Going Out With A Bang.

This New Year's Eve will find me and my sweetie at a swanky, champagne-filled party, where we'll kiss passionately at the stroke of midnight, sing Auld Lang Syne (yes, I do know the words!), dance 'til dawn, then collapse blissfully into a slumber that lasts far into the first full day of our new year. Oh, and my dress? It's a little fuchsia satin & tulle number I found on sale at Saks. I have sassiest gold heels to decorate my feet, as well. Scott will be wearing a tuxedo, and while he'll be devastatingly handsome, we all know a tux is a tux...but a fuchsia dress? Well, that's a force to be reckoned with, my friends.

Sigh...

Yeah, this is the scenario I pray for every single New Year's Eve. I've always longed to dance the night away while sipping the bubbly and eating canapes to my heart's delight. The dream would be complete if Harry Connick, Jr. and Kings of Leon were performing live, for my jitterbugging pleasure.

Alas, the dawn of each new year finds me in bed, wearing sweats, waiting for that big ol' ball in Times Square, lamenting the day Ryan Seacrest began co-hosting New Year's Rockin' Eve & wondering why Fergie, Fall Out Boy, and Rihanna have to lip sync their "special performances." Dick Clark, I'll love you until the day I die. Inspite of all this.

We may not have spectacular plans for Wednesday night, but I do have a spectacular playlist for 2009. In my head I'll be whirling and twirling to these tunes. In the dress & heels. Because grown-ups can pretend too, you know.

Happy 2009, everybody!!!!


*OK, so Blogger refuses to cooperate with my playlist. Sorry. Here's the rundown--and the list, which I wanted front and center, is over there on the right. Good times.

"Be Gentle With Me"--The Boy Least Likely To
"Creator"--Santogold
"Got To Be Real"--Cheryl Lynn
"Sex On Fire"--Kings of Leon
"Live Your Life"--TI, featuring Rihanna
"Ice Cream"--New Young Pony Club
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"--Michael Jackson
"Shake It"--Metro Station
"Mercy"--Duffy
"Superbad"--James Brown
"Nite Runner"--Duran Duran featuring Justin Timberlake
"Untouchable"--Luna Halo
"Atomic"--Blondie
"The Way You Move"--Outkast
"Flourescent Adolescence"--Arctic Monkeys
"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve"--Harry Connick, Jr.
"Auld Lang Syne"--Pushmonkey

Rubble.

Empty boxes.
Scraps of wrapping paper.
Torn ribbons.
Plastic packaging.
Gift bags to save.
Gift bags to toss.
Polly Pocket, Littlest Pet Shop, Ponyville, Tinkerbell & her fairies, Barbie & her entourage...
Candy wrappers.
A Marble Maze Set--with 45 pieces!
Pretend food from McDonalds.
Real food from McDonalds.
Half-eaten candy canes.
A missing Sephora gift card. (Wince!)
Duplicate "Let's Go Fishing" games.
One fuzzy pink slipper in the kitchen, the other...who knows where?
Green slime. (Thanks, Aunt Mandy. Yeah, really.)
Empty glasses of much-needed adult "grape juice."
A newly watched copy of Jason Statham's "Death Race" on Blu-Ray. (Amen.)


Amidst all the chaos and rubble and wasteland that is my home's current state, I bid you "Happy Final Monday of 2008!" Please, y'all...please...tell me your homes are disaster areas, too. It will make me feel better and we can console each other through these trying, messy times. These trying, messy times known as the house's holiday hangover.

Seriously, my home is one heartbeat away from being a bad country song. I can hear Dolly warbling now..."Oh, if this house don't get a cleanin' soon, I'm gonna start drinkin' way before noon..."

For real.

I now have to clean...and sort...and divide...and conquer. Wish me luck, please. And send reinforcements, if possible. There's talk of truffles and lattes after this joint gets straightened out. YES!

What It Means To Me.

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart Whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world...
--from "Welcome to Our World," by Chris Rice


Merry Christmas, y'all!
With love,
Lula...along with Scott, Libbey, and Caroline, too!

An Explanation.

I have a post that is long overdue. Some very sweet, thoughtful, fabulous, and really gorgeous bloggy pals have sent me very sweet, thoughtful, fabulous, and really gorgeous stuff over the past week and a half. In a random encounter at the mall last week I actually met a bloggy pal in real life! So much goodness!!!

I must tell you about all of this. I need to tell you about all of this.

Instead, I am spending my evening without my children, who are currently getting their way over at Memaw and Papaw Bill's house tonight. They'll bunk with Kristi, who--at the ripe old age of 19--will probably let them stay up all hours, and feed them M&Ms and Coke mere seconds before bedtime. And this is OK. My girls love their "adopted" grandparents and "big sister," so who am I to keep them from an evening of revelry?

Since my girls aren't here, my husband has made a request for the evening. I must go and be a good wife now.

Let's keep those thoughts pure, my dears. We have 2 hours left in Return of the King, and he can blast his subwoofers and tweeters and whatevers as loud as he wants, since we are sans children. These are the big plans for the night.

And Seriously? An evening snuggled up with my man, while watching Aragorn, is just what I need. It's my Christmas gift to myself.

The important, pertinent blog stuff will have to wait. Y'all understand, right?

Thanks and much love.
XOXO

In Excelsis Deo.

Scott came home with a fancy, shmancy new camera a couple of weeks ago and we've been waiting for the perfect moment to break it in. Our moment arrived.

Last night was our church's Christmas pageant. Libbey was an angel. A bright, beautiful angel, adorned in a flowing white robe, gossamer wings, and a sparkling silver halo. You would have thought the child was making her Broadway debut the way I fervently snapped 50 pictures in a span of about 3 and one half minutes. (An easy accomplishment because of the new camera--I felt like a member of the paparazzi, wildly clicking away.) Scott, sitting next to me, steadily held the camcorder, zooming in and out on our gorgeous angel's face.

The grand finale of the performance was a rocking rendition of Joy to the World, complete with hand and arm motions and a thumping bass line. I captured all of this on camera, live and in action, with every intention of showcasing our little star's big night on stage...er, pulpit. Perfect blog fodder for the holidays, right? And seriously y'all...she was adorable...throwing her arms in the air, singing about Jesus, smiling for the audience, acting a bit nervous, and just being her precious self.

Please allow me to share a picture from last night, as I was a very proud mama:

Um. Yeah.

New camera+not reading instructions=the deletion of all 57 photos.

I'm still not over it. It's gonna take some time. Please bear with me.

I did manage to get a picture of her last evening...after the halo and wings had been stored away until next year. She still looks pretty angelic, I have to say. I love her more than my own life.

Flashback Friday!!! Oh Yeah, And A Winner, Too!

Nobody does it better than the fellas at the Chop Suey Palace!
Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-rah!

Ready for your Christmas Peking duck??? I rove this scene.

I know...you really want to know the deal. Who is getting their very own copy of Love Actually, as well as a Starbucks giftcard?

Random Generator, do your thing, please:

Here are your random numbers:
50
Timestamp: 2008-12-19 05:05:30 UTC

Number 50...number 50...who are you? It's Kristen, of Dancing in the Margins!!!! Wooooooooooo! Hooray! (And a big cheer also goes out to Kristen because she just finished The Hunger Games...and loved it, of course! Peeps--go read The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins--you won't be disappointed.) The movie and Starbucks giftcard are on their way to you, my friend.

Happy weekend, y'all...less than a week 'til Christmas!

For Christmas, Actually...

I love the holiday film classics and have already watched Home Alone 1 & 2 (with my beloved Tim Curry, of course!), Christmas Vacation, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, and It's A Wonderful Life this month.

OK, some more than once. Alright...some more than twice.

Usually classified as a romantic comedy, one movie in particular is a favorite of mine this time of year. The entire film takes place during the month of December. And I adore it. Some of my favorite actors--most of whom are Brits--are in this particular flick, too. Jennifer P.--I thought of you while viewing this and you know why. Yeah, he's in it.

I watched this for the zillionth time just the other day and thought of y'all. Yes, you bloggy people that I enjoy tremendously. And I had an epiphany: Wow--I need to give this away on my blog. So here I am...giving it away...just in time for Christmas, too.

While I'm at it, I'm thinking someone needs a $20 giftcard to Starbucks. Yes, you do. Merry Christmas from me.

A great, warm & fuzzy movie* (with the requisite dramatic and tearful moments, of course) and some fabulous Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from the 'Bucks. Or whatever you desire to order...but that hot chocolate is hard to beat, I'm telling you. So comment away--and I'll choose a winner on Friday.

I so love Hugh Grant...especially when he gets down with his bad self. You must watch him.


*p.s. Necessary Disclaimer: Love Actually has nudity in it--if that kind of thing offends you, then you might not enjoy this film. But it's funny nudity...seriously...I wouldn't steer you wrong. Promise.

Please Don't Tell Paula.

OPEN MEMO TO THOSE WHO DINED AT MT. CARMEL BAPTIST CHURCH, SUNDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 14:


I am very sorry if tiny pieces of plastic were ingested whilst enjoying delicious corn casserole. Pretend it was really opaque onion. Not the wrapper which contained the frozen creamed corn.



Let's not speak of this again, please.



Signed,

THE PERSON WHO MADE THE CORN CASSEROLE AND FOUND A SMALL PIECE OF PLASTIC IN THE LEFTOVERS.

(I'm not saying it was me...I'm just sayin'.)

730 Days.

Dear Favorite Aunt,

When I first heard Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" last month, I picked up the phone to call you, because I knew you'd love it.

After I finished reading Eclipse I couldn't stop thinking, "Call Aunt Doris and tell her she has to go get all three books..."

This past summer Libbey told me, "I love shoes and jewelry...do you think I got that from Aunt Doris?" Well of course she did...she's your Mini-Me. Jewelry, shoes, make-up...and an appreciation for nightgowns. Style is inherited, indeed.

