Christmas Busy-ness

As of today, I have my tree up with most, yes...most, of the ornaments in place. My dear daughter helped me put up the tree and fix the lights. I am no good when it comes to putting on the lights, so I was going to just leave them off this year. I decorated parts of the tree with my collectible ornaments, and I was waiting on the energy to arrive to finish decorating with the rest of the ornaments. The energy has not arrived as of yet, but Rachel came by today and put some lights on the tree for me :) I have been very busy trying to get this house in order, though. I have said before that I am NOT a housekeeper, and my house is ALWAYS a big MESS!! Well, I have the living room and dining room in an acceptable fashion now, but the bedrooms are full of the MESS!! HA! I am getting there folks...I am getting there. Slowly I turn, inch by inch, step by step...Isn't that how that funny comedy skit goes? Well,that is how my housekeeping goes! I have to get things in order, because I will be starting back on my dissertation in January. I must get this placed organized by then, or I will not be able to get my brain organized for writing. I will be spending lots of late night hours again on this computer typing away. I have GOT to do this. I wasted one full year of procrastinating, and it has cost me a bundle. This busy-ness of Christmas is just starting. The weather is cold, but we are getting warmer weather this week. I have been really sick this past week, and I haven't gotten anything Christmas-y done. Today, I have stayed inside trying to get more done around the house. I am not sure if I will brave the weather tomorrow to go to church. I just need to get well before Christmas gets here, so the day may be spent at home again. It is just no fun sitting in church with a stuffy nose and a stuffy head trying to sing hymns or pay attention to the sermon! I will probably stay home where I can blow my nose in private. hahahaha!!
I am getting the Christmas spirit, although I can't get out into the crowds of shoppers right now. Maybe I will just put on my Manheim Steamroller CDs and bounce around the house to their great Christmas music. That sounds like a terrific idea. Talk to you guys later!!

Santa, my brother

My brother plays Santa Claus each year. He really takes this job seriously. There is an article in today's paper about him. He has also been named as the Hometown Hero for Savannah this week, and there will be a special segment on one of our tv news shows about him. He does a lot of work with Jumprope for Heart through his job as a PE teacher, and he received an award from the state association this year. He is a really good guy, and I a proud to say he is my "little" brother!

I am attempting to include the web address for the article. I hope you can make it
work! Maybe you can copy and paste it in your browser window to get to it. I hope you can do it!

http://eedition.savannahnow.com/newsstand/servlet/getPdf

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I cooked a lot of food: macaroni and cheese, green beans, ham, turkey, sweet potato souflee, pumpkin bread, spice cake, red velvet cake, etc.

I made a red velvet ladybug cake for our little visitor, Savannah. She is four months old, and we saw her for the first time yeserday. The theme of her room is ladybugs, so I made a ladybug cake in her honor.




I also made a spice cake and attempted to put fall colored leaves on the top.



The pumpkin bread turned out really well. It was nice and moist. Last year, I found a nice mold/cake pan for the fall season, and the recipe for the pumpkin bread was in it. You can see the mold shapes in the bread.




Our nephew came home from Ft. Riley, with his wife and new baby. Yesterday was also the first time we all met Corey.

We had some other visitors with us for Thanksgiving, too. Ellen invited an Army family to come spend the day with us. She has taught the two boys, and she knew they would enjoy being with a big family for Thanksgiving. The father has just returned from Afghanistan, and he really seemed to enjoy the day. They all did.

It is nice to be able to share a day like Thanksgiving with people who are far away from home.

I am including pictures of my cakes. I was really pleased with the little ladybug. It turned out a lot better than my first attempts at the little bug!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are continuing to have a wonderful weekend holiday!!

My Daddy, the Veteran

This first picture is of Daddy in Germany during World War II.

