Fifty Ain't So Bad... so far!

My last post I was on the precipice of moving into a new decade... my 50's.  Even a month later that still sounds so scary... and OLD!

The actual day/week of my birthday wasn't so bad.

My day started off with a delicious breakfast made by my Honey.  I apologize to my fellow Canadians for not enjoying real "Canadian Maple Syrup"... but I prefer the old "fake" stuff.

That evening, my Sweet Hubby had planned for my dearest and closest friends to come celebrate with me on my first night on the "other side".  My BFF unfortunately wasn't able to make it as her precious "H" is fighting with cancer and she wasn't able to join us.

Hubby did everything himself from food, drinks... invitations.  SO impressed!

Although he'd tried to make the party a "surprise", it's rather hard to surprise me as every year he gets me together with friends on my birthday.  I tried my best to keep "WHO" was coming a surprise so each time I opened the door I was delighted by the faces on the other side.

With my "besties" surrounding me, the evening was full of fun, laughter and making delightful memories.  One of my precious "daughters" used her talents to create a rice-krispie "cake" for me, topping it off with an extra special topper she'd made herself with fondant:

Hubby had also purchased a delicious chocolate cake for me as well to share with my guests, after blowing out the candle of course.  We couldn't put 50 on or the fire alarm would've gone off!!

It was a super special night and a wonderful way to ease my way into this new decade.  Thank you Sweetheart and Precious Friends for making this such a memorable evening!

Until next time...

Late!

Late... that seems to be a theme with me these days.  Late nights.  Late holiday wishes.  Late blog posts.  I'm beginning to feel like that clock wearing rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.  "I'm late... I'm late... for a very important date!" so on that note... Happy New Year... a little late!

The holidays went by in a blur and much of it was spent entertaining.  When I last posted it was Christmas Eve and I was busy in the kitchen.  I attempted that morning to make my Mom's "famous" bun recipe (which ended up taking two batches and numerous "emergency" phone calls to my niece who has perfected "Grandma's buns").  My first batch didn't rise like they should have because the directions I was using weren't detailed enough, so Krissy to the rescue with a better, more updated recipe which had the buns turn out perfectly.  Dad was here later on Christmas Eve and was my official taste tester, after all he knew Mom's buns best! (hee hee)  Here's my finished product:

I couldn't help but think of my Mom as I baked on Christmas Eve.  Mom loved Christmas and in some ways to me was Christmas.  Our home was always full of music and decorations and delicious smells from Mom's Christmas baking.  Some of my happiest childhood memories happened around Christmas.

Christmas Eve my Dad and Hubby's Mom joined us for our church service and a light dinner.  It was an early night for them, but not so much for Hubby and me as we put a few finishing touches on our pre-Christmas preparations.  We were hosting his family for Christmas Day so like busy little elves we stayed up to get everything perfect for the next day's events.

Knowing that I was having a houseful on Christmas, I have to be honest and say that I was a little stressed prior to Christmas morning about how I would handle preparing a turkey dinner, get to church for 10am and have time to celebrate Christmas with Hubby before his family came early afternoon.  Selfishly I wanted the morning to ourselves but Christmas is about God and Jesus, after all so where better to be on Christmas morning than in church, worshiping the One who gave us CHRISTmas in the first place, right?  Well... by laying down my selfish desires and following what I knew in my heart was the right choice, God blessed me incredibly that morning and throughout the day.  Christmas with the in-laws was wonderful and Hubby and I both reflected (as we opened our stockings and gifts at 10:30 pm after everyone had left), it was one of our best Christmases ever!

The next few days we recouped, tidied up that inevitable Christmas mess of boxes, tissue paper and crumpled up wrapping paper before gearing up for a marathon of entertaining.  On the 29th, good friends of ours came over for the evening.  Knowing I had two big parties ahead of me, we opted for take-out Chinese food which was a nice change from the turkey pot pie we had been eating since Christmas.  On the 30th, twenty-two of my immediate family members squeezed into our tiny townhome for our annual Open House.  It was a great night of fun, family and food but it was a late night as Hubby and one of my nephew's stayed up to watch UFC until 1am.  I think we got to bed around 2am.

New Year's Eve we decided to invite a few friends over for a little NYE Party.  They arrived at 8pm and we ate, drank and laughed the evening away.  At 11:45 we turned the t.v. on so we could watch the ball drop in Times Square as we sipped pink "champagne" from crystal flutes.  Some guests left around 12:30 am but one couple stayed chatting until almost 2:30am.  By the time I got the kitchen cleaned up and the dishes unloaded and reloaded into the dishwasher, it was 4am.  Needless to say "hookie" was the word that Sunday morning!

