A New Chance for Change in the New Year!

I've decided that there are some things in my life that are "time suckers" or "time wasters" - One is tv - I can easily get sucked into sitting down and watching a series of mindless shows that typically don't really interest me and then complain the next day about how I never have enough time to do what really interests me or is really important or valuable to me in my life.

So, on the occasion of a new year when we all make some resolutions that we plan to follow, I've decided to work on ridding myself of those time wasters or life suckers that aren't really any good for me but I keep doing them because they're habit- even though they deprive me of doing something more meaningful and valueable to me. Can anyone else relate?

When I think of the things I hold most dear in my life they are all about relationships with my husband, my kids, my grandkids, my dadm my siblings and my closest friends to name the most important. So, why do I continue with things that waste my ability to have meaningful time with those people when I could otherwise choose to spend it with one of them - I do a fairly good job of staying connected with them all but it could be better and my relationships could be even further enriched if I decide to get rid of the "crap" in my life and concentrate on that which really means the most.

For me, an example is that re-run of a show I've already seen that I never liked the first time I saw it instead of hunkering down with that book I've been dying to read or that scrapping I've been meaning to do of pictures of my grandkids. Another might be that second glass of wine (I know 2 glasses isn't alot) but things like that can become a vice or habit which help to suck us dry of real life. In my case, 2 glasses of wine makes me sleepy or lazy and further resigns me to that chair for the night in front of tv or can assist me in making other bad choices that can actually impact that which I truly value and that's my family. Let's see a couple glasses of wine in front of the boob tube or spending time with my grandkids? It's a very easy decision for me to make when comparing the two.

So, this is my last blog - Why? Not because I don't enjoy the whole blog thing but because most of the people in my life that I care about already know what's going on in my life and blogging for me at this stage of my life has become one of those "time wasters" that I needed to throw out - I challenge all the rest of you out there too to think about what's important in your life and what's sucking the life out of you that you, and only you, can change to give yourself the opportunity to do the things you really enjoy with the people you most love. Change is hard and staying "stuck" is far easier but the rewards are well worth it. Good luck!

Jeepers Creepers, Where'd You Get Those Peepers>

While at Baker's Square tonight for our pie and hot chocolate, after the Xmas performance, Kasey decided she needed glasses. So she picked up Grandpa's "readers" and posed for a quick pic. She wore them most of the time we were there and looked like a character, which is an exact "fit" for Kasey's personality. Kylie got a pose in with Grandpa's glasses too.

Kasey also noted at the restaurant a large group of maybe 20 Seniors enjoying a bite to eat after probably being out somewhere together. They were seated at a very long table with approximately 10 of them on each side. Kasey watched them for a couple moments and then explained loudly, "Look, they're having Thanksgiving" - We couldn't help but burst into laughter as she related the long table and the many people to the traditional pilgrim scenes you see this time of year. After having eaten onions with his meal, she also firmly told Grandpa, while sitting in his lap afterward that he had "de-scusting" breath. Once again, we laughed at how innocent and truthful little kids can be - especially this one - Carrie has said many time that Kasey doesn't have a "filter" system yet for some of the things she says but Grandpa and I enjoy those gut busting moments when she says what's really on her mind!

I Just Love Christmas Programs

We were lucky enough to get to go to Kylie and Kasey's Christmas show at their church last night and it was so beautiful and well done. The girls had several songs within the entire program with the youth choir so they were on stage several times but a little difficult to see as their choir was behind the musicians. None the less, they had a view of all the participants on a large overhead screen and from time to time they would scan the group so that everyone could be seen. Each time they scanned the group, there was Kasey and Kylie in their Christmas dresses, hair perfectly done by Momma and mouths wide open and eyes glistening with the excitement of being such a big and important part of a huge production. They were in their glory and after the show ran out to us full of excitement and shear joy. You could tell that they also were having a great time being in the show. Grandpa and I brought them each a single red rose for a job well done and then decided to go out for pie and hot chocolate - The perfect way to end a perfect night!

Doing One of My Favorite Things!

