I hate to see you go but I'll love to watch you leave...

I cannot believe another New Year's Eve is here! Mama always told us growing up that once we hit 30, it'd be gone and boy, was she right! My mama was right about a lot of things. :)

I just LOVE a new year. A fresh start. Another chance to get it right.

2010 was a pretty monumental year for me. I went back to school! And I lost nearly 60 pounds! Both of these accomplishments are things I never thought I'd do or could do. I found out that I like being able to cross my legs, I like being able to sit on the sofa and pull my knee up to my chin as I sit there (that is really, really cool!), I liked getting rid of all the XL stuff in my closet and replacing it with larges (and some mediums!). I like being in a smaller size than I was in high school. I will have to fight my weight the rest of my life, I know that. It is a struggle every. single. day. But there are so many advantages, not just the crossing my legs part but for my health, that I have to do it. I have to fight it.

I don't make resolutions. They're like diets. They don't work. We get bored or tired or fed up or just don't care anymore and we give up. Instead of a resolution, I just try to be a better person in the new year than I was in the old. Instead of a diet, I just try to work on eating right and exercising. I've been really lazy lately. I know that once I start walking and running again, I'll be just fine.

I'm starting my fourth quarter at school January 11th. When it's over, I'll be a year into this thing!! I can't believe that either. Working during the day and going to school at night has definitely been a challenge but it's been so much fun! This quarter, I'm taking Solid State at the college and a microcomputers class online. I'll get my interview at the base the end of March and we'll see what happens there.

I've been a cleaning, organizing fool the past few days! It started with taking down the Christmas tree and putting everything away in the attic. I have organized cabinets, the pantry, cleaned out the fridge, mopped behind the washer and dryer and the fridge, put new screws in my front door, cleaned house from top to bottom and I even got the bug man yesterday to clean the leaves off my roof. I am ready for this new year!! :)

Here are some fun highlights of my year! I learned how to play bunco in 2010! We got substantial snow in 2010! I went to see a show at the Grand Opera House in 2010! I went hiking at High Falls all by myself in 2010! I saw a movie at midnight for the first (and last!) time in my life in 2010! I fell in love with True Blood in 2010! I went to my 25th high school reunion in 2010! I got trigeminal neuralgia in 2010! (Okay, that last one wasn't much fun but it was part of the year that was and it's still going on into 2011 so it deserves its spot, aggravating thing that it is.)

I'm planning to welcome the new year just like I do every year, in my jammies, watching the ball drop on TV. It's safer that way. Too many drunks out there. So I'll have a nice quiet peaceful night at home. A nice quiet peaceful end to what was a really great year for me!

Happy New Year and be safe out there!! See ya in 2011!!!

Winter mantel

I've had Gary Sinise and Mark Herndon on my mantel for so long that I am in need of a change. I love the autographed pictures that my sweet hubby got for me but I want to do a little something different. I think we have a beautiful fireplace, mantel and hearth and I'm thinking of doing seasonal mantels next year. And TRY to use what I already have!!

This is what I've put together so far for winter.

I organized my candle cabinet last night and found these white taper candles that I'd gotten at IKEA ages ago, along with the crystal star and ice cube candle holders. I'd forgotten I even had them. I added a silver lantern, also from IKEA, and topped it with a red bird. The frosted pine cone came right off my Christmas tree and the gorgeous paper roses my sissy made me and put on my Christmas presents just look so sweet up there.

I just got these cute little felty snowmen at Target for 50 cents each! I'm still holding out for some snow!! We didn't get any last year 'til February.

I just had to show a close up of these paper roses!!

They are sooooo beautiful and I absolutely love them.

Merriest Christmas part two

Just part of the loot!

No matter how we say we're going to have a simple Christmas,

we never do. I'm just as guilty as the rest, though!

I mainly posted this picture because I wanted

to show off the gorgeous paper roses that Ami made for my gifts!!

Me with my gifts from Larry

These were two of them! A Cuisinart popcorn maker and a Breville stainless steel tea kettle! My baby knows what to get me. I don't like jewelry unless it's his old dog tag or my wedding rings and he knows better than to try to buy me clothes. Ha! I love stuff for my kitchen and gadgets!

And here's my gadget! A Snowbot. Cutest little thing!! You plug him into a USB port on your computer and his eyes light up (blue or red) and he makes a scary robot sound. I love him!! I think he'll hang out on the coffee table all year.

My mama made this beautiful arrangement of Christmas ornaments

to hang from the ceiling fan in their dining room.

It was the centerpiece for our Christmas. We all loved it.

Ami and me with one of our gifts from each other.

This picture of Ami with her sock monkey is soooooo sweet.
I'm so glad she liked it!!

