2012 is...

the year to LEARN.

I will graduate in March with my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN).  It's been over a two year process, and I will be SO HAPPY to be finished!

For Christmas, I bought myself the Canon Rebel camera that I have been lusting after for a long time.  I am determined to LEARN everything I can to master it and take some rocking pictures.

Since I got the camera, I also bought Photoshop Elements 10, along with the "Classroom in a Book" guide to help LEARN the program.  I will conquer my computer-ignorance and figure this out in 2012.

My sister, Michelle, and I are talking about taking a photography class together this summer, but even better than that, we are planning a road trip to visit with Rebecca Jo in Indiana, so she can teach us a thing or two that she has learned since starting her own photography business.  We can't wait!

Another goal for 2012 (other than the typical "lose 15 pounds") is to vacation at a "new to us" spot and LEARN all about it.  Not sure where or when we'll go, but an adventure it is sure to be.

Do you have a word of the year for 2012?  Any goals or dreams?  Secrets to losing weight (other than exercise and diet...sigh)?

Happy New Year, blog friends!  May 2012 be the best year yet!

Twelve

The holiday rush is over.

The tree is down, ornaments packed away, another Christmas has come and gone and a new year is upon us.

In the midst of the shopping/hiding/wrapping/baking/celebrating/eating madness that defined December 2011, one special day stands out in my mind.

December 21st.

The day Isabel turned twelve.

My once non-sleeping/fashionista/determined baby girl has become this amazing pre-teen wonder, seemingly overnight:

Her spirit is just as beautiful as her face...she is kind, optimistic, loving, sweet, fun and intelligent, artistically and musically talented beyond words...simply incredible.

Our family is blessed.  I can't wait to see how the world is changed, just by her being in it.

Isabel, I hope being 12 in 2012 is your best experience yet!

Getting lost in the past

I got my love of reading from my parents, especially my dad.  We loved a lot of the same authors (Dean Koontz, John Sandford, Nevada Barr) but none more than Stephen King.  We would discuss the merits of  The Stand or The Shining; we watched Christine and Cat's Eye together at the theater; Dad marveled at the fact that I got to stand outside of Stephen's house in Maine on a vacation I took after I graduated high school.

I've been fairly disappointed in the last few books that he has published...they lacked the character development and serious scary-ness that I had come to love.  Under the Dome was not great, just okay, and I really thought maybe he had used up all of his good ideas.

Until now.

I am almost halfway through his new book, listening to it on CD while I scrapbook.  Oh.My.Word.  I listen to it in my craft room, then I take it in my van and listen to it while I drive to/from work.  I literally sat in Target parking lot and SOBBED at certain parts...it's that good.

There's not too much scary in it, but lots of freaky.  References to a previous book (IT), time travel, amazing characters that you love by the second chapter...I can't say enough about what an engrossing read it is.  I think about what's happening to the characters when I'm not listening to the book, like they're living people.  I love when an author makes that happen!

Over and over again, I have wanted to talk to my dad about this book.  He would've loved it, too...and it makes me wonder if maybe he already is; curled up in a big cozy library in Heaven, having a good old time and thinking that this is a book that we'll have to discuss when I get to where he is...

Cookies and then some...

Holiday traditions are the best, especially when they involve daughters and sisters and baked goods and homemade Chex mix.  Throw in a couple of novice photographers, and you have a well-preserved cookie-baking day!

The three bakers.

Cream cheese cut-outs, chocolate chip with whole wheat flour, chocolate-covered toffee.  YUM.

Isabel helping me roll out dough...a comical moment, for sure!

Me and my new baby, er, I mean camera :)

Elijah and Joe spent the day enjoying their Christmas present:  tickets to the Bengals/Texans game.  Gabe was our official taster and decorator, but really he kept busy building forts and Lego cities in the living room.  By the end of the afternoon, Isabel was passed out on my bed, and I was stuffed full of all the samples from each new batch :)

I'm not sharing my Chex mix, but I may let you try the toffee.  It was Kay's favorite :)

RWOP (finally!)

