My Word For 2014

Have you ever thought of picking a Theme Word for the new year? 

A word you'd like to live by throughout that year. 

I have! 

I remember giving my son "Find a Date in 2008!" ;) 

But this year I don't have a catchy slogan, 

just 1 word: 

 

Hope has always been one of my favorite words! 

When I was pregnant with Twin girls 16 years ago
who were due in mid October

I wrote in my Journal that if they were due closer to Christmas

I would name them Hope & Holly!

When 2013 ended with me loosing my job & my families Health Insurance

as a tried & true Worrier 

my first instinct is to crawl into bed & cry! 

And just stay there!

But you always have a Choice!

You can look at all the negative & dwell on that

or you can try to see the positive in things! 

I always try to be positive, but sometimes it's much harder than it seems. 

I've always said: When life hands you Lemons, 

throw them at someone!" :) 

Just kidding!

but the point is you can always find something positive in every situation! 

So, going in to 2014

I'm choosing to have Hope!

Hope that I'll find a better job for me soon! 

Hope that my family will be Healthy & Happy!

Hope!

I love the above picture, 

I put it as my Twitter Cover Photo at the beginning of the year! 

This year, I'm choosing to live on Hope Street! :) 

Because when you have Hope you have everything!

So what do you need in your life this year? 

What would your word for 2014 be?

2013, The Year In Review

Let's see, what can I say about 2013? It was a Great year! And at the same time it was a not so great year! It began & ended with loss; we lost my Father in Law in March. 1 Year after loosing my Mom! It's always hard to loose people we love, and when you see your kids hurting, it's even worse. Then 2 weeks before Christmas I got "let go" from my job. It is the most stressful job I've ever had in my entire life time, and though the timing was really terrible, it's actually been nice to have time off during the Holidays. We still had a Lovely Christmas! Yes, we had fewer gifts this year, but our kids are older & they understand. And most of our shopping was done before hand. But now that the Holidays are over, I can't afford to be home, so please pray with us, that I find a job quickly. And with loosing my job, we also lost our Health Care, so my new job needs to include that as well. Thanks so much.

But, 2013 brought some really great stuff too . . . Kyle got a new job & a Girlfriend! And is very happy  with both! :) Katie is very sweet, she's a Nurse, & seems to be really good for Kyle! He's also very involved in Music & Jr. High Ministries at his Church. Zach and Kendra are still together & going strong, even though she lives 5 hours away! Zach got his Associates Degree and started ASU this year, working towards his Bachelors Degree in Wildlife & Restoration Ecology. He's studying to be a Wildlife Biologist. Erica & Lexi turned Sweet 16!! We had a big Breakfast At Tiffany's themed party! It was so fun! Both girls also got to go to their first Concerts! Erica saw Taylor Swift & Lexi, Paramore! Their Favorites! We went on an Adventure & had a Great Vacation in Durango Colorado. John & I celebrated 26 years of Marriage! He is working Full time at CrossRoads Church, which is a Interim position. So he is also looking for a permanent position as well.

So, as you can see, we are entering the New Year with open arms! We're ready for new, we're ready for change! As 2013 leaves us with all it's great Memories, that we will treasure for ever, we will let all of it's Sadness be washed away, out with the old, in with the new! Here's to a Happy New Year! Looking forward to see what 2014 holds in store!

How We Spent Our Holidays . . .

Happy Thanksgiving from our Family in Arizona, to yours!

Lft to Rt: Erica, Zach, John, Me, Kyle & Lexi

 Lexi Marched in the Chandler Light Parade! 

 Erica's Christmas Choir Concert!

The girls & I with my Family, 

Making my Mom's Christmas Cookies! 

Zach, disguising all his gifts!

This is Hot Rod Drumsticks for his Brother! :)

Kyle a Jr. High leader at his Church as Elf

for their Christmas party! 

 Tinkerbell patiently waiting for Santa! 

Kyle caroling with a group of Musicians & singers on a Flatbed!

So cool! 

Erica doing her artistry on our nails! 

She had me all in Gingerbread!

 Lexi in her "Ugly Sweater" we made for her Band Party!

She won the Contest in her Christmas Tree! :) 

 Zach & his Girlfriend Kendra with Frosty!

Kyle with his Girlfriend Katie! 

Who's been Naughty or Nice?

Lft to Rt: Erica, Kyle, Zach, Me & Lexi

with John on Santa's lap! :) 

 Ringing in the New Year! 

Lft to Rt: Kendra, Zach, Me, Erica, John & Lexi

We hope however you spent your Holidays they were Happy & Bright!! And that this New Year is full of Blessings for us all! Here's to a Happy 2014!

Give Me Five: Top Tweets of 2013!

As we approach the end of 2013, I looked back through my Twitter feed to find my top 5 Favorite Tweets of the year. Which I guess also qualifies this post as a Twitter Tuesday! It's like a two for one!

No extra charge! :) 

So here they are my top Five Tweets of 2013! 

