A GLIMPSE INTO OUR NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATION

Our evening festivities were quite the rage.  Pizza, getting sloshed on Martinelli's, a little Book of Mormon Bingo and watching tidbits of Rockin' New Year's Eve.  What can I say, we're party animals.

My hope is nothing but the best for you and yours in 2013!

NEW YEAR GOALS

I love making new year goals.  It makes me feel focused and happy.  Here are my top 5 goals for 2013.

1.  EVERYONE GETS A CLEAN SLATE.  This is one of my favorite goals I make every year.  I try really hard to forgive and move on as things happen, or not let things bother me, but having the visual of Jan 1, and an eraser, helps me really wipe the slate clean.  It feels so good!

2.  BE PRESENT WITH MY BOYS.  I am always there but not always present.  I have found that sometimes I am checking my phone or opening the mail while talking with them.  You know, multi tasking.  No more.  I will be present.

3.  SIMPLIFY.  This is another goal that is always on my list.  It helps me analyze my schedules and routines and organize and purge my closets and nooks and crannies.  It's a breath of fresh air to my soul.

4.  BE HEALTHY.  For a long time I was on a green smoothie kick and loved it.  Breakfast has once again become a skipped meal, so I am going to try to be consistent with some early morning nourishment.  Also, I have had a hard time becoming committed to running again after my stress fracture and the cooler toe incident.  I need to rediscover that love.  My hiney will thank me.

5.  BE POSITIVE.  I am proud to say this is something I am really good at, most of the time.  I try really hard to make a conscious decision to see good and not gossip.  BUT, I am horrible about being positive about myself.  My inner self says horrible things to me. Every time I say something negative, I will make a conscious decision to replace it with a positive.  AND, I will say thank you when receiving a compliment instead of dismissing it.

I hope 2013 finds you and yours healthy, prosperous and happy.  Let us have faith and not fear about our life situations.  (I need to tell myself that all.the.time.)  Here's to a wonderful and fabulous new year, my friends.

OUR NEW YEAR'S EVE

We stayed home and had a smorgasbord of appetizers and goodies. Larry made Belgian fries - a lot of work but amazing!Steph and Miriam came over and supplied us with New Years Eve paraphernalia and Martinellis.

We watched a couple of movies while some took a few naps. We ate and ate, got sloshed on Martinellis and we tuned into Ryan Seacrest to watch the ball drop at Times Square.

Do we know how to party or what?

TRY A NEW THING EVERY MONTH

is one of the items on my new year resolution list, after I was inspired by Crystal. This is what I'll be learning to make in 2012:

January - naan

February - soap

March - moisturizing kitchen hand scrub

April - hamburger buns

May - hummus

June - a sprinkler

July - fruit leather

August - freezer jam

September - pretzels

October - bagels

November - vapor rub

December - apple butter

I love my list of resolutions this year. It's a really long list, but it is (at least it seems to be now) organized for successful completion. Believe it or not, there's even ghost hunting on it.

I'm excited for a productive 2012!

Anything fun on your list?

NEW YEAR'S EVE

was celebrated with a meal that consisted of an amazing Scottish stew, Irish soda bread and sugar "clock" cookies - all vegan of course.
Larry made some deep fried teriyaki drum sticks for the man clan.
We also had firework "poppers", Yahtzee and we got sloshed on Martinellis.

Landon had a blast with the firework poppers but we had more fun watching his face as he pulled them. It doesn't take a lot to entertain us!

This photo pretty much shows what our night was full of. Food, coughing, silliness, coughing, fun and coughing.

Happy New Year everyone!

May your year be healthy, prosperous and wonderfully fun!

TOP 5 RESOLUTIONS

1. No more soda
2. Get to bed before 11pm
3. Find balance
4. Simply
5. Keep moving forward

I have a huge list. A very detailed list. It's so big, as I was looking it over I was feeling a little good for nothing.
So, I've decided I'm keeping my list to 5 and will break them down, as needed, as the year progresses.

