The Gingerbread Man's House: Based on a True Story

Once upon a time there was a cute little Gingerbread Man.
He was a cute little thing and a sweet teacher purchased him from the dollar store. She placed him a bag to give as a gift for a most precious little girl. The little girl brought him home and basically forgot about him. Then 4 days later the little girl's aunt and cousin came over and wanted to make Gingerbread houses! "What a great idea," the little girl thought. Then she remembered her little gingerbread man and ran to get him. "I know," said the little girl, "let's make a house for him!!" Her mother thought that was a wonderful idea. So the two mommas and two little girls started to piece together the house with ease.


Or so it seemed. They actually started off sorta cute. I mean not like "oh my goodness these are so cute I think I could sell them for money" type of cute. They were definitely "we made these from a box kit on my kitchen table with two silly 3 and 4 year olds" type of cute.


Then it all started going south...really quick. Lord have mercy the the roof was sliding off, walls were caving in, gumdrops seeping through crevices, wreaths melting off the front door, and then there were sprinkles.....EVERYWHERE!!!!


The houses were looking nothing like the "decorating ideas" they put on the package.

The two mommas worked quickly to push the houses back together and take a picture of the two silly little girls before they ran right out of their festive clothes into order to transform into princesses!

Poor little Ginger man. He even got glued to the side of the little girls house. The two little girls quickly lost interest in the inevitable mess they were making and left the table to move on to more important things: like dressing up and hiding from their younger brother and sister behind the couch. Poor little Gingerbread Man was forgotten once again. Not to worry, the little girl's sweet, caring, lovely, kind, thoughtful, patient, sweet, beautiful, and adoring mother found the little Gingerbread man amongst the rubble of the broke down house and saved him. She washed him in the sink and put him back under the little girl's Christmas tree safe from any harm that might befall him. And he lived there happily ever after.Well, at least until Christmas was over and he would be packed in a storage container and put in the shed for a whole year until it was the appropriate time to get him out the next season!
The End
The Very End for these janky Gingerbread Houses

Just One...

Last week I finally built myself up to try and take a picture for our Christmas Card. I really wanted a family picture, but since we run late crazy people we are never "dressed and ready" together at the same time (except Sunday's...and trying to take a picture before church is a disaster waiting to happen and everyone is in need of a nap after church so there you go.)
I think it was Wednesday and I picked Olivia up from school and of course it was raining. But my determination was strong and I started getting them all dressed in their Christmas outfits. As I'm fixing Liv's hair, I notice that I don't hear Jack...hummmm...where is he? Not in the living room, not in any bedrooms, and I start to holler, really loud. Wait, what's that I hear...a muffled "mommy"? Where is he? WHAT?!?! How in the world did you get outside by yourself???? Unfortunately for Jack Jack I was still carrying the brush, I was scared, nervous, and mad all at once. Needless to say he got a little spank spank on his leg. We don't have a fence and I never let him outside by himself. Within just a few minutes he managed to get out the garage door and run to the back yard (in the rain mind you) climb up into the trampoline (another no, no unless supervised) and get totally filthy. He was crying, I was crying, and there was no pictures taken that day.
Fast forward to Saturday. Clay is gone hunting with my dad, so no family pic again. But no one really wants to see us in the picture anyways, right? So I get the kids ready to go for the day. They were coordinated with blues and browns, so I thought why not? I'll just try to take a few pics and see if they will look at me and smile at the same time. The odds were not in my favor. But what do you know? Sometimes things just work out. So I took just one picture and here it is:


Look at my sweet babies! They are looking the same direction, smiling, lovin' on each other and holding hands.... Lord, I could eat them up! And other than Olivia bustin' the Dora band aid on her finger its a great picture. I feel the need to post this everywhere! I know that those of you without kids (or with kids who love to take pictures) are probably thinking "what's the big deal"? Well this is MAJOR for the McArdle kids. So I'm kinda excited and just thought I'd tell everyone.

Jesus is Better Than Santa Claus

I love Christmas and can get caught up in the excitement of gifts, decorating, parties and everything else that accompanies this holiday. I found this poem online and it is a great reminder of who we celebrate Christmas for the first place. I want Olivia and Jackson to enjoy the wonder and excitement of Christmas and know that Santa is fun but Jesus is better. Yes, my kid believe in Santa but they know that Christmas is to celebrate Jesus' birth. Hope you enjoy this!


Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS is everywhere.


Santa rides in a sleigh.
JESUS rides on the wind
and walks on the water.


