The Queen B

Merry Christmas

I hope that this Christmas finds each of you enjoying the day with your family and friends.  

We truly wish you a very Merry Christmas and pray that at some moment today, you are able to take a quiet moment to remember.  

Also...please lift this sweet blogger and her family in prayer today.  I don't know her, but I absolutely love reading her posts.  I was so saddened to read of their loss.  Her home seems to reflect all that a loving home should.  She has encouraged many readers, and now it is our turn to do that for her.  

Have a blessed holiday.

 

 

Who Doesn't Love Shopping With Friends?

Can you believe November is almost halfway over? 

PANIC IS APPROACHING QUICKLY.

Typically, I love Christmas shopping, but this year I seem to have misplaced my mojo.

I love to find the perfect gift for each recipient.  Something thoughtful and specific just for them, you know?  

And I like to have it wrapped up by, well, NOW, so that my family can enjoy a (relatively) stress-free season.

Have I mentioned that PANIC IS ON THE HORIZON?

But I think I may have found a solution.

And Bonus!!  I have a little treat that could help those of you who live in Northwest Arkansas.

The NWA Boutique Show is Friday and Saturday, November 19-20, at the Springdale Holiday Inn Convention Center.  There are over 130 amazing boutiques.  

The show will kick-off Friday, the 19^th, with a Girls Night Out Preview Shopping Event featuring live Christmas jazz by local artists, swag bags for the first 500, candy and hot cocoa stations, door prizes and much more.  Tickets are $10.00 per person at the door or $8.00 online at www.nwaboutiqueshow.com.  A portion of the proceeds from Friday night’s event will benefit the community programs of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas.

Saturday admission is free.  You'll still be able to register for amazing door prizes and shop thousands of one-of-a-kind and custom items from local artists and designers. 

I am giving away a pair of tickets to the Friday night Girls Night Out event!

Just leave a comment telling what you're hoping to find at the show, and I'll randomly pick a winner on Sunday, November 14.  

All of you local lurkers are going to have to comment on this one!!

You can check out all of the merchants, and find out about directions and hours at their website, www.nwaboutiqueshow.com.  

Or you can check it out on Facebook at NWA Boutique Show.

Start making your shopping list!!

 

They Can't Have My Christmas

Y'all know I had an issue this fall.

I can't even begin to tell you how many perfectly good items were ruined this season by creepy birds of prey.

Well.  Today, they crossed the line.

And by "they", I'm not quite sure who I am referring to, but you better believe I will be finding somebody to blame for this outbreak.

I had about 30 minutes to kill today, so I took a little meander through Target.  I walked the perimeter and found that the Christmas decorations were being placed on the shelves. 

(Which I do have to say is much better than Hobby Lobby.  They've had their display out since June.)

I turned down the first aisle and immediately stood in disbelief.

No.

It couldn't be.

CHRISTMAS OWLS?

Who decided that owls would now be a part of our Christmas?

I get the reindeer.  And even the polar bears.  I've become accustomed to the occasional penguin.

Though I'm not actually sure why penguins are infiltrating traditional holiday decor.

But I cannot accept owls.

I made my way down the next aisle.

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

It's just too much.

There should not be owls messing with Christmas.

They can have fall.

But not Christmas.

Target had maybe 20% of their Christmas get-up displayed.  Do you think The Owls are going to play a more prominent role?  Do you think there will be an entire Owl Section?

Have you seen other Christmas Owls?  

Will they make a sudden appearance in THE NATIVITY SCENE?  

I can just see it now.  Somebody's gonna have An Owl watching over Baby Jesus. The donkeys, the goats, the cows & The Owls...all gathered around the manger.  

NOT IN MY NATIVITY, PEOPLE.

Please tell me that you agree with me.  Please tell me that you will not condone The Great Owl Takeover of 2010.

Are you with me?

***

To read about & hear a pretty amazing o-w-l, however, check this out.

It's Your Birthday

Guess who has a birthday today???

The King!!

And La P!!

And...today it's been 6 months since The King's surgery!!

What a wonderful day!!

