So Thankful...

On this Christmas Eve I've found myself very thankful for the gifts that God has given me; even more than the physical presents that are under the tree.  

I've been having a hard time with my faith lately.  Even though I know in my heart that during hard times I need to turn to God, a lot of the time, I turn away from Him when things don't go my way.  I start questioning myself, my daily intentions, and whether or not God loves me.  Sometimes I just need to have a little more faith; in God, in myself, and in the life that He has chosen for me and my family.  Sometimes it just doesn't work, the trying to convince yourself of these things, so I turned to an outside source; for me it was my priest.  So today, I'm thankful for him and the words he's spoken to me.  Instead of viewing myself as selfish and ungrateful, I know that desiring something for my life, can be very unselfish.  The desire to find my path is not selfish; it's part of being a human.

Today, I was able to spend the day with my family and enjoy a day off from work.  Christmas day is another day off.  Granted, no money, but I'm so grateful for the tradeoff of family time.  The homily at midnight mass spoke to me, especially after a previous talk with my priest, and I have a new sense of renewal on my outlook on things happening in my life.  Prayer can be a powerful thing.

My brother came home for Christmas Eve and my family and I enjoyed a night filled with eating, exchanging presents, and talking about how old we're all getting; this was concluded by us taking our blood sugars and blood pressures.  I'm not kidding.  Mine was pretty dang good: 91 for the blood glucose and 110 over 64 for blood pressure- I guess I'm not falling apart yet!  But this was our laugh out loud moment of the night, man, age is just creeping up on me, if this is what we find entertaining!  Well, that and 24 hours of a "Christmas Story"!

I can't wait to enjoy Christmas day with my hubby (his first time off since we've been together!).  The day has already started off great and I can't wait for it to end with us cuddled up on the couch watching "It's a Wonderful Life."  No other movie could be more telling.  

I'm thankful for all my blessings this Christmas.  I hope you enjoy the same happiness and find your own moment of sanity when the shopping is done and all the presents are finished being opened.  Remember Christmas and keep the reason for it in your heart.

Merry Christmas! 

What's that I hear... Is Christmas Near?...

So, I've been back from Florida for a few weeks now and the Christmas season is upon us.  Work is slowing down, which always happens during Christmas, but with having to install a new countertop and sink, I'm definitely feeling the pinch just a little more this time around.  I hate feeling like I'm not contributing a lot to our monthly bills; it doesn't happen a lot, just this time of year, and the hubby doesn't mind, but I sure do!  I can't wait for nights with bands or for football Sundays.  I like giving good presents, but I refuse to go into debt for them, so this year I can only do what I can do.  I just hope family and friends understand.

I loved my trip to Florida.  I loved seeing my friend and I loved seeing her home.  It's beautiful and I had so much fun helping her fill it with furniture and decorating.  But since there are still items that need to be delivered still, I'll have to keep the changes for a future post.  

The weather was great for the first two days, around eighty-six, but then within a day it dropped to the forties!  Now they're in the twenties with us!

Sunsets are pretty but it just changes so much when you're just trying to not go numb as the sun goes down.  

Don't get me wrong, right now I would love to feel forty degrees, but when you're on a beach in your sandals, you kinda hope that the weather stays just a little bit warmer.  

Quite possibly the coldest beach feet ever!

It was a strange change of scenery.  We were listening to Christmas music on the radio and all I thought was that it was July and I was on a tropical vacation (at least the first two days).  How can people in Florida enjoy Christmas?!  They're in shorts and t-shirts and looking at palm trees.  It's just not Christmas in my mind unless I'm freezing my butt off!

Nothing was dying at the time.  How do you enjoy the rebirth of things once spring-time comes?  That's what I love about the seasons.  Although, I hate this cold.  Did I mention that?  I just couldn't get in the Christmas spirit down there.  And I felt like I was dating my hubby again.  Instead of cuddling at night and being able to give him a kiss, I was waiting for phone calls and sweet talking with him at the end of the night before I went to bed in an empty room.  It just felt so foreign; especially at night.  

