Family Time...

This Christmas was extra special because I got
to spend it with the peeps I love the most...

My Family



You see, our parents celebrated their 50th Anniversary
the day after Christmas and we all knew that this was
for sure a day to celebrate. We watched first hand
the highs, the lows, the good time and the struggles
it took to get to this milestone and we wanted to
show them how much we appreciated not only their love
and devotion to us but the devotion to their marriage.



Thanks you mom and dad for showing us that no matter
what, you always put Family first. You gave us the
foundation to which we now raise our family. You gave
us love and support in our good times and in times we
failed ourselves. It is because what you taught us
that we are able to guide our own families during the
good times and during the bad.

I only hope that some days my kids can look back at
their parents and be as proud as I am of you....



The only disappointment this Christmas is that I did
not get to witness my first white Christmas... When
we moved to Georgia 3 years ago, that was the one thing
we hoped we would finally get and after 100 years, it
snowed on Christmas and I was in South Florida... bummer.

Thankfully, snow was still on the ground when we got home



Hope everyone had a great time with you families as I did
with mine. I am looking forward to the New Year and all it
will bring.

We are off to visit family so I wanted to take this time to say...


Merry Christmas from my family to your...

Cookie Time...

For so many years, my sisters and I would get together and bake cookies
for the holidays. Then one moved away and then it was just two of us...
then I moved away. I hated not having that tradition because to me it
was not the holidays without it. So last year, I coerced a few of my
co-workers to come over and bake... and let me say that was adventure.
You see these two girls did not even know what a mixer was. They pretty
much stood around and talked and made me laugh while I did all the baking.

Well, this year came and I thought they would pass... but to my surprise, Jo
was all up for it... she was ready to show me her new skills in the kitchen.

What a difference a year makes... the girl was running circles around me...




The day was once again a huge success and I just loved spending time with
the girls. Next year, my GF Jo will be one state away but we promised, we
will not let this tradition go... have mixer, will travel....

Now, this day was not all about cookies, it was about trying new things.

Jo wanted us to try healthy... seriously, healthy while we were surrounded
by over 6 dozen cookies.... but she was.

So into her heavy duty blender went....

Kale (yuk)
apple, grapes (yummy)
whole lemon ( ?? interesting)
ginger (not a huge fan)

What do you get????


Green Slime...




Just to prove, I can try anything once????

What's not to appreciate...

There is nothing like a beautiful sky first thing in the morning
As the sun is slowly waking up....




Or the sky as the sun has fully awaken...




Or the blooms of the flowers...




Or the beauty in a sky that is angry from a thuderstorm....



So, if life has you down or stressed to no end this holiday season...
Take a moment and really look around at the beauty of the world that
surrounds you. Marvel in... breathe in the smells... listen to the peace.
I promise you, that you will feel peace. I know.. cause it is something
new to me and everyday, as I drive to work, I reflect on what is beautiful
out my window and my day always starts off with a smile....

What makes you start your day with a smile...

Thankful.....

Yesterday, we spent the Thanksgiving without our family and sometimes
that is the hardest part about living so far away but nevertheless, I
am Thankful because I know I am loved... by the most wonderful man.





Thankful for the love of this little man, who brings so much joy to our lives.



Thankful that my girlfriend was in town and she taught me to just relax and be me.




okay.. maybe that was not the best shot of us....





Thankful that my other boys had family around them and they are happy and healthy.

Today I woke up feeling kinda low.. why???? I asked. Maybe it's the weather.

Regardless, I have no reason to feel sad... Cause I have a beautiful family,
a loving husband who would do anything for me. Who loves me unconditionally.
I have three beautiful boys. Two wonderful sisters to share all my secrets
with. Two wonderful parents who will soon be celebrating 50 years together.

So... I wiped that frown away and just said " Thank you Lord for my life"

Room in progess

The day we walked into our new home, there was
one room that I just fell in love with. Living
in a house full of boys, I always dreamed of a
girly room and this room had girl written all
over it....


But change was due. After spending months adoring
the homes and rooms of my fellow bloggers, I became
inspired.

So my little girl room has become all grown up..


I sanded, painted and distressed an old buffet





Now of course I am not done yet.. hubby still needs to
put in my wood floor and I need to find some really
cute knobs from my dresser..

A drive to work....

I enjoy my ride to work so much these days...

So, armed with my camera last week, I decided to
take a few extra minutes in my drive to catch the
beauty....

As the saying goes

"Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses" or
in my case the beauty...











Hope you enjoyed the view as much as I did...

Until next time...

Tinker House and a giveaway

Can you imagine your self in heaven...

Well, you must head over to d reynes blog
http://www.dreyne.com

She has this most incredible Tinker House.



All I can say is it is a little slice of heaven.

While you over there, check out her giveaway

Random Stuff

Excuse me.... cause there is not ryhme or reason for this post...

I am heading out to Orlando tomorrow for some much needed Sister time...

But before I go, I wanted to share with you some art work from my son.

Most of the time, this type of art is not done in the right places but
he finally got the chance to show his talent in a great venue for Scion



Then, I came across this photo from a Facebook post from Lettered Cottage and I had to share because I think it is such a great concept....
from work,home or even for every city....


What if you could write down your fears everyday, then watch them get erased away.

What fears would you liked wiped away.... for me, It is my fear of failing my kids.


Happy early weekend all... off for me time and some antique shopping in Mt Dora.

A little dreaming.....

