Happy New Year!

I dub this year....Year of Simplification!

Typically I do not make resolutions as I do not want to 'fail' and not reach them. But this year I find it important to set some goals and reminders of the priorities in my life as days pass and things can get blurred. So here are my 10 resolutions for the Year of Simplification ~ 2009! (yes, I know some of these are quite simple and I may even knock them off in the next couple of days, but it is good to set easy goals amidst the bigger ones so as to celebrate the small triumphs as well) :)

1. Simplify. Keep it simple. Don't over plan or over schedule.
2. Keep it close to home and heart.
3. Get more active! I had a good kick start with this over the summer/fall of '08 - '09 will bring a gym membership and twice a week trips and more biking and hiking with the kids.
4. Lose 15-20 lbs. Pretty reasonable I think. This will help my blood pressure, my mood, my overall good looks and well being.
5. Focus on work - get fresh with programs and stay positive. And with that keep work at work. Minimize the overflow into my home life.
6. Hang the bedrooms blinds.
7. Organize the basement and a play area in the basement for the kids.
8. Organize desk and files for neatness/de-clutter factor and also not losing important documents.
9. Fix finances - pay down debts, SAVE, make better money choices
10. Look ahead, not back.

Home Sweet Home

"Home is not where you live, but where they understand you" - Christian Morganstern


We had a lovely Christmas Eve & Day. I got everything wrapped, I got everything baked and cooked and we had a wonderful day. It feels a bit of a blur now, as it does every year. But I have the vivid memory of smiles and squeals of holiday glee from Mo & Pickle to remind me that yes Virginia, there is indeed a Santa Claus. I did not want for anything material this year. I honestly did not want a thing. What I asked my Santa for was peace - peace of spirit, peace of mind, peace for my heart. And I feel that peace coming just around the bend. But my loved ones were kind enough to grace me with very thoughtful gifts that warmed my heart indeed. I thank them for those, thank you!

Saturday the kids and I went home to my hometown to visit with my parents for a few days. It was wonderful, as always. Not only did we get nice grandparent time (which also includes my mothers letting me sleep as long as I want by occupying the kids) but I also got to visit with lifelong family friends and two school chums. If life permitted I would move back to Monroe to raise the kids. No where else on earth do I feel so at home and at peace. I feel strong and sure and grounded. I hope that 2009 brings me closer to having that in my life up here in the north. And I ran into some people at the Big Y, as I am known to do when I look my worst.

I have been away from home for about 15 years now, have created my own home for my children, but they are always homes with a small 'h'. Home is in Monroe.

Not a creature was stirring...not even a mouse...

"Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives manifest the presence of God." ~Unknown but apparently someone who knows their stuff


Getting ready today for tomorrow, the day that is known as Christmas. I am still baking for A's party this evening. I have to wrap 95% of my presents and clean...yeah, clean. Trying to keep the light of the holiday spirit in my head and my heart, but I find that it is hard and not very easy, it takes effort. Noticeable effort for me. I accept it though and work through it. There's a few reasons, mental, emotional and physiological. And I know that so I can work through it. I am really good at hiding it too from those around me - though my mother always knows. Every year gets a little better though and this year I am so looking forward to seeing the kids faces light up in the morning when they open their presents and to welcome my family and my friend Erik into my home. The people who mean the most to me. Ken, the other person who means the world to me will be here Friday morning. Next year I imagine our families being a little more combined, but this year we will be apart for the day. I will honestly miss him. He better call! (hint!) Ham, homemade mac & cheese, green beans and some chicken curry (for my brother in law) are on the menu with some yummy cheeses and shrimp cocktail. And, yes, you guessed it...cookies! I hope you all enjoy your cookies too!

And with almost 2 feet of snow outside it is a white Christmas indeed!

May the magic of the season bless you and yours with love, joy & peace. And of course...cookies!

Merry Christmas!

Let it snow...let it snow...

"I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines." - Henry David Thoreau

We're expecting some snow later today. They are saying 8-12 inches where I live in Southern New Hampshire. Kids have early release from school just to be on the safe side. And more snow for Sunday.

The house is a disaster area of stuff - holiday stuff, kid stuff, my stuff, school stuff...stuff! There needs some purging this weekend for sure.

Went to BB's holiday party last night with the kids to the Museum of Science. It was pretty neat. A little overwhelming with the kids there but it was nice. also nice to meet some of BB's co-workers. We will have to go back to BB's office one day so he can show the kids the labs and all the scientists. Hey, not every day you get a personal tour or the place where they de-constructed the human genome and now are working on cures for cancer and other major illnesses/diseases. That's cool stuff my friends!

The coming of a snow storm always gives the air a feeling of anticipation. You can feel the excitement from kids to adults. I am hoping it is the snow man kind of snow.

Happiness is...

The all ABBA all the time station on Sirius radio. And coming downstairs to find your neighbor shoveling your walk and driveway because he knows you have to go to work.

Happiness is...

Unwrapping candy canes with Mo in the kitchen for making white chocolate peppermint bark, singing Let it Snow and hearing Pickle sing it with me while she is up in the tub.

Joyous Yule

"Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles." ~Author Unknown