It's strange.  Now that I'm home I miss my bestie like crazy.  I loved being able to just hang out with my friend.  I always miss my hubby so much when I'm without him; it'd be nice to have her here to do things with when he's working and I'm off.  Maybe one day we'll live in the same area.  But then the daily grind of life gets in the way, so I guess it's never perfect.

The day after I came home (with a teary eyed reunion in the airport) my hubby went in for knee surgery. Let me tell you what that anxiety can do to a wife that didn't get enough sleep on the night before!  I was so worried that something would happen to him.  I'm not great with seeing people I love in hospitals, I'm always so afraid, even if it's just for something simple.  Thankfully I knew the nurses and the doctor so it made the hours waiting a little bit easier.

I'm actually glad that I went away when I did because I've had the past two weeks to enjoy some time with my hubby.  It's been great having him home. Spatting about silly things or just getting on each others' nerves because we've been in the house with each other for too long.  This never happens!  Normally I'm just missing him, it's kinda nice to get tired of each other sometimes.  The funny part is, I think that's happened twice. I'm enjoying the cuddling (he just laid his head down on my leg) and the fact that I'm able to talk to my best friend whenever I want to talk to him.  No calling him at work to say hello or to say I'm missing him.  He's right here, I don't have to miss him.  I do feel a little like the dorky housewife when I call him at work so I try to avoid it at all costs.  So having him home is a major plus, I love it.

I don't think I mentioned how much I love to smell is newly shampooed hair either?  Did I mention it?  Because it's a fabulous thing that Pantene on my hubby's head.

Last Monday my mother and I finally were able to get our Christmas tree up too.  Thank God for Mom or I'd go crazy trying to get the parts of the pre-lit tree to be lit.  For some reason, it just never works out in an easy way.

These past few weeks have been very busy I tell you.  I was getting a little crazy about the holiday getting closer and closer and I still didn't have any decorations up!  Normally I'm a little bit more on top of it, but with the surgery and the hubby being home and needing my help (well in the beginning anyway) the tree and decorations became less and less of a priority.

Our tree looks great and I love looking at the ornaments and remembering why they have special meaning or remembering why they were bought at the time.  Christmas ornaments make me happy.  There's always a story behind them.  

Me, the Hubby, and Luna- at least in my mind

My plan is to eventually have no tree fillers, but to have all special ornaments with meaning.  Eventually that will happen but I'm looking to do it over time.  I'm going to buy an ornament for our vacations we take and the memories that we want to mark.  I just wish the hubby liked to decorate it as much as my mom and I do.  But then again, it's becoming my little tradition with my mom, so I don't really mind that much.  Yet.

We finally have stockings too.  Our fourth Christmas together and this is our first with stockings!  How could I have missed this major part of my childhood traditions!  Better late than never I guess!

  

Our nativity scene is almost complete too.  This year I bought the shepherd and stable animals and an angel to look over.  

My hubby gave me an early Christmas present (we're kind of notorious for giving our presents over time because we're like little kids and a bit impatient; we joke that we should have been Jewish and celebrated Hanukah instead) of the angel stand.  I love that the nativity is looking more and more complete.  I love looking at the true meaning of Christmas.  No matter what, my nativity comes out before anything else.

Another present that I got a little early were my footie pajamas.  

How fabulous is that?!  When I was a kid I remember having a light purple colored, care bear pair of pajamas.  I used to love those things!  These ones have the drop butt bottom too.  How exciting!  Maybe I'm the only one who loves the idea, but why didn't people think that grownups would like footie pajamas too sooner!  I mean who doesn't want to stay warm in the winter?  Yup, I'm a dork.  But my hubby calls me Dorkarella because I'm his princess; kinda like Cinderella but, well, dorkier. 

