How Sweet Is This?

I always knew that my husband was a sweetheart & what he did yesterday truly confirmed it! If you read my blog yesterday, you know it was his birthday, not mine. But guess who received flowers yesterday? Me :) How sweet is that?!?! When I asked him why he got me flowers on his birthday, he said "because I want to make this day special for you, too." Awwwwww ;) Yep, I'm truly blessed & oh so grateful to have this wonderful man in my life!

He knows that I've been going through some depression lately because I can't be home with my Mom right now & I feel really helpless. But what kind of guy brings his wife flowers on HIS birthday? I tell ya.....I'm hanging onto this man & never letting go! So here are my POTD for today.....my 3 red roses :)

Sophia posted a challenge on 2 Peas to post a easy dinner recipe, but since I'm really not a good cook at all (trust me, I'm not!), I don't have any recipes to share. But here is something that Jim & I do like that is super quick & super easy.

Crescent Rolls with Hot Dogs, Cheese & Bacon

You will need:
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, package of 8
8 Hot Dogs (whichever brand you prefer)
4 Cheese slices (we like Velvetta or Kraft White American, which we can only find in PA, so we stock up on it whenever we go home)
8 strips of Bacon (Oscar Meyer only for us!)

Microwave 8 bacon slices until they're almost done (microwaved bacon is the only way we'll eat bacon in this house!.....it turns out so crispy & not greasy at all). Slice hot dogs down the middle just to make a slit on them (don't actually cut them in half), then put half a cheese slice inside the cut. Wrap the hot dog with a crescent roll, wrap bacon around the outside of the crescent & bake at 375 for approx. 10 minutes. Whalah.....you're done! :) And if you don't like hot dogs (like me), just wrap the crescent roll around the cheese & still add the bacon to the outside. We usually make macaroni & cheese (Kraft) when we have these.

See, told ya I wasn't a cook!

That's all for today.....hope you have a terrific Thursday,
Benita

Happy Birthday, Babe!

Today is Jim's 41st birthday, so in honor of him, he is also my POTD :) I did this layout a back in November & I really like how it turned out. I do love this man! We've been together for almost 17 years now & I still can't believe how lucky I am to have him in my life! He's not perfect (who is?), but he's a very hard worker, dedicated to his family & has the best sense of humor, which is something I definitely need in my life! Happy Birthday, Babe!

I got behind on the POTD again because I just found out on Tuesday that my Mom had to have yet another surgery yesterday. Apparently while she was in therapy on Monday, she had a small stroke, so the doctor did an MRA on her & found another clogged artery in her neck. This is the same artery that the doctor did surgery on a few years ago. She made it through the surgery okay, but right now, we have to take it one day at a time again. I just don't know how much more my Mom can take right now :(

That's all for now. Cassie has a half day of school, so her & I are going to pick up Jim's cake when she gets out.

Benita

POTD for Friday & Saturday

I didn't get a chance to post my POTD for yesterday, so I'm posting both yesterdays & todays in one post. Friday's pic is of our dog Reeses.....the big sissy! LOL This dog is so strange.....he's afraid of everything, including the camera! I had to attach my new zoom lens to my camera just to get this picture. But he's a sweetheart & I wouldn't part with him for anything!

Today's pics are some more snow pics. If you remember, we just got 4 inches of snow on Wednesday. Well, that all melted very quickly when the temps got into the 50's yesterday. Then last night, we were supposed to get between 4-6 inches of snow, but only got about 2-3 & now the sun is shining & it's melting fast! I love the way it's turning to ice on the tree in this pic:


Tonight, we're going to a friend's house for dinner & going to watch their movies of their Bahama cruise that they just went on last week. I will get my scraproom done this weekend, too! I'm almost done.....just a few more things to take care of & then, like I told Jim, I'm going to be a scrapping fool! LOL I just really need to get back to doing what I love & that's scrapping :)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend,

Benita

Making My Life Easier, POTD & I Was Tagged

Sophia on 2 Peas posted a blog challenge yesterday for us to list things that make our life more simple, so I thought I would do these things as my POTD as well. The first one, above, is my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I honestly don't know how I lived without one of these for so long! I especially love it when I'm making Christmas cookies.....it can really whip up the dough in no time!
The next one is of my DSL connection. Wow, talk about FAST! After using dial-up for so many years, I truly do cherish my DSL :) And now that my laptop is wireless, I love it even more!

