Christmas in the Rock

We all worked hard to get all the trees up and decorated even as Hattie thought it was a

new toy to climb.

No matter how hard we tried, she continued to climb.

We finally decorated the tree and hung our stockings by the chimney.

Hattie and Simon each found a little place to call their own.

Hattie continued to climb the tree not letting ornaments slow her down,

Simon preferred the soft blanket beneath the tree,

and Sebastian preferred to be completely away from all this mess.

Our Christmas was a simple one this year.

We elected to stay at home and celebrate rather

than travel.  I think the

kids enjoyed it much better.

Traveling is fun but there really is no

place like home!

I confess that this truly was one of our best Christmases!

My Little Trip To New York

I went to New York last week to help pack up Sarah's things.  She is moving back to Little Rock for a while to prepare for more Grad School.  For some reason the girl wants a PhD...go figure???  I am really proud of her but am most happy that she is back home with us for a while after her 2 year stint in Manhatten.  Anyway, I digress.

Back to the trip....My sister, Lynne, Sarah, Sarah's Grandmother Ratliff, and I set off on a little road trip to see some sights, take a break away from responsibilities, and pack up Sarah's stuff. 

These are just a few sights we captured on the way up.

Hershey, Pennsylvania

Aren't these streetlights so cute? They varied from chocolate to silver wrapped.

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Isn't this so neat? Don't worry, we were very discreet with the camera and didn't directly photo anyone.

New Jersey

 

This was mounted on top of a car!

Can you guess what this picture is all about?  Is she throwing a fit? Collapsing? Asleep on the floor?

 

Well, it's a little of all three.  She collapsed in a hysterical, laughing fit that completely exhausted her.  We were all very tired and had just checked into a room.  We were attempting to collect all our luggage and enter the room.  Grandma Ratliff went first and apparently I wasn't quick enough to catch the door before it closed in our faces.  Grandma went through the room completely unaware that Sarah, Lynne, and I were waiting and laughing hysterically in the hallway.  We finally got her attention and she kindly opened the door for us.

I must confess that, luckily, we were able to get Sarah packed up without much fuss and even make it back to Little Rock just barely ahead of the big North East snow storm.

Organic.....Is It Worth It?

You would think with a title like this I would be talking about nice green, clean veggies and fruits......Guess again!

Yesterday my trusty Sherman the Tank (non eco-friendly big white Suburban because that is the biggest vehicle to fit all my family without driving a charter bus) needed a little oil added to his motor.  There is a gas station right up the street from my house, so I go there to buy a quart of oil that is completely overpriced ( a whole other story).  While I am standing in line, the girl in front of me is buying a pack or "organic" cigarettes!  Yes, you heard me!  Now, call me crazy, but isn't it kind of silly to be worried about your tobacco leaves being organic when you are about to assault your body with deadly smoke, nicotine, tar, etc.  Get my picture?  So, after the young lady leaves I ask the store clerk if I'm going crazy or if this girl just bought a pack of "organic" cigarettes.  The clerk laughed right along with me.  She was a smoker and even she got that a cigarette is a deadly stick and it probably makes little difference if the tobacco leaves are sprayed with a pesticide or not.  Maybe the "organic" cigarettes won't shorten your life span as quickly as the "non-organic".  Perhaps you can gain an extra 45 minutes by making this choice.  I wonder how much more expensive these are?????

So, to all you healthy smokers out there I ask, Organic...Is it worth it?