Dancing to the Hot Dog song

To say Lexie loves the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cartoon would be quite an understatement. Her favorite is dancing to the Hot Dog song at the end of each episode.

Snow in December??

Wow! I can't remember the last time it snowed in December in the south. I think it was about 12-13 years ago? My family and I were leaving the Christmas Eve service at First Baptist. As we were going to the car, it started snowing. We actually had a "little" white Christmas!
Atlanta is very much a transplant city - meaning that most people who live here aren't from here. A lot of northerners live here. And I have a lot of northerners as my dearest friends. They (along with my sweet mother in law) make so much fun of me because of the fact that I get so excited when it snows. As you can see from the pictures below. They also like to make fun of how panicked people get here when it snows. The salt trucks are out, the snow plows are ready and the city is shut down for just nearly an 1/8th of an inch of snow. I might be exaggerating a bit but it is true. At least we have the resources if we were ever to have a blizzard. You never know what could happen. . . . :) Though I have to admit, I do think I would get tired of the snow after a while. The amount of snow we get down here in the south is just about right for me. And I'm thrilled that it is snowing in December (it usually snows in late February/early March).
The pictures below were taken yesterday afternoon. When Lexie and I left this morning for Mother's Morning Out, it was snowing sideways with a frigid temperature of 20 degrees. . . . .I like snow but not the jack frost weather that comes with it! :)

"There's that cold, white stuff that Mama stuck me in last February when I was only 9 months."

"Santa, are you there??"

Wham! The Hesiman goes to Cam!!!!!

I'm not going to sit here and rehash all the drama that my team and players have been put through for the past 3 months. I'm sure you've heard. . . . .Though I have to say I feel a little redeemed for my team and for Cam. It seems like the Heisman voters were smart enough to vote for the BEST player in the country. A blind man could see Cam's stats and know that he deserved the prestigious award. If you are questioning Cam's integrity, I think his actions speak for themselves. Period. Believe what you want to. I can't change any body's mind. All I can say is that I think Cam is a great kid with an unbelievable second chance! We are so blessed to have a Lord that gives us second chances. Congratulations, Cam! You deserve this amazing award! War CAM Eagle!

Auburn Greatnesses

This isn't directed towards any particular team. It's for all the naysayers that said Cam would never win the Heisman let alone lead his team to play for the National championship!

I love this pic. . . Cam winning the Heisman. 25 years earlier, the AUsome man (Bo Jackson of course) sitting behind Cam in this picture won his Heisman at Auburn.
WAR EAGLE!!!!

A Christmas tree farm = a house ready for Christmas!

For those that know me, I LOVE CHRISTMASTIME! I love the feeling of love, warmth, togetherness, happiness, and of course celebrating the birthday of our Lord and Savior.

Last Friday, my parents drove up for the weekend. We chose to go to a Christmas tree farm about 45 minutes north of Atlanta to pick out a tree (unfortunately Dave couldn't go - he had to work. We would have gone the next day in order for him to go but he was going back to Charlotte to watch his Hokies play for the ACC championship against FSU). The type of trees that I like (Frazier firs) don't grow in the south. But the reason for going to this farm is because the Frazier firs that they get are kept in water from the time they are cut down to the time they are sold - unlike the trees I used to buy from Big John's in parking lots. I was getting tired of my tree dying or drying out before Christmas Day. Not to mention that the cost of the trees were significantly cheaper than what I had been paying Big John's Christmas trees in the previous years.

This place had a TON of Frazier firs to choose from. Anywhere from 3 feet tall to 20 feet tall. I felt like I was walking through a Christmas wonderland forest of pre-cut trees! The folks running the farm could not have been any nicer. I have a feeling this might become a Mader family tradition.

I just adore Christmas trees!

This pic doesn't do this tree justice. It was around 13' in height and about 6 1/2' in width. It was HUGE! It could have fit in our living room but we might have looked like the Griswolds. . . .

"I'm so excited for Christmas!"

The family room tree (It was only about 10' high and 4 1/2' wide). Dad and I would have gone a lot bigger but Dave didn't want a "ginormous" tree. . . .

The banister lights

The Foyer tree

And lets not forget the reason we decorate in the first place.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life!

Lexie & her BF's visit the Pink Pig at Macy's

Last week, my 2 fabulous girlfriends and their little girls all visited the Pink Pig at Macy's. For those who aren't familiar with the Pink Pig, it's a small train on tracks that goes through a life-sized story book featuring Priscilla the Pig and her friends. This Ride has been entertaining Atlantans since 1953. The girls loved it!

The Pink Pig!

Ladies day out!

All aboard (this pic is not the greatest of my sweet pea).