Next is my external hard drive. I use this to store all my digital photos on & boy, what a lifesaver it has been! I'm really bad about not backing up things on my computer, but when I got this, I spent a whole day transferring all my photos to it. Best $70 I ever spent :)

The next picture was my lifesaver yesterday.....our new snow blower. Since we woke up to 4 inches of snow on the ground yesterday (see pics in yesterday's blog entry), Jim wasn't able to go out & clear it off as he leaves for work at 5:30 a.m. & I don't think our neighbors would have appreciated him snow blowing the driveway that early, lol. So now I can proudly say that I operate this thing myself :) And it's SO easy to use since it has an electric start. Now I'm just kicking myself for going without one for so many years!

Well, there you have it.....my pics for the day & what makes my life just a little bit easier to handle :) Now onto the tag:

Follow very closely...

The rules for this particular tagging are as follows: Remove the blog name in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add yourself to the bottom slot.
1. Deanna
2. Ruth
3. Peg
4. Dar
5. Benita

Then you get to select five people to pass the love on to.
1. Jennifer
2. Jewls
3. Melissa
4. Sophia
5. Karen

Now, on to the questions!
What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was living in Virginia Beach, VA working at a bowling center & my dh was working at the shipyard.

What were you doing one year ago?
Probably the same thing I'm doing now, lol.....scrapping, bowling & spending too much time on the computer!

Five snacks you enjoy: ( in no particular order, as all snacks are created equal... )
1. Ice Cream, although I don't eat it anymore.
2. M&M's
3. Dark Chocolate
4. Chips & cheese dip
5. Dry cereal (yep, I snack on it).

Five songs, to which you KNOW all the lyrics:
1. Almost all of U2's songs.
2. Almost all of Linkin Park's songs.
3. A lot of Aerosmith's songs.
4. Serenity by Godsmack
5. Silent Night....only because my 4 sisters & I had to sing it in front of everyone at Church years ago.

Five things you would do, if you were a millionaire:
1. Travel the world!
2. Buy a nicer home in a lower tax area.
3. Help my Mom & Dad.
4. Eat out more than we do now, which is a lot already :)
5. Donate to several charities.

Five bad habits:
1. Procrastinating, like I'm doing today!
2. Spending way too much time on the computer, like I'm doing today, lol!
3. Not eating right :(
4. Not exercising enough :(
5. Swearing too much!

Five things you like doing:
1. Spending time with my dh & family.
2. Scrapbooking
3. Bowling
4. Taking pictures.
5. Being on the computer.

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get new again:
1. Red.....it does NOT look good on me!
2. Dresses.....hope I never work somewhere where I have to wear them again!
3. Shoes that squish my toes....I have very big feet!
4. Sleeveless shirts....not with these arms!
5. A Ford! I've had nothing but problems with the 4 I did own!

Five favorite toys:
1. My Vapor Zone Bowling Ball :)
2. All my scrapbooking supplies.
3. My DRebel.
4. My Durango for another 2 years until I get a Challenger :)
5. The ones that are hidden in my bedroom ;) Oops, you probably didn't need to know that one, huh?

That's all for now.....I'm determined to go to some Targets today to try to find me a couple more storage cubes & some more metal tins. I only need 6 more tins & I'm gonna be so disappointed if I can't find them :(

Have a 'simple' day :)
Benita

Weird Winter!

This is what we woke up to this morning.....about 4 inches of fresh snow (yeah, I get up before the sun does!). The weather sure has been wacky here, though. Yesterday, we were close to 50 degrees & it rained most of the day & then it turned to snow overnight. Now they're calling for temps in the 40's tomorrow with more rain.

I took several pictures today & here are just a few of them for my POTD entry. This is the best kind of snow IMO.....the wet snow that stays on the trees.....so pretty!



Just a short entry tonight as I'm tired after staying up until 2:00 this morning watching QVC's scrapbooking shows. I just noticed that I've been tagged again, so I'll post my answers to that tomorrow.

Have a wonderful night,
Benita

My DREAM Car POTD

Well here it is.....the car of my dreams! The Dodge Challenger Concept car. I WILL own one of these! I WILL! Just 2 more years until my lease is up on my Durango & hopefully, by then, these babies will be on the market & one will be in my garage :) I can't wait! Make sure you click on each picture to enlarge.

