Jack. is. Back.

Wow.

What a FANTASTIC 2 night, 4 hour, season premiere! This really is one of the BEST shows on TV!

(I know I said that about Eli Stone too so let me clarify...Eli Stone wins best moral-wise. 24 wins best overall)

As if Jack coming back wasn't good enough, the producers threw in Tony Almeida AND Bill Buchanan (one of my favorites!!) And yeah, Chloe was around there somewhere.

Clearly, Agent Renee Walker will be Jack's love interest. She has to be! It must have been love at first sight for him when he asked her how far he could go to get an answer from Gabriel Schechter And she said "do whatever it takes".

Can you hear his heart palpitations???
Oh, and it gets better. I did a little research to see who else might be joining us this season...

Karen Hayes. Kim Bauer (BOO HISS). Morris! Martha Logan?? Aaron Pierce! Nina Myers!

Ah, gotcha. Kidding about that last one. But how great is this going to be? And really it should be...they haven't had 2 years off for nothing, ya know!

There is never a greater amount of excitement in our home than when 24 is on. So You Think You Can Dance is a close second. It seems that every 5 minutes we turn to each other with "oh my gosh" expressions or someone (usually me) is yelling "OH SHOOT!"

Who doesn't love action-packed TV drama full of shooting, terrorists, nerve gas, nerdy computer geeks, an agent that could smash both Chuck Norris and McGuyver in 3 seconds, romance, national crisis, mole after mole infiltrating CTU (and now apparently the FBI...what kind of security checks do they run??), more shooting, more terrorists, scandal in the White House, and MORE!

Ah. Can't wait. I didn't even watch The Bachelor...because yes, this was more important.

Stay tuned, folks, stay tuned...

They Call Him Juan Pablo...

Everytime Seth has a break from work, he must grow a beard. I think it's a man thing. He never gets very far on the weekends, but boy did his testosterone have time to roar over the Christmas break.

Granted, a little stubble is fine. But I draw the line when he either starts to resemble a mountain man or a homeless one.

We took some pictures to document his growth:

Now, prepare yourself for this nasty one. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. And I refused to stop calling him Juan Pablo until he shaved it offcompletely!

YUCK

I also felt like I should take a picture of my thoughts on his facial hair. Since he got 2 pictures on the blog after all...

My thoughts exactly.

Thank goodness for people like Mr. Remington, Mr. Norelco, and Mr Bic!

Anderles Strike a Pose

We are so lucky to be friends with a professional photographer! Brittany (click on her name to check our her awesome work!) is a high school friend of Seth's. I happened to meet her at church in College Station and to make a long story short...she is the one to thank for bringing our little family together!

We are forever grateful to you, Brittany, and are so blessed to have you in our lives!

For those interested (and you should be), she works out of Austin and has tons of examples of her work on her blog. She is also photographing my sister's wedding in June! So I thought it only fair to give her a shout out here on my blog...give the girl a little more publicity...introduce her to the masses!

Over Thanksgiving we had a mini-photoshoot. Mostly to attempt a successful Christmas card picture with the dogs. But since the camera was out...and her subjects were looking good...we decided to have some fun!

Our "reindogs". Unfortunately the kids didn't love their antlers as much as I'd hoped they would.
Clearly, this is our glamour shot.

Best friends!

No, this isn't our house

This picture makes me laugh! I don't think we'll be models anytime soon...

Sweet Maggie Girl!

Tucker D...T-Money...Tuck-a-luck...Tucker-de-ducker

(Yeah, we get bored. Let's hope we don't play around with our kids names like that. Or else Jake-eroony is in trouble!)

One happy family

Brittany, thank you for your hard work and beautiful pictures! You did a fabulous job!

Witty Spousal Banter

Over email today:

Seth: My pectorals are kinda sore today after the ultimate gym pull up bar work out last night

Mary: uh I could barely get out of bed this morning after my push ups.

Seth: You mean your push up? You added an "s" like you did more than one…

Mary: I did at least 3!!!


We. are. pathetic.

I can't wait to see how sore I am after my bike ride in a couple weeks!!!

Busted by the Bloody Gums

I was BUSTED this morning at my dentist appointment.

First, let me say that my appts take so much longer than Seths. And I think I finally figured out why.

It's because they spend a good 30 - 45 minutes scraping plaque, other sorts of build up, and stains off the back of my teeth.

Hm. I'm sorry folks...but you had to know.

So I'm cringing in the oh-so-uncomfortable dentist chair while things are whirring and whizzing, nervously anticipating what I've come to call "the bad flosser speech".

