ten challenge, what with her blog getting hacked this week and having to pretty much build it back from scratch, but Beth is asking us to list the top ten things we want to do this weekend.  Her list is ambitious and exhausting.  Mine, not so much.

Here, beginning with tomorrow morning, is my list of 10 things to do this three-day holiday weekend.

1. Get a Brazilian Blow Out Friday morning.  I have thick, poodle-curly hair that everyone who doesn't have curly hair envies greatly.  I, who am stuck with said poodle hair, hate it.  Always have.  Probably always will.  My stylist talked me into the blow out tonight when I went for a trim and was moaning about how frizzy and poofy it was.  I'm nervous, but excited.
2. Attend Ladies' Nite Out.  A couple of the ladies at my church decided it would be a nice idea for all of us women to get together once a month just to fellowship.  I'm taking at least one guest and hoping a couple more will come, too.  We're having dinner then the girls are promising all kinds of fun activities.
3. Get Ready For Saturday Night.  I have to find the right outfit, give myself a manicure and pedicure, and see what I can do with my new do.  I also need to pack a tailgating meal.  Why I have to do all this is...
4. Go To Toby Keith Concert.  Megan and I have VIP parking and VIP tickets.  We'll tailgate before the gates open, then at some point before the show, we get to meet Toby and get our pictures taken with him (downloadable later).  We'll get autographed photos and our seats are in row one or two of the center section.
5. Sleep In Late.  It will be the wee hours of the morning before we get home so I hope to sleep in a bit....and hang onto that thrill of meeting Toby for a while.
6. Read The Sunday Paper.  This gets delayed until evening far too often and if I don't read it in the morning, I never do get to read it thoroughly.
7. Spend Time Relaxing With Tim.  Since he is back to work, he is once again totally exhausted by the time he gets home so we haven't really been connecting this week.  Maybe we can take a walk at one of the parks and enjoy a bottle of wine and a movie.
8. Clean The Kitchen.  It needs it.  That's all I'm saying.
9. Visit My Aunt.  I don't do that nearly enough.
10. Cook Something On The Grill And Eat Outside If It Isn't Sweltering.  I'm thinking ribs and chicken.

Sounds really taxing, doesn't it?

Words About Me

 Beth has given us a real challenge this week.  Well, I think it's hard.  She wants us to list 10 words to describe ourselves, but she also wants us to try and see ourselves through the eyes of others....something I am so not good at and to top it off it's been another busy day and I am just getting to this now....so I'm making no promises about what you might get.

10 Words You Would Use to Describe Yourself:

~ Tired

~ Overweight

~ Determined

~ Christian

~ Creative

~ Smart

~ Funny

~ Lonely

~ Shy

~ Impatient

10 Words a Stranger Would Use to Describe You:

~ Fat
~ Boring
~ Stuck-up
~ Quiet
~ Intense
~ Creative
~ Considerate
~ Helpful
~ Bookworm
~ Happy

10 Words Your (Blog) Readers Would Use to Describe You:

~ Funny
~ Christian
~ Creative
~ Toby-obsessed
~ Honest
~ Compassionate
~ Silly
~ Seeking/searching
~ Open
~ Curious

10 Words Your Friends & Family Would Use to Describe You:

~ Dependable
~ Disappointed
~ Lonely
~ Dog-lover
~ Impatient
~ Reader
~ Fun-loving
~ Churchy (from my kids)
~ Picky
~ Compassionate

and for bonus points …

10 Words God Would Use to Describe You:

~ Forgiven
~ Loved
~ Blessed
~ Daughter
~ Called
~ Saved
~ Teacher
~ Student
~ Servant
~ Light

That was even harder than I thought it would be.  I don't know that I did all that well.  I am really tired.

Thankful Thursday & Beth's Top 10

Life is quite good these days, so I was thinking it might be a good time to bring back Thankful Thursdays...something I had going for a while but let fall by the wayside.

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR...

...the job that "fell out of the sky" to land in my daughter's lap.

She has a job and I didn't have to nag.

And it's doing what she loves.

...the DJ that said "yes" to working the car show Saturday.

I was getting pretty discouraged by all the "nos"

and unreturned phone calls.

