Even Jesus only had one Christmas.

I am officially Christmas-ed out.

We had Christmas dinner with the girls' godparents, a Christmas Eve drop-in with friends, Christmas Eve gumbo & presents with my parents, Christmas Day stockings & lunch at my house, Christmas afternoon visiting with Beau's family, Christmas Leftovers' Party with friends Monday night, Christmas dinner and more presents with my dad's family last night, AND ... can you believe it, Christmas at PF Chang's with my mom's side of the family tonight? How else does a typical family celebrate the birth of Christ but with great Chinese food?

Let's count that.

Um ... that's 8 Christmas events. EIGHT.

Wow. That's enough.

I am officially done with eating.

Well ... I guess after tonight I will be.

I'm terrified to step on the scale. TERRIFIED. So, I probably won't. At least for another month or so after I get myself back together.

I have not worked out regularly since the week before Thanksgiving. Horrible. Shameful. Sure, I did a run here and there, but nothing consistent and it's finally catching up with me. My clothes are tight. I'm uncomfortable and could give myself a kick in the you-know-what.

So ... you would say, "No problem, Mama Belle. Just start up Thursday or even Friday."

But, I have this pesky little minor surgery on Friday morning. No big deal. One of those drive-through, in-and-out surgeries. I'm sure I'll be home by the afternoon.

The only part I'm not crazy about is the getting-put-to-sleep part. Thankfully, my mom, the best nurse I know will be there. I requested her to be there so that the other nurses or doctors don't kill me. All those medical dramas have ruined me. I've seen a woman wake up in the middle of her surgery or even worse not wake up from a surgery. Uh ... Too much to think about.

Anyhow, I'm sure I'll be up and ready to go for a run this weekend. Some time. At least I hope so.

In the meantime, I'll give you a taste of what we've had to endure from Roxy's latest Christmas gift (of which she has 3 of). Lord, help us.

Hope your Christmas was blessed!

You're welcome.

Christmas is right around the corner. Like everyone else, I'm equally swamped with preparations for Christmas day and multiple family celebrations. 

Add to that, fielding numerous daily questions like, "What's abortion?" from my 11-year-old (long discussion ensued), and ensuring my 14-year-old still has a pulse due to her massive amount of sleeping. Beau continues to run around and get his last-minute gifts, persistently refuses to use the "GUIDE" button on the remote, and is repeatedly watching YouTube videos by Dirty Loops (It's constant, ya'll. Same songs, over and over again. He's listening to one right now. Dirty Loops, can you please re-make another song for my sanity). I've just been trying to avoid getting out at all and wishing there would be at least one good thing to watch on TV besides those terribly crummy Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies. But on a good note, I actually have had a clean house for about a week now. Best accomplishment of the week! (which reminds me I have to put the clothes in the dryer ... be back in a minute)

I was thinking about how nice it would be to have ALL family members from every side at one place at one time. Wow. That would be so much easier. I mean, can't everyone just make things convenient for me? Geez.

When you get together for these things, each time food is involved and usually, you have to bring something. Last night, I pulled out this recipe from Picky Palate for a small get-together at my house.


Um ... they were devoured despite the accidental overdose of condensed milk. Oops.


So easy. Mine didn't turn out as pretty as this picture, so I stole it from their site. Very rich and delicious!

White Chocolate S'mores Gooey Cake Bars
1 large egg
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 full graham crackers
10 ounce bag white chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 box yellow cake mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with tin foil that’s been generously sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure foil goes all the way up and over the edges for this one. It will be a full pan.

Place cake mix, egg, and butter into a large mixing bowl. Mix with hands (THIS IS MESSY & I think a spoon would be OK.) until a nice dough forms similar to a cookie dough. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer with graham crackers, white chips then marshmallows. Top with remaining half of dough pressing evenly. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over top then bake for 28-33 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown on top. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes then take a plastic knife and run along edges to loosen marshmallow (this will make your life easier when pulling foil out of pan to remove bars. Let cool completely (IMPORTANT if you want them to look decent) then remove bars from pan with foil edges. Cut off all edges if desired, about 1/2 inch each side. I save the edges to snack on too. Cut bars into squares and serve. They are delicious room temperature or chilled.

