Post Christmas .....

Well, Christmas 2014 has come and gone .... and for the Jackson family it was a whirlwind week.

When I left you all on Wednesday morning, lazybones was coming alive and we were about to get the room ready for delivery of the new Tempur-pedic on Friday... Jere and I spent most of the morning cleaning and cleaning out.  I took bags of items to the thrift store for donation (and really need to do more sorting, cause there is tons more that need to go)...but I got it manageable.  I didn't count but believe I did about 157 loads of laundry.

That night we picked Peter up and took him out for that long awaited juicy steak.  Well, he had the "fall off the bone" ribs and we had steak.  And Joe and his wait staff at Texas Roadhouse took excellent care of us !!

Thursday (Christmas) morning, I got all the prep work done for the Christmas Day celebration at Betty & Bills. I ws to bring salad bar stuff and spent about 2 hours chopping veggies and frying a pound of bacon for fresh bacon bits (all guys love BACON) !! We collected Peter and headed to Collierville for a fun day!!! All the guys were in their usual rare fun and the food was delish !!

Friday morning was spent doing more cleaning and cleaning out of the spare room in anticipation of a visit from our Gulfport girl, Christine that afternoon and my son, Ned & his bride, Chelsea on Sunday.  More dust, hair and Goodwill items ......

The bed was delivered just in time for us to get it in the room and dash out to make the game in time. 

Friday night with Christine in toe, I picked Joe (our TRH friend) and ventured again to Lander's Center where Peter was once again in the net.  OH MY, what a game.  He stopped 25 of 28 shots and Bahm, Thomas & Harrington scored on 3 of the Kings 44 shots.  The game was tied 3-3 when they went into sudden death overtime. and when the 5 minutes expired the were still tied.  A shoot out then ensued with Peter working his magic and stopping all 5 shots and Matt Harrington getting the only puck past the IceGater's goalie giving us the SECOND shoot out win in as many games.  His comment about the win:

Couple of glove saves in the shootout last night, no big deal.

Well to me it was a really BIG deal !!!

Oh and BTW, Jere had won the silent auction bid to be guest assistant coach for the night and with this win makes him 2-0 .... perfect coaching record ...LOL.

Jere & Derek don't look very happy at this point.... I think this was about the time the IceGators tied the game up...

On to Saturday and the Hockey family (Reba, John, RJ, Anisha and Christine) were here at Casa Jackson for a watch party.  We had veggies & dip, Humus & crackers for apps, and ordered a ton of Chinese for dinner.  I baked brownies and Reba provided vanilla ice cream for dessert.

AND the boys did it again !!! Won the night straight out 3-2.  No overtime.  No shoot out.  No point awarded to the IceGators for an overtime loss !!! And Adam got his 3rd win in a row !!!!!

I woke up Sunday with a scratchy throat and just knew my annual cold was developing so threw down some Allegra and started sucking on Halls .... UGH ... It is now Tuesday and I have advanced to Sudafed & Delsym - along with Kleenex with Aloe for my raw nose.

My son, Ned and his bride arrived Sunday night and had a big surprise !!! (to be revealed at a later date)

All his kids came over Monday along with Kasey's boyfriend, Josh. 





Back row:  Josh, Ned, Michael
Front row:  Kasey, Kristin, Samantha, Chelsea, Katelyn



 

 

They all took off around 1:00 and had lunch and went bowling.  Afterwards came back here for Chili & a movie.

 

 

Notice NO ONE is watching the movie.





 



I think it is about time for more cough meds and I need to get some stitching done.... I haven't picked up anything (cross stitch or crochet) in over a week and I have a TON of new projects I want to start... so gotta go stitch !!!!!

Till next time,

Cindi
12.30.2014







 

Christmas is about here ...

.... only a few more hours and it will dawn another Christmas day ! 

Last week, after dealing with a very broken down rocker recliner, Jere sent me out into the world to look for a new Laz-E-Boy !  Being the smart girl that I am, I had googled it and went directly to The Great American Home Store (did not pass go and unfortunately did not collect that elusive $200.00).  After testing several, my butt finally landed in one that was perfect! Of course, as it was to be my Christmas gift, I drug him back later that day to allow him the opportunity to PAY for it.

The new stitching corner!

