We have elected to stay at home, as we do most years.
It is much safer to stay home...not to mention less expensive! The last time we went out on New Year's Eve was on the eve of 2001. It was an expensive celebration for my husband. We went down to Tempe for the Fiesta Bowl Block Party & we left right after the battle of the bands (marching bands that is). Before we left my husband got down on one knee & asked me to marry him with the little purple stone ring & chose from Wal-Mart. I was thrilled & called my best friend immediately after I said "YES!". It was getting crowded & the crowd was getting rough, so we went home to our little apartment. We got home about 11:30 pm so I could turn my dog Scooter out before midnight. We didn't live in the best area & we didn't know if we would hear gunfire or not at midnight.
I walked back into our little apartment, looked at the time (11:55) & saw my new fiance down on one knee! He said " You mean so much to me & I wanted to do this right." Then he opened the little box as he asked me to marry him for the second time in less than 2 hours. I cried tears of joy & of course I surprised. See, I wasn't expecting to get a diamond & I would have been happy with the first ring. I was unable to find a diamond I liked that didn't look like the diamond I had from my first marriage without going over my fiances budget. It wasn't his budget that was the problem, it was finding a diamond that wasn't a marque cut like the first one I had.
The ring he presented me with was a set of three round diamonds, the largest one in the center with a smaller one on each side. It was white gold (like I wanted) with a small veritcal band of yellow gold on each side of the diamonds. It was perfect! I loved it from the moment I saw it. I was touched that he even gave me a diamond & doubly touched that he picked it out with no help from me. He gave me the opportunity to pick a different diamond out when we went to have it sized, but I declined. I told him I loved it because he picked it out. I do still to this day.
About three months after we got engaged, we got married. No we weren't pregnant. We became parents to be 3 months or so after we tied the knot.
Nearly 6 years later we have a mortage, a car payment & I stay at home with our children. I wouldn't have it any other way.
I am very happy not going out for New Years every year. See why I said staying home is cheaper?
So, what are YOU doing on New Year's Eve?
Happy New Year Year, Best wishes & stay safe in 2007!
December 31, 2006
Touching AND funny
I received this via e-mail recently. I THINK it was from my friend Burke...honestly I can't remember at the moment though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post Office
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job it was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses.
One day, a letter came addressed in shaky handwriting to God, with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about.
The letter read:
"Dear God,
I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension.
Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension check.
Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with. I have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope.
Can you please help me?
Sincerely,
Edna
The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars. By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which
they put into an envelope and sent to the woman. The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.
Christmas came and went.
A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God. All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened.
It read ;
"Dear God,
How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.
By the way, there was $4 missing. I think it must have been those bastards at the Post Office.
Sincerely yours,
Edna"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See? It's both touching AND funny!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post Office
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job it was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses.
One day, a letter came addressed in shaky handwriting to God, with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about.
The letter read:
"Dear God,
I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension.
Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension check.
Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with. I have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope.
Can you please help me?
Sincerely,
Edna
The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars. By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which
they put into an envelope and sent to the woman. The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.
Christmas came and went.
A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God. All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened.
It read ;
"Dear God,
How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift.
By the way, there was $4 missing. I think it must have been those bastards at the Post Office.
Sincerely yours,
Edna"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See? It's both touching AND funny!
December 28, 2006
Let's see here, December was a busy month for me.
It started by putting up our Christmas tree. This year we had to place it on & secure it to an end table because the youngest would try to climb up it! The oldest never was a climber but the youngest is. I fully expect to find her one morning running around her bedroom playing with her toys because she has discovered that she can climb out of her crib. To be clear, she has YET to discover that, but is still too young for a toddler bed.
Next my parents had the girls for a sleepover while my Husband & I went to the company Christmas Party at the Dog track. He had never been & I had been once nearly 10 years ago. We didn't lose money, but we didn't win either. We just broke even. That is okay we because we had dinner on the company & had fun. We enjoyed our evening without the kids. It is a rare thing that we get time alone, so we cherish it. The kids have fun & Grandpa & Grandpa's house too & I don't have to worry about them being safe.