Merry Christmas to you and yours! 

Take time to enjoy your family and remember to thank God for the precious gift of His Son!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
   from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:6-7


Now on a totally different note and to make sure you're in the-know...

Dirty Loops - Re-make of Justin Bieber's "Baby". 
(Go here to be even more pleased when you hear what they've done to Brittany Spears' "Circus".)

It's not NYC, but it's the closest thing we got.

You know how much I love NYC. I really do. We spent our 15th wedding anniversary there a couple of years ago. It was IN. CRE. DIBLE. Then, we took the girls for Mardi Gras last year. Loved it again!

I'm pretty sure I could fit in there. I really could. This is no joke. 

(Shhh ... Beau and I plan to move there when we get old. Maybe. Or at least dream about having an apartment to visit.)

NYC is quite the distance from Cajun country, so we settled for, not New Orleans (been there, done that A LOT), but Houston for our anniversary get-away. 

(Note to self and any other non-married person reading this: DO NOT and I mean DO NOT get married near Christmas just to save money on decorations or you think it would be neat to have a Christmas wedding. DON'T DO IT. Your anniversary becomes a secondary thing. This is precisely the reason Beau and I try to get away every year no matter what. It's an important thing to celebrate, you know.)

I absolutely adore Houston.

Our time there was very relaxed. We had no agenda but to enjoy each other's company and sleep late. Yep. That was pretty much the plan. Oh, and eat good food, which we SO did.

Our anniversary dinner was amazing! We chose Mark's American Cuisine.

I have to say it was definitely one of the best meals we've ever eaten, including our NYC meals (and all meals from the South ... which let's face it, has some of the best food around). Seriously ... AMAZING! The only negative part about it was that it was also the most expensive meal we've ever eaten. Quite a chunk o' change. But, let me tell you, worth every penny!

See how excited I am to start eating?

So, let's get this started. You must see what we ate.

Appetizer:

Hearth Roasted Chef Creek Oyster Topped with a Ragout of Jumbo Crabmeat, Shrimp and Roasted Leeks in a Truffle Aioli Vinaigrette

A yummy salad came next which we scarfed down before I could get a picture.

My entree:

Grilled Panama Shrimp with a Ragout of Jumbo Lump Crabmeat atop a Southern Carolina Succotash & Grit Cake with a Chili Spiked Lime Sauce, & Roasted Green Chile, Cilantro Coulis

Beau's entree:

Prime Sirloin of Beef and Chicken Fried Bacon with Roasted Potatoes, Mushrooms, Slow Roasted Peppers with Aged Balsamic Vinegar and a "1658" Steak Sauce

 And you didn't think we'd skip dessert, did you?

My dessert:

Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee'

(That "Happy Anniversary" is all chocolate. That made me even happier.)

Beau's dessert:

Lemon Cheesecake

If you're ever in Houston and have a few extra bucks, eat there. I promise you will not be disappointed.

As my mama always said, "Children should be seen and not heard." At times, so true!

Our Christmas production, A Charlie Brown Christmas, was a huge success, not in that we did a good job, but in the fact that over 4800 people had the opportunity to accept Christ. And, 80 made it official. That puts everything in perspective. All the late hours, hard work, and stress were worth it, knowing that those people now have a relationship with Christ.

As you know, I played Lucy. She was a great character to play. It was quite fun!

My favorite part of the entire production was meeting kids afterwards. I got so many hugs from precious little girls (and some boys). It was so sweet!

Until ...

The most (ahem) precious little girl told me this after seeing me close-up:

"Ha! They made you look young on the stage."

