Everything Loved in Decmber

Christmas cards! I absolutely love getting those greeting cards in the mail. It makes this time of year that much more special. I love seeing newly wed couples with their new married name together on the card, seeing friends who have brand new babies, seeing families grow as they multiply by the years. It is fun to look back on too, how the families have grown and changed over the years. I look forward to many, many years of getting these cards aswell as sending out our own.

My brother! My brother was home for two weeks from the Army and it was such a joy to have him back home. He was able to see all of family and many friends while he was down. I know he exhausted those first couple of days home, but I could not stop smiling at how wonderful it was for him to be home for Christmas. He makes me and my family so incredibly proud!

Christmas decorations and lights! I love decking our house out with Christmas decorations and making it just sparkle with lights and garland. I also love seeing all the homes in the neighborhood light up with Christmas lights! It really off this time of year with all the lights!

Nanny's Chocolate Fudge! Oh how no-one in the family can get enough of this homemade fudge! I swear Nanny puts some kind of extra 'grandma ingredient' in it. It is too good for words to explain.

Christmas! And all the joy, warm feelings, laughter, giving, and family time Christmas brings!

Home for Two Weeks

My baby brother comes home today from Army basics for two weeks. This is his break and we are all so happy to be able to spend the holidays Christmas and New Years with him. I am beyond excited and my mom is just over whelmed with joy and emotion. My dad, husband and I picked him up from the airport this morning, we all had the day off. He looks awesome in his uniform and he is just so happy; you can see it on his face, he was meant to be a soldier. Although, during a time of war in which we are in is very scary to say. I have always know what the word proud meant, but I have never truly 100% felt what proud means to feel. Today for the first time, I know what PROUD feels like. Seeing my baby brother in his uniform was almost un-describable. Here are some pictures from today!

Everything Loved in November

November always holds a special place in my heart. It is the month that Scott and I started dating. November also really kicks off the holiday season with fall decor already in full swing and Christmas decor that shows up around Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a special time of year for my family to all gather at my parents home and for all to be reminded of everything we are thankful for. We lost my uncle this summer and my brother is away at bootcamp, so we sure did miss those two dearly. One of my best friends Jessi, from high school got married, another best friend Jenny, had her first baby and our sweet Neice Danica turned three! It was a very enjoyable month.

ZipFizz! I can not say enough about this product. I simply love it and am just about addicted to it! My best friend Shelly introduced me to it back in October and I have absolutely hooked since. Zipfizz is an all-natural, healthy energy mix, with only 10 calories, no sugar, and 2 net carbs. "It contains 25 nutrients that give an energy boost usually in about 15 minutes. It is “the healthy alternative to energy drinks, sports drinks and coffee.” Zipfizz transforms water into a healthy, energizing performance drink" without the crash. My favorite flavor is Orange Soda!
The Nutcracker Market! I wrote about that here last year. This year I came home with some beautiful large faux poinsettias for my Christmas tree, a new jacket and beautiful scarf, a calf sized leather cow hide for our ottoman, some Christmas presents for family and a whole lot more decorating ideas!

Thoughts for Thursday--Giving Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! I have so much to be thankful for this year. I am thankful for my husband, who stands by me everyday; our beautiful home that provides a roof over my head and plenty of food in my kitchen; our vehicles, they are by no means new but one is an SUV and the other a truck to get us around; my parents, who continue to show their un-conditional love and support everyday; my family and friends, whom it would be almost impossible to function without; mine and my husbands health, being healthy is everything and we are so fortunate; mine and my husbands jobs; we still have them and grateful for that everyday; my doctor, who has been very pro-active with seeking fertility treatments to help me ovulate and get us pregnant, and lastly the precious Lord above, with him, everything is possible.

Welcome Sophia Marie Perez

Our very, very, good friends, Mark and Jenny welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Sophia Marie Perez today at 3:57am. She weighed 7lbs, 5oz and is 20in long. She is absolutely beautiful. I am thrilled for them both and was so happy to finally meet baby Sophia! Jenny did awesome during labor and delivery and Mark sounded like he was the an awesome labor coach. Her doctor (my doctor also) estimated her due date almost to the day; her due date was on the 21st! Congratulations to the new family of three!

