Jamie Danford

Shhhhh....

It's way past ten o'clock, Big Dave's tuckered out and snoring alongside his Shady Lady, while Miss Priss and her bud E are breaking hearts and wreaking havoc on their favorite cyber network.

That leaves me alone, awake but in bed with the covers pulled up to  my chinny chin chin.  I guess you could call this the t-rex computer pose... only two short arms hanging out of my cozy comforter.

I've got to go back to work in the morning, yuck... been off toooo  many days and have gotten quite spoiled by staying up LATE and sleeping in LATE.  Ick, I'm gonna HATE it when Miss Priss goes back to school next week!

But for now, I choose to just be content... to say a prayer of thanks for our wonderful holiday, and to have this weekend's festivities to look forward too.

New Year's Eve will be upon us shortly, and I'm armed with champagne, new recipies for some killer dips, a boston butt for bbq, and a neighbor who bought WAY too many fireworks.  I have a feeling we're in for a GREAT time this weekend!

]I'm saying goodbye to a decade that gave me a business, then took it away. A decade that ushered my grandfather and stepdad into Heaven's embrace.  A decade that saw my daughter grow by leaps and bounds into a young lady, and my relationship with my mother go from one of a child and her mom, to that of a friend and her confidant.

I'm gonna miss  the 2ooo's, but I have BIG plans for life in the 20-teens, including Miss Priss's high school years, graduation and college.  Is that crazy or what? I mean, really?  'Miss Priss' and 'college' in the same sentence?!?!?!

I swear if this decade goes as fast as the last, I'm gonna be an old lady before I know it.  I guess I better buckle my seatbelt, because this ride's gonna be a good one!

Christmas Recap... the I GOT COOL PRESENTS edition...

Do I say the same thing every year?  That this was the best Christmas ever?  Because I'm here to tell you, I'm pretty sure this was our best Christmas ever.  I guess it's a glitch with my long term memory. 

Whatever the case, I've got to tell you that we were spoiled rotten and surrounded by love, laughs... and a huge pot of burned up chili.

 
(This was bad.  Don't ask.)

We had our traditional Christmas Eve party at Mom's...

 
 
 
And of course we had the obligatory photos in front of the tree...

 
Three generations of Lightner/Sloan blood.

 
My little family.

 
Mom and Tom.

 
Why am I four shades redder than my sister? 

 
Look, my very own Elf on a Shelf!

See the similarity?

Santa was good to us all, and I will now take this opportunity to showcase the magnificence that is my gift list:

First, from my loverboy who is an A+ enabler...

And my baby girl...

So I can clock myself when running/walking.

(Because I'm a woman married to a huntin' man... what can I say?)

And from my Auntie and Unkie...

 

Sis got me this...

Kristine and the Grotheers made sure I had plenty of BAMA paraphenalia...

 
(ROLL TIDE!)

And let's not forget this...

A compost keeper from Kristine... Big Dave's quite thrilled that he no longer has to look at the random cups and bowls I leave out on the counter by the sink filled to the rim with banana peels, egg shells and tea bags.

And speaking of Big Dave, he didn't do too bad himself... the highlight was when I gave him a big fluffy robe that didn't exactly thrill him... until he stuck his hands in the pockets and pulled out a small fortune in Bass Pro gift cards...

 
Looks like he'll be getting that dehydrator he's been wanting... mmm deer jerkey here we come!

 
Santa was very generous to Miss Priss, the highlights being this...

and her big orange bean bag, seen here with the optional 51 pound pointer option...

 

It was a great weekend, and I'd give back every present I received if it meant that I'd have a guarantee to have another Christmas like this next year.

So tell me... what was your favorite present?

SnOOOOOOOOw!!

Well shut my mouth, it snowed.  Seriously?  Two snows in the same year?  What happened to global warming?  Oh I'm sure there's some scientific moogly boogly explaining how and why we've been so lucky, but it gives me an intestinal cramp to think about stuff like that.

We're such dorks about snow in Savannah aren't we?  One neighbor calls another neighbor and shouts, "Hey look outside, it's SNOWING!!!!" 

Then that neighbor calls the next neighbor and shouts, "Hey look outside, it's SNOWING!!!!" 

And so on and so forth.

And before you know it, you've got dorkballs in bathrobes standing in the front yard...

 
It only snowed for about an hour in Dhuland, and it didn't stick, but we got a second helping of the white stuff when we headed west of I-95 to our friend's oyster roast in Effingham County...