What's on your list?

PS - Can you believe that it's 2011 in less than 24 hours?!

ALICE LANE HOME COLLECTION

had a giveaway on Black Eiffel and guess who won? MEEEEEEEE!!

I seriously never win anything!

So, not only am I incredibly lucky that I won an awesome gift certificate to help our humble adode, I'm lucky that I get to go visit my cousin so I can spend it. Yay me!

I can't wait to visit their oh, so gorgeous store. Take a looksee!

What a way to start the New Year!

This is definitely a sign this is going to be a fabulous year...

WE CLOSED 2009 WITH SMILES, HUGS

and kisses....

Lach slept through the celebration....

Larry J went to his first church dance with friends and had a great time.....

Our household got sloshed...

on Martinelli's....

We watched movies and clicked over to watch Ryan Seacrest, Dick Clark and the Times Square Countdown...

Celebrated at the midnight hour and watched a few fireworks overhead....

We're greeting 2010 with open arms and possibilities!

WE WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY,

prosperous, healthy, fun, loving, joyous New Year...

Taken July 4, 2005 at Lincoln City

2009 was filled with blessings, trials and challenges, as does every year.

But what's the saying?

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Amen to that!

I know I'm blessed and I'm thankful for the blessings my family receives and the wonderful, thoughtful, loving and kind family and friends we have in our lives.

It's going to be a great year for us all, I can just feel it!

ONE OF MY NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

is to simplify.
One area I either excel tremendously or fail miserably is meal planning.
If I have a plan, then my grocery shopping is better for our pocketbook and we have happy tummies in the household.
When I don't have a plan, our tummies, pocketbook and cupboards are miserable. You should see our cupboards now. They are pitiful....

I've completed a month of menus with recipes printed and in plastic sleeves in a binder, easily assessable for grocery list making and meal preparation.
Simplify you ask? That is where I'm hoping some of you will come in.
If a few of us do this and share, we won't have to "think" what's for dinner this week or next week and our grocery shopping will be easier because of it, etc...
You know me well if you know our household eats a lot of chicken.
Due to allergic reactions and not liking other meat by some members of the household (me on both accounts), all of my recipes are chicken or vegetarian based.
Most of the recipes could easily have meat preferences switched, which is what I would do to your menu too.
If you want to share a month's worth of dinner recipes let me know. I think if a few of us work together, this will be one easy "simplify" task.
What are some other ways you've been able to successfully simplify?.....

2010 FAMILY GOALS

were the discussion for Family Home Evening last night.
We came up with:
1. Work together on home improvements (aka - no complaining)
2. Everyone teach the family something (Laird is looking forward to teaching us how to juggle. I am too!)
3. Family activities (we can never get enough of these!)
4. Talk with softer, kinder voices and show more love and patience (that one came from me if you couldn't guess)
5. Be healthier

Then we worked on our personal goals and fried up some twinkies (that's why we needed #5)....

WE CELEBRATED NEW YEAR'S

Eve as a family with movies, WAFFLES and lots of syrup...

The boys put bacon in their waffles. That combo's not for me but they think it's delicious.

We ended the evening, getting sloshed on Martinelli's sparkling apple cider...

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY

of a terrific year.

I won't say that 2008 didn't have it's challenges and trials because it did - and actually still does. But we know we are very blessed and we are definitely counting our blessings.

I have many New Year's Resolutions, like I always do, and at midnight I will be opening a very welcoming door to 2009....

I hope you have a very safe, incredible, wonderful evening and may 2009 have many, many wonderful blessings in store for us all...

Love you!

A PROMPT HAND WRITTEN NOTE

is one of my many 2009 resolutions.
A phone call and email are great but they just don't cut it.
I'm going to be johnny on the spot showing my gratitude and appreciation...

I'm going to need to start with good stationary, like these letterhead printed correspondence cards with hand drawn monogram by The Paper Moon Project...