I am so very grateful to be able to celebrate The King today.  

I cannot even imagine what a different day this could have been... 

***

It's kind of bittersweet to think of La P's birthday.  She turns 7 today!  

But I'm afraid she doesn't know that.

And I SO thought we'd be closer to having her here by the time she was 7.

But I know that the same God who saved The King has a plan for La P.  

And His plan is good.

So...

I am so very grateful to be able to celebrate La P today.  

Even if I can't be with her.

***

Do me a favor and wish The King a very Happy Birthday!  

(Even though he won't let me take his picture...)

***

Have a great weekend!

Consistency

Yeah.

About that...

I have to set a goal that I can actually meet.

3 times a week is the new plan, I think.

So.

A few years ago, I ordered some cute Christmas tags.  

They read...

Merry Christmas

From The King, Queen B & The Princess

Except for they have our actual names on them.

Because how weird to get a gift from people who think they are royalty.

Anyway.

I use them for gifts, baked goods, random gifts for teachers, neighbors & acquaintances....

Very handy.

This year I was wrapping gifts in assembly line fashion with The King and The Princess.

I boxed and/or measured paper.

I cut the paper.

The King taped the pre-cut paper.

Then he slid the wrapped package back to me and I tagged it with the printed cuteness.

Sidebar: In the time it took him to tape 1 package, I boxed, measured & cut 6 gifts.

The Princess would then write name of the recipient on the package.

Apparently in years past, I've been in a fog.

A holiday-induced sugar rush, perhaps.

Because this year, I noticed a little something about every 3rd sheet of tags.

 

Without looking closely, you might notice that there are 4 names in this particular family.

The Palace currently has 3 residents.

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

 

Hmmm, that's interesting...

SINCE THOSE AREN'T OUR NAMES.

What in the world?

We're in the tags third season of use!

I've been ignorantly tagging as Staci for 2 years!

Completely unaware!

So...those of you who never thanked me for the banana bread that I left on your front porch?

I'm so very sorry for the grudge I've been holding.

I'm over it now.

And Howell, Staci, Hannah & Emily?

You've made some great friends.

You Just Never Know

We spent the holiday with The King's family.  

JJ was in attendance.

About halfway through the crazy pyromaniacal fireworks, JJ ran over to me and said, "Aunt B?  Could I wear your flip flops for a while?  Mine are all sweaty."

A Really Great Guy Is Turning A Year Older

I haven't really posted much about my dad.

Mostly because he only reads my blog once a quarter. 

He and I are a lot alike.

We are both highly emotional and dramatic creatures with a propensity for perfectionism.

Or we're both moody and difficult.  Whichever you prefer.

Today is my dad's birthday.

And I am really proud of him.

Dad's life has undergone some serious changes in the last few years.

He has handled them with grace and dignity.

(Except for those few dramatic moments where he proved moody and difficult.)

One of the changes has been his career.

My dad was a high school football coach until I was in the 9th grade.  Sports is his passion and he had a lot of success as a coach.  

It is not uncommon to be somewhere with Dad and he'll be approached by a middle aged man who recognizes him as Coach.  The greeting will be followed by stories of what a tremendous influence Dad had on that person's life.  

After coaching, Dad began working in a family business. 

This might be a good place to point out that I am not an advocate of family business.  The end.

He remained at that business for about 18 years.

Recently, he began looking for a new career.

The job market is not a welcoming place for 50-something men.

My dad is incredibly talented.  He is THE BEST people person that I know.

But nobody wants to hire a 50-something man.

He was too experienced.  (What the heck is that?)

A really smart investment firm saw the potential in him.  Dad didn't have any experience in the financial world, but they saw a hard worker with phenomenal people skills who was willing to learn.

And they hired him.

Now when I say that Dad had no experience in the financial world, I am so not exaggerating.

He began a VERY rigorous study program that has often involved 16 hour days at a computer.

Learning and testing, learning and testing.  

All of this was in preparation for The Big Test.

The Big Test is a one shot deal on which you must make a 70.  

No second chance.

On Tuesday he took The Big Test.