Jim & I went to the NAIAS today in Detroit with our Friday bowling partners & had a really good time. I am always amazed by the awesome displays that Dodge/Chrylser/Jeep does! They really do outdo themselves! From having Jeeps 'climbing' up rock walls to water falling that spells out words to the awesome Nascar display & simulators to the HUGE Ram revolving display. The Ford & Chevy displays were so boring! I told Jim on the way home that he should really be proud to work for such a wonderful company :)

After the Auto Show, we all went out to Red Lobster for dinner & then Jim & I had to bowl. I was stuffed from dinner & didn't think I'd even be able to hold onto my bowling ball, yet alone throw it, lol. But amazingly, I really surprised myself & ended up shooting games of 180, 190 & 225 for a 595 series :) I wanted that 600 sooooo bad.....only 5 messly, little pins! Ah well.....maybe Friday. I did beat Jim tonight.....again ;)










I'm exhausted, so I'm gonna stop here for now. I'll probably post more Auto Show pics tomorrow.

Until next time,
Benita

Getting Organized & Catching Up POTD

What a long weekend! I decided to take on the much-needed task of reorganizing my scraproom. I purchased these storage cubes at Target & I really like them. They hold all my Cropper Hopper Vertical Paper Holders perfectly. Yep, I'm a paper addict :) I have 24 paper holders displayed in these cubes & all of them are filled except for one, which is for this year's Scrap Goods kits. The two cubes at the bottom with doors hold my magazines & idea books. The one with 4 drawers holds pictures & my red Sizzix dies. I also have 2 more cubes on my desk which hold more pictures, alphabets by the sheet & quotes:
I did something today that I never thought I would do......I emptied out my Scrap Rack & I'm planning on selling it (if you're interested in buying it, just email me). It was something I've been debating doing for a long time now. Don't get me wrong.....I really love the Scrap Rack. But for me, it was just taking up too much space on my desk area. So now everything that was in my Scrap Rack is now in Iris carts. I just hope I don't end up regretting it. It also gave me the chance to do a LOT of purging & I filled 2 boxes to send to my sister.

Anyway, those are my POTD for today. I ended up getting behind on the POTD since I've been so busy working on my room, but I did take pictures everyday.....here is the one from yesterday.....a gorgeous sunset:









Jim & I went out to dinner with some friends as I needed to take a break from working on my room & the sun was just starting to set on the way to the restaurant, so I grabbed my DRebel :)

The picture for Saturday is of the snow we got Friday night. We only got about an inch, but it was so pretty. I didn't get a chance to go out to take any good pics, so I took this one of our dog prints on the deck :)




Once I finally get my room completely done, I'll take some more pics, but that may be a few days still. Tomorrow afternoon, Jim & I are going to the Detroit Auto Show with some friends & I'm really looking forward to it! I can't wait to see the Dodge Challenger Concept car! I want one of those so bad that I've even been having dreams about it! LOL I used to own a Challenger years ago & wish I still had it.....I loved that car! But if everything goes as planned, by the time they come out, my lease will be up on my Durango & I WILL get me a Challenger. I can't wait! :)

That's it for now.....off to work on my room some more.
Benita

Update on my Mom, POTD, Challenge & I was Tagged

First, I thought I would post an update on my Mom. The surgery last around 2 1/2 hours & for the most part, it was a success, considering what she had to have done. She was able to have it done under only a spinal, which is good news, but she's in a LOT of pain right now. And now she's also faced with MONTHS of recovery time. Please continue to keep her in your prayers....she's going to need them for a while as I know that she is also going to go through a lot of depression dealing with not having a leg :(

Next, here are my POTD for today. I actually took these pictures last night, but was too tired to load them onto the computer. This is my self-portrait, the way you will usually find me....behind the camera instead of in front of it. I really like the way these turned out....I took them standing in front of the mirror, no flash (although I just noticed that the flash is up in the first picture, lol.....it didn't go off, though).

