YOU ARE ALL DEAR TO ME and A COUPLE OF WINNERS

I loved reading all your comments..and am thankful for all my blog friends...Your stories make me laugh, make me think, make me cry and make me very HAPPY that I decided to blog!
I have spent the last two days packing up Christmas stuff in my shop. That's not a fun job, but one I need to get done early this year. I don't want to leave on vacation with my shop a mess.

Tonight is a night just with the boys....although I have had Parker the last two days and nights! (heaven) But Jack is on his way to spend the night so his Mom and Dad can have a night at the movies and the house will come alive.
We did see a good movie late yesterday afternoon...
It's Complicated! Some really funny scenes..I will leave it at that.
Tomorrow is SPA DAY for me...What a way to spend New Years Eve. This spa is the greatest and between a great hydrating facial and a 90 minute massage, you get a fantastic meal served on a gold tray, complete with silver and crystal...They do EVERY THING to make you feel special. Then a night of fun and fire works with the boys. Amanda is fighting a cold so I am going to help her get her tree down. That's what Moms are for.

I posted a final Random Dozen on my holiday blog!
EVEN TYPING 2010 FEELS STRANGE!

OK for some NEW YEARS winners....we decided to use a combination of Parker and Jack's birthday's..

The winners are Sarah at The Strength of Faith and
Andi at Magallano Mournings ...VISIT THESE BLOGS AND SAY HELLO to two bloggers.
Please send me your name and addresses and a package will be on its way...Hope to mail out prizes tomorrow or Monday.

I am working on a list of some of my favorite blogs and will post them in a few days. The problem I am having is there are SO many blogs that I love. I think this will take several posts! BUT HEADING THAT LIST and THE REASON I BLOG is because for many months I read this blog, Just a Beachkat! This was a lady I loved, enjoyed every post and wanted to know her better. So if you don't know Kat, stop by and you will be hooked. I have not met a more genuine and fun lady in blogland.

I JUST POSTED AND IT WAS TOO LONG

Rather than repeat WORDS and PICTURES,
I HOPE you will HOP over to my
HOLIDAY BLOG for a visit and see our FUN FILLED week with a few pictures of some cute kids! Our kids and their kids.
NEXT week I will be back doing most of my posting on GRAMMY GIRLFRIEND..aka Teresa's Treasures. What treasures I have in family and friends and NOW I can say BLOGGERS. THIS has been such a fun year entering the world of BLOGGING!
Now I have my good friends and elves,
TERRI and ELIZABETH both blogging..so stop by and see them.

This time last year, starting a blog was just a whim, just a thought, just a desire and look what happened! 104 posts later, then 70 plus posts on my Holiday blog and I am HOOKED. It is still mind boggling to me. As I have said before, I am not a great writer, I post crummy pictures, so it has to be my CUTE GRANDKIDS and maybe the fact that I know a little about tree decorating.

We are vacationing in January. I am looking forward to some downtime. It just happens to fall at the same time as the Beth Moore Siesta event and I so hate to miss it. Houston is just a few hours from me, but these were the dates we could coordinate vacations and condos and it is Jack's last week to fly FREE. For a change we are taking the family to Vail, a COLD VACATION. Mickey will come later in the year. We would never want the MOUSE to think we were slighting him.

THEN FEBRUARY will be my one year BLOG ANNIVERSARY! I have GIFTS, GIFTS and MORE GIFTS planned. I want to CELEBRATE YOU, MY NEW FRIENDS. I want all the lurkers to come out and identify themselves. Several have done that recently and I am so happy to get to know you. The next couple of weeks I am planning to STAY home! I hate after Christmas sales...I hate RETURNS! The stores have little appeal to me in January. I want to sit in front of the fireplace and catch up on lots of blog reading, read a few books, watch a few TIVOED shows, do a little computer work (as in learn a new computer that sits in the box), mostly stay in pajamas, watch a LOT of football, play with some little guys and all their new toys, pack for vacation, maybe play some cards with the girls (something I get to do almost NEVER during tree season), frame lots of snapshots from the holidays....and see some movies with MY MAN. We did see BROTHERS last week. One word..INTENSE!

Then I racked up at Christmas and received TWO FULL SPA DAYS that I plan to use SOON, plus another spa day in VAIL. Those are my favorite gifts...ALWAYS. ALWAYS..ALWAYS!!

One day next week I am going to share with you some of my VERY favorite blogs and bloggers and why I love them. They are really the reason I finally took the plunge. I wanted to know them. If you have a special blog that really got you started or really speaks to you, please share it with me.

Seems like we should start the new year with at least one prize. I have some BEAUTIFUL CALENDARS in my shop that we used in holiday baskets. I would love to mail ONE to YOU along with a few other things that will help you get organized for the new year. I will keep the comments open through Monday night....just leave me a comment letting me know what drew you to my blog and what kept you here. IF you are a first time commenter or lurker, your name will be added twice. You know I hate one winner, so let's make it two or maybe three. I am looking forward to catching up on YOUR blogs.

A TRIP WITH PARKER and JACK TO RIDE THE POLAR EXPRESS

I want you to laugh at this post. I DO NOT always have happy, always angelic, always obedient grandchildren. I know you thought I did.

This weekend JACK did not get a nap on Thursday when we left and NOTHING

made him HAPPY, THAT would be NOTHING!

Can you tell from his expressions. Santa did everything but stand on his head and Jack just gave him the stare. As Parker said on the way to the hotel, Jack had a case of BADIDIOUS!

He did not want to change into his pajamas...a must on the Polar Express

He and Pop having a heart to heart. Jack winning.

Still not happy about anything.....except whinning....are you getting the PICTURE?