I think I'm still recovering from the holidays.  I haven't gotten back into a regular bedtime routine so I'm still up late every night, dragging my butt out of bed each morning.  I haven't even begun to think about hauling everything out from under the stairway closet and taking "Christmas" down (that too will be "late" this year!).  Now that the parties are all done and 2012 is settling in, I think I'll take a few more days to just sit and relax, savoring the wonderful (albeit busy) memories of Christmas 2011.  The tree can come done in February!  (just kidding... I think!).

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!  May God bring blessings of hope, joy and a renewed passion for Him to us all in 2012!!

Twas The Morning Before Christmas...

'Twas the morning before Christmas
and all through the house
not a creature was stirring
except me in a blouse.. (not really in a blouse but it rhymed!)


I in my yoga pants
while Hubby in bed
Crept down to the kitchen
to start prepping meals ahead

With hands freshly washed
and hair tied in a knot
Hope I don't sneeze
and cover everything with snot (sorry... couldn't resist!)

Out in the kitchen I'll make such a clatter
As pots and pans fly, Hubby'll wonder what's the matter
Meatballs and  buns, dips, and veggies galore
All on the menu tonight to be sure

And when it's all done
What a feast we'll enjoy
As we remember with thankful hearts
The birth of Mary's baby boy!

He's our Savior and God
Life-giver and Friend
His love carries on
and knows no end.

Do you know Him this day?
Is it him you celebrate?
If not, you might try
before it's too late!

The greatest gift you'll receive
this Christmas my friend
Is accepting His gift
of a life that won't end!!

God loves us SO much that at Christmas He gave us the Ultimate Gift in sending His one and only Son to earth to die on the cross to pay the price for our sins.  There is no more precious gift we could receive than forgiveness of our sins and the promise of life-everlasting in God's presence.  It's His birth we celebrate, and yet we are the ones getting the gifts!  Talk about LOVE!!

Wishing you and yours a blessed and joy-filled Christmas!  Merry Christmas!!  And as Tiny Tim would say... God bless us... Everyone!

It's Beginning to Smell A Lot Like Christmas

I am in shock that it has been over two months since I last posted.  Apparently our Anniversary celebration was too much for me and I fell off the blogging face of the earth.  So much has been going on that I can't begin to fill you in on everything, but here are a few highlights of the past two months:

Late October, my girlfriend and I spent a "girls weekend away" in Berlin, Ohio where we shopped until we dropped, ate delicious "home cooked" meals and stayed in a beautiful inn in a remote Amish community, enjoying the escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

The Serene Ohio Countryside

I found some really cute country things for our house, including a wooden bookcase for the living room and some neat lamps.

I was home for a few weeks before Hubby and I took off to NC to meet up with my sister and her family to cruise The Bahamas and Key West, FL for 6 days aboard the Carnival Fantasy.  The weather was perfect and we had a TON of fun together, exploring Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas, and old Key West, FL.  In Freeport we lazed on a beautiful sandy beach...

Enjoying the beautiful sands of Freeport, The Bahamas

In Key West, we took a "hop-on, hop-off" tour that allowed us to find our way to a beach where we could do this...

Floating over the open waters of Key West

After we got off the parasailing boat, we continued our tour of Key West where we found ourselves at the most southern tip of the continental U.S:

As low as we could go in the U.S.

The next day we cruised into Nassau and docked not far from the view of the majestic Atlantis resort but we didn't head that way.  Instead, we grabbed a local bus (which felt rather scary at times when we ventured out into the boonies of Nassau) and went to the other side of downtown Nassau to a place called Cable Beach where we found a remote beach along Goodman's Bay.  We were the only tourists on the beach but found some locals renting out jet skis so we made a deal with them - $40/30 mins and Hubby and I hopped aboard and tooted all over the Bay... running out of gas waaaay out, and were rescued by the local who we later found out was trying to rip us off by wanting to call us in after 20 minutes.  Unfortunately for him, this savvy tourist looked at her watch before getting aboard the jet ski and we he no choice (much to his boss' chagrin) but to give us another vehicle and let us ride out the remainder of our time.  Despite all that, it was a BLAST!  We had arrived at the beach in a light rain shower, but while out in the middle of the bay, saw a faint, but still beautiful, rainbow.

Can you see the rainbow... ever so faint above our heads?

We had one more day at sea before heading back to Charleston, SC where we had embarked the Fantasy 6 days before.  My Sister and her family head straight back to NC that morning, but Hubby and I stayed in the city and toured around.  We took a carriage ride tour around Historic Charleston on the Friday we got off the ship, and the next morning we toured the Boone Hall Plantation, which was wrought full of slave history (and movie trivia... as part of The Notebook was filmed here).  It was fascinating to learn about the Gullah culture as shown by a very interesting presentation given outside of one of the former brick slave homes.  Two weddings were being held at the plantation later that day, but as we wandered down to the dock along the river, we witnessed them setting up the reception in the boathouse for one of the bride and groom's festivities.  