I have been wanting to participate in MEP's and E's Real Women of Pinterest (RWOP) for some time now, but Wednesdays always seem to get away from me.  Finally, I have a bit of free time on my hands (shhh, don't tell my husband), and I wanted to share an idea I originally got from Becky Higgins (scrapbooking guru) and recently saw again on Pinterest:  the floating ornament.

The idea is easy.  Get some screw-in hooks from Target, Wal-mart, or Lowes.  Measure the area you plan to hang the hooks, then divide by three or five to space them evenly (if desired).  Screw in the hooks (easy to do by hand).  Get some fishing line or other clear string, and use it in different lenghts to suspend the ornaments of your choice.  I'm telling you, this project took all of 20 minutes, and I love the results.  The challenge was getting a good photo...they're much more impressive in person.

I chose a combination of ornaments and snowflakes.

And there you have it, my first RWOP post!

Holiday plans

Christmas is such an exciting time full of shopping for gifts, making and sending of cards, baking of cookies, and celebrating with traditions.  Kids, especially, thrive on the continuity of tradition.  This past Saturday, Kay and I took the kids to see the horse-drawn carriage Christmas parade in town.  Over one hundred carriages participated, with horses of all shapes and sizes and colors leading the way.  Although Gabe was a bit bored by the 50th carriage, we girls were mesmerized by the Victorian costumes and the creative ways each group decorated their horse and carriage.

One thing Isabel and I hope to do this month is visit the local historic mansion with its halls decked for the holidays.  We have lived here for ten years, and every year we say this is something we want to do...this is the year for a new tradition, I say!

Gabe wants to go to Cincinnati to see the holiday train exhibit at the Museum Center and we already went to the local nursery to get our real Christmas tree this past Sunday.  Michelle is coming to bake cookies this weekend, and our family get-togethers are planned and on the calendar.  A month full of planning, spending time with family, and truly "getting" the meaning of Christmas...that's what I'm looking forward to.

How do you celebrate this month?  Any traditions you do every year, or hope to start this year?

Sappy mom

Three years ago, a moment was captured that I will treasure forever.  It embodies the magic and wonder of Christmas as seen through a four year old boy's eyes:

It still brings a tear to my eye.

I'm such a sap.

Do you have a favorite Christmas picture, of yourself or your own kids?  Do share!

Home stretch (almost)

I take my next-to-last final exam today.

After this, I am off of school for the month of December.

When I go back in January, it will be my last quarter.

(Can you hear the Hallelujah chorus, 'cause I sure can?!)

After today, I will officially let myself focus on the Christmas season.  And my family.  And my home.

I can't wait for tomorrow!

Kids live here

My refrigerator is covered with pictures, lunch menus, homework assignments and magnets made in Sunday School.

There are Legos in every single room of the house, I'm certain.  I've stepped on them more times than I can count.

Alongside of the books on the living room bookcase are stacks of videogames and DVDs, such as Hot Wheels and Home Alone and Twilight.

As soon as my kids walk in the door after school, at least three more kids are sure to be ringing the doorbell, wanting to play.

There is toothpaste smeared on the bathroom counter.  In two of our bathrooms.  I didn't do it.  (I'm pretty sure Joe didn't, either.)

The television is most often tuned to Sportscenter (Elijah), Cartoon Network (Gabe), or Say Yes to the Dress (Isabel).  I have to DVR my shows and watch them after the kids are in bed.

For people who don't have kids, this post may sound horrible.

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

When you walk into my house (and step over the shoes/coats/backpacks strewn on the floor), you know instantly that kids live here.

And that's the way I like it.

winner winner chicken dinner

and the winner of the Christmas cards giveaway is:

comment number 8

E.  from It's a Small World!

E, let me know what type of cards you want (religious, santa-fied, assorted) and I'll mail them to you soon!

Thanks for playing everyone!  Michelle, you know you'll have a chance at our Christmas party!

Christmas card sneak peek, or...

what I've been doing while holed up in my craft room these past few weeks (you know, in between work and school and kids and cooking and cleaning and doing laundry.  A girl has GOT to have some craft time, I tell you!)

I love coming up with new creations for Christmas cards.  I get inspiration from idea books, splitcoaststampers.com and even Pinterest (another new obsession...oh my word, the ideas!).

