Word of the Year

Ali chooses a word each year as an incentive for the coming year. If yo uread her blog, I am sure you will find that she is more eloquent than I am and will better explain it.
The first I year (2007) I chose the word 'balance.'
Last year my word was 'harmony.'
I am trying to decide between two words today...'nurture' and 'grace.'
It's kind of fun to choose this as a goal. As something to strive for throughout the year. Something to look forward to and even attain.
I am not balanced, but I am better at recognizing what needs to be more in focus.
I am not in harmony, but I know when I am completely out of harmony and what I need to do to get there.
As a mom and business person I am trying to nurture my family and my business.
As a woman I am trying to find grace.
So, will you choose a word?
What will it be and why?

I had

a fun blog planned.
Then I got creative and made a mini book and looked at things to order for the store and got distracted by Bonnie ;) and didn't one done.
Oops.
Maybe tomorrow. Then I will share Bonnie's fantastic popcorn-y treat with you.
You know how I loves my popcorn.

in photos...

Hunter took this picture of Q and I have to say I love it...the only thing missing is the dimples.

The front of our hosue after the wind made a lovely deposit of snow...that poor little tree was buried so badly last year that it split. I so hope it makes it through another winter!



This is the view as we cross the RR tracks...I love it, it is such a reminder for whatever season we are in...as you can tell.

The poinsettia is from my brother. It is HUGE. I think it must be three feet across. It's nice to have a brother who works at one of my favorite places :) (Town and Country if anyone is wondering)




Carson and Hunter drew each others names for Christmas. Hunter carved a shark for my shark boy and Carson and my dad put together this box for Hunter's HAM radio equipment.

Q with the pillow I made him. Iam going to try and get pictures of all of the blankets and pillows I made for the boys.









My dorky boys at my inlaws house. I have no idea what they were thinking but it must have been good :)

Christmas in chaos

A brief rundown of what I think I remember:
December 24
430 get home from my store and Walmart the scariest place on earth on Christmas eve
715 finally get the &$%# cake frosted and head to Tootie's and Lori and Larry's for Christmas Eve traditional dinner of ham, funeral potatos and green beans. I brought dessert this year (red velvet cake and chocolate cake balls mmmmmmmgooooood...both were new recipes) Janet brought salad....this was yummy too.
1040 head home to finish up Christmas stuff
1am remember something is still in the cupboard at the store...Jeff goes to get it.
December 25, 2008
5am go to bed after a night of revelry and frantic sewing...and a bloody nose on the 9 yo.
6am boys get up. Jeff finds them staring at the Christmas gifts under the tree with eyes as big as saucers. Boys are threatened within an inch of their life if they wake us before 730
729 heard in the hall outside our bedroom "one minute guys...Tyler and Carson take mom, Quinton you wake up dad"
730 'MOM DAD it's CHRISTMAS AND IT'S 730 WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!
740 boys have finally convinced us it is in fact time.
830 new movie in the dvd player we go in for a nap
1020 boys heard arguing, I give up and get out of bed to make breakfast.
12n Jeff gets out of bed
6pm put chicken in crock pot to roast
7pm we leave our house to take gifties to grandparents
825 Tyler says 'I'm so sad that Christmas is over.' Quinton replies 'don't worry, buddy, it will come again next year.' I start laughing because a) we never say 'buddy' and b) Q is only 3
10pm get home snack on DELICIOUS roasted chicken and stuffing...
11pm convince Q to lay down by me as boys watch Johnny Lingo remake...not sure about this one, I am a die hard original fan
12 mn I think the boys came in to say goodnight.

I really slacked on the picture taking this year, but I have some of everyone, so that's a good thing.
The boys of course made out like bandits.
Jeff and I didn't do too badly.
In case you are wondering, I did not finish all of the things I was working on. Jeff and I just got fabric in boxes because I ran out of time. And I need to edge Tyler's blanket.
And finish Christmas cards.
I hope all of you had a fantastic day!

A letter to my family

Dear Guys.
Here's the deal. If you don't get better soon, I am not coming home.
I have too much to finish to get sick...

Wait, this will sound better:

Get out of bed and help me clean...

No that's not quite right either. Maybe this:

I realize that the joy of the holiday season is to be spent with those you love surrounding you. However, as Hunter puts it, I am fed up with the 'sick germs of love' and if you want your gifties you will vacuum, clean and get well...

This is just not coming out the way I want it to...

