Cartee Chaos

Dauphin Island to Ft. Morgan. 

Jessica and  I wrote this post on our blog a couple of year’s ago! It’s too good not to put into my family scrapbook. Everything still rings true and I am still proud that my mom “was awesome WAY Before Pinterest”! Happy Mother’s Day mom!

1. Progressive Birthday Dinner
My favorite birthday celebration was her progressive birthday dinner. On her birthday my parents would go to the restaurant that had her favorite appetizer. Then they would go to a different restaurant that had her favorite salad, next her favorite main course and then her favorite dessert. To assure they were hungry for all the courses they filled in between restaurants with shopping and a trip to the movies. At the end of the day she had visited 4 to 5 fabulous restaurants and had the PERFECT birthday meal!

2. Bubble Pizza
A saw this on Pinterest the other day and laughed out loud. I have great memories of watching Dirty Dancing repeatedly and eating Bubble Pizza with my old friend Mary Katherine!  I couldn’t find her exact recipe so maybe we will share it soon.

3. Nutter Butter Ghost & Nutter Butter Snowmen
This is very popular now but I remember mom always doing this during the holidays. It’s a tradition I have carried on with my children. Simple and delicious!

4. Creative Gifts
My mom has been a pastor’s wife for over 38 years. As the holidays approached I knew it was time to figure out what she was going to give all the staff and deacons. Every year she tried topping the year before. The homemade gifts have included: delicious pretzel rods, homemade bread with honey butter, homemade cinnamon rolls, the BEST trail mix ever, rice krispie treats cut into the shape of JOY, popcorn-balls and more!

Looking back I appreciate this more and more. I recognize the time and money she put into preparing gifts for those who served alongside my father and the time they spent hand delivering the gifts to make sure they arrived fresh.

5. Wrapping Gifts
This is something I did NOT inherit. To my mom the way a gift is wrapped is just as important as the gift itself. Thanks to Pinterest I might can learn to make beautiful bows and giftwrap as well as she does!

6. 12 Days of Christmas
This family tradition started in my early teenage years. My mom decided that we would celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas. So for the 12 days before Christmas we got to open a gift each day! Who wouldn’t love that?!?! I plan to carry on this tradition once the kids are older.

7. Oreo Balls
If you have never had Oreo Balls your missing out! She made them way before the days of Pinterest! 🙂

8. Sweet Tea
I’m sure you can find a billiion recipes for Sweet Tea but I promise none of them will touch Kathy Nixon’s! Jessica actually would take a thermos of sweet tea to lunch in Jr. High and sell it to the other kids for money! It is that good!

9. Special Birthdays
Some of my (Jessica) favorite memories are of my birthdays.  My mom always tried to do something special. One year she let me invite all my friends over and she made her famous lasagna. She served everything on fine china. We took pictures and had an awesome night.

10. Cookie in a Jar
This is very popular now but I am told she has been doing this for years. Put all the ingredients needed to make cookies from scratch in a mason jar, add a cute ribbon, and you have a perfect little gift!

11. “I Love You” Gifts
This is my (Julia) personal favorite! From as long as I can remember mom has always gotten us “I love You” gifts. This is just little gifts for no reason other than to let us know she loves us. From a Diet Coke to a new dress, I still like getting “I Love You” gifts!


12. Cinnamon Roll Christmas Trees
Mom has a way of getting any food item into a themed shape. I think this is where I get my obsession with themed food. I loved at Christmastime when she placed the cinnamon rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree and used green and red cherries for ornaments. Again, this is something I have carried on for my children.