  As we were turning to leave the store, I spotted the Sleep Shop and commented "Our next purchase needs to be a new mattress".  Not giving us the opportunity to slip out our sales lady said "we have some great deals and incentives on them, lets go try some out"  One hour later, after attempting to nap on all the comfy beds, we chose a Tempur-pedic Cloud Breeze.  This bed will do everything but rock you to sleep.  Sits up, raises the knees, massages in 4 different points all at the same time or individually and even has a way to keep you cool (and don't we all just love those night sweats that come with menopause ?).  It is to be delivered on Friday, so don't expect to see me around for a few days ... My Amazon Fire Stick is all hooked up in the bedroom TV and I plan to spend some quality time trying out the new bedroom set up. 

Of course, that means today (when lazy bones decides to drag his highness out of the OLD bed) we will be cleaning the bedroom and probably hauling a load to the Goodwill, but hey, anytime I can crack the whip and get the vacuum in his hand is a good day!

As I see from my previous visit, it has been a week since my last update, so I will now regress and report on the activities this last 7 days.

After having been in my hair Monday & Tuesday, Jere returned to work on Wednesday for 3 days and I was off to SHOP... Those of you that know me well, know that it is my least favorite thing to do.  But actually the stores were not yet crazy with that last minute rush and I got a lot accomplished in 5 hours.... actually FINSHED what Christmas shopping needed to be done.  Thursday was spent doing the never ending laundry and I did have time to finish up my latest crochet learning project, a wool scarf,  while listening to the last few chapters of "Interview with the Vampire".

LOL ... as most of you know, I really hate my picture taken, but the water dispenser makes a really nice model!  The scarf is so soft with a "keyhole" to slip one end in to keep it nice and snuggly around the neck!

Thursday night, we tuned in to the RiverKing's away game in Knoxville.  It was a quite entertaining game with the Knoxville IceBears coach in the sound booth kibitzing after getting a game suspension for throwing a water bottle at the refs in the previous game. 

Well, Adam got the job done .....

.... and got his first WIN of the season !!!

With the RiverKings leading 4-3 at the 19 minute mark of the 3rd period, Knoxville's coach pulled their goalie and Dan Delisle slapped one in for an empty net goal at the 19:58 mark landing a 5-3 win!  Adam Courchaine stopped 23 of their 26 shots on goal !!! It was AWESOME !

Friday and Saturday were unremarkable.  Spent Friday being my usual lazy self, but Saturday I got my butt into gear and got the house mostly clean.  Reba & John, the hockey family, came over to watch a disappointing 4-2 loss to the Louisiana IceGators.  But she brought FUDGE and PECAN PIE !!! I had baked a ham and made a huge bowl of daddy's potato salad and deviled eggs so we watched the game in a food coma.

SUNDAY .... Ah, poor Peter. 

.... After a emotional week home in Canada, he arrived at the Toronto airport in time for his flight back to America ... BUT ... the customs jerks found some little something to throw a wrench in the day because of a stamp or number or something on his passport. After several minutes (seemed like hours) and a call to the Coach here in Southaven, things were right again and Peter was racing down the terminal just in time to see the door close on this flight.  Finally Air Canada got him scheduled on another flight but he had a several hour wait and then a over 3 hour layover in Chicago.  So instead of arriving back at Memphis International at 6:00 he landed at 11:00 p.m..  AND one of his bags decided to hang out in Chicago overnight!

Instead of steak, we went to the only decent place still open, iHop, and had chicken & waffles. 

Monday morning, while the guys were on the ice practicing, I once again traveled to the airport to collect the errant luggage and deliver it to his apartment.

Monday night we made our 3rd trek to Southaven to collect him for the Coaches Show... which was really a fun time!

Yesterday, Christmas Eve, Eve, I spent the morning getting a long overdue service on Sassy (my Ford Escape) and then went on to Stitcher's to take advantage of their 25% to 50% year-end clearance sale!!! (WE ALL NEED MORE STASH)... Actually, I have been drooling over some silk threads by Classic Colorworks called Belle Soie (they even sound yummy).  I have had a Prairie Moon chart pack titled "We'd Turn Back If You Was You" which is a comical picture of the Wizard of Oz characters, along with some beautiful PTP hand dyed fabric to stitch it on, but have been dithering about what threads to stitch it with.  With the chart calling for 22 skeins of thread at $7.95 each I was having a hard time justifying $174.90 + tax for thread.  BUT, Stitchers was having a 25% to 50% year-end clearance sale !!!!!

 

 

 

Just look at those beautiful colors !!! And they are so soft !!! I can't wait to put needle to thread and begin this piece !

I saved $39.90 !!! (and we all LOVE saving money, don't we ???) Naturally, I had to cruse the 50% off chart room and 3 Primitive Needle and 1 Twisted Threads - Life's A Stitch jumped into my basket. (WE ALL NEED MORE STASH).
Really !! I do have plans to be on a stash diet for 2015, so I am just planning ahead, right?