...the sign shop that is making the dash plaques for the

car show.  They saved me when the man I

originally hired bailed on me this week.

...Tim's new attitude.  He has two more days of work before

his vacation starts, but he's been getting home in time for

supper, getting things done around the house, and sitting

with me to watch some television before he goes to bed.

It's amazing!

...cooler temperatures.  For the first time in, well, I don't

remember how long, it isn't too hot to spend time outdoors.

...rain!  We've had plenty of it lately.  Mostly we've had

gully washers, but yesterday was a wonderful easy all-day rain.

...the possibility that our church family may have found

a home.  We looked at a property last night...a 100+ year

old church on three lots (less than a mile from our house).

The building would need some work, but is not in too

bad of shape and since we're in our current lease for close

to another year we'd have time to get the work done.

The asking price is unbelievable.  We will take it to

the congregation on Saturday for their opinion.

...fresh veggies from our garden.  M-mmmm!

Other gardens, too....I'm feeling a run to a roadside stand

coming on.  I've got a hankerin' for Chambersburg peaches

and homegrown cantaloupe.

...my fish pond.  I love sitting by it on the swing and watching

the fishies do their thing and listening to the sound of the water.

The fishies, by the way, are thriving and growing quickly.

...the gym owner's willingness to let me make payments so

I can participate in the 12-week program.  I really need this

and want to do it.  I'm going to make the most of it.

...each and every one of you!

Have a blessed Thursday, my friends, and don't forget to

take time to be thankful for all your blessings big and small!

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Dear, sweet Beth is feeling swamped and overwhelmed these days with things at work and things at home (keep her in your prayers) and so has given us, she says, an uninspired assignment today....the ten things we'd take with us to a deserted island...assuming we had time to pack.  The only catch is....no power sources, batteries, boats, airplanes, phones, etc.  She's really making us think!  Here's my list:

1. Water.  Fresh water could be a real problem on an island.
2. Food.  I'd get really cranky if I had to live on coconuts.
3. Toilet paper. Self-explanatory.
4. Sun-screen.  I'd boil in my own skin without it.
5. Extra clothing.
6. A fishing pole....for food and something to do.
7. A gun....for signaling, hunting, and protection.
8. Matches or lighters.
9. Camping equipment...tent, sleeping bag, mosquito netting, cooking utensils and a big utility knife.
10. Books....which would include a journal and a supply of pens.

I Wish....

  

We’ve done dream lists, with unlimited budgets, and bucket lists here before. Today we’re going to inch a little closer to reality and list the top 10 things that you would buy (for yourself) if the budget would tolerate it. Try to keep the dreams somewhere in the same realm as reality … in other words no mansions, yachts, etc. Just 10 things you would like that could happen …

Here’s mine:

1. A home in the country or an addition to this house.  We really don't have enough room in our little house for all our stuff and all the people who pass through.  We also aren't exactly thrilled with living in the suburbs.  So, I either want a big family room added on to the house or I want a place in the country with a little bit of land to garden and keep a couple of animals and a big workshop/storage area for Tim.

2.  An iPad.  This is a new dream, but I'm hearing more and seeing more about them lately that makes me think it would be nice to have.

3.  A hot tub.  We look at them all the time, but haven't broke down and bought one yet.  Man, it would be soooo nice to slide my aching bones into one and soak.

4.  A front porch.  Ours has been "under construction" for a couple of years now.  Tim's doing it himself, which explains that.  The man never has time.  He's going on vacation at the end of next week so he'll have time and maybe we'll get a little bit done, but right now the money isn't there to buy everything we need to finish (it runs the full length of the house and it's going to be under roof, which it never was before). 

5.  A bedroom remodel.  We've lived here for 17 years.  I'm a decorator and changer of things by nature.  Every room in the house has been redone in those years.  At least twice.  Some have been done three times.  Except for our bedroom.  I don't know why, but we've never tackled it and after 17 years it is looking really bad.  Really bad.  Really.