Santa comes but once a year.
JESUS is an ever present help.


Santa fills your stockings with goodies.
JESUS supplies all your needs.


You have to wait in line to see Santa.
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.


Santa lets you sit on his lap.
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.


Santa doesn't know your name,
all he can say is "Hi, little boy or girl, what's your name?"

JESUS knew our name before we did.
Not only does He know our name,
He knows our address, too.
He knows our history and future
and He even knows how many
hairs are on our head.


Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly.
JESUS has a heart full of love.


All Santa can offer is HO, HO, HO.
JESUS offers health, help and hope.


Santa says "You better not cry".
JESUS says "Cast all your cares
on me for I care for you."


Santa's little helpers make toys.
JESUS makes new life,
mends wounded hearts,
repairs broken homes and builds mansions.


Santa may make you chuckle, but
JESUS gives you a joy that is your strength.


While Santa puts gifts under your tree,
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.


It's obvious there is really no comparison!
Jesus is still the reason for the season.
Yes, Jesus is better,
He is even better than Santa Claus!

It's about that time...

Well Christmastime that is! We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family in Mississippi. We all traveled far north to Como, MS to my great aunts house to be together. I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures to share. But, you can always count on several things at my Aunt Ora's house.... 1) There is a constant fire burning in the fireplace. I love this and really wish Clay would please let us have a fire in our fireplace even though its is messy one day really soon 2)The BEST cookin' in the world. I seriously gained several pounds, but I refuse to weigh myself! 3)Always lots of random people there that we don't really know and we're not sure that we are even related to them (the final count was 48 people). 4) Men and boys deer hunting (I should mention that Clay and my dad took down one together this year. I'm not sure how they tag teamed the poor thing, but it apparently took both of them. All I know is that they had to clean him in a hurry and dispose of the evidence....we promise not to turn you in to the game warden!!!) All joking aside, we really have so much to be thankful for and family is at the top of my list!

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone the Christmas season is fast approaching. Our trees (yeah, we have 4) are up and the house is decorated. Clay should have the outside lit up like the Griswold's this week! The blog is refreshed with a hint of Christmas coloration and some jolly tunes to keep you all merry for the next month! The shopping is underway. Olivia is practicing for two Christmas programs. Jackson is...well he is just my Jackson. He is doing great about not touching the big tree, which is a surprise. But he is like his momma and loves all the lights and stuff! We will attempt to take pictures for our Christmas Card this week and pray that there will not be a repeat of last year: 3 photo shoots, approx. 400 pictures and 1 seriously frustrated momma!! We'll see...

Okay, so I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and takes the time to enjoy this Christmas season!

Every year our family loves to go to the Peanut Festival Fair! This year was no exception. Olivia could hardly stand it she was sssoooo excited! The weather was great, the food was great (we ate a lot), the rides were great, and the calf scramble and greasy pig contest was great. As I am typing this, I am suddenly becoming aware that people from outside the Wiregrass will be reading this and wondering what in the world I am talking about. The calf scramble and greasy pig contests are when local high school students in FFA clubs come out and chase these animals down, catch them and run them back towards a finish line. It is really something to watch as all these kids with football helmets participate. If they successful master the heifer or peanut oil covered pig, they apparently keep them for a year. I honestly have no idea what they do with them upon the years end. But this is a highlight of our fair experience. Yes, I am aware that this may make us seem a bit redneck, but oh well!!

Some other fair traditions for us include:
The Corndog Man- Clay eats no less than 3 every year!

The Fireman's frozen sweet tea- I bought 2 this year and Jackson ate/drank one by himself. Almost every picture he is holding a Styrofoam cup!

Boiled Peanuts- a staple at the Peanut Festival

Roasted corn- there are now several options of flavoring, I enjoyed the butter and Parmesan and it was delicious!

Walking the Midway and seeing people you know.

Clay and Liv love to ride the Ferris Wheel together, just the two of them every year. Some sweet daddy daughter time!

Olivia and Jackson love the "Be a Farmer for a Day" booth. They can dig for potatoes, pick apples, gather eggs, and milk a cow. This is all pretend, of course, and they could stay there and play for a while.

Seeing all the exhibits and if you know anybody who won something! There is a photo contest, cake decorating, sewing, scrap booking, pumpkin painting, lots of "homemade" crafts and just general southern gaudiness everywhere and I love it!

Seeing the shows with dogs that do tricks, the elephants and the seals.

Playing on the tractors and large farm equpiment that is on exhibit.

