**Blog Change**

Because I got married and changed my e-mail address, I have to go back and forth and back and forth between  my new e-mail and my old e-mail (the one that is linked to my blog)! Sooo, I am going to be moving this blog over to the new e-mail address, then delete this one. The address will still be the same! The only thing different is if you're a follower, you'll have to become a follower again.

Sorry for the inconvenience :)

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

The Good Wife's Guide

Shortly after I started dating my husband, his grandfather found this old newspaper article.  It was published in the 1950s by a women's magazine and is supposed to be a guide for a housewife to keep her husband happy.  It cracked me up and I put it on the refrigerator as a joke.  I've copied it below since it's a little difficult to read:

1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
3. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
5. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc., and then run a dustcloth over the tables.
6. Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, carering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
7. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.
8. Be happy to see him.
9. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
10. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
11. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment wihtout you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
12. Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
13. Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
14. Don't complain if he's home late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
15. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
16. Arrange his pillow and offer to take his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
17. Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
18. A good wife always knows her place.

 

** Of COURSE I am not the "good wife", although I do try to "clear away the clutter" and "gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc", although I do both of these more for myself than for him.  I do "have dinner ready" every once in a while, "be happy to see him", and "listen to him".  However, I'm pretty sure I don't "know my place" and I'm definitely not okay with him staying out all night! :)

Home Is Where Your Mama Is...

I love my home.  I love my husband and daughter.  I love our pets.  But there is nothing like your HOME - the place where you grew up.  This past weekend, my sisters and I helped my Mama decorate her Christmas tree.  We had so much fun putting up our favorite ornaments, drinking hot chocolate, watching Mama's favorite Christmas movie (It's A Wonderful Life), and being our goofy selves!

Holiday Spirit

This is absoloutely the MOST wonderful time of the year!  I LOVE the Christmas season!  I love the smells, the music, the lights, the decorations... and the general cheerfulness of the month of December. We got into the holiday spirit this weekend and did some decorating!

Decorations

Here are a few decorations in our home...

Living Room - Our Family Tree

View from the front door

Our First Christmas Tree!

Lots of lights!

My Gone With the Wind ornaments

Longwood University - Class of 2005

No tree (at least in the Smith household) is complete without Duke and Panthers ornaments!

Lucy LOVES the tree!

Dining Room - with our red and gold themed tree

I've been buying red and gold ornaments on sale for the last few years to have enough for a themed tree!

Candy and decorations

My Christmas dishes matched Michael's glasses!

Outside pictures to come!  :)

PINK at Daddy's house?!

McKayla came home last night to a well-lit home decorated for Christmas.  She was so excited about all of the lights and having TWO trees!  It was dark when she got home, so I don't think she noticed the Christmas flags outside until we left for school this morning...

McKayla:  We have pink flags!

Me:  Yep! Do you like them?

McKayla: They're PINK!

Me:  I know.

McKayla:  Of course I do!

Lucy Meets Hermie

When Lucy and I moved in a few months ago, I was a little worried about Hermie the hermit crab.  Lucy is a sweet cat, but she's not a fan of other animals.  Hermie lived in the laundry room until it got chilly, then I moved him into the pantry (I know this is not ideal, but I wanted him alive!), until I finally moved him into our bedroom.  Hermie has been pretty inactive the whole time I've known him, so Lucy didn't pay much attention to him.... that was until I dropped poor Hermie's cage... right off of the tall dresser... and onto the floor. Oops.  Hermie fell out of the cage and I was really worried about him.  We moved him into McKayla's room and bring him into the living room from time to time to "hang out with the family."  Ever since his great fall, Hermie's been pretty active.  I really think he's just terrified.  Lucy started to notice Hermie since he's been moving around so much.  Here is the first meeting.  I think it went pretty well.

Thanksgiving

As the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approach, I am trying to constantly remind myself what is important.  It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season, the gift giving and decorating, the running from house to house to make sure you get a visit with everyone.  Tonight, we didn't get home until 10PM, but I decided to let McKayla stay up anyway and help me bake a pie.  I'm glad I did; even though she got peanut butter all over her little fingers and I had to keep reminding her to not touch something, it meant a lot to both of us.  We put on our aprons and I was able to teach her something.  She said I was making her a baker - that no one had done that with her before.  I never knew what a blessing a step-child could be.  She has truly become my daughter and I love her so much.

This Thanksgiving, I truly have more to be thankful for than I could have ever imagined.  I have a wonderful, loving husband.  We have a beautiful daughter.  I have the best family ever.  I have a warm, cozy home and a good job.  I really have no reason to complain, although I admit that hasn't stopped me.  I have SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR.

Here are some of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs. It comes from Josh Groban's holiday cd and is called "Thankful":


Some days we forget
To look around us
Some days we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.




Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Shower Talk

Last night, I started running the shower for McKayla (it takes a bit for our water to get warm!).  She called me into the bathroom and told me her water was too hot.  After adjusting the temperature, I asked if it felt better. Her response was, "Yes, I love it! That's my temperature! You got it, Lindsey, you got it!"

Touchdown

On Sunday, I made my second appearance at an NFL game.  I have to admit that this game was much better than the first.  Not because I didn't enjoy the first game, but because the Panthers actually won!  The game and the crowd are SO much more fun when the home team is winning!  Here are a few pictures from the game on 11/15/09 - Panthers vs. Falcons: