Welcoming 2010.....

I am sitting here (still in bed and loving being lazy!) and thinking that we are on the verge of another new year. Sometimes we have had a not so good year and we are looking forward to a fresh new start. In our case 2009 was great so I am wondering what 2010 can bring that will equal the excitement of the last 12 months. Maybe just remaining "status quo" is okay. We don't have to wish for more or different. So, as 2010 is a mere 15 hours away my hope is for continued health and happiness for my family and all of those that are such an important part of our life.

Of course there is always the topic of New Years resolutions. I make them like everyone else every New Years Eve and then forget what they were by February 1st. This year I am looking at it differently. Instead of a resolution, I am making a "bucket list" of things I want to accomplish this year. Things I won't dread doing, like loosing weight, but things I know I want to do that I am determined to finish before 2011. I think that writing this down will help me commit and this won't be a chore, it will be a pleasure!

*Mastering my camera: Not so easy since I have purchased a camera that is way over my head but I love pictures, they are moments captured forever, and I am committed to reading the manual. Maybe I will even fit in a class on the subject. It is a passion of mine so I might as well do it right, right?

*Sewing: It is therapy. I love to quilt and arrange pieces of fabric into designs. I have stacks of material. I love it. Next year I am not just going to look at it and feel it, I am going to find time to sew more. It makes me feel good.

*Cook: It is how I earn a living...teaching kids to cook....but I never do it at home. I have about 300 cookbooks. I buy them, read them, put post it notes in them and that is it.....cookbooks full of post it notes. This year I am determined to actually make a shopping list on Sunday and make dinner during the week. I am going to test all of those recipes and enjoy what I love. It has to this point been a total lack of organization...no more. This year, dear family, we won't have pancakes and grilled cheese every night.

*Finish my grandaughters scrapbook: Another form of therapy and it is piled in the corner with parts of pages everywhere. I love it. It is creativity that makes me feel good but it seems there is always something else to do..like vacuum. Think I can put that off and do something that really matters.

If I can accomplish this I will have had a VERY good year. I will report back on my success on New Years Eve 2011!

Goodbye 2009......

Just sitting here thinking that another year has passed. This time it is more than another year, it is the end of a decade. The first decade of the 2000's is almost over. I can so easily remember the coming of the year 2000...Y2K, remember?? Stock up on everything, beware of outages, computer failures and so on. As I stood at a friends house wearing those crazy 2000 glasses (remember those?) and the clock struck midnight...NOTHING. It was just another New Year with no need for the 20 gallons of water you stored in the garage or the four dozen batteries you had on hand... just in case! And we all moved on in awe of the fact that it was now the 21st century. Now it is the end of the first decade of that century...way too quickly.

Looking back on 2009 there were wonderful moments. Highlights? Things that I love? Easy!.....

* Brooklynn Mae: This has to be the best event of a lifetime, with the exeption of the birth of your own children, and I do believe this is equally great. Nothing can compare with the feelings you have for a grandchild. Being there for her birth was a treasured moment and that we were all standing by as she entered the world was fantastic. Thank you Mandy and Tim for this gift!

*Drew's house: To see your youngest child accomplish the purchase of his first house is wonderful. I feel like we are home free. We have successfully watched all of our kids grow wings. Thank you Drew for becoming a homeowner and being where you are today!

* New York: My trip was way up there with one of the greatest weeks ever. The energy and excitement of the whole week is implanted in my memory forever. Yes, I am dying to go back but I am not sure anything will equal that first carriage ride through Central Park. I was the consummate tourist. Thank you Sandra and Mickey..the world's best hosts!

* My Web Page: Do not really care if anyone but me ever reads it. It is for me. It is my journal, my diary, my online scrapbook, my way to express or vent. I can take all of the random info that fills my head each day and actually put it down. It has enabled me to look for all the things that matter and record them. It has become therapy for me. Maybe when my kids put me in a "retirement home" I can entertain myself with my thoughts in print. Thank you Google Blogs!

*Friends: Wow, the older you get, the more you cherish the special people in your life. They have been with me through life's worst and the are they most valuable possession ever. I know that no matter how bad anything gets that they are there and you cannot replace or buy those people that are always by your side. Thank you friends!

*iPhones, Facebook and Skype: Instant connection with so many people. Never thought I would get so caught up in something like this. Need I say more???

I am sure there are many other things but these are the highlights and it has been a very good year! Looking forward now to 2010!

Brooklynn's First Christmas....

No, we could not be there but I have children that are kind enough to keep us continually updated with pictures. And of course, there is SKYPE so we did get to share some moments Christmas morning while presents were opened in Florida. Brooklynn has only been gone two weeks but there have been so many changes in her. She is a very happy little girl and it is fun to watch her smile..via SKYPE of course. We all thought email was fantastic. This is about the best.

