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Welcome

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Ringing in the New...

Happy New Years Eve Everyone!!!!!
How are you spending your nite tonite????
I would love to hear!!
Hub and I are spending it at home.. grilling lobster tails..and sipping some bubbly..soaking in the hottub..and watching the Ball drop!
I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Years nite..and a WILD and FUN 2009!!!!!
xoxo

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Hunting for the Pickle...

The Christmas Pickle

"In Old World Germany, the last decoration placed on the Christmas Tree was always a pickle...carefully hidden deep in the boughs.

Legend has it that the observant child who found it on Christmas Day was blessed with a year of good fortune...and a special gift"



They searched...and they searched...

And Andy found it!!!

Im so kicking myself in the rear for not starting this 'tradition' years ago..as it kept my three 'kids' entertained for about 20 minutes trying to find that darned pickle hiding in the tree (tim..you did an awesome job hiding that sucker!!)

It was so funny watching them trying to find that glass pickle ornament.. and when Tim told us he could see it from where he was sitting on the floor..they all dropped to their knees and began a deeper search. Even I (with an experienced 'uterus' which is known to be a secret tracking device and finder of all things lost")..couldn't find it!!
Once I did spy it..it was amazing that they were all just soooo close..and practically staring at it the whole time! It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack!

But in the end...Andy was the winner of the Pickle hunt..and because they all showed such great enthusiasm in trying to find it first..we rewarded them with letting them each open a present :)

I can imagine how this scene would have played out years ago.. with one kid finding the pickle and the other two crying because they 'lost'..or it 'wasn't fair'.. or it was 'hidden too deep'... or 'hidden too high'.. 'he's taller'..'she's shorter'.. excuses! So maybe it's better we started this game as 'grown ups' LOL

I loved having all three kids home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day :)

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas filled with family love..and I hope you all have a prosperous and healthy New Year :)



Saturday, December 27, 2008

It's a Bit Nipply...


brrrrr...
it managed to dip down to 31 last nite!!!! So hopefully.. it will do the same tonite and I will be better prepared to snap some pics tomorrow morning..
that is..
if i get up before the birds..
:)

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Mud & Snow...

what could POSSIBLY be MORE FUN???

The mountains have been dumped on..and the snow looks sooooo pretty :)

Tim and I took a ride around over the weekend..and decided to head up the mountain to Idyllwild to find snow to play in..and play we did :)
The trails were covered in snow..and much to our delite..we found MUD too :)

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!




And found this man in Idyllwild carving this Bear ...isn't it amazing???

In Idyllwild ..Tim poses by some snowbanks :)

Then... that nite..we had VISITORS to our catfood dish out on our back patio!!!

These guys were HUGE!!!




Monday, December 22, 2008

In my next lifetime...

I think I should come back as a cat!

Do nothing but lounge all day..and be petted and spoiled!!!!!


Sunday, December 21, 2008

My Father in Law Blows...

...the driveway!!!

My father in law gets a lovely reminder of how much fun it is to be a resident of Western NY and getting those lovely lake affect snows :)
This is how his day starts..usually most mornings...accessing the damage..cursing mother nature....grumblings ..puffing on his pipe..and then bundling up and trudging off to get the snowblower out to start his daily chores lol Poor Pa :(

(Notice the christmas trees across the road? That where we used to get our yearly christmas tree from.."Pete's"! ) The Tradition of going to Pete's each year to cut down our own tree was one of the highlites of Christmas time :) After spending an hour walking thru snow up to your knees to pick out the perfect tree...cutting it down..dragging it back to the cashier.. Pete's offered a nice cozy cabin to step inside and warm your bones next to their nice, hot woodstove. They even offered hot cocoa..and wreaths and various other little gifts to purchase. The kids and I usually stepped inside to warm up ..while Tim chit-chatted with the guys..and they 'baled' up our tree and secured it to the roof of our car.