After the plantation, Hubby and I head to North Myrtle Beach, where we took some quiet time for a few days before heading back to Raleigh for our very first American Thanksgiving at my sister and brother-in-law's place.  Full from our Thanksgiving feast, we divided and conquered as my sister and I, Hubby and my BIL plotted our paths and implemented them starting at midnight when Black Friday shopping commenced.  Having never done it before (and only seeing the crazy stories of Black Friday on t.v.) I was a little frightened but once out there, I LOVED it, even though I wasn't really in search of anything particular.  My sis and I started at Kohl's at midnight, then to Macy's and Walmart.  We were going to go to Bath & Body Works but we were done in Macy's at 2:40am and Belks and B&BW weren't opening until 3am.  Didn't want to waste precious energy waiting around so we left that mall and head to another section of Raleigh to check out the deals in Target and JC Penny.  Not finding what she was looking for at that Pennys... my sister and I head to another one, on the other side of town.  By the time we were heading home, the giddyness was setting in... and the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon when we turned down my sister's street.  Were we ready to stop though?  No way!  We still had Michaels (they were opening at 5:30) and the Lifeway Christian bookstore (they were opening at 7am) to conquer.  Grabbing Hubby (who had been home for a short while and trying to take a quick nap) we were off again to Michaels.  It was in Lifeway... shortly after 8am that both my sister and I hit a wall.  We were DONE!  We got back to my sister's place by 9am and slept for about 3 hours, grabbed a bite to eat, and then were back at the mall mid-afternoon where I found some great deals at Bath & Body Works and Hallmark.  Phew!  The only drawback of that Black Friday craziness was that Hubby and I had a 14 hour drive home the next day to get through.  With God's protection, and little cat-naps in the car (when we weren't behind the wheel of course), we made it home from our 18 days away and brought home some great treasures along with our treasured memories of a time well-spent with family!

I just made it home in time to wrap up the semester of Abide at our Christmas Brunch on Dec 1 and I busily prepared my house for Christmas and Hubby's Mom's surprise 80th party Dec 3.  Amazingly, I was able to get everything from the trip put away, all the decorations out and placed in their rightful spots, the boxes of everything I replaced with "Christmas" put back in storage, and goodies made for the big party... and all without being unbearably stressed.  I totally give God the credit for all of that!

Mom's party was a HUGE success and since then I've slowly been putting the finishing touches on Christmas preparation.  We're hosting Hubby's family this year so I'm trying to get my brain together for Christmas Eve, Christmas dinner and making sure I have everything I need for entertaining and gift giving.

The past two days I've been baking up a storm.  The smell of Christmas baking always puts me in the Christmas spirit.  This year I've scaled back on my baking, only baking 3 of my favorite cookies and 1 new "experiment" cookie.  It's an "Italian Sugar Cookie" and it's... okay.  I don't think I'll ever do them again.  They taste okay but the texture wasn't what I'd hoped it would be.  Hubby likes them so that's good.  Hopefully those who receive them as gifts enjoy them too!

So... that's the update.  I'll try & do better at keeping my blog up to date ... (just for you Tania & Tammy! hee hee)

Turkey Time and Thanksgiving

It's been a hectic week in the ole Nest so my posts have slowed down yet again.  Early last week I was making daily trips it seemed to the new Lowe's store closest to home where I picked up a couple of different medicine cabinet/mirrors for the ensuite bathroom reno.  We finally chose one (after having to take 2 others back) and the new cabinet and accessories have been installed.  A picture will follow very soon of the whole master bedroom reno (once we do a final clean of all the mess!).  It feels good to have our bathroom back in use.  Somehow using the toilet in one room and sink to wash hands in another room was getting old after only a day or so!

The rest of the week was wrapped up in Abide where our numbers were down but I'm hoping it is only the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend that kept ladies away.  Speaking of Thanksgiving (which is tomorrow), Hubby and I were getting together with his family Saturday afternoon/evening so I spent all day Friday baking in preparation.  Hubby's Mom asked if I'd bring some cupcakes to go with her pumpkin pie so I grabbed my ole faithful What's Up Cupcake book and made these little fellows...

I also made some sugar cookies to decorate the remaining cupcakes in the batch...

My Great-niece who is living with us while she's at college, spent the day baking with me.  She made the cutest little "pie" cupcakes:

I'll be "dishing" about these creations we made in my baking blog later this week but for now I thought I'd give  you a little preview of our Thanksgiving treats!  The rest of my weekend is pretty quiet considering Hubby's just taken off on another business trip. Can't keep a good man down, apparently!

