I hope everyone had a great (and safe) New Years Eve. I'm not sorry to say I'm happy to have said goodbye to 2008. I'm looking forward to all the good that 2009 will bring to everyone!

We spent last night (as we have the past +/- five years) with our neighbors. We house hop year after year, all bringing food, drinks and the ever so popluar Catch Phrase. And this year was the first year that everyone didn't run out at 12:05. We waited until at least 12:15. So proud.

Today is a day of rest and relaxation. I'm not even putting pressure on myself to take down the tree, a task I'm waiting until Saturday to do. But, the task of removing and storing my decorations has gotten easier thanks to this little beauty:

Santa had brought the boys one each last year and I was able to grab another one this year so I can store each of the boys ornaments in their own box and the remaining (mom and dad) ornaments in ours. This way, many, many years from now when the boys decide they must move onto their own place and start their own traditions, I will be able to hand them their own nicely stored boxed of ornaments. I can only hope they continue with the hodge-podged ornament trees instead of the theme related trees so many do these days but it will be their decision at that point. Let's change the subject shall we...

It's been a long time since I've read a book. I believe the last book I read was Harry Potter - how many years has that been? I decided our time in Florida was a good opportunity to read again so I picked up Nicholas Sparks: The Choice. You just can't go wrong with Nicholas Sparks, seriously. It was very good and satisfying. I was able to finish it during the week, a proud accomplishment for me. :-) I wasn't ready to read anymore until we got in the car to head back home, an 18 hour drive. While at the store I ended up picking up a second book in case I needed an alternate selection. I surprised myself when I chose Stephenie Meyers: Twilight. I sucummed to the buzz about the book I'll admit it. I knew the movie was out. Although I am not into vampires, would have never dreamed of ever reading a book about them, I decided to commit and give it a try. Know what? It was really good - the buzz was correct! I read for about 14 hours straight, not even getting car sick, and I finished the entire book before we got home. I'm now ready to go out and see the movie and I'm already on chapter 3 of the second book in the series: New Moon. What's so exciting for me about this series is it's already out there, and in paperback too! With Harry Potter, I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching them evolve book after book, but I hated waiting for each book to come out and when it did being forced to buy the hardback copy which is more expensive and hard to hold (can't snuggle up with a hard back booked as easy!). The benefit to me for the Twilight series is I'm way behind the curve. There's something to be said for not being in the know.

One of the Christmas Gifts I had asked for this year was the Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet. Thanks Dad & Ione for getting it for me! I wanted it to help with photo manipulations but turns out there is so much more you can do. Here's one of Chad's masterpieces:

Not too shabby is it?! I can't wait to take the time to really sit down and get a better understand of everything this little beauty can do. Going to be a lot of fun! Another gift I got was one of these cuties:

Boring right?! No, it really isn't! I was using it a little bit this morning and it was great! I enter a ton of numbers into my laptop and I really missed not having a 10-key pad. I just hate those numbers at the top of the keyboard, they are so unnatural for me. This little baby connects to my laptop via USB. I know will be a life saver. Thanks boys and JB!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years Eve. I expect nothing but the best for everyone this year. I have a feeling it's going to be a great one!

I was a bit concerned that I might be sad having Christmas without snow or cold but as we get closer to Florida the weather has changed from 7 degrees when we left to now 72 degrees and I must say it's not at all bad! Our first time out of the car with the warmer weather was wonderful. We are listening to When My Heart Finds Christmas by Harry Connick Jr. and I'm in the front seat hoping my internet connection keeps so I can finish this post. My ds is driving beautifully! Although he's about ready to come up to a very serious decision he is going to have to make. As an early Christmas gift I got some antlers and a big red nose that goes on my car. We haven't put them on yet because we were afraid the excessive highway driving would ruin them but as we get closer to the house we are going to put them on so we can make a grand entrance. The issue is when I got them and initially put them on the car he said he would never drive the car with those on. The decision he is going to have to make is whether or not he will drive the car with them on as we pull up to the house, because he really wants to be the one driving when we arrive. I can't wait to see how this goes. At this point he is saying he is not going to pull over to put them on, but he has another thing coming if he thinks that's not going to happen.