On to last night !!! OH FUN !!!

My grand daughter, Kristin and her BF joined us for the game and WHAT A GAME IT WAS !!!

Adam was in the net again, showing his skills off to the crowd and his father that had traveled here from Ontario to see his boy in the net. And boy did that boy show us his stuff !!! After stopping 18 of 19 shots, he turned away ALL 5 shoot out shots to skate away with a 2-1 shootout win over the Huntsville Havoc !!! His second win in a week and first shoot out win !!!!

During the period breaks the Kings aired the Festivus Grievances which were Tweeted by fans.
 

 

Not to be outdone, the staff aired their OWN grievances which to me were much more comical !!!

And poor Whitley !!! It took the entire video to get hers off  !!!

After the game we all gathered at The Fillin Station for the usual after-game party and all of the guys were in rare form !

Matt Whitehead AKA Mr. Hockey

 

 

Well, it is now 11:31 and his highness has appeared from the sleep cave, so I better sign off and get that bedroom ready for the new furniture.  I'll catch you all on the flip side after Christmas.  

 

Hope all my friends have a WONDERFUL Christmas and Santa makes it down the chimney with a large haul !!!

 

 

Till next time

 

Cindi

12.23.2014

 

Just a lot of STUFF.....

.... geez ... I just realized it has been 9 days since an update :)  ...

Saturday and Sunday (the 6th & 7th) were spent being somewhat lazy, doing all the crap wonderful household duties like laundry, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, etc.

Monday I made my monthly trek to Genie's in Hernando where some of the girls get together for our "Needle & Hooker" day.  Cheryl was there along with of course Genie and she brought a new Hooker, Judy!  She was crocheting a beautiful "Prayer" shawl for  a friend that had recently lost a loved one.  I had not heard of this and she explained that as you crochet, you offer up prayers for the recipients and then when they wear the shawl they are wrapped in your prayers.  Such a sweet thing!

Cheryl was cross stitching on her Lizzie Kate "Things Unseen"   and Genie had a beautiful floral cross stitch piece from her mom's stash she was working to complete.  Christi stopped by for a few minutes on her way to another doctor's appointment.  We missed Marti as she was home battling a cold and was kind enough to not bring it to all of us !!

I took several things for "show & tell" including a quilt top I began years ago:

....along with my Mother in Law's Thimble collection and a quilt  that church women had made from Jere's father's silk ties when he retired from the ministry .  I forgot to snap pictures so I'll pull them out next week and share.  


 I discovered these treasures while digging through all of her belongings we have stored for the last 7 years.

Genie pulled out 2 beautiful quilts her mother had made by her mother and unfortunately I didn't get pictures, but one was a white quilt stitched in navy blue of different ships and the other was a cream color crochet afghan with these lovely big flowers cross stitched in the squares.  

The week flew on and suddenly on Friday I realized that I hadn't put together the little bags of "Hockeyisms" for the players Christmas gift bags.  

So out came the paper and the copier chugged out 175 pages of green, red & gold paper (25 sets of 7 pages with 74 quotes from famous hockey players)

..... which I then cut ....

..into 1,850 little strips of paper.....

...... folded them up and sorted them into cups (I knew saving all those plastic tumblers from the Lander's Center, Maria's, Fillin Station & AutoZone Park would come in handy some day)

... and put them in zip lock baggies.

..... That is 25 zip lock sandwich baggies holding 1,850 pieces of paper.  I worked pretty much non stop from 7:00 until 3:30 to get them done to deliver to Tina, who them placed them into cute little gift bags along with candy, and gift cards & discount coupons  donated by several establishments for our players.

Friday night was the RiverKings vs. the Pensacola IceFlyers (Peter's old team) and it was so EXCITING !!!  With less than 4 minutes remaining in the 3rd period (and 11 total penalties called) an IceFlyer fired a shot past Peter's glove and scored ........ then 63 minutes the IceFlyers had a man in the penalty box for tripping and when the puck dropped, Peter flew over to the bench and Derek added another attacker giving the Kings a "2 Man Advantage"  ... 8 seconds later Mike Haywared slapped a shot past their goalie tying things up at the buzzer .... after a 5 minute intermission the guys went into overtime and 1.28 minutes later Devin Mantha fired in the winning goal to give us a overtime win of 2-1.  I have never seen Peter so excited !!! Not only did he stop 23 of 24 shots on goal, but got the win against the #1 team in the league !!!!! 

