Big Al's got the style

About 2 years ago I told my mother she should get on Facebook.

By that time, the population of old people of FB was steadily climbing (ha ha), and I felt like I would be doing her a disservice not to let her in on all the fun.

2 years ago she declined the invite.

Apparently she did not want to be my friend in any more ways than she had to.

Ha.

(Just kidding, Mama. Love, Your BFF.)

So about a year ago Deb came to me, head hung low, and told me she wanted to get on Facebook.

I added that to the ever-growing list of things I have told her to do that she refused (to only later come back and admit I was right), and got her set up.

At this point, she's not really an avid FB-er, per se. (Don't feel bad if you sent her a message or wrote on her wall like 6 months ago and haven't heard back.)

So imagine my surprise last night when I logged on last night and saw in my status updates that "Debbie Tyson has been tagged in an album."

I clicked on it, and when I saw the picture, I realized 3 things.


1.) My mother is not in this picture.

2.) Somebody had tagged my mother in a picture containing my father (he isn't on FB because I'm sorry - I cannot manage 3 FB accounts.)

3.) I have never been more thankful for Facebook than in that moment when I was given the opportunity to be transported back in time to when my father was 3 feet tall and wore monogrammed sweaters to school.

(Big Al = Short guy. Back row, middle. Big smile. Bigger ears.)

God love him.

Facebook, I thank you.

Outta order

We had a great Christmas.

A Christmas in which I'd love to show pictures.

All the food and fun - the documentation of all the activities.

(Like the time we went to Walgreens on Christmas Day and my brother didn't wear shoes.)

And you know, other non-redneck stories like that.

But sadly, my computer lost the will to live on Christmas morning.

Bless it's heart.

Thankfully, I don't think it was successful in it's attempt to self-destruct - we will know more after I take it to the doctor later today.

So, until we are back up and running, ya'll enjoy your last week of '09!

And I hope everyone had wonderful, family-filled, redneck Christmas just like us!

Christmas

"Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps
itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved."

Augusta E. Rundell

Fun Christmas Facts

Christmas Randomness at it's finest.

*In 1993, I sang a duet Winter Wonderland for my elementary schools Christmas program. We had like auditions and everything. It was a shining moment in my family's life (especially Karaoke King Big Al's, as you can imagine).

The costume for the performance was red sweat pants, a white turtle neck, and suspenders made out of Christmas ribbons.

Oh, I have just never looked better.

The whole class sang the song, but our duet was the In the meadow we can build a snowman part. Every time I hear that song, I think about my moment in the sun.

*One year (I think I was in 6th or 7th grade) I went snooping for presents and found a TV and a computer in the attic. It was the biggest thrill! At least I thought so. My mother was furious.

I almost didn't get those presents that year. But they ended up under the tree despite the kill-joy daughter, and I still use the TV to this day. Works like a charm.

*Along with our other goodies, my mama has always put an apple, an orange, and walnuts in our stockings. Our stocking have our names embroidered on them - mine has a snowman on the front, and Matthew's has Santa.

*When we were little, I remember always having to wait in the back until Big Al got the video camera ready. LONGEST MOMENTS of our lives. My brother and I used to run down hall to where Santa left all the presents unwrapped in "our" spots. My spot was on the other side of the room, so I had to run the furthest. FASTEST RUNNING of my life.

*One of my favorite presents of all time was a hot pink, Jenna-sized Barbie corvette Santa brought when I was 5 or 6. I LOVED that thing with an everlasting affection. I am pretty sure I drove it around until my like 16th birthday when I had to get a real car.

*My grandmother always (I mean always - throughout all the years) gives me panty hose and my brother dress socks. She also used to always give us an ornament.

One year the ornament said "Dog's first Christmas." I did not have a dog.

*We always eat seafood casserole and cornbread on Christmas Eve.

*I remember when I was little being so excited because my grandmother would bring over a plate of Christmas goodies. That plate and I became one many, many times.

*I remember having "the conversation" about Santa Claus with Deb. I can picture the shock in her face and hear her stuttering words. I still laugh about it.

*For the last several years, Big Al has been cooking our whole Christmas meal. A couple years ago I made The Pioneer Woman's Olive Cheese bread for Christmas Eve and sweet potato souffle for Christmas day. One year my brother got a wild hair and made buckeyes.

