... Family Time: Competition, Hot Chocolate, LOTS of Rum, Holiday Ham, and did I mention RUM???

OOooohhhh How I love my family!!!! [No sarcasm attached] This Holiday weekend - which is not quite over yet has been an absolute BLAST! First of all, I had those last minute shopping moments with all the other crazed last minute shopping idiots out there.... [I'm so happy to find out that there are many, MANY more procrastinators in this world, I no longer feel so alone]... you know, those times when ya run in the store thinking about that perfect gift you saw last week but, didn't get it then, and LOW and BEHOLD... ya get there.... and guess what.... There alllll sold out! Well, whatdya know?? So, then you're left looking and searching for something just as good, knowing in the back of your mind that it still won't be quite up to par. Oh well... being crafty, and thrifty, I will wave my magic crafty-vixen wand and make it BETTER than perfect!!! :)

After all the craziness, getting home, wrapping (Did I mention how much I HATE wrapping and how bad I am at it?) - I wrap almost as bad as Eminem, the dude on Josh Burgess' FB friends list, or that other guy that you never heard of again and forgot all about until now- Paul Wall (remember him) .... bahhahhahaha .... (Don't you all just love how my mind -and my writing- are all over the place tonight??) Anyway....... we all got together at Grandmas! Now, Granny Grump is NO-ONE to mess with (hence her name). However, she absolutely loves me and my kidlets, so all SMILES ;). LOVED seeing of my family and had some great laughs!!! But, most of all, LOVED seeing my strong hearted, hard headed, precious Granny! I do guarantee you one thing, there was never one like her, and if there will be.... I hope I inherit her strength, b/c Lord knows I am already blessed with her hard head. Love you Nanny- XOXOXOX

Below- Most of my Daddy's grand-daughters, Avi and baby Savannah [gosh-baby Savannah almost has more teeth than Avi] , and Me and baby Savannah (with her baby mullet- haha)





After Granny's, we came home and had AWESOME Ghiradelli Hot Cocoa and watched The Polar Express, all {TOGETHER}! The Chickie's went to bed and I fell out as well, whewwww I was pooped!

We woke up this morning to see that Santa had visited, don't really know why, 'cause sure as hell- no ONE here has been good this year. He must seriously pity us. Sorry Santa, we will try and do better next year! I promise, wink wink!!

Santa brought me an awesome turkey made from Allys thumbprint! {"My" Santa had already brought me dresses, cute tights, and awesome shoes!!} Santa brought Adam a very special ring!!! Allyson and Avi got a Wii, Wii games, an extra controller, Tons of Zuu-Zuu (I think that's how you spell it), stuff Lots and I do mean -LOTS- of Littlest Pet shop Things! They also got 2 "Blythe Love's Littlest Pet Shop" Sets each, with little Blythe dolls in them!!! My FAVORITE was the Vintage Blythe with the little spider.... sick as Shiiiiiiiittttt! I WANT ONE. I will have to find a pic and share it... They got a huge chalkboard and chalk for their room, chalk... and lots of other things that we will probably donate next year or will disappear to never be found or heard of again.... I do believe the first thing to disappear on Adam's watch will be the "Bop It" .... and we will definitely never "hear" of it again! Muwahahha....

Below: Ally and Avi with just a few of the things they unwrapped!




SO, as you see above, we have Finally jumped on the "Wii Wagon"! The Wii was the GREATEST idea EVER! Adam, who HATES and PROTESTS video games (b/c they rot minds), has officially become a Wii lover! He has become a champion at boxing and now wants to go buy every Fighting game made! [I believe this stems from his MMA/Cage fighting days] :) Whooopeeeeee- we have found a different hobby for my love!! On the opposite, the Wii has brought out the extremely competitive sides of our family. Adam and I want to yell at each other when the other wins, oooohhhh especially when I win... b/c he "doesn't lose at ANYTHING". hahahah And, Avianna is getting so mad she wants to KILL Ally when she loses... and by kill, I mean scratch her eyes out and rip off all of her limbs. So, I have had to referee many times already! We are definitely going to have to work on that one, especially since Ally is planning on training for wrestling next season, and Avi for Muy Tai.... but, still , I CANT WAIT to go buy more games/accessories for the Wii!!!!

