New Year's Resolutions

I have always written out New Year's Resolutions. I believe if it is written it will happen.
In fact, I always have written them out. Even in junior high school.One of my resolutions from 7th grade went something like:
#1 Get a boyfriend.
#2 Don't get another pimple

I should have learned from early age, resolutions don't work. I didn't get a boyfriend and I did get another pimple! Maybe I was asking for the wrong thing. OR maybe I was asking for things I couldn't control.

But I'm persistant.

Then there was the year that I had 5 small kids at home and my list included things like:
1 Get up by 4:30 every morning to allow for some "me" time.
2 Exercise everyday for an hour
3 Always have a spotless house
4 Always serve nutritious meals
5 Lose 20 pounds by February.
That is just a small sample of what I wrote that year. I say small sample because my list that I wrote out in my journal was 3 pages long. I kid you not!!!!

Somewhere between 7th grade and today........reality has set in.

I am setting goals this year, BUT I am making them attainable.

I am writing them down, because if they aren't written, then they are just a wish. I may have to really stretch myself but by dang I'm gonna do it!!!!!

Goals for 2010:
#1 Get out of bed before noon.

#2 Get dressed before Howie gets home from work.....no fair hoping he works late.

So, there ya have it. Goals...written down.....I look forward to achieving these resolutions! I know it's going to take hard work and perserverence but I know with a LOT of work, I can do it!

Happy New Year !!!!!!

Early Christmas Present

We had an unintentional early gift this year.
It wasn't supposed to be delivered until next year.
Sometimes early presents are pretty awesome.

After a few days in the NICU he got to come home.

Grandbaby #7

Safe in daddy's hands.

Welcome little Kendrix! 6 pounds 8 ounces
Born on December 16, 2009

Do these pants make me look fat?

The chocolates are dipped.
Amen.
Let's see how they turned out.
Buttercream center, dipped in chocolate, rolled in toasted coconut. My personal favorite.

Mmmmm, very creamy texture.
Next we have an orange cream. My personal favorite.

Yum, when they are cold the chocolate kinda crunches and the orange center is just unbelievably orangy.
Next is the ever popular caramel.

The caramel was cooked to perfection this time. Very soft. This one is my personal favorite.
Now we have the pretzel rod. Dipped in caramel and then dipped in chocolate.

It's a bit unusual sounding....but it's my personal favorite.
There are also nut clusters and haystacks.
They are my personal favorites.
I need to emphatically state here that by the time I have cooked the centers and caramel and dipped the chocolates I NEVER feel like eating the chocolates. It's just too much sweetness. I'm tired of the whole mess.
It does take willpower and discipline to resist eating the chocolates but after so many years of doing this I have really obtained near perfection in my ability to withstand temptation.
The question I have for all of you is WHY are my clothes shrinking?

Seriously it's such a mystery.

you have no idea how disgusting it was to smear chocolate on my face just for the sake of blogging

I wasn't gonna............

I wasn't gonna dip chocolates this year. I wasn't going to make multiple batches of caramel or English Toffee. I wasn't going to make orange creams or nut clusters. I was going to have a clean kitchen and sit around all day.

Then my husband asked me "when are you going to dip chocolates?" I replied that I wasn't that bored and hadn't planned on doing chocolates this year. Stunned silence. Then he starts quoting in his best Boris Karloff voice

"it came without ribbons, it came without tags, it came without boxes, or ribbons or bags! You're a mean one Mr. Grinch"

(he does it with the whole deep singing voice and everything....quite the effects honey!)

So THIS is what I've been doing. I'm not sitting around and my kitchen isn't clean.
Because when my better half looks at me and says "but why Santie Claus why?"

Well, I have no choice but to keep up the tradition of a messy kitchen and NOT sitting down.

Meowy Christmas

I got home late one night and this is the site that greeted me.

 

Our cats truly think of themselves as presents to us.
Of all of the places this feline could go snuggle up somewhere (usually on top of a pile of clean laundry) this cat decided that he needed to be under the lit Christmas tree.
It made me smile.
I've been decorating.
But not as much as last year, in fact I have scaled WAY back.
I'm just doing things that are meaningful for us and I don't have every nook and corner decked.