Next, we finished shopping for presents for my Husband & I. We didn't go overboard on gifts for each other & the kids this year. It was a nice change too. There was less to wrap, less to put away & less wrapping paper to toss in the trash. The garbage can wasn't overflowing with big boxes & we didn't get tired of waiting for the kids to finish opening their gifts.
The 20th I had a gift exchange with my best friend of 15 years & our children. The kids play very well together & we get to have a little girl talk. We both stay at home with our kids so our adult contact is very limited.
I baked cut out sugar cookies on three occasions. I made some to give to my best friend, some to keep & most to give away. The last batch my husband & I had an assembly line of 6 cookie sheets going in & out of the fridge & oven. For this my husband gave me an early gift of a nice rolling pin. It saved a lot of time & hassle. For about 4 hours straight we would be rolling, cutting & baking cookies. Most of the time we would both be at work while the kids were in the play room or in their bedrooms down for a nap. I would keep baking while he fed the kids lunch, put them down for a nap & he was baking while I ate my lunch. Literally it was non-stop for 4+ hours. Then he gave them a bath & got them ready for bed while I made eleven differant colors of powedered sugar icing for the cookies. The littlest went to bed while my oldest, my husband & I stood around the kitchen island "painting" & decorating cookies. I also made Peppermint Bark to give to the mail carrier, my parents & the girls Godparents.
When I wasn't baking I finishing up Christmas presents. My daughter made vases out of a bottle, pieces of masking tape & paint for my mom & her Godmother. She also made 6 large drink coasters out of popsicle sticks & paint for her Grandpa as well as painted a rock for her Uncle with his name on it. I added a wire ribbon with a handmade bow to the two vases & felt to the back of each coaster. I also had to spray sealant on the gifts. While I was outside spaying my husband was inside feeding the kids dinner. We were up until 2 am preparing for Christmas Eve. That is when we went to see the Godparents & Grandparents.
On Christmas Eve we were up wrapping presents, arranging the gifts from Santa & had to remember to put the cookies & milk out for Santa. I took a photo so the oldest would know we did that. I wrote the girls a letter from "Santa" with special stationary, envelope & sticker I picked up at Dollar Tree last year. The oldest was thrilled to get a letter from the him & the reindeer. It will be a treasured addition to the scrapbook.
Somewhere in December I addressed & mailed nearly 40 Christmas cards to family & friends.
We also had to locate a purple bunny of all things for Santa to leave the oldest one. I asked her if she would take a purple bear if Santa could not find a purple bunny. Her response was "No Mom, because his elves will make a purple bunny!" All I can say is that "Santa" was thankfull for E-bay this year. LOL! Try finding a purple bunny anywhere in stores in the month of December. It is nearly impossible.
I am glad December is nearly over. On Sunday the Chrsitmas tree will be comming down & I get the rest of the livingroom back...until Thaksgiving Day of 2007.
Stay safe on New Years, best wishes for 2007 & remember to pray for our troops in the Middle East.
The Race Has Begun
Edwards Shoots for White House Again
By NEDRA PICKLER (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressDecember 28, 2006 11:51 AM EST
NEW ORLEANS - Former vice presidential nominee John Edwards said Thursday that he is a candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, promising "a grass roots, ground-up campaign where we ask people to take action."
Clad in blue jeans, an open-necked shirt and with his sleeves rolled up, Edwards chose the backyard of a victim of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans' devastated 9th Ward for his unorthodox announcement.
"We want people in this campaign to actually take action now, not later, not after the next election," the former North Carolina senator said, sounding as much like a recruiter as a presidential campaigner.
"Instead of staying home and complaining, we're asking Americans to help," Edwards said. "Most of the good that has been done in New Orleans has been done by faith-based groups, charitable groups and volunteers."
Edwards - who is calling for cuts in poverty, global warming and troops in Iraq - chose the site to highlight his signature concern of the economic disparity that divides America.
"I'm here to announce I'm a candidate for president of the United States," Edwards told NBC's "Today Show" earlier Thursday, one of three back-to-back interviews by the candidate on morning news shows. "I've reached my own conclusion this is the best way to serve my country."
Edwards, 53, said the difference between his message to voters in 2004 and his 2008 presidential bid is that, "I've learned since the last campaign that it's great to identify a problem ... but the way you change things is by taking action."