Unfortunately Saturday's game ended in a loss of 4-1 against the Flyers .... Poor Adam ... He hasn't had a win this season.... Definitely going to have to get the guys working on that !!

When we got to the after game party at the Fillin Station, Peter told me he had received a call from home.  Doctors had informed the family that his his grandfather, Nonnu (Antonio Di Salvo)  was not doing well and had a couple of days at best.   After eating, he went home to make arrangements to leave the next day for Toronto. 

Saturday I got into the box of plaster Christmas ornament frames the guys had painted to glue their pictures on for us to sell at the Booster Club table.  I opened the box, took out the packets of carefully wrapped ornies and ......... snap .............. NONE WERE PAINTED ..... 

Thank goodness I started early !!! I pulled out the green paint and after removing the satin ribbons in the hangie hole, added 3 coats of paint.  They looked rather bland so I topped it with some gold glitter paint which gave them a really good sparkle.  I then glued in the pictures and backed them with some red felt and added a lively gold/red/green braid for the hanger.  I didn't get a picture of all of the (unfortunately) but here is a snap of what Jonesie's looked like.....

I think they turned out rather nice !!! 

Sunday morning I delivered him Peter to the airport to begin his sad flight home to spend some time with family.  Such a sad thing to happen during the holiday season. I feel so bad for him and can relate.  I lost MY grandfather on December 15, 1978.  It is such a bad time of the year to lose a loved one, especially if that person has been a big influence in your life, which Nonnu has been. 

Last night (Sunday) was the big Christmas Party with the RiverKings.  The venue was beautifully decorated, the food was wonderfully delish and the guys were in rare form.  They dressed in all manner of "ugliness"  ---Tacky T-Shirts, funny brightly colored "Onsies" Tuxedos and Ugly Sweaters.  There was a dance off among the rookies and they played "Dirty Santa'  I think the 12 pack of Bud Lite was the most popular gift ! 

There was dancing,

 and a silent auction afterwards.  I won a really nice Vera Bradley tote...

.... and a rolling Craftman's Tool Chest ..

... can we say "Stash Storage" ??? 

There was also a lady there taking Christmas portraits and Jere & I had one done.  I think they turned out really good, but it will be a few days before we receive the package, so pictures to follow ! 

Well, it's been really quiet this morning, but I hear Jere stirring so I best get up, put on another pot of coffee and scrounge around for something to rustle up for breakfast.  He will be under foot the next couple of days of vacation .....ugh ....... (I DO LOVE HIM... Just love him at work Monday - Friday !!!)

Till next time,

Cindi
12.15.2014

This and That ...

.....when I got back home yesterday - at 4:00 p.m. - I felt like I had been gone for 12 days !!! The morning started out at 5:00 when I jumped in the shower to get ready for the 1st of 3 doctor's appointments. At 7:00 I was at Dr. K's for labs in preparation for my annual physical coming up next week.  Then around the corner to the diagnostic center for an ultrasound on my carotid arteries (those big veins on each side of your neck) to make sure there is no increase in the percentage of a small blockage I have had for several years.  THAT appointment was "F'd" up by the center.  Instead of the "around the corner" location from my doctor's office, they had scheduled me for the DOWNTOWN location.  Now I am NO FOOL..... I avoid going to the medical center downtown like the plague! So, a phone call to the scheduler and I had a replacement appointment for today. 

I made my way down I-240 to I-55 to the Albro's to take my left over Red Beans & Rice.  Reba (ever Mother Earth) had been in the kitchen for 4 hours putting up squash (or some orangery-yellow mashed substance) in freezer bags, making loaves of bread & preparing breakfast for her 2 legged herd, AKA "the pseudo-grands ...

After a short visit, watching her cut & pan the 4 loaves, I hopped in Sassy and made my way on to Hernando to meet up with Cheryl at her quilting class.  Such lively fabrics were being passed around and stitched up into pretty little squares for beautiful Christmas Table Runners...

..... and that INSPIRED ME to pull out a quilt project I started over 10 years ago, when I was in the quilting phase of my crafting.

STAINED GLASS QUILT

I have this one among about 4 other quilt tops in various stages of completion.  I just need a Long Arm sewing machine to do the quilting on.....(Cheryl's instructor, Kay on only hand quilts) ..... They have new ones on EBay for the bargain price of $5,999.00..... Anyone want to donate to the cause ??

After lunch at  Guadalajara Grill   (grilled chicken quesadilla with rice & beans - add guac) we headed to Cheryl's where she helped me frame a cross stitch piece I am going to donate for the Silent Auction at the Christmas Party with the RiverKings.  I think it turned out rather nice!