I usually only make six or eight cards of any one design; the fun for me is coming up with a new card, not making fifty copies of the same one.  Here are just a few of the cards I've made:

Any favorites?  Do you still mail Christmas cards?  Want to win a set of Christmas cards from me?  Leave a comment and I'll pick one at random sometime between now and Sunday...good luck!

Did I Ever Tell You About the Time I...

got a big surprise for my birthday and dared to do something I never dreamed in a thousand years I'd have the guts to do?

Photos courtesy of Hocking Hills Canopy Tours

Yup, Joe planned a zipline tour for the four of us for my birthday, and we did it!  (I may or may not have screamed.  I may or may not have peed in my pants just a little.  I may or may not do this again with my kids when they're old enough.)

Seriously, it was awesome.  Unbelievable that I actually did it, lived to tell about it, and am willing and excited to do it again.

Have you ever ziplined?  Would you ever?  What's the most exciting gift you've ever received for your birthday?

Spoiled rotten

I've mentioned before that I am the "baby" of my family.

My older sisters may or may not have called me a spoiled brat back in the day, but time has passed, and we are now the best of friends.

We don't talk on the phone every day, we don't see each other nearly as often as we would like, but we know that, if needed, we would be there for each other, no questions asked.

I'm so grateful for a sister who will take time out of her own weekend to drive north and spend the afternoon photographing my little family, then act modest when the developer asks if the professional photographer has given me permission to print these pictures on my own...

Thanks, Michelle.

 I'm also grateful that this same sister loves to scrapbook with me, and will go away on weekend retreats, or spend hours at weekend crops at Archivers, or in my craft room making Christmas cards.  She makes me feel like a million bucks when she raves over my latest creation, and fusses over how cute the cards are this year.  She loves my babies like her own, and since her babies are almost grown, she offers lots of sage advice for how to survive the teenage years :)

And since God decided that I needed an adventurous sister to go along with my crafty one, he blessed me with Rhonda.  Rhonda rides roller coasters and spends the day at King's Island with me, on the front seat of the Beast, in the dark.  She goes to Halloween Haunts with me, and doesn't laugh too hard when I pee my pants in fright.  She helps plan surprise birthday getaways to Hocking Hills and has the courage to get on the zipline with me (although we both would've backed out if they had offered a refund).

She points out double rainbows that God sent just for me to celebrate turning 38...

Two different sisters, two different personalities, one great love I have for both of them.

Being the baby sister is still the best; I am spoiled rotten by both Michelle and Rhonda, and I love every minute of it!

Spelling Bee and a Sweet Sis

Early in October, my sister and I loaded up our kids and drove east to "Old West Fest" in Williamsburg, Ohio.  It was a cute little town all done up in Western themed attire, complete with a shoot out in the street, a jail for the "bad guys", a medicine show, a magic show, and an old-fashioned spelling bee in the one-room schoolhouse/church.

My nieces were too shy to enter the spelling bee, but Isabel and Gabe clambered onto that platform and gave it their best shot.  Gabe got out on the first word (he was off by one letter, poor guy), but Isabel hung in til the end.

She won with the word "medicine".  (I've taught her well, eh?)

The "teacher" presented Isabel with the choice of two prizes:  a girlie pair of boot spurs or a cool rifle that made sounds when the trigger was pulled.  She chose the rifle.

Then walked right down those steps and handed it to Gabe, without a second thought.

He was so excited, she was glad to make him happy, and I had tears in my eyes at her generosity and innate kindness.

I don't know how I deserve to be this blessed, but I am.  My daughter is beautiful, inside and out, and I love watching the amazing woman she is going to be unfold before my very eyes.

The Hike

It was a gorgeous autumn evening in October.  Cool enough to wear a jacket and jeans.  Perfect weather for a hike.

Joe and I loaded the somewhat reluctant kids of ours into the van and drove over to the YMCA, where they have a perfect wooded trail filled with deer, owls, rabbits and other bits of wildlife.

I say "somewhat reluctant", because while Elijah and Isabel were not crazy about the idea of a family hike, Gabe was in his glory.  He filled his backpack up with binoculars, magnifying glass, a flashlight and a snack, donned his safari hat, and was ready to explore!  This picture says it all:

Just before we started out on the trail, Elijah looked at the clouds in the horizon and predicted rain.

