So Put a Fork in it...LOL

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas. I always find this time a little sad, all the running and preparing and it's over in a flash. I did find myself dreading it in the week leading up to the holiday...even a little B**XX one might say.... I have said it before mom was a such a force and she was missed, but it truly wasn't as bad as I made it out to be and everyone had a good time... I know ( won't get into the family issues..LOL) she was laughing at me... had a surprise... LOL... I might of even called her a B**xx for leaving me with this mess! Yes a good time was had by all...
So I thought I would share a pictures, first our niece and Goddaughter Joey, is a pistol! A little spit fire!! oh the stories, mom loved them... she finds mischief everyday! Our nephew Tyler showing off his new hoody we got him..and did I take pictures of all the kids??? they were too fast & I missed them... OOPS.... without realizing it all the older kids received a jacket, a theme, without the planning...LOL I only purchased toys for the twins this year....

Oh yes, Knuckles getting his Christmas gift from the B.F.H.... Jeff, a foot long, a very spoiled dog. He goes crazy if he even thinks Jeff is coming over!

All the kids gathering in the gathering room.... what a bunch!!! Mom's grand kids go from 2 - 22! Oh yes a few friends in the mix as well.... I only wish I would of remembered to take a picture of all men shooting the shit in the Kitchen...

Joey with her baby doll.... this is what it's all about....

oh yes William, her twin brother.... loves all trucks and trains... Auntie might of made sure this one makes noise and is REALLY big!!! Must love pay backs!!!! Since I was the first to have kids, oh the noisy things everyone would buy....yes paybacks are a B***xxx!!!!

Alex Christmas morning... looking healthy after his meningitis scare... VERY surprised with his TV... Now we usually don't spend this much on the boys... but we walked in a GREAT deal, to good to pass up.... Only it means Steven gets something big as well... OUCH!

So Steven got 2 presents to Alex's one... I am a pain about things being fair...

Oh, Yes, Hubby, such a WONDERFUL MAN!!! I am SOOOO blessed... took me to get this prim old mantel to put in the gathering room, a early birthday present. Can't have a fireplace, I will create a Fake looking one... Just need to briwax it.. Will hang black fabric in the opening and decorate it for each season, of course! That back wall needed a little something, something....

So, yes it was a wonderful holiday, life goes on. We all go through it at some point, I don't know if time heals, but it just becomes a new normal. You can either let it swallow you up or go on... The best tribute is to go on and lead a good life! I am hoping for a better 2011 though! Make it a great day! OLM

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Well... The Holiday's are here ready or not! I wish for everyone a most wonderful Merry Christmas!!!

These last few days have flown by. Things were a little stressful around here again, I call it the icing on the cake... I can laugh now, but Our oldest son Alex came home from college last Friday and promptly became sick.... A meningitis scare... HOLY YIKES!!! Thankfully they ruled that out yesterday and today he is feeling so much better...

So as we prepare for our first Christmas without mom, there are so many things to be THANKFUL for... First our health! Alex is on the mend, all is good. We have a roof over a heads, some presants under the tree and will have yummy food to eat. Sauce is cooking now for homemade lasagna tomorrow... If I am careful I am moving around slowly, but moving around!

So my nephews, brother and his family, hopefully my dad (he doesn't like to go out....UGH),with some friends will gather for dinner tomorrow and have some Holiday Cheer!

I looked for a few younger pictures of the boys at Christmas to share. I couldn't find what I was looking for, or they weren't right for blogging... LOL... my boys are goof balls.... What I did find was a picture of mom 2 years ago, just before her diagnose, so long ago, yet just yesterday...I tell you she is yelling at me posting this picture...LOL... Calling me a B...... she never liked her picture take, especially since she was heavier.... Sorry mom... Here she is looking at her gift. It was pictures I took for her of all the grand kids together.... I just can't get over how much more healthy she looked here.... So I felted the need to share...

So for everyone, have a wonderful Christmas, and here is hoping for wonderful 2011!!! OLM

Busy, BUSY, where is the time going......

This time next week, Christmas is over? Is that possible? Time moves so fast, then sometimes so slow....For me this Holiday has been a emotional roller coaster, toss in a back with a screwed up disc again, and there is just not enough time to get everything done! Oh well, it is what it is this year.... So that being said I have a bunch of things I have been wanting to share, but with my back and running every couple of days to the chiropractor, I am not getting anything done. I love to bake, not happening this year, no presents wrapped yet, I NEED another week and a healthy back to get this all done! LOL, probably not happening.... I will make do....

So first I have a couple of long over do thank you and I want to share, First Lecia from Farmhouse prims sent me a little pick me up after mom passed. Love her bonnets, she does a wonderful job! I hung it on my pitch fork in the kitchen for now, after the holidays I will find a better home for it....Thank you Lecia! Trish from ladybug primitives has sent me some beautiful cards and these 3 adorable snowman ornies. Her own design honoring breast cancer survivors. Thank you Trish!!! I have been very blessed and overwhelmed by every one's thoughtfulness during this difficult adjustment since mom's passing, again, all I can say is THANK YOU!!!