Do I floss? Absolutely not. It is weird. It hurts. It takes way too much time.

And sure enough...

Hygenist: So...do you floss?
Mary: NOPE! I hate it
Hygenist: Well, you really should. Because your gums are really swollen. And you are about to bleed out on us.
Mary: Well, it just takes too long. I DO brush my teeth 3 times a day though!
Hygenist: Are you using the prescription toothpaste we gave you?
Mary: Hmm...yes, sometimes.
Hygenist: Let me give you this pamphlet on the benefits of flossing. You don't want to lose all your teeth now do you?

and then...

Dentist: Ah ha! We have a non-flosser on our hands here.
Mary: I'm SORRY. I DON'T LIKE TO FLOSS AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
Dentist: Your gums are bleeding all over the place. Still. You have all 4's and you need 2's (or something like that)
Mary: It just takes too long
Dentist: Why don't you floss with your husband? It'd be a good activity to do together. And you could encourage each other! It'd be fun!

Flossing - a marriage building activity??

Bless their hearts.

Perhaps this should be my New Year's Resolution a week late. Then again, perhaps not. Bloody gums never really killed anyone...right??

Useless Thoughts...by Mary

I was really craving some of these last night as we watched the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl! Except substitute cherry salsa for that fake queso there.

Oh the powers of advertising.

About every 20 minutes, I'd think, "Hey, I'm going to eat some chips & salsa!"

Then I'd sadly sit back down after I remembered we were out of chips.

The logical side of you is asking, "Well, why didn't you go buy some??"

Well, because that breaks the after-work rules. Unless an otherwise previous engagement is scheduled, you put on your pjs immediately after arriving home from work and stay in the rest of the evening.

Unless of course your husband offers to take you to Marble Slab. That is an exception to the rule.

So we sat chipless, and cheered for Texas the one time of the year we can. Actually, there are two times. Bowl games and when they play Texas Tech.

By the time I realized The Bachelor was on, it was too late to steal the big TV and too late to use the other one since it doesn't have a DVR. I really think it's time for ABC to break the streak of re-using Bachelor/ette characters. And really, does Jason REALLY want to go through this whole process again? On national TV? Is he thinking straight? Does he REMEMBER all the trash that sometimes ends up on the show?

I'm just sayin'. Maybe he should join a singles group at church up in Seattle. Or register on eharmony. Or heck, he might even find better options at a nightclub or bar (doubtful, but).

Can you take your 3 year old to a nightclub?

In other news, who saw that Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn recently had their twin daughters? And did you check out those names?? I'm really ticked off because they stole MY baby names!

Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip!

Jerks.

I guess I'll just have to go with my second choice, Beverly Francine Chrysanthemum instead.

Has a nice ring to it, eh?!

Working Hard? Or Hardly Working?

A couple weeks ago we created our "2009 goals". And when I say "we" I mean "me". I just have to get the nod from Seth.

One of his conditions was NO painting! Oh, silly boy.

I decided to get a jumpstart on my first painting project (don't we LOVE crossing things off the list!) yesterday. I'd had the color picked out since our last painting escapade but was waiting for my arms to fully heal before I picked up the brush again.

We have 2 art niches...one in the dining room...and one leading into our bedroom. Relatively small job. And thank the Lord above because nobody really told me that using cranberry...in no matter how big or small the area...would be a pain in the arse.

(Paula, I KNOW you told me so...but I thought surely you were exaggerating.)

This is after 2 coats and some touch up...unfortunately after looking at some of these pictures I think a 3rd coat might be in order...

I need some REALLY tall to fit in here. My only idea is sticks/reeds. Or maybe I can just rig up some sort of picture. Help?

It's hard to give a perfectionist a paintbrush because then it's hard to take it away. I stayed up until midnight touching things up and now I'm wondering if I shouldn't get out the green and yellow paint today too...

Seth and I also have the age-old tradition of eating on our fine china for New Year's Day*. We both grew up eating special meals on New Year's so yesterday was no exception. Kyle, Jessie, and Karla joined us for turkey, mashed potatoes, beer bread, black eyed peas (would you believe stores were actually sold out of these earlier this week?), and corn...YUM.

*I more or less created this "tradition" since when the heck else can you use it??

We cannot wait to see what 2009 has in store. We have been blessed with great friends and family and were lucky to ring in the new year with several of them! Our New Year's Eve involved making play-dough, breathing fire, and many other things you don't want to know about. I'm sure our neighbors greatly appreciate us.