Tea for... Six

Today was my first Thursday morning home since the end of our Abide, ladies' group.  Last Thursday we concluded our study of Faithful, Abundant, True by Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer & Beth Moore.  What a study it was!  We were so encouraged to dig "Deeper Still" into the heart of God.  I'm going to miss these weekly challenges from God's Word and these teachers.  I'll just have to dig in on my own until September, now won't I?

One week mid-study, (I can't remember how we got on the topic now) one of the ladies suggested that we meet after Abide was finished for the year and have a little "how did you meet your spouse?" get together.  I loved the idea and decided to invite my small group ladies to my home.  I love having people in and let's be honest, company is always a great excuse to give the house a super good clean, isn't it?

Earlier in the week I sent off an email to the ladies and about half of them were available to come for our Thursday morning brunch.  I set my alarm early this morning so I'd have time to shower, do the "do" and prepare my buffet of delicious treats.  Remembering that I'm on this "Reshaping it All" quest, I purchased a good selection of fresh fruit and yogurt to serve, along with the traditional goodies of handmade scones (with the most amazing recipe EVER ~ World's Best Scones) and cranberry-orange muffins (from a Martha White mix I'd picked up in the States).

Knowing that the scones and muffins are not the best choice for me in my calorie-counting feat, I decided to make the Scones using my smallest round cutter, and the muffins in a mini pan so that I could still partake in the carb-filled treat, but with less calories.  Is that cheating, btw?  I set out some Strawberry jam and Devon Cream for the scones and muffins, and had OJ, Hazelnut-Vanilla Coffee and an assortment of my favorite teas.

Five ladies came to join me this morning and we had a wonderful time of learning one another's love stories and sharing pictures from our weddings, all while we "brunched".  I was completely surprised when the ladies presented me with 2 beautiful yellow begonia plants (hope I don't kill them...I'm not the most gifted Gardener, you know), and lovely cards, all to thank me for leading Abide this year.  SO not expected!!

After the ladies left and I was hand-washing my good china luncheon plates, I smiled as I thought of our morning.  An idea came to me that this summer, as well as throughout the next semester of Abide, I need to "brunch" with ladies from our church more often, getting to know them deeper and building community.  Hmm...There's a new way to "reshape" my ministry!

The Easter Weekend That Was

Time just seems to be flying by so quickly and I'm really trying to be a better blogger.  Honest, I am!  I have many things to catch you up on so I'll try and not be too long-winded (like usual), but I'll start back at last Thursday... the beginning of my Easter prep.

Thursday morning I was up before the sun, heading to spend the day with Krissy and the triplets.  Those little miracles have already tripled their birth weight and are now sleeping through the night.  Overnight feeds are history and everyone, including Mommy, Grandmas and Auntie Sue are getting good sleeps.  Now, we head in for the first feed which happens between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m.

Along with caring for the babies, this particular Thursday, Krissy was teaching me to bake homemade rolls for my Easter dinner we were hosting on Friday for Hubby's family.  As a young girl, Krissy would hang with my Mom in the cottage kitchen, making my Mom's "famous" bun recipe.  I, being the selfish teen/young 20-something, had "better" things to do and didn't pay attention.  Talk about regrets!  Fortunately though, Krissy was a very good student and as it turns out, a very patient teacher and she walked me through my first attempt (and a successful one at that) and on Friday, fresh buns were on my dinner table.

After the bun-making venture, Krissy and I took the trips out for a walk around the neighborhood in the precarious triple-stroller.  Although the kids were safely strapped into the stroller... that crazy thing was making both Krissy and I nervous as it bounced along the sidewalk.  Krissy pushed while I was being dragged around by Gus, their mini-schnauzer.  What was I thinking bringing the dog along??!! lol

Before I left Thursday, Krissy and I were having a few giggles as Auntie Sue once again dragged out the camera to take shots of Teddy, Josh & Emma.  I took a couple quick videos of them too which had us in stitches.  Here's a shot of the triplets from my visit!

Teddy, Josh and Emma just after breakfast

After my fun afternoon, with buns in tow, I headed home to start my dessert for our Good Friday feast.  Another of my Mom's "traditional" Easter recipes was on the menu:  Daffodil Dessert.  This recipe was much easier than I'd anticipated and after only about an hour it was ready to chill overnight, with only the whipping cream and shaved chocolate left to do before serving Friday.

I set my table Thursday night and early Friday morning before our Good Friday church service, I put together the "goodie" bags I had for each place setting.  Here's a pic of the table:

Here's a close up of the goodie bags:

Hubby's family began arriving around 2 p.m.  and after some appetizers, visiting and a pre-dinner walk for some, dinner was served around 4:15.   I served ham (honey ham and maple ham), scalloped potatoes, green bean/yellow bean/baby carrot medley, and corn, along with the homemade buns.  