So, the Christmas season is here and I'm freezing my butt off in New York, I'm feeling broke, and I've headed back to the gym (and can barely walk now!) because I've gained too much weight back over the past few months, but ya know what?  Things are great.  I can't wait to spend time with our families and I have an awesome little family that we're building together and I'm looking forward to the new year and what special things it could bring.  

Ever since I met my hubby I've only hoped that each new year is just as good as the last and I haven't been disappointed yet.  Things just keep getting better and better.

Tuesday Tea Quote...

"The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with a purpose."

—Montaigne

Say It Isn't So...

So I'm leaving my hubby and my furbaby tomorrow to visit my bestie down in Florida.  I can't even explain to you how badly I'm already missing them, even though they're both on the floor doing tricks (that is, the dog is doing tricks for the hubby) for some egg.  That pup of mine just loves eggs!  Almost as much as the hubby.

I love my bestie, but I don't know how I'm going to do it!  I've never been anywhere without my hubby since we started dating over four years ago.  I'm a mess.  I'm not packed.  I haven't actually thought about leaving.  I've pretty much determined that no make-up should be worn to the airport tomorrow unless it is super water-proof.  

I'm a cheeseball.  

Who dreads a mini vacation?!  Am I the only person on the planet? 

If I could spend every waking moment with my hubby, I would.  Is that normal?

Probably not, but that's OK by me.

I'm not being completely negative.  I know I'm going to have a great time with my friend helping her decorate her new house, but my best friend will be at home by himself, and I just can't stand that feeling.  

I can't remember the last time I slept without him.  I hate the thought.  I wonder if I'm going to be able to sleep.  No hubby and no furbaby to cuddle up to.  I was going to take the pup with me, but it was $200 to take her on the flight.  So that's a no go on her first flight.  I'm going to need some good wine to sleep at night.  I hope she's prepared.

But my carpetbag came in just in time for the trip.  Now I can be just like Anne of Anne of Green Gables and Mary Poppins.  I just love how it turned out!  Isn't it just beautiful!

I've also entered a contest to win a custom portrait of our little Luna.  I'm really hoping that Rachel Stratford picks our little girl to capture with her amazing artwork.  Just check out some of her pieces at my favorite blog Nat the Fat Rat.

Here's Nat's dog.

Picture from Nat the Fat Rat, by Rachel Stratford

How amazing is Rachel?  That's not from a computer program.  It's pure talent.

I'm really going to miss my hubby and my furbaby.  Maybe if I have a little portrait it will help the next time a trip comes around and I have to leave our little Luna home.

Maybe I should start packing.  But the hubby is cuddling on me so I'm sure it can wait until the morning.

Thanksgiving Blessings...

Last night while the hubby and I were watching our favorite show, Parenthood, I couldn't help but get all choked up over the holidays of the past.  We were that family; the one that got together for the holidays and made a big deal over just being together.  

Parenthood- I love this show!

 We used to gather at my Grama's house and she'd have to get out this giant piece of plywood to put over her table just to fit all of us.  I always remember that there was a nice, clean, crisp white sheet that she would cover the table with; never a tablecloth.  That sheet would be a mess by the end of the meal.  We always started at 1 p.m.  Just enough time for the guys to watch football and fit in at least a few pieces of pie before everyone left for their own homes.  I remember there being a lot of family members with horrible mustaches loosening their pants.  Those were the good old days.

There would be wine, or was it Crown Royal, and I'm pretty sure that my brother and I helped do the dishes most of the time.  We were pretty much Grama's little servants.  We always did the dishes the best.  At least that's what she told us.  I think that's when I learned to stack dishes as high as I can.

I never wanted the holidays to end.  I loved being with my cousins.  I loved watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Now, I sleep through it.  Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest bar night of the year; so a 9 a.m. parade doesn't seem as enjoyable as it used to.

