It was 23 years ago today that my mom passed away.
So, New Year's Eve is always a bit different for my family.
A little sad. Every year.
But, we always spend it together.
This year my dad is up from FL.
It makes it extra special when Dad is here.
And we always spend it with my sisters.
Right now we are going through some old pictures.
Old pictures from cleaning out my Nana's house.
It's fun.
Have come across some great pictures of me with my Grampa when I was little.
We're having a nice time.
What happens matters. Always.
Happy New Year to you all.
I am so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends.
Looking forward to a wonderful 2013 with you all.
potd #364. Here is an old family recipe for a champagne punch. Growing up the adults always made this at Nana's house for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Tonight was the 1st time we have made it in over 20 years. It's quite yummy.
The weathermen earlier today were predicting 3-6" of snow.
By 7 o'clock tonight we already had close to 8".
Hubby and the girls went out to do some sledding.
Hubby decided to snowblow too.
Around 9 o'clock I went out to measure the snow on our deck table.
Yikes. That's a lot of snow.
Especially for a storm that wasn't supposed to bring more than 6 inches.
I just recently checked the local tv station's website and now they are saying we are going to be getting 10-12+ inches of snow.
I think we may get even a bit more than that.
My pretty little tree on the back deck is getting buried.
It still looks pretty in the snow. Even if it is a bit buried.
The girls are so excited about the snow.
They played outside 3x today.
And at bedtime they were already making plans to play outside tomorrow.
potd #362. E outside in the snow. Happy girl. I think I may have a snowboarder on my hands. Guess we'll have to get her some lessons on a real snowboard.
So she also loves the stuffed zebra and the zebra lap desk that she got from Hubby & me.
E is loving the double Nerf swords that she got from Sissy.
She thinks that she is a ninja.
She also is loving the Firevision Nerf football set Grampa got her.
And they both love the lava lamps that I found at BJ's for them.
Another hit is the iHome clock radio that they can plug their iPod touches into for music and to charge.
Nephew J got them each a chemistry set.
We've been having fun playing with those and doing experiments.
Sissy and my Dad each got them other science/chemistry sets too.
Those most likely will be brought out over the next few days.
D also loves the Password Journal that I bought for her.
E loves it too and is planning on using some of her Christmas money from Nana to buy her own.
Another big hit was the PS3 that we got for the girls.
It was something that E really wanted. Bad.
And her excitement opening it was fun to watch.
D&E have had a very good Christmas indeed.
And they are so thankful for everything they received.
Which makes it feel good to get them fun things.
One thing we all enjoyed tonight was some homemade vanilla ice cream.
I decided the girls would enjoy having an ice cream maker.
Hubby was skeptical.
This afternoon the girls and I prepped the makings for vanilla ice cream.
And tonight we made it, adding in mini chocolate chips at the end.
One word.
Delicious.
Hubby is no longer skeptical.
Spending the rest of the week cherishing the memories we are making with the girls.
They are growing way too fast for my liking.
potd #360. Another hit. The game of Risk. So much fun. We are all vying for world domination. So far D is winning. Her new nickname? Napoleon. Game to be continued tomorrow.
Niece K was sweet and came to get the girls this morning to go back to Sissy's house.
They were off to bake cookies with the new cookie press that K got for Christmas.
And for me that meant a few hours to pull together the house.
To clean up the mess that always happens on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
To assimilate all the new things that have come into my house over the last 36 hours.
And to do the laundry that has been neglected over the last 48 hours.
I put a pretty good dent in everything.
Phew.
I would say that is the hardest part of Christmas.
Getting all the new things that come in the house assimilated.
And it always feels good when it is done.
Although my Year of the Cat really needs to extend to the girl's toys.
A trip down to the basement is much needed to weed out some old toys.
Maybe tomorrow. Maybe.
Or maybe we'll go to the movies.
That will definitely be more fun.
potd #359. E loves the Nerf Swords that Sissy got her for Christmas. She has been working on her sword skills the last couple days. I think she would be a Ninja if she could. Good thing she can't.
Sometimes that fact is lost in the bustle of the season.
But, it is the whole reason we have Christmas in the first place.
Tonight on the way home from Sissy's house, I heard one of my favorite Harry Connick Jr Christmas song.
It is called, "I Pray on Christmas".
I love it.
"I pray on Christmas, to do your will each day."
We had a wonderful Christmas.
Filled with family and love. So blessed.
And I am feeling so blessed to have so many wonderful friends in my life.
The girls were sweet all day.
They had lots of fun and were filled with many thanks to Hubby & me for their presents.
The Claw was a big hit. The girls love playing.
Even the big kids liked playing.
If only it had a volume control button.
Oh well. The price for hours of entertainment.
E opening her stocking. Cutie.
The hat was a favorite today too.
Brunch at Hubby's mom's house means Blintzes.
They are so yummy. Especially with the sour cream and strawberry preserves.
We are planning another brunch during the winter so my mil can teach me and my 2 sil's how to make the Blintzes.
Yum. Can't wait.
Love this picture of my dad and his family from many moons ago.
I believe it was taken on Christmas.
