2024 Favorites!!!

FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENT: this year is restarting the van route!!! We now have a steady full van on Sundays- sometimes a liiiiiitttttttle over-flowingly. 

This was our first van run!!! It was slim buuuuuut no it’s full!!!! I never fully stopped picking up people for church, but there was a lull after 2020 but getting the van restarted made my heart sooooooooooo happy 😊!!!!! Thank you Jesus!!!

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Favorite casual outfit of 2024

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Favorite Selfie 🤳 

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Favorite play

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Favorite Sister Shopping 🛍️ day 🥰 

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Favorite Bestie Moment: 😉 

What happens on a little walmart excursion, stays on the walmart excursion!!!! 😜 Buuuuuuuut bring ID 🪪 and drive next time!!!
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FAVORITE BABY

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Favorite coffee discovery 

Favorite new coffee place in Philly!!!
Soooooooo smooth and creamy!!!

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Favorite free coffee drink 

Thanks Ryan!!! 😇 😜 
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Favorite Boba 🧋 drink: Crazy Brown in SD 

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Favorite Christmas picture!!

My sister made this beautiful dessert board!!!

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Favorite photo of Gods beauty 

Prettiest drink

Best pizza 🍕 discovery 

Soooooooo goooooooood!!!!

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Favorite new recipe tried- Cheesey Egg toast recipe given to me from Sister Everlene

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Favorite Shirt: Trust God and Chill

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Favorite Vacation: SD trip in July

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Biggest miracle and also the biggest joy!!!

Favorite thing i ate: Pho Tacos at the taco 🌮 festival 

Favorite Dessert: Pumpkin Spice latte taco 

also at the taco festival 

Worth every single calorie and i can’t say that very often!!!

Favorite coffee bar at Denae’s Bridal shower

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Ooooooops- do i have two favorite selfies???? 😜 😇 

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Favorite sunset over-flowingly

Fluffy pink clouds ☁️ 🥰 
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Favorite Compliment: When Denae asked me to be a greeter at her wedding 💒 and she said because she wanted my face to be the first face for everyone to see when they got to her wedding 💒!!! I was liiiiiiiiiike i’ve waited MY WHOLE LIFE FOR SOMEONE TO SAY THAT!!! 💕 

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Also got a huuuuuuuuge compliment on my writing ✍️ from someone that was a really big deal to me!!!
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Favorite Dress - it’s from Dainty Jewells 

Denae and i decided i should wear this dress as the greeter for her wedding 💒 because my pastor ACTUALLY complimented me on it and Pastor is NOT one of those complimenyish kinda people!!!! Soooooooo IF HE ACTUALLY COMPLIMENTS YOU, you should probably just wear that outfit every day for the rest of your life!!!! Bahahahahaaa 

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FAVORITE GIFT 🎁 

GIFTED TO ME FROM THE BIG SIS!!!! 😱 

♥Mary Frances :)

Pajama Skirts!!!

Okaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy soooooooo i’ve been seeing all these SUPERRRRRRRR CUUUUUUUUUUTE pajama sets and getting soooooooooo annoyed because they are absolutely 💯percent adorable buuuuuuut they’re PANTS OR SHORTS AND I DONT WEAR PANTS AND SHORTS!!!! 

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I saw some that were sooooooooo cuuuuuute i was actually thinking, weeeeeeellllll, could i turn the pants into a skirt???? Buuuuuuut then i was liiiiiiike, okaaaaaaay Mary, we all know that your NO SEAMSTRESS!!!

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BUUUUUUUUT THEN I WAS LIKE OMW PAJAMA SKIRTS!!!! Surely there is one person in the world that has thought this up!!!!! Soooooooo i googled in and found NOTHING!!!! Buuuuuuuuuut then i googled it AGAIN and found this sight below 👇 

HANNAH Gabrielle HERE 

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Look at this beautiful design! She hand paints the designs herself and they are made into material, her designs are her own original works of art 🖼️!!!!
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Hannah Gabrielle brand, a Pentecostal woman, makes the most adorable and beautiful and modest pajama skirt sets!!!! 