Now onto the challenge: Sophia posted this yesterday on 2 Peas & it's actually a hard challenge for me to do, but I gotta give it a try. We're to list 10 things that we like about ourselves & here are mine:

1. My husband Jim. I honestly don't know where I'd be in my life right now if it wasn't for him! After going through 3 heartbreaking & very hard divorces, I was about to give up on men & then Jim entered my life. He is definitely my soulmate!
2. My eyes. I've been told before that I have bedroom eyes :)
3. My Scrapbooking. Although I sometimes doubt myself when it comes to my scrapbooking, I thoroughly enjoy scrapping & doubt I will ever give it up!
4. My decorating skills. I love to decorate my home & I'm always changing things around.....just ask my husband! LOL He's come home from work before & a whole room will be rearranged, including all the pictures on the walls :)
5. I'm a perfectionist & although that's not always a good thing, it's not really a bad thing, either. I have an 'eye' for things & inspect things really good. Whenever I'm shopping, I'll look through all the items of the one that I'm going to purchase & pick out the best one. Drives Jim insane sometimes, but he knows how much something like that means to me.
6. I'm a half-way decent photographer. I still have a LOT to learn about photography, though, but doing these POTD have really helped.
7. I'm friendly to my friends. Okay, that probably sounds weird, right? Well, I'm a pretty shy person, so it takes me a while to make friends sometimes. I'm not the type of person to just walk up to a stranger & start talking to them. Jim, on the other hand, can do that very easily.
8. For the most part, I like my hair.....on good hair days, that is. Although sometimes I wish it was naturally curly.
9. I'm a decent bowler, although I still put myself down about my bowling too much. Right now, I average around 165, but would like to reach 170 by the end of this year.
10. I'm a pretty good organizer & my goal this year is to get even better at it. I've already reorganized my pantry & laundry room this week.....my scraproom is next!

I was tagged by Melissa on her blog to do this challenge:

Four Jobs You Have Had In Your Life:
1. Cashier at several different places.
2. PennDOT working road construction during the summer, my favorite job ever!
3. Counter Clerk at a bowling center.
4. Clerk Typist at a couple of different places, mostly insurance agents.

Four Movies You Would Watch Over and Over:
1. An Officer & A Gentlemen
2. About Last Night
3. Christmas Vacation (we watch it every year at least once!)
4. Any of the Diehard, Lethal Weapon movies & anything with Molly Ringwald.

Four Places You Have Lived:
1. Royal Oak, MI
2. Williamsport, PA
3. Hampton Roads, VA (Va. Beach, Norfolk area)
4. Back to Royal Oak, MI

Four TV Shows You Like To Watch:
1. The Apprentice
2. The Bachelor/Bacherlorette
3. Lots of comedies: Rodney, Two & A Half Men, Four Kings, My Name Is Earl, According To Jim.
4. Reruns: Home Improvement, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, Sex & The City, Seinfeld, Cheers.

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation: Listing more than four as I love traveling & hope to do a lot more of it!
1. Athens, Greece
2. Niagara Falls, Canada.....my favorite vacation spot!
3. San Diego, California & Mexico
4. Tennessee & North Carolina for the Bristol At Night Race & to see Biltmore Estate.
5. NYC with my son's high school choir class
6. Orlando Florida: Sea World & Disney
7. Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a friend's wedding.
8. Mackinac Island with my dd's band class.
9. Pennsylvania numerous times as I have family there.

Four Websites You Visit Daily:
1. http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/ (gallery & message boards)
2. www.silverjewelryclub.com
3. www.qvc.com
4. http://www.blogspot.com/ (to update my blog and look at other blogs)

Four Favorite Foods:
1. Pizza!
2. Homemade Mac & Cheese
3. Ice Cream, although it's been cut out of my diet now.
4. Middleswarth Bar-B-Q Potato Chips :)

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. At home with my Mom while she's in the hospital again :(
2. Anywhere with my DH!
3. Australia
4. Niagara Falls, Canada

Four bloggers I am tagging:
1. Jennifer
2. Jewls
3. Lorrie
4. Cindy Lee, although she doesn't have a personal blog anymore, I'm still tagging her ;)

That's all for now. Cassie has a half day of school today, so we're going to do some shopping together this afternoon since it looks like it's going to be a beautiful, almost springy day out.

Benita

My Mom POTD

Yes, I realize that I've posted this picture of my Mom & I before, but after the news I received today, I just knew I had to post it again. My Mom goes into surgery tomorrow morning around 9:30 to have her leg amputated :( This is NOT the news I wanted to hear! I am just so scared right now! I didn't even go bowling tonight because I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on bowling & wouldn't have done the team any good.

I know that my Mom & I have had our ins & outs over the years, but I honestly do not know what I will do if anything happens to her! We've always shared a very special closeness with each other. And even though I'm 500+ miles away, that closeness remained through phone calls, emails & instant messages. I love you, Mom!