Everything Loved in October

October was a an eventful month! We attended an annual Fish Fry which is always so much fun, had a double diaper shower for two of my girlfriends who are having baby girls; one is due in November and the other is due in March, and had a going away party for my sweet brother Garrett who enlisted in the Army. He shipped off for boot camp at Fort Leonard Wood, MO on October 26th. He was originally suppose to go in November, but that day was always subject to change with him changing job titles. I also went to two great craft shows and came home with some new home decor'(I know, I really need to add pictures, I have been so bad about this) and attended one of my high school best friends bachelorette party! I also had JURY DUTY this month and of course I was picked. Luckily during the first day of trial, the case ended up being dismissed around noon, I had the rest of the day off and still got paid from work and my $46.00 for doing my civil duty. Wheew...that was a lot, on to my everything loved.

Reece's Pieces! Oh my how I have rediscovered how much I love these fall colored peanut butter goodies! I have probably gone through two whole bags of these this month, having a big handful a day as my treat! These have even been better than chocolate lately!
I came across this Dish Drying Mat at where else but, Bed, Bath and Beyond! I thought to myself, Wow how much use I would get out of something like that. When we lived in our old apartment I used a small dish drying rack; it wasn't really in the way of anything. At our new home, I got rid of the dish drying rack; I did not prefer to continue using one because I never really liked how it looked out and it was going to take up too much counter space than I wanted. Instead, I would use a dish towel on the counter for the certain dishes that I only hand washed, then when they dried, I could easily remove the towel and I had my counter space again. Since discovering, buying and using this, I am just so in LOVE with it! It is soft, plush with padding, medium size, washable, fold able and stylish. And the best part, it is only $4.99!
I totally forgot to post about this from the end of the summer. I finally bought me a Pantry Door Organizer Unit. I grew up with my mom having one on both her pantry's at our two houses and was very use to the idea and liked it. In our new home, I have a very nice sized pantry and did not think I would need this, but boy was I wrong. I have plenty of pantry storage but this became more of a function thing for me as well as storage. I have all my spices on the top two shelves, then I have my cooking oil, Pam, vinegar and steamer bags on the third shelve, then I have zip lock bags (snack, medium, large sizes), foil, saran wrap, and cling wrap on the bottom two shelves. All of these items are now a lot easier to get to and use. I will post a pic soon. I have the larger one on the right and my the hubs screwed it to the door so it stays perfectly in place. I also got this at the BB&B!

Always Remembering 09/11

September 11, a day most everybody will never forget and now titled as Patriot Day in the USA. This day holds a lot of remembrance for me as well as hundreds and thousands of others around this great nation and around the world. I will never forget this day for two events in my life:

The first is the day we all know and remember as 09/11--the day that terrorist attacked the United Sates of America when airplane hijackings flew into the World Trade Center, resulting in the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City, the destruction of the western portion of The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a passenger airliner which crashed in a wooded area in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The total number killed in these attacks is 2,819 (official figure as of 9/5/02). You can visit this website for more 09/11 statistics. I was a senior at Jersey Village High School and I first heard of the news in 2nd period Physics class and not really understanding what was happening, then walking through the hall ways hearing lots of commotion and in third period photography class being able to finally watch a little bit of news coverage of it. These are sights I will never forget seeing on television. When I got home that day, my eyes were glued on the TV for the rest of the evening and the days to follow. I will also never forget the great feeling of patriotism that I felt during the months after the attack. Never Forget.




The second is the day my house (the house I grew up in for the first 20 years of my life) flooded for the first time by Tropical Storm Francis on September 11, 1999. I was a freshman in high school that year and it was a school day when this happened. It was a complete shock to us as we just watched the water in the streets rise higher and higher at the same time realizing that we were not going to go to school or work that day. The water eventually started to seep through the doors and lower windows. I will never forget my mom putting down towels by the door hoping to keep the water out, looking back now, kind of funny, but it was just a natural reaction. We ended up getting a little over two feet of water in our home that day which the water outside our homes was much higher, more like 4 feet street level. I remember helicopters flying over our area, boats going down my street and kids playing in the all that water. A nice man on a boat picked us up as we heavily waited in the water holding what we could of some bags of clothes above our heads. The aftermath of the flood was filled with tears and the generous help of the Salvation Army. After the water reseeded a day later, began all the clean up; ripping out the carpet, tearing down the sheet rock, sanitizing every surface with bleach, packing up stuff, storing furniture and moving in with gracious family while our house was being put back to together again.

