Welcome, 2010!!

Happy New Year to all of you!! For now I am going to post my New Year's Resolutions for 2010, but I will post the delicious dinner I made channeling Ree, the Pioneer Woman, and events that followed tomorrow...

1. Work out 3 times a week-we got a gym membership for Christmas. I really do like it, most of the time--and it DOES make me feel good AFTER, it is just getting there that's the problem.

2. Spend $125 a month at the grocery store. I am going to be much harsher on what I buy and why I buy it. No more buying something "just because it's cheap" because hey, it's still money!





3. To piggyback on the grocery store, I want to eat fish at least once a week to pack in the Omega 3s.

4. Try new recipes. I am becoming a freezer to oven/stove girl, and that is not healthy! I need to be more creative in the kitchen.





5. Remodel the kitchen and the backyard/frontyard. We are very excited about both of these proejects and can't wait to get started on the backyard in the next month! With the frontyard following in the Spring.






6. Spend more quality time with my husband. Make time for each other without the tv or computer in front of us.



7. Learn to be more patient. I need more patience with everyone: family, friends, co-workers, and my kids at school.

8. Give more. I want to invest in a charity as well as our church. I also want to be a better friend and give more of my time both in person and on the phone.

9. Worry less about my "lists." I think this one is important. There comes a time when "lists" are not everything and do not dictate one's life and I need to relax a bit in this area.

10. Spend more time with the Lord--praying, reading, and taking time out of my busy day to praise Him.

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Choices Choices...

So I went shopping today with my mother in law looking for new window treatment options for above our huge living room/family room window. It is just staring at me telling me daily how it needs some warmth, so I thought I would help it out. It's the nice thing to do, you know?

I think I came up with a gorgeous option! Muted fabric with a fun fringe on the end...now, I need to decide style. What do you think??









While I was out, I thought about adding a little texture and interest to my bedroom windows, because obviously my time off work has led to decorating and I am SURE my husband will be excited about all of this.

I love this fabric, the browns add depth to the room and it goes with what we did to our bath. Now, how to add this in without removing the old would be my question...






I'd love your opinions!! My husband's grandmother is going to be making them for me as a Christmas present so thankfully I won't have to pay an arm and a leg to get them custom made.

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Christmas in 5 Points

1. We had our first Christmas totally alone, since last year we spent Christmas Eve in Orlando with my parents, this year we did our own thing Christmas morning and we loved it. So nice to start our own traditions.

2. Our Christmas tree was at the curb and my house was vacuumed by NOON! I know, we had some passerbyes laugh and point at the tree on our driveway, but I was so tired of this "rat" putting her paws in the oily water and eating the needles, that it just had to go!



3. My hubby did a great job picking out a lot of fun jewelry, new workout clothes, and fun home accessories for me. He got to hook up his new surround sound, which is God's gift to all men, from what I hear.

4. Super Mario Brothers for the Wii will test even the strongest of marriages.

5. Supersize Me, the documentary about the man who ate 3 meals a day for 30 days at McD's, was a night-cap with us vowing never to return to McDonalds EVER AGAIN.

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Christmas Treats

Here is my hubs and I in front of our first Christmas tree in our first home!!! Take note of the beautiful and fun earrings that were an early Christmas present from him :)





Here is my staple Christmas treat--Buckeye balls!

You will need:

1 box confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups semisweet choc. chips
1 tablespoon crisco

Mix the first 4 ingredients slowly incorporating the sugar.

Form into balls and refrigerate one-two hours.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chip and crisco (shortening) and dip the balls with toothpicks.

Let dry on wax paper and store!

ENJOY :) I always have people ask for this recipe--so easy and delicious!

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Wish List Thursday (a little late)

My bloggy friend Julia over at Open Hand Living started this fun day--join in if you can next week!

1. I wish to live for today! I am constantly looking forward to something or wanting to move on to the next thing.

2. I wish to give more. I tend to hold tightly to the things I have and not be a great sharer or giver of time, money, etc.