It is  5 X 7 hand stitched on hand dyed linen with a little brass wine bottle charm attached and framed in an oak wooden frame.  How much would you pay at a silent auction for this??  I have no idea what should be placed as a starting bid!

Next stop on my 22 day long adventure was to my Urologist for my final post-op visit.  Those of you that know me will remember that I had to have a little tune-up on the old bod 8 weeks ago.  Dr. Portara released me to get back to normal living, limiting me to lifting no more than 25 pounds.  This will be a forever limitation but I really don't think I could lift more than that anyway.


I did get back to my Hooking for a bit and got the first project completed.  A dishrag!  Well, there are quite a few mistakes, it isn't quite square and my tension is all over the place.  AND I really don't like the way this instructor did color changes, but I have found a video on YouTube that has a different technique, so I might just have to do another one and see how it comes out.....but hey, it's just a dishrag.

In celebration of being able to get back to normal, when Jere got home from work we went to our favorite restaurant and watering hole, Texas Roadhouse and I had, oh, 3 or 4 of my favorite yummy beverages and a nice steak dinner !

This morning I started the next project in the online class - a "Pamper Yourself Spa Cloth"  This one is done in rounds instead of rows.  After about 37 starts, I think I finally got the hang of it (and my tension seems to be spot on). Here is a snap of it where I stopped in the middle of row 7 (of 22) before heading off to my ultrasound.

After waiting for 2 1/2 hours my number was up and I had my test and got outta there.... I really HATE doctor's offices !!!

Then on to Royal Nails for a manicure & color change on my toes.  Miya thought I needed a little bling bling for the holiday parties, so she painted me up with red sparkly polish on 8 fingers and gold glitter polish on the ring fingers.....

OK, so now that you are caught up on the life & times of ME, I'll leave you now with one final thing.  I just settled into the recliner with a furbaby in my lap and turned on the boob tube to get in a little hooking.  One of my favorite movies, Steele Magnolias is on and the girls are all gathered around the grave site after Shelby's funeral, when Clairee (Olympia Dukakis) tells M'Lynn (Sally Field) ....""M'Lynn you just missed a chance of a lifetime. Half of Chickapin Parish would give their eye teeth to take a whack at Ouiser" ..... The writer of this film was a hysterical genius and the casting director couldn't have selected 5 better actresses (including Darryl Hannah, Dolly Pardon and Shirley MacLaine - along with Dukakis and Field) to play those roles. EXCELLENT MOVIE !!

On tap for tonight is another match-up between our RiverKings and The Knoxville IceBears.  I believe Adam is in the net tonight and he really NEEDS a win !!!!!

Till next time,

Cindi
12.5.2014


 

Tales of "The Happy Hooker"

But first I want to tell you about a scare I had with my 14  year old furbaby, Molly.

About two weeks after we lost our Bruno, Molly, my oldest Cocker started hacking .... cough, hack, cough, choke, cough again... It started out gradual, and then over the weekend, she was non stop hacking.  OMG .... I don't know if I can handle the evil "C" again.  Well, we were off yesterday to see Dr J for Xrays and a diagnois of ...... bronchitis !!!! (WHEW !! ONLY BRONCHITIS)  I almost dropped to my knees in relief !!!!  BIG doses of Keflex,  Prednisone &  Pepcid for our girl should be just the ticket to get this baby well ! Of course, she LOVES the tasty morsels of cheese wrapped or peanut butter dipped pills she will get twice a day !

AND ..... NO .... I have NOT found a street corner yet ! And if I did I would probably not make enough money to pay attention and besides, Baby, it's cold outside !!!

I have begun a new adventure......

CROCHET, silly ! (As if  I need ANOTHER hobby).

The Happy Hooker

As I mentioned Monday, I innocently clicked on a link in an email and found that  Annie's Craft Store was advertising a 50% off CYBER MONDAY sale of her online craft classes.  I couldn't resist, so signed up and began digging around the craft room & upstairs area of the storage barn for supplies.

When we moved Jere's mom, Hazel into a nursing home prior to her death in 2007, we had the task of cleaning out her apartment.  With 80+ years of memories (and a bit of what is better described as junk - don't we all have our share of that??) she bluntly stated that she WOULD be back in her own place in a few weeks, so we better NOT discard ANY of her treasures.  Well, a few months later she succumbed to an infection and passed quietly away in January, 2007.

Fast forward to Monday and I climbed the stairs in the barn and found a huge storage tub of various and sundry skeins, balls and tidbits of yarn all for my nimble fingers to caress and turn into beautiful masterpieces - HA- there was even a project or two of partially hooked items that someday when I am able to get the hang of this new craziness I am going to attempt to complete. - Marti - I may ask for your help and guidance on these!

