winter songs

oh, here it is again...time for christmas carols. i'm starting early this year - it just seems right when turkey day is so close to december. what are your traditions? wait until christmas eve to get your tree? up right after thanksgiving? have you started your christmas shopping yet? do you do gifts in your family? what's the best thing about christmas for you?

this'll tell me if any of you read this, huh?! answer my questions - inquiring minds wanna know! now, on to the carols - i have many, many here, but i'm always looking for more, or different variations - the more radical the better. so, do tell.

and, merry christmas. happy holidays. all the good fuzzy feelings for this season of love and light to you and your family. hugs and smoochies.

21 days of gratitude - days 7 - 9 - my girlies

day 7 - i'm grateful for food on my table
over the last few months, i've been volunteering at a food bank. and, man, if that ain't humbling. the first night was a very eye-opening experience, as roughly 200 people pass thru the doors in 3 hours. all walks of life, living below the poverty line, only able to purchase the bare minimum, seeking the rest at the food bank. i'm so grateful we are blessed with the means to put food on our table.

day 8 - i'm grateful for my sweet, sweet nana
this year, my nana will be gone for more years than i knew her sweet heart. this woman. not one for church, she surely embodied my idea of a true christian. she gave, she welcomed the less fortunate into her home, she stood up for what she believed in, she cared for the sick, and she took care of me like i was her own, while my parents worked. holy moly, i miss her every.single.day, and wish upon wish that i could have just one more day with her. the last time i talked to her was thanksgiving 1993, and i was too concerned with getting home to see my friends from high school to even notice her. the next day, she went into a coma in the ICU, and died 3 days after christmas. oh, nana, how i miss you so and i hope you celebrated your birthday yesterday with an iced coffee and a dallas cowboys game.

day 9 - i'm grateful for my girlies (mamacita, middle sissy, and baby sister)

the mamacita has had to pull herself up by her bootstraps over the last 7 years. her overcoming what seemed impossible is pretty inspirational. and, when she's down, i like to remind her she's pretty durn strong! when her marriage ended after 30 years, she went to nursing(!) school, moved her 80 year old father in with her, sold his house, then her house, then packed them up for a new city and state. and, now, she takes care of people all day, and comes home to take care of the pops so he doesn't have to endure nursing home livin'. and, this year, she married off the baby and treated herself to a much-needed vacation in italy! i love you, mom and your heart o' gold! and really, you're kind of a bad-a**.

you know how big sisters are typically supposed to be the strong ones, paving the way for the younguns? so not the case in this familia. ok, maybe i was cool and hip back in the day, but lately, middle sissy has been playing the role of atlas. she takes my crazy on pretty much daily, and never ever says she doesn't have time, or 'seriously, this topic...again?!'. she's creative, smart, an amazing cook, and was made to be a mama. those kiddos of hers are destined for greatness! she's an inspiration, my hero, and i wanna be just like her when i grow up. love you sisty, and i'm so grateful we were twins born 5 years apart!

did you know baby sister came along when i was 13? and, wrapped me around her finger. a carseat the day after i got my license meant carting her everywhere. when people ask me why i don't have kids, i say 'i do...she's 23'. it drives her crazy i'm like another mom, but i'm old, y'all, and i made all the mistakes, so she doesn't have to. not sure why i worried. at 23, she's run circles around the rest of us! she has a wonderful husband, two dogs, a furnished home, a rock solid faith in God, and a job she loves, where she's making a difference! and, that, y'all is all i ever hoped for her - faith, hope, and love! mama loves you, deedle-dee-dee! ;)

you never know what you're gonna get with family, and even though we have more drama than an episode of kardashian, we are family, stuck together like glue. i love my family, and thank God he blessed me with one so darn special!

what are you grateful for today? have you joined 21 days of gratitude?

21 days of gratitude - day 3 to 6 - aka sweet music

so being out of town without wifi makes bloggin' kinda dificil. and, that means we're doin' a little combo today of the last few days of thankfulness!

day 3 - i'm grateful for sunshine
being in socal really reminds me how much i love me some vitamin d! and, that i needed to make more of an effort to soak it up! thank the lord for sunshine and palm trees!

day 4 - i'm grateful for sweet, sweet music
i'm sure you're wondering why i'm not thankful for another family member or something different, but i wanted to get you the november playlist early in the month, so today, i'm thankful for music!

music is such a major part of my life, and i'm so grateful my favorite musicians use their god-given talents to the benefit of our ears! music's on the minute i wake up, it's gotten me thru many a 'problemo' and certain songs can take me back to a specific time or place in an instant. perfect example...the cure's just like heaven is on at this resty and i was instantly transported to my senior year of high school!

