2015....Another year and more resolutions to make. Each year most people set out on the eve of the New Year and think about what they'd like to accomplish for the upcoming new year. We set goals for ourselves to get healthier, manage our money better or promise ourselves that we'll take a walk on the wild side...just once. We all start off with the best of intentions but a lot of us just never quite make it to our destination of where or what we wanted to be. My past resolution failures and successes have included: *Getting healthy and fit....FAIL. Make that a big FAT (no pun intended) FAIL too because I just couldn't seem to resist Hubby's cookies, cakes, pies, cinnamon rolls and I've come to the realization that I'll probably never be able to resist them. *Grow long fingernails....I'd count this one as a 1/2 Fail. I know this is a silly resolution to make but I love all the pics that other women post of their beautifully polished and manicured nails and decided I wanted pretty nails too. I did try it but I didn't like it after all. I wish I had a dollar for every time one of those "beautifully polished" nails got caught on the inside of the washing machine when I'd be pulling out the clothes to put into the dryer...or doing my spring planting and seeing them ruined in just one "potting session". So now, I keep'em semi~ short and sweet and all is well with the world again. :) *Get organized...another half and half...This is still a work in progress. My living room stays pretty clean so no worries there. But I did get all my bathroom cabinets organized and was quite impressed that they actually stayed that way. No more messy drawers or linen closet...YAY!! The kitchen isn't my "domain", that's Hubby's area, so I ain't touching that one! However my bedroom is another story entirely. It has been the "storage" room for all my Christmas decor containers and that room totally grates on my last nerve... So yeah, this one I'm still working on. This year I'll get this tackled and completed! Hopefully. *Do something fun and exciting...this one is also a half and half fail/succeed. I started this blog which for me was and is fun and exciting but on the other hand, it's kind of a fail too because I didn't do anything "out of the house" fun and exciting, such as sky diving, learn to snorkel, ride a dolphin in the ocean... Not that I want to do any of those but you get my drift. Well, except the dolphin, that would have been cool. *Do something different, totally NOT me....(ummm...see above) Anyway, enough ramblin'. I guess what I'm really meaning to say is, this year for me, there will be no New Year resolutions. I'm just going to do what I want, eat what I want, keep working on the things I need to work on personally and just "go with the flow." Instead of resolutions, just be you. Your own beautiful self. Trust me, it will be enough ღ Be good and be pretty and as always... ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ God Bless ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ Shhhhhh.....listen!! Here that?? Me neither! My usual day consists of hearing "bellows" of "I need coffee!!" "Are you still on that computer, aren't you done yet???" "where ya going??" "where's my jacket??" And yet again, "are you STILL on the computer??" (Full Definition of BELLOW... intransitive verb. 1: to make the loud, deep, hollow sound characteristic of a bull) Yep....definitely bellows. :) Hubby had to go to the dentist and it sure has been quiet around here today. He had to have 3 Tori removed. Poor feller. Torus (Tori for plural) is a harmless growth of bone that tends to grow in three parts of the mouth:
He made it through surgery just fine, like the trooper he is. Never even got his pain meds filled. He's always been pretty good with pain, although at times he can be a lil on the wimpy side, like a few days ago when I accidentally left a knife sticking up the wrong way in the dish drainer and he stabbed his finger with it. I guess he can't be a "He~Man" all the time, right? But yeah, he's definitely a trooper! When he got home from the dentist, I'd just goten outta the tub and he was sitting at the kitchen table. "Your home! How'd it go?" "mmmsgggrr...jajddeekksskkphh...." "Awww...you poor thing, can I get you anything?" mmmsgrrrr...jajddeeklsskphhh "HUH??" MMMSGRRRRRR...JAJDDEEKLSSKPHHHHH!! "OHHH, you want a drink, well why didn't you say so!" :) I even gave him a straw to go with it. ( I'd make a good lil nurse!) Anyways, the numbness wore off after about an hour and I could finally understand him after that. He's doing much better than I thought he would. I honestly expected a pain~filled night and a lot of grouchiness. But so far so good. Until I hear a loud bellow from the living room....."IS THERE ANY COFFEE MADE???" hmm...wonder if he has to go back to the dentist again tomorrow and have more Tori removed???? Thanks for stopping by! Be good and be pretty and as always.... ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ God Bless ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ It's Christmas Eve!!
