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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Name That Christmas Carol (Quiz)

I LOVE WORD GAMES! Hope this helps you get into the Christmas Fun...if you're not already!

Remember, do not cheat and do not scroll to the bottom until you have given this game a fair effort!

Name That Christmas Carol (Quiz)

1. Quadruped with crimson proboscis
2. 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise
3. Miniscule hamlet in the far east
4. Ancient benevolent despot
5. Adorn the vestibule
6. Exuberance directed to the planet
7. Listen, aerial spirits harmonizing
8. Monarchial trio
9. Yonder in the haystack
10. Assemble, everyone who believes
11. Hallowed post meridian
12. Fantasies of a colorless December 25th
13. Tin tintinnabulums
14. A dozen 24-hour Yule periods
15. Befell during the transparent bewitching hour
16. Homo sapien of crystallized vapor
17. I merely desire a pair of incisors
18. I spied my maternal parent osculating a fat man in red
19. Perambulating through a December solstice fantasy
20. Aloft on the acme of the abode
21. Slumber in ethereal quiet.
22. Hey there! The announcing celestial beings carol.
23. O greetings of ease and happiness.
24. On commencement of Yuletide my honey bestowed upon me.
25. Decorate the passage with branches of evergreen sprigs.
26. Once upon a misty night prior to Christ's birthday.
27. Ooh, celestial body of marvel, celestial body of strength.
28. With a vegetable stem smoker and clothes fastening snout.
29. It's a fluff-ball sphere in the cold season.
30. Come on, come on, come on, get moving.
31. O scared darkness, the asterisks are brilliantly shimmering.
32. It's fixin' to appear extremely similar to December 25th.
33. Small children with their optical aids entirely illuminated.
34. Loyal buddies that are important to ourselves collect closely to ourselves again.
35. Boppin' while circling the tannenbaum...
36. Royalty of royalties always and always...
37. O approach, y'all devoted happy and victorious...
38. Urban walkways, congested walkways, trimmed in a festive manner...
39. Ah! The atmospheric condition beyond is terrific...
40. Percussion instruments jingle, are you harking...
41. Remarked the evening breeze to the tiny sheep...
42. Wishing your dates be gleeful and intelligent...
43. Harmony on the planet, kindness to Homo sapiens...
44. Hop in the sack, hide your noggin, since the fat man comes this evening...
45. Ourselves bid yourselves a joyous Noel and a cheerful neoteric 365 days...



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ANSWERS:

1. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
2. Silent Night
3. O' Little Town of Bethlehem
4. Good King Wenceslas (or some say Jolly Old St. Nicholas)
5. Deck the Halls
6. Joy to the World
7. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
8. We Three Kings
9. Away in a Manger
10. Come All Ye Faithful
11. O Holy Night
12. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
13. Silver Bells
14. The Twelve Days of Christmas
15. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
16. Frosty the Snowman
17. All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
18. I Saw Momma Kissin' Santa Claus
19. Walking Through a Winter Wonderland
20. Up on the Rooftop
21. Sleep in heavenly peace... "Silent Night"
22. Hark! the herald angels sing... "Hark the Herald"
23. O tidings of comfort and joy... "God rest ye merry gentlemen"
24. On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
25. Deck the halls with boughs of holly... "Deck the Halls"
26. Then one foggy Christmas Eve... "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer"
27. Ooh star of wonder, star of might... "Star of Wonder"
28. With a corncob pip and a button nose... "Frosty the Snowman"
29. It's a marshmallow world in the winter... "It's a Marshmallow World"
30. Giddyap, giddyap, giddyap let's go... "Let is Snow"
31. O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining... "O Holy Night"
32. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"
33. Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow... "The Christmas Song"
34. Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more... "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
35. Rockin' 'round the Christmas tree...
36. King of Kings, forever and ever... "Hallelujah"
37. Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant... "Oh Come All Ye Faithful"
38. City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style... "Silver Bells"
39. Oh, the weather outside is frightful... "Let it Snow"
40. Sleigh bells ring, are you listening... "Walking in a Winter Wonderland"
41. Said the night wind to the lamb... "Do You Hear What I Hear"
42. May your days be merry and bright... "White Christmas"
43. Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men... "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"
44. Jump in bed, cover up your head, 'cause Santa Claus comes tonight... "Here comes Santa Claus"
45. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.... "We wish you a Merry Christmas"

RESULTS:
34 - 45 Correct - You don't need any Yuletide spirit!
21 - 33 Correct - You could use something in your stocking!
0 - 20 Correct - Are you the grinch??

