December 2012 – Connie Smithison

December 30, 2012

Quality time for New Years eve and day

For the next few days, I’m going to be spending some quality time with my children until they have to go back to doing what they do, and going to where they now are living. Welcoming in the New Year is a quiet time for my family. No one wants to party unless it is at home, with just a few of their very close friends here, and usually I try to stay up until “the ball drops”, but to no avail for the most part. But I do try! I’ll let ya’ll know about this year, in a soon to come post.

Today I’m going to try some of recipes for snacks and finger food that my friend Elaine has given me. There are some awesome ideas for goodies to be made in the crock pot, and to bake up, or mix together! We are going to have our annual two day feast of cold cuts, and other yummy foods.

I’m so fortunate to have friends who are so domestically inclined in all areas. I’m learning from them slowly but surely. I wish they, would blog more about them, so I would have a handy reference. We all however have decided to “spice” up our blogs with some tasty concoctions in this coming new year. But for now, I’m wishing everyone a very safe and happy New Years Eve. I’ll catch you next year!!

December 24, 2012April 17, 2018

Happy Christmas Eve

Though my kids are either in their middle to late teens and two are adults now, each year as tradition, I “track Santa” for them. I’ve been doing this since they were old enough to talk and ask me to do this special thing. To this day, I still find a television station or a radio station that will tell where Santa is at each given hour. Now with internet, it’s much easier to do, if not for them to find a smile or memory in, but for me. My oldest daughter has taken the tradition over with her children, even though my grand kids are older also.

Right now, Santa is dropping off gifts to the people in a country I can’t begin to pronounce let alone spell. I know I’m more excited about this than the kids, but I’ve noticed them paying attention to where Santa is when I holler it out so they can hear me in their rooms. The house echos with, “That’s cool, Mom”, or a “He has a long way to go, Mom”, along with other acknowledgements, from various rooms. I’m loving having them all together for Christmas.

So, to your house from ours, we wish you a very Happy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

December 20, 2012

And the shopping crunch begins

With only four (actually less) days left to finish my shopping, as I look at my lists it seems rather hopeless. I wonder why I do this to myself. But I know it’s the procrastinating nature I have, yet I must say I do work well under pressure.

Each year, I make a vow that I am going to start my shopping at the beginning of the year and be all “together” by Christmas eve to enjoy the holiday. And each year, something comes up where the money is needed elsewhere. We don’t get my husband’s bonus pay until about a week before Christmas, which we depend on for gifts and the holiday trimmings. We’re fortunate to have this extra money.

As usual, this coming year I’m going to once again try and pick up the little gifts and also am planing on using my crafty ideas as gifts too. I would much rather have a gift someone made than one that is bought in a store, and it seems like as prices soar and money matters take a knocking, this is the way to go.

December 11, 2012

Great Movies this Year for the Holidays

Going to the movie theater is something that I seem to have gotten away from and today I just realized how much I miss it. There is nothing like watching a movie in a big, dark theater with a hundred other people enjoying the action of the big screen with Dolby surround sound. I think it is cool to hear others gasp in surprise or laugh at the funny scenes. It adds to the viewing experience.

This year there are a lot of movies that sound really good scheduled for release in December. I guess they want to get people who are home from college and out of school for the holidays to spend some of their free time and money in the movie theaters. The one that I really want to see is the new James Bond movie, “Skyfall.” And of course I want to see “The Hobbit.”

If we don’t have a lot of bad weather this year I hope to make the trip to town a few times just for fun and watching movies. I won’t risk wrecking the car on snow and ice covered roads, but if the roads are clear I feel a big urge to get out of the house this winter and be around people and having fun. The movies are a great way to get me motivated and if I skip the popcorn and over priced sodas, I can budget for a couple of new release films and maybe invite a girlfriend or neighbor to come along with me.