Go ND!

Let's go Notre Dame!

Make this game count!!

You Capture / Christmas Favorites

There is a lot going on in this first picture, but I still love it.

Our own little disgruntled Santa.
Natalie and Lizzy killing time waiting to open presents.
Lizzy loved her new kitchen set.

Jack getting some lovin from Aunt Katie and Aunt Abby.

Natalie loved the fact that grammy had the mouse from the books and he had the candy cane boxers, just like in the story.

I'm heading over to Beth's to see everyone elses Christmas favorites.

You should too.

Finally!

Finally, we have a holiday card.

I sent them out today.

I wish I could afford to send them to all of you,

but I can't.

This will have to do for this year.

It is hard to get 13 people to look the same direction and smile and not goof off .

I got to use the new remote for my camera and that was fun.

It was great to not have to get a friend over to take it.

I don't know if you can tell that everyone is in their jammie's.

It was Christmas morning and the rule was you had to come in your jammie's.

It was their punishment for not cooperating with getting the picture taken on Thanksgiving like we always do.

If the truth be known, I kind of liked sending out New Years cards.

It just makes the holiday seem a little longer.

The one thing I didn't get done this year was my annual letter to go in the cards.

I'm considering doing an email attachment for some of the people that we don't get to see often enough. I'll think about that later.

Now, I have to finish my thank yous for all the presents from school.

p.s. Don't I have just the cutest grandkids ever?

Some Holiday Pictures

Here are a few of the pictures from the weekend.

I have to save some for You Capture on Thursday.

Here we have the grandkids arriving at our house on Christmas morning for breakfast.

Everyone had to come in their jammies this year.

It was their punishment for not being cooperative with taking the annual Christmas picture on Thanksgiving. I told them we were taking a picture Christmas morning so I could send out New Years cards. I ordered them this morning.

Here they are getting ready to start breakfast.

They insist that I make fresh polish sausage, egg casserole and homemade sour cream coffee cake every year. This year Abby decided to add mimosas.

Not a bad addition.

Katie thought it was pretty funny when Abby and Myles got her a Wonder Woman snuggie.
She was Wonder Woman for Halloween a few years ago.

Dick enjoyed the shirt from Myles. He actually wore it to my mom's house later that day.

Natalie and Lizzy were pretty excited with the new Kitchen.

Their old one was very short and small.

Here poppa, have something to eat.

One of the cutest santas ever!

And the other cutest santa!

Lizzy would have nothing to do with the hat, but she was pretty cute without it.

And yes, I got the picture! It's not great, but it's all of us.

The 26th was Cindy's 36th birthday.

Lizzy was asleep, so Natalie got to help open presents all by herself.

She also had the honor of helping blow out the candles without her sister.

So, that is a glimpse of our holiday.

I'll have more pictures on Thursday for You Capture.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday too.

Have a Blessed Christmas

As I think about the real reason for the season,

I want to wish you all a most

Blessed Christmas.

I hope that all your dreams come true.

I also wish that you get everything you asked for.

I hope that you get to experience all the wonder and magic of Christmas.

But mostly, I hope that you make some wonderful memories that you can hold in your heart forever. Isn't that what we all want?

Merry Christmas my friends!
You make me very happy.
XOXO

Green Giant and Santa- Ho! Ho! Ho!

My friends at My Blog Spark sent me this link.

I thought it was pretty cute.

Hope you all enjoy it too.

Merry Christmas!

You Capture / Holiday Magic

You Capture this week is holiday magic.

I don't think you can get anymore magical than Santa.

I fudged a little here because I took this picture the last week of school and I also posted it in a previous post. I just love it though and had to put it in. All the rest I took this week.

How about the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window?

I love that movie. I try to watch it as many times as I can during the 24 hours of a Christmas Story on TBS starting Christmas eve evening.
I love the magic of a glowing Christmas tree. I think it should be a rule that once you put up your tree, it should stay dark until you take it down.
I think my favorite tradition is trying to make my dad a part of our Christmas every year. My dad died in 1977. This is his ornament that we made for him when we were kids at home. That was a long time ago. Every year, dad's ornamnet is the first one that goes on my tree. That one simple act is a little bit of magic that makes dad still a part of our Christmas. I miss him all the time, but never more than when I hang that ornament. I love you dad and I miss you so much.

We don't have a fireplace, so our stockings are hung by the beam with care.
Our chimney is actually in the closet next to the beam, so I'm guessing it takes Santa a little magic to get out of the chimney.

So, that's my holiday magic.

I bet there is lots more over at Beth's.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Finding Christmas

I haven't posted much lately. I'm having trouble finding Christmas this year. There are things going on that are beyond my control and it's making me sad. I finally got the house decorated and finished the tree tonight. I sat down at the computer and remembered that I never told you about Santa coming to preschool. Lucky for me, he got to come during Natalie's class.

I swear this was the real Santa. Even though I know who it was, I think he could be Santa. He was so awesome and the kids were thrilled.
Natalie got to ring his bells. She was a little leary of the whole thing, but she was a trooper. She wouldn't get too close, but she rang his bells and shook his hand. She loved listening to him read a story. She especially loved telling everyone in the family who came to visit at preschool

It's been a long time since I had my picture taken with Santa.

I loved it and him!

I'm just watching the end of the Polar Express and it always makes me cry.

My oldest daughter who I know is still a believer bought me the Polar Express bell and Santa ornament a few years back. I rang the bell before I put it on the tree. Of course I could still hear it. I hope I always am able to hear it. I'd hate to think that there could ever be a day when I wouldn't believe. I believe in the magic and the wonder and the baby that started it all.

I believe that there is good in everyone. I believe that it is better to give than to receive.

I believe that I can find Christmas in the eyes of my beautiful daughters and in the hearts of my sweet grandchildren and in the soul of my wonderful husband. I believe that love is the best gift of all. I just have to let go of the sad and let God show me the wonder.

It's right here and I know that!

You Capture / Outside

I blame Beth for our snow storm this week.

It came just in time for the You Capture assignment

It seemed like everytime I went outside (which was seldom)

I saw these poor babies trying to keep warm.
The blur in the background is the snow whipping around at 40 mph or so.

I felt so sorry for these guys.
If I could, I would have brought them inside to warm up.

I saw lots of snow drifts.

This poor baby could hardly stand up against the wind.

He sure wasn't thinking about using this birdbath.

The one picture that I missed was so cool. We were driving home from my mom's in the beginnings of the storm. All I was thinking about was getting home safely at the time. After we got home, I realized what I missed. In the open fields when the winds were blowing like crazy, there were snow funnels whipping around. My daughter called them "snownadoes".

They were really cool, but I missed them. That's what I get for being a big chicken.

If you go check at Beth's, maybe somebody there got them.

The Best Weekend That Just Keeps Getting Better!

Friday

We celebrated my Abby's graduation from Purdue.

My baby now has a degree in elementary education.

We had an all girl party at our favorite restaurant/bar.

We had so much fun!

Saturday

My 56th birthday

It was a great day. My family made it that way.

Sunday

My mom's 85th birthday party.

Look at this lovely lady.

Would you ever guess she was 85?

We all worked together to make her an awesome scrapbook of her whole family.

She loved it.

At one point, she loved it so much it made her cry.

But lucky for us, it also made her laugh.

Here she is with some of the great grandkids.

And here she is with my Jack. He is her only great grandson.

Monday

Abby got a job!

It's a medical leave, but it's a paying job and it's a start.

We are so proud of her and love her so much!!

Not a bad weekend at all!