It was exciting for me to have Hubby's entire family seated around our table for this celebration.  My buns were a hit and the Daffodil dessert was enjoyed so much that almost everyone had seconds until there was none left over.  

After dinner and dessert, some of the family headed downstairs to play a little Wii while the rest of us stayed upstairs, enjoying a cup of tea and chatting.  Before everyone left we had picture time and then our guests were on their way by 9:30 p.m.  It was a wonderful family get together to celebrate Easter!

The rest of the weekend was much more quiet.  Saturday we went to the movies... twice.  Once with our neighbor and Hubby's Mom to see The Last Song, and later in the evening just the two of us, after dinner out at the Lone Star, to see Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too.  Both were enjoyable.

Sunday was church where we not only celebrated our Risen Lord, but also celebrated friends who were baptized.  In the afternoon, Hubby and I ate leftover ham & potatoes and went for a walk in the warm Spring sunshine, before hunkering down for an evening of reality t.v. Sunday night.  It was a wonderful Easter weekend!

Wrapping Up Christmas and 2009

Sitting in my favorite living room chair, listening to my new Matt Dusk CD while sipping Vanilla Chai tea I'm trying to wrap my brain about the whirlwind of activity that defines Christmas 2009 and reflecting on the year that just whipped by.

From the moment my feet touched Canadian soil on December 16th, I was off and running to prepare and celebrate Christmas with family and friends.  It could be called the Christmas of Entertaining as we opened up the Nest to various parties throughout the holiday season with tonight's get together with friends finishing off the year right.

On Dec 22nd we hosted our small group Christmas party.  It was a fun evening of finger foods, fellowship and a white elephant gift exchange that rather fizzled, as not many gifts were passed and exchanged or stolen from one guest to another.  I ended up with some strange little mini knapsack sort of thing that I can only assume is for a bike, although I don't own one.  Hmm.  Hubby received an ornate little ceramic Christmas tree with angel decorations that we regifted on Christmas Day to his sister.  Upon seeing the tree when she entered the house, she commented on how much she liked it.  Great!  Yours!  I scurried down to the storage closet and before she could recite Santa's reindeer, the tree was packed and out the door with her & her hubby at the end of the night.  Phew!

I'm ahead of myself though.  Christmas Eve day I cleaned the Nest and set our table for Christmas Dinner... my first Christmas dinner hosting for Hubby's family!  I was excited to pull out my good china from the new buffet and my Nutcracker name card holders.  I had found little angel ornaments for the females at the table, and for the guys I had found pewtar ornaments at the Christian bookstore.  I attached each ornament to gold ribbon "homemade" napkin rings.  Gold crackers finished off the table.  Here's a pic of my place at the table as well as an overview of the whole table.

 

We attended the 6:30pm Christmas Eve service at our church and then after picking up folding chairs at my mother-in-law's, we came home to finish wrapping gift baskets for hubby's family and Mom H's stocking while nibbling on finger foods and watching Alastair Sim's "A Christmas Carol".  Here is our annual Christmas Eve pic:

Being a family of two, our Christmas mornings are much different than most of yours.  Hubby tends to sleep in Christmas morning while this year, he was up early with me to do some pre-dinner prep (aka Clean and Stuff the Bird) before he went back to bed for awhile.  Before that happened though we made our phone call down to FL to my Dad and Stepmom, wishing them a Merry Christmas and thanking them for their gift.  Mid-morning was our annual phone call to NC to my Sister's where via speakerphone we exchange gifts that we've mailed to one another.  It's always a good time to catch up with the USA niblings too as they are all home for the holidays.  Stockings were opened after the phone call and after the reading of the Christmas Story:

Our "boys" even get in on the stockings at Christmas.  Their little stockings though are usually filled with Peanuts/Snoopy memorabilia and/or gum and goodies that Daddy enjoys.  They like to share with their Dad!

Around 2pm Hubby's family arrived.  His older sister and her family were only able to visit for about an hour before heading to the in-laws for Christmas dinner.  On these particular years, we enjoy Christmas dessert (Hubby's homemade trifle) before the turkey dinner ~ that way "T" can enjoy her brother's dessert and for the rest of us, we can savor dessert without our bellies totally full of stuffing, turkey and veggies.  Don't you hate missing out on dessert after dinner because you're too stuffed?  One year you should try dessert first... it's amazing!  Even after the turkey you're not as stuffed from having dessert first!  I dare ya... try it once.  Walk on the wild side!

