In A Word (this time with the pictures I forgot)

Instead of making a resolution this year, I am choosing a word. A word to hopefully define the growth I want to see in ’09.

We spent the evening last night at Bent's house with Dan's crew also in attendance. Just think lots of cousins running amok and lots of loud laughter and fun. And gun cleaning and card playing, because we live in Texas and that’s what we do.

So after the clock hit 10pm we toasted in the New Year and announced our resolutions. We did this at 10 because we were ringing in the New Year with Nova Scotia, because we were all tired and wanted to go to bed and Nova Scotia rings in the New Year before anyone else on this continent. The little kids didn’t really care, or get it, and it just perpetuated the idea to the teenagers how dorky we adults are.


Here are the younger cousins toasting in the New Year with Sparkling Cider.


This is what the younger cousins thought of the Sparkling Cider. I guess we don't have to worry about underage drinking with this crew. They can't even handle cider.



Here are The Teenagers wondering how they got so unlucky as to be born into such a dorky family.



There were many good resolutions this year. Dave suggested he wanted to figure out how to earn more and work less. (I’m for that one), Dan, said he resolved to run a race this year. (Ambitious words from a man still on a crutch) Rachel said she wanted to drink more water, someone else said they would like to spend less, Bryce suggested he will resolve to become a mature adult (the adult part is unavoidable being that he will turn 18 in Aug, the mature part I guess is questionable).

Gunnar resolved to read the bible more, Evelyn said she will try to be a better sister, Annika said she will endeavor to keep her room cleaner…and it went on similarly, around the family.

Know what I said? Nothing. I didn’t want to tell everyone my word for ’09. Somehow after all those lofty things I felt silly saying it.

So on the way home I mentioned to Dave that I didn’t want to tell everyone, but in ’09 I resolve to be more courageous.

I believe he laughed. Loudly.

I have a long way to go.

In a Word...

Instead of making a resolution this year, I am choosing a word. A word to hopefully define the growth I want to see in ’09.

We spent the evening last night at Bent's house with Dan's family also in attendance. Just think lots of cousins running amuck and lots of loud laughter and fun. And gun cleaning and card playing, because we live in Texas and that’s what we do.

So after the clock hit 10pm we announced our resolutions. We did this at 10 because we were ringing in the New Year with Nova Scotia, because we were all tired and wanted to go to bed and Nova Scotia rings in the New Year before anyone else on this continent. The little kids didn’t really care, or get it, and it just perpetuated the idea to the teenagers how dorky we adults are.

There were many good ones. Dave suggested he wanted to figure out how to earn more and work less. (I’m for that one), Dan, said he resolved to run a race this year. (Ambitious words from a man still on a crutch) Rachel said she wanted to drink more water, someone else said they would like to spend less, Bryce suggested he will resolve to become a mature adult (the adult part is unavoidable being that he will turn 18 in Aug, the mature part I guess is questionable).

Gunnar resolved to read the bible more, Evelyn said she will try to be a better sister, Annika said she will endeavor to keep her room cleaner…and it went on similarly, around the family.

Know what I said? Nothing. I didn’t want to tell everyone my word for ’09. Somehow after all those lofty things I felt silly saying it.

So on the way home I mentioned to Dave that I didn’t want to tell everyone, but in ’09 I resolve to be more courageous.

I believe he laughed. Loudly.

I have a long way to go.

Looking Back (and laughing).

I got this idea from Sandy at Falling Like Rain and thought it was a good one.

Some of my favorite posts from 08.

In January I got a little philosophical.

In February I celebrated an anniversary and joined a 12 step program, sort of.

In March we went on Spring Break to the beach. It was such a crazy trip that it required not one, not two, not even three, but 4 posts to tell the whole sad tale.

In April I tried to cry Uncle but they wouldn’t let me.

In May I went on a road trip with my sister and saw things that can only be seen in Texas and wrote a letter to my future daughter in laws.

In June I experienced a strange range of emotions and took issue with Wal-Mart.

In July I met some of Sir D’s new employees and made an impression I’m sure, and celebrated my birthday.

In August the Teenager had some trouble with his car and the other Teenager had the entire youth group laughing.

In September Sir D began to see clearly and I read some books.

In October I found another reason to worry about The Other Teenager, and spent a little time in the ER.

In November I watched some soccer and made some stuff.

In December Ann made a video and we dipped some stuff in chocolate.

Overall, a pretty darn good year here on the Hilltop.

Score!

I totally scored today! (Not THAT kind of score, what are you 14? Oh, no one thought that but me? Never mind.)

I went to Jo Ann's Fabrics today. I wasn't going to, but well the girls used up all of my scrap fabric, and they were having a big sale and well, I was right there nearby, and somehow I found myself inside.



This is what I scored for $40! Can you believe it? Everything is on sale (okay maybe not everything, but a lot of good stuff).

I got 2 yards of all of those fabrics, enough pink and brown yarn for a cute hat and scarf, some new white thread (the good kind only, because my aunt who gave me my machine said she'd kill me if I used cheap thread on it and even though she lives some 300 miles away from me, I am quite certain she'd instinctively know if I tried to slip some Walmart thread into The Bernina.) and two baby quilt kits that were originally $20 and I got them for $4! Did you hear that! $4!!!!

