Thursday, December 18, 2008

Christmas preparations

Spoiler alert! Grandparents' Christmas Presents pictured below!!


I try to be a good mom. I try and try and try. I know that kids like to help. Since I know they like to do things that are messy and I don't mind the mess - I (usually) clean up after them OK. I'm having them make "chip clips" as presents for the grandparents. Who can't use a chip clip, I say! Its truly a clothespin painted with glitter or arrayed with faux diamonds, and they are truly handy. My goal of this activity is to teach them about GIVING vs. RECEIVING during Christmas. Too much of the gimmes. (Tangent: We got a huge, 1" thick Fingerhut catalog a month ago that Hannah won't give up....she sleeps with it and the toy pages are well-worn. I didn't even think we were on the Fingerhut mailing list!)

Back to my story. The trouble comes in for me - who, of course, as you have guessed from a lack of Christmas cards in your mailbox, is nowhere NEAR ready for the holiday - when the little darlings EAT the glitter and EAT the glue


and paint their baby sister with glue when I have gone to put away laundry (gone for all of 3 minutes)(I can hear you saying, "NOOOOOO! Not THAT sweet girl!") , it is just too much for me.
No pictures of the latter; camera ran out of batteries. Probably a good thing. Mama was NOT happy.

That big one is getting close to getting switches and coal in her stocking. But then, my learning curve is pretty steep. Due to past history, I should know better not to turn my back on her with paint, as Daddy-o did here during our May 2007 bathroom remodel: Whoops, well, add glue to that list.

Gotta run. Have to give the littlest girl a bath to rid her of her glue 'do.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Santy Claus

We joined some pals the other night for a visit with Santy Claus at the Western Sizzlin the other night. Hannah was eager to tell the jolly fellow (whom we had also spied in the BK last Sunday after church) just what she wanted for Christmas. Quite a change from last year when she would have nothing to do with the man....

The picture I didn't get was of her dark eyes after she left his lap with a gift (a "princess" puzzle).
"I'm so MAD at that Santa Claus."
"Why? Han, you got a nice new puzzle!"
"I TOLD him I wanted TRAIN CARS and he just gave me this puzzle. I am MAD because I wanted TRAIN action, not a puzzle."
"Well, Hannahkins, we have to be grateful for the gifts we DO receive, and anyways Santy has to make his list and you might get train cars under the Christmas tree. What about that?"
"I'm STILL mad. I wanted train cars TONIGHT."
"Han, you are going to end up with switches in your stocking."
"Oh, no I won't!"

And then we have the Sugar Baby. Who wouldn't let Santa get too close. So she reeeeee-ached over and took the teddy bear with her fingertips. Satisfied with her 'score,' she smiled back to mama....


But she's all about giving hugs, so I got a picture anyways. I'm not about to make 'em scream if they don't want to sit on the lap of a costumed old man....but if I can coax them and coerce them, then its good for the photo album.


Let me know if you see Thomas the Train on sale. Or if you have a willow tree in your backyard.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Clifton Forge Christmas Parade

If you like fire trucks, cute kids, local celebrities and cloggers, then you've logged on to the right blog!


A shot of where we were standing to see the parade...Andy's office is in that building to the left of Town Hall.


"Is there going to be candy at this parade, Mama?"







The first group of cloggers - Hannah's favorite

Talking shop....HEY Andy! Lookit the parade!!!




THOU SHALT NOT COVET the tractors in the parade....


















ERV's were there from Covington, Alleghany County (Dunlap!), Sharon, Glen Wilton, Lexington City, Selma, Iron Gate...who am I leaving out??





It was SOOOOOO cold! About this time my camera started to freeze and it hesitated between shots, so some of the last pictures started to look a little psychedelic - I was getting about every third shot at this point....


























Of course, out here, Santa trades his reindeer for a tractor!

Regardless of numb noses and toeses, we had a great time. I have over 100 pictures, so if you're a 'local' and want copies, let me know and I'll burn a CD for you. For some reason, Blogger isn't letting me size the pictures the way I wanted so some may not show up as clearly as I'd like...
We were looking forward to going to the Covington parade last night, but it took us until about 6:45PM Saturday to thaw out from Clifton's shindig! Thank you to everyone who braved the cold to show us a great time!

Friday, December 5, 2008

CVS score

I am only an elementary-level shopper at best when it comes to scoring great deals at CVS, as there are several blog sites I follow where they are expert and advanced in their cvsskills. But yesterday, I think I did not bad:
Transaction #1: Instant Energy 6 hour 2-pack drink: 5.24 (with tax)
RECEIVED: $4.99 in Extra Bucks
Transaction #2: 2 bags M&Ms, 2 26oz. jars Ragu, 2 10oz. bottles Dawn Dish soap, 3 tins Altoids, 4 packs of Dentyne.... used .20 Dawn coupon, 3 "peelies" for $1 off on Altoids, 4.99 in Extra Bucks from transaction #1, and a $5 off a $15 purchase coupon that printed on my transaction #1 receipt - - for a total of $.94



In summary, I paid $6.18 for all of this! (Its minus a bag of MMs because we girls shared them 3-way to celebrate on the way home....) Normally I don't buy gum or altoids, but they make good stocKing stuffers and as an "attachment" to wrap with gift cards and restaurant gift certificates! Woo-Hoo!