Wishing Everyone...

A Blessed, Healthy & Happy New Year in 2010!!!

Happy New Year's Eve!

Awoke to a Winter Wonderland this morning courtesy of Mother Nature which makes me very happy being the Snow Lover that I am! Not too disappointed in not getting the chance now to head up to "home away from home" especially since Hubby awoke today with a sinus infection (and he's had to do snow removal here at the complex).

While the Twilight Zone Marathon on the SciFi Channel has been on, I've been doing a little cleaning around the house and reading book #30 of 2009 ("Gift From The Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh) which I hope to finish before midnight. An incredible book and a wonderful one to be reading as one year ends and another begins. (I highly recommend it to all of the women who read my blog, regardless of age!)

Now to finish straitening up so I can get back to reading before we begin making dinner.

I hope everyone has a Safe and Happy evening
no matter your plans!

PS, I'm adding the following to my overall goals for 2010: Continue saving money (i.e. using the library as much as possible, taking my 'savings' from coupons & depositing the saved amount into the jar on the dresser, cutting back & using coupons when ever possible), make moving a priority (if not to PA, at least up to where our second home is), to help Hubby be able to do more of what he enjoys.

The Eve of New Year's Eve: Getting A Head Start On The New Year

Not as exciting for me as the Eve of Christmas Eve! But there's anticipation nonetheless because I'm already actively working on some of the things I hope to accomplish and be better with in 2010.

I just did my half an hour on the treadmill (which may or may not have been a good idea since we went for a long walk down at the fossil beds late this morning) and tomorrow I'll start off with 10 minutes on the stationery bike. (I'm going to alternate the treadmill & stationery bike so I'm on one every other day).

Depending on Mother Nature & the weather, we'll head up to 'home away from home' around 1pm tomorrow and return sometime on New Year's Day.

This afternoon, I've been going through & purging things in my online life (ie deleting myself from groups I'm no longer active in and so on).

Now it's time for a shower and getting ready to head out for darts night. (Hubby is on a team that plays at a little bard just up the street).

Hope y'all are having a great day!

The Turning Of Year's

As 2009 winds down and 2010 beckons, the dreaded New Year's "Resolution" is beginning to nag & haunt at many! I've found I avoid calling any of my goals or plans for any given year "Resolutions" because I feel doing so dooms them before the start, no matter how good my intentions are to follow through with them.

My main things to focus on throughout the coming year (2010) are Writing Every Day, editing past manuscripts, Exercising and managing my time (instead of flying by the seat of my pants!) in addition to whatever my seasonal goals will be. These are both difficult things for me but it's a necessity that I become better with both of them. Also, I would like to re-read at least one all time fave book each month along with whatever new books I'm reading.

Way before vision boards became so popular, I used to create what I called vision or inspiration journals for myself. I'd take any images or words that struck something inside of me and pasted them into blank sketch books. I still look at them from time to time and I think it's something I should add to my "2010 To-Do List." I enjoyed it so much and it helped me a lot with my writing.

In finding a word to focus on throughout the year which would help with accomplishing overall goals (or resolutions) for the year, I picked "Simplicity" for 2009 (which I felt would bring "Clarity" which would bring "Harmony") and I feel I did well with that in 2009 and want to continue in 2010; keep simplifying myself, my life & our home and in doing so continue getting things organized.

So, my word for 2010 is
"Simplicity."

Additionally, my Winter (aka seasonal) goals are:
~Make sure I exercise at least every other day (and begin Yoga)
~Write Every Day
~Journal Every Day
~Read Every Day
~Narrow down & order my seeds
~Get caught up on my to-read shelf in the living room
~Get caught up on knitting projects
~Focus on our room (since the spare room is finished for the time being)
~Print 25 pictures out per month (at home or from the store)
~Get out whenever the weather isn't raining & nasty even if it's only to sit outside on the porch.

As for New Year's Eve itself, we're hoping to be able to get up to 'home away from home' and spend New Year's and part of the weekend up in the mountains. A peaceful, calm, quiet, 'at one with nature' start to the New Year, which I hope is indicative of the overall vibe for 2010! On New Year's Day I can't wait to see the outdoor hockey game on ESPN! (It's become a tradition for me, starting the year before last).

What are your plans for 2010?

Merry Christmas...

From Our Home To Yours,
With Much Love & Thanks:

"God bless the master of this house

Likewise the mistress too

May their barns be filled with wheat and corn

And their hearts be always true

A merry Christmas is our wish

Where'er we do appear

To you a well-filled purse, a well-filled dish

And a happy bright New Year."

(~Verse from an Irish mummers' play)

Christmas Eve

I hope everyone is having a safe & cozy evening! After being in and out more than we expected to be today, Hubb's set up his train under the tree early this evening, then we went to opposite ends of the home to wrap presents! Afterwards, we spent much of the evening on the couch, flipping channels (24 hours of A Christmas Story has begun on TBS, now it feels like Christmas Eve!), snacking, knitting (well, I was knitting), snuggling with the kitties and relaxing. A very contented evening! How about joining us? First you'll ride with us to a snowy beach (one of my favorite places) then home for Christmas at our place: (2 slide shows follow)

Wishing Everyone...

