Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We sure did! The snow storm, affectionately called “Oklahoma Blizzard ‘09” put a damper on our plans. We were so looking forward to Thursday-Saturday with family and then Sunday to relax. Instead, Christmas ended up being late Friday-Sunday and needless to say, Monday at work has been HARD!

I always give my husband a hard time about his passion for 4-wheel drive. It is more expensive on our insurance, costs more to fuel, and adds about $5k more on the purchase price of a car. Well, after this debacle, I will never complain about 4-wheel drive again! On our way to do our last minute Christmas shopping (Christmas Eve) we were the only ones not getting stuck! We had to stop our car and help people push about every mile! It was insane!!! 2010 Chevy Tahoe 4X4 will definitely be his ½ birthday gift!

Look at the amount of snow outside our back door:
Crazy for Oklahoma, huh?

So, I made my meal for the day after Christmas and we had a lot of food. The beef tenderloin turned out OK, but it was cooked Medium, which I will not eat. I also made a cheesecake with a ladyfinger crust and sides topped with cherries. Very festive! We spent HOURS searching the metro Oklahoma City area for ladyfingers (Only in Oklahoma). Anywhere else; every grocery store would have had them. Guess where I finally found them? Crest, my favorite grocery store. I went earlier on the 23rd to load up on food, but forgot ladyfingers. That should have been the first place we looked the second time around!

I hope Santa was good to everyone, he certainly was to me! Have a great New Year’s Eve and BE SAFE! Talk to you all in 2010! Can’t wait for the New Year! ~Amy

Christmas Bells Are Ringing!

I am so ready for Christmas! This year has been so awful, I am ready for the holiday that brings us the most joy! We have the tree decorated and it is BEAUTIFUL! (A little overwhelming, though...1500 lights!) I am about 99% done with Christmas shopping and ready to start cooking. This year I am hosting the families on the 26th. We have been going through my grandmothers old recipes and let's just say, if you are hungry on the 26th, stop on by! So far we have so much food picked out, I hope our grocery bill isn't more than our car payment!

Here is my last rant of the year... I read an article about a classroom in Florida that put up a Christmas tree. Apparently now, the ACLU is suing the school because a non-Christian student's parents found it offensive. Wow... Is this really what our world is coming to? Speaking from the Christian perspective, when did a Christmas tree define Christianity? ABSURD! I can hardly stomach these people and this is coming from a pretty open minded person! I mean, if I went some where and they asked me to spin a dreidel, I totally would; how fun! Does that make me Jewish??? No... I would light a kinara too!! Does that make me an African? Whatever happened to peace? Why must people fight so hard for symbols? I don't understand it! It drives me crazy! Anyway....

I hope everyone has a wonderfully blessed Christmas and I will talk to everyone in 2010!
MERRY CHRISTMAS! ~Amy

Wait... What's My Name, Again?!?

Where to start…
For those who don’t talk to us on a semi-daily basis, you probably don’t know the whirlwind that has been our life for the past 30+ days.

I found out in late October that I have an autoimmune disease called Sjogren’s Syndrome. Fun. Sjogren’s is basically a disease that attacks your glands. Can it be deadly? Sure, but rarely. As if we haven’t had enough on our plate this year!!! 2 failed in-vitro’s: check; Death of a grandmother: check; Diagnosis of a disease: check. Oh, but wait…there is more! On November 18th, I received a call at my office from my dad’s best friend. My dad was in critical care due to kidney failure and sepsis. Awesome. We left immediately and drove all night (16 hours) to Phoenix to be with him. It was touch and go for several days, but luckily the doctors worked their magic and he is now at home. We got back on November 23rd, to pack our bags and leave the 25th for Chicago. Exhausted? Yes. Do I need a maid to clean my house? Yes. Is Christmas really in 23 days??!!??! Yes.

So needless to say, we officially hate 2009, and are ready to see 2010! My husband's friend Russell, who is hilarious, keeps thinking of mottos for us like, “The Bradt’s Win in 2010.” Friends. That is what keeps us going. I know I am a broken record, but Gosh! We are SO blessed! So, with all of that said we are thinking of a fabulous way to ring in the New Year; a fresh start, if you will. Any ideas?

One thing is for sure regardless of the year: The Bradt’s love Christmas! My house is so decorated that my mother’s first reaction walking in was, “Wow! This looks like a Christmas store!” Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Not sure…. Anyway, last night we went and picked up our fourth, yes that’s right FOURTH Christmas tree. This is the big one, though, you know, our “main” tree. So we loaded up the Tahoe and headed to TLC (our favorite nursery) and found a Noble Fir that we loved. Sure, it was big, but not that big, right? WRONG! See below. Our tree (affectionately named Milton) is so big that it completely drowns our living room. Go big, or Go Home!!! ~Amy