I know you all are busy right now with the holidays, so I'll keep it brief here! Our grandson came yesterday and it was "our" day with him so he could open his gifts that Santa had left for him here. Out of all the dinners and celebrations we have for Christmas, "Tyler's day" is always my favorite. Nothing compares to the joy of a child opening Christmas gifts. I love watching him open his gifts. (Almost makes ME feel like a kid again!). He played for hours, then "T~Pa" made lunch...turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, the whole nine yards ya know. It was delish I might add! (I prefer ham but we have THAT at Ma's tomorrow for Christmas breakfast!) That afternoon, Tyler and I started making cookies. We only made sugar cookies and M&M cookies, cuz Lord only knows we don't NEED them! I made them and he cut out the sugar cookies and sprinkled them, he was a bit of a sprinkle~hog but he did a beautiful job! But by the time we got to the M&M cookies he had already lost interest and I was on my own after that. It was a great day, but it was also a bittersweet one, because there was something missing. Our other grandson, Aidan. He and his mom and dad live in a galaxy far, far away (New York). All through the day, I kept wishing he was here with us too. (His mom and dad too of course..lol) But I could do a hundred "I wishes." "I wish" money wasn't so tight, so that Tim could visit them when he wanted and as often as he wanted to. "I wish" we/they lived closer. "I wish" I wasn't the way I was about leaving the house so I could visit them too. I wish, I wish. It makes the heart ache...all the things we can't change but wish we could. And if my Mammy was here, she'd tell me, "Cissy, you're wishing your life away." I guess I am but at times it's hard not to, ya know? But with that said, I know I can almost speak for all of you who are reading this too, when I say, while we may not HAVE much, I'm so very thankful for what we DO have. Which is a beautiful family and wonderful friends. I'm grateful for every single pic, phone call and email I get and I cherish them all. Family and Friends is what it's all about and I've been "blessed with the best." A final wish for you all... I wish and pray that the New Year brings you all much happiness, love and peace. I pray that any troubles you have now will cease to exist in the new, upcoming year. May the Lord bless you and keep you. And for the non~believers, my wish for you is the same. I just wanted to say thank you to all of you that come by and visit this little blog of mine. When I started it, I had no idea how much I would enjoy it and just wanted you to know that I appreciate each and every one of you. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Holidays and the gift of a beautiful New Year! Thanks for stopping by and taking time out of your special day to visit with me! Be good and be pretty and as always... ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ God Bless ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ Like most families, our December is filled with all the Christmas dinners, celebrations and birthdays for the month and Ma and I decorated our fingers to the bone getting ready for all of it! Monday we had what I refer to as "The Sister's Christmas." Every year for as long as I can remember my grandmother, "Mammy" and all of her sisters would get together with their mom (Mamaw) before Christmas and celebrate the holidays. A special day just for them. It all began with Mamaw, Mammy, Aunt Cova, Aunt Nova, Aunt Carolyn and Aunt Bonnie. As families should, they shared a love that is unshakable and unbreakable. "The sisters" were and are such wonderful role models for the younger generation in our family. We look up to these women and I'm sure I speak for many of my cousins and when I say that I can only hope one day to be like them. When Mamaw was living, they would all get together at Christmas and exchange simple but small gifts because it was never about the gifts anyway, it was about being thankful for what they had and being with the family they cherished so much. As the years went on, they lost precious loved ones in their circle of love. Yet the circle remains unbroken as they continue to gather at Christmas~time to carry on the tradition and honor the ones who aren't with us any longer. Through the years, we've lost Mamaw, Aunt Bonnie and Mammy. But I know they're with us and smiling on this special day. Members of the younger generations have slowly melded into the circle. Daughters and adult granddaughters, like myself, occasionally join in and now enjoy the tradition as well. Ma invited "the sisters" to her house this year. They've been coming the last few years to see all of her decorations anyway so Ma decided to "host" it this year. Jobs, school and distance and a TINY house prevents Ma from being able to invite ALL the family though. It bothers her that her house is so small and can't accommodate a lot of people at once. But the day was a wonderful one and one that I'll always remember. Here are a few pics of that special day.... Let's EAT!! I'm hungry just looking at it all again! It was delish! This old cabinet used to be Mamaw's and now Ma puts her Christmas village in it every year. The 2nd pic was taken after we added the "garland" Ma and I made out copies of old vintage Christmas cards. Here is a pic that I "borrowed" from my sister~in~law, Laurie...(thanks Laurie!) From left to right sitting are my great~aunts, Aunt Cova, Aunt Carolyn and Aunt Nova. Ma is in the green standing and Brenda is a close family friend. I searched and searched for a photo I have of all 5 of the sisters when they were younger, taken at Christmas, I'm guessing around 20 years ago, but I couldn't find it. The highlight of the day, for me, was when we all gathered in Ma's TINY living room and we listened as some read aloud from the Christmas cards they received from each other. I thought it was beautiful and it brought tears and smiles to all of us. Ma started writing in a journal after being inspired by Aunt Nova, who apparently has always kept a journal (what I'd give to read it!!). So, Ma read entries from her journal of the trips they had all taken throughout the year. It was hilarious listening to their stories and all the fun they had on their trips together. It ALMOST made me wish I had went with them! And let me tell ya, sitting there in that living room with them will certainly be a memory I'll cherish forever. The closeness this family has is sometimes unbelievable and I'm so thankful for the family I have. My agoraphobia has kept me away from a lot of family get~togethers and I can't even stress enough that I'm just SO glad I went. I love my family and I'm so very proud to be a part of them (even though I know they probably shake their heads in despair at ME though..lolol). Later that night, Ma and my Aunt Penny began on the NEXT tradition in the family...all the candy and cookie making we do for the holidays. These were made while I was taking a nap, trying to recuperate from the day. These Macaroons look DELISH and I don't even like coconut!! Thanks for stopping by and remember, cherish the ones you love, we're only here for a little while!