My house ended up flooding a total of three times within four years. The second flood was on June 10, 2001 by Tropical Storm Allison, where most of downtown Houston also flooded really bad. The third flood was on October 3, 2002 (I believe) by just a bad rain storm. After the third flood, FEMA finally bought out my parents home (which was a good thing) so they could tear in down as well as many others on my street and neighborhood because it was now considered a flood disaster area. During our first flood we were out of our home for four months getting it all back together. The second flood we were out for 3 months and by the third flood we were only out for six weeks. By then, my parents unfortunately had this down where they knew who to call, when to call and how to get things moving. We all learned the value of our lives and our possessions during these floods and we stuck together strong as a family; my parents stayed strong for us are still married and happy as ever. I feel that

Thoughts for Thursday--Go To Bed and Relax

"All great blessings come from being at peace. When the day is over, go to sleep. Never sit up worrying about tomorrow. Work hard and let God do the rest. I always say these words at night: "I can sleep tonight because God is awake!" Relax. Rest easy"--Rev Run

I am a big fan of Rev Run (Run DMC) and Run's House; his reality TV show on MTV. Reverend Run entered the public eye in 1983 as Run, leader of the pioneering rap trio Run-DMC and was recently inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. Rev Run (an ordained minister), closes each episode of Run's House by reading philosophical, Christian, and inspirational books in the bathtub before penning words that inspire, encourage, and motivate. I absolutely love watching his show, his relationship with his beautiful wife Justine, and his relationships with all his six kids, how he juggles his family and highly successful career. He is a true inspiration!

The King of Country Comes to Town

On Saturday, August 8th (this past weekend) my ABSOLUTE ALL TIME FAVORITE musician came to town, Mr. George Strait. My mom and I have been waiting for this concert for several months now; pretty much since May when the tickets went on sale, in which we were able to buy them a week before they went on sale to the public because my mom's boss is a season ticket holder to Reliant Stadium. My mom decided for the four of us (mom, dad, me, Scott) to go all out and buy floor seats to the concert so we would have our chance to get as close as we could. We are both HUGE George Strait Fans; you can read here for more on that.

The "Man" came to town as apart of his summer tour which included the opening acts of Juliane Hough, Blake Shelton and Sugarland! All of the entertainers did such a great job performing. I was very impressed with newcomer Juliane Hough; she has a great voice and fun stage presence. Blake Shelton sang all of of hit songs and did great as well. Sugarlnad was just awesome as always; they are truly a great dynamic duo and sure do put on a show! Then it was GEORGE! He was just as humble as always and AMAZING!!! He just stands there with his guitar and sings and smiles and sometimes sways a little; he is a very simple man, but that is ALL he has to do is just stand their, play his guitar, sing and smile. He is called the King of Country for a reason, you know, an the little fact that he has 57 number one hit singles in his career, more than any other music artist in all genre of music. George sang for a good hour and fifteen minutes or so then went off stage. We the crowd proved how much we loved him by how loud and how long we all screamed for him to come back on. None of us were ready to go home yet. After a good five to ten minutes, he did come back on stage and played for another 30 minutes or so. It was a great night and a great concert!

Well He Did It

My little brother Garrett (age 23 at the end of this month) enlisted himself in the Army today. My heart just about sunk and my stomach turned into knots when he confirmed to me that it was done. Then all I could think about were my mom and dad and the sadness, worry, pride, courage and fear they must be feeling. He is set to leave for boot camp in South Carolina on November 16, 2009. Then he will head to training in Ft.Sill, Oklahoma. I wish him the best of luck always. I know he has thought about this decision for a while now and has sought after advice from a good friend of ours in the Army doing the same job that he will be learning to do, so I trust in him that this decision is the best for his life. I love you lil man and will continue to pray for you daily!

Happy 4th of JULY

Every day and on this day especially, the 4th of July, I am thankful for all the brave men and women who have served and serve in our Military. I am so thankful for all of the unselfish sacrifices they have made and make for me, my family and my friends to live in this free country. The words 'Thank You' are never enough to show how much I appreciate your services to the United States. To my late grandpa Myron, my Uncle Butch and a handful of friends, all who have served and serve now in our military, Thank you! Best wishes and many prayers to my baby brother who is enlisting in the military this week; may God always be with you.

7 Years Ago Yesterday!

I totally forgot to post about this yesterday! Anyways, as I was browsing through Facebook, something I do on a daily basis, I noticed one of my girlfriends from high school had updated her status to read: "I graduated from High School 7 years ago today, oh how time flies"!

