Looking back at 2009

2009 has come to an end and 2010 is here and ready to take its place. I remember the coming of 2000 like it was yesterday. Unplugging all the computers, emptying bank accounts, the sheer panic of the unknown surrounded us. It came, it went and nothing really changed. But does welcoming 2010 seem as crazy to you as it does me?

2010?

2010!

Aren't we supposed to be zipping around in our little space cars in our sliver suits all Jetson style by now?

So I took a few minutes to look back on 2009 and this is what I saw.

* 2009 started with just the 4 of us.

* My girls were featured in a local magazine for all of the nice things they do for others.

* My husband celebrated his 40th birthday

* We took our Minnesota friends canoeing with the alligators.

* I taught the girls a very valuable lesson about saying no to crack while at the Gasparilla parade.

* I got my first tattoo {I still have just one}.

* My oldest sister turned 50 and I flew to Illinois as part of the surprise.

* Peanut was baptized!

* Honey graduated 8th grade and we went to Universal Studios with her entire class.

* Babe and I went to the Dominican Republic with friends for a much needed adults only vacation.

* Peanut went away to camp for 7 days.

* We had a great summer...at the beach

...in the kitchen...

...in the pool...

...sharing a Sonic Rt 44 DDP...

...and a margarita {or two}...

...Nairing for the first time...

...and scrap booking.

* My Dad had hip replacement, surgery #14.

* My nephew broke both arms and came here for a 10 day visit.

* My baby turned 15 and I turned 39! Two big birthdays on the same day are coming up in 2010!

* The girls and I took in a Jonas Brothers concert.

* We brought Rogue, a.k.a the floppy eared a-hole home.

* Honey started high school and went to her first Homecoming.

* Peanut started the 4th grade.

* I enjoyed a girls weekend away at the Deeper Still conference.

{oops, no pictures...}

* Peanut started softball, go #21.

* Honey continued playing tennis and now helps coach the physically and mentally challenged kids.

* Babe and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.

* We saw New Moon as a family...

* and with a few friends...at midnight!

* We had a blast in Illinois/Wisconsin visiting with friends and family for Thanksgiving!

* I met "new" friends, Becca from the Texas Darlings...

* And loved on the "old" ones!

{The Triangle- Me, Rebecca & Danielle}

{Natalie, Alisa, Pam & Me}

* Peanut welcomed the "double digits".

* Honey learned to lighten up...just a little.

OK, maybe a lot!

* Peanut took 2nd place in the Tropicana Speech contest!

* I managed to fill all but 4 days in the month of December

I have no pictures of my new grey and hair and the roll hanging over my pants but those two things are my proof of a very busy month!

* The girls and I tried to bring a little joy to the homeless via blankets, gloves and McDonalds money.

Tomorrow night my family, and those that I love like they were, will celebrate 2009 coming to an end and will welcome 2010 together, safe and happy in our home! I hope that when you look back on your 2009 it is as full of wonderful times as mine was!

Happy New Year Y'all!

My nose is froze...

Living in central Florida has it's pluses. Like waking up Christmas morning to 70 degree temperatures and sunshine! Never having to use a shovel. Having your children ask "what's that?" while pointing to a window scrapper in the back of the rental car in Wisconsin. Wearing scarves as accessories not necessities! I know for many of you all of that would be a negative but for this thin blooded Florida girl it's most definitely a positive!

So imagine my horror when I awoke this morning to the freeze protector running on the pool! There's a thermometer inside the pool equipment and when the temperatures go lower than a set degree the pump turns itself on to prevent the system from freezing. FROM FREEZING!

I now feel like the poor little puppy on 101 Dalmatians..."I'm tired and I'm hungry and my tail's froze...and my nose is froze...and my ears are froze!"...

I have goose bumps! Goose bumps just plain hurt. I'm being serious, they're painful and they make my freshly shaved legs feel bumpy. I'm such a wuss! I know it and I really have no room to complain because there are many that do not have the ability to heat their home to keep themselves and their children warm or a fireplace to sit in front of with a hot cup of coffee.

