Cheers to All

2008 Photo Files

Since it's the last day of the year, I thought it was a good time to reflect on 2008. So, from each month of my photo files I selected something that represented our year.

Lily played basketball Making a snowman with a little snowEaster with our little family of 4 Putting in a pool and digging up everything! Lily picks out her guinea pig Shelly loses her first tooth Lots of pool parties Trip to Myrtle Beach Lily gets her ears pierced Our 10 year anniversary Snow in November At grandpa and grandma's for Christmas

A fun year...a busy year...a year filled with its usual ups and downs...our year. Happy new Year!!!

Loving Your Pet

The girls and I went to see this movie today.I had been forewarned by my sister that there was a bit of sadness in it. So, I prepared the girls for it and asked if they still wanted to see it. Both said "yes". So, off we went to the movies. It was a cute movie that was sweet and fun and yes, a bit sad.

What the movie really made me think of was the relationships that I had with my various pets over the years. It all began with our beagle Lucy in Kodiak, Alaska. She came on the scene when I was about four and I just loved that dog. I remember many days of snuggling with her and telling her all of my deep dark secrets while flipping up her long ears to whisper to her. She passed away when I was 20. We were in Pittsburgh visiting my aunt and my sister had to take her to the vet where they decided to put her to sleep. I cried and cried over losing her. She was part of our family.

At 16, I got my beloved kitty cat, Mini. She was a long haired gray cat who had an attitude, but warmed up to those she loved. I was part of that elite group of people she loved. When I turned 30, my dad took her to the vet and they had to put her to sleep. I was sad about her loss, but I no longer lived at home at the time. I know that her death really effected my mom and dad.

I got a sweet little Himalayan when I lived alone in my apartment. She was a pretty cream colored kitten and I named her Chardonnay. I only had her for about 3 months when she became ill and I had to have her put to sleep. That was such a tough decision for me and I was so lonely once she was gone. She had been the sweetest little companion.

About a month after her death, I acquired Misty. She was a long haired gray cat who was aloof and not friendly to anyone but me. She moved with me to John's home and a year later we got our cat Harley. Harley was a fun cat who was filled with personality. He and John had some great times together.

Harley eventually left our house one day in 2004 never to return again. We aren't quite sure what happened to him, but I like to think he is chasing mice in a barn with lots of other cats. Misty, sadly, became even more unhappy once Harley was gone and she began biting me and scaring Lily. She was no longer doing well and John took her to the vet where they chose to put her to sleep. She is now buried on the hill near the building where John once worked.

We have since added two fish, a hermit crab, and a guinea pig to our list of pets. The fish and the hermit crab have passed away.

Bella, the guinea pig, is a fun little animal. She is snuggly and cute and the girls love her. And, she has become a part of the family, too.

I wonder many times if we will ever get a dog or a cat again. I love the bond that you form with an animal, but for now I am busy with the girls and don't really embrace the idea of a pet who needs me, too. Yet, I think about that incredible experience, as a child, of loving a dog (and a cat).

Christmas Traditions with Pictures

On Christmas Eve, we go to John's family's house to celebrate. There is always lots of yummy food and laughs. This year we had delish shrimp, crabcakes, rockfish, and tons of other goodies! And we started a new tradition...the reading of the Night Before Christmas.

Once home from John's sister's house, we feed the reindeer their food and prepare for Santa's big arrival.

On Christmas day, we are at my parent's house. The morning starts out by opening the gifts from Santa in the stockings. Then we move on to gifts under the den tree from Santa. After the Santa gifts, we move into the living room for the family gifts. There's lots of presents (An American Girl doll and the Pink Camera are pictured here) and lots of excitement. After the morning breakfast, we relax and prepare for our trek (less than a 1/4 mile away) to my sister's house for the remainder of the afternoon/evening. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera to this event. But, we had some good times there, as well.

After several days in VB we head home to NC. My sister very nicely allowed us to borrow her dvd player for the ride. The girls had fun watching Full House all the way home. Once home, they gave Bella her gift...a new snuggle sack sewn by Lily. Then opened up their gifts from Santa that he leaves in NC for them. Lily got some Jo Bro stuff and Shelly received a purse and wallet from Justice while they both got new cozy robes and posters. The holiday was great and we are all enjoying some down time here at the house! Should be a fun week together!

Home & a Laundry Tip

We made it back to NC by 4:00 p.m. We finished unpacking the car, putting away gifts and luggage, and started a load of laundry by 5:00. One of my best travel tips is this...take along a trash bag for all of your dirty clothes while away. Once home, drop that bag right by the laundry room and put in the first load of laundry while you start unpacking. Oh, and begin unpacking right away. Even the girls know this is how we do it and they had all of their things out of the suitcases and organized within 20 minutes of being home. The nice thing about the "dirty laundry trash bag" is that everything that is still in the suitcases is clean and can be put away. No need to sort the dirty clothes and then have to take them back downstairs to the laundry room. You'd be amazed at how much time is saved when doing this simple technique. All of those dirty clothes are now clean, folded, and ready to be put away and we've been home for about six hours.

I've started the dedecorating process already. I stage all of the items downstairs on my dining room table. It makes it easy to find everything and have a place for it. Then I gather it all and head off to the attic and store it away for the next eleven months. This year I plan to get rid of some things and donate them to Goodwill before anything goes back into the attic.

Really looking forward to the week off of school!!! Yippy. We have three movies lined up to see this week. Should be fun.

Well, I am eager to rest in my bed and sleep in past 6:25 tomorrow morning. Good night.

Merry Day

So, today is Christmas and we are having such a wonderful time with our family. The girls really love being here with everyone. Lily is loving her new camera (thanks Aunt Linny and Aunt Kathy) and Shelly is having a great time with her new MP3 player (thanks Santa)!!! Here are (Lily's) photos that show some of the fun:
Merry Christmas to all and to all a HAPPY 2009!!!

The Card Selection

So, the other day I posted several runners up for the big Christmas card photo design. And, now I present to you the final product I selected. I decided I really liked these particular photos of the girls and as much as I tried, I just never could come up with something similar. So, I went with these two summer pictures. I designed the wording and used a Heather Ann template for the photos. I'm intrigued with the new trend to only send a photo card. I have to admit, that it bugs me that people don't actually sign their names on many of these. I'm wondering if next year will be the year I embrace the photo card only philosophy. And, I continue to slap a stamp on the envelopes for the Christmas cards that go out to neighbors. I suppose I could just put them in their mailboxes, but I just love to get things in the mail and I think my mother would consider it more proper to mail the cards. So, I still fork over the money for the card, the picture, and the stamp. Hmmm...maybe I'll rethink this whole process for next year. Oh, and I've also noticed fewer cards coming in this year...I sent out 100 and have received about 50, so far. Interesting.

Fa La La La La...BRRRRRRRRR

Today was the yearly "National" Christmas Caroling adventure. Living in NC you never know what the weather will be like. This year, we had temps in the 40s with blustery winds. But the kids all hung in there and gave it their best as we went from home to home singing. This is always a fun time and we appreciate all of the efforts that Tracy and Bret put into this activity to make it special for the children.

When it was all over, the reward for braving the wind and cold was a hot cup of cocoa and a chance to snuggle with daddy and the guinea pig, Bella.