Six grueling hours.

AND HE DID GREAT!

 

I know how hard it must be to learn something new as you get older.

He has sacrificed so much time in preparation for this test and this job.

I am so very proud of him.

Happy Birthday, Dad.  I love you so much.

Especially your dramatic flair and tendencies toward emotion and perfectionism.

I've Made My List And Checked It Twice...

...and I think everything is just about ready to celebrate Christmas.

(Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that if it isn't ready, it is not going to be ready.)

I am looking forward to relaxing with my family.

I am looking forward to giving the gifts that I chose for each special person.

I am especially looking forward to spending time honoring the greatest gift given to us: Jesus Christ.

I wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a week filled with unbelievable joy!

Christmas Time Is Here

Now you know it is almost Christmas when BooMama's Christmas Tour Of Homes rolls around.

Bring it on.

I have a serious aversion to removing permanent home decor to add temporary, seasonal decor.

I love it when you do it.

I just don't like it when I do it.   I happen to have an itsy, bitsy issue with liking things JUST HOW THEY ARE.  

I do love the holidays, though, so I try to incorporate our Christmas decorations in with the things that we enjoy everyday.

A couple of Christmas plates sit in front of my kitchen sink.  I also enjoy a sweet tree that my daughter made in its place of honor on an iron pedestal.

(The cat is real.  And guilty of knocking over the plate 27 times.)

My cookbook holder is the perfect spot for a holiday recipe.

I think that seasonal cookbooks look beautiful when incorporated into the kitchen.

This may be my favorite Christmas display in my home this year.  I normally keep green apples in this vase.  Adding a few Christmas balls makes it so festive!

This side table is just one of the many places Santa makes a stop...

 

Is this not the strangest Santa you've ever seen?

The bathroom is a great place to decorate for the holidays.

A simple glass jar looks lovely with colored Christmas balls.

Those Build-a-Bear Reindeer can even be great accessories!

I can't wrap up the tour without a picture of our tree...

Thank you all for visiting my home.  

For more decked halls, check out BooMama's Christmas Tour Of Homes.

Have a blessed and joyous Christmas season!

We're Festive

Not that it matters to anyone, but I had just written my entire post and something nutty happened and the whole thing deleted.  So I am writing the stupid thing again.  I needed to share that.

Ok.  

I think I have previously mentioned The King's aversion to all things related to Christmas decorating.  Suffice it to say it makes him really grumpy.

Really grumpy.

My mom and our friend, PeepOne felt sorry for me and offered to come help me decorate this year.

Actually, they don't think I decorate enough.  They might have said something like "pitiful" or "sparse".

Whatever.

So yesterday they made the trip to The Palace because I needed a little Christmas.

Right this very minute.

(Remember that song?)

Anyway.  

PeepOne did all the work.  She is an interior designer and does a fantastic job. She used all of my old stuff and made it look brand new.

If you live in my area you should totally call her.

Here she is mid-tree...

And yes.  My tree has a significant lean to the north.  We blame The King.

One of my favorite things is how she adds a little Christmas to my everyday items.

Removing any of my regular stuff to put out Christmas stuff makes me twitch.  I am unable to do that.  I can only add to what is already there.  Because I have issues.

And lots of Christmas villages in the attic.

PeepOne gets that.  Or she feels sorry for me and acts like she gets that.  Bless her heart.

See?  She just stuck some branch things and an ornament in my regular potpourri bowl in the bathroom.  How cute is that?

She added some red ornaments to an arrangement in my den.  

And stuck an ornament and Santa in a dish.

This vase usually holds some green apples.  She took out half of the apples and replaced them with some red balls.  She topped those off with some of the apples. Love that!

Sadly, this will probably be the last year that PeepOne decorates my house at Christmas.  

Because I am going to post this picture of her.

If you had that picture you would have posted it, too.

What is with the third one?

Back to the Christmas.

Leaning Tree of The Palace

I am thrilled with every single thing that she did.  More than anything, it was wonderful to spend the afternoon with PeepOne and Mom.  

It is starting to feel like Christmas...