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From what i’ve gathered from her website is that her idea is to take the cute styles we see, that aren’t skirt friendly and design skirts to match so that we can enjoy the cuteness as well!!! She has some really cute sweat-skirts also and some active wear!

This pajama skirt says “The Modest Times” on the newspaper 📰 and all the cutesy doodles on the skirt are appropriate for proverbs 31 women, no makeup 💄 or lipstick or bikini print!!!

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Everything she has is adorable, buuuuuuuut this last pajama set is like her crown 👑 of absolute loveliness and beauty! Bows flowers AND FEATHER 🪶 TRIM!!!

LOOK 👀 AT THAT!!!! Sooooooo lovely 🥰!!!

I actually returned $120 worth of stuff on SHEIN sooooooo i can do some shopping 🛍️ on this Pentecostal sight!!! 

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Get your pajama skirt set HERE 

♥Mary Frances :)

Eavesdropping in the ladies room…

I'm literally listening to THE MOST INTERESTING, dramatic conversation in the bathroom 🚽 stall next to me at the gym!!! I was gonna turn on my audio story to my ear buds buuuuuut this is waaaaaay more interesting!!!! Sooooo the just is this chick doesn’t know how her boyfriend can really looooove her when they just barely started dating and he doesn’t even know her favorite color yet!!!! I'm liiiiiiiike can everyone puleeeeeeze STOP flushing the toilet and using the air dryer soooooo i can hear BETTER!!!! 😂 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😇

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i just wanna shoutout girrrrrrlllll go with your instincts… he doesn’t loooooovecyou yet!!! Buuuuuuut then what do i know???? it’s been 19 years since i’ve been in a relationship and i don’t necessarily think knowing MY FAVORITE COLOR EQUALS LOOOOOVE!!!! i mean, you’d have to be blind to NOT KNOW my favorite color is pink!!! 😂 

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Now she’s liiiiike, i mean he hasn’t even seen me mad yet!!! bahahahahaaa!! The gym rules say NO SELFIES IN THE BATHROOM BUUUUUUT THANKFULLY they don’t say anything about eavesdropping!!!!! bahahahahaaa 

♥Mary Frances my

Happy DAY AFTER Christmas!!!!

Good one Mar, GOOD ONE!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!

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I'm telling you all...I just about had an a heart attack...

That awkward moment when... 

you realize you CAN only marry THE SECOND BEST-LOOKING PERSON IN THE WORLD!!! OOOOOOOOPS!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

What is Santa's Wife's name???

Mary Christmas EVERYONE!!! 

Hee, hee, hee!!! Ho, ho, ho!!!

Send me your favorite Christmas Joke!!! Maryfranceswriting@gmail.com

♥Mary Frances ;)

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

Merry Christmas, Eve!!!! 

Get it???? AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

Not that Adam and Eve actually KNEW who Jesus was buuuuuuuut kind of cuz God told them there was one that would crush the serpent that deceived her!!!! 

Hope you guys have an amaaaaazing Christmas tomorrow!!!

Send me your favorite Christmas joke!!!! Maryfranceswriting@gmail.com

Sneak Peek 👀…

Soooooooo i pretty much have a week of pre-scheduled Christmas posts, buuuuuuuuut, i have to give you all a sneak peek of Denae on her wedding 💒 day… she was absolutely stunning and gorgeous and the whole wedding was beautiful… i believe she is currently in Maui buuuuuut more to come of their whole wedding 💒!!!! She had some really cuuuuuute ideas that made it extra fun 🤩 and unique that i can’t wait to share with you all… 

BUUUUUUUUT SNEAK PEAK…

CAN WE SAY GORGEOUS???

♥Mary Frances :)

Happy Monday Knock, Knock!!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

Happy Christmas-ish Sunday!!!