After they left it was time to get the finishing touches done on Christmas dinner.  About an hour later than scheduled, everything was ready and dinner was served.  Here I am lighting the Advent candles on the table centerpiece:

Everything turned out fabulously and everyone enjoyed the meal.  After dinner they opened their gifts from us and we played a game of dominoes before they left around 9:30 pm.  Then it was time, after a little clean up and rest, for hubby and I to open our gifts from one another.  Hubby TOTALLY surprised me with a Sony Reader (ebook) which I downloaded Dicken's A Christmas Carol that night free on Google Books and read within a few days.  I was also spoiled with some beautiful sweaters, CDs and DVDs... to name a few things.  Hubby was surprised by the gifts I got him, especially as he hadn't really given me a good list to shop from this year.  Most of his gifts were travel related for his numerous business trips he'll be taking in 2010.  If he has to go... I want him comfortable!  I also surprised him with some clothes that he would never have bought for himself, although he did enjoy them... I think.

On Boxing Day (Dec 26th), I was up early and started cooking... again.  I wanted to get some meals underway to freeze for Krissy and Paul as their days as new parents of preemies are filled with visits to the hospital to visit their growing munchkins.  Those little miracles are doing so well that it blows our minds at God's goodness and miraculous blessings.  They could be home as early as next week!  Paul updated their blog on Christmas with some adorable pics of the triplets in their Christmas outfits and with their new stuffed animal gifts from Mommy and Daddy!  Go check them out ... click HERE to see them!  I made Shepherd's pie and Beef Stew for them which they picked up on Sunday night... but again, I'm ahead of myself.

Boxing Day evening, Hubby and I went to my sister "C's" for Christmas dinner with her and her kids.  She makes the most delicious homemade buns and her dinner always reminds me of dinners growing up.  It reminds me that I really should have paid more attention in the kitchen when I was growing up.  She actually mentioned that she thought it odd that at 45 yrs old I was making my first turkey dinner, but really, I didn't have to really make a big family dinner before then.  Her's was delish though!  YUM!  It was great to see all her kids and meet/get to know two of the boys' girlfriends. 

Sunday, Dec 27 was a very full day.  Sunday was the party for my side of the family.  I was up early getting some of the pre-party prep done before heading back to bed for awhile.  My eyes felt like they were glued shut when I woke up.  I had been so go-go-go for so long that I think my body was rebelling just a bit.  Nevertheless, I dragged my butt out of bed and went to tidy up the house for the 22+ guests we were expecting at 6:30pm.  I felt quite under control the entire time even when there were half a dozen people in my itty bitty kitchen and people were wall-to-wall in the living/dining rooms.  Thankfully our finished basement could occupy some family as "overflow" and the guys enjoyed watching football down there while we "chicks" caught up with new Mommy Krissy and enjoyed watching my god-daughter, Little Miss "H" open her gifts from us and "Santa".  It was wonderful to have my BFF "P", Little Miss H and her Daddy (who surprised us with his attendance) join in on the family Christmas!  After all, P is part of my family considering we've been BFF's since 11 years old!  Paul had brought a DVD he'd put together of Krissy's delivery day and of the triplets which we ladies enjoyed on the upstairs TV. 

Little Miss H opening her gifts

As I reflect on the Holidays that have been, and the past year, I can't help but think of God's tremendous blessings.  I could totally feel His Hand upon me as we opened our home to many this Christmas season.  I felt such joy and peace as I co-ordinated, cleaned, hosted and hugged good-bye to each guest in our home.  Everything fell into place perfectly and I want to stop and give Him the glory for that!

2009 seemed like a year that whipped by so fast that I can barely remember it.  The year began with me feeling a struggle spiritually to maintain the mountain top feeling that was 2008.  Although it "felt" different, today I feel just as close to God as I was on that mountain top a year ago.  Perhaps watching God do a tremendous miracle in the lives of my newest great-niblings helped my faith in leaps and bounds.  Beth Moore studies at church sure didn't hurt - hee hee.  I tackled a great accomplishment in finishing my writing course and was able to bless others by going back to work for short term temporary jobs. 

This past year, hubby and I saw God's faithfulness and blessings in our marriage, our home and our family.  There were struggles and trials to be sure, but God sustained us and our families through the difficult days and He has proven once again what a Great and Mighty God He is.  Faithful Friend.  Merciful God.  Lord of All.

Tonight we are headed to the movies with friends and then home for a fondue dinner as we ring in 2010.  My hopes and prayers for the new year are to draw even closer to God and to be used of Him as He sees fit.  I don't want to keep the status quo this new year, but dig in deeper to be even more the woman God made me to be.  I want to use the talents and gifts God has given me to bring honor and glory to Him and to change lives.  That is my prayer this New Year's Eve.  What's yours?