With that statement, it really got me to thinking, because up until now, I have never really thought about the years past highschool up until the present, I was still living them; but WOW, we did graduate from High School 7 years ago.....What all have I done /accomplished these past 7 years? Am I happy? Am I at the point in my life where I thought I would be? Should I have done things differently? Who are my friends now? Could I have done more?...and so on. Here are my answers:

What all have I done/accomplished these past 7 years?
I was in the National Honor Society when I attended Cy-Fair junior college for two years before I went to U of H. I have graduated from the University of Houston with my business degree, majoring in Marketing, minoring in European International Studies. I also received an advanced certificate in Entrepreneurship. I have gotten married to my wonderful husband Scott, whom I have been with for almost 8 years. I am a mom, to our fur baby dog Dakota. I own my home in Cypress, TX, with my husband. I have worked for the same construction material supply company for the past 7 years and am pretty stable there doing inside sales, although unfortunately things have really slowed down. I have done some traveling with the hubs; to Las Vegas twice, Acapulco, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, the Riveria Maya, Alablama, and all over Texas. I have the best relationship with my womderful parents and am grateful everyday for them. Lastly and most importantly, I have a better relationship with the Lord; I talk to him and pray more now than I ever have and am learning to live each day for Him.

Am I happy?
Most definitely I am happy in all aspects of my personal life. I have my college degree, something to which I worked very hard for and something that I will always have. I am very happily married to my best friend, my partner in life, my other half, my Scott. The Scott that I started dating my senior year of high school who is three years older than me. Yes, it did work for us and we made it through those 5 tough college years of mine. We have a fur baby dog that we love dearly, our blue heeler Dakota. Scott and I are now at the point in our lives where we want to start a real family of our own and that is truly exciting! We have a beautiful new home together, that we purchased 3 months after we tied the knot and and then 3 months later moved in after it was built. I have a job...a job, not a career. A job is good, especially in this economy, it pays the bills, so that is what I am most thankful for. I want a career though and only time will tell when that will happen for me. I would be completely happy if I had a different job in which I called my career. A career in which I love waking up everyday to do and be at. One day, one day...

Am I at the point in my life where I thought I would be?
Yes, I am. All because of the reasons listed above. But, 7 years ago I did truly think that I would be at a different place in my work life. Starting a career and being more successful...but I am working on that.

What has surprised you?
Buying a brand new home has surprised me the most. A home that was built for us, where we had choices on what we wanted as far as upgrades on floors, cabinets, counter tops, brick color, outside paint color, cable outlets, outside lights, gutters, etc. Owning our home has truly been rewarding.

Should I have done things differently? If so, what would I change?
Personal life, No. Although I do sometimes wonder where I would be if I went off to college somewhere else in Texas? Would me and Scott have stayed together? Would I be with someone else and have been as just as happy? But, I am very happy with my life with Scott and know this is where I should be. Work life, Yes. I had a stable job all through college, they worked with my schedule and I was payed decently, received raises and bonuses. I learned a lot about the business world and how it all worked. I was able to do things that I might not have been able to if I did not work. But because of this, I feel there have been missed opportunities as well. Internships that I could have/should have applied for. Job fairs and Career fairs that I should have been more interested in and took more serious...but I have had a job since the summer after I graduated high school and that is a lot more than most of my friends had while in college.

Who are my friends now?
I am grateful to still have the same best girlfriends that I had in high school and was in Drill Team with. We are all still very close, have always stayed in touch through our college years, they all went off to Texas A&M and I stayed in Houston, and remain close as we all get married and find our way in life. We do monthly dinners every month and go on trips together. I have also made some of the most amazing friendships with my others girlfriends from 'Scotts side'. These are the girlfriends that have become wives now to all of Scotts guy friends from high school. He too has remained very close to about 8 guys that he went to high school with and they too are my very good friends!

Could I have done more?
Maybe, I don't know. I feel like I still can. I would love to go and get my Master's Degree (MBA) and my real estate license. I know for sure that I could have made better grades in college, not that they were bad, but an 'A' is always better than a 'B' and a 'B' is better than a 'C'. But I am proud of what I have done in the past 7 years and do not regret the decisions that have led me here.