Don’t forget to make room for Jesus during this season!!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!

My little Denae is getting married!!! 

♥Mary Frances :)

The Safest hiding spot!!!

Merry Mary Moments brings you, 

THE SAFEST HIDING SPOT

 for MARY'S PRESENTS!!!

Sooooooooo i have to admit, that even in my 40's I STILL sneak around to try and find where my sister hid my Christmas Present...

 EVERY YEAR!!! 

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I know, I know, soooooooo childish...buuuuuut I will do this at age 100...no matter what you say, LEAVE ME UNSUPERVISED, annnnnnnd I will be searching!!! And YET, I still DO NOT wanna be TOLD what I'm getting and want to be surprised...Or at least PRETEND to be surprised...I know, I know....SOOOOOO IMMATURE....buuuuuut at this point, I don't think it's everrrr gonna change!!! Hee, hee!!! ;)

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Soooooooooo one year, AS USUAL, I THOUGHT I pretty much KNEW EVERYTHING my sister had gotten me, clothes, hiking shoes, etc...all the normal things I always want, and I pretended to be surprised for everything as usual...lol...I'm opening a little box, not really paying attention, talking to everyone as I go and I look down to actually see what I'm opening and realize...

OMW!!!

I'M UNWRAPPING THE NEWEST...

FITBIT WATCH!!!

I was seriously soooo FLOORED!!!😲😵

My other fitbit had broken, and I HAD mentioned that I was going to wait til after Christmas to get a new one but never thought she was going to get it for me!!! I was liiiiiiiike, I OMW,  I had absolutely NO IDEA you were getting me this!!!  I was liiiiiiiiike, I NEVERRRRR even saw it in your closet when I was looking!!!

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She's like, thats because I hid it in a spot I KNEW you would NEVER look!!! I'm like, WHERE??? She smiles and says, THE IRONING BOARD!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! I was like, WOOOOOOWWWW!!!! Buuuuuuuut...VERRRRRY GOOD HIDING SPOT!!! Hee, hee!!!😇

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Okaaaaaaaaay yeah everyone, I DO NOT IRON MY CLOTHES and i don't care what anyone thinks!!! Ok, ok, occasionally, if I really, really, really love something enough and it really needs to be ironed AND i forgot to bring it to the dry cleaners, I will iron, buuuuuuuut for the most part, I just don't!!! So far I have ONE GREEN DRESS that I actually love enough that I will iron it buuuuuut other than that, it ain't happening!!! 

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If any guy has on his list of things he wants in a wife that she needs to be willing to iron his clothes, you can just cross ME OFF your list!!! BAHAHAAA! I heard one lady once say, girls, IF YOU LOVE YOUR HUSBAND you'll iron his clothes!!! i'm liiiiike, Okaaaaaaaaaay, I'm WILLING, buuuuuuuuuuut IF HE LOVES likes in any way HIS CLOTHES, he will NOT ask ME to iron them!!!! Jus sayin!!! *Mary at age 20: Mom do you think we can fix this blouse? Mary, you MELTED the material!!! What about if i wear a shirt underneath and wear my hair down??? Mom: Next time, BRING IT TO THE DRY CLEANERS!!! 

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Soooooo my sister said she had it on the ironing board under some clothes in her room and she asked me before she left the house if I was going to iron my outfit for church and I just looked at her like she was CRAZY, and very obnoxiously said, NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! She said she just thought to herself, well, 

IT'S SAFE!!! AHAHAHAHAAA!!!

Soooooo there you have it folks, MERRY MARY MOMENTS presents you with, THE IRONING BOARD, the safest spot to hide Mary's presents!!! Hee, hee!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

Soooooooo one year, right before Christmas Sunday, I decided that I really, really, needed to get my eyebrows done! I was like thinking in my head, I should probably wait til my next paycheck, buuuuuuuut that's after Sunday, annnnnnnnd I really want good eyebrows for Sunday!!! 