Now, If I could just get my hands to stop hurting so I could sew or crochet something...

Because We're Texans

For Christmas this year I got Sir D something I knew he would love. Something I know nothing about. I spoke his love language, you could say.

I paid for him to take the class at our local shooting range to get his concealed handgun license.

When he opened that envelope and saw that sad little printed-out-on-a-cheap-printer-at-the-gun-range gift certificate telling him everything he needed to legally tote a firearm had been paid for, well let’s just say he was a happy man.

(Yes, that is his 'Happy Man' look.)

Today, we went to early church and then came home. I’m a bit worn out from all the holiday festivities and the thought of sitting for the entire morning on those uncomfortable church chairs was more than my sad achy joints could take, because apparently I am 80. Once we got home Sir D decided he needed to go to the gun show.

Today is the last day it is going on and he simply had to go. The boys decided to stay for 2nd service at church so they were not home. I had no intention of going to the gun show; I would have rather stayed and sat on the horrid church chairs for 2 more hours than go walking around the gun show. Eve was also not too keen on spending her Sunday afternoon looking at various weaponry. Know who was interested? Ann.

She even dressed the part. She just left with Sir D in his Chevy Pick-up wearing green and pink camo pants, a pink shirt, pink cowboy boots and a camo cowboy hat.

And I totally let her.

We do what we can to perpetuate the myth.

I’m only sad I forgot to take a picture. And I am a little worried she’ll come home with a pink pocket revolver. This is Texas after-all.

Favorite Thing

The thing I liked the most that I received this year was a Mr. Coffee Iced Tea maker. I never thought I’d like one of those. It seemed, I don’t know, silly. But we drink so much iced tea around here I was making two pitchers of it every other day. I LOVE this little thing. It is so cool. (It doesn’t take much to make me happy apparently! :o)



The thing I enjoyed giving the most this year was the sewing machine I got for my dd’s. They have really enjoyed this gift. They have used up almost all my scrap cloth already and are begging to get started on the pj pants I gave them cloth for as part of their gift.



I however, am not quite ready for that yet. I have too much cleaning up to do before I’m ready to tackle that project.

So how about you? What was your favorite?

Merry Christmas!

From those of us at Hilltop Inc. Or, you know, me.

I think the Grinch said it best...

"And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!" And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. "Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"

Praying that your Christmas is 'A little bit more' this year.

Everything is better dipped in chocolate.

I thought y'all might like to see what I did today.



I spent most of it like this. Sometimes without the phone. Mostly I was alone today, which was weird. Bob and Will had some teenage stuff to do with friends, Evelyn also had some teenage stuff to do with friends even though she is not yet a teen, she thinks she is.

Ann went to my SIL's house for a Gingerbread making marathon with her cousins (God bless you SIL R!).

She made our family in Gingerbread. See? Ginger-Mom, Ginger-Dad, and Ginger-siblings.



This is what I did today. Pretty huh? I am sending this to work with Sir D and his employees, and the other plates go to the neighbors.



I made chocolate chip/peanut butter chip oatmeal cookies then I dipped stuff in chocolate; cherries, strawberries, gingerbread men, peppermint sticks, really anything that wasn't nailed down got dipped in chocolate and stuck on a plate.



That's what it looked like once I had packaged almost all of it up. I wish I'd have thought to take a photo of everything all finished. It was covering the whole table. Things dripping in chocolate everywhere. YUM. I hope everything I dipped in chocolate was actually edible...

I have little more baking to do for Christmas Day and wrapping. Here is a photo of our tree. Those are gifts to\from the kids to\from each other. Also my gifts are there since Sir D bribed the children to wrap them for him.



On a totally different note. I have to take Bob to the Dr tomorrow and I am not looking forward to it. See, he had a birthmark removed from his back last week on Tuesday. I won't go into detail, but let me just say OUCH! It was a bit more invasive than I was anticipating. They basically cut a golf ball size hole in his back, through all three layers of skin, down to the muscle. Then they did two layers of stitches. YIKES!

He was told not to lift anything heavy or do any roughhousing for two weeks. Sure, no problem. Sounds reasonable. Um, see, the thing is...Bob is a pretty tough kid. He is also not a complainer. So when it came time to help his uncle move on Saturday, I sort of forgot that Bob should not be lifting heavy things. And he mentioned nothing about the giant healing hole in his back. He just went along and lifted refrigerator and couches and a washer and a dryer and whatnot without a word.

Then that night he asked me to put the ointment on it and cover it for him. Suddenly I remembered. I looked at his wound and some of the stitches have come out. The wound is not open and it really looks like it is healing nicely, but I am pretty sure the stitches were supposed to still be in there. Oops.

So now I get to go back to the dr and tell him that Bob was lifting refrigerators a mere 4 days after the surgery. Oh, joy.

Perhaps if I bring him a plate of cookies and stuff dipped in chocolate, he won't report me to CPS.

Holy Where-Did-the-Time-Go Batman?!?!

Christmas is on Thursday! Did you hear me? CHRISTMAS IS ON THRUSDAY!!!!

Crap!

I have 5 kazillion things to do. I have not wrapped one single gift!

Um, if the blog goes eerily quiet for a few days, it is okay. I am just scrambling to get it all done before Christmas.

And I have to go to the store...and make the potatoes...and buy a few more gifts...and...and...and...