And Iraq is one of the biggest issues facing the country.
"It would be a huge mistake to put a surge of troops into Iraq," Edwards said on ABC's "Good Morning America. "It sends exactly the wrong signal. We can maximize our chances for success by making clear we are going to leave Iraq and not stay there forever."
And the next president must restore America's leadership in the world, he said.
"It's absolutely crucial that America re-establish its moral authority and leadership role in the world," Edward said on CBS "Early Show."
Edwards' campaign got a little ahead of itself Wednesday and announced his intentions online a day early. His Web site briefly featured the logo "John Edwards '08" and its slogan, "Tomorrow begins today" - literally, in this case - before aides quickly removed them.
In his message to supporters, Edwards listed five priorities to change America. Among them: "Guaranteeing health care for every single American," "Strengthening our middle class and ending the shame of poverty," "Leading the fight against global warming," and "Getting America and the world to break our addiction to oil."
Edwards has been working to build his campaign ever since he and John Kerry lost a close race to the Bush-Cheney ticket in 2004.
The campaign could pit Edwards against his former partner on the Democratic ticket. Kerry has not said yet whether he will run, nor have other big names like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but Edwards did not wait to find out who will be his competition.
He has positioned himself as a serious contender. He's been strengthening his ties to labor and other Democratic activists behind the scenes, rebuilding a top-notch campaign staff and honing his skills. The efforts have made him the leading candidate in early polls of Iowa Democrats who will get the first say in the nomination fight.
Edwards' advisers scheduled a six-state announcement tour between Christmas and New Year's Day with the hopes that news would be slow and he could dominate media coverage. Over three days, Edwards also planned to travel to Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and his home state of North Carolina.
Edwards was kicking off his campaign at one of the few homes in the neighborhood that appears close to being habitable. It belongs to Orelia Tyler, 54, who has been living in a Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer in her yard while her home was rebuilt.
Edwards' challenge over the next year will be to show that he can keep up with front-runners Clinton and Obama, should they get in the race, in terms of fundraising and support. Unlike officeholders who may run, Edwards does not have a federal campaign account and will have to start raising money from scratch.
He also has hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt from his 2004 campaign.
The son of a textile mill worker, Edwards has been on a fast track most of his life despite his up-by-the-bootstraps roots.
A standout law student who became a stunningly successful trial lawyer and millionaire, Edwards vaulted from nowhere politically into the U.S. Senate and then onto the 2004 Democratic presidential ticket - all in less than six years.
In 1998, in his first bid for public office, Edwards defeated incumbent Sen. Lauch Faircloth, R-N.C., a leading advocate for impeachment of President Clinton.
Edwards began building support for his first presidential bid shortly after arriving in the Senate. He quickly made a name for himself in Congress, using his legal background to help Democratic colleagues navigate the impeachment hearings.
Edwards launched a bid for the Democratic nomination in 2003 and quickly caught the eye of Democratic strategists. Although he won only the South Carolina primary, his skills on the trail, his cheerful demeanor, and his message of "two Americas" - one composed of the wealthy and privileged, and the other of the hardworking common man - excited voters, especially independents and moderate-leaning Democrats.
Edwards' handsome, youthful appearance also gave him a measure of star quality, one of the reasons Kerry selected Edwards as his running mate.
---
On the Net:
http://www.oneamericacommittee.com
By NEDRA PICKLER (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated PressDecember 28, 2006 11:51 AM EST
NEW ORLEANS - Former vice presidential nominee John Edwards said Thursday that he is a candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, promising "a grass roots, ground-up campaign where we ask people to take action."
Clad in blue jeans, an open-necked shirt and with his sleeves rolled up, Edwards chose the backyard of a victim of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans' devastated 9th Ward for his unorthodox announcement.
"We want people in this campaign to actually take action now, not later, not after the next election," the former North Carolina senator said, sounding as much like a recruiter as a presidential campaigner.
"Instead of staying home and complaining, we're asking Americans to help," Edwards said. "Most of the good that has been done in New Orleans has been done by faith-based groups, charitable groups and volunteers."
Edwards - who is calling for cuts in poverty, global warming and troops in Iraq - chose the site to highlight his signature concern of the economic disparity that divides America.