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Soooooooooo I pull up to European wax center, and as I'm walking in, I double check on my bank app that I have sufficient funds in my back account, I have MORE THAN ENOUGH, sooooooo I go in and proceed with getting AMAZING EYEBROWS!!! 

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Once I'm done, I go to pay and my debit card is declined like 10 times!!! I'm liiiiiike WHAAAAT??? Liiiiiiike I LITERALLY JUST CHECKED MY ACCOUNT!!!! I'm like freaking out!!! What do they do to people that don't have the funds to pay for their eyebrow job that has ALREADY BEEN DONE??? 

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LIKE OMW!!! It's four days before Christmas AND I'M GOING TO JAIL!!!

ALL BECAUSE I NEEDED GOOD EYEBROWS!!!! 

Buuuuuuuut heeeeeey at least i'll look good for that mug shot!!! ;) 

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Soooooo I don't know what to do, I'm actually wondering if they allow prisoners to take SELFIES for their mug shots, when the lady at the desk says, well you do have a $65 gift certificate in your account, would you like to use some of it towards your eyebrows today? 

I was like, I DO???

She was like, yes ma'aam! I'm liiiiike, WELL SURE!!! I mean I have NO IDEA HOW I GOT SUCH A LARGE CERTIFICATE IN MY ACCOUNT!!! Buuuuuuuuuuuuut honestly, I don't even care!! I don't at all question this blessing, i just take this as a sign that CLEARLY GOD DID INDEED want me to have good eyebrows for church on Sunday!!!  

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FAST FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS...

Soooooo I'm opening all my gifts and one of my gifts from my sister is a gift certificate to European Wax Center, i'm liiiiiiike OH COOL!!!! I can ALWAYS use one of these!!! She's like, yeah, they started doing a facial now and I thought you would like to do that, so I made it large enough to get your eyebrows and the facial together! (She knows I'm super into skin care!) Then she says, and you don't even need to save that gift card, because they ALREADY put it in your account when I bought it the other day!!!

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I was liiiiiiiike...Oooooooh...Sooooooooooooo THAT'S HOW I HAD A CERTIFICATE IN MY ACCOUNT WHEN I WAS THERE THE OTHER DAY!!!! She's like, Oh soooooo you already knew about it?! I'm liiiiiiiike, weeeeeeeeeeellll...FUNNY you should mention that, you see, I got my eyebrows done on Saturday, and RIGHT BEFORE I walked in, I checked my bank account and I PROMISE YOU I had sufficient funds in my account to get my eyebrows done, buuuuuuuut apparently, while I was getting my eyebrows done, and UNEXPECTED charge went through my bank account and I no longer had the money to pay for my eye brows! I was really freaking out because I didn't know how I was going to pay for it when the lady said I had a gift certificate in my account that I could use to pay for them....SO I DID!!!

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My sister just looks at me shaking her head...

 SOOOOOOO UNKNOWINGLY, 

 YOU ALREADY SPENT THE GIFT CERTIFICATE BEFORE IT WAS

 EVEN GIVEN TO YOU????

I'm just like, Oooooops!!!😇

She's just like, WOW!!!! 

AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

♥Mary Frances 

CAUGHT!!!!

Regifting, I mean, let's be REAL, all of us have done it one time or another!!! (Can I get an AMEN from my HotDogSISTA JANELLE???;) Buuuuuuuuuuut the down part is GETTING CAUGHT!!! AHAHAHAAA!!! 

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Weeeeeeeeeeelllll one year, for my birthday, which is in July, my brother John and his wife Liz gave me a $25 gift card to TJ Maxx and a HUGE water jug, you know those thermal ones that keep your drink hot or cold for days??? Well, I do drink a lot of water, buuuuuuuut, there was NO WAY I was going to use this water jug...I mean, maybe if it was pink, buuuuuut it was like a light army green, there was just no way I would drink from an un-cute water jug unless I was like stranded on a desert island. 