Every year for the last five years, I've made my Christmas cards myself. The first year I think I only made 40 of them but as the years have progressed, I think I'm now up to 90 or so of them. I absolutely love this process and start thinking in August or so, what I want to come up with this year. I spend a fair amount of time thinking through what message I want to convey and play around with colors and ideas so that it is just exactly what I want. Then, the fun begins.....Sometime in September or October, I begin the process of purchasing the product I need to make it happen.

This year our card was the most labor intensive I've ever done and had to be hand colored with watercolor pencils and then brushed with a waterbrush to make it look like it was painted - I have been totally immersed in the process and have spent many, many night in front of the TV working on them. Once that's done, I cut many pieces of paper to just the right size and start to layer and assemble them. Once assembled, they've been laid out to have THE star all glittered up which is what led the wise men to the manager and baby Jesus, our best gift ever.

Bill has commented to me several times that these cards seem to take too much time. He understands that I love to make them but he struggles with the amount of time they take at an already hectic time of year. This is how I've explained the process to him.

This gift of card making for me is something that "fills my soul" and makes me happy. It doesn't matter to me how long it takes or how putsy they are to make. This year especially, I've been reminded each and every card I've made, how lucky I am to have Christ as my Savior - How fortunate I am that God sent his Son to die for me on the cross so that all my sins are forgiven. That little baby in the manager is "our gift" from God and every card I've made has been an on-going reminder to me of that everlasting gift and the true meaning of Xmas, not to mention how I feel about the gift of family and friends.

I've told Bill that anytime I get a handmade card from someone, it is so much more special to me because someone liked or loved me enough to spend their gift of time on the card to let me know how much they cared about me. That's why I make them - I believe it's a very small way for me to let those I like and love know that they are special to me. That's why I sign every card I make with "From the Heart, Betsy" as that's truly where they come from, my heart!

Batten Down The Hatches!

There's nothing better than being up at the lake when you have no where to go and there's a snow storm - We were lucky enough to have that happen last weekend and hunkered down all warm and safe for the foot of snow that finally fell. Bill and I have a routine set for refilling the house with wood and when the snow started, we went into high gear getting ourselves stocked for a nice long weekend inside with plenty of wood to keep us warm. He hauls it in and I unload and stack it. We also have electric heat throughout the house but much prefer the sounds and smells of crackling wood. We spent a nice, warm quiet weekend alone (of course, Buddy was present also) and couldn't have wished for anything better than that - Ahhhhhhh, the simple things in life are the best!

Pancakes Is ALL It Took, Again!

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Last weekend, we were at the lake for a quiet retreat with just the two of us and the pooch, Buddy. Bill has always liked big breakfasts, especially when we're there and usually takes the opportunity after eating to take a cat nap. While there, I decided to make one of his favorites, simple but tried and true, pancakes.

Now for me, pancakes have a very special meaning when it comes to Bill. Some background is necessary tho first - Bill and I met in late 1999 but we both knew fairly soon after we met that we had a strong connection. We hadn't talked marriage necessarily but we were soul mates from the beginning and we both knew it. In 2003, after going to church one Sunday morning together, we came back to the house and I decided to make pancakes. This was the first time I had made them for Bill but unbeknown to me, almost 4 years after I met him, he LOVED pancakes and I hadn't realized it. We had a nice big breakfast and shortly after eating but while still at the table he said something about me being a good cook. Right after that, the conversation shifted to love/marriage and within seconds he got down on his knee and said some wonderful words about how he felt about me and our future together and yes, he asked me to marry him - I started to cry and absolutely said "yes" and because it was "unplanned" he slipped a bread wrapper twist tie on my hand and sealed the deal. Ok, so it may sound corny, but for me it was a moment I had only dreamed of as I loved this man deep into my soul.

So, backtrack to last weekend - After eating our big breakfast and Bill's favorite, pancakes, he did the same thing - got down on his knee and asked me to marry him again, four years after we got married - It was still a very special moment and guess what, I said "yes" again! Ahhhhh, the wonder of food, huh?

Turkey Day

It's not even necessary to write about Thanksgiving this year - These are just some of the pics of the blessings in my life that I am so very grateful for.