Please continue the prayers for my Mom. She's going to have a long recovery to go through & will need all the prayers she can get!

Thanks,
Benita

POTD & Prayer Request

(click on images for better view)

Today's POTD is of my finally organized & clean pantry. Over the past several months, I've pretty much let my pantry go & boy, did it turn into a mess! Amazing what kinds of things just get thrown in there when there's no place else to put them. So I decided today was the day to purge & purge I did! I ended up filling 2 trash bags with stuff. I honestly don't know what I'd do without my pantry! I don't think I'll ever be able to own another house without one. I love having my cabinet space just for my dishes & glassware & a separate place just for food. Jim & I installed this wire shelf on the door of the pantry a few months ago & it has been a huge lifesaver! Yes, we love Jello, especially Jello shots!

If you believe in the power of prayer, could you please keep my Mom in your prayers? I just got a phone call from my sister Donna today & she told me that they're admitting Mom back into the hospital because she's really weak & hasn't been eating. She's been having to use a walker ever since she got out of the hospital & she's even fallen a few times trying to get up. And now her leg is purple again, so the doctor said that once she regains her strength, he's going to have to amputate her leg :( Which means that they'll have to put her under sedation again & last time they did that, she almost didn't survive! I may try to go home again this weekend since Cassie doesn't have school on Monday & Jim's off from work due to Martin Luther King Day.....just have to wait & see how things go first.

Thanks in advance for the prayers,
Benita

The Sun DOES Shine POTD

I was honestly beginning to wonder if we were ever going to see the sun again! It's been so cloudy & dreary here that I don't even remember when the last time was that I saw the sun. But this morning, as I was getting ready to take Cassie to school, something told me to grab my camera on the way out the door. As I was driving back home, the sun just started coming over the horizon (okay, so it's actually just a hill, but horizon sounds much more romantic, lol), so I immediately snapped a picture of it. Then when I got home, it started showing it's face even better, so I took the next picture from our front door (click on images for larger view): I was also playing around taking some other pics this morning.....this one is of the tire tracks in the snow in our driveway from when Jim went to work:Then as I was closing the garage, I noticed the steam on the back door, so I thought "hey, that would make a neat pic" & snapped away :) You can see our deck through the window.












That's it for today. Off to clean my scraproom after messing it up by actually scrapping the past 2 days & then we bowl tonight. Hope the sun's shining for you today as well :)

Benita

Fresh Fallen Snow POTD

After having rain for over a week between here & while we were in Pennsylvania, I was actually glad to see some snow fall today, which is odd for me because I usually dislike snow! But this kind of snow I like.....the wet stuff that sticks to the trees & makes everything look so pretty, but yet it didn't stick to the roads because the temps have been in the 40's for the past several days. This pine tree is across the street from our house in our neighbor's yard & I took this picture from our front porch using my DRebel with no flash & my new Tamron 70-300 zoom lens that my wonderful DH Jim got me for Christmas :) I love that thing!

The next picture is of the Crabapple in our front yard, using the same lens & I stood inside our doorway while taking it.

I've been keeping myself really busy the past 2 days scrapbooking & it feels so good! Hopefully, I'm getting out of the rut I was in once & for all :)

Off to make some dinner.....have a great night,

Benita

Happy Birthday, Barb

Okay, so I'm cheating again with the POTD because I didn't take today's picture today.....it was actually taken on August 29, 2005 on the 1 year anniversary of the day we lost our sister Karen & brother-in-law Jimmy. All 4 of us along with our Dad drove up to the gravesite & planted some flowers & just visited with Karen & Jimmy for awhile. And it's something we'll be doing together every August 29th.

Since today is Barb's birthday, I just knew I had to post a picture of her......Happy Birthday, Barb! Even if you are just another year older, I hope you have a fabulous day because you deserve it! But just remember, I'm still younger than you ;) I just can't believe that I didn't get any pictures of you when I was home over the holidays! DUH me!

Have a wonderful day everyone,

Benita

POTD Christmas Present from my DH

This is just one of the gifts that my DH got me for Christmas this year.....the Ellison Big Shot Die Cutting Machine. I haven't had a chance to even try it out yet, but I just know that I'm going to love it! Although I already have the regular Sizzix machine & the Sidekick, I think I'll get a lot more use out of this one & it looks like it will be a lot easier to use.