Why, yes, "they" did, Little Miss Smarty-Pants!

My expression after hearing this statement was probably somewhat like this.

(This pic cracks me up.)

What a great weekend!

Here's a few more pics:

To watch the production, you can go here.

I'm trading in my dancing shoes.

I prefer these babies.

I finally have a chance to relax and put them on. I have been running (and dancing) like a crazy person for a few months now. I'm definitely beyond ready for a break. Thank you Lord, that I'm finally getting it.

Here's where I wore my dancing shoes first. 

(These pics are from "That '70s Disco" Christmas Party for the ladies of our church ... almost 330 in attendance. It was a fantastic and groovy night!)

  

Beau and me singing "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart."

Even our pastor got involved. Here he is singing "Play that Funky Music."

'70s Disco Dancers were awesome!

Laverne & Shirley were hilarious and lead some great games.

Who says you can't worship the Lord in disco clothes? We did.

The fabulous, DeLynn Rizzo, shared an encouraging message. I just love her.

My girls (minus a few ...)

The disco floor was opened and everyone learned "The Hustle." Fun!

As far my second pair of dancing shoes ... they were a pair of black and white oxfords that I got to take off for good yesterday. 

I got to play Lucy in our annual Christmas production, "A Charlie Brown Christmas." It was lots or hard work but it paid off with over 4800 in attendance this past weekend and even better, 80 salvations! That makes it all worth it!

More Charlie Brown pics to come.

Now, I'm going to eat chocolate.

How to Receive a Compliment

Most of us find it hard to receive a compliment. I often struggle with it, but am training myself to receive it with grace. I typically grit my teeth and try to avoid brushing the compliment away with an excuse of why I'm not what the compliment-offerer says I am. I try to offer no excuse. I force a smile and say "thank you," even though inside I whole-heartedly disagree.

I'm working on it, people. And, I know most women are just like me in this area.

Through time, we've learned that this problem, combined with a bit of self-esteem issues.

But, I've found the greatest tutorial on how to receive a compliment from my friend,  Jenny from Jenny on the Spot.

I'm so doing this from now on.

You should too. It's time we grab hold of that compliment and own it!

Wait ... I have a blog?

Right, I do.

Life has been a little hectic, and I'm sure I'll have stuff to share after the madness is over. Hopefully I'll have some good pictures of this past weekends' '70s Disco Party, which was a blast, and included a great word from DeLynn Rizzo.

I feel like every day has been a pattern of working early and continue working late into the evening. I haven't had much time for anything. My family's been living off of fast food and mac 'n cheese. Yuck. La Petite Belle even had to wear a dirty shirt to school last Thursday because I had forgotten to wash. Gross. I threatened her about not taking her sweatshirt off. But, the worst came when I forgot to pick up K Belle and her friend Friday after school because I was knee-deep in disco party preparations.

Don't worry. They were picked up.

But, it's really been one thing after another. And, now we're onto Christmas production.

It is really going to be a great production and I hope to have video & pictures once it's all over. The production is A Charlie Brown Christmas. And, guess who's Lucy? Yep. Me.

Her lines are quite extensive. I've been working on memorizing and more memorizing.

The funny thing is that as I look more and more into Lucy's character, I notice that we are somewhat alike. 

She's a little bossy. I can be a little bossy.

 (Even though I think bossy people are simply misunderstood. Bossy is not necessarily a bad thing.)

She knows what she wants. I know what I want.

She has a problem with being a control freak. I can be a control freak.

She's a Type-A personality. I'm a Type-A personality.

She doesn't mince words. I don't mince words.

She's honest. I'm honest.

She likes to help people. I like to help people.

She can be misunderstood. I am often misunderstood.

Playing Lucy has become quite fun. She's a hoot! I hope I can do her justice with my limited acting skills.

Agreed, Lucy. Agreed.

If you're local and want to come to this fantastic production, you can. More info at www.mycrossroads.org.