Attempting to talk to Priscilla the Pig. . . .

Ladies lunch at CPK (California Pizza Kitchen)

Precious Zarin!

Sweet Taylor!

"Today was a lot of fun, but I'm worn out!"

A Great T'giving in the Carolinas

Thanksgiving was full of wonderful times and memories. Dave, Lexie, and I packed up the car and headed north for four fun days in South and North Carolina. Dave's parents have a second home in South Carolina (their primary residence is in Denver) and Dave's brother lives in Charlotte (about 15 minutes from my in law's house).
On our last night in town, Michelle and John took all of us to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens for their tour of Holiday Lights. Lexie and Amelia had the time of their life. They were just running around aimlessly through all the trails and walkways. Saying they were fascinated by all 600,000 lights would be an understatement. Not to mention that they weathered the frigid temperature that night very well!
The four days consisted to two little munchkins terrorizing Kathy and Mike's house, eating way too much food/junk, watching AUsome football, and getting to spend time with loved ones.

It's impossible to get a "perfect" pic of these little rascals.

Grandpops and his favorite granddaughters
"Yay, Mama said I could have some pumpkin pie!"

Dave preparing his famous "Dave" turkey

Grandma and her favorite grand babies

Oh so happy girls!!! WAR EAGLE!

Poor Amelia - this pic was taken right after Auburn beat Bama. I probably scarred the child for life with my excitement.

A very happy family . . . .Auburn had just beat Bama in an epic Iron Bowl!

Sweet cousins

Having fun in the willow wood maze - the kids LOVED it!

"May I have a hot cup of hot chocolate?"

Loving the horse and carriage going by. . .

these little munchkins were so stinking fun to watch!

An attempt to get a C'mas picture. . . .not so much.

Fun Time at the Atlanta Zoo with Su SU

Lexie was fascinated by the flamingos

"I like this neigh!"
Petting the goats and sheep

"Thanks Su Su for a fun time at the zoo!"

Fried Green Tomato Casserole

I love, love, love tomatoes - especially home grown ones like the ones from my parent's farm. I also really enjoy cooking. This might sound crazy, but cooking is therapeutic for me. Sometimes I get in a rut and cook the same things over and over. But lately I've began to try to new recipes again. I found this recipe and tried it on Friday.

The recipe is Fried Green Tomato Casserole. Though I tweaked the recipe a bit with three additions or changes.

Original Recipe

Ingredients:

• 6 Medium green Tomatoes, Sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste (I added Italian seasoning)
• 1 Cup Ritz cracker crumbs
• 1 Cup sharp Cheddar cheese (I also added shaved Parmesan cheese with the cheddar)
• 6 Tablespoons of butter

Layer half of the sliced tomatoes in a greased, shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add half the cracker crumbs and half the grated cheese. Cut butter in small pieces and place on top of crumbs. Layer the other half of tomatoes, salt & pepper, cheese, cracker crumbs, and the remaining butter. Baked covered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes; uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes until brown. Serves 6

My tweaks:

I didn't really need or want an entire casserole, so I cut the portion down. I only used one greenish/yellowish tomato. I cut it into slices and put in a greased 8"x8" pan. I coated them with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (Italian seasoning is a favorite and thought it would be a great addition). Then I sprinkled each slice with cheddar and shaved Parmesan cheese (I guess I was aiming for an Italian dish, because the additions I kept adding were Italian). I crushed up about 6 or 7 Ritz crackers. I placed the crumbs on top of the cheese. Last, I cut little pieces of butter and placed them on top of the crackers. I baked the tomato for 30 minutes but probably should have baked them a little less. It didn't have as much as a "crunch factor" as I had wanted. The greener the tomato, the longer it should bake. My tomato wasn't that green. But it was sooo yummy anyway! This would make a great appetizer if you were having some friends over for dinner.

Simple, yet delicious!!

All the ingredients you will need (butter, cheese, tomatoes, cracker crumbs, salt & pepper).

Voila! By the way, I didn't bite off the piece in the upper right corner. It had a little brown spot that I cut out before baking.

Sweet Cookie

We had a very fun Halloween last Sunday evening. Many adorable trick or treaters greeted us with their cute costumes. Since trick or treating didn't start until right around Lexie's bed time, we dressed her up to sit on the front porch and help hand out "5" bags of candy. She had a fun time watching all the kids arrive at our door step.
A few days before Halloween, I carved two pumpkins. Lexie LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so I thought it would be fun to carve Mickey and Minnie. I think they turned out cute.
But my favorite thing about Halloween this year was my sweet Cookie. . . . . :)

Who doesn't love a sweet cookie??