Have a great Friday!

Celebration of Two

In celebration of TWO years of our marriage, I have decided to post how "two" has made an impact in our lives.


(I'll admit, I was just going to post two great things about Seth...which probably would've been easier...but it would have also looked silly too. Don't worry, I'll have a great list ready for our 25th!)

- We have lived in 2 homes (I really miss that one bedroom apartment)

- We have acquired 2 dogs

- We've been on 2 vacations (ok, not counting honeymoon)

- I've broken 2 coffee decanters

- We've had 2 different comforters on our bed

- I've had 2 jobs

- I've only bought 2 things during our marriage...

... :)

- I sometimes dream I will have twins

- We have 2 guns

- Our dogs chewed on 2 pieces of furniture

- Neither of us can stay up until 2am

- We painted 2 rooms

- We celebrate 2 birthdays in October

- We have to vacuum 2 times a week

- We had 2 siblings graduate from college this year

- Several of our friends already have 2 kids

- We are both 2 times as beautiful as we were on our wedding day

Ok, I'm really have to stretch it now. You get the picture.

Here's to 2 great years. I cannot imagine my life without Seth.

One day he will decide to blog and tell you he also cannot imagine his life without me :)

Yesterday I was trying to figure out what the traditional 2nd anniversary gifts were. Seeing as we just got back into town, neither of us had really put thought into anything. So we decided no gifts. Even no cards. I've never seen Seth grin so big.

I just told him he had to tell me what the card would say, had he bought one.

Then the grin went away.

But it did say the tradional gift was cotton. How about that. Maybe back in old times women got a cotton plant. Or maybe an entire field! Lucky for me, the mall had great sales right before Christmas and let's just say I got plenty of cotton.

I can't wait for LEATHER for #3!

But back to the celebration. We had your typical romantic night of take-out chinese and taking down the Christmas decorations. Oh, and he also took me to a fancy lunch at Jason's Deli! It was perfect ;) And, since he was also probably scared out of his wits when I said no gifts, he bought me some beautiful lilies and the Anniversary Willow Tree Angel.

That means I have received EIGHT new Willow Trees in the past couple of weeks. Jackpot!

But the house looks so sad now with no more Christmas. Although I refuse to take down the nativity scene quite yet. I want to enjoy that a little longer.

It's hard to believe 2008 is over. This year has been full of excitement, disappointment, learning, and more. I pray that God blesses us just as abundantly in 2009 (as well as ALL of you!). This will be the year we are finally closer to 30 than 20.

Yikes.

Happy New Year!

Under Construction...

Pardon the dust!


(ALWAYS wanted to say that)

The Shoe Doesn't Fit

Twice a week I get these "Shop it to Me" sale alerts. I put in preferences for styles I like, places I prefer to shop, price limits, etc. It's basically your online personal shopper.

Today I get this:

My "match" from Piperlime.com.

God help us all if I ever wore those shoes.

Hideous!

On the Road Again

My butt is numb.

We are an hour outside of Dallas and I think I forgot what long car rides were like. We had a good Christmas with our families in La Grange and San Antonio and now we're headed to see both sets of my grandparents for the remainder of the break.

Isn't it kinda wrong that we have to be back at work on Monday?? I'm sure January will be a whirlwind and 2009 will go by even faster than 2008.

I wish I could actually take a picture of us right now...we are loaded down in the Civic (remember 35mpg, folks)...frankly, I'm surprised we're not dragging bottom with all the boot in the back. The Anderles are ALL abous luxurious travel accomodations.

I think my back has gone numb now.

It's kinda funny that I'm blogging since I normally get carsick. What I was thinking when I packed 3 books and 2 magazines, I'm not sure. So we just have to jam to the ipod which jumps from Brad Paisley to Rihanna to Third Day back to Jay-Z. :) Gotta love those high school rap mixes I loaded on it. It's so refreshing to be singing O Holy Night with Selah and then jump to Big Pimpin'.

How I love road trips.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and got to spend lots of quality time with loved ones.

Oh and you all need to go see Marley and Me - what a great family movie! Why don't they make more of those? It will make you really appreciate your dogs and thank God that they haven't really destroyed THAT much stuff. Read the book too while you're at it.

I miss my dogs.

Ok this is maybe starting to make me carsick now. Stupid bumpty bumps that we (Seth) keeps hitting...

Joy

So yesterday Seth and I thought it would be "fun" to have a little lunch date in the food court at the mall. He needed a new pair of jeans so we figured we'd hop on in to get some of those and dig into some Chic-fil-a...or better yet, a huge slice of pizza that only a food court can give you.