Be good and be pretty and as always.... ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ God Bless ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ So finally Thanksgiving is out of the way and I can officially start decorating for Christmas. I usually don't decorate until the day after Thanksgiving but I admit I did start a few days early this year. I got tired of waiting around for Thanksgiving and it seemed like it was taking it's sweet little time in getting here. It started out with a wreath here, more pine cones over there.... a berry branch here (LOVE those sprigs of red berries!!) Before I knew it, it was mostly done. I had decided that I wasn't going to put out as much this year as I usually do, so it didn't take very long. I went with mostly the "rustic and primitive" theme this year. Which is...less is best! I didn't even put my Christmas village out this time. I usually put my village in an old green cabinet I have but I was tired and after trying to decide where to put all those dishes that are in that green cabinet, I finally just pushed that village tote right on back to my bedroom. Out of sight and out of the mind. Decision was made...no village this year. But it just don't seem right without it though. OH! And this is the first year ever that I've beaten Ma at getting started on decorating for Christmas. There's a reason for that though and we ain't too happy about it either! She got picked for jury duty and it's majorly put a dent in Ma's decorating~time...bless her heart. I told Ma to tell the judge we didn't have time for "no jury~dutying," that we had decorating to do! But she didn't of course. And she got picked. Poor Ma. (Glad it's her though and not me!) Anyways, I thought I was all done with my decorating, until last night, I was sitting on the couch and looking around, I decided I didn't like it, so I started all over again. I moved this over here.. and that over there...put this away cuz I decided I didn't want to use it after all and was just pretty much disgusted with myself cuz I can't leave nothing alone. I have to re~do and re~do until I'm pulling my hair out until I'm finally satisfied...I think...with how it looks. (I get that from MA, ya know ) I also made a garland for the half~wall that divides the living room and kitchen and also one to go over the kitchen cabinets. I think it looks better but then again, everything looks better with greenery, Christmas balls and red berries on it! So, these past 2 days, I've stuck a bow, some red berries and Christmas balls on just about anything and everything that didn't move. (I did however resist temptation to stick a few on hubby as he was sleeping on the couch.) Then while on a break from decorating, I got distracted when I seen these little rustic, material~wrapped candy canes. Ain't they the cutest things?! I seen the idea on Pinterest so I had to try to make a few. What I used: Candy canes ( real or plastic will work) Material ( any fabric you like) hot glue gun (ouch!!) scissors Raffia ribbon/string for the bows old buttons and never mind the tape you see in this photo, I decided not to use it ...lol First, I made a cut about an inch at the top of the material and then just ripped the fabric all the way down the length of the fabric. Doing this gives me the "rough" look I want for the edge of the strips of material. Then I cut the long strip into 20~inch strips. Then, I added a bit of glue to the end (doesn't matter which end you choose to start at). Add a bit of glue on the side of the candy cane to hold the material down and then tuck the ends in. The only glue I added was at the ends. Your "ends" will look something like this...hopefully even a bit neater than this. :) Last, as you get to the end just cut the material at an angle and then tuck the ends inside and glue. I added bows of Raffia, which thankfully with this being a "rustic" ornament, the bows don't have to be "perfect". I took about 6 strands and tied the bow around the candy canes and then just a drop of glue to hold it firmer in place in the middle. I also glued a button to the raffia bow to "jazz" it up. The buttons I used were my grandmother's. I cherish this little tin can full of buttons because they were HERS. Some of these buttons are older than I am...which is... OLD! Another final pic Thanks for stopping by and I hope YOUR holiday decorating is going well. I love seeing all my friend's and family's holiday pics of their trees and houses all decorated. You all SO inspire me!
Be good and be pretty and as always... ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ God Bless ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ |
HI! My name is Lori and I am a self~ proclaimed agoraphobic and rarely leave my home. My blog is a place for me to come and embrace my Edith Bunker tendencies and to share a few of the things I love. Stories, recipes and crafts, all with a little humor thrown in along the way! ღღ
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