12.31.2013

goodbye 2013.

hello 2014.

365 new everyday memories are waiting!

i'm ending the year with my dudes with rudys bbq, facetime chats 

and college football filling the screen.

happy new year !

12.29.2013

december daily:

i'm not sure which part of this story i like better -

steve tried a new recipe from my pioneer woman cookbook

and took photos along the way to share with me !!

12.28.2013

                                   

december daily:

nothing better than coming home from work

to this scene!

12.27.2013

december daily:

our quest for the best cheeseburger has extended its boundies

to include dallas & we were not disappointed in our first stop!

kenny's delivered a great burger, movie quotes on the walls

and outrageous cocktails.

no wonder there was a wait at 230pm!

no one attempted the 3 pound burger challenge this time

but you never know about our next visit.....

12.27.2013

                         

december daily:

challenge - find something 5 boys have never done.

solution - indoor go-karting!

i'm not sure who had more fun, the boys or the dads !

total riot - 

i can see this again in our future.

this is what vacation days are all about!

12.26.2013

december daily:

no words needed.

the dirty santa tradition lives on!

lots of laughs, lots of steals and a couple frozen ice cubes!

12.26.2013

december daily:

road trip north to celebrate christmas with the hudsons.

we decided to check out the george w. bush presidential library

on the campus of smu.

had lunch at cafe 43 right next door.

no better combo than friends, history, cocktails and cheeseburgers!

12.25.2013

december daily:

christmas morning officially began at 8:30am this year.

much debate went into picking this time!

iphones, xbox one, legos & video games filled our piles.

brunch, walks & facetime screens filled our afternoon.

30 for 30 episodes and deck the halls kept the blu-ray busy today.

merry christmas & happy birthday jesus!

12.24.2013

december daily:

traditions live on this afternoon.

candlelight service at 3pm at church.

decorated mantle & front door photos with the boys.

not sure how this tradition started but i'm glad we have it!

-

new tradition started?

after church tonight, we went to flix brewhouse

for dinner and a movie.

cheeseburgers and katniss everdeen 

filled our christmas eve this year.

hohoho 

off to wait for santa!

12.24.2013

december daily:

traditions live on this holiday season.

moms world famous lemon cut out cookies!

love the cookies - despise the fragile dough - 

but worth the effort.

my elves helped decorate  pour sprinkles on the cookies

and on the floor.

nothing better than a cutout christmas cookie

and a cup of coffee on christmas morning.

12.22.2013

december daily:

another quick read.

this memoir is filled with recipes, words of encouragement, personal losses

mixed with spiritual strength.

i really enjoyed this book and found

 myself xeroxing many recipes to try in the new year!

perfect book to read in front of the fireplace!

4 out of 5 stars.

12.22.2013

december daily:

christmas made easy.

time for upgrades for justin & nathan.

any guesses what they wanted for christmas?

one trip to sprint store.

3 new phones - one for justin, one for nathan & one for me.

hohoho - easy shopping and easy wrapping.

hello new iphones x 3 !

we are ready to facetime, play words with friends and 

capture those holiday photos!

-

dirty santa gifts are purchased and wrapped and ready to

travel to dallas.

we are ready for laughs and steals!

we are almost ready for santa to drop down our chimney!

just the cookies left to bake!

12.21.2013

december daily:

early morning rain gave way to afternoon sun and 75 degrees.

last minute christmas errands at william sonoma and barnes & noble.

a quick run to the post office, the library, the liquor store and rudys for take out BBQ.

college bowl games squeezed in between our holiday errands.

finished up the wrapping - couldn't survive without my scotch tape wrist bracelet!

the best 2.99 ever spent.

hohoho...

christmas we are almost ready for you!

12.20.2013

december daily:

last day of school & last day of exams.

last morning with early alarm clocks buzzing.

its 5pm and we are in holiday mode.

nothing like a friday night basketball game at stony point,

mighty fine burgers to-go and

christmas with the kranks to start the vacation!

hohoho....

we are counting down the days!

12.19.2013

december daily:

the 2006 project life is on hold for the holidays.

my book reading appears to be on hold for the holidays also.

did manage to finish this quick soul seaching memoir between

christmas cards and wrapping.

makes me want to write my own memoir

(in my spare time!)

3.5 stars out of 5.0

loved her first book more

but this was a cute followup.

one more day of school for the boys.

they are excited for christmas break.

can't wait to fill our days with nothing -

no schedules, no homework, no alarm clocks!

12.18.2013

december daily:

the teachers gift card basket.

earlier this month, the boys filled out their gift card wish list for each teacher.

then i ran around town stocking up on gift cards like crazy.

so tonight the boys sat down with pen in hand

and wrote each teacher a holiday wish &

stuffed the envelopes with treats.

check - check - check.

teacher gifts are ready for delivery!

12.17.2013

                               

december daily:

amazon boxes filling our front porch last night.

award ceremonies at hopewell middle school today.

finding that little christmas present & its the last one on the shelf.

sunny and seventy degrees.

wrapping christmas presents with holiday music filling the house.

blessings are everywhere today!

12.16.2013

december daily:

i love this time of the year for so many reasons.

i love waking colin up at 630am and then plugging in the tree lights.

i love the soft light that fills the first floor as i turn on the coffee pot.

i love looking at each special ornament hanging on the tree.

i love that colin was sitting on the stairs this morning putting

on his sneakers and called to me, "hey mom if you sit right here,

the candle looks like it is lit on the tree."

i love starting my day with such cute observations.

i love the holiday everyday memories!

-

so fast forward.

its exactly 445pm and nathan walks in the front door from school.

"hey mom, i finally put together a wish list on amazon that you've been asking for."

zoom.

well, its not on our family account.

quick, find nathans email address - done.

finally found his list.

smile.

item one: preorder book  - available june 10th, 2014 !

REALLY NATE!

you couldn't even find something 'in stock'

item two: add to cart, checkout, express shipping fees, done.

(don't worry, he doesn't read this blog)

hohoho - thank you amazon!