My daddy is a veteran, and I didn't mention him the other day. My mom passed away on Veteran's Day 2008, and I posted about her instead of the Veterans. So, I will speak of my daddy today.
World War II was the beginning of Daddy's military career. He served as a Medic in the Ninth Armored Division, and he received the Bronze Star for Bravery. He went out under fire to rescue men that he saw were still alive. He says it was his job as a medic. The military saw it otherwise. They saw it as brave acts that deserved one of the highest medals you can receive. Medics did not carry any type of guns or weapons, so going out under fire with NO way to defend himself was truly an act of sheer bravery and duty to his fellow man.


This picture is a picture of my Daddy as a very young Air Force soldier.


My daddy is one of the finest men on the face of this earth. He always does what is right. He is always honorable and truthful. He taught all of us to be honest forthright people, and we all are to this day. Daddy continued his military career after the War, by joining the Air Force. He was in Germany when I was born, and I was nine months old before he ever saw me.


He was also gone for a year or more at a time during our growing up years, to Vietnam and Morocco. He went many other places for what they call TDY, which is temporary duty somewhere else. My daddy is a wonderful, honorable man who does anything and everything that he can for his children and his grandchildren. I cannot honor my Daddy enough with my words. Being his oldest child is an honor to me and an extra special blessing. Thank you Daddy for always loving me and taking care of me, even to this day...still!! I love you!!!!

Mamma

Two years ago today, my mamma went to heaven. She was the most wonderful mamma in the whole wide world, and I miss her very much!!
Mamma was very supportive of everything I ever did. She was a terrific mamma who was loving and caring. She always had a smile on her face, even as she was suffering in severe pain from that awful cancer disease. Mamma would not let anyone know how bad she was hurting, but we knew she was in a tremendous amount of pain. None of us will ever know, or could ever imagine, how bad she hurt, because she didn't want to worry us. Mamma was a wonderful Southern Lady. She had a great role model in my Granna, I had a great role model in my Mamma, and now I am trying to be a great role model for my daughter and son. I recently changed the name of my blog to A Southern Lady, because I am now following in the tradition of all the sweet, Southern ladies who have gone before me. I am now the older generation, and I have a lot to live up to in order to pass on the legacy of all of my wonderful, strong, faithful, Christian, selfless, loving Southern Ladies who have molded me and made me who I am today.
I love you Mamma! Thank you for always being there for me, for never judging me or anyone, for always loving everyone unconditionally, for being supportive always, and for being my Mamma!!!!!! I love you!!!!

Music

I love music. My mamma used to tell me that all my life I would just burst out into song at any moment! She said that I did this from the time I was very small until...well...NOW! I do that all the time. Everything reminds me of a song or some piece of music. I often sing a song when someone says something that reminds me of a show tune or some other type of song that fits the bill! People look at me funny when I do that, but I just smile and tell them why I thought of the song! I lost my music for a while, during a hard time in my life, but I have gotten it back. I am singing in the choir again. For quite a few years, I allowed someone to take my music away. I missed it so...but I got it back again. Then, I lost it again. Now, I am trying very desperately to get it back and the joy that comes with it. I have a poster in my classroom that says: Kind words are the music of life. Isn't that an interesting way to promote positive attitudes and kindness to others?!
Music, it is in my soul. It is in my innermost being. Music is ME!!

My Saramina

My Saramina is my mamma's big sister. She was the serious sister, and my mamma was the silly sister! HA! The two close sisters are together again now in heaven. My Saramina went to heaven last week. She was a very sweet and loving aunt and lady. Saramina was a true genteel Southern lady who only thought of others, never herself. She was one of the most selfLESS people on the face of the earth. I have been so fortunate to have been raised by, and to have been around, MANY selfless ladies: my Mamma, my Granna, my Saramina, my Grandma, my Aunt Bernice, my Aunt Bonnie, my aunt Carwee who we called WeeWee, MarySue, Aunt Eunice who we called E, and the list goes on and on. All of these ladies meant a lot to me and impressed upon me the true meaning of being a mom, a sister, an aunt, a grandma, a friend, and a true lady. I have had a blessed life by being related to so many wonderful ladies, and I hope that I can always be an extension of and an example of all of them as a sweet, Christian, selfless lady just like they have all been.