"I'm here to announce I'm a candidate for president of the United States," Edwards told NBC's "Today Show" earlier Thursday, one of three back-to-back interviews by the candidate on morning news shows. "I've reached my own conclusion this is the best way to serve my country."
Edwards, 53, said the difference between his message to voters in 2004 and his 2008 presidential bid is that, "I've learned since the last campaign that it's great to identify a problem ... but the way you change things is by taking action."
And Iraq is one of the biggest issues facing the country.
"It would be a huge mistake to put a surge of troops into Iraq," Edwards said on ABC's "Good Morning America. "It sends exactly the wrong signal. We can maximize our chances for success by making clear we are going to leave Iraq and not stay there forever."
And the next president must restore America's leadership in the world, he said.
"It's absolutely crucial that America re-establish its moral authority and leadership role in the world," Edward said on CBS "Early Show."
Edwards' campaign got a little ahead of itself Wednesday and announced his intentions online a day early. His Web site briefly featured the logo "John Edwards '08" and its slogan, "Tomorrow begins today" - literally, in this case - before aides quickly removed them.
In his message to supporters, Edwards listed five priorities to change America. Among them: "Guaranteeing health care for every single American," "Strengthening our middle class and ending the shame of poverty," "Leading the fight against global warming," and "Getting America and the world to break our addiction to oil."
Edwards has been working to build his campaign ever since he and John Kerry lost a close race to the Bush-Cheney ticket in 2004.
The campaign could pit Edwards against his former partner on the Democratic ticket. Kerry has not said yet whether he will run, nor have other big names like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but Edwards did not wait to find out who will be his competition.
He has positioned himself as a serious contender. He's been strengthening his ties to labor and other Democratic activists behind the scenes, rebuilding a top-notch campaign staff and honing his skills. The efforts have made him the leading candidate in early polls of Iowa Democrats who will get the first say in the nomination fight.
Edwards' advisers scheduled a six-state announcement tour between Christmas and New Year's Day with the hopes that news would be slow and he could dominate media coverage. Over three days, Edwards also planned to travel to Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and his home state of North Carolina.
Edwards was kicking off his campaign at one of the few homes in the neighborhood that appears close to being habitable. It belongs to Orelia Tyler, 54, who has been living in a Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer in her yard while her home was rebuilt.
Edwards' challenge over the next year will be to show that he can keep up with front-runners Clinton and Obama, should they get in the race, in terms of fundraising and support. Unlike officeholders who may run, Edwards does not have a federal campaign account and will have to start raising money from scratch.
He also has hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt from his 2004 campaign.
The son of a textile mill worker, Edwards has been on a fast track most of his life despite his up-by-the-bootstraps roots.
A standout law student who became a stunningly successful trial lawyer and millionaire, Edwards vaulted from nowhere politically into the U.S. Senate and then onto the 2004 Democratic presidential ticket - all in less than six years.
In 1998, in his first bid for public office, Edwards defeated incumbent Sen. Lauch Faircloth, R-N.C., a leading advocate for impeachment of President Clinton.
Edwards began building support for his first presidential bid shortly after arriving in the Senate. He quickly made a name for himself in Congress, using his legal background to help Democratic colleagues navigate the impeachment hearings.
Edwards launched a bid for the Democratic nomination in 2003 and quickly caught the eye of Democratic strategists. Although he won only the South Carolina primary, his skills on the trail, his cheerful demeanor, and his message of "two Americas" - one composed of the wealthy and privileged, and the other of the hardworking common man - excited voters, especially independents and moderate-leaning Democrats.
Edwards' handsome, youthful appearance also gave him a measure of star quality, one of the reasons Kerry selected Edwards as his running mate.
---
On the Net:
http://www.oneamericacommittee.com
December 01, 2006
“I’ve come too far to take orders from a cookie”
of a french fry, or a soda or anything else that falls under the food & beverage catagories.
I am currently in the midst of a 40 day long Fast Food Fast! I figure if I can live without Fast Food for 40 days then I can live without it for good.
I am currently in the midst of a 40 day long Fast Food Fast! I figure if I can live without Fast Food for 40 days then I can live without it for good.
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