I love you all and will be home soon.
Mom

So...

this could be an all over type of post...
I am looking for a book. It's one I had a little and I have no idea what the title is. I know it was about Santa and his workshop and there was an illustration of just him on the front...the inside (remember, I am on the verge, so the memory is fading) had one illustration of him in a rocking chair, there was one in his workshop, one of him reading a lsit of names...anyone? Please? I know it's not a lot of help, my descriptions, but I am kind of looking for this book.
I am feeling nostalgic today.
I have lost two grandparents.
My Grandpa Dale (as we call him for the kids) died 12 years ago. Hunter had just turned 6 months and he had a heart attack the Tuesday after Thanksgiving it was late that year.) He died 2 days later in the ICU (one reason I can never be an ICU nurse) and I miss him. My mom and I were talking this morning about candy and recipes (I was asking AGAIN for her molasses cookie recipe...it's soooo yummy!) and she started talking about divinity that she and my Grandma had seen at the Candy Cottage. I started laughing because one of the reasons Jeff gave me a kitchen aid is because at Christmas I was going through like two mixers a year on making divinity. The boys will eat it, Jeff says it's too sweet (I know, but he doesn't liek circus peanuts or cotton candy either...it's weird!) but I LOVE it. Apparently, so did my Grandpa. He used to ask me to buy him jelly beans every time he stopped by. He said if he bought them he would get in trouble, but if I did it was a gift :) I will be making divinity soon and thinking of him every bite I take.
Grandma Taylor (or Grandma Lila for the boys) died almost 4 years ago. She had been fighting cancer for 3 years and it had finally metastisized too much for any chemo to fight. She died gracefully with her family around her just before she turned 81. Grandma used to have this blue ceramic glazed bowl that I love (and really hope I get someday) that was always filled with hard candies. You know, the ones that are so nasty that you eat a ton of them just knowing your teeth are falling out? The ribbon shaped ones and rootbeer ones and cinnamon ones... I found a small container of them at Walmart last night. I think I will jazz the container up and set it on my table for my boys in her honor. I miss her. She had 7 children, 6 of which were boys and I really would love to have her advice sometimes! Q was 2 months old before she got to meet him, she had just been too ill. But I remember how she glowed the day she saw him and got to hold him for the first (and last) time. She loved babies.
Having sick kids has been a bit of a blessing, I guess. Yesterday I finished a family blanket. It was really simple, I just enveloped a piece of fleece and some flannel...the fleece has a sports theme, so I figure it will go into the truck for the sports seasons ahead. We will do a few family movies to go with it as well.
I have Hunter's top part sewn, Carson's top sewn, Q's is half done and I will finish up Ty's today. I need to cut and sew the one for Jeff (I hope it's long enough!) and get the fabric for two smaller ones and the backing for those two, mine and Jeff's. Luckily Joann's is having a sale.
Last night Hunter told me at 630 that he needed a gifty for his band party...of course, me being home with two sick ones I chose to create instead of shower, so I showered off really fast, finished my chicken noodle soup so the others could eat (um, yeah, by the way, Jeff has strep. Nice!) and we headed out to Porters for sewing needles (my machine was tired after a full day without breaks) and then Home Depot for family and VT gifts and then Walmart for him to get his friend gifts and the band doodad.
So today I am cutting vinyl for those, finishing up what blankets I can and going to a cookie exchange tonight.
Whew.

Carsonisms

Okay, I know I should have a picture with a blog when I am talking of a specific person. Hilary is really good about adding cute little pics and I am just so not ;)
I will make that my goal for next year.
So the other day Jeff and the boys were talking about the constitution and gun control (I truly have NO idea how this all came about...maybe that's a good thing?) and Jeff asked the boys if they understood the right to bear arms. Carson's answer 'the right to wear tank tops' :)
Yesterday I was home when the boys got there and was able to thwart their attempts and turning on the TV prior to getting homework and jobs done (this is a HUGE issue in our house) and told the boys to make their beds. Now, I am one of those lazy people who feels top sheets are unneccessary. We all have a blanket and a bedspread. It's fast and the boys don't struggle with it nearly as much as when we used the top sheets. Plus, it's warmer.
Carson appeared confused (granted, he was doing math so that could have been it) and asked what I meant (his sheet was on and the bedspread was on the bed, so what could I possibly mean?) and I said that all he needed to do was straighten everything so it looked nice. His reaply...'oh, so you want me to stretch it?'
He has always said 'hedabout' instead of 'what about.' I think that has to do with his hearing problems, but it still makes me smile...like when Tyler says 'bether' instead of better.
He likes to argue about who loves who more :)
He will go to bed without telling anyone.
He loves that he looks so much like his dad.
He loves fishing. Anytime, anywhere. Just mention it and he will do anything asked.
He is a really good helper.
I like this boy a lot.
Love him, even.