Thennnnn..the Bestest part...was running back down the road to our In-laws to feast on yummy homemade rasperry tarts.. real, made-from-scratch old fashioned hot cocoa..and replaying to them how the events of the tree cutting tradition unfolded at Petes.

Traditions that we now keep alive in our hearts and minds.

~~~~~~
Lookie what arrived!! My ornanments from the PFATT Ornie Swap that our Ebay group does!!
Each year..we have a Pfatt Ornament swap..and participants each make 4 ornies. We ship them all to our 'Pfatt Swap Queen"..and she collects all of them and then divies them up and send back each participant 4 different ornaments!

This was the first year that I participated...and am so glad that Crusty kicked me in the butt and signed me up to do it! hhehehe

Pictured above are Candy Canes from Jody of Star Spangled Pretties, a little Girl in a box by Sarah of Paintbox Primitives, a candy cane, cubby dolly by Brenda of MyBackYardGarden, and a sheep with sweet embroidery around his neck by Joanne of Disgusted Cats. And the Thomas Nast Santa Tag is from Lori of VintagePallet!

I love them all..and will treasure them forever and remember my fun Pfatt sisters as I display them each year. Heck..I might just have to display them all year..as they are just so adorable!!

Thank you Pfatties :)


Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Look to the Sky


(taken with my cellphone)
...for some amazing art!!

I love when we get these front's that come thru..and bring us some amazing cloud banks that roll in from the west off the ocean!
We have been blessed with RAIN folks!!! Yep..for the past couple of days..it has been COLD and RAINY..and im sooo lovin' it!!




Snow is expected in the lower elevations ..as low as 2,500 feet!!! The mountain ski resorts are very happy and have enjoyed lotsa snow fall up there! I think Tim and I just might have to take a road trip this weekend to go get our fill of cold and snow :)


My mother in law sends me pics from back home (NY) of snow..and of my father in law snowblowing their driveway...and I send her pics of clouds and RAIN drops lol

So while its dark and gloomy..and rainy here..I will turn on all of my christmas lights inside..and put on the Christmas tunes...and hopefully finish wrapping all those little stocking stuffer gifts!

Only 8 more days!!!!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Goofy smiles and Good Times
















Happy Birthday Andrew!!!
Wow..23 years have past since that nite of driving to the hospital in a snowstorm to deliver a healthy 8.5 pound bouncing baby boy!

I feel as if time just keeps spilling thru my fingers..and the harder I try to hang on..the faster it goes!!



Saturday, December 13, 2008

Gone are the days of sniffing plastic...


..now that the kids are grown.. there are no more toys.. no more dollies..no more playhouses to purchase this holiday season..no more of my favorite christmas-time scent..

plastic.

ya..call me crazy..call me weird.. but i love the smell of fresh plastic and the reason relates back to a christmas when I was about 6. I remember getting a new vinyl or plastic purse..and the best part about that little cheap purse..was it's smell..oh ya..and the fact that it was probably my very first purse.

Clothing.. reading material.. giftcards.. and real life 'necessities' will fill the boxes under our christmas tree this year.
Gone are the days of barbies, racecar tracks, tea sets, annoying noisy guns and tearing into packages adorned with winnie the pooh paper, looney toons or teenage mutant ninja turtle wrappings...
gone is the smell of plastic.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Holiday Merriment is tickling at my toes....

The December Marketplace is Released!!!!

Come on In and join in the Merriment!!!!



Sunday, December 7, 2008

The Very Few Fall Leaves from my Yard


Wednesday, December 3, 2008


A Tradition...

Every Thanksgiving.. we gather around..and grab a family picture to be mailed out with the christmas cards ..and this year..we got to grab a pic with my Mom and Dad!!!
Here's a group shot of us .. I was sooooo happy to have them home with me to celebrate Turkey Day...(which also happened to fall on my Mom's birthday this year!!)
This week has just flown by..but we had a wonderful time together..decorating, laughing, creating yummy meals, remembering those who are no longer with us and getting hugs and kisses before bedtime :)

(See the slide show above of some of the highlites from my parents visit)