Santa Claus is real.

There once was a man named St Nicholas. St Nicholas lived to 343 ... He is known for miracles, secret gift giving and filling shoes (stockings) with coins for those who were good. In my last post I did say I grew up with the true meaning of Christmas both Christian and Commercial. Jesus even received gifts on the day he was born. As he was a gift to everyone. So I tell my children Santa Claus is very real. 

A year or two ago Skylar had some friends over so she was about 10 or 11 years old. Her friend Victoria who is just a year older and her friend Kara who is a few months older were playing out back and if Skylar's outside William must follow. So I sat outside with them to keep an eye on William so it wouldn't be their responsibility. I overhead Victoria tell them that Santa wasn't real. She didn't think Heaven or Hell was real either. My jaw dropped. I wouldn't have normally said anything TO the child but I do know this child's grandmother (who raises her) goes to church frequently so I said Victoria how can you go to church and listen to the preacher and not believe him when he talks about heaven or hell? She said my aunt never lies and she told me Santa is fake and heaven and hell isn't real either. Again I am just shocked. I said Santa is real look up St Nicholas. She's like yeah St Nicholas was alive but he's dead now. I just was dumb founded and decided it was time to drive her home. HAHA I just looked at Skylar and pointed at her and said REMEMBER THE POLAR EXPRESS (referencing the movie.) The movie has been a big deal in our house. Its one of our Christmas favorites along with Small One (which tells the story of Jesus's birth). So in theory Skylar could know more than she asks but in some ways some of her mind she is still so innocent. She could read this very blog at her age (she's 12 now). She still talks about our elves Barnaby and Merry (Elf on the Shelf). She hasn't let on but this year she didn't sit in Santa's lap but Rick nor I didn't really push it either. I am sure she is loosing magic slowly but I'd like for her to hang on to it as much as possible.. She did collect a down payment from the tooth fairy recently. Hopefully the tooth fairy will send the rest soon. I don't plan on stealing any of her magic away or telling her anything any time soon. We have had a lot of growing up recently and some things just need to stay the same. Maybe she does believe in St Nicholas magic. I hope so... aside from Jesus's birth I think the magic of St Nicholas is important too.

What I always wondered was... well let me tell you a story.. When Skylar was 4 or so we lived in an area that didn't have a mall. So my boyfriend's uncle drove us to the nearest city with a mall (Rome, GA) so Skylar could see Santa. She sat on Santa's lap and did the whole thing and then we had to travel to I believe was like a Santa breakfast type thing. Undoubtedly Santa had a wardrobe change in between the two events if you know what I mean. I thought to myself will she notice? From birth till the age of 4 she also had seen the same Santa at an Auction we used to attend every Thanksgiving night we would see Santa. I really miss that tradition. I always wonder what is going through the kids minds when they see Santa at one location then go to another location to see Santa? Skylar's never really been the kid to over think things or at least out loud. For years people were surprised that she hadn't asked about her biological father since I have been married since she was 4 to her step father. She just never asked so one day I did bring it up and we had a talk. So I wondered at the age of 4 did she notice Santa's wardrobe changes? Between breakfast, the mall, and the auction? What's the story? Do any of your kids have an explanation about Santa being everywhere? I have even spotted him driving down the road in a MINIVAN! (By the way the Tooth Fairy drives a pick up truck and her son is my my son's dentist of all things LOL) 
Tell me what you've told your kids about Santa? Have they noticed Santa is everywhere? What are some things that they've said? Any funny stories? 

Barnaby is our trouble maker and Merry is always trying to keep him straight and ends up getting in a mess herself!

Santa at the Redbud Auction in Calhoun, GA

Oh yes we went through a period where she was terrified of Santa. Santa would be at the front door of the auction and Skylar would be at the back door hiding under a table. Yes my boyfriend and I were one of those parents that made her sit in Santa's lap fear or not.. She's not scared for life she got over it after she wanted some Dora Ice cream and I told her she had to ask Santa for it since I couldn't find it on my own ;)

I don't know if its crazy or what?

I quit smoking 6 years ago cold turkey. One addiction I have not been able to kick is my addiction to the liquidity sweetness of Coca Cola. Sure I obey doctors orders and try to curb my habit down to one a day or two with lots of ice during my pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Skylar my kidneys were trying to shut down so often I wasn't allowed to have anything but water and milk. I even craved orange juice so bad. I could almost never have Coca Cola. Afraid of being back in the hospital or doing damage to my unborn baby girl. At least some of the time I could afford sweet tea.. Until I was pregnant with William. I tried to replace my Coca Cola habit with sweet tea. I had horrible morning sickness with Skylar for the full 35 weeks of my pregnancy and I just merely thought it was the same with William. I then started to realize the trigger for my stomach was sweet tea. So I couldn't curb much of that need for coke anymore. Matter of fact I joke the one reason William didn't have colic and the other two did was because he didn't have to wean off of caffeine.

I wasn't allowed to have coke as much growing up unless we ate fast food which was pretty rare like only reserved when we traveled. When I turned 18 I started getting my addiction. My mom would yell at me for drinking a 2 liter a day. I never really let it go since. Of course I don't drink two liters anymore. I grew up in Georgia so I partly blame the influence of the city in which I am from for my addiction. Coca Cola was first sold in Atlanta and is a proud part of their history. It is one of my favorite companies and always has been. My dentist and his employees often give me grief about it to because I don't just chug a coke and leave it alone I am a sipper. I sip on the same one for hours so apparently between my epilepsy meds and the constant chaos of the PH balance in my mouth are wreaking havoc. I.have.some.control. I can feel when my kidneys start acting up and I start drinking more water in my diet. I cannot for the life of me drink 64 ounces of water a day I am just not that thirsty and I think that also goes back to me being a sipper.