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

Here they are...the pictures from the infamous traditional Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Check out the links to the pictures:

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party - Part 1
Ugly Christmas Sweater Party - Part 2

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Tour of Homes

I have seen this concept on on several blogs and think it is fantastic! With all of us living here and yon, it is a great way to share our Christmas Deco and sentimental pieces with our friends. So, here goes my house:


This is my entry way table with my Santa's. Each one was given to me by either a friend or my Mom. My favorite is the Pickenpaugh Santa made by Merry Pickenpaugh in Madison, MS. (Mother of my cousin, Brandee) I keep waiting for her to make more so that I can expande my collection....so, if anyone sees them, please let me know!

These loaves of bread and ornaments were "favors" given to my "Football Family" last weekend when I hosted. The bread is something that I enjoy making (and they supposedly love eating) and the Fleur de Lis is representative of my favorite NFL team, the Saints, my infamous tradition of the Annual Mardi Gras Party, but most importantly the Trinity. Christmas is an appropriate time to remember the development of this.


This is my Christmas Tree in the front windows of the house. You cannot see the lights, but I assure you they are on!

My mantle. Each year I do something different. To me, the house is not decorated until my mantle is illuminated. I love this part of my house. My Mom painted the painting about 2 years ago. It's a 50" canvas. Sitting in my living room at night with nothing but the mantle and Christmas Tree lit is very peaceful.

In the Kitchen I have a Christmas Card Tree that holds all my Christmas Cards that I receive throughout the season. I love it more and more as the cards start to fill in the spaces. It reminds me of my friends and family that love me enough to share a $.43 stamp! I am trying to figure out how to preserve them each year, so if you have any suggestions let me know!

This is the guest bathroom. These snowmen were given to me by my friend, Courtney. She LOVES snowmen and for whatever reason she gave me these 3 that were hers...

This, above all other Christmas decorations I have, is my favorite. This Nativity set is so very special to me. It was handmade by Prudence McGehee of Meadville. The set is complete and it only displayed in places where I know I (or anyone else that visits) cannot bump or knock over. It was a limited edition that is no longer made. I love this set because I know its creator so well AND it reminds me of our creator who made us all!

Gumdrop Trees. Each year I strive to make something festive and edible. I am usually hosting a party and want something "new" to serve. This year, it's the gumdrop trees for the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Gumdrop Trees are a tradition in my family that was started by my Grandaddy Joseph. As a kid we would make these with him and those particular memories are so strong this year. I just had to make them. I hope they will travel well to MS...if not, guess we'll just have to recreate them :)
I hope that each of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed, Happy New Year!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Gumdrops

Every Christmas I try to make something that is both festive and edible. Last year it was the peppermint cake on the cover of Southern Living. This year, it is gumdrop trees. When I see gumdrop trees I always think of my Grandaddy. He LOVES gumdrops and taught us as kids to love them, too. He will never admit it, but he loved making gumdrop trees just as much as we did. He always made his first so that we would have a "model" and then help us make ours. It was a special time for me growing up. It's funny how you take those moments for granted. I didn't realize just how special those memories were until I was grown. Funny, isn't it?


This weekend was "company party" weekend. Kraft's party was Friday night and Dr Pepper's was Saturday night. In keeping with custom, I held the Kraft Pre-Party at my house. The girls did make-up and jewelry before the guys arrived. The only difference this year was that I didn't get all gussied up (as I now work for Dr Pepper)...but it was fun to be with the others and help them get all glammed. Here is a picture of them right as they were walking out the door to go. What you don't see is me and 2 other neighbors dressed down and about to make the gumdrop trees :) Melissa, John, and Shelley were making funny faces in the background (I didn't get a snapshot as my camera battery died...go figure!). Aren't they a good lookin' bunch???