A look at Brooklynn surrounded by all of her Christmas toys...wow, young lady look at all the fun stuff you have to play with! And sadly enough she will be playing with it all too quickly. No way to stop time and savor those precious moments when they are so small and cuddly.

Opening all of those gifts will just wear a family out!

Christmas in Heaven....

At this, the most joyful time of year, I am so grateful for loving family and friends. But I always face the season with a bit of saddness wishing that Matt and all of the other love ones that have been lost in years past were with us. A special friend gave me a copy of this poem years ago and I continue to drag it out and read it each season to remind myself that though I might have sadness in my heart that heaven is what we all wish for, and there will be great joy when we are together again.


I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below,
With tiny lights, like Heaven’s stars, reflecting on the snow.

The sight is so spectacular, please wipe away the tear,
I am spending my Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear,
But the sounds of music can’t compare with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you, the joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description, to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart,
But I am not so far away, we really aren’t apart.

So be happy for me, dear ones, you know I hold you dear,
And be glad I’m spending my Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift, from my heavenly home above,
I sent you each a memory of my undying love.

After all, love is a gift more precious than pure gold,
It was always most important in the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other, as my Father said to do,
For I can’t count the blessings or love he has for each of you.

So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear,
Remember, I am spending my Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

( by Author Unknown)

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A Very Merry Snowy Christmas Eve......

Yes, there it was...a huge band of white stuff on the radar in Dallas!!!! SNOW on Christmas Eve. Wow!! Sounds great, unless you are planning to trek 45 miles across town for a Shubzda Christmas celebration. To go or not to go??? The answer is ..GO! A little snow cannot stop a party! So we all gathered and it was great!

The wind was blowing and snow was flying and just standing out there was a treat. It is not often we get a white Christmas...maybe not since 1975!!!! The adults loved it as much as the kids.

Lots of pictures to record a perfect Christmas Eve for us to remember forever. It may be another 39 years until we see this again!! And what is a Christmas get together without food and presents??? Never a shortage of those when we gather.

I love my sister-in-laws. We have our annual sister pic every year. This year was especially fun because we wrapped up in blankets made for us by my niece. What a great winter day to have a nice snuggly blanket. Really think mine is the cutest!!

And then how could we get through Christmas without the annual Hooters calendar give away...thank you Uncle Bergy. All wives want the March Playgirl plastered on the wall, right???

But we do it each year because it is tradition and you know how I feel about tradition. right?! What a fun day..but cannot help but be a little sad that we were missing Tim, Mandy, Brooklynn, Chase, Nikki, Ashley and Debbie. We always want for everyone to be there but some years it does not work out. And..there are those we miss because they are not with us anymore and to our parents that we miss much and Bill and Matt, you are always in our thoughts as we ask God's blessing for our family. You are dearly missed each year.

Merry Christmas Eve to all!!

Because It Is Traditional......

I seem to be obsessed with tradition this year.

While everyone is looking through magazines for new dishes, I am thinking of the things that mean Christmas. You know, the things that you know will be there because it is Christmas...those side dishes and desserts that are standard because it is the holidays. I think all families need this. When you marry you mix traditions and create your own. So when we eat today and the kids say "Aunt Patti, did you make your famous dessert?", I can say "sure"....because it is a tradition!

Daddy's Home.....

After a three and a half week separation, Tim is home and getting to know Brooklynn all over again. Mandy and her family got to Florida, got unpacked, and settled before Tim arrived last Thursday. They are finally in their own place and relatively planted for the next year. I know it must be a huge relief to have a permanent place to hang their clothing. The three of them have lived out of suitcases since November first. Got to love the military! Mandy and Brooklynn have been troopers, moving from place to place for the last two months. Brooklynn never knows where she is going to wake up. Now they have a place to call home.

I, of course, am anxious to make my first trip to Tampa to hug my grandchild. I am trying very hard not to focus on the fact that they will not be here this Christmas. It is the first and hopefully the last time we won't be together. What will I miss the most..simple things like...

Church on Christmas Eve (I love to see all the kids in their new Christmas outfits)

Opening matching Christmas pajamas (the fam likes to pretend they like these..they each probably have two dozen Santa pants hidden in the back of the closet...tradition, you know!)

Breakfast together

Gingerbread house competition

Christmas Eve games

As hard as this is, I am still grateful that Tim is with Mandy and Brooklynn. So many dads and moms are not with their families due to military commitments on the other side of the world. As sad as I am, I am glad they are together and Santa can visit them in Florida. Next year I am hoping that Santa can visit them in Dallas!!!!

Baking Disaster.....

I decided today was the day to break out the ingredients and go about creating some culinary masterpieces. All I created was a mess! No...it was not what I anticipated. Some years things just come together. Well, not this year. I could not find anything. The dough stuck to everything. I burnt two trays of cookies, the red hots melted all over the cookie tray, and now the kitchen stinks. On top of all that I have a huge greasy mess to clean up and I would rather watch the Cowboys...who have just scored their second touchdown against the Saints. So in the spirit of the season, I am going to break out a bottle of wine, sit down, hopefully enjoy the game and think about cookies tomorrow...or maybe not think about cookies at all!

