How do you celebrate New Year's Eve?

What are your plans for New Year's Eve? Mine are simple. Hubby and I have been married 29 years. Every New Year's Eve we play a Monopoly marathon. Over the years, we have collected the anniversary editions and even one that is tropical beach themed. This year, I'm opting for the 70th Anniversary edition as the one we will play. The dice are clear and sparkly and the pieces are bigger than normal.

We are fixing DiGiorno Pizza for supper. We like the sausage and pepperoni with the rising crust. It reminds me a lot of Domino's without having to go out and get it. (We don't have any pizza delivery where we live.)

I love salty chips when I have pizza. My favorite is Snyder's Rippled. They are thinner and crisper than Ruffles and have a much better, saltier flavor. 

And of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't have a side bowl of M&M's with my pizza. This is my favorite meal. It consists of savory, salty and sweet. Not to mention CHOCOLATE!

And a must have is a tall, ice cold glass of Caffeine Free Pepsi.



Whatever your plans are, I hope you have a Happy New Year's Eve. Stay safe, happy and healthy. See you in the New Year!

Stichery Appliques

As we move into 2011, people think of their New Year's Resolutions. We see so many resolutions made and not followed through. That is why this year, I am making New Year's Decisions. A resolution makes me think of a determination to "try" to do something. A decision on the other hand is an active resolve to, as Nike says, Just Do It!

One of my New Year's Decisions is to spend more time on crafting. I love to craft and have a lot of craft "stuff" but end up letting my work day carry over into my fun time. So effective January 1st, I will no longer check emails or work on work after supper. That will be my craft times. One thing I love doing, but got away from is primitive stitching type items.

I just visited http://www.patternhutch.com/ on line and can't wait to run up there to look at all the new patterns. Here are some that caught my fancy that I need to get:

I want these cool chicks, but don't want to put the love goddess or lovebirds on them. Not sure what they will go on, but love them anyway. I may have to do 3 new t-shirts for spring. One chick for Mom, one for Rachel and one for me.

These little quackers just looked to adorable to resist. Thought I could do one per t-shirt for the grandbabies. I can always reduce the pattern size on my copier to get it small enough for their shirts. Every time they visit, they like to walk down to the river to see the ducks that hang out there. Thought these would be appropriate for the kids. And talk about easy to do!

With my new obsession about cats and whimsical birds, this one was a no brainer (Ms. Debbie, do you need the pine tree/cardinal one if I get this?)

I'm not planning on trying my hand at making an apron, but Mom likes to make them. I may have her make an apron so I can put the coffee mug on it.

These fat cats are so cool. But I would change out for different material. I don't know why, but I'm thinking whimsical on so much stuff this year. It must be my new "thing" for 2011.

These pillows are the cutest things I've every seen. Look at the hodge-podge of material they used. These are really neat.

Love this pin cushion. I won't need a pattern for this. I just want to make it.

My wish list for 2011....

Every year when Christmas is over, I get in the mood for change. I normally start looking for some new decor for the house, change the layout of a room or simply start a new collection. This year, I'm going to be scouting for cats. I do not like to do collections with a shelf that holds the whole collection. I prefer to collect the pieces in a way that I can infiltrate them throughout the house so you see the theme, but they go with the decor of where I place them. I was doing some research on the web and here are some that have been added to my wish list for 2011.

I would love to have this one for my masterbath which has these colors in it.

These are just so whimsical and would match several different rooms in our house.

This one is called Romeo and Juliet. I fell in love with it for several reasons. One, because it's Romeo and Juliet and I'm a romance nut. The second is because I have had two cats in my adult life who I had for many years and were very special to me. One was gray and white and once was orange/yellow and white. This figurine reminds me of them.

I am in to anything whimsical now and this gave new meaning to the word "fat cat". I love it.  

These colors are in my bedroom (except the yellow) and this would fit in perfect with my decor.

I just think she is absolutely beautiful. I love the dragonflies on her. My hall bathroom is birds, birdhouses, and dragonflies and has a lot of her colors in it. She would be perfect for that room.

My next item of desire is going to be some more pineapples. Nothing says WELCOME in a home like pineapples. Here are a few I fell in love with.

Then, of course, with January approaching I get in the mood to go to the local Donna Sharp outlet to get my new spring purse. It is a tradition with me and my sister. She comes to town in January or February and we go to The Maple's Tree in Pigeon Forge and in Gatlinburg to get a new Donna Sharp purse for the new year. She hasn't introduced the 2011 line yet, but based on 2010 here are a couple that I'm considering for next year.

I need a new glasses case for my sunglasses as well and she carries those to match purses so I'll have to add it to my "must have" list.

Why do we blog?

I asked myself one day "Why do I blog?". I enjoy my followers and love when someone leaves a comment. When I started blogging, I wasn't even aware of what a follower was and didn't even know that I needed to check for comments.

As time went on and I learned more about the blogging world, I began to see how much importance was put on followers and comments. I began to feel like a failure since I did not get many followers. I then added a stat counter and realized that I had way more visitors than I realized and even though they are not signed up as followers, I could tell by the stats that many of the same people were come back on a regular basis. Then I became obsessed with reading my stats to see who had been here and where they came from.

