My last post.......

for 2007!
2007 was a good year......Johnny and I feel very fortunate to be able to take trips to the beach often, traveled to Texas to spend time with sister Shay and family. Feel so lucky and grateful for our children......watching Maddox overcome his obstacles, watching his health improve..and always rooting the little fellow on. My mom's health improving, my sister falling in love....wedding next year! My nephew coming to stay with us...watching him grow and discover God's love. Discovering what a blog is....haha and going out on a limb and starting my own. Everyone working and healthy..it's been a good year. And I hope 2008 will be just as good.

I don't really like making New Years resolutions but I will set some goals for myself. Is that different.....just sounds more attainable to me!

1. First off....Damnit......I WILL lose that "no smoking" weight. I know it won't be that easy but really, I have that new pink bike so how hard can it be!

2. Find more time for scrapbooking

3. Learn how to take awesome pics with my new camera

4. Learn to quilt

5. Spend more time with mom and dad

note the time on this post.....man oh man am I getting old. It's 10:30 on New Years eve....I'm in my pj's on the computer, Johnny is snoring on the sofa but yet, I'm very happy with this evening. We took all of the kids out to dinner earlier and now we're home keeping Maddox so Nicole could go out. Jacquelyn and Bucky went back to King William and Jake and Kayla are at Kayla's house.
life is good......
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE
later.......

Santa came by......

and brought me something black and something pink!
I have a lot to learn with my new camera and I may end up taking a class. But my bike......well, it's true what "they" say.....you never forget. Now if it will just stop raining so I can ride it!
we had lots of fun during this Christmas holiday. Christmas eve was busy around the house getting food ready, going to church and then coming home for dinner. Then we all sat around and watched a Christmas Story. And Jake, who may be 19 yrs old, wanted to know how early he could get us up..I just love that! We told him not before 6:00 am. Well, he woke us at 6:30 and told us he couldn't wait any longer!
We just had so much fun opening gifts and having our nephew Tommy with us for Christmas morning made it even more special. We did not wake Maddox that early....we just waited for him to wake on his own, which was around 8:30. And being only 2 yrs old, it took him awhile to open his gifts.

The rest of the week was spent doing a little shopping! Gift cards ARE fun.
Jake went snowboarding with his new board but it started raining so he only did 3 trips down. The black diamonds weren't open yet so he boarded the intermediate. He's hoping to go back tomorrow. They were supposed to get snow tonight up there.

NOT very happy about how the Cowboys looked today..as much as I love them, I am realistic! They are not going to do that well in the playoffs playing like that!
well, it's getting late......I'll post some Christmas pics tomorow.
later.........

Sunday night......

whew......I'm tired! Saturday was pretty busy with last minute wrapping and a couple of errands. Fixed some great appetizers for our pre-TSO party. And then off to the show......what fun! I can say it was even better than last year.......which is hard to believe. These folks are awesome...such talent! All of the kids enjoyed the show so much.....Jake loved the drum solo. Jacquelyn was amazed by the dualing keyboards. The show was 2 hours and 45 min and if you plan on seeing them.....don't leave early. Their last few songs were really a grand finale.

This evening we were at my sister's house with all of my family. So much fun...good food and we just laughed so much with the crazy gift exchange.

and now it's after 11:00 and I'm exhausted. Off to bed.......stockings to stuff tomorrow, a little bit of cooking then church.
sights around the house....

later........

A lot going on.....

Here's pictures of my little red sleigh in the foyer.....so cute and it's filled with the kids Christmas eve gifts. The only gifts they get to open on Monday.

Busy time coming up but oh what a fun time! I'm just getting my menu's planned out and need to finish up the grocery shopping.
Christmas shopping is DONE.....most of the wrapping is done. I still need to wrap Chrissy and Ziggy's presents. They may be dogs but they love opening their presents. So much so that we can't even put them under the tree. also, on Christmas morning, we can take paper and just kind of wrap around the toys they've alredy opened, and they will un-wrap again.......like it's all new, again! and don't laugh.....the kids are grown so we let the dogs entertain us!

We have the Trans Siberian show on Saturday which we are all excited about.....we are taking all of the kids and their boyfriends/girlfriend....so it's 9 of us. We decided instead of eating a big dinner, we are having an appetizer party........a pre-TSO party!
We will spend Sunday with my family. And it's so much fun. We all bring a couple of appetizers and then we do the crazy gift exchange...everyone has a different name for that but I just call it the crazy gift exchange. Where you draw a number and take turns opening a gift and stealing from each other. We just laugh so much......it's fun with my family.

and did you know that when you are a grandmother, you can just sit forever and watch your grandson play and it will bring tears to your eyes because you just love him so much.
later..........

Weekend recap.........

A really busy weekend and fun.........

I know I said I was all finished with my shopping but I think being finished with your shopping happens on Christmas eve when the stores close @ 6:00 and you're forced to be finished with your shopping!! haha......Of course, went out with Johnny on Friday night to just pick up a couple of things.

Saturday baked all day and then that night went to the Renegades hockey game. Which was fun but ended in a shoot out which I don't really like but what the heck.

Sunday had some friends over........ate chilli and had a good time.

and then the bad stuff happened........THE COWBOYS LOST. Can I just say WTFF.........I mean really, they did not even look like a 12/1 team! As I have said all year long........their defense is not good and needs a lot of work and then add to it the offense sucking big time..........well, there ya go, a big ole loss!

I think we play Carolina next week....let's hope those boys get in some good practice this week. And for Lord's sake.......tell Jessica Simpson to stay home so Tony can concentrate on the game!!

later............