So I'm going to suck it up! Yep, that's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to go take a warm shower and shave my legs even thought it's not going to do a bit of good and put on a cute little sweater with a scarf and matching gloves {fingerless of course} then I'm going to go dig out those old blankets that I will never use, the ones that are tucked away in the upstairs closet and I'm going to take them and give them to the first homeless person I see as I travel out to make sure my parents cats haven't frozen to death. I'm also going to go through the linen closet and weed out all of those towels that have tattered and torn edges that we never use because well, they're nasty and drop them off at the human society to help warm the homeless dogs {and maybe a cat or two}.

Wow, just planning this has made me feel so much better and a little less Grinch-like. In fact I do believe my heart has just grown a full size and has started to unthaw this frozen body of mine!

Watch out homeless people of Seriousville my girls and I are on our way!

Happy Tuesday Y'all!

What won't this floppy eared A-hole eat?

{He has a form in one ear and nothing in the other, it keeps coming out. I'm starting to lose my head over the thought of having a very expensive floppy eared German Shepherd!}

Remember this? The sleigh I had sitting in front of the fireplace full of pine cones and floral arrangement fillers? My beautiful and free decoration. Well it seems that this particular temptation was just too much for my buck wild puppy to resist!

I'm sure he will be fine, after all he has proven the ability to digest socks, underwear, couch stuffing, snake skin, water bottle tops, the black paper that stops grass from growing in the flowerbeds, napkin rings, Santa's beard the list goes on and on.

This is what he ate. About 60 little balls attached to a styrofoam ball make this berry-like ornament. I assumed, silly me, that they were glued on so I wasn't too worried that he ate it, not thrilled but not worried. They're smaller than his food and I see what size crap comes out of him so this should pass right through, probably wrapped around a sock, but it shouldn't be an issue. I'll watch his poop and they should be out in two, three days tops.

Well Honey found the one that he didn't eat. Yep, the one he didn't eat. That little fricker ate the rest! Now I've counted the little balls on this ornament and there are sixty on there, sixty. That little a-hole ate 59 little balls. I'm still thinking it's not that big of a deal until she points out the they are not glued on but stuck in with little pins!

He ate the pins too! And these are not child and or dog safe hard plastic pins they're the real deal...freaking metal pins with sharp tips!

ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS!!!!

Stayed tuned, there may or may be another trip to the vet in my near future! It's a good thing he's cute, floppy ear and all!

Happy Monday Y'all!

Twas the Day Before Christmas

It's the day before Christmas and I'm the only one up, no one is stirring not even the pup. The TV is on but Honey's asleep that pesky teenager can be such a sneak.

I'm still in my jammies, hot coffee in hand when I grab the new People to escape to another land. A place where people clearly don't care if their clothes match, their boobs show or if they've brushed their hair.

I'm on page 14 and my jaw dropped to the floor. Is that little Miley kissing the "boy next door"? And what is she wearing? I refuse to go back to the waist of my pants coming up to mid-back!

Pages 15 and 16 have more of the same. Fergi's boobs wanna come out and play with the press and Nicole's hair is nothing more than a hot curly mess. Brittany's baby has a paci and he's pushing 4 and David Beckham needs a personal stylist for sure!

Hugh Jackman does yoga and Brooke Shields goes ice-skating and on page 24 there's more Tiger, how frustrating! Hootchies having babies and who's dating who this has my stomach churning worse than the swine flu!

There's house shoppers and pill poppers on page 28 and the Duggars 19th baby was born under weight. I zip right through the movies, books and more to see what the "Best of the Decade" has in store.

The dresses where long the dresses where short. Most intriguing people, not one little bit! You need to shave, yes you, Mr. Pitt! Kate Gosselin, Obama you're both a real bore come on People I so expected more!

Khloe, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian you annoy me and make me want to smash your facesin! Real Housewives, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and Chaz oh I can feel it I'm about to spaz!

