Blah, Blah, Blah.....

So who here is sick of winter?  ME, TOO!!  I've lived in the Midwest most of my life, and typically, I don't mind winter.  There's a peacefulness that comes with a heavy snowfall, a comfort that comes from being snug indoors under my favorite blanket with a good book.  This year, things were different.  High winds, extreme cold, not much snow.  When temps get too low, the only way to ensure your car will start when you need it is to run it for twenty or thirty minutes every few hours.  All night long, all day long.  Dog sitting was another adventure.  It has been so cold, the dogs don't even want to go out to potty, and it's just plain dangerous to walk them.  So my little puppy niece, Lily, has been getting into the kind of mischief dogs get into when they get bored:  shredding socks, tearing around the house, pestering her big sister.....

Pouty Miss Lily ~  she hates being cooped up

We didn't get a lot of snow this year, but we did have a couple small storms that dropped a couple inches at a time last week.  Unfortunately, we also had an ice storm, and that one was first.  So our streets are a mess of thick ice, rutted and covered with snow.  Over the weekend, the sun stayed hidden but the temps rose enough that the mess finally started melting.  That's the good news.  The bad news is, with all the ruts in the ice, the melt wasn't moving.  So we got out shovels and choppers and started chipping out ditches to the storm sewers, trying to drain flooded streets.  We're expecting one more warm day, and I'm hoping most of this water will be gone, or it will refreeze into another patch of ice come Tuesday.

Walker and my sister, hard at work ~

'Bout Sums It Up ~

I'm Sorry, Yoga Girl ~

With the arrival of the new year, it's time to have a conversation with the little yoga girl at the top of my blog.  I let her down this year.  My original goal was to lose just about 40 pounds.  I crossed the halfway point months ago, though those last couple pounds were pretty stubborn.  Then I held steady through the summer and into fall.  I was okay with that.  Yeah, I would have liked to have done better but I was dealing with some other issues at the time, and I was glad to just maintain.

Then along came the kitchen remodel, with lots of stops and starts.  I had to pack up a lot of what was in the cupboards in August, but we still had use of the fridge and stove.  In October, when the workers could focus on my kitchen full time, we lost the stove.  I stocked up on Cheerios and fruit and frozen dinners (I moved the microwave into the dining room) but we also ended up going through a drive thru just about every day.  Sometimes, more than once. The treadmill and the Pilates machine are in the basement, and getting to them during the remodel meant maneuvering through workers, and materials, and tools, trying not to get in the way.  So I just didn't.  By the time the kitchen was finished it was the holidays and I had gained back nine pounds.  I didn't bake any Christmas cookies, but I did make some cashew brittle for Walker's mom, and some English toffee for Walker.  And of course, friends and neighbors dropped off lots of cookies and treats.

So here we are, on the first day of 2014, and my net for 2013 was a loss of about seven and a half pounds.  Sigh.  I tell myself that at least it's a loss, it could be a lot worse, but....damn.  I worked so hard, with so little to show for it.  But: the fight isn't over.  I have reset the little yoga girl, and this time, she's gonna slide across the finish line. 

Family Christmas ~

Santa brought me a wonderful gift, a couple days before Christmas. My sister and her boys zipped into town as a holiday surprise. My sister had to leave the day after Christmas, but they boys are staying until New Year's. I have my nephews, staying in my house, for a whole week.  They are growing up so fast, and I know they time they'll want to spend here is limited, so I cherish every moment.

The last time we had all the kids together was eight years ago. I bought them all new shirts and took them to Sears for a portrait.  The colors of their shirts indicate which kids are siblings.

Here they are now, in the same places.  My babies aren't babies anymore.  My sister took these photos, along with group photos of the siblings.  I loaded them onto a digital photo frame for my mom's Christmas gift.  I added some of my siblings and me when we were little, and some favorites from over the years.

Here's one from about 1971. I'm in the red dress. This one went on my mom's digital frame.

After our photo shoot, I served lasagna to everyone.  It was so much fun, I did it again Christmas morning, whipping up brunch with Walker's help.  Walker had to work Christmas night, so we decided brunch would work better than a dinner later in the day.  Since I'm not a morning person, I added a little motivation to my OJ - it's spiked with champagne. 

And now, to ensure my nephews stay with me the next time they're in town, I whipped up some chocolate croissants.  Okay, I baked frozen croissant dough I bought from QVC.  But they're so delicious, nobody cares that they aren't made from scratch.  

Bet You Thought It Would Never Happen ~

Ta-Dah!!! The kitchen is done. Really! Look - I'll show you! 

Oh, yeah!  A dishwasher that actually works!!!  There are two faucets at the sink:  a regular one, and a filtered one for drinking water that is not hooked up to the water softener.

This is Walker's coffee bar ~

Still looking for curtains, but that's it!  That's all I have left to do ~

I'd love a table & chairs in dark wood like the cabinets, but, these will do just fine ~

From My Home to Yours ~

I'm still here, and I have lots to tell y'all!  Not today, but soon, I promise.  Today I'll just wish a very Merry Christmas to each and every one of y'all.  I hope your holiday is filled with peace, joy, laughter, and love. 

Merry Christmas!!

Happy Thanksgiving!