Then a little while back I ordered 2 custom banners from the crackling crows primitives. I have admired the banners for quite some time, finally ordered 2, Ivonne, LOVE THEM!!! Look how they come packaged....almost didn't want to open them up.....

Took me awhile to get them up, YUP that stupid back thing.... They really aren't in the best spots, but I wasn't up to playing too much... So here is my LET IT SNOW banner over my patio door.....

Then FROSTY in the Gathering Room. I will probably move this once once the tree comes down in the front room and put him there through January....

Then, last Sunday, I hosted my annual ornament exchange. Love doing this, always a good time with friends before the Holidays get TOO crazy... WELL... this year weather was not in our favor. Five where not able to make it, roads too bad, those close were able to come, I still had 9 GF's for the afternoon... Lucky the back held up until the very end, then it showed it was pissed at me! LOL... So here is poor Denise, we play the steal game, she had her ornie stolen "6" times! LOL... now everyone gets a ornament. Just don't bound with it, it might get stolen, then you have to pick another...! LOL...

Nadine and Angelique Looking at her ornie.... I should say every year I come up with a "theme", this year's was "gingerbread"...notice I did not say "man".. so it is open to interruption...

Teri, on the prowl... she is going to steal.....no ornie is save now! LOL

A quick picture of most the ornaments after we were all done playing and everyone had a new ornament for their tree!

Teri brought me a Charlie Brown Tree as a hostess gift, LOVE IT!!! I am a huge charlie brown fan, still watch him every time he's on the TV and make the boys watch too!!!

So now since there was already so many pictures...LOL... thought I would share a few of the decorations... Nothing over the top this year, just wasn't feeling it.....

Mom's baby doll, I brought her home last week. Mom always said I could have her, just never took her, I still need to find her a good spot!

yup, missing a leg...LOL

here is a few close ups of our many tree, not prim at all... I decided this year not to put the angel on top in honor of mom... I saw on FB a quote, goes something like this... I don't need a angel on my tree I already have one up in Heaven looking down on me... So when hubby & I were first married mom & dad brought us our angel, so for this year, no angel, mine is in Heaven....

So these Willie Rays also came from Mom, many years ago, if you made the mistake of telling mom you were going to collect something new, well, you could blink and you had your collection! LOL... I got all 3 of these one Christmas many years ago, still my favorite Willie's....

oops, didn't I already post this one... After this many who can keep track? Surely I can't..

GEEZ, how pictures did I up load???LOL... I guess I should of told you to get a glass of wine before you started this one?

My snowman tree, I have talked about this before, this one stays up through February...

This doesn't show up to well, LED battery operated snowflake lights, prefect for a crock....

OK, so there you have it, FINALLY! Have a wonderful Christmas & holiday season, hug your mom, I didn't do it enough... OLM

AND THE WINNER IS....

There was no one around at the moment to pull a name or take a quick picture, they are out watching my niece and nephew, my SIL had to have some minor surgery today. All is well I am happy to report, let's just hope she is finally pain free!!! And I am feeling lazy now after spending the afternoon in bed, LOL... BORING! This resting stuff is hard work!!!
I set the bowl up high and pulled out a name.......Santa and Elmer are looking forward to their new home at.....
RASPBERRY LANE PRIMITIVES!!!! I will email you for address shortly so I can box him up in hopes snail mail will get him to you by Christmas!
Thank you everyone, I wish I could send everyone something.... Have a wonderful night! OLM

Last Call for My Santa Give-away, I Pick 2nite!!!

Good Morning all my blogging buddies!!! I am jumping in quick this Am to remind everyone of my Santa & Elmer giveaway. I will pick 2nite, so if you haven't had a chance and would like to enter, please do so before 6pm 2nite!
I am going to spend the day relaxing against my will!!! My back has been out for 5 weeks now, well since the day after mom funeral. I have had a bad back for many years. We know I screwed up a disc AGAIN, just don't know how bad. I have been going to the chiropractor, but even he is starting to say I need a MRI & probably shots in the back.... So all this week in HOPES of it finally starting to heal, I am TRYING to be a good girl and do nothing, VERY hard and VERY boring! LOL!!! So much to do and to do nothing is very hard... but I need to...so until 2nite... OLM

With my thanks, A Giveaway for my followers!

It is so hard to believe mom passed away just 4 short weeks ago, yet life goes on, Holidays don't go on hold, though they shouldn't. It's the NEW NORMAL, I call it...

So a few milestones happened here in the mist of all things mom... I now have 86 followers, I believe, WOW and I have had over a 100 posts... back when I started blogging, I had no idea what I would talk about or if anyone would care. All of you, my blogging buddies have been the best, from kind words about mom, to just wonderful comments to the goofy things I might post...