Uncute, buuuut very practical, durable thermos

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I was thinking, what am I going to do with this? I mean, I don't wanna just get rid of it, buuuuuuuut...OH I KNOW, I'll give it to Stultz for his birthday in December!!! He loooooves fishing and this would make THE PERFECT water jug to take on a fishing trip!!!

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Soooooooo I asked ANOTHER  sister in law, who makes like graphics on t-shirts or stickers for your car, or imprints on hats, cups, etc...if she could put some kind of fishing meme on it and I would pay her for it!

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I felt very justified in my re-gifting to Stultz, because I was STILL paying for something on it. So come his birthday, I proudly give my gift with the graphic on it when we all go out for his birthday after Sunday evening service! He likes it, etc...or so he says...maybe he regifted it to his dad the NEXT YEAR  for Christmas! BAHAHA! JK!

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Anyways, I really thought I was SAFE with my regifting to Stultz BECAUSE, my brother and his wife go to another Pentecostal church in the Valley, so they weren't going to be there at the party after church, AND my brother John doesn't go fishing, so it's NOT like they'd ever be fishing together!!! MY REGIFTING WAS SAFE!!!

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WROOOOOOOONG!!!

Sooooooooo since we all grew up with Stultz living across the street, it became a tradition that on Christmas day we'd all exchange gifts with him. Even though we've all moved around, we've still kept up the tradition. Weeeeeellll this year, Stultz comes over, we're all hanging out when we start opening gifts. He's opening the one from my brother John, and sister-in-law Liz, when I see him pulling out an IDENTICAL water jug as the one they had given me for his birthday, that I had REGIFTED to Jonathon...OOOOOPS!!!

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He's like, “HEY! This is almost just like...” I TRY TO INTERRUPT HIM...TO MOTION WITH MY HANDS TO SHUT UP!!! TO STOP TALKING...

Buuuut NOPE!!!

“…JUST LIKE THE ONE YOU GAVE ME!!!”

CAUGHT!!!

REGIFTING!!! 

My sister-in-law, Liz looks at me with a huge grin, MAAAAAAARY, did you re-gift our present to you, to Jonathon??? I was like, SOOOOOORRRRRRRRY!!!! It was really niiiiiiiiice, BUUUUUUT it wasn't PINK!!! She just starts laughing!!!! And explains that they got a really, really good deal on them and have been gifting them out to everyone!!!

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Now that she wasn't mad at me, I turn to Stultz, whose just laughing at this all!!!! I'm liiiiiiike, I know I re-gifted to you, buuuuuuuut, I REALLY DID SPEND MONEY on your birthday present! I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY DID!!! I paid Grace to put that imprint on it! I paid her $10...without missing a beat, my sister-in-law says, WHATEVERRRR you didn't pay me NOTHING!!!! I just looked at her with my mouth hanging open! Now i'm really looking CHEAP!!! No Grace, I paid you for that, remember???

She's like, JUUUUUUUST KIDDING!!!!

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Everyone just busted up laughing at me again!!! I was like, MAAAAAN, i really, really, REALLY thought i was safe with my regifting, buuuuuuuut NOPE, 

I got CAUGHT!!!

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It was for sure a, 

 Classic MERRY MARY MOMENT!!!

Have you ever got caught or caught someone else regifting??? Maryfranceswriting@gmail.com Best stories could get posted with sender's permission!!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

P.S. After that my brother John started adding in random things to my birthday gifts and he would say, THIS WAY YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO REGIFT!!! BAHAHAAAA!!! I'm glad my brother's last gift to me wasn't that water jug...I would have felt obligated to keep it!!! LOLOLOLOL

A Merry MARY Moment!!!