We had Christmas brunch/yummiest food in the world- EVER at my Mama's!!! :) And, Lawrence's wife- Ms. Pam made this awesome water chestnut mac-n-cheese... Yummmmmmm........ -mouth is watering right now- !!!! Our quite little Christmas dinner consisted of an AMAZING ham that I cooked myself- yes, I am beeping my own horn-, classic green bean casserole, noodles from Ohio, potatoes, AWESOME deviled eggs and Potato Salad that Miss Deb next door brought over! :) We had Adam's moms delicious pumpkin roll for desert and a great sweet potato pie..... and lots of Kraken Rum!!! :) I love Kraken, by the way! Sailor Jerry's was my FAV, but, Kraken is def. in first now!! :)

Below: Ooooohh how I love it so much at Mama and Daddy's! I can't WAIT to build our house on that property!!! :)



Christmas night ended with snowflakes, friends, Elvis on the record player, the kids fast asleep-waiting to play in the blanket of snow in the morning, and great friends/neighbors! My heart is full! I wish the Happiest Holidays to everyone reading!!!

XoXoXo- Trashy Betty

Feature Friday- The AWESOME Ms. Jessica Thomson - Photographer

ANSEL
{Jessica's Inspiration}

This, being the first FEATURE FRIDAY on Trashy Betty will be a VERY special one. I am featuring an amazing person and artist today. She captures the life of those that can't speak for themselves better than anyone I've ever seen. Most of them have four legs, whether they be horses or dogs. Their liveliness, love, and happiness pour out of her photos. This very same person also captures Families, Still Life, and many other subjects in her photographs. I am happy to say that she has photographed my family as well as friends families..... I present to you ... [[The]] Jessica Thomson and her AMAZING work.......


Where did you study photography?
Academy of Art University

What did you do to gain so much knowledge in this area?
Studying the technical terms and doing the assignments was the easy part, my knowledge is gained in the field though. There are so many more things to learn from other artists, from your own photo shoots, and from practicing.

How long have you been interested in photography?
20 years, but began studying about 4 years ago

When did your career start?
My career started within the last 2 years

Who or what influenced you to become a photographer?
An Ansel Adams picture was given to me by my parents when I was 13....it hung above the fireplace in my room. I was in awe of his ability to create beautiful exposures before the days of photoshop. (Oaktree, snowstorm)

Do you believe in the expression “A picture is worth 1,000 words”?
Well, since the name of my business is Thousand Word Photo, I better believe it!

If yes, why do you believe this is true?
Because there are not enough words to describe memories and moments that are captured on film.

Do you have a favorite photograph?
If so, can you please share it with us, whether it be your own or another photographers?
Yes, it is an Ansel Adams work named "Oak tree, snowstorm."

Do you think that a person must possess talent to capture emotion and expression in a picture?
I think not, I feel talent, or "an eye" is needed to capture composition....but not an expression.

Does the price of a camera matter in ways that it affects the quality of the picture?
Yes, sometimes.....but some fantastic images have been made from homemade pinhole style cameras.

Do you have a special style in your photographs that can single you out like strokes in a painting?
My black and whites have a special glow to them

Was photography just considered as a hobby to you in the past?
Yes

What makes a good photographer in your opinion?
The ability to see the image before you make it

What do you enjoy most photographing?
Horses and still nature

In your opinion, what makes photography an art?
Anyone can take pictures, but photographers have the ability to tell a story on film. In a single frame, a photographer should be able to capture the whole essence of a scene.

What motivates you to do what you do?
My fantastic clients!







You can contact Jessica by emailing her at horsepics@live.com .
You can also visit Jessica's website, THOUSAND WORD PHOTO .


XOXOXOX- Trashy Betty

-Special Thanks to Jessica Thomson for sharing with us -

{{If you would like to be featured on Feature Friday, please feel free to leave a comment with your email in order for me to get in touch with you!}}

A Van for Tara.... take a moment please...

Today, I'm going to share a little tid-bit about Tara Tidwell with you who is in a 75 mile radius of us Oconee'ians. Please take a moment to be thankful of all we DO have and DO get to experience, while some may not.....


Tara Tidwell is a lovely young woman who was born with multiple
disabilities. Unfortunately, as an adult Tara has fewer resources
available to her. Because Tara is dependent on a wheelchair for
mobility she needs access to a handicapped equipped vehicle in
order to participate with her family or caregivers in the
community.

Without this type of transportation, Tara is isolated and unable to
fully enjoy family and community outings. Tara's challenges are
many however this barrier can be eliminated with your help.