Now onto another blog challenge......this one was posted on 2 Peas I believe by Nadine:

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before? Went to the Mall Of America, to the Bristol August Nascar race, to the Biltmore Estate & also saw U2 in concert :)

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I hate the word 'resolutions'......I'd rather make goals. But no, I didn't reach any of my goals last year, but I'm definitely going to try harder this year!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Not this year, thank God! I had enough deaths to deal with the year before :(

5. What countries did you visit? Niagara Falls, Canada.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? A happier year, a lot more weight gone & to become even closer to my Dad.

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? The day Hurricane Katrina came ashore because it was on the anniversary of losing my sister & brother-in-law in 2004 :(

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Staying sane after everything I went through in 2004! :)

9. What was your biggest failure? Not sticking to my weight loss :(

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No.

11. What was the best thing you bought? DH bought me a new computer & a new lens for my DRebel for Christmas :)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My daughter.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My son :(

14. Where did most of your money go? House payment, cars, bills, on vacations & in savings.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Going to the Bristol August Nascar race :)

16. What song will always remind you of 2005? Vertigo by U2.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? About the same right now. ii. thinner or fatter? About 10 pounds thinner. iii. richer or poorer? Richer.....paid off some high interest credit cards :)

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Lost more weight!

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Procrastinating to lose more weight!

20. How will you be spending Christmas? I spent Christmas here at home with my DH, DD, DS, DIL & granddaughter.

22. Did you fall in love in 2005? I've been in love for over 16 years now & it keeps growing stronger & stronger each day :)

23. How many one-night stands? None.....been married to my DH for 16 years on Christmas Eve.

24. What was your favorite TV program? The Apprentice!

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Hate is a word that I honestly don't like to use. There are some people I dislike, but I don't hate anyone!

26. What was the best book you read? The Purpose Driven Life.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Listening to my DD play her guitar.

28. What did you want and get? A lens for my DRebel, a new Dell XPS computer & my Big Shot, pictured above.

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Hmmm....may have to get back to you on that one.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Jim took me out to dinner to my favorite restaurant & I turned 43.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Having my sister & brother-in-law back :(

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005? Casual....jeans & comfy tops.

34. What kept you sane? My husband! :)

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Rusty Wallace.....I'm so sad that he retired, but I completely understand why he did.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? The war.

37. Who did you miss? My sister Karen & brother-in-law Jimmy :(

38. Who was the best new person (people) you met? I haven't met her IRL yet, but Cindy Lee has become like a sister to me :) Love ya, girl!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005: One that my sister would have wanted me to do......simply enjoy life because it's way too short!

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own by U2.....love that song!

Well, that's it for now. Hope you have a wonderful afternoon/evening.

Benita

Christmas Memories POTD

(click on each image for a better view)

Okay, so I'm cheating a little with the Photo Of The Day :) These pictures were actually taken on Christmas Day, but since Jim & I decided on the spur of the moment to go home to PA for a couple of days, this is the first chance I've had to add any Christmas photos to my blog. So does it count as a POTD if I just uploaded them onto my computer today? :) Anyway, this is what makes Christmas special......FAMILY! The first picture is of Cassie actually smiling......something that doesn't happen very often, unfortunately. But she was very happy with everything she got for Christmas & this picture proves it! The next picture is of my granddaughter.....I only got to see her for about 2 hours on Christmas Day, but during that time, I snapped plenty of pictures of her. She had such a great time opening all her presents & seeing her just made my Christmas complete :) Then I just had to take this picture of Jim opening his XBox (old version). He never thought I would buy him a video game system, but he really likes it. And of course, I had to buy him some sport games to go with it.....hockey, basketball & of course, Nascar :) Lastly, this is Shawn & Onyx, our dog. Unfortunately, I don't get to see him very often, either, so I truly cherish every moment I have with him.

All in all, our Christmas was pretty nice this year. On the 27th, Jim & I decided to go to PA to see my Mom, Dad & sisters. It was a short trip, but I'm really glad that we decided to go. We spent Tuesday night in Niagara Falls, Canada & of course, I had to take some pictures of the falls :) I just love it the falls at night when they shine the lights on them (click on each picture for a larger view):

And of course, I had to go by the falls again before we left to get some more pictures:

I could just stand by the falls & watch them for hours.....something about them just makes me feel at peace with everything. I can't explain it, really......going to the falls is like an escape to me. And I love going there whether it's summer or the middle of winter.....doesn't matter to me :)

Have a wonderful night.....I'm off to relax with Jim before heading to bed. Gotta get back into our 'routine' starting tomorrow.

