Music Monday - (Christmas)Baby Please Come Home by U2

Just as in the previous few weeks I'm continuing to post some of my favorite songs from my very favorite Christmas CD.... A Very Special Christmas. I didn't mention it before but there are several of these CD's... this one was just the first and my favorite.... each one was recorded to benefit Special Olympics.... so if you want some great rockin' holiday music check these out and do a good deed as well :)

And now here is U2 performing Christmas(Baby Please Come Home)... I think this was in Glasgow in 1987... but that could be wrong... just taking someone else's word for it ;)

Enjoy!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Disclaimer: I am not getting compensated in any way from any of the organizations mentioned in this post. This is my honest unpaid for opinion... I really do love this CD!

Just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful warm and dry weekend.... have fun... stay safe.... and if you can't behave... don't get caught ;)

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Bon Jovi Here We Come!!

I'm just really excited to say that I won those Bon Jovi tickets that Julie was giving away over on Momspective!!!! Thanks so much Julie!!! So after Christmas we'll be saving up for a trip to Charlotte NC in April... if I remember right it's about a 5 or 6 hour drive so we'll have to spend the night... and of course we'll need gas and food. But this will be a really fun lil trip for us. I've never seen Bon Jovi live and I don't think that Adrian has either so this will be great! This is the biggest prize I've ever won... what a rockin Christmas surprise :)

Thanks again Julie!! Hopefully I'll see you at the show!!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Wordless Wednesday - Bad Bad Santa

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Music Monday - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by John Mellencamp

This is another of my favorite songs from my favorite Christmas CD.... A Very Special Christmas. This weeek it's John Mellencamp... who will always be John Cougar to me.... performing I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus on December 10, 1987 in Indianapolis Indiana. OMG... look how young he was back then.... weren't we all!!... and look at that gorgeous long hair!.... reminds me of Brad Pitt's character Louis in Interview With A Vampire... my all time favorite movie. Ahhh to go back to 1987 and redo life knowing what I know now....

Here is John Mellencamp rocking it to I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus...




Lyrics | John Mellencamp lyrics - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus lyrics

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Let It Snow!!!!

We woke up this morning to about an inch of snow... I know it's not much to most people but last year we didn't even get this much.... so this was a great surprise to wake up to! Steffie went out to play with her brother Justin and lil Austin and Hannah.










A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Today was a drop and run kind of day..... Steff and I went with my Mom for dinner and the local Christmas parade.... and if this lil hick town does anything right it's a parade! I didn't get any pics... I was just trying to keep Steffie from running out in the road to grab candy and enjoying the parade. I've been to quite a few small town parades and this lil town I think holds the best one so far... it lasted for over an hour. Steffie got a couple of handfuls of candy and a balloon and she was tickled to death to see Santa going by. We didn't stick around for a Santa visit because our toes were numb from the cold... but hopefully we'll visit with Santa another time.

We might go to another parade in one of the nearby towns tomorrow... we haven't decided yet... there are 4 to choose from tomorrow night... so we'll see. It would be great if everyone didn't do them on the same night... we would be able to go to more. But Steffie does love a parade... so we'll get to as many as we can. It would be so much better if Adrian was off work and could go with us... just wasn't the same without him.

Oh and we might get a few flakes tonight.... we'll see.

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Christmas Countdown Art Project

We did an art project today... Steffie and I made a paper chain Christmas Countdown to hang on her door. She had lots of fun... but then what kid doesn't when it involves glue and glitter?

First we made a Christmas tree and decorated it with glitter... I didn't get any pics because my hands were too busy trying to keep the glitter under control.

Then we glued our paper strips to make a chain... we had to include purple because it's her favorite color

Showing off her work...

She was singing while she worked so I had to get it for posterity....

Counting the links...

Then we attached the links to our tree and hung it on her door

She can remove a link each night until Christmas. She was soooo excited when I explained to her how it worked.

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Wordless Wednesday

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Winter Wonderland???

You know how every area seems to have one house that is decorated for the holidays with so many lights and displays that everyone knows about it and makes a point to go there every year to see it? Well there is such a house here in our area... we call it Winter Wonderland... I know... not very original... but it's what everyone calls it... because it is. These people are so nice and friendly... they decorate inside and out... and even invite their visitors inside... it's just an amazingly beautiful holiday display hosted by an amazingly sweet family. They use so much electricity in the month of December that the electric company has to install a second meter to their house for that month.... donations are always welcomed to help pay for the bill but never requested... you donate if you can and want to... or don't if you can't... there is no pressure... no expectations. The parade of cars driving by begins the night after Thanksgiving and seldom is there a night that the lights are not turned on. We get out of the car and walk through the beautiful scenery displayed in their yard... lights and animated characters of all kinds.... go inside for a look around when they are accepting visitors... and profusely thank them for their hospitality as we admiringly ooh and ahh at the beauty of it all. It has become a tradition to visit this house.

