Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all our wonderful friends and family!
Have a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year.

Now, can YOU tell who's belly is bigger?!

Gingerbread House Nite

For the third year running, the Skinners hosted the annual Gingerbread House Nite. We had a blast but were sad to be missing a part of our group: Dan & Bekah couldn't be there since they've moved to sunny CA. I don't think the Holidays can really start until we get together with our old Harris buddies to build those perfect houses and eat our own body weight in sugar.
This is me & Trav, Dave, Michelle & Sammy, and Josh & Rosie in front of the final products. Rosie's is my favorite (it's the one on the left end), hers is like a 5-year-old's dream house -- I don't think there's a square inch without candy!

Baby, Oh Baby

As B-day approaches (one month and counting..), my family and friends threw me a couple of wonderful Baby Showers. Everyone was so great to come and I had to post this great picture from the family shower of the 'Lee' women. My Grandma, my sister-in-law Kristi, me (the fat one), my sister Tracie, and my Mom. It was just so nice to have everyone together, in the same place at the same time! My Mom was the one who got us to stand like we're in a choir or something ("We have to show off your belly!") sheesh. A good-lookin' group all the same.

O Christmas Tree!

Travis and I have always agreed that every year we have to buy a real Christmas tree. It really makes the holidays seem special even when life is crazy hectic.

Travis is pretty funny when it comes to the actual Christmas tree selection however. I have discovered that I basically am just along for the ride and there to agree with whatever is his final decision.
The ideal tree must be the perfect: triangular in shape, fluffy, and above all, the most piney-smelling tree in creation. I actually had to dissuade him from getting one that was about as wide as it was tall (me: "But we live in a townhouse!" Trav: "yea, but this one is great!"). And Trav isn't one to be suckered in by the first nice tree he finds, no sir, we have to tromp around 50 different tree lots, debating the various virtues of Noble versus Grand firs before finally finding the 'perfect' tree.
I must grudgingly admit that Trav has the 'eye.' All his hard work seems to have paid off; our tree is probably the best we've had in 4 Christmas' together and almost as important -- it fills the whole house with it's 'piney' scent!

Southern Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving this year we went to Georgia with my entire family to visit Grandma, Aunt Bernice and the millions of aunts, uncles, and cousins still living out there. This is a picture with Bertie, Brooke, Cami and Grandma. It was pretty special since I haven't been back for at least 2 years. We had such a wonderful time. Grandma and Bertie literally stuffed us with every good food imaginable, every second of the day -- it was a dream come true! One night we got Bertie to play a game of Hearts with us and I think Trav about died with all the things that came out of her mouth. I think it's pretty clear now where my competitive nature comes from. After passing her a couple of particularly rotten cards one hand, she turned to me and said "Michelle," (insert really heavy accent) "I wouldn't do that to a dog." Hilarious.


The day after Thanksgiving, we decided to drive around looking for that specialty of the South: Boiled Peanuts. We couldn't find an open stand, but here are a couple of pictures of what the typical roadside stand looks like. Notice the sign: "Bold Pnut." For those of you unfamiliar with this tradition, let me explain.
An old man, typically wearing overalls or coveralls (depending on the season) with a ball-cap perched on top of his head will be keeping watch over a 50-gallon metal barrel positioned precariously over a roaring fire. Piles of wood can be seen stacked nearby, all ready to keep the fire going. The barrel itself is where the magic happens. Into the barrel goes a precise mixture of water, peanuts (still in the shell), and a TON of salt. This is left to boil all day, resulting in peanuts so soft they literally fall apart in your mouth. When you stop to purchase some of these perfect little guys, the grandpa will slowly stop talking with whatever buddy/kin currently passing the time with him and ask you about your own grandpa and various other family members you can only vaguely remember. In anticipation you watch as he uses an old coffee can with holes punched in the bottom and nailed to a stick to dip out a bucketful of peanuts. He lets them drain off for a bit and then dumps them into either a paper sack or plastic produce bag. As you walk back to your car with a silly sort of grin on your face, you pop one of the first peanuts into your mouth. There is a proper procedure for consuming the peanuts as well. First, suck off all the salt water - mixed with the great peanut flavor, then open the shell and eat the softened nuts, but not the shell. Pure heaven and a years worth of sodium.
I think this has to be one of the greatest treasures of the South, which sadly is starting to die out with all the old grandpas that used to sell them. One of my favorite childhood memories was stopping at one of these stands with my Grandpa & Granny and having an entire bag to eat by myself.