Merry Christmas!

It's late Christmas Eve, or more specifically really early Christmas morning. The house is quiet other than Sammy's paws as he follows me around, excited we are home.

We spent the better part of the day 2-11pm at my parents house. We had traditional snacks, there was some game play to pass the afternoon, yummy lasagna dinner, presents, family interactions and of course dessert! It was as lovely a time as can be had with 2 10 year olds who are hyped up on sugar and caffeine (Mountain Dew, really?) that want to open presents. Two memorable moments come to mind from the day... my mom went upstairs where the 3 boys were playing on the computer. She thought they were on Farmville (a Facebook game) and said they could open her gifts (there is a virtual tree with gifts to open on the game)... Jack & Logan got so excited about opening gifts that when she clarified her offer (they could play her online game for her) they were really bummed and Jackson said "you just don't say that to kids Grandma". Then later Logan opened his gift from us and found a Jeff Dunham dvd he wanted. Jackson has had this on his list for over a year... he was super upset that Logan got it first looking me straight in the eye, arms thrown up in the air "really??", but I am sure by morning he'll be totally fine with the situation once he opens his.

I actually forgot my camera so I used moms new camera. Hopefully she'll bring it with her tomorrow and I can upload the card and share some photo's with you all. I better get to bed or Santa won't stop by.... Merry Christmas everyone!

Many reasons to be thankful!

*I am thankful that these folks (Aunt Lulu, Michael, my cousin Roger, Pam & Ella) were able to spend the day with us
*I am thankful for good times spent chatting after dinner, just sitting around the table
* I am thankful for cousins... big & small
*I am thankful for my parents and the love they share with their grandkids everyday, not just on holidays
*I am thankful for days spent playing together (and a kiddo who loves scrabble!!)
*I am thankful for the opportunity to serve my family, the opportunity to help in preparing our meal


***Thanksgiving 2009 was a great day. Lots of food, fun and family. Little stress or worry. For that I am truly thankful.

Menu Plan Monday

Well, today was going to be a day full of this & that errands... but as luck would have it the other car wouldn't start and so my car took Jonathan to work. That meant kids had to tough the cold morning and make sure they were ready to go in time to get to school on their own.. which they do almost every other day, but they always have me as a backup if things go awry. It also means I am home all day -which I am enjoying so far and I am happy to report that I have actually gotten quite a few things done.

I am heading to Dallas on Thursday for a retreat (I am super excited about it too!) and so it was more important than ever to have a meal plan ready for the week. So here goes...

Sunday -Turkey pot pie
Monday- pork chops w/ mashed potatoes, gravy and peas (make extra potatoes for Shepards Pie)
Tuesday - chili (X2)with cornbread (brown extra meat for Shepards Pie)
Wednesday -chicken parmesan (X2) with mashed potatoes, corn
Thursday -shepards pie (made Tuesday)
Friday - Chili dogs
Saturday - Hamburgers w/ potato salad
Sunday -chicken parmesan with penne

I have pictures to post from Thanksgiving --but my computer time is up. I'll be back later today or tomorrow with the weekend report.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have reached Thanksgiving Day 2009! I can hardly believe what the next 6 weeks will bring..

• a great celebration today my family plus special guests Aunt Lulu, Michael, Roger, Pam & Ella!
• holiday shopping season kicking off on Black Friday (of course we'll be heading out looking for some deals)
• a retreat in Dallas, Texas next weekend with my Premier girlfriends... a full 3 days of jewelry, girl talk, shopping and fashion fun!
• my honey and I will turn 38 so there will be family dinners & special times
• the weather is turning cold so we'll have cozy nights around the fireplace and hot tea
• lots of together time ....playing games, watching movies, just being together
  
• Christmas will be here before we know it
• then comes 2010!!!

Today I am thankful for the many blessings I have in my life. I am blessed with a wonderful family who are healthy and happy. I am grateful to have my extended family close by (although there is still a house for sale across the street.. hint, hint) and others far away who are a part of my life. I am surrounded by friends I love and trust -who support me through whatever is going on. I am truly blessed with love and for that I am very thankful.

What does it mean to be thankful? I'm not talking about being polite after someone opens the door for you. I'm talking about feeling thankful for the true blessings in your life. '"True Blessings" mean the things in your life that resonate importance in your life - the things that touch your core.

You may be wondering why it's important to feel thankful. Oprah talked about this concept a few years ago and she suggested having a thankfulness journal. This is a great idea because it keeps us focused on the positives in our lives. It helps us see the great things we have and do, and puts our frustrations and worries into perspective. But even if you don't have a journal, you can see the benefits of being conscious of your blessings - again, keeping focused on the great and wonderful things in our lives.

How does being thankful affect your life? Let's look at it in terms of someone you may know. Imagine the person who is usually in a bad mood. They are always complaining about something, there is always someone who's done something to them and they're always getting the bum deal. This person is hard to be around and it takes a lot of energy to maintain a relationship with them. By the end of a visit, you're exhausted! Do you think this person is a thankful one? Probably not. In fact, if you asked them what they're thankful for, they may have a hard time telling you.

On the other hand, think of someone else you know. This person is energetic, and has a certain spark to them. They laugh a lot and have a "can-do" attitude. They may be afraid, but they are willing to try new things. If you ask them what they're thankful for, they will be able to list off many. And when you visit with this person, you feel energized, inspired and thankful to know them. It's safe to say that this person is more fulfilled in their life than others.