6.  A trip to Chincoteague Island, VA (without my children).  Not that I don't love my children, but as they've gotten older, married, have significant others, etc....what we want out of a vacation have started to clash.  There is also the fact that for me to relax in the house we rent, things have to stay semi-cleaned up.  I can't relax if the house is torn up, stuff is piled everywhere and the kitchen is full of dirty dishes.  The only way that happens is if I do it myself or blow a gasket bad enough to push them into motion.  The kids are expecting us to rent a house next summer.  Maybe.  Tim and I are wondering if we can swing two weeks.  One with the family and then a second without them just for us....where I'd actually get to relax.

7.  A new dishwasher.  Mine is 17 years old and has worked hard every day of those years.  It doesn't work like it should any more.  And it's ugly.  I have one picked out.

8.  A Ford Mustang.  That's been my dream car for as long as I can remember.  I even have my personalized license plate picked out....SADL UP.  I had other ideas but Megan vetoed them all as lame.  I am torn between black, red, and the new Grab Me Blue.

9.  A gym membership and a personal trainer.  I need someone there every day to kick my butt keep me motivated.

10.  A maid and yard help.  I could live without the maid, but it would be nice.  The yard, well, Tim doesn't have time to help and Megan is usually unwilling these days so I'm on my own...help would be great.

It's Summer. It's Too Hot For Anything Else. So, Let's All Meme!

 

In an effort to distract us all from the fact that it is hotter than you-know-where out there (doesn't matter what part of the country you're in),  Beth wants to know our 10 favorite things about summer.

1. It's not winter.
2. Flipflops.
3. You don't look silly drinking umbrella drinks....it's just sad and pathetic in January.
4. The color...ain't nothing grayer than SW Pennsylvania in the winter.
5. The beach....assuming I actually get to go.  I'm even willing to settle for Lake Erie instead of the ocean.
6. No work.
7. Staying up late and sleeping in....my natural state when the alarm clock doesn't interfere.
8. Toasted marshmallows.  I like them caught on fire then blown out.
9. Veggies fresh from the garden....sliced tomatoes, sauteed greenbeans, tender ears of corn, fried zucchini, cucumbers with onions and vinegar, stuffed peppers....*drool*
10. Books.  I do my best book shopping at yard sales and library used book sales during the summer.

Gee Whiz!

This week in honor of her participation in the Summer Thoughts A – Z Challenge, and the fact that the letter of the day is *G*, Beth made today’s Top 10 List a celebration of glorious gewgaws and gadgets that begin with the letter G. She'd be gratified if you would create your own list, link up and join in!

This is a Blog Hop! 2 entries so far... you're next!


My favorite G-things, in no particular order:

1. Giraffe.  I think I am jealous of their long-legged grace.

The long necks.....not so much.

2.  Granddaughters.  I could go on and on here, but I've been warned by Ellen not to be one of those grandmas.

3.  Golden Gahrams.  Outrageously delicious with fresh picked blueberries.

4.  Goldfish.  The kind you eat.

And the kind you don't.

5.  Genealogy.  I love digging into the past and finding out all the little bits that have come together to make me who I am.

6.  God.  Duh!  None of it matters without Him.

7.  Ghosts and goblins.  A good innocent scare (not the extreme violence of modern horror films) is fun.  I like Trick or Treat and innocent Halloween activities.  I like campy movies like Hocus Pokus and Saturday the 14th.  The ghost hunter shows on TV crack me up when they are all screaming "Did you hear that??"  I never hear anything.

8.  Gentlemen.  There are far too few men around these days that know what it means to be a gentleman and put the knowledge into action.  My personal favorite....

What?  You know I sneak him in wherever I can.

9.  Gratefulness.  It seems like when my attitude is one of gratefulness everything about life seems better.  And I like being around grateful people.  They are such a nice change from our society's tendency for people to think everything is owed to them just because they exist.

10.  Gloves.  I'd hate to think what my hands would look like after a summer of gardening without them.

These really are my gloves.  Well, not MINE, but the same kind.  They are made of bamboo fiber and coated in rubber to protect your hands.  They are the best glove I've ever found for gardening.

When Do We Leave?

  
This week Beth wants to know what our top ten dream vacations are.  Sigh.  This year any vacation is a dream vacation thanks to lack of time and spare moola to fund such a thing.  So....I'll dream away.  Here's my list.