Our dining table has our Christmas candle wreath. Our tradition that we have had for 20+ years is to light one candle on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, two candles the following Sunday and so on, until on the Sunday before Christmas all candles are lit. I didn't do this one year and my teenage children rebeled.
I didn't think they noticed.
Next on my list of favorite decorations I have a very rough cut Nativity that my mother-in-law brought back from Jerusalem over 27 years ago. I love this Nativity.
We have a very elaborate one with all the camels and fine carvings.
But this is the only one I put up this year.

I love how simple it is.
About 15 years ago I made Christmas stockings for all my kids. As they left home I gave them their stocking. I still have three of the originals. I had to buy some to fill up the hooks. The three I made are the center three.
There are days that I wish all of my original stockings were hung......

I miss my little kids that had to get all grown up. sniffle

After the birth of my second grandchild I wanted to do something to preserve their tiny hand prints or foot prints on something besides my walls and picture window. So I decided to make throw pillows and put their print on that. I made one pillow for me and a matching one for the parent of that child. I'll have a new pillow to add for next Christmas.
I love the pillows.

The grandkids get a kick out of seeing how big their hands or feet have gotten.
I have a love affair of Snowmen and started collecting them a few years ago.


This year I got a bedspread from WallyWorld. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

It wasn't big enough so I bought two and did some sewing and used the extra fabric to make a couple of throw pillows. I am not sure if I love it it sorta looks like Hallmark barfed in my room but it was cheap. And I wanted a new bedspread.
So that's my Christmas tour. Simple. Laid back. Kinda like me.
I'll be glad in January that I didn't go all out.
My better half will be gone for most of the first three months of the year and I hate putting Christmas away alone.
I get all weepy and sad when I have to take it down.
So this way the weepy sad part won't last as long.
(I hope)
Anywayz
From my house

 

To yours

 

Meowy Christmas!
Keep testing the Mistletoe!
BTW don't ya love the little snowflaky thingies going across the blog?

ER=Crazy People

It's a well known fact that if you want to know what crazy people look like, you go to the ER.
Here's proof.

This is what I deal with day in and day out for 12 hours when I'm at work. do I have your pity?They think urine samples and meatloaf is normal.(click on it if you have a twisted sense of humor.)

Yup, crazy people in the ER. They make the patients seem so normal
I love these people!
They always have my back.
I have their back.
We're a team.
If you're sick or hurt....it's us crazy people you want. Trust me
They are the next best thing to family.

Frosty the Snowman?

Gigi sent me some snowman cartoons.
I had to share.
They made me laugh.
In fact I snorted.

(If you'll "click" on the image you can read it!)

Word to the wise mind your business

Cold and flu season is such a bummer.

This made me giggle.

This one made me snort!


I know it might be a pain to click on the pictures but so worth it for a great laugh. Thanks Gigi! It's hard to decide which gave me the biggest smile....the snowman cartoons or a trip down memory lane looking at your wedding pictures.
Be on the lookout for rogue snowmen!

The day after the Weekend before...

Thanksgiving was so much fun. There was so much food. There was so much family. Now I wish I had a maid (oh, I forgot I AM the maid)

The grandkids had fun doing their own Nativity set!

The "girls" enjoyed doing the Wreaths.

The family enjoyed playing Apples to Apples while a kitten rested on Matt's shoulders.

And on Cameron's shoulders....very weird kat

I can't get over how weird this kat is! He was very comfy here.
We did a lot of this:



Snuggy time with mom and soon-to-be baby brother:

The girls check out the Black Friday ads:

Nick got roped into helping with the Christmas wreaths. He isn't talking to me yet, I wonder why.


Happy Birthday dad!
I love my family. They are all a little weird BUT I wouldn't have it any other way.

Me and my better half. (I really need a haircut)
Well, I gotta go, the HAZMAT team AND the EPA called and are coming over to condemn my house.