A good reminder when things aren't going your way: 

1. Eventually all things fall into place. Until then laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and know everything happens for a reason. (Tweeted by: Epic Women)

2. Life is God's Novel. Let Him write it. Isaac Bashevis Singer (Gods Daughters)

And for a good laugh:

3. You can't make footprints on the sands of time by sitting on your butt . . . and who wants to make butt prints? (Oprah World) 

And you know I have to have something about Books in here:

4. The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. Dr. Seuss (CES Inc)

And one for the New Year:

5. A new day. . . New Mercy & Grace, new possibilities and new opportunities. . . think I'm gonna dive right on in!! (Darlene Zschech)

So here's to 2014! May it be a year of Joy & Happiness for all of us!! And may we have lots of great things to Tweet about! :) 

From Our Family To Yours

Merry Christmas

May Your Days Be Merry And Bright!

Give Me Five: Favorite Christmas Ornaments

Weather it goes up before Thanksgiving, or you wait until Christmas Eve to put up your tree, every year as your decorations come out, they evoke Memories and feelings of nostalgia. In this Holiday addition of Give Me Five, I'm gonna show you some of my Favorite Ornaments that go on our Christmas Tree every year and why I look forward to seeing them year after year! 

1. Places

I got Santa on the Eiffel Tower many years ago 

to mark my Trip to Paris when I was 20! 

And after my boys and I went to New York City a few years ago 

I bought this ornament of the Empire State Building. 

We have great Memories (and Pictures) from the top! 

I love Starfish!

 I found this Starfish Ornament in San Diego on our Family Vacation!

I love Ornaments that remind you of places you've been,

and conger up Great Memories!

2. Play

My Favorite Doll as a Child was Raggedy Ann!

And one of my favorite Ornaments is of her!

I also have so many of my kids' favorite toys;

Super Heroes for Kyle, Thomas the Tank Engine for Zach, 

Barbies, or Teddy Bears for my girls, Etc.

I've tried to get them ornaments each year 

that represent whats going on in their lives! 

Weather that be toys they're into, Sports or Instruments they play!

Christmas should bring out the Child in all of us!

3. Personal

My Sister Debbie would send me an ornament every year

I have so many from her and I love them all!

Especially now since she is gone.

One of my most Favorite is this little heart ornament

It unlocks and opens into a scene of a family decorating their tree. 

She sent it to me in 1992, 

after I, with my husband and our 2 little boys 

had moved across the country!

We think of her and talk about her every year as we put up our tree! 

Since many of my ornaments came from her. 

My oldest son has even bought me a "Sister"ornament from her 

after she was gone. 

That's how much they mean to us. 

4. People

Besides missing my Sister at Christmas, 

I also miss my Parents.

This is an ornament my boys gave my Dad when they were little, 

it hung on his Tree every year till he passed away

then my Mom gave it to us so now it hangs on our tree every year!

This is my Mom with Santa!

My Parents loved Christmas, 

so it's a blessing to think of them as we put up our tree every year!

5. Precious 

I love our "Baby's First Christmas" Ornaments!

This is Kyle in his Santa Suit!

Zach at just over a Month old!

Any ornaments with pictures of the kids when they were little 

are Precious to me!

Twin little Booties for Erica and Lexi!

I Adore Trees decorated in a Theme or color, 

but I will always have to have a tree with all our Special Ornaments to look back on! 

So there are just some of my Favorite Christmas Tree Ornaments, I'd love to know about some of your favorites as well. It's Christmas, you can't be too sappy right?! :) 

What To Ask Santa For?

I saw this on Pinterest & Loved it! I pinned it to my Christmas Board. You've heard the saying "Keep It Simple!" Well this does just that. It's what we're using for our Christmas lists this year . . . .

Now when someone in the Family says "Oh, you are just gonna Love what I got you for Christmas!" The person they are talking to tries to get a hint of what the gift might be by asking which of the 4 categories it falls under. We usually say something like 3 out of the 4! ;) I figure if it comes in a box, or has a label on it, you could read it right?! If you can set it on top of your head, technically you could wear it! You know, anything to through that person off the trail! 

Here are what my 4 items would be:

1. Something I Want

I saw this Calvin Klein Bag Month ago & fell head over heels! Thankfully (and Thanks to Macy's Black Friday Sale) I was able to get it for 75% off! Score! I told my Husband that this is the only present I need this year! Oh, and don't worry, I will act totally surprised when I open it on Christmas morning! :0


2. Something I Need

The ONLY thing I Really Need right now is a New Job! But I don't think this is something Santa can leave in my Stocking, so I've had to go over his head! That's right, straight to the top! I'm asking God for this one! I'll let you know when it gets here!


3. Something to Wear

This one isn't hard at all for me, I pretty much Love all Clothes & Shoes, Scarves, Etc. Same with my girls! Like Mother, Like Daughters!! :)


4. Something to Read

Now my oldest Son, Kyle (the only non-reader in the Family) asked if he could change the Something to Read, to Something to Watch! He'd much rather get a DVD than a Book. I know, Crazy right?! I, unlike Kyle, Love Books. One I'm really looking forward to is The Invention Of Wings by: Sue Monk Kidd who also wrote The Secret Life Of Bees & Traveling With Pomegranates, both books I really liked! This new one of hers doesn't come out till January & Oprah has already selected it for her Book Club next Read! It sounds very intriguing! I can't wait to read it!

So, following this list of "Something I Want, Something I Need, Something to Wear, Something to Read" What 4 items would you ask Santa for this year?