Our beautiful Jessica and handsome Christopher.
They grew up much, much too fast!!!! :(

My brother, Ricky, my sister, Ami and me.

Chris, Jessi and me decorating Christmas cookies!

Here are two I made and it was Ami's idea to stand the reindeer up!

I think it turned out really cute!!

Some other things I got were a wonderfully warm gray fleece zip-up, cozy pink and white polka dot slippers and an opera wallet from Ami and Brian, a gray Old Navy hoodie and long-sleeved slinky t-shirt, Joshilyn Jackson's book Backseat Saints that I've been dying to read since the summer, a cute cloth makeup bag in a blue hippie paisley print, silver hoop earrings, the coolest spiced pears candle in an old-fashioned enamel jar that I just LOVE, marshmallow socks and makeup from Mama and Daddy, a beautiful ornament and yummy peppermint candle from Ricky and his family, a beautiful nativity ornament from my cousin, Sarah and a Target gift card from my sweet neighbor, David. I'm saving it for when I'm broke! Ha! I know I'm forgetting something (sorry, y'all!!) but I racked up!!

We just had the best day! Now it's time to pack everything away and get ready to begin a brand new year filled with promise and opportunity. I can't wait to see what 2011 brings us!!

Know why Mrs. Beasley is so happy??

'Cause she's home with me, that's why! I brought a few of my dolls back home with me from Mama and Daddy's house today, dolls that I loved and played with when I was a little girl. I'm telling you, they are LOVED TO PIECES. Literally. Mrs. Beasley has had surgery on both of her arms and when I was cleaning her up tonight, her wrist ripped and 'bout scared me half to death. I was trying to be gentle with the old girl. Her apron and glasses are long gone, her voice box, too. But that sweet, sweet smile is still the same.

Her tag says Mattel 1967 but I got her in 1970, on my 3rd birthday. My daddy went everywhere trying to get me this doll and he and his friend, Jerry, finally found her and got her back just in time for my birthday party. I remember how excited I was to have her!! Kinda like I am tonight. :)

Happy birthday to you...

Baby Jesus, happy birthday to you!

Merriest Christmas!

I've had the most wonderful Christmas with my family today, pretty much just hanging out together and eating nonstop. Everybody was there, we had presents galore and love even more! It was a great, great day.

One more Christmas together, one more Christmas with all of us healthy and happy, one more Christmas filled with laughter and good food, one more Christmas with our Maw, one more Christmas. Seems the older I get, the more sentimental I am on Christmas night, when I'm back in my quiet, cozy little house and have time to reflect on the day. I'm always a little sad when it's over. All the planning and shopping and wrapping and secrets. Poof! Just like that. Gone for another year.

I'm so thankful for my wonderful, loving family. For Mama and Daddy, for Ami and Brian, for Ricky, Audra, Jessica and Christopher, for Maw. They all together and individually bring so much happiness, stability and joy to my life.

I'll post pictures later (Ami and Brian only took over 600 today and last night!) and I'll talk about and show all the cool and lovely gifts I received but I just wanted to post something ON Christmas, while it was still Christmas. It'll be gone for good in a couple of hours. I hope everybody reading this spent the day lovin' on somebody who loved on you right back.

Busy busy busy

Mama just sent me this cute picture!

How sweet is that??

I got off work today at noon and I have been nonstop ever since! I went and got the oil changed in my car, went by Walgreens to get a few last minute things and came home and started cooking. I made a pot of wassail, a loaf of sausage cheese bread, a small loaf of mozzerella bread and I got my corn casserole ready to go in the oven tomorrow. I made white chocolate chip cookies and saltine cracker toffee last night while I enjoyed my Christmas must-watch, The Waltons Homecoming. I just love that movie. If only our lives and time were slow like that...sigh. Maybe one day.

And to quote a phrase from that sweet movie, one that my daddy says to this day, I've had a Christmas traveler at my house. While I was watching the movie last night, I started hearing scratching and clawing in the wall behind the television! I knew that was a critter come a'calling, just in time for Christmas! I played with him for a little while, tapping on the wall and telling him to GET OUT and things of that nature (some nice, some not so nice) and he finally stopped. I called a local pest control company and the guy came out this morning and got up in the attic and poked around a little bit and found one dead rat up there 'bout the size of a kitten. Said he'd been there since the summer, probably. Now that is nasty. I never smelled or heard a thing. Anyway, he took care of it and put out some traps and will be back in a week to check them. So far today and tonight, I haven't heard a peep.

And that's the kind of Christmas traveler I like. Come sit a spell, scratch a little bit and then leave before your welcome's worn out!