This trip has been so much fun. The 18+ hour drive has been relaxing. I've even pulled out my iPod and been listening to music I haven't heard in a very long time. I've spent a majority of the trip listening to a weird, variety of music; MIKA, Amy Winehouse and Darius Rucker specifically. MIKA is just fun and funny. Amy Winehouse has such a unique voice I really like and Darius Rucker is one of my favorites. I have always liked Hootie and the Blowfish and was very happy to hear he had his own album out now. I made sure I grabbed that before coming on this long trip.

DH has adapted well to the boys and my road rules. He is normally the one "in charge" on these trips because its just easier that way but since the boys and I made this trip without him earlier in the year we are the experts. He wasn't to sure of Mandy (our TomTom GPS) at the beginning of the trip but now he understands how accurate and good (at least for this trip) she really is. We love our Mandy. He's now cat napping - you go DH.

If I don't post before Christmas I hope everyone has a wonderul Christmas no matter where you are. Merry Christmas and looking forward to a very Happy New Year!

Thank goodness for the internet. I mean, really, years ago, how would one at 9:30 at night, the evening before Thanksgiving, look up how long they must cook their 20 lb turkey. Seriously, I love the internet! Yeah Google and Butterball.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night!

Great day, and still going. Our family got a FLIP video camera for Valentines Day and we've all been having a grand time with it, videos to be posted eventually I'm sure. Made Almond Encrusted Tilapia again this evening, yum! Watching Pursuit of Happiness right now and spending time together. Having a great time. Sorry no photos, soon!

Hope you are having a great Valentines Day too!

Hoping everyone has a safe and happy New Years Eve! We are going to our neighbors, putting in my 4 doz stuffed mushrooms in the oven in a few minutes. Enjoy!

My latest project - our Christmas tree! Decided to forgo the traditional Christmas Tree skirt this year and I LOVE the result:

Have a great day!

Fall is my season. Fall is my color choice. My house lends itself well to this season. Realizing this as I'm trying to get ready for Thanksgiving - which has not been an easy task. Something always gets in the way of my plans. Today, Alex was sick - again. His diabetes trying to kick his..., and it almost got him. This is the second time in recent months that he has been sick. The doctors and I believe his insulin pump is to blame, which is why we are in the works for a new one. I've said it before but we were soooo close to going to the hospital. This time it took until 5:00 pm to get him under control and we had to bypass his insulin pump and do shots. Shots. We haven't done shots since he was diagnosed four years ago. After a brief freak out session in the other room, I composed myself and went in to just "get it done". And, we did just that. I worked all day with the doctors office (every two hours calling in) to get him under control and his diabetes wasn't cooperating. Then, 5:00 pm hit and all of a sudden, his numbers were normal and he only had trace ketones. He goes from large to trace like that! So odd. Still doesn't make sense to me. So what does he do at 5:30? Run out the door to play hockey that's what (with doctors approval and strict observation on our part). Diabetes (type 1) is unpredicable and every changing. It was a stressful day for mom, to say the least, and it totally threw off my entire schedule. As a result, I just got back from the grocery store (11:00 pm). Actually, it's not bad shopping this late.

Here are a few things I've been working on for Thanksgiving. I'm having an impossible time finding a table runner for our 8' dining room table. I don't have time to make one from scratch so I decided to semi-make one. I found at Tuesday Mornings some really great place mats that I'm going to hold together by some fancy ribbon I picked up at Walmart this evening. Here's a picture of it (although the color of the ribbon is a bit off):

And, here's a picture of the table setting (work in progress). I've been struggling with what type of center piece I want for this table. I finally decided on Hurricane lamps. I chose four with a cranberry candle. I used nuts as the filling around the candle. I love doing this and can't wait to keep filling it up with different goodies as the seasons change. I picked up the Hurricane lamps at Pier One. Here's a close-up of the Hurricane lamp. Notice the cut little acorn salt and pepper shakers. Got those at JCPenneys Home Store for only $6.00. Love a bargin!