After watching the introduction to Crochet and learning all about fiber content, hook types & sizes and other crochet accessories, I picked up a skein of the ugliest moss green yarn and began a simple chain (ch).  Then came single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), double crochet (dc), treble crochet (tr), yarn over (yo), loop (lp), repeat (rp) and about 40 other stitches and techniques that being a cross stitcher for so many years were very foreign to me. BUT I AM A TROOPER ! And am determined to become the best hooker I can be.

Practice stitches

The picture above is my 1st attempt at crochet beginning with ch then sc, hdc, dc, tc, rp, and on  and on.  It definitely has some mistakes, see the top corner where apparently I have missed a stitch or two??  I am sure with time and practice I will get the hang of it and will be whipping out gorgeous afghans, hats, scarves and various and sundry other items that will be cherished by family and friends for generations to come ..... Tossed in the trash or donated to Goodwill by my children when I go on the the great craft store in the sky.

Last week, beginning with Wednesday was a crazy hectic FUN week of Thanksgiving celebrations, Football Championships and Hockey games.  TODAY I am going to stay snuggled under my fuzzy blankie (probably with a dog in my lap)

and spend the day getting the hang of this new art form.

On to the kitchen to get red beans in the crockpot for dinner tonight of Red Beans & Rice, and pour another cup of coffee.

Stop back by tomorrow for more "Adventures of A Happy Hooker".

Till next time

Cindi
12.3.2014

Leroy the Redneck Reindeer....

... Around 9:30 this morning I climbed into Sassy (that's my ride, a Ford Escape) and what to my prickly ears did I hear but CHRISTMAS MUSIC !... Ugh, I know it is December, but my favorite satellite station has gone ALL Christmas ALREADY...can I handle it for 23 more days ????

Anyway, the first full song that came on was "Leroy the Redneck Reindeer" by Joe Diffee.

I am really thankful that I hadn't taken a big gulp of my usual McDonald's unsweet tea (add lemon and 2 Splendas) because I would have spewed it all over the dashboard.  This has to be the funniest Christmas song yet.  "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" doesn't hold a candle to ....

LEROY THE REDNECK REINDEER

 

  by Joe Diffee 

Well you've all heard the story about Rudolph and his nose
But I'll tell you a Christmas tale that never has been told
Well you may think you've heard it all, but you ain't heard nothin' yet
About that crazy Christmas, that the North Pole can't forget

Rudolph was under the weather, he had to call in sick
So he got on the horn to his cousin Leroy who lived out in the sticks
He said, "Santa's really counting on me and I hate to pass the buck"
Leroy said, "Hey I'm on my way and he jumped in his pick-up truck"

When Leroy got to the north pole, all the reindeer snickered and laughed
But they never seen a deer in overalls and a John Deer tractor hat
Well but Santa stepped in and said, "Just calm down
'Cuz we've all got a job to do and like it or not Leroy's in charge
And he's gonna be leading you"

And it was Leroy The Redneck Reindeer hooked to the front of the sleigh
Delivering toys to all the good ol' boys and girls along the way
He's just a down home party animal, two steppin' across the sky
He makes jingle bells with the rebel yell and made history that night

Before that night was over, Leroy had changed their tune
He had them scootin' a holf on every single roof
By the light of a neon moon
Santa wrapped his bad with the Dixie flag
He was having the time of his life
And you could here him call Merry Christmas y'all
And all of y'all a goodnight

And it was Leroy The Redneck Reindeer hooked to the front of the sleigh
Delivering toys to all the good ol' boys and girls along the way
He's just a down home party animal, two steppin' across the sky
He makes jingle bells with the rebel yell and made history that night
He makes jingle bells with the rebel yell and made history that night.

I guess you can tell, my favorite music genre is Country tunes.


We are off to the December Board meeting for 2 Man Advantage Booster Club, so don't have anymore time to chat, but I had to share this.

Tune in tomorrow for "Tales of the Happy Hooker"

Till next time

Cindi
12.2.2014

Wings !!!

She has wings !!

I did get a few stitches in my Mira Halloween Fairy.  Wings are complete, sans the back-stitched "veins" ... guess I shoulda done that before taking the snap ...