You can really become intense on information overload. Then you start thinking: Who is my target audience? What do they want to hear about or see?

Then I went back to the reason I started blogging in the first place. I have always kept a journal, but with the onslaught of technology I found myself drawn more and more to my computer. When I discovered blogging, I realized it was simply a way for me to document my daily life in lieu of a journal.

I realized there is no right way or wrong way to write a blog. There are no secret tips on what topics to write about. Some of my most memorable comments and finest moments have been on blog topics that I just wrote "because it's what I wanted to write".

Do I love my followers? YES
Am I happy with comments? YES

But most importantly, do I enjoy blogging? YES. I finally realized it doesn't matter why I do it or what I talk about, what matters is that I enjoy it.

What lies ahead.....

A new road is opening. It is called the future. 2011 is just around the corner. What will you do with your life? What path will you take?

As we approach the New Year, our minds begin to envision all the things we wanted to do in 2010, but there never seemed to be enough time. We all wanted to lose weight, and many of my friends succeeded beyond their wildest dreams with this resolution. Some wanted to eat better...and did. Some wanted to exercise more...and did.

Some set their goals toward family and home life....be there more for their kids, be more supportive for their husbands.

Some yearned to read their bible more and some wanted to do more active bible studies or become more active in their church.

Some wanted new careers and took steps to pursue their dreams. Some wanted to excel in their current jobs and worked hard to achieve that goal. Some went back to school to earn their degrees and some took chances on new jobs which paid off.

Now that this year is ending, we once again have the opportunity to look ahead down life's road and set new dreams and new goals for our lives. What road will I travel this year? Where do I want 2011 to take me? I'm not sure, but I do know that with God by side, helping me to steer, the road will be a little easier to travel.

My wish....

Our church family has experienced a deep loss of a very beloved member. A good friend lost her sister very unexpectedly. A niece-in-law lost her grandmother to pneumonia. All of these deaths occurred within a 24 hour period, Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Death is uncertain, unpredictable and uncontrollable. The finest doctors, the strongest medicines cannot help if God's will is to call you home. We can't avoid it; and we can't anticipate when it will happen.

That is why it is so important for us to show our loved ones how much they mean to us every moment of every day. Squeeze joy out of every moment. We never know when one breath is the last breath. We don't know what God has in store for us from day to day, but we do know He wants us to enjoy the life we have been given.

My wish for each of you is to enjoy every moment you are given and to live your life so your loved ones know how important they are to you.

A baby changes everything.....

A baby changes everything.....

Yes, praise God, a baby DOES change everything!

No Post on Christmas Day

I wanted to post and let everyone know I will not be posting on Christmas Day. I will be busy celebrating the birth of our Lord. Happy birthday Jesus.

The Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

As Christmas approaches tomorrow, I wanted to take the time to wish each and everyone of you a very special Merry Christmas. My world has so many wonderful people who care and I thank God for each and everyone of you. Especially my Facebook and Blogging friends. I sometimes get a little impatient and bring extra stress to my life, but each time I let something get to me, it seems like one of my friends has a kind word or comment that helps me see things for what they are.

This year has brought many changes to our lives. My mother turned 80 in June and is still in good health. She and my sister came to spend the entire week with me for Mom's birthday. We had such a wonderful time and made many memories that will last us a lifetime. We had a big birthday bash at my daughter's house and Mom even got on a motorcycle for the first time in her life (even though she wouldn't ride it).

We lost my husband's dear brother, Robert, to cancer unexpectedly this past summer. He was diagnosed with pneumonia when further testing discovered lung cancer and within a month and a half, God took him home. His passing left a hole in our lives that can't be filled.

Our son and his wife blessed us with some great news. A new grandson. Colby James was born October 1, after trying to make an appearance two and a half months early, causing his mommy to go on bed rest. He is a bouncing healthy, happy two month old now. Both our children had said they were done. We wouldn't be getting any more grandchildren. So Colby was a very special blessing and I thank God daily for bringing him to us safely.

Our business has done very well this year and from all indications, will only grow stronger in 2011. We added a new branch to the business dealing with the trucking industry and my husband is still able to help me with the business, allowing us both to work from home. Which was a blessing this past week with all the snow and ice storms that came through.

Our church family has expanded. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful pastor who was led to us by some unique circumstances. We have grown in so many ways this past year. We have grown closer to the Lord and to each other. We have had many things to celebrate. But we have also had reason to mourn. We lost many loved ones from our church and their extended families. The most recent being our interim pastor Rev. Jack Anderson. He was such an inspiration to our church and helped us through some difficult times. We were all so saddened at his passing.

My Christmas wish for each of you my dear friends and family is that God blesses you abundantly and continues to keep you healthy and happy.

Merry Christmas,

Brenda

God's Greatest Gift

Isaiah 9:6 -  For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Luke 2:6-14 - So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Christmas Crafts Showcase

If you are like me, you love to see crafts that others make. Some people just have that special talent to take things and make them into something that make you go "Ooo". My sister, Rachel, was kind enough to send me photos of some of the crafts that have been made for Christmas by my mother, by Rachel, and by a friend of the families, Linda. In most cases, these crafts came from their own designs or thoughts with no patterns to go by (except for the dishtowels). They are three very talented ladies and today I want to showcase some of their talent.......