L-R
Eric & Jazmin, Ross & Courtney and Brian & Julie.

My company party pics are off-limits right now as I am not sure how they all feel about making the blog. Since it was mostly my managers and senior management in the pictures, I don't think I need to chance that possible career suicide.
I did, however, make it to church Saturday night before the DrP party. In a word? Heaven. The service was perfect. It got me deeper into the "real" Christmas Spirit. It was just what I needed after a quite emotional and stressful week. You can check out this link to hear the sermon. (click on Saturday Night) It was on Joy. (The Joy candle was lit on the Advent wreath). I do wish that Fellowship had recorded the entire service as all of you would enjoy it. The music team arranges each piece and they do such a nice job breathing life into common hymns and songs. It is indescribable. However, to get a taste of what it's like you can listen to Casting Crowns and Travis Cottrell's Christmas albums.....but Saturday night was better than that.
Today my day to host Football. I made a big pot of my Aunt Carolyn's Chicken-n-Dumplins. They turned out really good, but not near as good as Aunt C's! Even the kids ate them up....I was stunned!
I hope that each of you have a great week. May each day bring you deeper into the "real" Christmas Spirit.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Quotes

I heard 3 quotes last week at a business meeting that have really stuck with me. Thought I'd share them with all of you:

If everything looks like it's under control, then you're not going fast enough. - Mario Andretti

Most people don't recognize opportunity because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work - Thomas Edison

In today's business environment, "Big fish don't eat small fish, FAST fish eat SLOW fish." - unknown.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Thanksgiving

What a week! I cannot believe that Thanksgiving was over a week ago and I am just now posting about it. This week has been absolutely crazy busy!

To highlight my Thanksgiving, I will simply say that it was one of the best yet. Not only was my first niece, Callie, born, but I also got to have a quality visit with my extended family at the Lake. This year was the "off" year where those that rotate between our family and in-laws went to the in-laws. So....for those of us who were at the Lake, we really got a lot of one-on-one time. It was great!

Another great bonus to last week was the early arrival of my cousin's daughter, Addison. As I was going home to Meadville on Monday (before T-giving), I stopped by the hospital to see Dana, my cousin. She felt that when she went to her Doctor that morning, that she would not go home, but rather stay at the hospital. So, about 6:30 when I stopped by to check on her, I was met by Dana's Mom, Patsy, running to the lobby to get the rest of the family. Baby Addison about to be delivered. It was neat to hit that "perfect timing" mark. I'd never been to a delivery before. It was a very special moment to witness Chris (Dana's husband) walk out with the brand new Addison Reese!

Speaking of babies...which seem to be the ongoing theme...I got to meet my "new" cousin, Kale. He is the 6-mo old son of my cousin Summer. They live just outside of Chattanooga. Because of the distance, none of us had met him before last week when they came home for Thanksgiving. He's such a cute baby boy! For those of you that know my Uncle Tim, know that Kale is the spitting image of him.....

This week has been so harried. It was attributed to EVERTHING happening within the last 5 days. The few days after a holiday are always crazy at work, I had "double-header" buyer appointments yesterday afternoon, bought Christmas for a single-parent family that my friend, Sarah, and I support each year, planned a Sustainer Cocktail Party for Junior League that is tonight, AND went to the Casting Crowns Christmas Celebration (tickets bought a while back when I had NO idea that this week would be so busy!!). Needless to say, I will be very happy when the party if over tonight and I can "crash and burn" until Monday. Seriously.

Here are a few links to pictures. I just can't choose which ones I want to use here, so I'll just use them all! Enjoy -
Note: I have never linked to Snapfish before on this blog. If you don't have a log-in, it's worth creating one as I LOVE to use their service to develop pictures.