McLinky Monday - New Years Traditions

Today on The RHOK, Mrs. Priss wants to know how we spend our New Years Eve...

how we ring in the New Year...

She asked,

Do you stay up until midnight?

Do you get together with friends?

Do you have any New Year's Eve or New Year's Day traditions?

Did you make a list of resolutions?

Did you eat black-eyed peas?

Well, Mrs. Priss, let me tell you, we are Party Animals...witha capital "P" and "A".

If you consider staying at home playing a mean game of Guess Who being a Party Animal,

or watching Ryan Seacrest and NKOTB on television being a Party Animal,

OR seeing the ball drop in Time Square from the comfort of your couch being a Party Animal,

OR toasting with Sparkling White Grape Juice (OK, and maybe a little champagne for those of us who are over 6) in fancy glasses being a Party Animal...

OR popping poppers out your front door and blowing horns and wearing shiny hats and yelling HAPPY NEW YEAR over and over and over being a Party Animal...

then, yeah we're Party A-N-I-M-A-L-S.

We also eat LOTS of black eyed peas.  I just ate some that were left over for lunch today.  We also make resolutions and talk about new goals for the new year.

I think it's a consensus around our house this year...#1 resolution...FINISH THE HOUSE!

I also have the revolving resolutions, you know the ones that are there EVERY year...lose weight, be healthier, save money...blah, blah, blah.

Here's to more happiness, opportunities, open windows, good cups of coffee, great books, ingenious ideas, witty inventions, health and prosperity.

Hope 2011 is your best year yet!

So, how do you ring in the New Year?

Stop by and let us know at The RHOK!

McLinky Monday - Holiday Traditions

Today on McLinky Monday, Mrs. Montgomery wants to know...
What are your favorite holiday traditions?

I have lots of favorite family holiday traditions.

First and foremost, all of my mom's side of the family gathering together on Christmas Eve.  We are loud and rowdy and a bit (OK, a lot) crazy; but I wouldn't change anything about us.

 Old traditions that we've carried on at our house, like making special Santa cookies and leaving them for him on Christmas Eve...with chocolate milk, of course...

 and food for the reindeer to munch on while they wait on Santa to leave our gifts...

 and we hang our special key on the door, just for Santa.

 I also love Christmas morning at my Mom and Dad's.  We always have a yummy breakfast...

 and lots of presents... 

 and most of us show up in our pjs.

Isaiah stayed in his Christmas pjs for TWO days!

I hope you all had a VERY MERRY Christmas!

For more holiday traditions, go check out The RHOK!

A Thankful Heart

I am so thankful for God.

I am so thankful for Michael.

I am so thankful for Isaiah.

I am so thankful for my mom and dad.

I am so thankful for my granny.

I am so thankful for the time I was able to spend with my grandpa before he passed away. 

I am thankful that he lives on in our hearts and we will meet again. 

I am thankful for the legacy he left behind.

I am thankful for my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I am thankful for all of my wonderful friends (that includes you).

I am thankful for my church and church family.

I am thankful for my freedom and the men and women who fight to keep it.

I am thankful for the simple things in life that make me happy.

I am thankful for my home.

I am thankful for family traditions.

I am thankful for all of the delicious food we are eating today!

I hope you and your family are having a wonderful day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~jennykate♥

McLinky Monday - Black Friday

Today at The RHOK, Mrs. Albright wants to know about our agenda for Black Friday.  Do you go...or is it your worst form of torture?  She also asked us to post our tips and tricks.

Ok, so here's the DL on BF.

Yes, I go.  It's one of my deep rooted Thanksgiving traditions.  Courtesy of my momma.  She gave me my shopping gene.  When I was little my Granny and aunts would set out on an all day shopping venture, I remember wanting to go so badly.  I've always been a shopper.  My Granny says when I was little they would give me $5 and I would come home with a whole bag full of stuff.

We have this Black Friday thing down to a fine science.  The day of Thanksgiving, we send one of the guys to the gas station for newspapers...lots and lots of newspapers.  We have to have plenty to go around.  First, we just all go for it.  Dividing and conquering the sales ads.  Then, we get strategic.  We start sorting out the stores, the items we're all looking for and making piles.  After that, we compile a master list.  We decide where we'll start first and what is most important.  We also list any extra coupons that we might have that would sweeten any of the doorbuster deals.

Usually, our day starts at our hometown Wal-Mart.  It's easy to maneuver.  There aren't nearly the number of people there compared to the stores in Tulsa.  We start there about 3:30 in the morning.  You've gotta be early to get these worms.  After we wait for our items in Wal-Mart, we go ahead and make a drop-off...clear out the vehicle for the purchases we plan on making in Tulsa.

The first stop in T-Town is Starbucks.  It's a given.  By this time we all need it.  Usually we've had coffee, but no breakfast and definitely not Starbucks.  This will be our first stop of many during the day.

After our stop at the Bux, we venture off to the next store, usually Target or Khol's depending on what is in the sales ad and how early you have to be there to get the items.

We always stop sometime for a nice lunch and we've been known to even eat dinner before we finally make it back to Wagoner, where we have also been known to hit Wal-Mart one more time before making it home.  There have been years when we don't finish up until wee hours of Saturday morning.

We're power shoppers.  Black Friday is like our Super Bowl.

One of my favorite tools for Black Friday is my nifty app.  TGI Black Friday.  It's a great app w/ lists of all the stores and their sales ads.  You can even make a list on there.  I love lists!

You can also visit BlackFriday2010.com for all the latest sales ads.  They will send you email alerts and updates.

This year there will be 9 of us going.  My cousins, Lindsay and Kristen will be home for the annual event for the first time in a few years!  I can't wait!!

What are your Black Friday traditions?  Or are you more of a Cyber Monday person?  Or do you hate the whole idea all together?

Check out more Black Friday posts over at The RHOK!

~jennykate♥