Benita

2005 Year In Review

I saw this posted on another blog, so I thought I'd do it as well since blogger isn't letting me load any pictures right now for some reason.

JANUARY
1. Did you have a new year's resolution this year?: I don't like the word 'resolutions', but I did have some goals.....none of them were successful ones, though :( Guess I'll try again this year.
2. Who kissed you at midnight?: My husband Jim.
3. Did it snow where you live?: Of course, I'm in Michigan.....it always snows in January!
4. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop?: Nope, not yet. DH wanted to go in 2000, but I wasn't about to fight the crowd that year!

FEBRUARY
1. Who was your valentine?: My husband, of course :)
2. What did your valentine get you?: A gorgeous bouquet of flowers & some chocolates.
3. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class?: Probably.....do you really expect me to remember that in my old age? :)

MARCH
1. Are you Irish? Nope, I'm a Heinz 57 mutt :)
2. Did you wear green on St. Patty's Day?: Nope, I look awful in green!
3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day?: I honestly don't remember......old age creeping up again.

APRIL
1. Do you like the rain?: Nope cause it turns the yard into mud & then the dogs track it in the house!
2. Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year?: No.
3. Did you get tons of candy on Easter?: No, but the kids did.

MAY
1. What's your favorite kind of flower?: Lilacs! I have several of them planted in my yard & just love the scent of them.
2. Do you like the spring? Yes, love it! I love watching all my flowers & plants come back to life.
3. Finish the phrase: "April showers bring...": May flowers.
4. What would you think of as a spring color?: Pink.

JUNE
1. What year did you graduate from school?: 1980
2. Did you go on any vacations last June?: No, but we went on 2 in August.....one to the Mall Of America & the other to the Nascar race in Bristol, TN.

JULY
1. What did you do on the 4th of July? Stayed home.
2. Did you go on any vacations during this month?: Nope, read June.

AUGUST
1. Did you do anything special to end off your summer?: Went to the Nascar race in Bristol & also to the Biltmore Estate & then to PA to see my family.
2. What was your favorite summer memory of '05?: The Bristol Nascar race.
3. Did you go swimming a lot in the summer?: Nope.
4. Did you go to the beach a lot?: Nope, I don't really like beaches.

SEPTEMBER
1. Did you attend school/college in '05?: Nope.
2. Who is/was your favorite teacher?: My Business Education teacher in High School.
3. Did you like fall better than summer?: I love the colors of fall, but I don't like fall better than summer because it means that winter is right around the corner!

OCTOBER
1. What was your favorite Halloween costume ever?: Heck, I don't remember.....there's that old age creeping up again, lol. But the favorite one I ever made was an angel beanie baby costume for my daughter.
2. What's your favorite candy?: M&M's
3. What did you dress up like this year?: Nothing.

NOVEMBER
1. Whose house did you go to for Thanksgiving?: No ones....we stayed home & our son & granddaughter came to visit us.
2. Do you like stuffing?: Nope, I don't eat Turkey either.
3. What are you thankful for?: My husband Jim, my son, daughter & granddaughter, my family & friends, having a nice, warm home & Jim's job.

DECEMBER
1. Do you celebrate Christmas?: Yes, I love Christmas! I just wish that the spirit of the holiday season lasted all year long!
2. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?: Yes, but not for quite a while now.
3. What do you want this year for Christmas?: I already got it.....I was able to spend some time with my granddaughter & son plus I got to go home for a few days to see my family in PA. As far as gifts go, I pretty much got what I wanted there, too.....a new lens for my DRebel, a tripod, camera case, some clothes & some jewelry.
4. What's the best present you ever got for Christmas?: My husband ;) We were married on Christmas Eve 16 years ago.
5. Do you like cold weather?: No way! I hate freezing!
6. How would you rate your year on a scale of 1-10?: Well, since this was the first full year since losing my sister & brother-in-law, it was a pretty shitty year :( so I'd probably have to give it a 4. I was pretty depressed all year long, but tried my hardest to start enjoying life because I know that my sister would have wanted me to be happy. And I'm going to continue trying to enjoy life this coming year because there's one thing I have learned.....life is way too short to be depressed all the time!

Happy New Year!
Benita