12.1.2014

 

.... I really can't resist a bargain.  When I opened my email yesterday, there it was.  A 50% off deal for online craft classes.  AND since I have wanted to learn to crochet (I really NEED another hobby to spend money on) I decided, Why Not ?? After all, I do have a HUGE storage tub of my MIL's yarn that would make some lovely caps, scarves, maybe a nice soft, warm baby afghan for the new grand due in May ?? ...  don't see a lot of dollars flying out of my wallet for supplies (aside from the fact that I couldn't find any crochet hooks or stitch count rings in all the "stuff")  .... Anyway, the online class was $19.99 with 50% off so for the bargain price of only $9.97 I am on my way !  I watched the first four parts of the video which explain different kinds of yarns, how to read the labels to find fiber content, like is it acrylic or wool or a blend, whether to look for "fuzzy" texture or the weight (thickness) of the yarn for a particular project, and how to care for the materials after the project is complete (is it machine washable? can you toss it in the dryer?).  Then I watched the episode about how to begin with a slip knot & making the first "chain" which will be the basis of the crochet piece. 

On tap for today is a few errands.  Krogering, General Cleaners (Jere put on his last pair of clean trousers for work today) then to Jo-Ann's to gather the necessary tools to start my new venture of crochet.

It's going to be a dreary day with drizzling rain and temps falling from the mid 50's down to the 30's by evening so I must get myself up & in the shower so I can get out, get done, get back, snuggle into my fuzzy lap throw so I can get on with my new "Adventure in Crochet".

Till next time,

Cindi
12.1.2014

Post Thanksgiving updat.....

..... Thanksgiving day dawned  a sunny and a crisp 34° with predictions of remaining sunny with a high of 65°.  It was destined to be a beautiful day.   Jere & I watched the Macy's Day Parade while downing several cups of coffee.  Around 10:00 Jere got an "Oh Shit" text from the computer system at work, which meant he had to go into the office and diagnose what the problem was and bring the system back online.  So.... He headed east and I headed south to pick Peter up for Thanksgiving at Bill & Betty's.

Peter and I then stopped by and hung out at DU for about 30 minutes waiting for the monster system to come back to life.  Another 30 minute drive to Collierville delivered us to Casa Mullis, about an hour later than planned.  BUT ... we were actually first to arrive.  While munching on appetizers of yummy  Buffalo Chicken dip, Fruit, and various crackers/chips/nuts, 5 more players arrived along with Tina.  (Sorry no player names or pictures - this was a private "family" gathering - as they say "What happens at Thanksgiving-stays at Thanksgiving).  Everyone went back to the food at least for seconds (some thirds) then settled in around the TV to watch football and fall into the traditional Turkey Coma.  It was a wonderful, relaxing day and gave us all the chance to get to know these great guys away from the normal around the rink/after game parties settings.

After delivering Peter back home to join up with the rest of the team to hit the road for the away game Friday night in Columbus, we headed back to Casa Jackson and after feeding the herd, I fell into my "coma".  Man, I was TIRED !!

Thanksgiving .. Part Deux ...

Saturday was spent with our hockey family on the Albro farm.  John, Reba and the pseudo-grands, Nathan, Elizabeth-Ann (Sam), Gracie, Owen & Lily along with Anisha, RJ & Angela (my other pseudo-grand), Jordan, Aunt Cathy, and Paula & Mike (Friends of the Albros).  There was so much food and many recipes are needed !!!

This is only the part of the food offerings that were prepared by Reba (except the Banana Pudding which I believe Jordan's grandmother crafted) and Anisha whipped up the delicious Loaded Potatoes.  Aunt Cathy provided some wonderful spiced apple slices, fresh fruit & cheese and a delightful Pistachio salad (which is a MUST HAVE recipe).  Paula brought some melt in your mouth home made yeast rolls - something I am DEFINITELY not good at making !!! .  I provided Cranberry Sauce, Cranberry Celebration & Cranberry Slaw (see where my mind was !) along with what was left of Homemade Ravioli (an old family recipe) and several Pumpkin Pies in a jar, especially for the kids.


RJ (ever in his Dallas Cowboy's garb) & Anisha worked their magic and produced a masterpiece turkey cooked in their Oil-less fryer,

While waiting on the bird to get done, we spent time eating appetizers and trying to referee John and Anisha with their never ending banter ... some of their meeting of the minds make my head spin & sides hurt from trying to keep score and laughing so hard ... I think their "lively discussions" most times end in a draw.

Mike, a friend of John & Reba, is retired from the US Navy, and I REALLY enjoyed talking to him and hearing his stories about his travels around the world while active.  If I remember correctly, during his 19 year stint in the Navy, he visited all but 9 countries IN THE WORLD.  Imagine that !!! He had wonderful stories about Hong Kong, Egypt, and Australia to name a few. 