10.  I'd like to plan a trip to meet some of my blogging and Facebook friends.  Oklahoma, California and Illinois would be on the list for sure.  Add Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee and Georgia.  It could be a very long trip.

Ignore that head on Oregon/Washington boarder.  I have no idea who that guy is.  I did a search for road trip maps and this one came closest to capturing how crazy I think my own route would be.

9.  If  I can't do #10 then I want to go to Oklahoma.  For some reason I seem to have made a lot of connections there.  I could meet all of them and fulfill my long-time desire to drive from one end of Route 66 to the other.  Hmmm....and maybe we could play six degrees of separation.  Do any of you Okies know my man, Toby??

8.  I've always wanted to visit the Middle East...Israel, Egypt, Turkey, etc.  I harbor a love of architecture and history that would have me in hog heaven to be in such an ancient place.  I think of how we, here in America, are so proud of our history and get all amazed by things that are 200-300 years old.  My mind boggles at being surrounded by things that are 2000 or more years old.  Sadly, that part of the world is so unstable I doubt I will ever get there.

7.  England, Ireland & Scotland to see where my ancestors came from.  That's predominantly what you'll find in my DNA, though there were some Swiss Mennonites in my grandmother's family tree and seeing as how my family has been here since the time of the Pilgrims....I'm sure there's a ton of other genes muddying up the DNA pool.

6.  Italy would be amazing to see (and eat my way through).  I've wanted to see the Tuscan region ever since I watched Under the Tuscan Sun.

5.  Another ancient place I've always wanted to see and the desire has been fired in recent years by the movie My Life in Ruins, is Greece.

4.  Another entry in the "probably not the safest place to visit" catagory is Mexico....and I'm not talking about the shiny, overrun by tourists, destinations.  I want to see the real Mexico.  I just don't want to run into any druglords while I'm doing it.

3.  I've always wanted to head "down under" to Australia.  We sent our daughter there two years ago as a student ambassador with People to People.  She spent three weeks doing all the things I've dreamed of doing....snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, swimming with dolphins, exploring the rainforest, staying on a ranch (where she learned handy things like how to crack a bullwhip), standing on top of the Sydney bridge and touring the Opera House...just to name a few.  Someday I hope to make it there.

2.  Ever since I saw Lucy and Ricky do it, I've wanted to drive across the U.S. on Route 30 (which is conveniently only about 2 miles from my house).  At one time it was the thing to do and roadside attractions ruled.  Most of those are gone, but some remain and I'm sure there are new things to see.  There are a lot of guide books out there to help plan a trip.

1.  Anywhere in the Caribbean would do, but I admit that since I read Hemmingway's Cuba I am dying for Cuba to be opened to U.S. citizens.  It is a major destination for the rest of the world and it is gorgeous!

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Just for fun, here are some pictures from my trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo yesterday:

Our new friend.

Duck and koi.

Just beautiful!  And he/she (?) didn't mind us at all.

The aquarium was a huge hit.

This little guy LOVED the giant fish on the bottom of the tank and begged me to take his picture with it.  Unfortunately, you can barely see the fish...look very, very closely.

This big guy kept coming up to the surface.  We couldn't decide if he was hungry...

....or wanted a kiss!

Some of My Favorite Music

 

This week Beth asks what your personal top 10 songs are.  Wow, I listen to music virtually all the time.  When I'm sleeping is the only time there isn't something playing.

Beth picked a song from each era in her life.  I don't know if I can do that.  I'm just going to try to pick my 10 most favorite songs ever.

1.  Piano Man - The fraternity my friends and I liked to party at in college ended all their parties with everyone in a circle, arms around each other, belting this song out.





2.  I Should've Been a Cowboy - What can I say, it was Toby's first hit and the first time I ever heard him.  It's a great song...I love singing along.  Alone.  In the car.  Where no one can hear me.





3.  Rocky Mountain High - John Denver was the first "grown up" music I chose for myself.  It was the 70's and my family was living in a wildlife preserve here in the mountains of southwestern Pennsylvania.  John's music evoked the times and the atmosphere.  Hearing him even now takes me back like nothing else to those days.