And just when I felt I could take it no more I was saved by Robert, Ryan and fallen hero's on page 154. Another decade has come to an end, are you kidding me we're heading into 2 thousand and 10!

At church tonight will will sing and praise the birth of a baby that came to save. Jesus Christ was born for me and for you, for that I am thankful through and through!

The quiet is over my family is up and now I have children and dogs running amuck. There's still wrapping and shopping that has to be done before we head to the Brock's for some Christmas Eve fun.

Now I'm off to get this day underway but not before I say Merry Christmas to all and to all a good day!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...finally!

Finally a Christmas tour of my house. It's been done for a few weeks but I haven't found the time to post all of the pictures. Parties, shopping, wrapping, parenting {which is so over-rated at times} and cleaning has all taken priority.

I've been a bad blogger lately, I've not been by to visit any of my bloggy friends in weeks, I'm so sorry! I'll try to be better I promise!

I hope you all have a very blessed Christmas remembering the true reason we celebrate, the birth of Jesus Christ. And if I'm not back by the New Year please have a wonderful and safe time ringing in 2010!

This was in my mailbox this morning. Oh what a special surprise from my very craft friend Vivienne! It's a perfect addition to my tree dontcha think?

The front entry. Yes, that's my floppy eared puppy and a 5 1/2' Santa guarding the door.

I love this round table in the formal room. I do my best to have it decorated for each holiday.

I moved the small tree from my bedroom this year and put it here. I love to see this room lit by the tree and the fireplace!

I found this cling at Wal-Mart for $2 and just couldn't pass it up! It is the best and cheapest decoration I have ever bought!

The girls stockings hang from the shelf next to the fireplace. I took a sleigh that I received as a gift several years ago and filled it with the fillings that came from a floral arrangement, a simple and free decoration. This was my first Santa. He's the one that started my slight Santa obsession about 8 years ago, I now have about 20 throughout the house.

Following Vivienne's tutorial I made these glittery ornaments. Form a distance you can see that they spell out "believe".

On the shelf in the dining room I have our Christmas pictures from the last 7 years on display.

I found an arrangement at a local craft store for $75 two years ago...I purchased all of the stuff and came home and made it myself for around $20.

Deja is still guarding the girls doors, they were still sleeping, here I have tart burners and several versions of Twas the Night Before Christmas on the ledge.

A fat and jolly Santa sits on the banister.

The powder bath {more Santa's are on the floor}

Even the laundry room has a little Christmas in it. {That's Deja's seat belt hanging from the hook not something kinky!}

I found this 5' Santa at Wal-Mart about 7 years ago and I just love him. Getting him up and down the steps is another story, he's freaking heavy!

My tree has to touch the ceiling! But it's a simple tree and I love it. It has all white lights and is decorated with red berries and Santa ornaments.

All the packages must have the same paper, the paper is the only thing I change every year not the ornaments. I wish I was creative enough to do an overhaul each year but I'm just not. Usually the girls have Santa and Snowman paper, no tags, if it's Santa paper it goes to Honey, Snowman paper goes to Peanuts. This year I did the same paper but used my Circuit to die cut either Santa suits or Snowmen. This makes Christmas morning so much easier!

Babe never had a nativity scene growing up so my Mom & Dad started his collection about 6 years ago. This is the only indoor decoration he controls and this picture does not do it justice!

More Santas...

The pool bath, my favorite bathroom, has Santa's and poinsettias.

The believe, a gift from a blog exchange last year, is still one of my favorite Christmas decorations! I keep saying I'm going to make one for every holiday, season and birthday.

Old fashion Christmas bulbs fill the canisters on the back of the stove. Cheap, colorful and cute!

I filled a hurricane with cranberries and a gold candle for a little festive twist.

I try to keep decorative plates and napkins out all the time. Christmas, birthdays, summer etc.

Peanuts birthday theme two years ago was Starlight candies, these left over decorations sit on the center of the kitchen table.

There's more but really enough is enough. I hope you enjouyed a little tour of the seriously house.

Merry Christmas Y'all!