At Ty's request

T. Willy asked me to take a picture of him since he's going away for
two days. He doesn't want me to forget what he looks like.

My girl

MK was creative with the camera tonight. Here is one of her
pictures. Wow, I love this beautiful girl!!!

T. Willy went back to school today. He seems just fine and was happy
to get back.

We are looking forward to our 3 day weekend. MK is having some friends
over tomorrow night. That should be fun. Then the Big Man is taking
the kids to visit his parents so that I can have a little bit of free
time and get some work done. I'll miss them, but I will enjoy the
quiet for a short time. I know I'll be ready to see them when they
get home!

So that's it for us. Have a great night!

At MK's request

T. Willy is feeling better and will be going back to school tomorrow

MK said that I don't post enough pictures of "events." So tonight's event was cooking dinner...and here are pictures. We made homemade egg rolls, homemade cheese sticks and homemade fried rice. It was a bit of a mixture, but we all wanted different things.


Here is MK stirring the egg roll mixture.




















MK and the Big Man cook together.



















The finished product.

Sister/daughter of the year!!!

T. Willy was up sick three times during the night, and I didn't know
about it until this morning. (Their rooms are on the other side of
the house.) MK took care of him! She comforted him, cleaned him and
put him back to bed....three times!! I do not know many 14 year olds
who would do that. What an amazing girl we've been blessed with!

Poor baby

T. Willy's teacher called me at school this afternoon. She said that T. was complaining of a stomachache. She felt like she needed to call because he has never complained before. MK and I picked him up early, but when he came home, he seemed fine.

I had my final class tonight (happy happy day!) and during class the Big Man texted that T. was napping. This boy DOES NOT nap unless he's sick, and sure enough, he woke up with a temperature of 102.6. It doesn't seem to be his stomach, though. I'm thinking ear infection. So, I've arranged for a sub tomorrow and will be staying home with him. I went to the school and prepared a lesson plan for the sub. There were few people there when I was, and it was such a strange but nice thing to be there alone. I really liked the solitude.

So, that's it for me tonight. Have a great evening!

Oh so proud

The Big Man, his dad, brother, and some of their friends participate in a football pool. It is for "bragging rights" only, but egos are on the line. This year a gnome was purchased to go to the winner...and the winner was the Big Man! It was close, but he pulled it out! So, the gnome gets to live at our house until a new winner claims it. We are looking for the right spot, but for now, I'll just post a picture of it.

Happy Birthday to my brother!

And a T. Willy quote: as a family, we watch the tv show, "Chuck." A two hour episode is on tonight, and another one hour episode is on tomorrow. We are recording it and won't be able to watch it until tomorrow. The Big Man asked, "What could be better than three hours of Chuck? And T. Willy answered, "Four!!!"

'Tis better to....receive....

I'm not talking about Christmas, so I think it's okay to start that way.

As you may know, my 40th birthday was in October. It was truly one of my best birthdays ever...especially gift-wise. I know it's not really polite to discuss, but I was given some really great swag this year. I was using some of it this evening and was reminded of how much I'm enjoying it.

My boots: I bought my boots with money from my in-laws, and I absolutely love them and wear them way too often!


















Then my mixer...I had salivated over one of these for years. It was used a lot over the holidays. I even look for things to make just so I can use it. Thanks to my parents for this beauty! (Yes, MK is too...but I'm focusing on the mixer right now.) My parents also gave me the Eagles hoodie that was featured last night...we didn't win, but it's a great shirt!

















Cast iron Dutch oven: courtesy of the Big Man. I use this thing a LOT, and it makes me happy every time I do. He once told me that if you cook in cast iron, you'll get your RDA of iron, and it makes me feel like I'm doing something good for my family with each meal I make in it. Here it is holding crawfish etouffee.



















And my Pioneer Woman cookbook. I use this OFTEN! For instance, tonight I made Breakfast Burritos for dinner. Yum! I have bookmarked it with post-it notes, because I haven't had time to try everything. It is a beautiful cookbook, and it isn't exactly calorie-conscious, but the food is hearty and delicious. The pot roast is MK's favorite which is nice because she gave the book to me.




















I just wanted to write about these things and to let the givers know how much they are appreciated!

Pictures from "pretty much the best day ever"

While I distract myself from the game....

MK went to her friend, Taylor's, house today. They had what I've heard
was "pretty much the best day ever." I've loved looking at the
pictures, and Taylor gave me permission to share some.

I can't decide what I want more...

The Eagles to win...or the Cowboys to lose???? As long as both
things happen, I'll be happy!

No snow...so...

I confess that I was a little bit disappointed that we didn't get any
snow. Oh well. I did, however, take some pictures at school today for
a project that I have to do for the class I am taking. For those of
you far away, it's a little glimpse of what MK and I see every day.