A happy & peaceful Christmas Eve!

I have a couple of errands to run
and then
let the wrapping begin!

The Longest Night Of The Year

A beautiful Winter Solstice night.

Winter Solstice

Winter has arrived!
(With snow on the ground here).
This is the shortest day of our year,
as it is one with the least amount of day light.
A short yet meaningful day.
Along & cozy night.

A Happy Winter Solstice to you & yours!

Blizzard '09 Photo's

And Snow It Did!

Our official snowfall total according to the local news is 21". The snow drifts on the other hand and 3' & higher.

It was so beautiful last night. I wish the wind hadn't been so down-right nasty so I could have stayed on the porch and enjoyed the peace, quiet & tranquility. Just the few minutes I spent out there late last night soothed my soul & just about brought me to tears.

Snow is my Yoga.

And the tenants, oh how the tenants (of our apartment complex) are aflutter with complaints this morning! "What if I shovel my parking space out and someone takes it?" "When are you going to do something about the two feet of snow alongside my truck?" "Ya know, there's snow on my deck."

LOL!

Sis.in.law has been in a Mood since Friday morning when we told her there was no way her flight from Philly would get out yesterday. She dislikes cold weather & snow. Her flight was officially cancelled by 8pm on Friday and we've got her rescheduled to fly out tomorrow at 1:30pm so we're keeping our fingers crossed.

Well, it looks as though we'll have a white Christmas this year - I'm hoping it's a quiet, calm & peaceful one too.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

A big Winter storm has started here and we're in the 12"-18" of snow fall area of it! I've already taken some lovely photo's of the Cardinals at the feeder out back which I'll post a bit later. Sis.in.law's flight for today out to Philly was canceled so we'll try again for Monday. Getting ready to go for a walk in the woods before the worst of this hits!

A Few Words

I wanted to thank all of you who offer kind & loving words of encouragement & support when I find myself in trying times. I hope at the very least I have done the same for you in return. Unfortunately, I know that happens quite often for me and I appreciate your tolerance & loyalty more than my words here could ever begin to tell you.

If, however, at any time, one person's reality becomes another person's drama & instead of feeling grateful that you don't have to live the way I do and you feel any kind of resentment towards me or disbelief in my words, please feel free to stop reading my blog. As I am honest with what I put out here on my blog, you should be honest with yourself as well. It's better that way for everyone.

Thank you for a few moments of your time this evening and I hope y'all are enjoying your Holiday season thus far!

A Sampling of Today's Free-Write

Baby, Now It's Cold Outside!

What a difference 24 hours makes! This time yesterday it was balmy (humid, thick warm air) and now it's down right teeth-chattering with 40+mph wind gusts ("24 mile sustained winds") making 39 degrees feel like 29. Tonight the wind chill will make it feel like it's zero degrees. (Always sounds a little odd to me, zero degrees). Time to break out some of the heavier scarves I've made!

My body is breathing a sigh of relief. For whatever reason(s), I am very much in tune with the seasons and when a particular season isn't what it normally is, I get thrown completely out of whack. Now it feels like December, feels like Christmas time and my mood is already lifting despite this darn sinus infection. (Myself, Hubby, Sis.in.law and even one of the kitties have a sinus infection right now!)

Three On Thursday

Wordless Wednesday

Baby It's (Not) Cold Outside

Well, another batch of Torrential rain & heavy winds has ended, we're flooded out all over the area (our street is closed as a result and because the traffic lights are out) and there are Christmas lawn decorations arse over tea kettle throughout a 5 mile area! (Had me laughing though, looks silly).

It's only 50 degrees but it's so humid, I've got windows open and I'm wearing a t-shirt & yoga capri's and I'm still breaking a sweat! (Sorry, tmi, I know).

It's colder in Florida right now where my father.in.law lives than it is here in NJ.

?!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Boo! Mama loves you.
Today would have been my daughter B's 10th birthday.
These are pictures of ornaments
in her honor on our Christmas tree.
Thank God it's gotten better (not easier) with time.
I am very grateful for that.

Decking The Halls

Photo taken with Palm Centro December 5, 2009

I'm nearly done and better photo's are coming soon!

Promise of Snow

I took the top one from the front porch this afternoon and the bottom one from across the courtyard. Our skies have been promising snow for weeks. Our temps however have not been cooperative. Weatherman says there's snow in our forecast for tomorrow. Heck if Texas and New Mexico have had snow a total of 3 times already this week, we should get some here where it's expected at this time of year, lol! Course there should be a "significant" amount of snow up at our weekend place tomorrow (again!) but we can't get up there for the weekend since Hubby has appointments here at the complex and Sis.in.law wouldn't be able to get around up there easily. (We can't move up that way soon enough! That's what I want for Christmas!)

Touching