friends

it's a new year (in case no one knew) and i want something to change for me. last summer as i was sitting and chatting with heather and jodi at the def leppard concert i thought to myself, "what great friends i have. why aren't i spending more time with them." so, my wish for 2010 is to spend more time with my girlfriends. i have always have had the problem of leaving my kids. i take it so seriously that i must always be the one looking out for them, no one can do it better then me. you know, jay can look after them, steve and loleth can watch them-they will survive if i am not there. in the next couple weeks i will be going to ohio, granted i will be taking three kids with me but the fact remains i will be driving three hours to visit a friend so WE can scrapbook. will i be seeing heather this year...YES, will i make plans to go to ikea with julie...YES, make plans with shalena...YES, go to BC and spend the day with jodi...hell YEAH and nicole too...hell YES!!! going to visit becky in ohio...Yes sir, and it goes without saying seeing my awesome sista and going somewhere alone!!! you better believe it!! is it all about me, no. it's all about balancing some things in my life. i am grateful that God has given me such wonderful friends. please now all you ladies are never far from my thoughts and prayers.
this has been a word from nicole

Christmas

Our tree...which jay says is leaning because of all my gone with the wind ornaments that i insist on hanging up front. (he's probably right)

This is Norm my elf on his ladder, helping to decorate our already leaning tree.

This is the garland in the kitchen showing all the homemade ornaments that the kids made.

This is the garland above our front window with all of aunt Dee'd's Godchild ornaments.

yes, holly there isn't a santa claus

for the past couple of weeks holly has been noticing packages coming into the house. how many stories can i possible make up for each one. so i started telling her if she keeps asking questions she is not going to like the answers. so today while putting groceries into the back of the car she sees a present that is for matty. how do you explain that one. so i ask her, "do you want to know? do you want to hear the answer? what the truth really is?" i could tell by the look in her eyes she was curious to hear the answer but at the same time wanted to hold on to the magic of santa. so, okay, i told her that there is no santa. it is her dad and i who buy the gifts. that once long ago there lived saint nicholas and that is where we get santa claus. needless to say she was heart broken. she cried outside, she cried in her room. jay said i was mean but for pete sake she is 8 and a half and i am tried to telling stories to cover up the presents she finds. i knew in kindergarten that there was no santa claus. was i more jaded growing up than my children are now? so, the cat is out of the bag and i'm glad.

this has been a word from nicole

Curves

so i finally did it. i have joined curves with a friend. yesterday we went in for our first official workout and to be measured and weighed. i did not like my numbers at all. i weighed in at 167 lbs. and my upper measurements are 39-34-36. all i could think when they were measuring me was, "i'm no scarlett o'hara." scarlett had the skinniest waist in three counties for all those who have not read the best book ever, gone with the wind. they asked what did i weigh at my thinnest-100 lbs (just 17 years ago) and what was my heaviest-this is the heaviest i have ever been. any who, the workout goes by so fast. i just wish i had a little more coordination when it came to working those machines. i used muscles yesterday that have been dormant for sometime. i felt really good when i got done. really energized! my plan is to go three times a week with chris. my goal is to lose seven pounds the first month. i wanted to say ten but i would rather shoot low and then surprise myself with losing more. one good thing about going to curves me and chris are considered to be one of the younger women going there. 37 is young...loving it!!
this has been a word from nicole

it's that time of year....

i love christmas. i love the hussle and bussle of it all. i love seeing people with all their packages. i love thinking of creative gifts. i love the decorating. i love all the food. i love the christmas cards. i love giving baked goods to my neighbors. i love my christmas tree. i love christmas morning but i love christmas eve even more. but right now i am feeling a little down about christmas. last year i got my dad a branding iron. yes, a branding iron. i got it personalized with his initals TRH so he could brand all the meat he grills in the summer. tonight i find out he has yet to use it. here i thought i got this great, unique gift that he would laugh when he would use it. i knew he wouldn't use it everytime he grilled but for pete sake i thought he would use it at least once. i really put alot of thought into my gifts. i really think about each person and how i spent time with them through out the year. for example, my sister, got a pool for her kids this year. just one of those big infaltable pools and ethan spent alot of time in that pool. my sister said he even tried to surf with the cover of the turtle sandbox as his surfboard. remembering that story i found an underwater surfboard for him. i can so see him using this thing. hopefully, he will use it and not "tuck it away for memory sake."
in other christmas news i am thinking holly and i will get dresses for christmas eve mass this year. ususally we don't get super dressed up, it is just something we never did growing up, so i haven't done as an adult. but holly has expressed an interest in a christmas dress so i think i will take it up a natch and get a little dressy this year.
also, holly and i are starting a christmas village collection. we got our first piece yesterday at kohls-holly picked out the movie theather. i hope to have at least two other pieces before christmas. we are going to set it up downstairs in the basement on the glass table. i'll try to post pics once it is up.
this has been a word from nicole

summer 2009

Things that I have enjoyed this summer-
books from the library
Chicago with sista and the kids
Seeing Holly learn new things at her religion class
Seeing Def Leppard and Poison with Jodi and Heather
Taking a chance with Jodi and getting our picture taken with Brett Michaels
Knowing Holly and Matty had a wonderful time in Coldwater with Jay and Steve
Watching movies with Jay
Watching Jay crochet his blanket
Doing our annual garage sale with Sista
Going to Greektown Jay
Seeing Andrew learn new things at id Tech camp
Walking/running with Gordy
Facebook,Farmville and Yoville
Watching Y&R on the DVR and missing all the commericals that way
pistachio pudding
Shopping and eating out with Micala
Watching Matty play in the dirt and play with the hose
Being one of 50 finalist in the coke contest

i'm sure there is more but that is off the top of my head.
this has been a word from nicole

concert

i am so looking forward to this evening! heather, jodi and and friend of heather's and i are going to see cheap trick, poison and def leppard. back in 1992 heather and i saw def leppard at the kellogg arena. they put on a good show. i just want to scream and sing my lungs out. also excited to see heather and jodi. i can't even remember the last time i saw either of them. i should really get out more often.

this has been a word from nicole