After gathering around the huge island of food and sharing what each of us was thankful for, John said grace and the attack on all the yumminess began.  We all settled into the Albro's newly decorated dining room.....

Sans Furniture

... to enjoy wonderful food and fellowship.  There were many times that the conversation died down and all you could hear was the gnashing of teeth and clinking of flatware on plates.  The food was all so amazing.
 
 After dinner we all gathered around the TV to watch our hockey guys take on the Columbus Cottonmouths at their rink at the Columbus Civic Center.  The guys were down 0-1 until Dion shot one past Loewen at the 5:59 mark of the 3rd period.  33 seconds later Quaile slammed one in to give the Kings a 2-1 lead.  3 minutes later, the Cottonmouths got a shot past Adam which tied things up till the final horn and sent the game into overtime.  Just 23 seconds into a 3 on 3 overtime, a snake slammed one past Adam, giving the Cottonmouths the 3-2 win.

Both teams are due to tangle on the ice again Saturday night here at the Landers Center.  Update below.

On tap Saturday was the final regular season game for our University of Memphis Tigers.

 This year is the FIRST TIME since 1971 (YES! That is 43 years !!!) that our Tigers were in line to win their conference, the American Athletic Conference  ... they went into the weekend  8 - 1 (8 - 3 overall) with 2 of the 3 losses being match-ups between UCLA (PAC-12)  & Ole Miss (SEC)  and the first time since 2008 they have been bowl eligible.

We got to the M Club Tail Gate tent (Jere is alum) and the fair was Grilled Chicken, Baked Beans, Slaw, Rolls and various cookies along with soda, wine & beer (you can't have a football game without beer ! )

At 2:30 the Seniors took the field in a ceremony to honor them and their perseverance through the previous 3 years of all the disappointing losses they endured.  Exciting times at Tiger High !!

Then at 3:00 the guys won the coin toss and kicked off to the Huskies, and while I will not bore you with the play by play details, just let's say OUR TIGERS WERE AWESOME !! Final score 41-10 !!!!! AAC Champions and the guys are going Bowling !!! There are still 2 match ups in our conference that will determine what bowl bid they will win and if they will share the championship.   Cincinnati & UCF are both 6-1 in conference standings.  UCF is playing East Carolina on 12/4 and Cincinnati is playing Houston on 12/6.  Both games could go either way which both wins would put the Tigers in a 3 way split for 1st, and while it would be wonderful to have sole possession ... hey, it's been 43 years so sharing the title isn't all that bad. 

Coach Justin Fuente with trophy

Here is a pretty cool video "diary" that the ACC put together of UofM Football's winning season.

 


After the presentation at center field of that beautiful trophy, Jere and I made a mad dash south to the Lander's Center to see the second match up in 2 days between our RiverKings and the Columbus Cottonmouths.  We were quite late and did miss all but 1 minute of the first period, but as the guys took the ice in the second, they seemed some what sluggish.  They were missing passes, not getting shots off accurately (I remember at least 2 clinks where the puck hit the metal frame of the net & bounced out instead of in)  and just not playing cohesively.  Peter was in the net and while he stopped  17 of 20 shots (which he said was more like 32) that #@%&!! of a female goalie for the Snakes stopped all but 2 of our 44 shots (which was probably over 50) ending in a another disappointing 3-2 loss. 

November is also known as MOVEMBER.  According to Movember United States  the Movember Foundation challenges men to grow moustaches during Movember (formerly known as November), to spark conversation and raise vital funds for its men’s health programs. To date, 4 million moustaches have been grown worldwide.

Jere always sports a mustache and goatee and I would slap him silly if he shaved it off... While I loved his mother, though extremely challenging she could be, without facial hair he looks JUST like her !!! And I don't need daily reminders of the meeting of mine & Hazel's minds.

The whole hockey team took the Movember challenge.  Peter has anxiously been looking forward to November 30th so he can take a razor to his!  Last night we took a final snap of him to memorialize his Movember 2014 challenge.  Stay tuned for a pic after the great shave!

Peter DiSalvo - 11.30.2014

SUNDAY ..... ahhhhh .... a day of rest !!!!!

After such a busy, fun filled weekend, I really look forward to vegging out today and STITCH, STITCH, STITCH.  I have not put needle and thread to fabric all weekend so here is a quick snap of Mira's Halloween Fairy when she was put away on Tuesday.

11.25.2014

Check back tomorrow to see how much she progresses.  However, I may just crash and burn and sleep all day in the La-Z-Boy!

Till next time,

Cindi
11.30.2014