It has been nice to take a backseat and reflect on the last 7 years of my life; some of the absolute best years of my life. I love everyone who has been there with me and a part of it! Thank you!

Everything Loved in May

May brought a good friends 30th birthday, Mother's Day, King George's birthday, my dad's birthday and wonderful Memorial weekend. Our yearly Memorial Day weekend trip to the Frio River, in gorgeous Concan, TX is my absolute favorite thing that the month of May brings. We go with a fabulous group of my best friends from high school and stay in a nice cabin by the river. Our activities include, but are not limited to: floating the beautiful Frio river, drinking beer, mimosas, mixed drinks at any time of the day, relaxing in the water hole, cooking yummy outdoor food, playing an unlimited amount of adult games; beer pong, flippy cup, catch phrase, washers, bolo-golf, etc, taking relaxing naps to get up and do it all over again! Some of the best memories of my that I have, have been made at the Frio River!

Out with 25 and In with 26!

You read it right, today is my birthday. Out with 25 and in with 26! I love birthdays; Birthdays are the reason we get to celebrate individually the important family and friends in our lives and I feel it is a big deal to make people feel very special on their birthday!

I don't feel any older, mentally I mean, I never do. Physically, well that is another story. There are days that I have a hard time realizing that I am not 18 years old anymore. Crazy, I know. It still amazes me that I am an adult, out of college with a business degree, working for the same company for 7 years now, married to a wonderful man that I call my husband, living in a beautiful new home with a mortgage payment that makes it all worth it and the talk of having babies in the very, very near future. This is my life! Wow, I still get tickled sometimes to think this is where I am. I am so very happy of where I am and am truly blessed.

So, back to my birthday. I am working half a day, then heading to Galveston, TX with our best friends Mark and Jenny. The rest of our whole group of friends is meeting down there as well for dinner at the Fisherman's Wharf on the water. We are staying the night at the Harbor House Hotel and the next day we are all sailing off on a 5 day Cruise (Thurs-Mon) to Cozumel, Mexico for a our other friends wedding who are getting married on the ship! Fun times to come with all of our great friends! When we return, we will celebrate my birthday with my family that following weekend.

I will post pics when we return and also a pic of my birthday present from the hubs, my new Coach purse! Bon Voyage!

Easter Blessings

The hubs and I had a great Easter Sunday with my family at my parents house. Great food, great company and an adult Easter egg hunt that is funnier than watching the 'Charlie don't bite my finger' clip on you tube. Scott and I made out very well with money and giftcards and are very thankful to have such a giving family. We then headed to Blockbuster, our favorite place to buy movies, bought a couple on the great deals they always have, you know the buy four for $20 dollars, and then reneted two, 'Marley and Me' and 'Seven Pounds'. We got home, put up our leftovers, of course the hubs made another plate, he can eat for three people and I swear he has a tape worm in his belly, LOL, then got comfortable on the couch and watched/cried 'Marley and Me'. Wow, such a great movie and such a wonderful story!!! I can't wait to watch it over again. Hope everyone else had a wonderful and blessed Easter!

25 Random Things

I was tagged on Facebook, so I thought I could also post this on here. Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 5 people to be tagged. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. I am tagging these ladies: Karen, Katie, G&D, Courtney, Abby.

1. I truly believe that my husband has made me a better person; I love being his wife!
2. I still don't 100% feel like I am an adult in my mid 20's.....until I see the mortgage note every month.
3. I look forward and am so anxious about having kids and starting a family, but at the same time I am not in a huge rush to do so.
4. My mom and dad are the most wonderful and generous parents I have ever known; my life is so blessed because of them.
5. I have the best girlfriends in the whole world; my old girl besties and my new girl besties, I do not know how my life would be without them in it.
6. I am so happy and proud to say I am from Texas and live in this great state.
7. My brother and I are completely opposite but have so many things in common.
8. I am still completely in love with George Strait!
9. I love milk! I drink at least one glass every night.
10. I really want to learn how to play the piano someday.
11. My beer of choice is Bud Light Lime; best beer ever!
12. Fishing is one of my favorite past times and I wish I went more often.
13. I did not get my first dog, Dakota, until I was 20 and since then my life has just been that much better.
14. My husband broke his ankle playing softball 4 weeks after we got married; so glad it happened after the wedding!
15. Scott and I got engaged on the Kemah Boardwalk which is also where we took our first official 'Big Date' 5 years previous.
16. I love to clean and organize but I absolutely hate to fold and hang up laundry!
17. Decorating is one of my true passions in life; I am obsessed with it and would love to do it for a living someday.
18. I really enjoy entertaining and having friends and family over at our house! The more the merrier.
19. Kirklands, Hobby Lobby, Target and Bed Bath and Beyond are some of my absolute favorite stores to shop at.
20. My grandpa Myron is my hero. I miss him everyday and our family farm is not the same without him.
21. I can spend countless hours looking at houses on HAR.com even though I live in a new house; I love looking all the different floorplans and such.
22. I enjoy to cook but don't do it as often as I should; I am usually very hesitant to cooking new recipes because of the uncertainty of how it taste and I hate wasting food and money if it turns out 'not so great'.
23. I really don't like cold weather, brrrrr.
24. I love wearing high heels!
25. I hate riding in cars, especially 2 door cars--I get all claustrophobic. So glad we have an SUV and truck in our family.

