Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Friends!  

Cheers to a happy, healthy, prosperous, amazing 2013!

We were blessed to have 21 people to our home last night to ring in the new year!  It was a fabulous night filled with fun and laughter, food and noise!  I hope you had a wonderful evening ~ be it quiet, simple, loud or extravagant.  And even more, I wish you all the happiest New Year to come!

And in the words of Author Neil Gaiman:

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, 

trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world.

You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, 

you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself.  

Make New Mistakes.  

Make glorious, amazing mistakes.  Make mistakes nobody's ever made before.  

Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

  

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”

Windy Wednesday

Windy

definition: • (informal)  using or expressed in many words that sound impressive but mean little

Since I haven't been blogging lately, I have a whole lot to say.  Here's where we've been, what we've done and potential random thoughts of my own:

Christmas was nice.  Busy but nice.  Holidays get a bit crazy for us as our families live out of state and we try to see everyone.

The 22nd ~ Our little Christmas at home.  Pizza and gifts from each other.

Passing out gifts and new rollerblades for Action

A Minnie Mouse blanket Sassy made for Smiley

Sassy modeling some new clothes

The 23rd ~ hubby's parents and Christmas Celebrating with his parents and sister's family

Pittsburgh Steeler golf towel and snowball gun

Movie watching with cousins

Someone was wiped out

Hot-tubbing 

The 24th ~ Hubby's Grandma's house to celebrate with Grandma, Aunts, Uncle and cousins.  Chili, Oyster Stew (I stick to chili), gifts, cards, midnight mass.

The 25th ~ my Parents house.  Here we celebrate with any of my siblings who can make it (this year it was only my youngest sister and my little brother), Aunt, Uncle, Cousins and their kiddos.  This year was very low key, which was ok.

The 26th ~ Home sweet Home to see if Santa made a stop.  AND....... he did.

Relaxing at home

Hubby had the week off of work.  We spent some good quality time picking out new bathroom tile and accessories.  Then he "relaxed" by ripping out the old and putting in the new ~ floor anyway.  I am still working on painting the trim and next up are the walls, now that I've decided on a paint color.

Goodbye old powder room! 

At the end of the week, we decided to head up to another state to see my sister and her family.  Her and her husband just built a new house and moved it just before Thanksgiving.  We had yet to get up there for a visit and decided it would be a good weekend to go.  So the kids exchanged Christmas gifts, we went to a college basketball game and rang in the new year together!

Admiring the gift for her cousin

Fondu time

Ringing in the new Year!

Hey Auntie E..... next year, wait LONGER than 7pm to pass out noise makers! :)  

Live and learn ~ HA!

Happy New Year everyone!  

And don't worry, I have lots more to say :)

I wasn't so sure..

Hubs has never had the week off between Christmas and New Years.

This year he did!

And while I was uncertain how it would all unfold (he's never had a week off ~ at least not one where NOTHING was planned).  It was WONDERFUL.

We slept in EVERY DAY
and
We did a lot of NOTHING.

Take a look:

Presents were opened and Sassy and Action received DSi's they were excited and played with them all week long.

Family and Friends were admired.

More sledding ~ Sassy and a couple friends found some waxed cardboard and decided to use that instead of sleds.  Goofballs!  Nothing like redneck sledding :)

(pay no attention to the bad cell phone pic)

Pheasant jerky was made. Lots of pheasant jerky and nope, not by me, by my hubby.

And, Hubby took the kids snow tubing ~ we had tried to go as a family  a couple days prior, but there was a 1 1/2 + hour long wait to get a tube.

We had plans to have friends over to ring in the New Year.  Unfortunately 20 mins before they were set to arrive Action threw up.  Phone calls were made and our get together was cancelled.  We spent the night relaxing as a family.  And yay,  Action felt better and there were no headaches in the morning :)

The kids received these kids as a Christmas gift and set out to create their masterpieces.

Someone just couldn't wait to dig in :) 

Hot Toddy's were made and football was watched.

Minnie, Minnie and friends were played with lots and lots!

And a new calendar was displayed

It was fabulous and I was a bit sad this morning when I was awaken by an ALARM clock.  Ugh.....

Now to get to work and put this guy away

pack up this beauty

and everything else that goes with it!