My favorite thing to eat at Thanksgiving is stuffing.  I'm the biggest stuffing buff around.  Which is probably why my waistline gets bigger by the end of Thanksgiving night.  How much bread can you possibly have? At least I never eat the rolls; that balances it out right?  I think it's funny how stuffing is my favorite because my Grama used to make it with the giblets from the turkey when we were kids.  It never failed that you would get a really hard piece that would just turn you off from the stuffing; at least for a second.  It was just disgusting!  Then you'd realize you could just use your napkin to get rid of that one little nasty piece in order to enjoy the rest. 

It's funny to me that I remember my Grama being a good cook.  My mother recalls a completely different story.  Apparently, Grama never learned to cook until she was older.  Maybe that's why my brother and I would get random pieces of eggshell in our scrambled eggs in the morning; she always claimed it was pepper, even though we never tasted it.

I miss my Grama's food.  Even the nasty little giblets she put in the stuffing that made us all smile at each other and laugh.  

I'm thankful for the time she was here with us.  I'm thankful that she helped raise us into the people we are today.  

I'm thankful for the years of Thanksgivings that we had as that family.  

This year I'll be going to my sister-in-laws house in the afternoon and then to my parents house at night.  Unfortunately, my hubby has to work; the downfalls of having a night job.  Thankfully, the restaurant closes on Thanksgiving.  I wish my brothers were closer so my mom could get excited over the holidays, but until then I'll just have to try to get her in the holiday spirit on my own.  It might take a little bit of convincing though.  But I'm going to enjoy the memories of those great holidays; I hope I can make those memories happen again someday.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Tuesday Tea Quote...

"It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do"

—Jerome K. Jerome

Kitchen. Done...

I cannot even explain to you about how happy I am to finally post this:

Our Kitchen, is finished!

Ever since we bought our house in July of 2008, we noticed something about the kitchen that we hated: the sink.  It was a double, stainless steel sink that was all bent around the edges; it looked crappy.

We decided that we weren't always going to be able to handle its crappiness and we would have to change it.  That time finally came around the last week of August of this year; we bought a sink from Lowes and decided to have it installed by them.  After they came to measure and said everything was a go, we set up the date.  The date came and the installer magically came to the conclusion that it wouldn't work.  Our last sink was rigged into a hole that was cut too large into our crappy laminate countertop.

  

Great.  So our little weekend project turned into what I like to refer to as 

The Weekend Project from Hell!

So our choices came down to these:

1) We buy new cabinets for under the sink

2) We buy new countertops

WHAT!?

Either way, our little weekend project that we thought was going to cost us a few hundred dollars, turned into a project that would cost us a thousand or more.

We decided that we would no longer work with Lowes and would go through my Uncle's business, Neversink Lumber.

The hubby and I never planned on living in this home forever, so we didn't think that the Corian or granite options were good ones for us.  For our tiny kitchen it would cost us over $3000 for either option; it just wouldn't be worth the investment.

Thankfully, I saw a great high end laminate version at my cousin's house and thought that it would be the perfect solution.  I'm pretty sure that I'll take a $700 option versus a $3000 one any day.

After months of this garbage, the laminate people called Wednesday at one in the afternoon to let us know that they would come the next day, Thursday, to install the countertop.  Problem is, we'd have to have our old sink and countertop uninstalled before they came.  

Ridiculous!  Talk about great timing!

Thankfully, my brother-in-law, who was sick as a dog, came on Wednesday to take the old out; my mom came over to help.  I wasn't sure they could handle it without the help of my massive muscles, so I escaped from work for 30 minutes in order to help.

I'm not going to lie: when the new countertop was installed, I was disappointed.

It didn't look like what I ordered.  But then again, I guess when you look at a little tiny square, there's pretty much no way to see how it would look when it's on a large scale.

Now that it's installed with the sink and new faucet, I think it looks fabulous!

Does that make me crazy?

I'm pretty sure that I'm happy with the choices we made.  Unfortunately, I had to paint the edges where the old countertop was; I'm still not a big fan of painting.

But, I love it.

Unfortunately, we still haven't paid for it.

I'm just so thankful that our kitchen is finally done.