Where in the world is SSC?!?

This was sooo much fun! I didn't realize that I had been to 24 of the 50 United States of America! I can also see that there is still so much for me to see! I wish that I could also find a map of the world to 'fill in'! God's world is amazing to me!
I've visited 24 states (48%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

Oh, wait! Here's one...I see that there's a lot more for me to

Amazing Race, here I come!!!

I've visited 6 states (2.66%)
Create your own visited map of The World

Are you a member of the Lost Mitten Club?!?

As a member of the Lost Mitten Club, I just had to share this deal from Land's End! Such a great deal...and cutest marketing EVER!

Happy "National Handwriting Day"!

Happy early "National Handwriting Day"!

What a great holiday (we like to celebrate everything around here!), and I didn't know that this holiday exists! Just FYI...January 23 is National Handwriting Day, also John Hancock’s birthday!

Handwriting allows us to be artists and individuals during a time when we often use computers, faxes and e-mail to communicate. Fonts are the same no matter what computer you use or how you use it. Fonts lack a personal touch.
Handwriting can add intimacy to a letter and reveal details about the writer’s personality. Throughout history, handwritten documents have sparked love affairs, started wars, established peace, freed slaves, created movements and
declared independence.
"Though computers and e-mail play an important role in our lives, nothing will ever replace the sincerity and individualism expressed through the handwritten word," said Robert B. Waller Jr., WIMA’s executive director.

By the end of the day today, I'm determined to wrap up our hand-written thank you notes from the Christmas holidays! No...sadly, I'm not finished...this is an area where the perfectionist side of me always seems to take over! And the ones that I have written are still laying by the front door awaiting their delivery! I do have only a couple more to write, and then we're d-o-n-e (as Lovey says)! Actually, the girls finished their thank you notes on the first or second day of the new year...and now I just have a few more to complete! My struggle (however) is getting them to the post office! For some reason, I can write a note, address and even stamp it...then it sits by the door waiting to be delivered to the post office! Would you believe that I even took the girls to a field trip to the post office and didn't deliver the notes that I've already written?!? Urghh! That's okay...I saw the letters' laying on the seat next to me when we got back inside the car, so I politely asked one of the girls to get back out in the freezing cold and take'em inside for me! (Aah...the pleasure of having extra hands to help!)

And I'm sure some of you are wondering why I won't just put them in the mailbox with the flag up...well, I have a perfectly good answer to that! When I was complaining about my inability to get things to the post office, mom asked me what you're wondering....and I told her that I didn't know why I wouldn't put things into the mailbox, and like a very-good-momma [;)], she told me...when I was young there was a time that young kids were going through our neighborhood, taking mail out of every one's mailboxes, opening them up, taking what they wanted (we assume they were looking for cash) and then leaving the remains out of the way. Well, poor me is still suffering from the what~if's in my lovely 'black & white' world and wanting to assure myself that the letters that I have written with great joy are being delivered to my loved ones...perfectly laid in their mailboxes awaiting their successful delivery!

BOGO Coffee!

Hey there, my fella~coffee~lovers (Christina & Co.)!

I've had several good coffee comments from the gals that were over here last Monday night for Jan and Brite's baby shower. Several of you commented on how good the coffee tasted (I think it had a lot to do with the co-old temps!), but I thought I'd let y'all know that right now it's BOGO at Bi-Lo! That evening I served New England Coffee's French Vanilla Decaf. Although my favorite is their Hazelnut Crème.

And if you go here, you can receive a $.50 coupon, which of course one may double at Bi-Lo! And if you're into personality testings, here's a fun coffee quiz on their website!

Hoping you stay warm,
Me, a hazelnut married to a Columbian Supremo!

99 loads of wash goin' round...99 loads of wash!

99 loads of wash goin' round...99 loads of wash!
Take one out...fold it around...98 loads of wash goin' round!

Well, my box 'o laundry detergent says that it will do 180 loads, and by dern today I think I'm gonna prove it! We have over-night company arriving here shortly (can't wait!), a trip to Atlanta tomorrow, and a baby shower here Monday night, so now's my only opportunity to get it all done, so I'm trying my best to get this laundry situation under control! I promised myself that I wouldn't go into the new year 'behind the 8-ball' with the laundry, yet here I still am! Aren't New Year's resolutions just made to be broken?!? Oops! Time to go switch out another load!

If anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them!

"When it rains, it pours!"

Well...remember my wonderful posting (back in August) when I announced the Farmer's Almanac's forecast for our area?!? Welp, they were right! A "brisk and wet winter" we have had!

Overall, it has been chilly, and it has rained and rained and rained! (I was expecting more snow, but the winter's not over just yet!) And just when you think it's rained all that it can rain, here rolls in the fog! Although I'm not really complaining, for I do have to say that the weather does make for a cozier home, and we have enjoyed snuggling, getting back into reality with school and house work! And I have loved every minute of it...up until yesterday afternoon!

Thinking about preparing supper, I walked into the kitchen and heard water moving...other than the rain falling outside! Yes I could hear water moving....it was in the basement!! So we called Daddy at work (isn't it nice being the weaker vessel/damsel in distress?), and he came on home to find that the basement was flooded and was filling up faster than the sub-pump could rid us of the water! [My husband informs me that it's actually called a "sump-pump." Oops...Did any of you gals notice?] Thankfully, I have most of our items in Rubbermaid boxes....Go, Rubbermaid and Sterlite! And Ricci's tools are up on shelving! But our sweet hubby/daddy got to work with his shop-vac (Dad, that Christmas gift you gave him ten years ago sure has been helpful over the years, but this beats all! Thanks again!), and Ricci worked most of the night from the moment he walked in the door. Knowing that he was wet and cold, I made a copycat recipe of Panera's Broccoli Soup, and I convinced the poor guy to come inside to have some soup...hmmm! It was so good! (Recipe at the bottom!) He sat down for about ten minutes to eat and pray with the girls before they went to bed. Then he immediately got back to work, but it only went from bad to worse!
Lovey, one of our two little night-owls, had rejoined me back downstairs (she "can't sleep with all of the quiet!"), so after hanging out with me for a while, I was about to take her back upstairs when we heard a terrible, terrible sound. It was a sound that you know something big is wrong....Eric came running up to ask me and Lovey if we were alright, so between the three of us we located where the sound happened. It was actually a heavy, thick drain that had ripped off the side of the house, taken some tree limbs and was resting on the telephone, cable lines above Eric's car. We moved his car, and I forbid him to touch any of it....remember, it's still pouring down rain while we're standing out there in the dark watching one thing after another happen! It really was so bad that all we could do was stand there in awe and laugh to keep from crying!

Ughhh...of course, Ricci can't go to work today (Yeah!) until we get something settled (no pun intended)! I'm sure that others at his office are in the same boat (again, no pun intended!), for the rain and flooding is all that's on the local news. Many of the schools are even closed! (Usually, that's to my girls' advantage, but today that's not going to benefit them...sorry, girls!)

And thankfully, today it has quit raining, and the temps are just dropping (brr!) while it's very windy....supposed to be helpful in drying us out! And the creek running beside our house (with its waterfalls) are just amazingly beautiful to hear and see!

If you're chilly too...and don't feel like running out to Panera, here's you a good copycat recipe! We all loved it! I was hoping that there would be leftovers; however, there weren't! So this recipe is so good that you might consider doubling this!

Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup

Very good soup...serve with crusty bread.

1 tablespoon melted butter (I used extra-virgin olive oil)
1/2 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter (I used extra-virgin olive oil)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup carrot, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I chose not to use this)
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.
2. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.
3. Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper and nutmeg.

What day is it?!? / Who cares!

This week has been more than wonderful! After we had tears of sadness from our holiday visitors' returning to their homes, we got to work getting the house back together, putting a few Christmas things away, enjoying a few new Christmas gifts, writing thank you notes, etc.

It seemed that without a firm schedule, we would have to stop and wonder, "What day is it?!?" Who cared! All we knew was that it was a couple more days before Daddy had to go back to work and before our holiday vacation was over! Woohoo!

We did take time to see some Christmas lights/reindeer with friends, our annual New Year's Eve ("Pancakes and Pajamas") get together with friends and just some good'ole (greatly needed!) time to get our new thoughts together for the new year! We did some things around the house, some revamping of our school schedule, and just enjoyed being with one another!

One thing that I found while I was cleaning out my nightstand was a little note that I had written down on a piece of paper...I don't recall where I heard this wisdom...but I still think it's so wise!

Men need to know that their thoughts are respected.

Women need to know that their feelings are protected.