So that being said I am offering up a giveaway.... Here are my rules:
1. You have to be a follower of my blog, now.. This is my thank you for all the kind words, thoughts, prayer for mom, cards and even a gift to cheer me up.
So it's simple, no need to share with others, just for my current followers, one lucky winner will get Santa and Elmer. I created him from a wonderful Pineberry Lane Pattern. Just leave a comment here until Wednesday Dec. 15Th, I will pick a winner then & ship him in time, HOPEFULLY for your Christmas... Thank you, OLM

P.S.... I feel the need to share a few fun facts about my mom....Well, at to me! LOL

She always let you know how she felt, good or bad.... She usually had some off the wall nickname for you... Mine, Bitchy girl.... no reason, just what she called me.... when I would talk to her, always, "Tell me something exciting" it sucked not to be able to tell her about "Prims Magazine"---Oh, she talked like a truck driver! YIKE! Dropped the "F" bomb at the doctors office all the time, not in a bad way, but just did. Her Dr's came to get a kick out of it. You knew she was feeling pretty good, if it came out! LOL.... She loved Diet Coke from the fountain at McDonald's, loved a YUMMY Sweet and with that a trashy romantic novel!!!

Her Grand kids meant the most to her. She had 9, from 22 to 2. It's just wrong that the 2 year twins will not truly know her.

Now my soap box, if you have been putting off the dreaded colonoscopy, I ask PLEASE, don't, truly it's no big deal, I PROMISE!!!! If I can start the process, have a reaction to the medication, pass out, BREAK MY NOSE, then have go and do it all over again, 3months later, ANYONE can. No one should died from this, mom was ONLY 66. OLM
No more soap box, I promise!

Tuesday Display Chain, WInter Whites!

I so love the display chain that Misi started over at gable house musings! It's a great way to peek into everyone homes and decorating a little more then usual! Plus it gets me thinking, Misi, my brain thanks you! LOL....
So I just have a few quick pictures today, back seems pretty good time AM, so I am going to TRY and get a few chores done! ICK! This is a picture of our first snow. I woke up to this past Saturday morning. This is right out my patio door into the back yard. We are VERY lucky to have no one directly behind us. The bike path runs behind the trees.. It always looks so pretty after a snow!

Couldn't resist putting a picture of knuckle's in.... Saturday AM too.... Not even off the step, YEAH!!! First snow, NO MORE WATER FOR ME!!! I will eat SNOW exclusively now! Really, he does stop drinking water in the winter and eats, and eats snow... Such a knucklehead! But we love him!

OOPS... maybe I need to get that bittersweet pick out of there? LOL.... Have a great day everyone, it's a cold one here! OLM

Finally finishing some decorating...

Well things are settling down and I am trying to find my "new" normal... It is amazing that just 2 short weeks ago the house was in pretty good shape because of the Country Sampler shoot. NOW... what a mess! My back is still very anger at me. I screwed it up good, AGAIN! If this keeps up, I'm probably looking at MRI... know there is a disc screwed up again, just don't know to what extent. OH lucky me! LOL.....

So on Friday went out with a few of my prims GF'S. Had a fun day, even got inspired to finish the Christmas decorating that was started. I did decide I was going to do everything, no real tree in the gathering room as we planned. Between mom and my back, I am just not up to it and everything is such a mess.... though I as triy to clean up and put a last few things in place, more is done then I realized... Just not the "WOW" I wanted.... good enough, no one else will know.....

So while out shopping I got a great prim divided chubby. re-arranged the counter to put it on there... Love it... though I forgot to give it the "sniff" test, so it's a little "stinky". Don't buy anything with smell, so hard to get out. So I am hoping I can get this out. Love it on the counter... The GF'S said I can only use mom as my need for retail therapy for another week. Hubby says, PLEASE NO MORE! LOL... Chubby a great deal at $30... Also got the jar that I put the battery operated candle in little snowballs in, on the right... Great old jar, only $10 another great deal! It really was a fun day. I needed it! Close up of the olde jar... Love old jars!!!

Changed out the dough bowl, added some lights & vintage ornies & Christmas swag....

Was going to put this tree away, then decided 2day to make is another prim snowman tree, simple, no lights...

oops... must learn how to delete off pictures when I screw up... uploaded same one twice...

snowman in the kitchen.. they will stay until February....

Small tree on top of the pie safe in the kitchen....

All my vintage goodies the SIS "THE QUEEN" gave me a couple of years ago.... love them!!!

Our main tree is not prim...mom started me collecting Hallmark ornies when I was about 16. So I have many Hallmark ornies, some prim, all the ones the boys made. So a fun mix of ornies!!!

My silver tree with some vintage plastic ornies, didn't use them all, just a few....

So as I look around, really I did get a lot done, slowly! Kind a scary to think how much I did not get to. At some point, it probably will get to be to much with my back. More for the boys, hopefully! I will share more as I clean more up! Have a great Sunday! OLM