Some more of Holiday sharing!!

Tonight is our night to gather our friends around and have a potluck! I am actually excited about preparing the food for this. I am making homemade sloppy joes,meatballs,and taco salad. I don't know for sure what everyone else plans to bring.Its a suprise! We try and do this every year right before Christmas,have a big dinner potluck type thing. Normally,every Friday we all meet here and hang out.Play games,watch movies or just hang out. I like it. There have been a lot of different people in and out of my home. Its strange when I think about it sometimes,because I wouldn't have thought to invite them. You know...Someone knows this person,so hey come on and join us. Or this person is friends with him....Sure come on over!! Its neat! I hope they enjoy it here!

Well,I hope everyone has a good time tonight. I will have to show ya's my spread when I take our pictures! Gotta have pictures!!!

Enjoy your weekend! I know I will enjoy mine!

Sharing the Holidays

This is the time of year I love. I love how everyone is so cheerful and giving. Its the one time of year when families get together whether everyone likes it or not. Me...I am one who doesn't mind who I am with as long as there is laughter,I don't care who is sitting next to me. I am one who likes my family. I enjoy spending time with them and not just during the holidays. I enjoy their company and we spend a lot of time laughing at each other. Nick's side of the family....I think that we all get along. I enjoy spending time with them and enjoy watching their children grow just as I do my own family.

The other night my sister Laurie came for a very short visit. We don't see each other as often as we would like,but talk on the phone often. She came up to suprise my parents for Christmas. So while she was in town we decided to go to dinner and visit. We had such a great time,I wish the night didn't have to end and her have to go back in the morning. We took a lot of photos and hugged and said out goodbyes. I hate goodbyes!!

So...I will leave you for now with some photos of our dinner....

My family

Yesterday was Michaels 13th birthday. 13 years old already! Michael is my little sister Tarri's oldest. She has 3 boys. Michael,Brandon and Devan. Well, yesterday we went to her house to celebrate with some yummy food and cake. And of course some good company. It was one of those kind of days where you just wanted to sit around and just visit.So...That is what we did. Somewhere in the mix we decided to have the boys spend the night at our house! I must of been crazy at that time. We have a house full today. Of course the weather is stormy and cold,so no one wants to play outside. Playing tag in the house is just not happening,so instead,they decide to play hide and seek....Oy Vey!!!

My family is rather large. I have 6 sisters Karen,who has 3 kids. Laurie who has 3 kids. Kelly who has 3 kids. Kim has 3 kids,one of them has passed away. Tamara,she has 6 kids. And Tarri who has the 3 boys. Then I have 3 brothers. John has 2 girls.Michael has 3 kids,and Alan has 3 kids also. WOW!!! That is alot of kids!!!

I wish I had pictures of all of them! But for now I have a few photos of the ones I am closer to.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I'd say I am done with all the decorating. I didn't go all out this year. I don't know why,but looking at all those 12 55 gallon sized buckets....I just kind of wanted to go simple this time. Just a little Christmas cheer here and there! I still have yet to take pictures though,I just haven't had the time.

The snow is really piling up outside making it really feel like the Christmas season.The lights really look nice against all the white snow. They just seem to twinkle more. This year we did the outside with colored lights. I really like how they stand out.

Today the younger two had there Christmas Concert at the school.This evening we took a ride to Calumet for a Tree Lighting ceremony. Its called the "Tree Of Love". We added this tradition last year to our must do list. I have donated or remembered a loved one for a few years,but until last year,never took part in the ceremony. This year was the 15th Annual Tree Of Love ceremony in memory of Jamie Jurmu who was 13 when she suddenly passed on.Her mother started this organization up to keep her memory alive. Why its special to us is our neice Sara passed away when she was just a little over a year old. Nicks brother and his wife were just devastated. This was in 1991.....So they have been there with Mrs Jurmu keeping Sara's memory alive. Steve and Suzette have had 4 children and this is their way to get through the holidays without their precious Sara. We started going because I feel I would like them to know that we will always remember her. Its a very touching short cememony,and to me a sad one. Many tears were shed this evening. I am just happy that I was able to be a part of it. Janet was represented with one of those bright lights along with a few others that I lit up.

Along the ride to and from we were able to check out the holiday lights. There doesn't seem to be as many as in the past years. That is sad to see....But the ones we did see were just so bright.It was nice to have sometime to relax and look around.

So take the time to look at the lights...They are so beautiful this time of year.....

Looking back....

This evening I decided I had better start writing out my Christmas cards. So with the help of Nikiah we got everything together to sit down and start writing them out. I got to my third person on my list and realized that person is no longer with us.....I kept my list from the previous years and just decided to see how many have passed on from when I started writing my cards out until now....Its sad to think of them people as being gone from my life.

I got down my list some and came to my dear friend Janet's name. It's still so fresh in my mind,her passing. I know that she is not here this year and it just doesn't seem real,even though its going to be 4 months. It seems weird not seeing her at Walmart or places where this time of year she would be. I really miss her company,her funny laugh....I bought an ornament for her last year for our Christmas celebration....We all knew it would be her last,so what do you get a person who knows its almost time....I bought an angel,very pretty and victorian.She loved anything victorian or primitive. So today while I was going thru some christmas decration ideas on the web.....There was that ornament on someone's tree....I found it hard to control my tears. This year I found another ornament, a pair of angel wings...I placed it on my tree and smiled....Its in memory of Janet......I sure do miss you friend!!

Christmas Cards

I so enjoy recieving Christmas cards. Its nice to reconnect with lost people that seem to come out during the holidays. I also like to buy them. It takes me forever to find them perfect ones that I want to send out. I like the primitive ones. I often wonder what people do with there collection after the holidays. I wonder if they keep them like I do. I enjoy the photo kind too.It's neat to see how the kids grow through out the years. I like to write a little note in mine.

For the past couple of years I have sent my sister Kim and my sister Kelly a card. They live downstate and we don't have any contact with each other. My dad and their mom were married once and things I guess didn't go too good. I don't know the details,but that side of my family kinda disconnected from us. For me its hard to be distant and angry.I try not be be that kind of person. There isn't anything I can do to bring back the past,but I can change the future. So I found a way to contact them and I wrote them each a letter one year.Every Christmas there after,I have sent them a card with a picture of us in it....I haven't heard from them as of yet....And I wonder if they ever wonder about me like I do them. Now mind you I haven't seen them since I was about 5. I am 34....It seems so strange to me that they may not care to contact me. Are they angry with me because of what happened in the past? Its seems so strange...But I will keep sending them their cards and maybe one day they will suprise me! I won't push the issue,but I just want them to know that I do think of them and wonder about them.

Enjoy them cards...I know I do!!!

A Thanksgiving Feast.....

There is so much to be thankful for.I could go on forever with everything and everyone I am thankful for. Thanksgiving was a day to reflect on all of those things and people that make my life what it is. It was a day for relaxing and being with just my kids and my husband. I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything else. We sat together watching movies and putting up our tree. I cooked a beautiful turkey.Yes!!! I pulled it off and everyone survived!!(if you knew my cooking you would understand where that comment came from!!!)It came out perfect.I was so proud of myself!

Its just amazing how fast this year has gone by. Soon Christmas will be here and then a brand new year. I have lot to do before Christmas gets here. A lot of things happening in celebration of my favorite holiday.

As fast as this month went by,I hated to see the weekend end. Our friends from Indianapolis came up for the holiday weekend and I hated to see them leave. I thought when they moved this past summer that it would be easier to say goodbye the next time around...I was wrong,I still cried! We had a great weekend,and celebrated our friendships with a few too many drinks.....Hopefully next time it won't be so sad!!