Uh, wrong.

What kind of drugs were we ON??

After fighting through crazed moms and the morons who had just started their Christmas shopping (I say moron only in Christian love), we made it back out to the car where I attempted to take several deep breaths and prayed a margarita machine would magically appear under my seat.

And we didn't even get lunch.

We should've been tipped off by the complete and utter lack of parking spaces.

But hey, at least Seth got jeans.

And ladies, maybe it is just me...but I have NEVER in my life seen someone so negative about trying on clothes. You think it'd just be easy enough to throw on a pair, do some turns in the mirror, and give 'em a yea or nay.

Nope. "Trying on jeans" consisted of tucking shirts in, fastening the belt, putting shoes back on, hey, let's see how they look with my coat, and more. And that was only after pair #1. Then I get to hear about how only a certain "breed" of male would EVER buy the low-rise boot cut jeans at GAP and why are they all ripped and tight in places where they shouldn't be?!

Folks, I think we are officially grandparents. Or at least parents without real children yet.

This is why it will just be easier for our kids to live in windsuits or other stretchy attire. Because after yesterday...after hearing the mother screaming at her child in the dressing room...and hearing the child laugh hysterically right back at her...and not wanting to find out what the child had in for him later that day at home...I don't plan on ever going back to the mall again.

Merry Christmas!

Brought to You by...The Anderles

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Soles 4 Souls

You may have noticed this button on the sidebar of my blog.

Did you click on it?

Soles for Souls is sponsoring a shoe drive through the end of the year in hopes to be able to donate 50,000 pairs of shoes to deserving people all over the world.

All it takes is 5 minutes and $5 to donate 2 pairs of shoes to this organization!

Imagine how many shoes you could provide if you decided against those super cute purple kitten heels you've had your eye on lately...

$10 - 4 pairs of shoes

$20 - 8 pairs of shoes

etc.

You do the math.

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,and he will repay him for his deed.

Proverbs 19:17

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:34-40

Christmas with the Anderles

In the spirit of the Christmas season...and everyone sprucing up their blogs (pun intended)...and holiday decor galore...I now invite you into our humble abode to see how the Anderles celebrate this time of year.

I know I'm a couple days late, but in the spirit of BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes...here ya go.

Oh, AND...since I might have left my camera battery charger at a certain Hyatt hotel during a certain company holiday party this year...I might have had to use the 2.0 megapixel camera on my phone as a substitute. So think how you might feel in the same situation before judging my 1970-esqe looking pictures.

Here she is...our Christmas tree. I've really grown to love her this year. What started out as a red & silver theme has turned into a little bit of this...and a little bit of that.

And what would Christmas be without the cards? We've kinda run out of room on this so I apologize if you don't spot the family pic. But we are so blessed by our family and friends!

My favorite nativity scene! You may notice the wiseman are truant...don't worry...they should be arriving on Christmas day. According to my master plan, at least.

Our stockings hung by the bar with care. Hm...it's times like this I would appreciate a fireplace. But check out those super cute stocking holders.

The dining room table ready to go. Unfortunately Seth never put up his school stuff so it sorta ruins the effect. But let's be honest. The table has stuff on it more often than not so I guess you should get an accurate picture of how we really live.

Blurry, but...my cute husband and wife snowmen and some Christmas candles

Ho Ho Ho in the guest bathroom!

I was thisclose to fighting with a woman over this cute candy jar at the Holiday Market this year. Luckily I was the bigger person and scored myself a killer deal at the same time. Note the lack of candy. Oops.

Aha...there's all the candy!

There's that tree one more time...

I thought I'd include a picture of our 2008 ornament. A yearly ornament is a must (the date is on the other side, don't worry). That way when your children are helping hang the ornaments one day they can say "You were ALIVE in 2008?!?!"

I assume it's similar to the shock I felt when I saw my parents 1978 ornament.

Well, that's it folks. I apologize for the lack of themed bedroom and outside house pictures, but really, it's nearly Christmas and I'm more concerned about finding a camera battery charger.

Hopefully I've loaded you all up with posts the last few days because I have a feeling there'll be slim pickins as we trapse across Texas next week to attempt and at least say "howdy" to all the family we have out there.......

Save Eli Stone!

I feel like I keep telling y'all you're missing out on stuff...(i.e. butterscotch crackles and spice tea). But I MEAN it when I tell you you're REALLY missing out if you don't watch Eli Stone!!!