Coke and I have had our ups and downs now... A few years ago they released a beautiful white can to help give money to the Polar Bears (Did you know Polar Bears will be extinct in the wild in the next 50 years yet they aren't yet endangered?)
Anyways remember these?

Beautiful cans... helps save the wild life which is something close to my heart... but the coke inside always tasted OFF... I called Coke about this problem. They have great customer service by the way. They said other people had some issues too. So after doing some digging the white of the can was causing more sunlight to get therefore changing some of the balance of the contents. You know how Nestea has that sickly sweet lemon taste? This was like mixing coke and lemon.. just an odd taste.

I already had issues drinking coke out of the fountain from most restaurant because I can taste the slightest variance in the mixture.. If the carbonation vs corn syrup mixture is off in the slightest yuck.. Flat even worse! It tastes like *deep breath* Pepsi. So my husband couldn't buy my addiction in a 12 pack or 6 pack even and I couldn't go get it out of a fountain. Frankly the buying a 20 ounce bottle a day was getting pricey again. I had a friend Kaila who was pregnant and all she craved was Strawberry Cokes from Sonic. I am like Strawberry what a what? She told me and I was forever even more hooked! 

Yes the coke comes out of the fountain but I think the fresh (err frozen?) strawberries and strawberry syrup can hide the inconsistency well enough to where I can't tell. I drank Strawberry cokes for the rest of the white can Coke campaign... 

Trying off brand coke wasn't completely out of question but my body could tell. I had horrible withdraws.. Is there really Cocaine in this? I feel guilty quite often about addicted I am. After the campaign was over I still have times when Rick will bring home a 12 pack and it tastes off so we can no longer buy soda from Kroger. Does it sit too long? Do they leave it in the sun? How is it handled differently? After all the source has to pretty much be the same? It tastes off ?? Its so strange I guess I am that sensitive to the different balances between canned, bottled, and fountain?

Then came the Coca Cola Freestyle.. because its a fountain I was a little hesitant... I knew that it wouldn't be like my Sonic Cokes because it wouldn't have fresh fruit in them. Not to mention they don't have strawberry flavoring? Hmm something Coke could change! I don't like cherry Coke usually from the can either the pre mixed stuff I prefer to add my own grenadine into my coke. Now I have gotten hooked on the Cherry Coke Freestyle so the few restaurants that have this... Thank you! 

Last year I even scheduled a trip back home so we could stop off in Chattanooga to get Coca Cola Cans with our names on them

Are you a coke, pop, or soda addict? What do you call it? What is your brand of choice? What flavor do you prefer?

Tuesdays Blog Prompts and more

Blog prompts for Tuesday

Blog prompts from Paper Coterie http://www.papercoterie.com. Get a $38.00 credit by using the code BeAThankful

Tuesday's prompt is


Here's a fun creative challenge. Photograph your friends' and family's favorite landmarks in your neighborhood. The spot where you met your best friend. Your first kiss. Your favorite cafés and restaurants and what you like to order. The place where you spend most of your time. If you're like us. . . it's in your car. 

You can capture and share these photos, captions, and thoughts with loved ones and friends when you're finished.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conversation Starters and Blog Prompts


Try this link http://www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/imagination.prompt.html
What was my favorite vacation or trip ever -- list 10 reasons why
10 types of food or dishes I've never eaten that I'd like to try
Do you like progress?
What sets you apart from the crowd?
List 10 things you want to accomplish before it's too late.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Meme's, Hops and Carnivals

No host for this one i just do it because I like writing about my cats lol, I am not fond of the graphic either I might have to make a new one or have one made.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Post it Note Tuesday

Learn Something New Tuesday

Ten on Tuesday

In My Neighborhood Tuesday

Tackle It Tuesday

Tune Up Tuesday (Inactive Linky)

Toot Your Horn Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday

Silly Monkey Stories

TMI Tuesday

Toddler Talk Tuesday

TIPSy Tuesday

To-Do Tuesdays

Tunes Tuesday

True Story Tuesday

Two 4 Tuesday

That's my Answer

and other random meme's listed here
http://www.3garnets2sapphires.com/2008/08/blog-meme-listing-miscellaneous-memes.html

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

http://blessedwithgrace.blogspot.com/

This momma is sick with a bug of some type or a killer cycle. Anywho I think I am going to take it easy on my stomach and just make some chicken soup from a box hehe and enjoy it and let my favorite Soldier take care of the lil ones.

I wanted to bake a Cinnamon Tea Cake. Its a yummy thing my "adopted mom" used to make me and I never put two and two together to make it for myself. Then one day at our Dave Ramsey Class there it appeared and the taste was like a reminisce of YUM. I asked the baker for the recipe (she was also taking the class) She got short with me and told me NO I couldn't have the recipe it was her prize winning cake and she planned on opening a bakery with this signature cake. HA!

Alrighty then. So I googled it and I am going to give a try. But today my stomach isn't up to par. I am under quarantine and just taking a half of a day off. Maybe Saturday if I am not busy or Monday afternoon once Skylar comes home from school.

My mom used to make Chicken and Rice when I was real little and we didn't have a lot of money. I asked as an adult what she did and my mother is one of those cooks that doesn't do recipes she doesn't measure she is just like auto pilot... All she said was take some chicken breasts into a pan with a little water and rice and it will cook up... I know there is more too this but WHAT? I want some!

What's tempting your tummy this Tuesday?

What's for dinner?

Do you want to share a recipe?

If you blog be sure to click the link and join the Blog Carnival...

    http://blessedwithgrace.blogspot.com/