So Long 2009

I saw on a few of the blogs that I read some ladies doing this. So I thought I would join in with them. Here is a look back at my 2009. Glad to see this year go in some ways...and in others...not so much.




January..prizes at a local pizza joint on my nephews birthday.

February - Quilt runner that about did me in! Decided then I needed a new sewing machine! Still don't have it though....

March - New cookbook I got shopping with my sissy on one of our rare days together.

April - Pretty flowers for my mama's birthday.

May - My sweet friend (actually more like my sister) and I on my birthday. I love her soooo much!

June - Sweet daughter enjoying a hot dog in the swing on Father's Day.

July - Camping trip in July when it rained and rained and rained.....

August - Our first trip to Michigan and seeing the beach! Another one of our lovely self portraits. :)

September - Darling daughter on her 14 birthday. She blew out every candle.

October - Our sweetie Elijah trick or treating at our house on his first Halloween. Woof woof!

November - Our new home in Michigan.

December - Mama and daughter on Christmas morning. This picture is special because she came to me for this picture.....I did not ask or beg. How wonderful!!

Happy New Year to you!!

Can't believe it's over....

Is there a "condition" for Post Christmas Let Down? If not...let's make one up. Let's call it PCLD. Ok? And, I am afraid that I have it. For some reason...I am simply not ready for this wonderful season to be over. I truly noticed...even in the midst of us packing up our home, leaving our family, quiting my job that I loved with all my heart, leaving my dearest friends, leaving my home town of 42 years....I found Joy this holiday. True Joy. Maybe it is because I slowed down this year. Doesn't sound like it with what I just mentioned does it? But I did. I took time this year to enjoy it. And, it really felt lovely.

Our Christmas began with traveling to Indiana to see my in-laws. We had the nicest time! On the way there, I saw this little red barn. The main door was open and inside, I saw this. I asked my husband if he would please stop so I could take a picture of it. After all....isn't this the true meaning of Christmas?


Now onto some silliness from our Christmas day at my parents. We also had a wonderful day with them. It began with our traditional sausage and egg casserole for breakfast and lots of coffee was needed. Then we went onto gifts. Even that got scaled back this year by all of us. I am just so proud of us this year! :)

My nephew wanted a Nerf Dart Tag game. Here are two of the three monkeys in their gear getting ready to shoot each other. I believe a dart got fired off at my kitty. Nerf darts are a toy he can't stand in the least. :)

Santa prints in the house. Believe it or not...my 14 year old daughter asked if they were going to be there this year since this is a tradition my parents started with my sister and I some 40ish years ago! So, I HAD to make them since she asked.

Toe socks for the 11 year old.

Simon Peter with his catnip mitten. He was zoned out after sniffing it to much. :)

Taylor excited to get her Crayola Crayon Maker. She wanted this thing so bad! I was afraid it would not work or be cheap like an easy bake oven...since it melts the wax with a light bulb...but it really works and she loved it.

She also wanted a pink camera. She is getting into scrap booking like her Nanny...so she wanted a camera to take pictures. She was very happy with it. It takes great pictures. I may have to borrow it when she is not home. :)

Shelby with her Rock Band she wanted. This kid loves music. She could not wait to get back home and try it out!

Shelby and her silly hat. I wish I had hair that would not look terrible after wearing one. They are so cute!! :)

My sissy and her vintage Santa that her thoughtful son bought for her. We took the kids to an antique store when they were visiting last weekend and he bought this for her there. We thought he looked a bit like the vintage one I still have from when I was a little girl. She loved her Santa. See...I told you she got over that fear of the big guy and she likes him now. :)

Sophie with her little sock monkey she got in her stocking. She was all tuckered out after playing with him that morning.

We went to the nursing home to visit my grandma after lunch. She was having a hard day...but I still got her to smile for me. She is going to be 98 years old in January. Bless her heart!! I love her so much. She looked at my girls and did not recognize them this visit. When we told her who they were, she could not believe it. Made me cry!! Then I made my sister cry! We were a mess. My sister and I got her a digital photo frame with lots of pictures of our family on it. She was very interested in it. She watched the pictures and laughed at them. I hope she gets hours of pleasure watching them and remembering those who love her so very much.

My parents gave Grandma this cute panda bear. It was the cutest thing to watch Grandma with it. She likes stuffed animals on her bed in her room. I hope she has fun showing it to her visitors and the people that work in her home that take care of her. She is very caring and sweet. I know she has probably already showed it to everyone that comes into her room.

