Hello 2009...

I hope you will be fine.  I'm a poet and I don't know it.  Ok, enough.

2009 came in uneventful, which is a good thing.  We took the kids to see Bedtime Stories on New Years Eve and then we came home and attempted to stay up to ring in the new year, but three of the four of us were asleep by 10.  Oh well, the year came in without us.

New Years Day we played games, watched a movie and burned a couple of candles that Debbie had given us.  They are bayberry candles and there was a note with them saying that it was a Colonial custom to burn these candles on New Years Day for good luck...so burn them we did. 

box of candles...they smelled really good.

Fired up...ready to go!  Sorry,  couldn't resist.  Sorry mom that the candle stick holders aren't polished.  I had to scrounge around to find them.  I also notice that I need to dust the bricks on the fireplace.  Another thing to add to my "to do" list.

A blury picture of candles and fireplace burning.  If I could find my tripod the picture would look better.  Another thing to add to my "to do" list.

This brings me to my "to do" list.  I have to much to do on my list.  I'm not sure where to start.  I know better than making resolutions because I never keep those.  I will put some goals out there and work very hard to make these goals.  

My first goal is (as usual) is to lose weight and get healthy.

Second goal is to make sure we get done with school on time and have fun doing it.

Third goal is to at least once a month find a new state park and hike it with the family.

Fourth goal is to organize the house.

Fifth goal (which should be third) is to start some serious savings.

Short term goals, and I mean I want them done by the end of this month is to clean up around the outside of the house.  Finish moving closets around.  Get the big bookcase down into the basement.  Read my book club book.  Lose 10 pounds.

Books.  I'm trying to read three books at once and it seems none of them are getting read.  I have to read Sense and Sensibility for our book club this month.  I'm trying to finish Half Assed and the Beck book.  I don't really have time during the day to read and when I try to read in bed at night, I end up falling asleep after two pages.  Not looking good for me.

Gardening.  I know, I know, that was what this blog was supposed to be about wasn't it?  I have two see catalogs waiting for me to look over.  I have started thinking about what I want to grow this year.  I know for sure there will be tomatoes and beets.  I have been loving my pickled beets that we stored, so I need to double how many I grow this year. I don't think I'll be doing radishes or carrots.  Potatoes I think are a go again and of course zucchini.  I would like to try some melons this year and maybe a pumpkin or two.  I need to figure out when I should be starting seeds downstairs.  Add that to my "to do" list too.

Lots to do.  This should be a good year.  I'm hopeful.  It is looking good for Tim for keeping his job after the takeover.  We are a month away from having our credit cards completely paid off.  We are looking to get a "new" used vehicle...one that is a little bit bigger for our growing boys and dog.  We will celebrate being married ten years this year.  I think that alone is pretty awesome.

Ok, Aidan is waiting for a hot game of Perfection and is getting impatient.  That, and I have to go make soup for dinner because Tim just called and said he was so hungry he was ready to eat his hand.  I am going to scoot out of here for now.

Happy New Year to all!

 

THANK YOU!

Perfect little snowflakes on the car window.

I've been trying to figure out how to express our gratitude to Dad B and his new lovely wife Laurie for extending their offer to come over and spend the holidays with them.   It boils down to this:  I can't really put into words how grateful we are.  We had such an amazing time with you guys.  

Laurie, thanks for letting us stay in your home.  You didn't care that we have two very active boys and a dog.  You opened your home up to us and let us stay there.  I hope we left it in good condition. I think we did, but one can never know.  

I would also like to thank Laurie's amazing mother.  You included our family in everything and made us feel like we were part of your family.  Tim is still raving about the stuffed grape leaves.  I'm going to have to look up  recipe to make some, but I know they will be no where near what yours were!  

I would also like to thank Aunt Mary and Uncle Terry for an amazing dinner before we left.  It is so nice to hang out with you guys.  Like I was saying when I was there , your home is like home base for all of us when we come into town.  

Melissa, thanks for watching the boys for us. I know they had some good quality Aunt Melissa time.   It was great to see you again!

Dad, thanks for being a great dad and a great grampa.  The boys had a lot of fun shooting darts around the house with you and Laurie.  I won't post the video of you and Tim dancing with the Wii....although it's really hard not to because it's a great video.  =)k 

The boys sporting their new night vision goggles.  These things are really cool and I think Tim is playing with them more.

Connor flying down a hill in his Star Wars inflatable jedi cruiser.  He was so scared to go down the hill in this and then after he went down once, he couldn't stop.  I don't even know how many times he trudged up that icy hill to ride it down again.

 

Tim and Aidan shared a saucer down and then Aidan wanted his independance.  

My boys climbing the hill for the umpteenth time.  Patchy was so happy to be let loose and allowed to run.  He's smiling in this picture.

 

Last, but not least, I had to show a picture of what was in Uncle Terry's front window.  I can't even explain how awesome this is.  It's funny because a couple of years ago we tossed around the idea of getting one of these for Tim's dad.  Tim wsn't too keen on the idea.  I'm glad someone got one.  I don't think Aunt Mary is as excited about it.  =)

New member of family

This will be a short post to introduce a new family member.  His/her name is Rhino.  

Rhino making him/herself at home on the wheel.

Tim and I decided that the kids were at a point where they could take care of a pet of their own. Tim had a hamster when he was growing up so he felt pretty good about the decision.  I have a couple of memories of hamsters that friends had.  One of those memories was that their bites hurt!  This hamster is named Rhino.  Yes, it's after the hamster in Bolt.  Connor and Aidan managed to pick a hamster that looked a lot like the one in the movie.  

The ride home from the store was hilarious.  Rhino came home in a little cardboard box that had little tiny holes around the top and a little handle on top.  After we got him I had to run into Barnes and Noble not thinking about the fact that hamsters like to chew cardboard. I  don't think I really knew that.  I was freakishly fast in Barnes and Noble and we were driving home and we were having fun watching Rhino's nose peek out of a hole.   Then we would catch glimpses of his sharp little teeth.  Half way home I hear the cardboard tear.  The little bugger was chewing his way out of the box.  Thankfully we had picked up a plastic hamster ball at the store.  While driving, I'm trying to get the hamster ball out of the box and get it to Tim who was now holding a piece of paper over the ever growing hole that Rhino was chewing.  We got the open end of the ball up near the hole he was chewing and we watched him (while driving) work his way out of the box into his ball.  It was so funny.  I think they picked out a hamster on steroids.

A blurry picture of Rhino's escape route.

So we have Rhino placed in his lovely little home out in the living room and we are sitting here listening to him run and run and run and run on his little wheel.  Life is good!