Tara's church has set up an account for her so that any group or
individual can make a donation towards the purchase of a
handicapped equipped van.

YOUR CASH DONATION IS 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE!

To learn more about Tara visit the About Tara page.

{{Courtesy of avan4tara.com}}

XoXoXo- Trashy Betty

...Some of TUESDAYS most awesome THINGS!!! :)

Lovely Lovely Tuesday..... :)


Check this cute little Fox tutorial out over at Liefgeval.... :) I am SMITTEN!!!


And, this GORGEOUS wedding featured on Wedding Wednesdays with Little Chief Honeybee! -love-


These AWESOME Cuckoo clocks over at The Dainty Squid! -my eyes got wide, and i was filled with joy-


XOXOXOX- Trashy Betty

...I'm dreaming of a WHITE Christmas... wait? Is this real?

First of all , you have to understand: I LIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA. It is a rare occasion that we get snow, if any... no more than 5 inches, EVER. So, none of us EVER dream of that thing everyone talks about, "a white Christmas." Most of us have never seen one here at home. Big sad face. How nice would it be to just look out the window as you're "playing" Santa... (wait, Santa is real... we must BELIEVE, or so they say), and just see sheets of white and snowflakes floating from only God knows where above alllllll the way down to us. YES, us, Upstate South Carolinians??? And, then to see the looks on my little monkies faces!! PRICELESS!! Now, I'm debating on getting their hopes up or just waiting and watching! OOooooh WoW!! The thought of it makes me cheese!!

As soon as I woke up this morning and went to turn on the coffee pot (Adams new addiction), my precious neighbor- Ms. Deb called to give me the weather forecast. Now I will share it with you along with a few photos and together, maybe we can all do the snowdance... :)

NWS: "POSSIBLE" Carolina White Christmas

Courtesy of WYFF News 4... click HERE to visit this page on their site

"GREER, S.C. -- When it comes to the weather forecast for the
Western Carolinas, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
The National
Weather Service issued its outlook on Tuesday morning, and it included the
possibility of a white Christmas for the Carolinas.
"Low pressure is
expected to move across the deep South Christmas Eve and Christmas Day," NWS
forecasters said in a news statement released after 6 a.m.
"At this time,
there is considerable uncertainty as to how strong the low will be and where it
will track" forecasters said. "If the low moves to the south, then snow would be
favored across the Foothills and Piedmont of the Carolinas and Northeast
Georgia. If the low moves across North Carolina, then most of the precipitation
would fall as rain," they said.
"As the low rapidly deepens along the
mid-Atlantic coast on Sunday, snowfall along with windy conditions and low wind
chills will continue over the North Carolina mountains," forecasters said.
Forecasters urged anyone with travel plans across the Western Carolinas this
weekend to continue to monitor the forecast for this potential winter storm
event."

This piece of art...I absolutely adore!! I found it on Amberson's Blog - The artwork of Craig and Tanya Amberson

And, this photo is a random web find... now we all know that Hanky boy is the cutest Doxie on the freakin PLANET.. there is NO arguement there... but, I thought this would give me an idea of what he would look like as he is running through the fields at Mamas!!!! Oooohh the joy!!! PLEASE let it snow... :)

XOXOXOXO- Trashy Betty

I've said it before... but, I MUST say it again...

I love , LOVE , love this blog!

Please take a moment to go check it out!!!

KIND OVER MATTER



-Trashy Betty

Girls HOLIDAY sleepover !

Saturday night was full of happiness, love, family, and friends! While Adam and his Dad, (who was here from Mobile, AL) spent time with my Dad, the girls and I hosted a Holiday Sleepover! We listened to Christmas music, ate some yummy hors d'oeuvres, home-made candy (courtesy of Adam), cookies, and cupcakes embellished by the awesome Deb from ON CUPCAKE MOON! The kids thought it was awesome to have their sparkling juice in their cute little champagne glasses!

We watched Miracle on 34th St. while we have Hot Chocolate with candy cane stirrers, and gingerbread men marshmallows! The kids went upstairs, watched A Charlie Brown Christmas and ended the night with dress up, make up, hair makeovers, and a pageant!

I will say this is some of the most fun I have ever had. This will definately be a yearly tradition!


Happy Holidays-
XOXOXOXOX- Trashy Betty


Top: (left to right)- Cassie, Brooke
Middle: (left to right)- Allyson, Nicole, Makasia, Abby, Jalivia, Emma
Bottom: (left to right)- Dylan, Avianna