Thursday...

and I don't really have anything to say or any new pictures to post.
We kept Maddox this evening so Nicole could work. I sure love that little boy. Who knew that grandchildren could be more wonderful than anything else on earth! Because I didn't.......I thought I loved my kids more than life itself and really, how much more loving can you do than that. And then Maddox came along and he is just the love of our life.
bless his precious heart.........my heart melts when I come home and he sees me and this big ole smile comes across his face. I just fall in love every day with that.

I've never really talked about Maddox's delays and health issues.......he's coming along. He turned 2 in September and he's still struggling to walk....taking 4 or 5 solid steps and then very slowly, with a grin on his face, sitting down. Still only says "mama"........but makes a lot of other noises which is more than he was doing 6 months ago. He is learning to sign a little better.

But what he did this evening.........well, it just melted my heart again. We were sitting on the kitchen floor and he had his cup of juice and he shoved it into my face and smiled so big. I pretended to drink and signed thank you. So then he took another swig and again, shoved it back into my face...........again I pretended then signed thank you and he just smiled. This is the first time he has really ever "shared" anything with me......Then granddaddy came into the room and I told Maddox to give him a drink..........and he shook his head no! haha.......that's my guy!
later...........

Tuesday evening.....

not much going on tonight. I made 2 batches of peppermint bark.....something else to check off of my list!

here's a pic of the tree in the den.......I decorate this one with just red and silver balls and keep the wrapping paper with the same color theme......stuffy...maybe....OCD.......who cares! I like it.

later...........

Weekend recap.......

in bullet points......

• Took 1/2 day off on Friday and went shopping. Hit up Short Pump Mall, Kohls and Va Center Commons and am about done! Except for stocking stuffers



• Saturday cleaned house and wrapped presents....and wrapped presents.....and wrapped presents!



• Saturday night Johnny and I went to a dear friend's cocktail party. And we were smart....we had Jake drive us there and pick us up. No drinking and driving for us!



• Sunday started slow but then we got all into cooking some of the Christmas goodies. We made a few batches of Russian Tea cookies, which won't last long as they are Jake's favorites. Then a bunch of Buckeye's.........also won't last long.....Johnny's favorites. But at least it's a start.



• Lots of football and we DID NOT get to see the Dallas game.....was not on our stations. And it was not fun watching the scores update and Detroit stay in the lead. But then they started showing the game with 18 seconds left.........and woo hoo, hallajuah, praise be to the football gods......The Cowboys won!!! Way to make us fans sweat!!



• I try not to decorate tacky....I believe my decorations are in good taste but I do allow Johnny to be tacky with the back yard and his pool room. That is today's pictures......enjoy
  

later..........

Oh no he didn't..........

oh yes he did............

and I told him you are out of control

and he said....I know and I won't buy anymore

later......

Snow........

We had some flurries today......it started sticking to the mulch area then the grass and then it stopped. Oh well..it sure was pretty while it came down. here are a couple of pics taken from where I sit at work.

I love the snow.....I want a big snow, the kind where you can't go to work, the kind where you can't really go anywhere and then when you're at the point of you want to kill everyone in the house and throw the boots, coats and gloves in the fireplace and burn them, then the sun would come out and the temp would be in the mid 60's and the dirty snow would be gone. yep...that's the kind of snow I want.

later......

The weekend......

In all of the talk about what a freak Johnny boy is, I never mentioned what a great weekend we had. Friday night Johnny and I went to the Renegades hockey game. It was a lot of fun but so very disappointing in the number of folks in attendance. People always fuss that they wish Richmond had a professional team but yet they won't support their minor league teams......not the hockey team, not the baseball team. Don't ya know......nobody is EVER going to look at us if we can't even support the minor leagues!!

Saturday I took my mom Christmas shopping. Her health hasn't been that great but she was finally up to shopping and I was really glad. We had a good time but I could tell she was getting worn out.......and she still wanted to go to Costco! So I suggested that we go back to my house, put our feet up, have some coffee and wait for the freak, I mean Johnny boy to get home and he would love to take us to Costco!

So Johnny gets home and we had planned on keeping Maddox Sat night so the 4 of us head to Costco......and did a.lot.of.shopping!! Maddox just loves Costco and Johnny loves showing him just about everything there....they have fun! We did not get home until almost 8:30 and poor little Maddox had not even had supper. (I was feeding him peanut butter crackers)

Sunday I made homemade beef vegetable soup (pot of vegetarian for Jacquelyn), wrapped gifts and watched football all day........my kind of day!!

and I did NOT reach my goal of finishing up shopping by Dec 1st. If I had been out alone on Saturday, I would have finished BUT......I did something better........I took my mom shopping! So I'm taking a 1/2 vacation day this Friday and will finish up. And then that's it......the upcoming weekends are full of fun!!

here's a couple of pics of Christmasy stuff around our house........

later.........

Here's another freaky thing..........

Johnny boy is a freak about poinseietta's! Yes....true...Mr. Manly Man of all Men loves poinseietta's. And he loves to buy them in different ways each year. Like one year, I came downstairs and every inch of my kitchen counters were covered in Poinseittas. Another year, a few would appear, a few days later some more........a few days later more. Just different each year.

So this year he comes home one night with this really big poinseitta. Really beautiful. A few nights later, another really big one........and yes, one more after that. Then a few days later, he comes in with 7 medium size poinsiettas. We're all laughing but thinking this is probably it because really, where am I going to put all of these. Then on Thursday night, we are snuggled in the den waiting for the Dallas game to come on and Johnny walks in...........you guessed it, 3 big poinseittas in his arms. But this time they were the colored ones.......one blue, one light purple and one dark purple..........we all just laughed. What a freak but I love him!

later........