"Not gonna rain til tonight", I said.

We found giant mushrooms, deer tracks, a group of deer, two rabbits, a gorgeous owl and gobs of acorns and walnuts before the first drops fell on our faces.

The sky grew dark, we started to walk faster, the wind picked up, we picked up our pace, the storm moved in and we broke into a run.  Gabe was convinced that we were in the middle of a tornado.  By the time we found our way back to the van, we were completely drenched.

What started out as the "best hike ever" quickly became "the WORST idea, Mom!".

It was a pretty memorable hike, though, one they're never gonna let me forget :)

Career vs Home

It's a tough decision to make.  

As a young teenager deciding on a college and a career path, girls don't often look down the road at how well their chosen job will coincide with a family life.  Once that stick turns pink and a baby is in the picture, however, thoughts of staying-at-home vs working-and-child-care quickly come to the surface.

Fortunately, I had older sisters and great mentors who encouraged me to think of these issues when deciding on a career.  Being a mom was the most important thing to me, even at the age of eighteen.  My babies were only a figment of my imagination at the time, but finding a job that would be flexible with good pay while allowing me to be a mom the majority of the time was my goal.  I knew a few nurses who raved about how well their jobs fit that bill, so I signed up for nursing school.  It was the best thing I've ever done.  Not only do I love my job (most of the time), but I love that I only have to work two nights a week, leaving me five nights to be what I most wanted to be:  a good mom.

Now that Elijah and Isabel are older, I am no longer called to volunteer as often as I used to be...but I still have Gabe, and I am having a great time volunteering in his class and for various school events.  It's so much fun to see him with his many (girl) friends:

and getting to have lunch with the first grade crew is always an experience (and reminds to be glad that I am not one of the crabby lunchladies...they need you, Aunt Chelle!):

Getting to go to events like Vehicle Day, where different careers are displayed along with their various vehicles (police, Army, truck drivers, farmers, hot air balloonists, and more!)...this is what I love about the choice I made for my own career over 20 years ago.

There are plenty of careers other than nursing that allow for moms to blend family life and work successfully.  I am finally at the point where I am not envious of stay-at-home moms; it was hard when my kids were little, and I felt like I was being pulled in so many different directions every time I left the house to work my shift at the hospital.  They would cry when I put on my scrubs, and I would feel like crying from sadness and fatigue.  Now that they're older, they appreciate that I am working for our family, and I try to make the most of our time together.

Do you have a career that meshes well with motherhood?  If not, what is your dream job?  And would you ever want to be a lunchlady for a room full of 1st and 2nd graders?!

Future therapy?

I may have previously mentioned my love for all things scary.  Stephen King books, a good scary movie (Paranormal Activity, anyone?), haunted houses...I love it all.

And so do my kids.  I limit what I let them watch (Isabel does NOT like scary movies; Gabe has seen The Village, Signs, and Ghost Adventures and loves them equally).   But when they wanted to go with us to King's Island's Fear Fest, I happily obliged.

My niece, Katlyn, who is eight years old, fits right in with the rest of us, and she and Rhonda joined us for a very scary night of haunted train rides, freaky haunted carnivals and stalkers in a corn field.  

It was so much fun, I literally peed my pants (darn lack of bladder control).  Gabe kept his eyes closed for the first two attractions, but then he got into the spirit of the night and braved it with eyes wide open.

Isabel held onto her dad the entire night, but she claims that she had a lot of fun :)

It may cost me hundreds in therapy sessions at some later date, but boy, it was worth it!

Do you like scary stuff?  Would your kids love a good haunted house?  Ever read The Shining?

Bits and pieces

My dreams have improved recently, thankyouverymuch.  I guess returning to work and getting a handle on my to-do list helped, not to mention spending time with my family and friends and drinking a bottle (or two) of wine in the process.  Tried a new wine called "Middle Sister", a sweet white Moscato.  It went very well with my homemade chicken and rice soup on Saturday night...yum.

I finished the wedding invitation project (see Saturday night) for my friend, Tiffany.  She and her high school sweetheart are getting married on January 7th, and we came up with the most elegant snowflake-embossed invitations I've ever made...I can't wait to show you the finished project (when she mails them; don't want to ruin the surprise).