Thinking I should have angled the camera the other way for the first shot. Oh well, still learning.

Looking forward to Thanksgiving. Having some of John's family over, my best friend, her sister and boyfriend and another great friend who is coming in from out of town. Keeping our fingers crossed the weather doesn't go crazy because I would love to crank up the firepit as soon as it gets dark out.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Cathy |

Thanksgiving for 7-12 people at our home. Beginning to prepare my list and get things in order for the big day. I'm beginning to feel better and will take things easy best I can so I don't go backwards and get sick again. Here's a start to my To Do's:

• Order 20 lb fresh turkey. Check.
• Find Mashed Potatoe Bake recipe online. Check.
• Dig out my favorite stuffing recipe. Check.
• Decide if I'm going with canned cranberries (tradition) or try a new cranberry recipe. Decided to go off the board and follow a new recipe. Check (sorry can't find it online).
• Decide if I'm going to go with the traditional Green Bean Casserole or venture out and try a new one. Decided to try a new one. Check.
• Decide what dessert(s) I will serve. Pending.
• Order bread from Panera Bread Company. Pending.
• Plan for table decorations. Pending.
• Get games and puzzles ready. Pending.
• Determine if I need to run out and get some coordinating serving dishes. Pending (and likely! Yeah for me!).
• Plan cooking schedule and delegating job schedule. Pending.
• Decide how I'm going to cook the turkey this year. Pending - have decided though against using the turkey fryer. I think a 20 lb turkey is too big for that way, although a bit sad about that. Last time we did it, I loved it!

I really enjoy Thanksgiving and I'm weird but I totally prefer doing the whole thing by myself. This year I'm getting smart and am preparing recipes I can make ahead of time (up to two days prior for a couple of them). Oh no, just got a call, maybe two more people. Might need to add a couple more side dishes. Fun!

EDITED (11-25-07): Reviewing old posts and have found out that this previous Halloween Hangman has now changed to Christmas Hangman. LOL! No telling what the link will change to next.

It's time to start thinking Christmas - Christmas cards that is. Now is a great time to take photos you want to use, make and/or order your cards. We have been big holiday card slackers for the past several years and this year I have committed to sending one out. Not only are we going to send one out but it's going to be a family photo holiday card which I'm not sure we've ever done. Now, I'm not sure DH and I will actually make it in there but the boys will for sure. We have put on our personal calendar time set aside this weekend to go around town and take these pictures. Can't wait!

How much time do you have?
For any blogger out there that has a lot of time on their hands, you might want to check out PC Magazines 100 Top Blogs. There has to be something for everyone out there! I stumbled upon it because a couple of the blogs I frequent (see side bar) were chosen. Fun reading!

look what i got! it's awesome. it's a color puzzle i spotted online about a month ago. although my dh doesn't quite "get-it", i love it! as i put it together today it helped remind me about color that i learned so long ago. what i love about it is it was fun to put together, it's a learning tool, it serves as inspiration and it reminds me of my mom. all really good things. i'm going to hang it in my create room to look at all the time. i can't wait!

what a good weekend and a good day today. we are in hanging out mode this entire week. i've remained in my pj's and sat near the couch the entire day. it's going on 5:00 pm and i have to get changed because we are continuing our fun times by going out to dinner this evening with good friends and neighbors.

this has been a tough year for a lot of people we know and we've done our best to try to make this christmas 2006 a special one for each of those close to us. i hope they all know how much they mean to us and i wish nothing but the best for everyone (including us) for the upcoming 2007 year.

happy holiday and new year everyone!

Love this picture. It shows determination, team work, tradition. Awesome. Wish the lighting would have been better but it still captures the moment.

