Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

In honor of this great holiday, I thought I would share a few blessings in my life. So without further ado, in no particular order:

I am thankful . . .
  • for my family
  • for my children and all that they teach ME
  • for my husband and how wonderful he is to me and our kids
  • my 22-month-old daughter is FINALLY sleeping through the night (at least most nights)
  • for my friends
  • for my furbabies - our kitties and our dog
  • for my health and my family's health
  • each day we have food on our table
  • we have everything we could possibly need
  • for this blog and having a place to share my creativity
  • for ice cream (in particular, Chubby Hubby)
  • to have hot chocolate on a cold night
  • for snuggles on the couch in the morning with my two kiddos
  • for date night (even though they can be few and far between, sometimes)
  • I get to be a stay at home mom
  • for the first snow of the season
  • for a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning
  • enjoying holidays surrounded by my family and wonderful things to eat
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Friday, November 11, 2011

Bittersweet . . .

The  holidays are a magical time.

It seems as if we get to do so much more with family friends. People tend to be a little nicer, give a little more. Everything seems a little more sparkly and pretty!

And me? I am the hostess. Especially ever since we expanded our family to include children, we always celebrate the holidays at our house. And I love it that way. I love cooking, baking, and decorating, welcoming a houseful of family and friends into our home. Even not around the holidays, I love to plan parties and have friends over. It makes my heart feel full to be surrounded by the people that I care about most.

But, every year, especially around the holidays, I am reminded someone is missing.

My mom.


She passed away when I was only 8 years old. It seems to me like it was a lifetime ago. And really it has been. I have finished grade school, middle school, had my first kiss, learned to drive a car, graduated from highschool, graduated from college, got married, bought my first house, brought my first baby home from the hospital, brought my second baby home from the hospital, celebrated 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th birthdays of her grandchildren - all without her there.

I know she was there is spirit, but it just isn't the same. I can't hug her. I can't call her on the phone to tell her about the rotten day I am having with my kids, with her responding about some way I misbehaved as a child. I can't ask her for advice about my life.

Most days I am fine. Don't get me wrong. I think of her every. single. day. But the days that make me want to crawl back in bed because my heart is breaking from missing her so badly don't happen nearly as often. I suppose that is what happens after 24 years of her being gone.

But then there are those days where it just hits me like a speeding truck. Bam. Your mom is not here.

For example, at the dentist last week, he was asking me if I sucked my thumb when I was little. I told him I didn't know if I did or not. So he says to me, "I guess that is something you will have to ask your mom."

What a simple, logical thing for the dentist to say. But, for me, it made my heart break a little more. Because I can't ask her. I am sure he didn't think anything of it, but I have been thinking about that visit ever since it happened. And every holiday, as much as I am so filled with joy and love, it will always be a little bittersweet for me that my mom is not there.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Halloween Fun 2011

Here is how we do Halloween at our house. We start during the middle of October with all the festivities and end on Halloween night. 
It starts with the decorations. Many of these will stay up throughout November.
Fall Wreath for front door

Add in a pumpkin festival and pumpkin patch.








Mix with a sprinkle of pumpkin carving. This always includes roasting pumpkin seeds and drinking hot apple cider.

Lastly, trick or treat the night away.


It all adds up to one of my favorite holidays. We had such a fun time this year! I love that we have the family traditions that we do. It warms my heart.  
And now it is time to gear up for Turkey Day!