If I had to guess it was most likely taken in the very early 1950's.
The children from L-R are: my dad, Aunt N, Uncle J, and Uncle T.
And of course, My Nana & Grampa.
What a wonderful family photo.
I love it.
potd #358. Here is a great picture of nephew J, my Dad, and Hubby from today. Dad bought Hubby and J the hats for Christmas. For years they have been trying to take his hat because they like it so much. This year he got smart and found them their very own "Irish Walking Hats". They are happy boys. All 3 of them!
And it sure does make me want to learn even more about that time in history.
Earlier today I did my wrapping.
I got just about everything done.
The only thing left is to finish making the bowls that I make for my nieces and nephew.
Can't tell you what I making the bowls out of this year.
But in the past I've made bowls out of a roll of tickets, a record, yarn, tissue, and starlight peppermints.
It's fun to come up each year with a different idea to make a bowl.
Here is last year's peppermint bowl.
I love how they came out.
Can't wait to show you this year's bowl.
They are looking pretty cool.
But, not until after Christmas Eve when I give the bowls as part of my nieces's and nephew's present.
potd #355. It feels so great to be just about done with my wrapping. A few more things, but only a few. Now to focus on baking cookies with the girls tomorrow.
Snickerdoodles, butter cookies, and candied pecans have to me made.
All fun things.
And I am going to make sure the girls and I enjoy doing it all together.
Holiday memories being made together.
Baking and spending time together.
Because that's the important part of the Christmas season.
potd #350. First batch of Candied Pecans. Tossed in whipped egg white/water. Ready to be tossed in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Lots of batches to be made. I like to share.
Tonight we are headed to a Christmas party with friends tonight.
Really looking forward to it.
It has been a continued hard day hearing the news from Newtown.
And my heart continues to break for all involved.
I believe it's at these times that it is so important to connect with others.
Friends. Family.
I count my blessings for all of my wonderful friends and family.
And I am still hugging my children tighter today.
Not sure if that will ever stop.
Especially every morning as I drop them off to school.
And it's these times when all the trivial worries in life just melt away.
So this weekend as we enjoy events of the Christmas season, our time spent with friends and family will be that much more poignant.
Love to all of our friends and family. You know who you are and I am so very happy and grateful that you are a part of our lives.
potd #348. This recipe makes the best Candied Pecans. They are so very yummy. And quite easy. I am looking forward to sharing them with friends and family this Christmas season.
My heart is heavy after the tragedy in Newtown, CT.
We are just over an hour away from Newtown.
It is just so senseless that something like this can happen.
In D's words, "Mommy, why would he do that? They were just innocent children."
Oh, D. I wish I knew.
So today I hugged the girls even more than I normally do on any given day.
Here was my Facebook post from earlier today:
"I hug, kiss, and tell the girls I love them everyday. Today the hug will be a little tighter, the kiss a little sweeter, and my love even deeper."
And I will pray. For everyone involved.
But especially for the moms and dads who won't have the luxury of hugging, kissing or telling their child how very much they are loved tonight.
And I will do my best to remember that every day is a gift.
potd #346. This is one of my favorite ornaments. My niece K made it for me years and years ago. Not sure I want to know what the Hershey Kiss looks like under the foil. I am really glad it has held up so well. Every time I look at it I am reminded of little K.
This coming weekend we have a Christmas party to attend, Christmas play practice for the girls, basketball practice, a get together for the girls at their piano teacher's house, and the church Christmas play on Sunday night.
Phew.
And it's getting down to crunch time for me.
Mailed my Christmas cards today.
Now I am on to making out my final list of things/gifts that need to get done/bought over the next 2 weeks.
I know that if I don't make a list now, I will start to forget things as it gets closer to Christmas.
And that is bad.
Very bad.
I also have to carve out some time to do some baking.
Snickerdoodles, my mom's Butter Cookies, and Cinnamon Sugar Pecans are a must.
As long as I get those 3 things made, I will be a happy camper.
Anything else I get baked is bonus.
Wrapping will also have to get done soon.
I have resolved not to leave it to the last minute this year.
We will be busy for sure over the next 2 weeks.
But, we will be doing some fun things.
And enjoying time with our family and friends.
That's the best part.
We are blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.
potd #343. Christmas tree on the back deck. I have wanted to do this for the last couple of years. Finally this year I have a tree with lights on the back deck. And it makes me so happy. I just love it. Thanks hubby for getting this done for me. It's perfect.
Tonight is our annual Christmas Walk in the neighborhood.
We really do live in a great neighborhood.
The Christmas Walk is a progressive dinner.
We have appetizers at one house, then onto another house for dinner, and a third house for dessert.
And it's potluck. So we all sign up to bring either an app, something for dinner, or a dessert.
I believe this is probably somewhere around the 23rd annual Christmas Walk.
Such a great, fun tradition.
It was one of the positive selling points for Hubby & I when we were house hunting.
We looked at our house in early December.
And the old owners were smart to leave out the invitation to the Christmas Walk for potential buyers to see.
When Hubby & I saw that this neighborhood did something like that, we just knew it was the type of neighborhood we wanted to live in and have our children grow up in.