And, that is it for our Christmas. I wonder if there is a cure for this PCLD Syndrome (Post Christmas Let Down) I am experiencing? I guess I will just have to eat another candy cane and see if that helps. I am quite sure that it will. :)

Merry Christmas

So thankful that God's plan for you and me involved a little baby born in Bethlehem. Celebrating His birth with you....Merry Christmas friends.

Christmas Past

My sister and nephew are here for a visit before Christmas. We were looking at other ladies blogs and enjoying their Christmas pictures from long ago. I remembered that I had some vintage pictures copied of our Christmases long ago. Thought maybe I would share them with you to.

I seem to be very interested in our conversation. Wish I remembered what was said.

Christmas card my parents sent out my second Christmas.

My sister and I loooooove this picture! It is my daddy at his first Christmas and his sister...my Aunt Doris. Look at the things Santa brought them under the tree. For that matter...look at that darling tree!! And chair and kids and lamp..........Oh....how we love this picture!!

This picture makes me look like I am not quite sure about this Santa. The first thing that comes to mind is that quote from the movie Elf.....maybe I am thinking he stinks like beef and cheese. HA!

My sissy and I also love this one of daddy and his girls. Don't we all look happy!

Our parents looking very groovy on Christmas morning. Love my moms bathrobe. :)

And this one is our favorite.....my sister very very unhappy sitting on Santa's lap. It appears even a candy cane is not doing the trick. I remember her really not liking Santa for a very long time. She has since changed her tune. We are all fans of the big guy now.

Friends

I forgot to tell you about our trip home to Illinois last weekend! Shame on me! It was a weekend for birthday celebration of the biggest proportion. On Friday while taking the kids to school, I snapped this picture in our subdivision. These trees were breathtaking! My little camera does nothing justice. Is it to late to ask Santa for a better one? Huh honey? I mean Santa? :)

Here is our house covered with snow snow snow!

Hubby and his yummy coconut cake my sissy made for him. We celebrated his birthday with my family on Friday night when we got home. We had pizza from our local pizza joint (man do we miss that yummy pizza!)

Saturday was two other birthday celebrations at lunch. Our birthday club had two beautiful ladies birthday's to celebrate. Some pretty decorations my sissy had on her table for us.

Yummy baby lemon bundt cakes with glaze and raspberries for dessert. Oh yum!

One of the beautiful birthday girls we celebrated.  Can you see this adorable cookie pan she got as a gift?  I am sooo wanting one of these.  Very very cute.  They are little gingerbread house cookie molds.  She also got some little tiny gumdrops to decorate them with.  ADORABLE!!  Hello Santa?

The second birthday girl!  Isn't she beautiful as well?  She is one of the most amazing Christian women I know.  If you want something prayed for....she is a warrior.  Let me tell you!  :)

And that is it....our wonderful weekend back home.  Dorothy was right....there really is no place like it!

Christmas Concert Nite

Last night was our girls first Christmas chorus concert at their new school. They have only had two weeks to prepare for this and they both had all the songs memorized. Good girls!! The concert hall where they sang was beautiful and decorated so nice. There was even a grand piano on stage and the pianist that played did a wonderful job!


Here are the cuties all ready for their first concert.

The auditorium. Aren't the snowflakes so pretty?

My daughter Shelby (on the far right) and two of her new friends. They were soooo cute to watch together. Arm in arm being buddies. It made her daddy and I so happy to see her happy and settling into her new life here. Makes me want to cry just writing this!

And lastly, I leave you with Simon the Great! Shelby stuck a Santa hat on him after the concert and we thought he looked like he needed some hot cocoa and a candy cane. Ahhh...the things we do to our pets. :)

Let it Snow...Let it Snow....Let it Snow!

Well, it's official. We had and survived our first Michigan snow! It was beautiful coming down!! The trees are just stunning! I can not even begin to describe how beautiful it is. Let's see if I am still singing this song come March. HA! Here are some pictures of our day. If I had all my goodies that I needed to make Christmas yummies...I would of baked. I will be more prepared next time. Still learning about this wonderful place......


Somewhere under this bundle is my little 11 year old. She had so much fun in all the white stuff!

Making snow angels.....

He looks happy and jolly in this picture....but he was cold and tired of shoveling snow! I bet he was thinking..."this is going to be a looooooong winter."

Back inside, Taylor wanted to draw pictures for a friend of hers and mama had hot cocoa ready for warming up her insides from playing in all that snow!

This is for you!

And lastly, Sophie and me. We are going home to see our family today in Illinois! The car is packed and ready to go. As soon as the kids get picked up from school we are out of here! Can't wait to see everyone that I love back home and go to church with all our church family. It is amazing that we have only been gone two weeks but it feels like two months! Mama....I am coming home!!! See you soon! XOXOXOX