The parade was awesome and the kids loved it. I had a great time myself as it’s been a while since I have attended a parade. The drums played and the old cars went by as we cheered. It was a wonderful day over all.

We now have a fire going and the living room is full of people. We are all relaxing a little before we have to clean up the mess and begin cooking our meal. Turkey is on the menu and I am already starting to get my normal Christmas hunger pains. It has been a good day so far and I am sure that it will only get better.

It seems that every weekend in May has some kind of festival or group activity that I like to attend, especially the Memorial Day Weekend, which is the unofficial start of summer.

I don’t claim to have anything to do with where my ancestors come from or what they did in their lifetime before I was born. But on St. Patrick’s Day I will make claim to the Irish in my blood and will be wearing the green to say so.

I love watching Christmas movies this time of year. I enjoy popping some popcorn and sitting down at the Direct Star TV. One of my favorites has to be “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” I actually prefer the new version with Jim Carey to the older one. You can’t go wrong with anything Dr. Seuss. It can be a bit scary, but the kids still really enjoy it. They have a ton of fun watching this one with me. My youngest daughter was in a bit of shock that he ate glass. She can’t saying did he really just do that mom. It was really fun to watch her reaction to this one. It is one that we never miss each year. Once it is on we all sit down together and watch it right away. We own it on DVD but for some reason it is just not the same. It is better to make sure we catch it on television and have a family night watching it live right while it is on for everyone to see.

I love Christmas! I don’t care who is aware of it; and if they know me, they probably know that fact quite well.

When the time comes to decorate, usually a few days after Thanksgiving, I am ready to go. My family has a few boxes of decorations in the basement, and I bring them up when we are about to start. Usually we don’t go absolutely nuts. We don’t cover every inch of the house in blinking lights and plastic reindeer or anything. On the other hand, we don’t like to aim for boring, either. Putting everything together is a two person job, although sometimes another person will want to help if they are in the mood. The family room and kitchen get most of the decorations, because that is where we always are. Candles are put in the bathrooms, and smaller, less intricate items are in the hallway for most of December.

The front yard is another matter. We aren’t one of those houses that think everything but Santa’s bathtub should be out for all to see. In fact, we only put one wreathe on the door, and leave everything else outside alone. We aren’t out to win any contests, and we don’t mind if the neighbors tease us about our lack of creativity. After a long day of putting everything together, everybody settles down and watches something on direct tv.

I always try to make it a practice to have some change to donate to the little red kettle. When I hear the man ringing the bell, it makes me proud to be an American. The Salvation Army does many good works for many people and I am glad to support their efforts.

Christmas shopping is both stressful and exciting. Everyone knows how crowded the mall can be during this busy holiday season, but I still like doing my Christmas shopping at the mall because it is so convenient. I can get all of my shopping done in the same place, going to many different kinds of stores without ever stepping foot outdoors. Going to a mall makes my holiday shopping so much easier.

When I go Christmas shopping, I usually prefer to go alone. Shopping with friends and family is always fun, but Christmas is time for “serious” shopping. I want to go to a store, pick up what I need, and leave without any leisurely browsing. Also, if I shop with someone else, I cannot buy gifts for them, and I like to do all of my shopping at once.

Before I leave for the mall on the big day, I remember to set my home security alarm from TotalAlarmSystems.com/ while I will be gone. I always feel more comfortable knowing my house is protected. After a day of intense shopping, I usually order a latte or hot chocolate at a book store in the mall and browse magazines or books for an hour or so, relaxing after my very busy day.

One item we added was a stainless steel kitchen sink. It has worked out so well for us and we really like it. It is very deep and that makes it easy to wash the bigger pots and pans. Another item we added to our kitchen was the butcher block countertop. That gives us a place to prepare the food we are cooking. These two items look very nice and our kitchen looks so much better than before.

We also didn’t neglect the rest of the house. When company comes over this year, I am sure that we will all be arguing over who gets to sit in the adirondack chair that we purchased. I will have to put my foot down and insist that I will get to sit in the chair and everyone else will have to find somewhere else to rest their weary bones! I love being the king of the castle!