Scott tells the "Sha-theed" joke every other month or so, always giving you the credit for that bit of hilarity. He maintains it will forever go down as your finest moment.

On the other hand, I'm certain your finest moment was the time you asked for a dime...because the vending machine read "Correct Change," and you had "only two nickles."

Or maybe it was the time I phoned to tell you that I'd broken up with Matthew McConaughey, in favor of Jason Statham. You didn't ask why, nor question my motives. Instead you replied, "Well, I heard he doesn't wear deodorant--he ain't gonna get any sugar--or much else--if he stinks." You then promised to rewatch The Italian Job in support of my new man, while reminding me no one would ever take Richard Gere's place in your heart, and that Looking For Mr. Goodbar was his finest moment.

Last month Caroline asked, "Where is Aunt Doris?" The tears welled as I reminded her, "In heaven."

Because you certainly are...in Heaven...where you belong. And although today marks two years since I've had you with me on this earth, it still feels as if a mere two days have passed.

I miss you. We all miss you. We all love you. You'll always be my favorite aunt...
xoxo,
Leigh

Doris Jean Vincent Raley, March 5, 1932--December 16, 2006.

Happy Bits.

I feel the need to share with y'all the things that are making my life happy this holiday season.

*Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate at Starbucks.

It's nirvana in a cup. A little, cozy mini-vacation, if you will. Liquid dessert. For real.

*I'm obsessed with scarves. If I'm wearing a sweater and gloves and it's above 20 degrees, I need no coat if my neck is warm. This is my latest and most favoritest:

Black and pink houndstooth, y'all. It's so sassy, yet so Sherlock Holmesesque...which is so ME!

*I cannot walk past the red kettle without making a donation. It's not Christmas until I hear the ringing bell:


*Some call 'em ugly. Others call 'em overpriced. I agree for the most part. Yet still I wear my Uggs with pride, combined with extreme warmth and comfort. It's all for the good of my feet...and if my footsies are happy, all seems right with the world.

*I'm not very picky about Christmas music...my tastes are wide and varied, but there are some songs that should not be messed with. As in do not even think of remaking them. Or go ahead and do what you will, musicians and vocalists of the world...just don't expect me to listen. These three songs are the definitive versions for me. Please, do not mess with 'em.
"The Christmas Song"--Nat King Cole
"It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"--Andy Williams
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"--Judy Garland
{Coincidentally, Judy's version of "Have Yourself..." is the original, and is from the movie Meet Me In St. Louis, which is my 2nd most favorite movie in the world. }

Throw in some Vince Guaraldi Trio (the soundtrack to Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!), Kurt Bestor's instrumental version of "What Child Is This?" (go on iTunes and look it up--it's been one of my faves since high school) and Harry Connick Jr.'s "O Holy Night," and I'm happily ensconsed in my comfort coma. I need to stay there for two more weeks, please.

Now it's your turn...what are your "happy bits" this season? What comprises your comfort coma? Please share. I want to rejoice with you.

Flashback Friday--Christmas Edition!

Christmas 1975.

Yes, it's me...a few days after my first birthday, in fact.

Look at how Mama purposely hung those foam-covered, silk-wrapped ornaments on the bottom branches of the tree! She must have really loved me, 'cause here's proof that I was all up in the business of redecorating this faux evergreen.

Because if my girls get within two feet of our 10-foot living room tree, I'm throw a fit bigger than a backstage pageant mom who discovers her little star's gossamer teal dress is not a one-of-a-kind original, as promised by Miss Dolly at the Lil' Missy's Shop of Pageant Goods & Sundries. Lest y'all think I'm hateful about this scenario, rest assured each child has her very own tree in her very own room. Caroline's has unbreakable ornaments, of course. Did you even have to ask?

Happy weekend, y'all!

All Is Calm, All Is Bright...

Dear Mrs. Sherry,
I love you. I love that you are the Children's Programmer at our local public library. I love that you love my children, particularly Caroline. I love that you come up with all kinds of fun field trips for my three year old. You know, like decorating a tree...in the rain...at the park...with Santa...and 10 other three year olds. Yeah, good times.

Until Santa tries to hug Caroline. Dude, you're messin' with the wrong child.

She'll show you. She'll show you how to pout, that is.

She'll also show you how she refuses to decorate the tree. Yes, she will. And yet she is rather cute in her refusal.

Mrs. Sherry to the rescue! Wow, Caroline is capable of smiling!

So thank you, Sherry Myers, for being such a light in the life of my daughter. Especially at Christmas. Especially when I roll my eyes a lot and have to remind everyone within earshot, "She is nothing like Libbey, clearly." Especially when she's in one of her moods...or crying...or pouting...or in one of her moods. And especially when I'm in one of my moods.

Oh, and just so everyone knows...the picture below is the ornament Caroline refused to hang on the tree. It has but one word written upon it. One very appropriate word: Hallelujah and Amen. It's my grown-up Christmas wish.