3. I wish to be happy with what I have. This is definitely one that is hard for me, especially being a new home owner.

4. I wish to find a hobby. Whenever someone asks me what my hobbies are all I can muster is reading and shopping--and getting pedicures---but those are not TRUE hobbies. The shopping and pedicures is an expensive hobby. I do love to read, but I think I can do better than that :)

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Taking a Break

I am taking a break from blogging this week. It is the last week of school before the holidays and I HAVE NO TIME to myself, so as guilty as I feel, I will see you Friday!

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To-Do by Christmas!

1. Enjoy time off with friends and family--I have Dec. 17th through Jan. 5th off from work and I plan to lunch with friends and spend time with our families.

2. Organize my closets! I feel like in order to get all "moved in" I might (ahem) have done some pushing and shoving and need to get it all straightened out.

3. Take things to goodwill. I have a load of Christmas decor and I know there will be more as I try on old sweaters etc--if it EVER gets cold!! 75 degrees here today and moist.

4. Buy and wrap all presents and shop for Danny's stocking. We set a limit on stockings and try to fill each other's with as much fun little things as possible.

5. Find a chair to go next to my tv stand and bookcase. I need an extra chair to pull into the seating area for when we have company.

6. Attend the YMCA 3 times a week--we are receiving memberships for Christmas so I want to get into a routine while I have a lot of time off.

7. Relax, rejuvinate, and come back to work HAPPY AND EXCITED to be with 21 little 7 year olds all day long :)

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Tree Branches and their multiple uses!

Nancy suggested that I put tree branches around the teapot and I thought it was a great idea...definitely ties it all together! I can't wait for the other seasons--these plates are really going to be versatile!

I made these DELICIOUS biscuits tonight--they took longer to bake than it took me to get out all the ingredient, let them soften, and mix it up. SO EASY! I got it from Thrifty Decor Chick.

1 stick butter
1(8oz) cream cheese
1 cup self-rising flour
1/4 c shredded cheese

Mix it all up with a handmixer. You can use mini muffins or regular muffin tins. I used a 6 cup muffin tin because that is all that fits in my toaster oven. But, they worked just fine! Bake at 400 degrees for 14-17 minutes. They will be soft and easy to pull apart, so easy and YUM!

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Tablescaping

It all started with this bowl...I received it for our wedding and it is my most favorite gift. The pattern looks like leaves that have been overlapped. Beautiful!

I put my mom's Christmas teapot on it this year for some fun...I still need to add a little something around it to make it sparkle.


I wanted the plates that matched so I shopped and shopped. They are not the type of thing that goes on sale, but I GOT LUCKY! A friend of mine works in a shop that carries the pattern and she found four that had minor flaws on the BOTTOM and gave them to me for 50% off!!


I put them on top of my favorite placemats and then stuck a napkin with our wedding napkin rings on top. I think it looks so perfect!

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"Special" Ornaments

These are my favorite Christmas ornaments--some funny, some sentimental. Enjoy!


Here is our Gator Santa...we hope that Tebow will act like Santa and bring us another SEC and National Championship this year :)

Here is the peacock. First, it is BEAUTIFUL. Second, there is a great story behind it. A friend and I call certain men "peacocks" because SOME men are bright and flashy and beautiful, but they are just dumb birds on the inside...you have to look past the bright and flashy men and find yourself a man worth marrying, because all those flashy feathers will fade, but their insides will not.

This is a Russian ornament I received from a student last year. It is a handmade fabrege egg.


Here is our "first home" ornament I received form a GREAT friend when we bought our house in August.


Our "first married wedding" cake ornament.



Our Rockettes ornament that we got last year when we went to NYC for Christmas...boy was it COLD.


And a kitty climbing the tree...MY WORST FEAR. I hope my sweet baby doesn't climb it this year!

Danny's favorite, Seinfeld joke ornament...boys...


And his sock monkey ornament that he has a very strange attachment to...who knows? I don't ask...


Those are our favorites! Hope you had fun looking at them, we have fun putting them up!

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