Looking Back at 2008

Looking back at 2008
January

• Annual Old Girl Besties Christmas Party
• Baby Payton Williams is born
• I host Southern Living at Home party (and get lots of great loot for our new house)
• Crawfish Boil at Christie and Dustin's house

February

• Super Bowl Sunday with Old Girl Besties at Jessi and Wes's
• My father in-law's surprise 60th birthday party at Saltgrass Steakhouse
• My baby twin girl cousin's 1st birthday and party
• Walk through, close and move in our new house at the very end of the month

March

• Finish moving into our house
• Go to Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo four different times (it's a big deal here in Texas)
• Easter and egg hunting at my parents house with family
• Our very close friends Mark and Jenn close and move into their first house together

April

• Surprise 50th birthday party for my best friend Shelly's dad
• Hubs goes to Nascar Race at Texas Motor Speedway
• Turning 25
  
• My Company's 12th Annual Crawfish Boil

May

• Friends Kristy and Jason's engagement party
• Astro's baseball game
• Best friend Dayna, her husband Eric's coming home from Iraq party
• Frio River for a long Memorial Day weekend vacation

June

• Friends Nancy and Shaun's wedding couples shower
• My handsome hubby's 28th birthday and party

July

• 4th of July at close friends Jessica and Brett's house
  
• Hubs plays in the Buzz's washer fest tournament

August

• Astro's baseball game

September

• Friend Tracy's baby shower
• Astro's baseball game
• Hurricane Ike storms through Galveston and Houston
• My cousin Laurens bridal shower in San Antonio and dinner with my parents in Gruene, TX at the delicious Gristmill
  
• Our 1st wedding anniversary
  
• Grey's Anatomy 5th season premier

October

• Robinson annual Fish Fry (Yummy)
• Five day vacation in Las Vegas for my cousin Lauren's beautiful wedding at the Belligio

November

• Friends Brandy and Phillip's couples baby shower
• I present our Blog
  
• Our 7 year dating anniversary (Yes, this day does still count)
• The loss of my dear friend and co-worker
• Thanksgiving at my parents home with lots of family
• Our niece's 2nd birthday

December

• Friends Kristy and Jason's holiday party
• Tailgate and Texans football game
• Our First Annual Christmas Party
• Christmas, my favorite holiday
  
• Visit to our family farm in south Texas

We had such a fun, exciting and emotional 2008 where we made memories that will last a lifetime. As we rung in 2009 we both were so very grateful to be coming into the new year together happy and healthy and anxiously await what the oh-fine 2009 will bring. Here's a toast of champagne to oh-eight and a hearty welcome to 2009!

Decking the House with Christmas Cheer

Christmas is no doubt my absolute favorite holiday of all holidays and from Thanksgiving until the New Year is my favorite time of year. I love and cherish the quality time spent with family and great friends, decorating for Christmas, getting a real tree (Nobel Fir preferable), Stockings hung by the chimney with care, going to fun holiday parties, hosting our Christmas party, eating delicious food and desserts, giving gifts, the white elephant gift game, wishing for snow (which we were lucky enough to get this December...remember it NEVER snows here), celebrating the past year, making wishes for the new year ahead and last but not least...the wonderful 'reason for the season', our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Ahhhhh, the memories made during this time of year are priceless.