Of course our lives are never perfect but we still strive for perfection. But you know how it is. You reach the top of one mountain and guess what! there's another mountain to climb! Don't feel discouraged, instead look back at all the mountains you've climbed and acknowledge the growth and progress you've made. Be thankful for the experiences because without them, you wouldn't be who you are today.

So today.... this day... know that I am so thankful for YOU. Without you, I would not be who I am today. I am thinking of you today and I know I am blessed.

I know this is just a jumble of thoughts.. but this is me... right now... looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with relatives from the east coast as well as newly transplanted California cousins. We have so much to be thankful for and the rest will come as it comes and we'll go from there.

Today...

Today is Monday -the start of a whole new week. I like that about Monday -it comes every week and gives me a whole new opportunity to get things right~. Today is going to be a tough one. A friends husband passed away last week and his services are today. I have been thinking about his family since his illness was shared with me about a month ago. My heart goes out to my friend and their children. They have two girls and two boys (who are the exact ages of my boys and friends of theirs) all of whom are too young to have to deal with the loss of their father. When I mentioned on Friday that the funeral was today - Steven asked if he could go, to support his friend. I talked with Jonathan about it and we decided that was a very mature gesture on his part and agreed he could go with me. I hope that his presence will give his friend some peace, knowing his friends are there for him. Today Jackson has decided that he also wants to go -that his friend will need to see that his friends are there for him if he needs them. I am so proud of the boys for wanting to show their support to their friends. It is going to be a tough day for those kids and I hope that having friends around makes it just the tiny bit easier for them.

So now I must go get ready as I have to pick the boys up by lunchtime.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!

Today is my parents 40th anniversary. I would love to have put their wedding
picture up to share -but I realized this morning I don't have one (hint, hint!!!).

We went over this morning to make brunch (pancakes, scrambled eggs& ham, toast, sausage, bacon
and fruit) for them. Jackson even cracked 10 eggs (no shells!) and mixed pancake batter to help out.
We had my aunt visiting and I can't believe I took almost no pictures this weekend at all! Oh well, for
once I really just lived in and enjoyed the moment as it was.

We then spent the afternoon at Sunrise Mall getting our picture taken. It was hot as heck in there,
but we got a good one even still and I wanted to share it with all of you.




Now I am off to do some laundry and hang with my family as we get ready for another busy week! I hope to
have more to share this week...

Wow --what a time it's been!

I want to start this post with a picture I took with my phone this morning -so neat!
So this weekend has been crazy! I hopefully can get this all out of my head so I can go to bed and relax. I thought I would come home tonight and just CRASH... but no, I am totally WIRED instead. Go figure.

I worked at the Scrapbook Expo Thursday (set up) for 8 hours, Friday for 9 hours and Saturday for almost 10 hours. I saw lots of new products, many fun projects and I was inspired and motivated to create.. but couldn't as I was in the booth. I had a good time working there. It brought back memories of when that was my reality, my all the time and all -consuming. I was smacked by the vivid recollections of shows gone by, the friends I made, the good times I had and the pure exhileration of the event followed by the sheer exhaustion when it ends. At the end Sam asked if I would consider doing 5-6 shows next year in California-ish area ..... I think I would. Especially if I could know that I had friends going to the same shows.

I was reminded at the expo that I do enjoy working in a creative arena. Being asked questions with the expectation that I am an expert in answering them. I was proud of myself when I knew the answers to many of the questions and was able to be confident in my answers. It was a boost I think I needed... truely a blessing.

I was reminded while working this weekend that I like routines and I like working. What I do not like is commuting. I hated that it took me twice as long to get there as it should have. I didn't like that a normally 25 minute drive took 75 minutes going home Friday night when I needed to get to my kiddo's basketball game.

What I didn't like was the time away from my family. No family dinners, no cooking, no hearing about their days as they arrived home. I am able to discern now that I really NEED that interaction and connection with them. I was made very aware of that need as each day without the interaction passed. It was a true blessing to be able to see this in myself as I am coming to a point where I will have to make choices about these very things.. time & money --what wins? and who loses?

My brain was going crazy with all these thoughts Saturday night... or I could attribute my sleeplessness to the grande latte I had at 4pm... hmmmm. I was getting my last minute things together for the Sunday event and ended up still awake until about 4:30 a.m. when I forced myself to get in bed and try to sleep. I was up at 7:20 a.m. and headed to the event at 8 on less than 3 hours sleep.

Sunday I spent at a craft/vendor fair. It was put on by the Blue Star Moms as a way to raise money to ship the items they have collected to make boxes for our soldiers overseas. A great cause, a well-organized and planned out event. It wasn't really a great venue for my jewelry but it was for a great cause and I am glad I participated. I was happy that Jackson decided to come and hang out with me there -which was great. We visited, shopped a bit and just had some time together. It was nice. I did get to sleep by 10 and caught up on a bit of rest, sleeping until 6:45 this
morning. Here is a picture of Jackson in his new hat from the craft fair (which reminds me that he owes me $15~)

Today I spent the day at my mom's Curves. I was doing a jewelry fundraiser for Breast Cancer. I think it went well overall. The day started off less than positive, but once I was there -things went well. I came home and made dinner (bbq chicken sandwiches) while the club was closed for lunch and then headed back over there for the afternoon/evening shift. As I drove home I could barely keep my eyes open, then after talking with the boys for a few minutes I got totally wired up. Now I am trying to get myself ready to get to sleep.

Tomorrow I need to finish paperwork from the events, grocery shop, mop, take the dogs to the park (so no rain, ok?), laundry and other miscellaneous things one does around the house. I want to work on organizing and inventory my freezers.

I am feeling sleepy now, writing does the trick again! I am off to bed.. nighty-night.