New year, new beginnings

To tell you the truth I have never been a huge fan of New Years. It always seemed like a way for people to make fake promises to themselves. I was never one for resolutions or anything like that. In fact most years I don't even "celebrate" New years. This year has been different for me. It is going to be a year of big changes for me and I am so excited to have this "holiday" as a "reason" for the change. Not that I planned it this way, it just happens to be january. Yes, I do know that it already the 16th. I feel really good and positive about where my life is right now. I have a sense of peace about where I am and where I want to go. After losing so much weight last year I feel happier and healthier, as well as feeling lighter...and not just in actual weight but in the weight on my heart. I tend to be a pretty emotional girl even though I seem tough to many on the outside. But my heart feels happy to have this glimpse of the life I want for myself. I am motivated to make some positive changes in the way I am living this life. More to come...Simplicity...thats the goal for this year...2008, the best year yet.

A long time coming

And its finally here. I have wanted "a" piece of Le Creuset for years! Well what I got was a gorgeous 6 piece set for FREE!!!!!! I won a contest at work and this 6 piece set was in the prize book. I couldn't beleive it. I did not even think I would get "a" piece and now I have 4 pieces (2 with lids to make the 6 piece set). It is a beautiful "Cherry Red" color and I love it.

Now this is not just any wooden spoon shown in the picture with my gorgeous Le Creuset. It is a William Sonoma Maple wooden spoon which is a requirement for quality Le Creuset cooking says VB. She gave me this spoon as a Christmas gift in anticipation of my cookware arriving. Yes, this has been a big deal for me and those in my life that love me and Le Creuset. VB has tons of yummy stews, soups and chowda's she makes in her "flame" colored Le Creuset. She is willing to share her recipes so I too can make hearty yummy meals in my new cookware. I am so excited to get started and the timing is perfect as I am heading up to the cabin tomorrow for 5 days of "after Christmas" relaxing.

Humm....Something to ponder as the New Year approaches.

Truth and life are all around you.

What matters is where and when you decide to put yor focus.

-Roger Von Oech

What will you focus on as we turn our calendars to start a new year?

For me...

-Relationships

-Organization

and

-Having a happy heart.

Happy New Year friends!

Christmas 2007

Well this Christmas was not the ideal for me. Working in retail really changed the season for me. But I made the best of it and still enjoyed the little bit of time off I was able to take. I did have off the thursday before Christmas and spent the majority of the day baking and wrapping gifts while listening to my favorite Christmas music. It was a really fun day that I enjoyed thoroughly.

These few pictures are of my little house decorated. I just love my tree. It is the perfect size for my little house. I also collect Annalee dolls. This is a tradition I picked up from my Mom. these little guys covered my house throughout my entire childhood. When my Mom knew I wanted to start collecting them too she passed the majority of her collection to me. I was so happy. This is the third year I have had hers and I love them. They are all dated and some of the ones I inherited from her are from before I was born. They are so cute and really make me smile. I hate packing them up in January. I often refer to them as my "friends". I know, some of you are thinking "She needs to get out more!". Well I beleive that friends should make you smile, and these guys make me smile everytime I look at their sweet faces. Aren't they the cutest?

I spent Christmas eve and Christmas day at my Aunts house. We had a great time. my cousins and thier baby were in town from NY and it was so fun to spend the holiday with them. Since I didn't have a lot of money to spend on Christmas this year I was able to focus on the real meaning of Christmas. Well I hope your Christmas was enjoyable and you were able to spend time with your loved ones.

Little Loves

My sister and Brother-in-law are in town for Thanksgiving with Vincent and Carley. I cherish this time with my adorable nephew and niece. Vincent is now four & a half and Carley is two and a half. They are so much fun to be around.

Vincent is getting so mature and is definitely acting more like a boy than a baby. He is very independent and is always saying "I can do it all by myself" and when he is in the bathroom "Please close the door, I need my privacy" It is really cute. He is very protective with his little sister and loves to "help" her with whatever she is doing. He loves to "read" stories and is doing a great job with knowing all his letters and what sound each letter makes. He is doing very well in soccer and seems to enjoy it.

Now the little miss is very sweet. She is extremely affectionate and loves to give hugs and kisses. She is sweet and gentle and loves to be picked up. She is getting the hang of going pee-pee on the potty but doesn't do it all the time yet. But gets very excited when she does. She talks a lot but only about half of it is in a language you and I could understand. She is very much a Daddy's girl and loves to point to my brother -in-law and say "Dats my daddy" in case we didn't already know that. She loves to make a scrunchy face smile and knows we all think its adorable.

A rose from my garden

I just had to take a picture of this beauty. My roses are not doing as well this year as they have in previous years. I think this summer was just too much for them. They are doing okay I just don't get as many blooms as I would like. I fed them well this week and hope they have a growth spourt soon. In the meantime, I just couldn't resist taking a picture of this beauty to share with you all. I love the color and it has a wonderful fragrance too.

It worked again!

Time away is always good for me. I am so blessed to be able to have this little sanctuary to escape to. I'm not sure what I did before it. I had a wonderful 3 days in Pine at my sweet cabin. It was however an emotional weekend for me. I am not really sure why...

I arrived late thursday evening. I had worked that day too so I was really tired when I got there. It was just starting to get dark and the moon was looking beautiful. Of course my picture does not do it justice. So I made it an early night. I read a little of one of the books I brought, Dakota Born By Debbie Macomber and went to bed early.

Friday morning I woke up refreshed and ready for all the splendor Autumn in Pine had ready for me. I took the boys for an early morning walk, read some more, crocheted a bit then after lunch went out exploring. I found this beautiful little spot. It captivated me really, I was so happy there. I felt like I was a million miles away from everything when the reality was that I was only a few turns off Hwy 87. It was so peaceful,I was so relaxed and then....I started to cry. I don't know what came over me. It lasted a good while. I felt really scared and lonely. This is not normal for me. I don't know why, I just all of a sudden felt like I should be enjoying the beauty around me with someone. Then that started a string of thinking about life and dreams and goals and wishes etc. This only happens to me once every few months. Most of the time I just go about my business without harping on the fact that I am still single, but sometimes it hits me. And when it does it usually hits pretty hard. Anyway, I am okay now. After my little excursion I went back to the cabin to make Velvet Bricks Pumpkin corn chowder...Oh my! It was fantastic! I love anything pumpkin but this was outstanding. I am so grateful that she shared this recipe. It is one that will be added to my fall menu year after year.

Saturday was another gorgeous morning. I set out early with the boys for our walk then headed down to the laundromat. While waiting for sheets and towels to wash and dry I walked the little fall festival in town. It was everything a small town festival should be. It is always a little hokey but that is also what makes it fun. I walked around and treated myself to a pumpkin ice cream cone. It was really yummy. I also found a cute little black bench for $3 that you will see in a later post when I figure out what I am going to do with it.

I made a delicious pot roast for dinner in my crock pot which came out better than I could have imagined. I also met some new neighbors saturday afternoon. They have the cabin next door and I have never met them. It is actually their parents cabin and they don't get up to Pine very often. They were very nice, we exchanged information and are going to meet for coffee tomorrow. I love making new friends. These little guys were wondering the neighborhood and were very patient while I took a few pictures of them.

Sunday is tough...the day to pack up and come down the mountain. I had planned on leaving at noon but did not wind up getting going till almost 3. It was such a beautiful day and I just was in no rush to leave. But I did, with a journal full of emotional entries, two books read, a scarf almost completed, a spirit rejuvenated, cozy fires in my memory and my two faithful companions I headed home.