Sooooooooooo quite a few years ago, I was trying to find THE PERFECT Christmas gift for my sister, , I finally found the perfect crossbody duffle bag for my sis to take on trips!!! She had told me she really wanted one like mine, BUUUUUUT in her style!!! I found THE PERFECT ONE on of course, AMAZON!!! It was striped with floral, kinda has a Kate-Spadish look to it without the Kate-Spade Price!!! LOL 

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Weeeeeeeeeeellllll I told my niece I wanted her to wrap it for me and then I hid it REALLY GOOD, so my sister would NOT be able to find it!!!!! 

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FAST FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

I'm in my room, MY CLEAN ROOM, getting all my Christmas presents together for the next day and I can NOT find the duffle bag I got for my sister!!! I'm looking all through my closet and literally tore my once clean room apart, till it looked like a tornado had swept through it!!!! 

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I couldn't believe it...

Hid her present so good, 

EVEN I couldn't find it!!!

I was literally FREAKING OUT!!! WHERE IN THE WORLD HAD I PUT IT!?!?!?! At that moment, my sister and MJ came home and tell them that I can't find my present for T!!! So MJ just looks at me, and she says, it's in the living room... 

WRAPPED!!! 

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I was like, WHAAAAAT??? How did it get wrapped??? She's like, YOU told ME to wrap it, SO I DID!!!! I was like, OOOOOH, I told you that?! I thought I had hid it!!! 

OOOOOOOOOOPS!!!

Classic Merry MARY Moment!!! ;)

♥Mary Frances :)

Christmas Reads/listens!!!

Heeeeeeeeeeyyyy everyone!!! Soooooooo if you don't know this, I'm pretty much ADDICTED to audilble!!! I loooooooove books buuuuuut I don't just like to sit down and read and do nothing else buuuuuuuuuut I looooooooove listening to stories as I walk, hike, do the eliptical, cook, clean, drive etc... and NOOOOOOOOOO i don't think LISTENING is the same as READING buuuuuuuuut I do think its still a STORY and I looooooooove STORIES!!! Stories make me happy and relax me and entertain me...Stories are MY MUSIC!!!! You know how some of you need music for EVERYTHING??? Weeeeelllll I NEED STORIES FOR EVERYTHING!!! (Could possible be WHY I'm a writer!!!;)

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Sooooooooo when it's Christmas time, I loooooooooove to pull out the Christmas stories and I thought I'd share a few of my favorites!!! 

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This first one is such a GOOOOOOD fun little mystery, well it's cheaper to buy the whole series on Audible for one credit buuuuut it's the first story that I like the most in the series, 12 Days At Bleakley Manor-it's just kinda a fun and mysterious little story- a little Agatha Christie without an actual murder!!! LOL you can buy the story alone or the whole series together and they are all good but the first one is the funnnnnnest!!!

12 Days At Bleakley Manor

 

Catching Christmas is one of THE FUNNNNNEST AND CUUUUUTEST stories everrrrr!!! I admit to CRYING buuuuuut that's only because I was thinking of my mom and how our last Christmas with her, even AT THE HOSPITAL was probably one of the best Christmas' i've everrrr had!!! *Warning the romance is a LITTLE CHEESY AND UNREALISTIC buuuuut the overall story line is just GREAT!!! 

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JIMMY AND THE ANGEL STAR!!! This next story is juuuust sooooooooooo cuuuuuute and Imaginative!!! All the Christmas tree ornaments like talk and stuff- and NO I DON'T HAVE A CHRISTMAS TREE nor do i desire one buuuuuuuuut I LOOOOOOVE THIS LITTLE STORY!!! IT's been a few years since I listnened to it buuuuut I remember really liking it!!! LIke it has "It's a wonderful life vibes"

I plan to add stories to this EVERY YEAR buuuuuut here is my start!!!

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And here is a huuuuuuuuge list of AUDIO DRAMA CHRISTMAS STORIES ON Audio Theatre Central!!!! 

♥Mary Frances :)

Happy Monday!!!!

CHRISTMAS CHEER!!!

Good one Mar Bear,

 GOOOOOOD ONE!!! 🙌🏾 

♥Mary Frances :)