It was the longest, most involved process of his life. He has vowed to never make them again even though every time he starts talking about what he wants to make, I scream BUCKEYES!

He laughs and then shuts me down. Ain't gonna happen, sista.

*The closest thing I have ever had to a white Christmas was when I went skiing a few years ago with my college friends. Except it was New Year's, and even then there wasn't much snow at the place we went.

I have a hard time singing "Let it Snow" because I feel the pleas are futile here in the dirty South.

*My daddy always goes and gets the tree for my parent's house. The man has never come home with a tree that didn't have something kind of "off." He will never admit this, but I KNOW he does that on purpose.

He is a character, and he likes his tree to have some as well.

*While I think white lights are so classy and pretty, our family tree ALWAYS has colored lights.

Colored lights that dance. And sing.

It's really like we are trying to define our crazy family by the wacky, loud and obnoxious tree that always finds its way to our living room.

And it would NOT be Christmas without it.

*My very favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night. And this year I have been really partial to Little Drummer Boy for some reason.

*I have always wanted a lighted wreath on the front of my car.

*This may surprise you, but my family has been known to sing Karaoke on Christmas. I remember the first year my dad got the huge, ridiculous machine. He got it for "all of us" (yeah, ok) a couple weeks before Christmas.

At that time, my grandfather was still living (but in his 90's) and on Christmas Eve when we were passing around the microphone, he kept denying it. He bee-bopped along to the tunes, but proclaimed he was not singing.

At one point my dad shoved the mic in his hand (he will do that to you too if you come over) and Pop reluctantly started singing a Christmas song in his deep, shaky old-man voice.

We were all grinning like fools and singing along. It was awesome, and when he got done my dad went to get the mic back - homeboy would NOT give it back. He sang like 3 more songs in a row.

BEST memory ever!

*We ALWAYS go to the movies on Christmas. I'm not sure what we are seeing this year. I am hoping "Up in the Air."

*My all-time favorite Christmas dinner must-haves are Paula Deen's dressing, Al's squash casserole, butter beans & rice, and Matthew's mac & cheese. Actually that list could go on and on.

*I have spent 24 Christmas celebrating with my amazing family, and I am very excited to make it 25 come the 25th!

*Merry Christmas!

What are some of your random Christmas facts??

Let the "Making Stuff" continue

Is it just me or is this site starting to turn into some mediocre craft/food blog?

I guess that happens around the Christmas season. People get crafty. People get hungry.

So keeping with that theme, here are some of our pictures from when we finally embarked on the 2nd annual Ornament Decorating Extravaganza.

And by extravaganza, I mean Marlee and I sat at the kitchen table with paint pens and Hobby Lobby ornaments. She drank sweet tea. I drank Diet Coke.

It was EXTRAVAGANT.

Here are some of the ornaments. It's like they are softly screaming, Make me pretty!


These are some of the ones from last year that haven't made it out of the box. We made so many last year. It would take like 89 trees to use them all up.


Mar Mar ready to go.


We decided to use these kind of weird blue ornaments to start off. We loved them the least and felt it would be less tragic to mess one of those up as we worked out any decorative kinks out.

I sat for a few moments gazing upon the ice blue sphere and wondered what in the world I wanted to draw first. I lifted my eyes around the room looking for inspiration.

But it was at my feet that I found what I was looking for.




I think I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but rest assured Phoebe did end up with a face and even a red hair bow. On the back it said "Phoebe's First Christmas." She loved it.

Here's one of Marlee's beauties. Isn't that pretty? She is an overachiever.


A little baby Santa by Jenaynay. Or I guess I should say, a Santa Baby.


Marlee's awesome Santa.


Rudolph!


He got tangled in some Christmas lights, poor thing.

Marls working hard.


Merry & Bright!


(I got a little Christmas-light happy this year for some reason. I am not sold on the embellishment, but I was trying to work it.)

After a while, some refreshment was needed. This was the most notable hot chocolate of my entire existence.


It probably has something to do with the fact that I threw in a bunch of SnoCaps and a couple of squares of a Hershey bar I found laying on the counter.

I have learned that with chocolate - you just say yes.

And SPEAKING of chocolate...


There was some baking (and mixing and rolling and melting and dunking) happening in my kitchen last night, as I decided to make some cake balls for my office.