With the cool weather finally hear, the Car Show's are back and my hubby
is all excited.

But first, it was all about celebrating little mans STRAIGHT " A's".

Because he worked so hard for his grades and is really a great kid, mommy
and daddy rewarded him with the new video game he has been wanting for a month.
Then because he got a free dinner certificate, it was off to Longhorn.



Of course, you can see he is all into his game, so this gave mommy and daddy
time to catch up from a week, where we did not see each other because hubby
had school and by the time he got home each night, I was fast asleep.


Now, it was time for daddy to enjoy his time... walking around and dreaming
about what he wants when he grows up.... of course while he leisurely took his
time looking at the cars. Little Man and I just browsed and goofed around.

So here, is Hubby dream car (one of them)....




And here is mine....( I am a little more simple).. okay for those who know me, are
thinking "Simple" not....



And to top it off, we got a beautiful view as we pulled on to our block...

Day of cooking...

Every weekend, my sister spends one day in the kitchen
cooking her weekly meals for her family. Of course, I
always tell her she is out of her mind.

But this weekend, it is I who is out of her mind. I
decided to take a page out of my sisters life and
cooked some meals for the week.

But hold on, sis are you sitting down.... I made my
own sauce as well... from scratch. Now, I know that
is a lot for you to take in, so take a moment while
I explain..

I bought a magazine this week, called "Clean Eating".
Being that I am now into be healthier and eating right,
this just made since. So I took some recipes out of
the magazine and the sauce was one.

First boiled Plum Tomatoes, then place in ice bath.


Chopped, garlic, carrots and celery in my handy chopper.


Saute veggies and add rough chopped tomatoes.




add oregano, basil, bay leaves and simmer for 45 minutes on low.


Puree in Food Processor or in my case, the magic bullet.


Add honey

And here it is..


And after all that, I made Stew, lasagna and brisket with leek.
Oh and now I know my mom is probably on the floor with that one.
Yes, mom.. I not only cooked leek but I love it too.

My Stew...


My lasagna with sausage...


And my Brisket...


I hope that I not only made my mom proud but my sisters too.

Now, super mom and cook is ready for bed.

The winning outfit...

Somewhere deep down, we all love to win...

Some wins are sweeter than others. But I
must admit that even though I was thrilled
to have lost 13 lbs and hopefully, keep going,
The lost of the lbs was the only thing that
felt right.

You see, I started this challenge more to
get my sister motivated. I knew she was
feeling that same frustration as I was but
I also know my sister.... when it comes to
putting herself first, she would need a little
push... so I thought if i could give her a
challenge,she could have a goal and that was
beating her little sister... God knows she
has been wanting to do that since we were kids.

Sis, I am not going to give up on you... I know
you can do this... I know you can stop the insanity
before it becomes a bigger problem down the road.
And you know what I am talking about...

Now, it is not to say that I did not enjoy shopping
cause this girl here loves to shop...

So, I now must confess that I bought this hear dress
that I so fell in love with the moment I saw it,
before the challenge was over. I know that is wrong
but I could not resist and you know if I did not
win... well, I had a new dress.. oh and of course
boots too.

The Results are in.....

Three months ago, my sister and I started our 90
day weight loss challenge. At the time, I thought
I was ready to drop the weight and the unhappiness
that I had been dragging around for the last two
years. but I wasn't. The first 6 weeks, I kinda
took this challenge lightly. I tried but not really.

Now in my heart, I wanted to get the weight off. I
hate feeling fat... I hated how I looked. But my
head was not in the game and until your head is in
the game, then you have no chance of winning. And then
my husband said to me one night as I sat on the couch
with a bowl of ice cream " You know, you might as well
go out and buy your sister an outfit now." What.. are
you kidding me, my hubby seriously called me out that
night.

Then it got me thinking.... " Did I really hate the way
I look?" YES... " Did I really want to not only lose
weight but also feel good about myself again." YES..
God YES... I wanted to feel energized, I wanted to
feel sexy again... I did this once, I can do this again.

So, I went back to what worked for me. I have tried it
all but nothing ever worked except for the Glycemic
Diet.. it is really not a diet, it is learning to eat
the right foods together to help my body burn fat and
not store it.... I hate when fat stores itself on my
belly, on my hips and on my rear... Hate. Hate Hate..
So I got real and I started back on what works for me.

Did I reach my goal weight of 150.. NO but I think if
I did take this seriously from day one, I just may have
reached that goal. But, I did not. Now, that is not
to say that I am not happy cause I am ecstatic about
my lost. Sis, I know you had your struggles right
along side of me.. cause we have faced this all our
lives... I hope you find it in you to find what
works for you. So the results are in.........

13 lbs and 9.50 inches lost. Current weight 160.

Off he goes....

I knew this day would come once we moved to Georgia.




Hubby has talked about hunting since we moved
but so far it was just talk and so I thought
GREAT.. maybe just maybe I will not
have to ever think about a poor ole Bambi
being killed. But this weekend, hubby finally
went out and bought that Tree Stand. Yikes..
But before he can actually head out to sit and
wait, he must do a test run in the back yard.









Now he waits...





and this is Ginger no doubt thinking...
" Has he lost his mind"


and this is why the dog thinks her master is crazy....


Now I completely understand this is a man thing,
going out and getting food for his family...
I get that.. but if for one minute he thinks a
dead/ stuffed animal will be hanging from my wall
He truly is CRAZY.