I (reluctantly) got my flu shot, a mandatory thing at the hospital.  My arm feels like it was punched with an iron hand, but at least there's another item I can check off of my list.

My birthday is coming up fast.  For some reason, this past year I had it in my head that I was 38, when really I was only 37.  So I get another year of being 38...that's a bonus!

After a busy night at work on Sunday, I was super tired on Monday, even after a good day's sleep.  My best-mother-in-law-in-the-world, Kay, made a delicious ham dinner for me and my family...I didn't have to cook or clean up and it was absolutely wonderful.

Sweater weather has officially arrived this morning, with the forecast calling for a high in the 50's today.  I'm sitting here, sipping coffee and pondering which sweater and boots combination I will wear...love that.

What's going on in your life this week?  Do you get a flu shot?  Love sweaters and boots?  Have a great mom-in-law?

Anxiety

Lately, I have been having dreams that can only be described as "anxiety dreams", or nightmares, as the case may be.

I dreamt about hosting Thanksgiving dinner (one of my favorite things to do), but in the dream, nothing went right.  Joe put out an Easter egg tablecloth, the rolls were burnt, the vegetables were rotten, an unexpected guest showed up, Isabel was giving me grief, and when I went to get the turkey out of the oven, I realized I had forgotten to get it out of the refrigerator, and I was going to have to serve leftover pork roast, instead.

The very next night, I dreamt about going to work and spending the entire shift doing everything but my work, only to realize that the day shift was about to arrive and I hadn't done a thing all night long.

Both mornings, my heart was pounding to beat the band, and I had a very hard time shaking that anxious feeling.  I knew these were typical anxiety dreams, but making my body settle down and realize that dreams they were, and not reality, was a tough thing to do.

I tried to identify the source of my anxiety...returning to work after being off for ten days?  Joe starting a new job?  Elijah preparing to leave for Washington, D.C. soon?  Gabe being covered in poison ivy?  My mom moving to Indiana?  Starting a new quarter of school?

Okay, the list became rather long.  No wonder I'm having such weird dreams.  Now I just need to figure out how to deal with it all.  I am not a worrier by nature, but clearly my subconscious is lately.  Hopefully just writing a blog post about it will make my conscious self take the bull by the horns and tell my subconscious to knock it off.  I'd really rather dream about a beach, the ocean, a beach and ocean with Daniel Craig...

How do you handle anxiety?  Does it give you nightmares?  What's your dream dream?

So many decisions...

Saturday was meant to be the perfect day for a photo shoot, and thanks to my incredibly talented big sis, Michelle, it turned out to be just that.  She loaded up her camera, new lenses and her photography prowess and headed north to capture our little family in our fall finest.

Seriously, Michelle, you rock!

We got pictures of each kid, from the oldest...

to the youngest...

to the beauty in between...

Fifteen years together, and we can still manage some smiles :)

My family means everything to me, and I am going to love hanging these pictures up around our home so I can see the love and smiles glowing back at me every day.

After two hours of posing and smiling and laying in leaves and throwing leaves in the air, Gabe (and the rest of the kids) were happy to be done.  And the grown-ups couldn't wait to get to the nearest computer to admire Michelle's work!

Also, a big thanks to my friend, Chelle, who let us "borrow" her family's old schoolhouse for the photo shoot.  We couldn't have asked for a better location!

Now, the decision as to what-pictures-to-hang-where comes next...help!

Witches and herbs and mums, oh, my!

I love decorating for fall, almost as much as for Christmas.  Isabel and I had a great time pulling out all of the boxes of pumpkins and witches and ghosts and setting them up carefully inside and out of the house.

Welcome to our little corner of the pumpkin patch:

This spring, you may remember that Isabel planted an herb garden of her own.  We recently started drying some of the lavender, rosemary and sage in the kitchen; I think we may freeze a bit of it, too, to use this Thanksgiving.

We have yet to visit a real pumpkin patch this fall, but are hoping to next week.  I'm looking forward to getting our family pictures done on Saturday...we haven't had a family picture in over five years, and it's time!

What are you looking forward to this fall?