Snail Mail.....

I just heard on the news that the post office is in disastrous shape. No one is using the mail anymore...too much email, texting, facebook ect. They say we may only get mail 5 days a week soon so we can save the post office from bankruptcy. I only buy stamps about twice a year...just don't mail much. BUT...now it is Christmas and it is the one time a year that I rush home from work to check my mail. I love it. Other times of the year I might go two days without visiting the mailbox but not now. There is real mail, not just circulars, credit card application, and grocery ads...REAL MAIL. There are cards from people that we only hear from once a year and it is so nice to catch up on all of the news and see pictures of the growing families. I groan like everyone else when it is time to sit down and hand write addresses on those envelopes. It takes time and we are all busy. But...I find plenty of time to read the letters and look at all of the cards. It is the best. So for everyone that thinks it is too much trouble...PLEASE don't quit. We need to keep the postal workers employed and how many of us complain when we are fortunate to receive special messages from special friends at this time of the year.

Bunko Buddies.....

Christmas Bunko 2009 and another fun evening of friendship and laughter. It is always so much fun to get out and hang with my "homegirls".... as my students would say. Yes, you tend to pick up all of the slang when you live with it each day!!!!! Bear in mind it could be much worse if I really went with the lingo!

We get together each month but Christmas brings festivities, food, and the all too familiar white elephant gift exchange...but good white elephants! We have jokes built on years of fighting over the one or two most popular gifts...like musical snow globes and Santas.

We argue, we steal, we joke, and we leave friends. It is a tradition...yet, another tradition that we look forward to each year.

I think that sometimes we take things that we do not really want just because we can!

This year I went home with this smiley snowman, because I collect snowmen...and maybe next year I will collect musical snowglobes, who knows???!

Visions of Sugarplums....

Watching a sleeping baby is wonderful! Only sweet dreams for this little one.

A good nap creates a happy baby!

Cookie Monsters....

It was cookie week at school. I love it when we do frosted sugar cookies. It is a two day process and it is always the perfect time to let up a little and have fun. Finals are around the corner and stress levels are high....not to mention thoughts of Christmas break and sleeping in.

For most of the kids it is the first time they have slathered messy frosting on cookies and showed a bit of creativity. They love it and once again, I love watching them.

I wonder sometimes why I do so many stories about my other children...and maybe that is it. They are my other children. I spend 40 hours a week with these kids. I get to know them. I know their personalities, faults, idiosyncrasies, and problems. They are all different and many deal with situations that break my heart.

If they can come in my classroom, learn something practical, and have an hour and a half to be kids and put all of the other distractions that are in their heads aside...then I have succeeded. I know the time is close to give this up and enjoy another type of life but at this time of year I love every day. I do love these kids and I miss them terribly when a new batch arrives in January. It is a one semester course and very soon new faces will walk though my door and I begin all over again.

And when I am struggling with new students and personalities that seem more than I can handle, I will look on my desk and know that someone thought enough of me to make me this great nameplate....and it was probably that student that caused me the most headaches for an entire semester!!!!!

Christmas Present.......

This is probably the best Christmas present anyone could receive! A little elf in Christmas clothes!

I am not sure how Brooklynn felt about this bow that was just as big as her head but it is a southern thing....big hair and big bows!

Brooklynn is two months old now and learning to smile, coo, laugh and watch her hands...she is just too cute for words. I am sure I loved watching my own children grow and learn but somehow this is different....and it is the best!

Think it is time to put the camera up and take this bow off my head! It is getting a little heavy!

A Little Less Christmas....

Decorations that is! And a whole lot less stress. I am a self proclaimed Christmas freak. I love it. I look forward to dragging the many, many boxes out of the attic and going through the treasures I have collected over the years. Memories in plastic tubs...probably too may tubs but you cannot get rid of them. It is history in those boxes.
But this year things are different. We have a new grandbaby and Tim and his family are on the move. They will be in Florida for Christmas.

I have never had Christmas without everyone here so this is strange...and I am a bit sad...no, a lot sad.

So, I decided to take a break and when I got to the big tree that goes in the living room I voted no. Think we will just leave it in the attic. It is a relief. I love it but it is two days of work and this year we will do Christmas on a smaller scale. It is nice. I have time now. I can put on the Christmas music and read a magazine, just relax, go to a Christmas musical at work, or just hang out with Sara. I feel great. I will survive not having to put everything back in the attic after Christmas. Maybe I will sleep later a couple of mornings or have lunch with friends. There are so many possibilities. Did I mention how good this feels?

The tree will be there next year. I will drag it out with enthusiasm and Christmas will be the same again...but for this year a break is great!