I'm here!

I'm here. It was a busy weekend. We went to Callaway Gardens on Saturday. Olaf came in from cleaning up the yard at about 2:00 pm and said, "Let's go to Callaway!" Now, if you know me at all, you know I'm a very structured and scheduled kind of gal. Going to Callaway at 2:00 pm is NOT me. I like to leave no later than 11:00 am so we can be back by 3:00. So I take Olaf completely by surprise and say OK. We had a blast. We walked on a walking trail and when we got back to the van it was about 5:00 pm. They already had turned on all the lights and music for Fantasy in Lights, so we decided to drive through them...twice! It wasn't dark yet, but it was fun anyway. Then we went to the beach area that they have set up for Christmas and watched the lighted nativity story. We got back on the road and ended up stopping to eat a little restaurant that we heard was good. It was 7:30 pm when we got there! That is just plain crazy for me. My children go to bed at 8:00 pm every night of the week, so I was living life on the edge at this point!:) We got home at nearly 9:00 pm and my children went right to bed. They were pooped.

Sunday I went grocery shopping and spent a lot of money. We were out of almost everything. Dog food, cat litter, diapers, paper towels. You name it, I needed it... Then we all went to Kohl's so I could get some new running shoes. Yes, you read right...running shoes. If I'm going to jog, I need the right shoe. My keds weren't working. I jogged again today in the crisp cold air. It was nice.

I weighed in this evening and actually had a slight gain. I don't think it's a real gain though. I think the jogging has messed up my weight loss a little. It will all work out eventually. I gave 2 pair of jeans to Esther tonight. They are pants that are now too big for me. Yay!

I am listening to the best instrumental Christmas CD ever! You can get it at www.christianbook.com for $1.99 right now. It's called "Christmas Angels" by Mary Beth Carlson. It is lovely. I highly recommend buying it. It is what Olaf decided to get his coworkers for Christmas.

We have most of the presents wrapped. Actually, Olaf has them wrapped. He wrapped some last night. I didn't!:) Josiah's are still in need of being done. Since Josiah is our kid that stays up until 10, it's hard to do it.

Today Tammy Pitts came by and gave me a plate of her chocolate chip cookies. Her cookies are my all time favorite. I am not sure if it's her oven or what, but her cookies are always puffy and good. She bought me this beautiful pottery plate in PA that the cookies were on. She also gave me the Southern Living Cookie Cookbook! She went to a tearoom in Alabama and bought a recipe book for me there as well. AND, she gave me the new book by Teri and Steve Maxwell about keeping your children's hearts. It was fun just sharing a cup of coffee and gabbing awhile.

OK, I'm all caught up. Hopefully I will be back on tomorrow. Blessings!