These were the cake balls that Almost Weren't.

First off, Walmart at 5pm on the Monday before Christmas is not my friend. But I persevered and got out without killing or being killed.

Then I got home and didn't have oil. "That's it, I'm not making them!" I said (not bratty at all).

"Jenna Babe," Big Al said. "The country store is 2 seconds up the road. They'll have a little thing of oil"

Oh yeah. So I made the trip because backing out at that point did not say Christmas Spirit to me.

Everything went well in the Cake Ball making process. I even had a surprise creation at the end.


I had some chocolate left and right before I dumped it, I thought - Man, this is a waste. And then, What would Paula do?

(And that's Paula Deen, not Paula Abdul just for clarification).

At that point, I remembered seeing a box of Ritz crackers in the pantry and some peanut butter and the wheels - they started turning.

Turns out the Ritz box what filled with Splenda packets (didn't see that one coming), so I used Saltines.


So good! I made a couple for Al and Deb to enjoy at their leisure. (Deb is off today, so I'm going to put my bet down that hers has probably already gone to Saltine heaven).

All the finished little cake ball buddies.


Merry Christmas, indeed!

GB houses, re-visted

Last Thursday we attempted gingerbread houses, yet again.

This time it was with our high school Bible study girls. I was so excited because I thought I was going to miss it due to my work party on Wednesday (our normal Bible study night), but alas - a stroke of luck landed it on Thursday, which meant I could have possible GB house redemption.

Here are the little ladies filling their stomach with sketti before the candy and tubs of sugar made an appearance.


Crazy Megh was there. I was so glad to see her despite the fact that she had grown and extra head and arm.


And Marls Hagan was there as well. Marlee and I have a problem taking pictures together because we have the same "good side." All friendships have trials, but we persevere.


Pretty soon, it was time to bring out the graham crackas. The girls got to work on their preliminary structures.


After a few moments, I went over to check on the girls and found this.


Clearly, I was once again out of my GB house making league.

So I went back to the safety of candy-duty. Candy duty offers a much simpler way of life.


Even Jakey got in on the action.


I was very interested in what he was doing because, well, he's my favorite and I am always interested in his affairs. I was so impressed by his house even in it's first moments of life.


I grabbed him excitedly because everyone knows having someone grab you and shake you is very helpful when you are trying to carefully construct a house made of graham.


(Random picture of Meghan that makes me laugh).

The girls seemed to really enjoy the house-making business.








Well most of the time.


The girls were not without the common trials of house collapse and home destruction. Kendall regrouped though. What is that saying? When life hand you a demolished GB house, make a GB beach house instead?


Yeah, I think that's it.

I always love seeing the creativity come out on the different houses. All the little special touches.


We were big fans of the multi-colored nerds. Gave the houses that special something.

And I am always a big fan of a good Ho Ho!


Well lookey here - stained-glass windows. Fancy. Only the finest home furnishing for these houses!


Santa and his reindeer even made an appearance.




Jake was keeping it real on the house-making front.


He was busy constructing what we began dubbing a 2-story garage apartment.


Meghan and I decided to help the boy out by constructing some additions to make the structure seem more realistic. In the above pic, Megh contributed the twizzler staircase, and I created the truck.

It's all about teamwork here at JJ&M Contractors.




Here is my pride and joy (I found that I am better with GB props than houses - we all have our gifts and limitations).


Note the headlights. Oh yes.


This truck had an extended cab that was just perfect for hauling mini gummy-bears.


And since everyone who walked by our creation thought Meghan's stairs were a stack of wood, I went on search for something to make our vision a little more clear.


Found this dude hanging out on the Christmas tree.


Oh you know, just a famous bball playing on his way up to the top floor of his awesome garage APT after a hard game.

Marlee loved it.

We had an extra visitor come get creative with us as well. Marlee's friend, David - who is currently a freshman at UGA - came prepared to build.


David made a teepee. He is so cultural.


The whole silly gang.


The girls really did do a great job - and had a good time to boot!












On a more serious note - I was out and about taking pictures, and when I came back to check on our baseball man and his APT I found this. SADNESS.


Thankfully, the truck had driven over to visit David's teepee at the time. It's life was spared.


That could have been a tragic ending.

But instead we had a very happy ending to a great night with some sweet girls!