you know i love finding new music, love listening to old goodies, love playing 'omg! this is my favorite song!', even if i just said that about the last song! i maybe might have hundreds of fave songs! you do, too, right??

not sure any of these songs qualify as my fave...yet! you know the drill...what's pumpin' outta your airwaves these days? keep me hip, or tell me your faves. i truly do wanna know! and, now: november's notes:

day 5 - i'm grateful for travel

getting close to election day, you start thinking about your freedoms, and travel is one i take for granted. i'm so grateful we are allowed to move freely between state lines, borders, and overseas to see wonderful destinations and other ways of life.

day 6 - i'm grateful for the right to vote

thank god women like elizabeth cady stanton and susan b anthony and eleanor roosevelt stood up for what they believed in to give us women the right to rock the vote!

21 days of gratitude - day 2 - that man o' mine

day dos - i'm thankful for mr man

since it's mr man's birfday, is it not perfectly fitting that i be grateful for him today? why, yes, i think it is!

now, if you know mr man, you know he is the kindest, most open-minded, happiest man you might ever encounter. and, boy, does he love his football. it might border on obsession. he maybe might love it more than me. harumph. i try not to get a complex.

on this, his b-day, we're headed to the city of angels to - guess what? - watch football. back-to-back games, might i add. you're shinin' up my wife o' the year plaque, aren't you?! i know - i'm a saint.

wait, that is so not true. if you had any idea what dude has to put up with from me, you'd be thinking 'serves the chick right she has'ta feign interest in game after game'. seriously. i can whip out the crazy.

in celebration, here are 36 things about mr man i'm grateful for:

• his patience
• his giant heart
• his loyalty
• his silly jokes
• how much he loves me
• his friendship
• his hand in mine
• he's my biggest fan
• his support
• he'd do anything for me
• his compassion
• he makes me feel good about myself
• he takes care of me
• he loves me just the way i am
• he always kisses me goodnight...and goodbye...and hello)
• his passion
• his laugh
• he listens when i talk
• he likes my cookin'
• his blue/grey/green eyes
• his big bear hugs
• he lets me steal the covers
• he indulges my crazy
• his trip planning skills
• he asked me to be his wife
• he keeps me warm when it's cold outside
• he takes me to church
• his witty conversation
• he rubs my feet...if i say please
• he can fix anything
• his good-nature
• his kindness to my family
• he's way cute, maybe even a hottie
• he doesn't care about 'the joneses'
• hearing 'how was your day' every evening
• he lets me put my cold feet on him

and, the list goes on and on and on. i love that man with every ounce of my being, and i pray each and every one of you feels love like this at least once in your life.

happy birthday, loverboy. i'm excited to see what the next 36 years have in store for us. i love you more than one tiny blog post could ever portray. thank you for showing me what unconditional love is.

21 days of gratitude - day 1 - little nudges

you know it's been a struggle around here lately. and part of that struggle has been realizing i need to focus more on my blessings, and less on my shortcomings, and throw up a little gratitude. like every day. maybe even every hour. well, the best laid plans...and, then i saw middle sissy was part of a group of bloggers spending the next 21 days focusing on gratitude, so i jumped on that bandwagon as it drove by. care to join me?

day uno - today i'm grateful for little nudges
this morning, i woke up at 4:40. maybe i went back to sleep, but i checked the clock again at 5:35, then got up at 5:45 when i felt a nudge saying 'get up with me and read your bible'. i really wanted to turn over and try to go back to sleep. really. but, i knew where that nudge came from - the spirit i've been looking searching for, so i climbed out of bed, grabbed my bible, journal and a blanket and set off for another room.

i got comfortable, and was a little nervous about opening my bible. it's truly embarrassing how little i know about the bible, so i was worried i'd turn to hellfire and brimstone, and just be full of fear for the day. well, when you're nudged outta bed, there's likely a plan. and, darned if i didn't turn to - out of 1500 pages - my most favorite scripture verse ever. the one that's gotten me thru yikes after whoa after you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me. the one i mighta posted as a facebook status. just.last.week.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  ~jeremiah 29:11

now if that didn't knock me on my rump! let me just say again - out of 1500 pages! the next verses are awesome, too. so imagine my surprise when i read middle sissy's gratitude post, and she had jeremiah 29:13 in hers.

after a little reflection and some praying, i decided to work on my homework for bible study, and guess what scripture showed up there?! pay attention to those little nudges - you'll never know where they might lead!