And we were right.
So, in the summer our neighborhood has the annual picnic for families.
Then at Christmas we have an adults only party.
Perfect.
Looking forward to seeing neighbors I don't get to see very often and of course see all our friends(&neighbors) that we see lots of times through the year.
I just love this blurry, out of focus picture I took with my phone.
Dreamy Christmas.
potd #342. Here are D & Lucy. Lucy is looking very fluffy. Probably because she had 2 baths today. Last night she snuck off to the neighbor's yard and ate rotten pumpkin. Let's just say it didn't settle well with her. So, her fur was a little mucky. One bath and she looked great. Hubby took her out and she got a little more mucky after going to the bathroom again. So off she went for a second bath. Oh well. She's very soft and fluffy now.
Yesterday one of the packages that came was the box that had my Christmas cards in it.
Yay!
I just love how they look.
This is the second year that I have used Tiny Prints and I just love their cards.
I also received a couple of packages with gifts for the girls.
All I have to say is I love my prime membership with Amazon.
I ordered Just Dance 4 on Tuesday around 11am.
With using the free shipping option through my prime membership, it arrived yesterday.
Amazing.
I just love being able to do shopping online.
It really does make like so much easier.
There really is nothing like doing some Christmas shopping from the comfort of my own house.
Today 3 more boxes arrived.
One had a gift in it for me. One that I ordered for myself.
I can't tell what it is though.
It's a surprise.
I believe the other 2 have a couple of things I ordered for the girls in them.
I haven't opened them yet.
Waiting until the girls go to bed tonight.
Then I will open them.
Tonight I am going to sit and fill out my Christmas cards.
One more thing to cross of the list.
Tis the season.
potd #339. D&E with their friend M. Having a sleepover. No school tomorrow due to parent/teacher conferences. They are all snuggled on the couch getting ready to watch "Home Alone". And eat popcorn, or course. Sweet girls.
I finished one of the fingerless gloves that I am making D.
And started to work on the 2nd one.
Then I have to make a pair for E.
I better get busy.
Probably won't be done by Christmas.
Ha.
Definitely won't be done by Christmas.
I'll make January my deadline.
Guess I better go pick out yarn for E.
potd #338. Aren't these snowmen cupcakes cute? They were made my the son of a fellow knitter. He is an aspiring baker. An excellent aspiring baker. The cupcakes were delicious. Yum. Great snack tonight.
One of my most favorite things about the Christmas season is Christmas music.
A long time ago Sissy bought me a compilation cd from Lane Bryant.
It is one of my favorite Christmas cds.
It is called Red Hot Holidays. Here is the playlist.
One of my favorite songs has always been, "Baby It's Cold Outside".
"We Wanna See Santa Do The Mambo" is the girl's favorite this year.
It is such a fun song.
And they are going to ask Cape Sissy to teach them how to do the Mambo when she comes to visit at Christmas
It's very handy to have a sister who is also a ballroom dance instructor.
My all-time favorite Christmas music is the music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
There is just nothing like Vince Guaraldi's music from that cartoon.
I.love.it.
Here is "Skating". Love it.
Another favorite is Jimmy Buffet's version of "Mele Kalikimaka".
This song will always remind me of my girlfriend, C(yes another Christine!).
Years ago when we worked together at the bank we played the Jimmy Buffett "Christmas Island" cd a lot during the Christmas season.
We even had our own little dance made up for the song. We had lots of fun.
I've even been known to throw out some of our old dance moves for the girls. They think I'm crazy.
Other favorites of mine are Jewel, Diana Krall, Ally McBeal Christmas, and Harry Connick.
I own a lot of Christmas music. And I love all of it.
potd #337. I am pretty sure Lucy spent her day snoozing on the couch. That didn't stop her from jumping up and snuggling up to me as soon as I sat down on the couch tonight. She really does lead a rough life.
potd #336. Here is our chocolate Advent tree. Sissy & I bought these chocolate Santas and ornaments a few weeks ago. And Sissy had a great idea of decorating a small tree and making it into a chocolate Advent tree. The girls jumped right on board with that idea. They love it.
The rest of the house is just about all decorated.
I have a few things to finish up tomorrow.
And tonight was the night that the decorated fire truck and Santa and his sleigh came through the neighborhood.
It was a great day.
It's always a fun day decorating the house.
Now we are all set to enjoy the Christmas season.
Hubby got all the outside lights put up today too.
I just love my snowman that Sissy found for me this summer at a tag sale.
He looks fantastic lit up by the garage.
E & Lucy watching for the fire truck and Santa.
Here they come.
I just love that the town that we live in has firemen that do this during the holiday season.
It is so much fun and all ages enjoy seeing the decorated fire truck.
We all look forward to it every year.
The tree all decorated.
The girls did a great job. They love to decorate.
And I love that they love to decorate.
Fun Christmas memories being made.
What happens matters. Always.
potd #335. Here is E looking at her favorite ornament. She loves watching the train go around while it plays "I'll Be Home For Christmas". There are also a couple of horse and carriages that go around along with the train. It is a sweet ornament. I love that E loves it so much.