He did not particularly like the cookie the elves served.....not his kind!

BUT, he ate it anyway.

Now Parker was happy, loved his hot chocolate and cookies and could not understand Jacks attitude, especially since Grammy let him buy whatever in the TOY SHOP! He thinks Jack needed an attitude adjustment. We wonder where he heard that? PARKER WAS THE BEST BIG BROTHER and TRIED EVERYTHING to make JACK HAPPY. Quite a task.

MY FAVORITE PICTURE FROM THE ENTIRE NIGHT. TWO LITTLE BUDDIES THAT LOVE EACH OTHER AND ARE THE GREATEST GIFTS that GOD EVER GAVE ME!

PARKER IS ANOTHER STORY. BUY HIM ONE NEW DS GAME AND HE IS A HAPPY CAMPER,BUY HIM TWO AND HE THINKS I HUNG THE MOON! AND THE BEST PART IS THAT I GET MORE JOY GIVING, THAN HE DOES RECEIVING THEM.

FINALLY, Jack begins to wind down (thank you Lord) and is thinking just maybe he might go to sleep.....just MAYBE!...

BUT FIRST A FEW TUMBLES OFF THE BED...

Finally ready for bed....BUT WHERE...He cannot decide, but knows that even though he no longer takes a bottle or a pacifier, he is for sure going to take one with Grammy and Pop! That is a FOR SURE. At this point he has already opened 7 Christmas presents, each hoping that the mood would improve. Now he has all his MUSICAL CHRISTMAS toys close by and ALL going at once. A cat, a reindeer, a barking dog and a chicken.....but he is not sure how he wants to arrange them.

He finally has them all arranged and off to sleep he goes for 10 hours! Friday and Saturday were much better days....He loved going to the movie, sat in Santa's lap and actually posed,lunched at Red Lobster and had dinner at TGI Fridays and acted PERFECT...and was sweet little, funny Jack the rest of the trip. Parker was a HUGE help and I rewarded him WELL.

Making memories with these boys are the most special times of our lives. They bring us a JOY that I did not know exist. Just wanted to let you know that I did not have PERFECT ones.

I can't wait to see Jack's eyes as he unwraps all his loot these next two days. He is at just the right age to be SO EXCITED.

Make a MEMORY this holiday season. I sure plan to. My new blog friends have made this year so special. AND I am going to get better at it....I promise. I will post my Christmas card letter tomorrow....Merry Christmas from our home to yours.

HOP OVER TO MY HOLIDAY BLOG and MAKE SOMEONE'S DAY

Please make a stop at my Holiday Blog today. I don't have time to post this on both blogs....BUT I really want there to be people, that need a lift, to get a surprise email today....READ this post and MAKE SOMEONES DAY....

I AM SO EXCITED....MY HEAD ELF IS BLOGGING

TERRI is BLOGGING!

My head ELF and good friend has started blogging OFFICIALLY today.... I am so excited. She is invaluable help to me throughout the year. Our friendship goes back years, as she has always done all my fliers, mail outs, and a million other things. A few years ago, she became a stay at home Mom/Grandmother/Wife and that enabled her to help me on trees....

I cannot even tell you what a blessing she is to me...so many long days and nights she hangs with me until we have finished a project. She is a problem solver, a non panic type, hard worker, doesn't mind getting dirty, has strong legs from all her many years of teaching aerobics...and that helps greatly in moving trees...Do you get the picture? She is on the floor pushing and I am standing holding the tree.

She is the Mom to three boys, wife to a funny, funny man for 35 plus years. She will have many Ninny stories, as she has little ones like me. Plus she is getting a granddaughter in June.

She is CRAFTY and TASTEFULLY CRAFTY. She is an awesome cook and entertainer. She is always ready to HELP..though yesterday she did not answer her phone for fear I had committed us to another tree.

She has taught me so much about the computer. Now I am going to teach her what little I know about blogging. Her youngest son is the HEAD of the GEEK SQUAD at BEST BUY which I totally use as clout when I need something done fast. I love you Colin and I want to buy a new lap top tomorrow, so have me one picked out...He will be laughing at this as I buy too many laptops. Some people like lots of clothes. I like lots of laptops.

She is fun and she and I share the same sense of humor....we laugh more than we should and probably at some things we shouldn't .

Please stop by her BLOG and welcome her to the BLOG WORLD....

SNAP SHOTS FROM MY HOME

*****It's day 2 of the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash, and today we are sharing Christmas Trees at my place! Please join us at my holiday blog....show us your tree and there will be a GRAND PRIZE WINNER...the tree that catches my eye as my favorite...I am sure they are all beautiful. Comments also enter you for all kinds of prizes that the HOLLY BLOGGY CHRISTMAS BASH is giving away. I have so many more trees to show you, but tonight I am wrapping! Tomorrow is another work day. I am looking for that 3 hour stretch that I can look at all the homes on the Christmas Home Tour.

Its almost 3 Am and I just remembered the HOME TOUR...and the Christmas decorator should post a few pictures...so I took some quick pictures...This is not a post I have worked on long and it is NOTHING but snapshots of our home at Christmas and its for kids....a little winter wonderland, a little (no a lot) of Disney, a lot of memories! This is not the post I had in my heart tonight. I will save it for another night. After you take a quick look, read the post below..
Christmas is the SEASON of MIRACLES...

Below is the magazine that my business and my HOlLIDAY BLOG recevied a GREAT two page write up in. The other pictures are just snapshots into our lives and will need no labels. I will be back tomorrow night with more pictures and some WINNERS...

This is such a special picture....This baby changed EVERYTHING ten years ago.