Happy new year!

We are looking forward to 2015!  We ushered in the new year here at home with some family and friends coming over to help us celebrate!  The kids had a great time and everyone except Saige made it until midnight!

Yesterday I asked Jim how upset he would be if he was to come home someday and I had taken down the wallpaper border in the dining room.  You see, when we moved here I immediately formed a list of all the projects I wanted to tackle.   My Jim, he is a thinker and a planner.  He asked me to wait a little while before we started tearing out trees or redecorating.  I have tried hard to honor his request.   I must have waited long enough because he said he  probably wouldn't even notice if I did something like that.  

Last night, as I was playing cards in the dining room, I heard the rabbits taunting me.  Yes, I may have over indulged in the holiday spirit, but I just decided that the rabbits must go!  

I did not realize that the room was green until I got the border down though.  It seems weird.  It doesn't matter....I will be painting it anyhow.  I do love a good project.   Treading carefully, next week I plan to ask Jim if he would be upset by me painting over  the godawful lavender in the main bathroom!  

New year, new projects.  Good family, good times and a happy start to what I hope is a great new year! 

Spa day

Madison had the day off work and Mallory worked an early shift today, so they proclaimed it would be a spa day with the little girls.  The littles were thrilled with the plan!   Madison even took them out for lunch!  I did have a good laugh because they didn't seem to care where they ate lunch, they just wanted to go inside to eat!   So much of the time if we eat out, it is because we are running someplace, or running home from someplace, and in my haste I often use a drive thru window!  That and we just don't eat out all that often.  

The girls tried to sneak Johnny along thinking he would surely love going out for lunch, but Madison caught on in time to say no cats on spa day!  

I couldn't resist peeking in on them as all I heard were silly giggles and little girls asking if their skin would stay young looking!  Because a 5 year old can never start fighting wrinkles too early!  

They also got their nails done!  It is so awesome to have great big sisters!  

Deep thoughts. Or not

On the day before Christmas Eve, Colin thought he had a buyer for his goat.   He was gone and needed photos.  It was a couple days until Christmas and I was preoccupied with other things, so I sent Preston to take a few photos for Colin. Preston took the task very seriously.  I got 87 photos back when he brought the phone back.   87.  Eighty-three of them were selfies.  

The others looked like this.   It didn't sink in that the goat is a wether and that nobody wants a photo of his face.  They wanted him for Christmas dinner!  There were a couple of relieved little girlies when the buyer stopped communicating with Colin.  Spooby is safe.....for now! 

The Christmas sunset was equally beautiful to the Thanksgiving one!  I seriously love where we live.  So much peace and beauty.  

We have had a pretty relaxing weekend.  I needed to fold laundry but geez I hate to wake a sleeping baby!  Jim and the boys have been trimming the trees at the end of our driveway.  I would have helped but I was actually making progress on reading this awesome book!   We also gave smoking chicken using hedge a try.  I must say it turned out fabulous.  I believe the only trouble we had was that we ran out of meat before we wanted to! I wish we could have a few more laid back days!  

Merry Christmas 2014!

We have had a fantastic Christmas!  We started out with attending Christmas Eve mass at Corpus Christi.  I was excited to see our old priest, and I had this awesome idea that by going to early mass, it wouldn't be crowded.   I was wrong.   So wrong.  I am fairly certain that the attendance broke all of the fire Marshall's codes for occupancy.  Truly, it is nice to see so many people gather to celebrate the birth of Christ!  

After mass, we celebrated Christmas Eve with my side of the family at my brothers abode.  It wasn't quite as crowded there!  

The kids ha a wonderful time with their cousins and I am very thankful that we enjoyed a nice night full of love.  

Still amazed that after all these years, we have never gotten a non-comical photo of the kids and their cousins!  

Christmas morning with my tribe.  I am so thankful that they were all home.   Healthy, happy, fortunate and blessed are we! 

My favorite part of Christmas is when all the hussle bustle is over and I can sit down and enjoy playing a game with the kids.  We are going to relish every sweet little moment and just be still for today!  Happy birthday Jesus! 

Christmas kick off

The kids kicked off Christmas with Jim and his family today.  Preston and I had to miss it since he was sick.  The kids had a nice time.