The list really could go on and on! Those are some of our favorites though. Here are some pictures....

Fall Festival

Every Halloween, we enjoy going to our church's Fall Festival. They give out a ton of candy and the kids get to dress up and play lots of fun games! This year Olivia wanted to be Mulan (a Chinese Disney Princess, in case you were wondering who Mulan was) and Jack Jack was a puppy. I did not get many good pictures because my camera temporarily went crazy. But here are a few:

Confessions of an OCD Grocery Shopper and Becoming Like My Mother

Tonight was one of those rare evening where I enjoyed a trip to WalMart sans the children. As much as I adore my babies, I do not love taking them to the grocery store. I always leave exhausted and embarrassed by one or more scenes they cause while there.

So I took my time (nearly 2 hours) and gathered all items (plus a few) on my list. As I approach the check out I am reviewing my list to make sure I didn't forget anything, which I usually do. Everything was checked off and I began to walk toward my usual self check out line. Many people do not like to self check out, but its all I have done for nearly 7 years now. Please let me explain:

When my darling husband and I were engaged, he so responsibly created our budget. At the time, I was so impressed!! I mean, he was so smart.... he created our budget on Excel. Of course as a young bride-to-be I was very impressed at this knowledge and knew this was a wonderful idea. Well, if you know us at all, you know about the budget. It became the source of many jokes because of how detailed and exact it is. He can't help it y'all....an engineer's mind is very technical! Everything is divided into different categories and requires a receipt to be entered under each specific category. Needless to say, I had adjust the way I purchase things. For example: a typical Wal Mart check out is divided into 2-3 purchases. One check out for the grocery receipts, one for all personal care and household items, and heaven forbid we have a birthday party because that is another receipt!! I know, I know...its crazy right? But it works for us and that is how I roll at Walmart!

So back to the story.....
As I approach the self check out a cashier comes around the corner and says "I can take you over here hon'. I'm real slow tonight." I froze. I really didn't want her to check me out (3 times) but I also didn't want to be rude. So I wheel my cart over to her lane. I literally started to get nervous because I never do this unless I have a couple items and there is a line at self check out. Also, I love to organize my groceries and bag them so that the unload at home is easier. I realize this is ridiculous, okay?
I politely ask her to not scan my groceries until I get them organized. Se looked at me a little funny. Then the nervous and unnecessary explanation comes (this is where I'm becoming a little Laura) about how and why I like to organize my groceries. Why am I such a dork?
She begins to scan a bit prematurely and I don't even have my milk at the front of the conveyor belt! Then she proceeded to bag the groceries all wrong. I am biting my tongue from telling her to stop and just let me do it myself. Before she finishes my first round of items, another customer gets in line behind me, of course. Another reason I Self Check is to avoid other anxious shoppers and having to apologize for the multiple check outs. Then I felt the need to say sorry too many times to the cashier and the guy behind me (also a little Laura...I love you momma)!

Finally, I finish the 3 check outs and head to the car. Little Laura comes out again as I'm sure to make good eye contact with all the people in the parking lot to avoid a potentially dangerous situation late at night. I think she learned this on Oprah about 15 years ago and it stuck. I'm not even sure how that would protect me.

I put all my groceries and other items in the truck and thought about what had just occurred on lane #9. Why was that a big deal and why was my stomach in a knot? It was just WalMart for crying out loud! I never thought of myself as OCD or even a very particular type person like my mom. She is not OCD but she very much does things her own certain and correct way. I have been in denial about how much I am becoming like her. My sister, Rachel, loves to point out any time I'm being a "Little Laura" as she calls me.

Well there you have it friends. I'm a "Fruit Loop" (another Lauraism) and I'm my mothers child! But lest you think ill of my sweet momma, let me tell you that I would not want to be like anyone else in the world!! Although she may have a few funny quirks, she has so many wonderful things that I HOPE and PRAY to be just like. She was and is the best Momma (and Maw Maw Precious) you could ever want. She always took the time to teach us things and I love that she is doing the same with my children as well. She loves the Lord and has a servants heart for everyone she meets. I think she is beautiful on the inside and out. She has always set a Godly example for her family and taken the best care of us. She takes care of her home and my daddy and hr parents next door! She is also able to minister to her patients and their familes and takes the time to just love on people. I love her for so many reasons and I'm so thankful for her! (143, Momma)

One last word to the wise...If you see me in line at Walmart (Ahem...Kerry) , you should choose another line. I may be there a while!