 

Um... hey you northerners, are there rules about trampolining in the snow?

 
...Because we don't know any better, and it sure seemed like fun.

It came down for a couple of hours, and sometimes the flakes were like the size of quarters!  Big Dave decided they were no longer snowflakes, but snowpatties...

 
Of course the children made the best of this rarity...

 
...wait for it...

...wait for it...

NOW!

 
"DUCK Karl!... oh, too late."

~chuckle~

 
She looks like she's up to sumthin' doesn't she?

Nah, she's a lover, not a fighter...

 
 
And the best part about it? 

 

We'll be back in flip flops by Sunday!

This crazy coastal weather... you never know do ya?

 

Hodee hodee hOOoooooooo!!

Right now, this exact moment, is my absolute tippy top most favoritest time of Christmas.

It's afterglow.

The time when I can finally hunt around for a clean spot on one of the couches, plop in peace and begin reliving the memories of our Christmas Eve party, Christmas morning with my little family, and din din at my Mom's.

Honestly, our living room looks like a scene from 'Hoarders: Buried Alive' with all the gifts, boxes, bags, and wrappings tossed hither and yon, but I don't care.  I've got the Christmas tree lights plugged in and the overhead lights turned off, so I can't even see it.  (Hopefully I won't trip over the jumble-ness and break my neck when I finally get up from here.)

One of the major obstacles is going to be this...

 
Santa brought Miss Priss a four foot wide Cozy Sac, but Shady's pretty sure it's her new bed... uh oh. Good thing it's big enough for the both of them.

I've got loads of fun pics to share from last night and this morning, but I think it's gonna have to wait until I get a nap or at least two glasses of wine, whichever comes first. 

Enjoy the afterglow folks... it's so good.

 

Are you ready???

I know I am!!!!

I love love LOVE me some Christmas, how 'bout you?

I can tell it's Christmas because I've been to Kroger every day this week, and am pretty sure I'm going back tomorrow.

I can tell it's Christmas because Miss Priss is on break from school which means we get to stay  up until midnight or later and sleep in until noon.

I can tell it's Christmas because my house smells like homemade vegetable soup and chili (grub for our Christmas Eve party at Mom's house.)

I can tell it's Christmas because Miss Priss has a guilty look on her face...

 
...gotta watch that kid, or she'll have every present under the tree unwrapped and inspected before the big day.

I can tell it's Christmas because I weigh three pounds more than I did last week.

Tomorrow night my family and friends will find their way to Dhuland and spend a few really cool hours together just enjoying each other and celebrating this beautiful time of year. 

I want everything to go in slow motion so it doesn't end.  I love every bit of it... every bit of it. 

So... how do YOU know it's Christmas at your  house?  I'd love to know!

Welcome Shady!

Well, it's official... after five hours in the car, two trips to the vet involving a micro-chip scan, rabies shot, Capstar treatment, Comfortis flea treatment, and a heartworm pill, she's ours!

Who?

Shady!!

She's a German Shorthaired Pointer... about a year old (maybe a year and a half) and she's absolutely adorable.  

 
 
We think we're probably at least her fourth home in her short life, which makes me SO sad... we've committed to love her for the rest of forever, which seems an easy thing to do seeing as how she's so easy going and sweet.

Everything I've read about this breed says that they're super hyper, very energetic, and kind of high maintenance so I was worried that she'd be a handful, but Shady is actually the opposite.  It's like she read German Shorthaired Pointers for Dummies and decided to do everything backwards.

She's very calm until we put her on her long lead and let her go crazy romping and running with Ruby the Super Pom... then she's a ball of pouncing frenzy and it's SO funny to watch!

 Of course Shady's not perfect, in fact she's got one major flaw... my cats HATE her! Dangit...

And y'all know I'm a die hard kitty lover, so I'm trying not to hold it against her. After all, she's such a princess...

 
So we're gonna take it nice and easy and let her majesty get to know, love, and trust us.  I'm pretty sure Big Dave thinks she walks on water, which is a good thing because she looks at him like he's her Prince Charming.  I think they'll make a lovely hunting pair, don't you?

Here's to another pup-a-doo here in Dhuland!

 

 

Christmas #1 is in the bag...

and I am whooped!

Big Dave's mom, dad, sis, and two of our beautiful nieces came in town from Alabama for the weekend for round one of our Christmas.

This round involved loads of presents (my favorite is this beAutiful bedding set from my mom in law...)

 
FYI, I've had the same bedding on my bed since Miss Priss was one year old... eek!  Needless to say, this was a total surprise and as I sit here curled up in it, I feel like a princess.  Thanks Mom in law!!!

Instead of an official Christmas din din, we did the traditional Dhuland fare of oysters and crab legs... hizzle to the yizzle baby!

 
The weather sucked a little, so we turned our garage into our party room and chowed down...

 
 
 
I had entirely TOO much fun (you're surprised, right?) and I'm totally bummed to see my inlaws go home.  Big Dave's family rocks, and I consider myself damned lucky to have celebrated my twentieth Christmas with this hilarious family. 

Love my Alabama peeps!

Sigh...

Miss Priss' Christmas dance was last night, and like any mom, I'm pretty sure she was the prettiest girl there...

 

 
Of course she had a funny tale to tell when she got in the car after the dance.

"Mom, omg... ______  started crying because ______ wouldn't ask her to dance, and she was like _______ said 'the only reason he won't dance with  me is because he's afraid I'll want to become Mrs. ______ and have little ______ babies with him!'"

Followed by,

"But then ______ danced with her, and she was cool, but then (another)  _______ ran into the bathroom and started crying because she saw ______ grab _______'s butt!"

Apparently there's no shortage of drama at a middle school dance, but I guess we knew that right?

And as for the big question... did Miss Priss get asked to dance?  Yes... by two boys, and she refused both. 

That's my girl!  ;)

 

Christmas bits...

Love me some Fred Claus...

 

Big Dave just rolls his eyes and shakes his head when I cry during movies like this, but I can't help it.  It's one of my favorite holiday movies. Right up there with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...

Christmas in the Danford house rocks... it's also my loverboy's birthday which makes it extra special.  I love the tree, the nativity, the tacky snowflake lights strung all over the outside of my house, the stockings, the music, and our family traditions. 

I've got a super crazy busy day tomorrow, filled with shopping, wrapping, cleaning and more shopping, but I've gotta tell ya... I'm gonna love every minute of it. 

Are you loving your Christmas season?  I sure hope so... why shouldn't it be the most ridiculously lovely time of the year right?

Right!

Hey loves...

I've got a lot on my mind... some ramblings are in order. 

There's been a touch of craziness in my life this week... like the fact that it's been colder than the ol' proverbial witch's titty around here. 

My precious plants that normally fare decently during our mild Savannah winters are withered to sticks, even though I brought them into my screened porch and covered them with a sheet. Dang it.

The pipes at my office froze which meant two days of no tinkling at work. 

So far the bladder is okay, and as of 2:30 this afternoon we have a working potty again.  (yay!) Needless to say, we Southerners aren't really very good at cold.

(I will say this though... frizzly temps mean cozy warm fires in the Danford house, which in turn means that my little family snugs up together in the living room, which in turn means happiness as far as I'm concerned.)

However, there have been a couple things that have challenged my happiness this week, like the fact that I have two... count 'em TWO kitties with boo boos.  I'm currently treating Skittles for a ruptured abscess, and  I'm fretting over Scooter's possible shoulder injury. Good Lord.

Did I mention we're getting one of these this weekend?

 Holy hunting dogs... go ahead and say it, "Another pet???"  I know, I'm insane. You don't have to remind me.  She's a housedog... her name is Sadie, but I think we're changing it to Crazee, because that's the way we roll.

Did I mention that it's been a weird week? 

And to make things more interesting, my in-laws are coming on Friday.  I adore them so this is actually a good thing.  However, the pre-in-law preparations like scrubbing the mildew off of my shower curtain and disinfecting my microwave are not on my list of favorite things to do.  That's okay because when I'm happily sipping cheap wine and watching my mom-in-law slurp oysters this Saturday night, it'll all be worth it.

The good, the bad and the ugly/injured... it's only Wednesday, and I feel like I need two seatbelts and an airbag.  I love this silly crazy life and my silly crazy family and no matter who's limping or what the temperature is, I plan to hold my family close and enjoy our Christmas together... afterall, that's what it's all about right?

Here's wishing YOU my love, a less than crazy week and a super fabulous holiday!

(Shout out Corpus Christi and Garland, Tx... Mt. Dora and Orlando, Fl... and Sioux City, Ia... Midway and Hinesville, Ga.  Thanks for checking in...You ROCK!! )