This year is our first Christmas to celebrate in our new home so therefore I had a brand new slate to work with! I have had ideas running through my head since fall had arrived and I patiently awaited the day after Thanksgiving to start decorating in Christmas decor'. I also did not want to spend a fortune doing it so I did use some things from years past and anything else I bought was purchased on sale or at discounted prices. I am very happy for how it turned out and plan to add a little more each year but still keeping things pretty and classy. Finally pics are posted.

Things that make me Smile

OK...I am the kind of person that when I find a product or service that I just love, I have to brag about it and tell all I know. I am a true believer in word of mouth; it is the best marketing out there, and yes, I did get my business degree and majored in Marketing. There are a lot of things in my life that make me smile. By all who know me, I am considered as a happy, energetic, and caring person and I always have a smile on my face...almost always. So besides the typical who make me smile all the time (my wonderful hubs, my most generous parents, my sweet brother, my great family, amazing friends and the Lord above...) there are things in my life that just make me grin from hear to hear as well. These are all material things, but I'm in love with them too and feel my life is just better with them in it! So here are just a few of Everything Loved...things that make me smile!

Woodwick Candles
My mom gave my my first Woodwick candle in April 2007 for my 24th birthday and I have been hooked ever since. These candles are fabulous!!! They are classy and elegant in appearance and feature a natural wood wick (hence the name) made from organic wood which produces the soothing sound of a crackling fire when burned. The fragrances are wonderful and fill the room quickly but are not over bearing. And when you blow the fire out, you do not get all that yucky black smoke. Combine these attractions and you have the ultimate candle-burning experience, just like their website says! My personal favorite fragrances are Rum Raisin and Vanilla Bean. For the holiday Christmas season, the Evergreen is just like having a real tree in your home. I give these as gifts and gave them to all my bridesmaids at my wedding and all the girls loved them as well! They are a little pricey to some, but to me worth every penny! Check out their website for more info and fragrances and you will never look at another candle the same. http://www.virginiacandle.com













Woodwick Reed Diffusers
I just recently bought the Woodwick brand of reed diffusers and to me they are by far better than any other reed diffuser out on the market. They have the same classy and elegant design as the Woodwick candles and feature highly concentrated fragrances infused with essential oils that make any room big or small smell wonderful! And they seem to last a long time as well which makes it worth the paying price.

Wilton Armetale Servingware
For my wedding I discovered Wilton Armetale and was instantly in love. I registered for the 'Flutes and Pearls' set (a classy and timeless design) of almost every piece and was fortunate to receive all that I registered for from my amazing parents! To me this is as great as it gets to serving pieces. Here is a little more about the company and what they make. "Wilton Armetale Company is a family-owned and family-run business founded in 1892 by Ralph P. Wilton, Sr. in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Wilton Armetale® products are still individually cast and meticulously hand-finished so no two pieces are exactly alike. Wilton Armetale® products are sold in department stores and specialty stores throughout the United States and internationally. Armetale® metal is a unique, non-toxic aluminum-based alloy, making it ideal for cooking and entertaining. Hot foods cooked and served in Wilton Armetale® products stay hot longer. Cold foods and drinks served in Wilton Armetale® products stay cold longer.

Our Dyson Vacuum
This is one the greatest gifts the hubs and I have ever received. My father-in-law bought us this for Christmas a couple of years ago and the best part about it is it was the hubs idea to get one! It is the greatest vacuum ever and worth the price in our opinion! You can see all the dirt, dust and dog hair it collects, it helps to clean the air, it is so easy to clean and empty and is easy maneuver. You can not go wrong with any Dyson Vacuum product!

Our GE Profile French Door Refrigerator
This is also one one of the greatest gifts the hubs and I have ever received. My parents bought us this as a house warming present for our new home. We instantly fell in love with the french door refrigerators and were hoping we would be able to get one. All the appliances in our kitchen were GE and black, so we went with the 25.8 Cu. Ft. GE Profile French Door in black model. This refrigerator is awesome!!! It holds so much food, it has shelves that can move up and down, slide back or pull up, it is very easy to clean with no spill shelves, has an integrated dispenser with crushed ice, water and temperature display, led lighting, climate keeper with dual evaporators, two humidity-controlled drawers and 1 full-length adjustable temperature deli drawer, and the freezer is huge with a two-level slide n’ store system. Ahhhhhh, Ok if I haven't sold you by now......I am exhausted. We did have two of our best married couple friends purchase this in the stainless steel version and they love it just as much as we do! I love this device! Thanks so much mom and dad!