Tonight we were very excited... we had decided to go for a visit at Winter Wonderland... we drove around the area to look at other Christmas lights... none of which can ever compare... not around here... anyways... and finally we arrived at our destination. As we came over the lil hill and around the curve... where we can normally see the grand display... there were no lights. "Oh well"... I thought..." we can come back another night"... but as we got to the front of the house there was nothing in the yard... nothing but a sign. My heart sank as we read the sign stating that they were taking the year off.... they will be back at it next year... but I was so sad... it felt like Santa was taking the year off.

I hope all is well with this very sweet and generous family... we will miss our visit with them this year and the beauty they bring so many people every year with their generous gift. I am so glad that they plan to be back at it next year... it's just not the same without this amazing place to visit.

Wishing a very Merry Christmas to this special family... may you have a wonderful year... and I can't wait to see you next year!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Music Monday - Merry Christmas Baby - Bruce Springsteen

Another song from my favorite Christmas CD.... A Very Special Christmas.... one of my hubby's favorites... Bruce Springsteen performing Merry Christmas Baby in Buffalo NY on November 22, 2009.




Lyrics | Bruce Springsteen lyrics - Merry Christmas Baby lyrics

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!



A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

The Great Escape.... More About My Time In Massachusetts

When I left Georgia to move to Massachusetts it was pretty scary for me... I'm southern girl and had only been out of the south on a couple of vacation trips when I was small... once to NYC when I was about 2 years old that I don't remember at all but I've seen pictures... and once to Indianapolis when I was about 7... it was a trip to visit my stepdad's friend and we were at their house the whole time so no real vacation fun... I just remember playing with their kids and the loooong drive. I'm not the type to take huge risks... I like to play things pretty safely... so packing up everything I owned and my 3 kids and moving up north to make a new life for us and possibly be with someone whom I had never met in person was very unlike me... but it felt so right that I had to do it... I couldn't not do it... every part of my being was pushing me to just go.

The other thing was that I could only tell a very few people what my plan was... Adrian knew of course... and my Mom and my sisters and my best friend from online Cyn.... I couldn't tell anyone else... not even my kids... because if their father found out he would try to kill me... he had already cut my phone lines in the middle of the night 3 times.... and he had told me repeatedly over the years... and even in front of my kids... that if I ever tried to leave him he would cut my head off. So yes I was terrified... and thrilled to be going as far away from him as possible. I still feel bad that I couldn't tell my kids and let them say goodbye to their friends and family.... but it was necessary for my safety to keep it from them.

I got an apartment in Mass and a job as an assistant manager at Fashion Bug.... I hadn't worked in 8 years since my boys were born... we received help and counseling from a Women's Services agency... and Adrian was just wonderful as our relationship grew in the following 18 months in Mass. All was good until someone called DSS on us.... they were accusing me of neglect because I was under court order to send my kids to visit their father... if I didn't send them for the court ordered visit I would be arrested... and if I did send them DSS would take them from me and put them in foster care... along with other things that they put my family through.... I was between a rock and a hard place so to speak. I knew my kids would be safe because their father was living with his parents and they would not let him hurt them. And soooo my second escape from abuse... this time from DSS.... was planned.

So when summer came I put my kids on a plane to Georgia for the last time... and I felt such huge relief that they were safe from DSS... I no longer had to worry about them showing up to take my kids every time someone knocked on my door. And it was very strange to actually be relieved that I was sending them to be with their father. But I knew they were more safe with him than they were in Mass. We loaded up all of our belongings onto a truck for the second time and headed back to Georgia a month later... we had to get everything in order financially before we could leave. I was never so happy to be back home in the south and to see the mountains that surrounded me all of my life... I never knew I would miss looking up and seeing those mountains. It was so good to see my family again.... we were home... and we were all safe. And so we have been back in Georgia for 10 years now. Our life has never really been easy... but we have made the best of it.... we have survived! Adrian has been a wonderful husband to me and an amazing role model and parent for my kids. We have gone back to Mass to visit a couple of times... Adrian's family is there..... and I love to go to Salem. But I don't think I'll ever move back up there. And that is my story... the short version... even though it was pretty long.

Thank you all for your wonderful comments and Anniversary wishes.... and I'm glad you liked the pics of my family :)

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~

Thanksgiving Dinner

We all got together for dinner at my sister's house today and after we stuffed ourselves we piled up on the couch for some photos and some laughs. My sisters always do Thanksgiving with their in-laws so we had our lil get together today instead. We had a great time so I thought I would share some pics.

Pictured above is Jack (my brother in-law), Val (my sister), Abby (my neice), Gracie (my neice), Jackie (my sister), Steffie, me, Jonathon (my nephew), Sandy (my Mom), Winston (my Mom's boyfriend).... Adrian was at work :(... and Todd (my sister's hubby) took the pic.

Princess Steffie

My Sister Jackie and Princess Jonathon

Gracie and Steffie

Me and Steffie

My Grandma and Nephew Josh

My Sisters.. Jackie, Valerie and me

The guys... Jack, Todd, Jonathon and Winston

Jonathon, Steffie, Mom and Gracie

Steffie and Gracie making funny faces

Jonathon, Gracie and Steffie jumping on the trampoline... it was all good till Gracie puked!
Rule of thumb... don't jump on a trampoline after stuffing yourself!

A Lil Enchanted,
~LaShan~