Guys, this is one of the best shows on TV right now (IMHO). It is the one show (literally) that Seth and I love to watch together. It is probably one of the more quality shows out there right now...it hasn't yet been tainted by the addictive trash* you'll find on Grey's, Desperate Housewives, etc.

*I am guilty of being addicted to the addictive trash.

Eli is a lawyer turned modern-day prophet who receives "visions" from God that tell him what cases to take on, often in a pro-bono nature. What's not to love about that? Jonny Lee Miller does a fantastic job of portraying a witty, insightful, and sometimes "special" character.

Why am I telling you this, you ask?

Because ABC is freaking cancelling this show.

And replacing it with some show about Homeland Security. Blah blah blah.

Seth thinks they're cancelling it because they talk about God. I think they're cancelling it because they're just stupid and don't know how to market a show that might actually be suitable for the whole family.

At any rate, we are unhappy and have, of course, signed a petition to keep this show a-going!

If you watch this...get on ABC.com...go to the Eli Stone message boards...and make your opinion known!!!

Or just make my opinion known :)

Spice Tea

2 cups lemon flavored sweet tea mix
2 cups tang
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
red hots

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Stir 2-3 tbsp into a mug of hot water. And drink!

If you haven't had several hot mugs of spice tea this holiday season, I feel sorry for you. It is just the thing to put you in the holiday spirit...and it even helps with those sore, scratchy throats too. MMMmmmm GOOD.

Adjust the spices based on what you like. I leave out the nutmeg and go easy on the ginger. It makes the perfect sized batch for many many delicious drinks!

Are YOU Ready for the Holidays??

I love the daily devotionals I get from Proverbs 31 Ministries. This latest one hit close to home, especially considering my last post and the Christmas rants I've been on lately :)

Are You Ready for the Holidays?
by: Van Walton

“What matters is not your outer appearance... but your inner disposition.” 1 Peter 3:1 (MSG)

Devotion:

This year I am tempted to keep a close count of the number of times I hear the question, “Are you ready for the holidays?”

What does that mean exactly? If I were to guess what people mean when they ask one another if they are “ready for the holidays,” I would say most are not talking about spiritual readiness. I bet what they typically mean is, “Have you made a list of all the stuff you need to do before the 25th and have you checked it off?”

Usually the answer that follows is a long list of to-do’s before Christmas day. Baking, sending Christmas cards, buying and wrapping gifts, hiding presents from the children, or delivering them to neighbors, choir or play practice, preparing for guests, or preparing to travel. My list also often includes planning and attending parties, house cleaning, and finally – my favorite – decorating.

I wonder, if Jesus were making a holiday preparations list, what would He include? What if those who were there on Christ’s birth day could advise us on getting ready for Christmas? What would be on their list?

Joseph might recommend we listen closely to the voice of God to prepare.
Mary may suggest we ponder the miracles of heaven.
Perhaps the angels would propose we sing about the King.
The shepherds may gently guide us to follow their act of worship.
Possibly the wise men would teach us to give Jesus our most valuable gifts.
The innkeeper may suggest “Hospitality: open your heart and home.”
And Jesus’ list would likely encourage us to be a light on the hill pointing the way for others to know Him.

Comparing my to-do list to the ones above, I wonder if I lived at that time, would I have missed Christ’s birth? Would my busyness have kept me from slowing down to take time to worship in the stable? Unfortunately I have “missed” many Christmases in the here and now because I’ve not slowed down long enough to bow my knees and experience the miracle.

I want Christmas for my family to be more about an act of worship and awe than a frenzy to decorate, shop, and jump through the world’s hoops. I don’t want to miss the true reason we celebrate.

A few years ago I set out to purposefully plan the way I celebrate. As a result, my Christmases have become increasingly simpler and at the same time my heart has become increasingly more satisfied.

Are you ready for the holidays?

Father, Thank You for sending Your son to point the way to You. Please remind me that preparing my heart for You is more satisfying than any other preparations I could make. Simple and pure devotion to You is what makes this season so special. Help me balance my time and keep my focus on You this year.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

White Christmas? Almost.

I am tired.

We were so excited to get snow in Houston last Wednesday night. I mean, snowflakes were literally falling all over the car on the way home from Bible study!! Unfortunately Seth was off updating the Gulf Coast region on drill bits, so me and the dogs had to play in the snow alone.

Then, Thursday I got an upper respiratory infection and a case of pharyngitis.

Sounded pretty serious to me. I was updating the will, getting things in order...I thought I had the ultimate excuse to get of anything and everything. Until Seth was like, "So what...a cold and a sore throat?"

