M.I.A., Magic Tea, and Christmas Cards!!

So, as you might (or might not) have noticed, I have been pretty MIA from blogging from the past week or so! Well, things have been a little upside down around here! We got notice the weekend before last that my grandfather was really sick and instead of sending him to the hospital again, they would just allow Hospice nurses to come to his house. On Monday, the family stayed over there all day and we knew things were bad. I came to work on Tuesday and Wednesday and then Wednesday I  got a call from my brother (who lives in Nashville) that he was on his way down and I needed to go to my grandparents house ASAP because things didn't look good. So, I left work promptly and went over there. They called the whole family in. He wasn't doing well at all and it was just a matter of time. So, that afternoon at 5:30, my grandfather passed away surrounded by lots of family and friends. After that, the rest of the weekend was a whirlwind! We had visitation on Friday evening and the funeral on Saturday. It has been a rough week, to say the least.

Anyway, I am HOPEFULLY going to post some pictures of all of my decorations at home soon! I participated in an ornament swap and can't wait to show my ornament. But first, before I get into all of that, I wanted to post a huge shout-out to the folks over at Celestial Seasonings....(no, this isn't paid, I just felt like I needed  to share). So, as to be expected, I haven't slept well at all in over a week now. I take sleeping pills over the counter but they either don't work or make me want to never wake up because they make me so drowsy! But, I HAVE to sleep! I am one of those that goes to bed at 9 and wakes up at 7 or 8. I had trouble finding something that would help me sleep. My husband and I were shopping at a new grocery in town when I noticed a new Sleepytime tea from Celestial Seasonings....(I LOVE hot tea, especially in cold weather). It was vanilla flavored, and Emory suggested I try it. I thought, yeah right, there is no way a tea is going to help me sleep. Well, I have drank a cup before bed the last two nights, and I must say, I have slept better drinking that than I have with anything else, EVER! Emory is even trying it and sleeping well! It is awesome! So, kudos to you over at Celestial Seasonings! You MUST try this stuff! Let me know if it works just as well for you! It is caffeine and gluten free! Anyway, hopefully I will be back soon with a Christmas recap!

The amazing stuff!

****I have lots of extra Christmas cards, if you would like one, email me, rebecca[dot]m[dot]winters[at]gmail[dot]com and send me your address and I will send you one!! They are cute, you know you want one! ;)

12 Gays of Christmas Relient Remix

To Brighten up your day! These guys are too cute! I have had SO much going on, I will post an update soon!

Promises!

Well, I am making promises to catch up with you guys soon! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! We hosted our first married Thanksgiving at our house this year! Emory and I LOVE to cook and spend time in the kitchen! Really, I think if we had the opportunity to quit our jobs and have our own cooking show, we truly would! **If there are any food show execs out there reading this, we would LOVE to chat...give me a shout!** We have so much fun in the kitchen! We usually cook dinner every night together, so Thanksgiving was so much fun! We cooked enough for an army though! We still have an uncooked pan of dressing and sweet potato casserole that we put in our freezer! Emory smoked his first Turkey and man, it turned out absolutely wonderfully! It was SO good! We had his parents, sister and her fiance and my mom and step dad and step brother! Our new dining room table held us all! It was so much fun! Friday, all of the girls got up bright (well, dark) and early and went shopping! There were a few things that we got that we wanted but it didn't seem to me that the deals were that good this year! On Saturday, Emory and I decorated for our FIRST Christmas! We put up two trees! One in our living room that is a 9 foot tree and is beautiful and one in our dining room that is all Alabama! It is too cute if I must say so myself! I will take pictures tonight when they are all lit up and post them tomorrow! We decorated the outside of the house as well with lit wreaths on the windows and a huge wreath on the door and lit trees on either side of the door! I am SO excited! Now to get all of our presents and get them wrapped and under the tree! Our kids here at work have their first holiday show tomorrow, so I am busy helping get ready for that! I also have a busy weekend ahead! I hope you all have a wonderful week! It is Wednesday, so only two more days!! I will be back with pictures tomorrow, I promise!