What Day Is It?

Do you ever notice when you're on a relaxing vacation how the days all get mixed up? I can't remember what day it was we went parasailing (was it Sunday or Monday?) and one day feels like another (weekday feels like weekend) and I'm all confused which isn't hard to do these days.

Yesterday was a day just like all the others... walking ankle deep along the beach, sitting under our borrowed yellow umbrella reading a good book, boogie boarding in the rolling waves. We changed it up a bit though, playing bocce ball around 4:30 instead of 7:30pm. Oooooh... look at us be all spontaneous again!

Playing in the surf on our boogie boards in my two piece bathing suit (tank top/skirt... NOT bikini ... wouldn't want the rest of the beachcombers to run screaming in horror ya know!) has come to be a little um... embarrassing. As I grab hold of my board to "catch a wave", the pressure from the pounding surf as I ride starts to drag on my bathing suit bottom which causes me to fall off balance and it like totally messes up my ride, dude! When I attempt to stand up my skirt is all up around my waist and the tankini top is half way up my Casper white stomach. It's not a pretty sight! Last night, after dinner ~ which we had at home - hubby having leftover nachos while I made myself a toasted tomato sandwich ... darn, forgot the bacon on it! ~ on our way to Broadway at the Beach we stopped at a mall to find me a one piece suit. We found a couple I liked at Dillard's and this is what I decided on: I can't believe I'm willingly posting a picture of me in a bathing suit ~ what am I thinking?

Both the suit & cover-up were 30% off!

After the suit shopping which I might add went tear-free!!, hubby and I head off to Crocodile Rocks, a dueling piano bar in Broadway at the Beach. We'd been here before but it was even better than we remembered. Fortunately, it didn't get too inappropriate until much later when we were ready to go home anyways. Why do they need to hop down below the curb and call it entertainment? Can't we all just have good clean fun? These guys were really talented though... one in particular who played a mean fiddle to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and had us all in stitches as he did the Michael Jackson "Thriller" dance while another player played and sang the song.

I talked with a woman who lives not too far from one of my sister's close to home in Ontario. Her daughter got engaged 2 days ago at the beach and another family member was celebrating a birthday last night so they were having a great time. We got home around 12:30 and I fell into bed not long after. There was no early rising for a sunrise this morning, but hubby regretted to tell me that this morning's was probably the best one yet. Oh well... at least there were no dolphins I missed! Those came now, as I have been typing this post!

To end today... just want to answer a couple of questions from the comments section. If I haven't answered yours, repost your question and I'll get to it in the next post!

Karen wanted to know where I got my walking sandals last week. The answer is my new favorite store... Dillard's. They were on sale!

Abby wanted the website of our condo rental. We went through Condolux here in Myrtle Beach and they are FABULOUS! We're staying in the Crescent Keyes in North Myrtle Beach and I'm sure we'll be returning in the future. It's a GREAT beach area for familys! Quiet, good amenities, lots to do within short driving distances and none of the craziness Myrtle Beach can be known for.

Well, time to pack the cooler with delicious veggies and fruit, water and other snacks, slip on my flip flops, slather myself with 30 SPF sunscreen and hit the beach. Be back later... maybe - hee hee.

UFC and Hibernating Me

My hubby is not the typical "he-man" of 24 hr a day/7 day a week sports on the t.v. Bless his sweet heart (and lucky me) he only watches football... and only NFL at that (and not the CFL ~ Canadian Football League)... oh ya and the occasional golf on Sunday afternoons. There is no basketball, baseball or even hockey (Canada's national sport). Nope... hubby is just a football/golf fan... or should I say rather WAS just a football/golf fan. That all changed about 2 years ago when one of my nephews-in-law introduced hubby to the "wonderful world" of UFC ~ Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Fortunately again for me, UFC is only on Pay-per-view once a month and hubby only really watches when one of his favorite fighters are in contention so I'm not the sports-widow that I could be! (Thank the good Lord above!)

I tell you all this because last night was one of hubby's big "fight nights" in our little Nest. He invited his old friend (our former vet), his teenage son, my nephew and his roommate. Being the incredibly loving wife that I am (cough, cough) I prepared honey garlic ribs, cream cheese salsa dip, and a veggie tray for the men. The event doesn't start until 10pm but the guys arrived shortly after 9pm.

By that time I took my laptop, a chick flick and hibernated down in the family room with a few veggies and dip for myself. When my chick flick was done I spent time obsessing over YouTube videos of this season's Bachelorette, trying to figure out which of the final 3 I think she'll choose. Can you say OBSESSED!? It is a disease I'm sure that I need to find the cure for. I have an infectious "crush" of sorts on Reid, one of Jillian's adorable suitors. (Hope hubby doesn't mind this harmless crush!) I have watched Jilly & Reid's date in Spain like 4 times hoping that by sheer wishful thinking she won't disappoint ME and not choose Reid. I know... pathetic!