I can't believe it...or as MK calls it...the Apocalypse

The weather predictions have been up and down. It was warmer this
afternoon than it has been in several days. However, we aren't going
to see warm again soon. And, for the first time in the 12 years that
we've lived here, they are calling for snow...maybe an inch of wet
snow. And after it stops snowing, the temperature is supposed to
drop. I am curious if we will have school tomorrow. We are just not
prepared for ice, and I can't even imagine school buses out in it.
However, the county superintendent of schools just sent out an
automated phone call that, as of 4:15 or so, school is still on. We
will continue listening for "the" call...my kids' first and possibly
only snow day ever.

So......

We are back in the swing of school, and there is very little to write
about. The Big Man is working late tonight, but I still actually
cooked a real dinner for the kids and myself. They're in bed, and I'm
enjoying some quiet.

I don't even have an original picture for tonight, so I went through
the photos on my phone and found some favorites worth reposting. Yes,
I do realize it's a little early in the year for reruns. Oh well.

A Night at the....living room

We are having a family night. I actually made dinner (grilled cheese
and homemade French onion soup;) MK made cupcakes, we put a fire in
the fireplace, and we rented a movie. T. Willy didn't think he
wanted to watch it (A Night at the Museum - Battle of the
Smithsonians,) but he is sitting in here having a ball with us. What
a fun night!

It's hard to imagine, but snow is predicted for Thursday. We've lived
here 12+ years and have never seen so much as a flurry. If it even
snows, I'm not expecting accumulation, but it would be a lot of fun to
see. It might make this very cold weather worthwhile.

So that's it for tonight. I hope yours was just as fun!!!

Licking the snow

T. Willy and I found out that it had snowed while we were in Delaware
when MK ran up the stairs yelling, "It snowed!!!!" I jumped out of bed
a little disoriented but excited.

T. Willy got out of bed, looked out the window and said, "I'm really
tired," and went back to bed for a little while.

When he finally did get excited about the snow, he was excited!!!! We
grabbed MK's jacket for him because it was closest and went outside.
This is a picture of him "licking the snow."

Back in the rhythm.

Wow. Rhythm is a hard word to spell.

The laundry is clean; the decorations are down and in the shed;
Christmas is over!!! It was a great one, but I'm glad to get back to
the routine of life.

Today's picture is of my older nephew and T. Willy. They have always
favored each other. Some of their baby pictures are difficult to tell
apart. Benj had always had red hair, and T. Willy's hair had a
reddish hue when he was an infant. T. loves all of his cousins, but
he and Benj have a special bond.

Second Day

We are in the car on our way to the airport. We had a wonderful visit
with our family and friends, but it's time to get back to our real
lives and the Big Man. Thanks to my parents for everything!!!

My brother brought us a cd of pictures that he took in DC, and MK
posted some on Facebook, so I borrowed a few. He does a much better
job than I do.

Me - January 1, 2010

Taking pictures when I should be packing. But packing means leaving,
so I'm trying to delay the inevitable.

Day One

And here we go again...

We had our traditional New Year's festivities at my parents' house
last night. We had a lot of yummy food, and we played games and
watched the ball drop. I called the Big Man at midnight our time, but
I fell asleep before midnight his time.

The picture of MK and my niece is from last night. The picture of my
nephew is from today. He is going to a wedding...he doesn't always
dress up this much to see us.

One year....I did it.

And now....a confession.

On the morning of December 14, at about 12:45, I turned to the Big Man
in bed and said, "I forgot to blog." Yes, it's true. I came that
close to the end...and forgot!!!! Once. However, due to the beauty
of technology and time changes, I altered the time on my blog to show
that I did blog.

That's right...I'm a cheater.

So, I guess my New Year's Resolution for 2010 will be "blog every day,
include a picture....and no cheating."

Happy New Year!!!

His name is "Tiny!"

Fear the snowman

See MK sleep

This is how I found MK this morning.

I waited all day to post a picture. I went out with some friends of
mine from high school. We had such a fun time! I was planning to
post a picture of that, but no one thought to take one. Oh well. It
was a great night...lots of laughs and memories!

So that's it for tonight. Hope you had a great day!

The end is near

If I remember to post tomorrow, I will have kept a New Year's Resolution: I will have blogged something every day for an entire year.

I seriously don't think that I thought I would do it.

But I did.

Whew.

There were times that I just didn't think I would do it. More than once, I had to get out of bed to post. I'd think that I should just give up, but I kept going.

I followed other blogs in which people said that they were going to do it. But, they didn't make it to February.

It isn't like I cured cancer...but it is a feeling of accomplishment.

A lot happened this year; now I'm thinking about next year.

Maddie will get her learner's permit in May. That is impossible to believe, but it's true.

Ty will start first grade...another reminder of how quickly time passes.

We have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to.

The question is: will I do it again next year? I kind of assume that I will. It has become a part of my everyday life. I'm not great at keeping in touch, so for some, this is how they keep track of our lives.

Now your part: since later in January, I also added posting a picture every day. What should I do in 2010? I would appreciate feedback.

So, that's it for now. I'm off to enjoy the day.

Annette

P.S. The Tooth Fairy found her way to Delaware...and the going rate for a top tooth is $1.87!

It's a miracle!

The Tooth Fairy remembered!!! Thanks to my many reminders!!

Please don't let the Tooth Fairy forget (again!)