Holiday Schedule

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! The holidays this year are proving to be crazy to say the least-- so I am going to go ahead and post an updated schedule for everyone. We wish more than anything we could be home with everyone but we cant. Either way, we love yall and will see you soon!

-Derek has duty on December 25th and 28th, and his leave starts on the 29th.
-Joey and his friends may stay the night on Tuesday the 28th.
-My procedure is December 29th and 11:30.
-We will be going to Charlotte from December 30th to January 1st.
-We will be in Blacksburg from January 1st to January 4th.
-I have mandatory student teaching orientations on January 5th and 6th.
-I will be in Nags Head January 7th and 8th with Abby, Mom, and Terry.
-Derek will go out to sea on January 17th (date is not set in stone) and this may turn into his deployment...

So, those are all of our plans as of yet. Hope everyone travels safe and has a Merry Christmas-- we will see yall soon.

Mom

This is a poem by Maya Angelou. I want to dedicate it to my mother, Miner Carter, becaues she is a phenomenal woman. I love you, Momma.

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
-Maya Angelou

Extremely Late Advent Calendar

I got this idea from my friend Jessica's blog. I realize this is grossly late and overdue for Advent, but I decided to put it on here anyway! And, since it is so late, that just means you have to double or triple up on each day! All you have to do is pick something on the list (or 5) and do it that day-- all the way until Christmas. So, here is what Jess put on hers, with a few changes to make it personal (I am copying and pasting because I am just that original...) Merry Christmas, and happy celebrating, everyone!

1. Tell someone you love them
2. Make Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows
3. Make a popcorn garland
4. Make a tree decoration that reminds you of Christ
5. Make a tradition to make at least one tree decoration each year
6. Put up Christmas decorations while listening to Christmas Music
7. Make decorative sugar cookies and share them with neighbors
8. In your prayers today, only give thanks without asking for anything.
9. Try to be as kind as possible to everyone today
10. Go to church for Christmas / Christmas Eve 
11. Send a card to a friend by mail in this holiday season
12. Go on a Christmas Light tour / ride
13. Be the first to say hello to everyone today
14. Watch Elf in a onesie with Derek
15. Open a gift on Christmas Eve as a family
16. Put up a wreath
17. Make cinnamon potpourri
18. Go to Barnes and Nobles and pick out a new Christmas CD
19. Exchange gifts
20. Make a give list instead of a list of gifts you'd like
21. Find mistletoe, hang it in the house, and kiss under it.
22. Make snow angels
23. Dress Charlie up as an elf (or something else festive)

More Recipes

This recipe I have made twice-- and it gets eaten in about two to three days every time (which is impressive considering it is just me and Derek home). I love it, and would think you could substitute other fruit, like apples or something, for the peaches. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

-4 cups of peeled, sliced peaches (I use the frozen ones)
-2 cups of sugar, divided into two separate cups
-1/2 cup of water
-8 tablespoons butter (one stick)
-1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
-1 1/2 cups milk
-ground cinnamon (optional, but I would use it)

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-Combine the peaches, 1 cup of sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring this mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
-Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in the oven to melt.
-Mix the remaining 1 cup of sugar, flour, and milk-- do so slowly to prevent clumping (using a whisk will help).
-Pour this mixture over the melted butter in the baking dish. Do not stir!
-Spoon the fruit on top, gently pouring in the syrup.
-Sprinkle the top with the ground cinnamon, if using.
-Bake for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream for best results :)

Book List

Since Christmas is approaching, and way too fast, I have decided to do a holiday themed reading list. Also, to go with the festivities, I think I am going to add some great holiday movies, too!

Things to Read:

-Nobody's Christmas by Charles Dickens (short story and can be found online)
-Christ Climbed Down by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (GREAT poem-- I read this in my American Lit. class and absolutely loved it)
-Christmas Trees by Robert Frost (poem)
-A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (novel)
-The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry (short story)

Movies to Watch:

-Elf (my personal favorite)
-The Grinch (cartoon or movie are both great)
-All Harry Potters (the theme song always reminds me of Christmas-- and there is always a Christmas   holiday mentioned)
-The Family Stone
-The Santa Claus
-Home Alone

Virginia Tech

Well, the Hokies are once again ACC champions! We started the year off rough-- with two losses that we shouldnt have had. But, we turned it around, were undefeated in our conference, won the ACC, and now will be playing in the Orange Bowl verse Standford on January 3rd. I, for one, can not wait! I wish I were able to go but will be in Blacksburg celebrating Christmas (Derek has to work on Christmas day...). So, in order to celebrate the Orange Bowl and the Hokies I have attached a few pictures from this season. Gobble, gobble, gobble-- and GO HOKIES!

 

Thanksgiving

Well, with the help of Tammy and Nanny we have all of our Christmas decorations up! Last year I put the tree up at the very beginning of November (I'm talking around the 2nd or 3rd). Since it was so early Derek made me do the WHOLE thing by myself-- setting up the tree, wrapping the lights, decorating everything, etc. He told me he would only help this year if it was around Thanksgiving. So, I did just that-- I held out, with all of my might, and put the tree up the day we celebrated Thanksgiving. Derek's mom and Nanny came down which was a lot of fun. We ate our Thanksgiving dinner, cleaned up, put on some Christmas music and hung out all night in the living room, decorating and taking pictures. I hate that we will miss all of the Christmas festivities at home this year-- but we will be there less than a week after to celebrate! Derek and I are both really looking forward to celebrating Christmas, albeit late, with all of our family. We are planning on coming home around the 2nd. We hope to stop by in Richmond to see Joey, Whit, and Cam and do presents, then go home for several days and see both families. Also, some point during that visit we hope to drive to Charlotte and see Abby and Brody. Either way, our house is ready for the holidays! Below are some pictures of everyone decorating-- its clear to see everyone, even little Charlie, had a blast!