By midnight the guys were still deep in their UFC so I quickly hopped into the kitchen (not chicken... but thanks Amy for catching my faux pas! Not sure how to hop into the chicken and ewww... don't think I want to know how!), grabbed a glass of water and head up to our room. By the time hubby came to bed (around 2:30am) I was fast asleep.

This morning hubby informed me that the snacks were a huge success and a great time was had by all... even the hibernating me!

Happy Birthday Sweet Hubby!

Life has been a blur since my last post. Little Miss "H" and I had errands to do Tuesday morning as we went to order balloons for Uncle "D"'s birthday today (July 2), get a card and his gift. Pepper's Mom (my sister) came to get him on Tuesday afternoon after she got stranded in Vancouver overnight. Hubby picked her up at the Toronto airport while I enjoyed cuddle time with my furry nephew before he had to leave. It was pouring rain Tuesday afternoon and poor Pep got drenched when my sister took him out to pee before hopping in the car for the 40 minute drive home (which in rush hour was probably double the time).

Wednesday was Canada Day (Canada's 142nd birthday) and we had a pretty lazy day around the Nest. BFF, Little Miss "H", hubby and I all hung out by the pool for awhile and then BFF, Hubby and Little Miss "H" went to the park after lunch while I took a deep breath and did some dinner prep. It was nice having a "day off" from babysitting even though Little Miss "H" had a few meltdowns with her Mommy. Gotta love a 2 yr old huh?

Today is my Sweet Hubby's birthday! For 6 weeks I'm married to an "older man" again!

This morning, Little Miss "H" and I went to pick up the balloons we ordered Tuesday and then head to the grocery store to pick up the cake... a chocolate fudge cake!

For dinner we had honey garlic spareribs done in the crock pot. My BFF told me how to make these and they were fall off the bone delicious, and I'm not a rib fan!

I also made a delicious salad of red/green leaf lettuce, strawberries, mandarin oranges and beer nuts (with Newman's own Oil and Vinegar salad dressing). I'll take a pic next time I make it. Next it was time for the cake, so I lit the candles and BFF, Little Miss "H" and I sang Happy Birthday to hubby.

As hubby prepared to blow out his candles, he asked Little Miss "H" to help.

Hubby and Little Miss "H" blowing out the candles

Hubby opened his gifts with the help of a little "topless" female (and not me or the BFF)

And there you have it... Hubby enjoyed his birthday, Little Miss "H" enjoyed helping me wrap Uncle D's gifts and helping him unwrap them and our celebration has come to an end! Thanks for sharing in Sweet Hubby's day with us!

Tuesday's Tails from the Weekend

Okay, I realize that I "misspelled" tails... but that was intentional as I plan to update you on the saga of Pepper's visit to Auntie Sue's house and our visit with Little Miss "H", our "god-daughter".

I survived our crazy Saturday babysitting my BFF's 2 yr old and having a puppy in the house. It actually was rather fun and hubby and I felt like a real "family" (not that we aren't real as a family of 2) as we took both Little Miss "H" and Pepper for a walk to the park. Here's a little photo diary of our weekend:

Before Mommy left, Little Miss "H" w/ Uncle "D"
reading her new Dora book

Afterwards, we took Pepper and Little Miss "H" for a walk to the park, between rain showers

Little Miss "H" taking the reins (sort of)

Little Miss "H"

Getting Little Miss "H" to bed Saturday night was much easier than we'd anticipated. Uncle "D" and I snuggled into the guest bed with her to read

that is... until I got a phone call from one of my niece's who shared with us that she and her hubby are expecting... TRIPLETS!!!

My BFF came back around midnight and stayed overnight with Little Miss "H". After breakfast on Sunday, we all head over to the park for a little fun in the sun.

Pepper taking a break from running through the clover

At the park, Little Miss "H" had fun

Sliding...

Driving...

and Riding

Then she and her Mommy head over for a swing

while Pepper hung out in the sand nearby.

After the swingset, Little Miss "H" just felt like hanging around

before we took a group shot (minus our photographer, aka hubby)

We head home for a snack

Check out Little Miss "H" shoving a fist full
of dried fruit in her mouth - lol

and a swim

before they head off to a party at my BFF's parents

Little Miss "H" and her folks will be back to live with us for a week in a week's time as they prepare to close the deal on their present home and before they get possession of their new home. Auntie Sue gets to babysit that week so be ready for more stories (and pictures).

I'll update you later on more stories of our time with Pepper too!