4.  Take It Easy - In the late 70's and early 80's my friends and I were all about The Eagles.





5. Stayin' Alive - Was anyone coming of age in the 70's not affected by Saturday Night Fever and the Bee Gees?





6.  Forever and Ever, Amen - This is the song that brought me back to country music after years of rock, punk, and new wave.





7.  John Deere Green - This song was a huge hit around the same time my dad was slowly losing his battle with cancer.  He loved John Deere equipment and my kids knew that and latched onto this song with a vengeance.  We lived in a house that was over a garage at the time and you had to go up a steep flight of steps to get to the living area.  Those steps needed painting and my son chose John Deere green for the color.  About 2 1/2 weeks before my dad died, we celebrated my son's 7th birthday in that house.  Mom called and said they wouldn't be at the party because there was no way Dad could navigate the stairs.  A little while later she called back and said they were coming because Dad said he wasn't going to miss his grandson's party.  Dad couldn't walk up the stairs so he sat down on the bottom step and ever so slowly eased himself up one step at a time with all of us hovering and holding his oxygen.  It took about 30 minutes to get up those steps, but he did it.  Later, he went down those stupid steps in the same fashion.  It was the last place he ever went except back to the hospital.  Every time I hear this song I cry, but I remember, too, how much my dad loved his family and how strong and determined a man he was.





8.  Paradise by the Dashboard Light - Meatloaf. 'Nuff said.





9.  Before I got married I spent my nights dancing.  Okay...drinking and dancing, but lots and lots of dancing and Billy Idol was one of my favorites to dance to.





10.  All Summer Long - No particular reason.  I just love, love, LOVE this song!

Well, there you go...my personal top ten.  For today.  I've second guessed myself on all but about 3 of them.  Music is life...how do you narrow it down to just 10?

Rain Day & Top Ten

It looks like Ellen's rainy day has reached Pennsylvania so it's going to be a good day to stay inside, get some much needed cleaning done (why does the kitchen always look like a tornado blew through when hardly anyone is here to use it?), read a little, and maybe even finally get around to watching the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie so I can see the fourth one.  That last one is iffy, though, as for me, there's nothing like a rainy summer afternoon, a bowl of popcorn, and watching Johnny and Baby dance summer into fall at Kellerman's.

Megan and Cody did do some yard work yesterday, but Tim said they need to spread more dirt (I told them it wasn't enough).  Everything is on hold today since it's wet and rainy.  I don't have the truck, anyway, since Tim ended up needing it to haul all of his concrete tools to work. 

**Can I just mention here, how anxious I am for him to start his next project?  It's not that I want him to jump right in.  He still needs to take some serious vacation time, but he told me the other night that his boss has told him he isn't allowed to work right along side the crews on it.  He will have to hold back and actually be a supervisor and only oversee all the subcontractors.  That's what he is now, but his Type A personality tends to make him jump in and do things himself so he knows they're done right.  I guess there are all kinds of regulations on the new job that will prevent that.  Yessss!!

I'm off to visit your blogs and then I'm tackling the kitchen....and I will win!

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Beth has started a new meme, Thursday Top 10 List.  Today she's asking for the top 10 things you want to do, but haven't yet.  She likened it to a mini-bucket list.  Since I just posted my complete bucket list not long ago, I'm sharing this instead: 

Thursday Top 10

The Top 10 List is a new Thursday meme from my blogging buddy Beth.  That cute little logo up there should be a linking button, but it's not working for me today (hopefully Beth can figure out why) so just click on the link to Beth's blog and find the meme there if you want to join in.

Today’s topic is …. Your Top 10 Summer Foods! We all know that when it’s over 100 degrees outside (thank you Oklahoma) and the air conditioner is working overtime … nobody wants to do much baking … or cooking for that matter. So what do you eat when it’s just too hot to cook? Share your ideas here!

Well, we're not going to make it to 100 degrees here in Pennsylvania today, but we won't be too far behind, so here are my choices.

1. Fruit.  Fruit salad, just picked fruit, frozen grapes, cold watermelon....it doesn't really matter.
2. Salad (lettuce kind)
3. Pasta salad
4. Seafood of any kind
5. Burgers
6. BBQ anything
7. Corn on the cob
8. Fried zucchini
9. Real fruit popsicles
10. Take-out  ;)