Stupid doctor who beefed up the medical terms.

Although, for the record, I still feel horrible. But it was my first experience with a steroid shot (let me know if I start looking beefy) and a z-pack so I was pumped.

Friday night, both Chase and Emily graduated from college. Albeit, in 2 different cities. How old are we that our LITTLE brother and sister are graduating from COLLEGE? Getting real jobs (well...we've yet to hear about any), and going off into the real world. Unfortunately we couldn't be in two places at once, but both made it safely across the stage and received their diploma! Congratulations, kids!!

Today, Seth & I helped out with a Christmas party for needy children in Conroe. The family that organized this party is just amazing. They began 7 years ago, getting gifts for 35 kids in the area. Today we were able to sponsor 150 children! How cool is that?? With the help of our Young Marrieds class we were able to give 3 kids a Christmas they hopefully won't forget.

And on that note, I will get on my Christmas soapbox. For some reason, I feel so strongly about this, especially over the last few weeks...as people are stressing out about Christmas gifts, running around like maniacs to catch last minute sales, and the like.

Let's not forget what this holiday is actually about...deal?

This is such a fun time of year to teach your children, remind your family, and introduce complete strangers to the true meaning of CHRISTmas. And we are all guilty, including myself, of completely breezing by what this time of year was originally celebrated for. We have hyped it up so much and stress out so much for what should really be time well-spent in fellowship and worship with loved ones.

There, I said it.

Phew. And I'm still tired.

I think tonight will be an early night, folks. Gotta dope up on the meds and hope this pin-prickling sore throat is gone ASAP.

Have a great week!

The REAL Meaning of the 12 Days of Christmas

I received this in an email today and thought it was so interesting! I have never had the 12 Days of Christmas explained to me.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious realitywhich the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. -

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

Butterscotch Crackles

Here's a yummy cookie recipe to try. It's a sugar cookie with a kick! Make them ASAP because they're grrreat!


INGREDIENTS:

2 rolls (16.5 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
2 cups Wheaties® cereal, crushed (1 cup)
1 cup butterscotch chips (from 11-oz bag)
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature to soften slightly.

2. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in crushed cereal, butterscotch chips and coconut until well blended. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in powdered sugar. On cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart.

3. Bake 11 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

Commit for Life

There are always so many people in need, especially during the holidays. Some of you may be brainstorming ways to help others during this crazy time of the year. Well, stop thinking, because I have your solution.

Commit for Life.

Giving blood is one of the easiest ways to help others - in fact, one donation can save 3 lives! It's so easy and quick...and you can donate once a quarter.

12 lives a year.

That was easy, wasn't it?

And perhaps it's a good time to learn your blood type. I fall in the elite 7% of the human race* (obviously). With O- blood, I am the universal donor!

*Note: I don't know if it is the entire human race...the US citizens...whatever. It's cool.

That's right. You ALL can start thanking me now!

Blood drives are happening all the time. So get your big plump veins out there and give some blood!

Anadarko Holiday in the Park

It was really "Holiday at the Hyatt". But I admire the way they tried to make our party sound so casual. Especially considering the state of our economy.

But what do you get when you combine friends...

Me, Trisha, Courtney
An open bar...
(Matt, Trisha, Jeremy, Courtney, Me)

More Friends...

Huey Lewis & the News

Roger Creager

Flying Acrobats...Dancing Women in Snowglobes...huge buffet of food...a casino...comped hotel rooms...did a mention the open bar...free portraits (oh yes, I will scan these in at a later time), a gospel choir (not sure how that fit in?), 2 separate comedy shows, and...probably more.

Anadarko does Christmas.

I know. One of the most ridiculous yet fantastic things I've ever been to in my life. We had a great time! This probably won't happen again next year, but hey, it was good while it lasted.

Besides that we had to get lots of things done this weekend...we finally got up the Christmas lights (only to have a strand burn out tonight - AGH), finished our Christmas shopping, and sorta kinda relaxed with lots of football.

I can't believe Christmas is right around the corner! Both Emily & Chase are graduating college this weekend (what?!?!) and then it's go-go-go until the holidays are over.

Have a fantastic week!

Ultra-Important Husband

Email from Seth:

"I am going to Lafayette, Louisiana next week to update the region on Roller Cone Technology."

He's updating a whole REGION! How important is he??

I don't even really know what a roller cone is. So I googled it.

Let me know if you'd like an electronic copy of the roller cone update. It's bound to be FASCINATING.