Today is Monday. I wish I had a better grasp of what this week is going to bring. I usually like to have Mondays open so I can clearly and cleanly plan for the week. Today is going to be different. Oscar has to go to the Vet this morning. Poor dude. We found an area that needs special attention that we have overlooked - under his tail. His tail is all cork screw like and he has an infection because it wasn't dried after his baths. He is miserable and that has to be fixed immediately! After that I will get some work in but then my dh and I are taking his Aunt to the "boat". It's another tradition for her birthday we always take her. We go to lunch and then she picks a slot machine or video game of some sort and she plays and we watch. She just loves it and she is important to us so we do it. My dh likes to go once a year and this is it. We go during the day to beat the rush. You would not believe the number of people that go during the day - and you can tell they are the real deal (probably there multiple days during the week).

This weekend was good. House Christmas lights are up. Tree is up. Miscellaneous Christmas decorations and front door stuff are not done. Maybe this week. Dh's birthday - done. He got his own iPod Nano. Yeah! I spent a good amount of hours trying to load and unload his songs. Love iPod but initially it's never as easy as it should be. Watched a lot of movies; Click, The Break Up, Larry the Cable Guy Health Inspector, part of Brokeback Mountain. None I would really recommend but glad to get them off my "am interested in" list. The family liked Larry the Cable Guy Health Inspector, I did not. Rarely do I leave the room to do something else during a movie but this one I did. Brokeback Mountain only made it through maybe half. Take out the controversy, it's just a slow boring movie and disturbing. People say it's a love story. ? For the record I have seen the full movie. My dh hadn't seen it and we tried. Anyway...

Another thing I did this weekend was look into a new sewing machine. I can't believe how expensive these things can be. Unbelievable! One I saw was $3000. $3000. Ouch! Of course I don't need one like that but still. I need to get a new one and I've learned that I need something better then the one I got at Walmart. I'm really interested in a lower end computerized model. I've been fighting with the tension on the one I have and am very much interested in the models that set the tension automatically. They even cut the thread and thread the needle for you. Awesome! I'm a home dec sewer. I don't want to have to buy another sewing machine ever so I want to make sure I get the right one. I have made a couple quilts in the past and would like the ability to do it again in the future so I am leaning towards some of the quilting features. I did find one that was a store model - slightly used but a full warrenty. Cost is less then new since it was a floor model. More then I wanted to spend but would give me everything I want and then some - room for growth. I'm bugged that my window treatments aren't made yet but I can't finish them with the sewing machine I have. That's why the push this weekend on shopping for a new one. Holidays coming up, people coming over...

I still have to prep for the Ali class this weekend and get going on my Christmas list and shopping. So much to do - no time to do it. I can do it all, right?! Tonight my dh is taking my sons to Hockey practice so I'm focusing on my Ali class pictures. I will get it done!!!

Best wishes to everyone that you can accomplish all you have and want to this week. We can do it!

Ok, so this is NOT our Christmas tree but this is a tree that I love. It's at the Christmas tree farm that my family goes to every year to find our perfect Christmas tree. It's so beautiful and huge. My boys were so kind to agree to stand in front of it. Notice my dh was no where around. This is because he was standing guard at the tree we ended up getting. LOL! The three of us were off double checking there wasn't a better tree around.

Our tree is now up with lights and minimal oranments on it. The boy have found their old BRIO train set and have put it up around the tree. They are well above the age to get back into BRIO train set but it's cool that they found it. We are considering getting a set for the boys youngest cousins. Got to LOVE BRIO. I guess our conversation of this potential gift sparked a/some memories for them and when they were digging out our Christmas decorations and they stumbled upon their set they decide to pull it out. I told my dh it's quite interesting because when they were young they really weren't that into it. I decided to keep them for our grandkids - much in the future mind you. I'm glad they have a new life right now. It's funny how things end up.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We did. Got to spend it with my family and my best friend. Was a lot of fun and the wine was good! Happy shopping to all!