Christmas Visits, Pickles and Breakfast - Ramblings

Warning - this post is full of ramblings!

Last weekend we went to T's parents house, so T could enjoy one last weekend of deer hunting.  His parents have the cutest house.  His Mom has great style.  Her house is always so clean and cozy and it smells wonderful!  Her house was completely decorated for Christmas.  She tells me she used to put out a lot more decorations, but since we are going skiing for Christmas she has cut back.  It's still too cute.  

Here is a picture of their formal living room.  Her tree is smaller this year and she didn't put on her color bubble lights (which I love), all that being said, it is still a great tree with awesome ornaments that she has collected for many years.

This is the outside, which is really impressive.  It's hard to find such pretty fake garland - It looks pretty real to me!  How cute is their picket fence?

One thing I really want to add to our Christmas decorations is a nativity scene.  This picture is blurry, but T's Mom has a pretty one.  I guess I'll try to pick one up after Christmas on sale - I guess online, since I haven't seen any in stores?  Anyone know a good place to try and find one?

Saturday morning (at 5am) T went deer hunting - and guess what he killed a deer!  Yay!  Here it is in all his glory.  He was so excited.  Poor deer :(

While T was deer hunting, his Mom and I ventured down to Albany to do some shopping.  I bought a few Christmas ornaments because our tree looks pretty sparse.  I got a trout and deer ornament, seen below.  The company has some great ornaments!  It was hard to choose!

For me, I bought a pickle ornament.  I'm sure yall all know the tradition behind the ornament - that the parents would hide it and the child that found it would get an extra special gift.  Well, another reason I got it is because I love, love, love pickes.  Oh my gosh, I used to eat them by the gallon!

At T and I's rehearsal dinner, my brother's toast was basically a "things T should know about Katie" before they get married speech.  And so now, I have a confession, when I was little I used to get a pickle out of the jar, eat half and put it the other half back in the jar!  GROSS!  I know!  Here is a picture of my brother telling all about it - can you believe he told that story in front of like 100 people!  I could have killed him!  Siblings!!!

 And this was my reaction...I was SO EMBARRASSED!

Anyway, I promise I don't do it anymore!  I've learned my lesson!

Before we left I snapped a picture of this stud - this is T's senior picture.  He was the star football player and the homecoming king.  I LOVE to make fun of him about this!  HE gets so embarrassed!  Isn't he cute?  Love it.

The "Mr. Southland" circa 1998

We are getting ready to go out of town next week and I've been fighting this back pain, so we've been eating out a lot lately.  I hate to eat out particularly fast food because when I get my statement back each month it bothers me to see so much money spent on such awful food.  So late night I cooked breakfast for dinner.  I love breakfast for dinner.  Its so good and its so easy to make - win/win.

I have one of these awesome bacon cookers for the microwave.  It is awesome and worth every bit of the 5 dollars I paid for it.  All the grease collects in the bottom and it only takes 3 minutes to cook.  Excellent invention!  If you don't have one - tell your husband to put one in your Christmas stocking :)