Happy New Year to all!

What to say? What to write? It has been a whole year in the making.

A year of love,

fun, cooking, playing, taking pictures,

playing music, writing, dining, exploring, discovering,

changing, wishing, struggling, smiling, cleaning,

giggling, shopping, baking, painting, glueing, getting up early, going to bed late, not being on time, doing the right thing,

going to McDonalds, skyping, drinking coffee, having parties,

celebrating, sleeping, getting colds, getting strong, questioning,

dusting, landscaping, building fires, drawing, teaching, hugging, using band aids,

searching, designing, cutting, jumping, playing in water, stuck in mud, getting older,

getting smarter, making money, drinking wine,

eating seafood, grilling steak,

riding scooters, playing with dogs, hiking, making beds, making love,

turning TVs down, fighting over toys, buying toys, buying clothes, taking baths, using computers, talking on iphones, blogging, texting, learning photoshop, clicking cameras, opening doors, closing doors, peeking into closed doors, hoping, dreaming, achieving........

the list goes on and on.....as each of us do.....we go on and on until we no longer do.........another new year....another chance to live and do all things we do each year.....and all the things we don't and all the things we can't even imagine........

life is a dream......a dream that dreams every second of every minute of every day of every year.....enjoy.......and make this one a good dream.

peace to all and to all a good cheer!

time to settle in for a long winter's nap!

one more gift to go and we are in for the duration of this festive holiday. we are certainly full of abudance; food, gifts, laughter and love---which I am very grateful for. This time of year has always been a very good time in my life. No matter what the world is giving you, the holiday's come and sheild us with the real thing that matters...being together and be grateful for the time well spent.

happy weekend to those that celebrate and happy new year to all that are looking forward to 2011!--may the force be with you--peace

Christmas shopping with Logan and Tatum. All they wanted to do was EAT.

a true story

In our house....it's count down time for the big man! Logan is about to bust out of his skin!!!! Tatum has a list as tall as she is, and jack is busy watching his favorite show, Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas.

Now in the land of make believe things happen. Good things. All the time. This is how the story goes......

Jack spent the entire holiday last year watching Mickey's once upon a Christmas. He actually memorized the whole thing and started playing out the scenes. (He's really good at that.) Well, he watched and watched with bounds of smiles and laugh er -- Christmas came and went and Jack was a happy little bear.

Later..........Somewhere deep in the southern heat of July, mother bear went to clean out the "kid mobile". She takes it to wash it inside and out. One by one she takes everything out, the carpet, the toys, the books, the shoes and Cd's. (Cleaning is a dirty job, but some one's got to do it) She sweats taking in the high noons sun and is happy to see everything returning to "somewhat Clean". After all is done, she hops back in the car pulling off in silence and heading for a cold Starbucks coffee.

Little did she know ALL the Cd's, the case and all, were sitting there for the taking. Dreams of ice and mocha filled her head as she quickly got further and further away from.....Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas that brought so much joy to her little bears.

It was indeed a moment of crisis. Of course, being July mother bear wasn't thinking of Christmas as much as all the "Dora's and Backyardigans, and sesame streets" that had to be replaced. Not until Thanksgiving did it come to light.

Putting up the tree Jack asked for "Mickey's Christmas". Mother bear said, "Jack we don't know where that went, I will go buy another one tomorrow".

Tomorrow came, she set out to purchase it and to her dismay there wasn't one. After 6 years! of raising this little boy, and seeing that show on the shelves every year there wasn't ONE to be found in the land of oz. How is that possible? She called. She talked to clerks. She looked up and down, over and under for just ONE mickey's Christmas. To no avail. It just wasn't to be found.

December came. The twelve days of Christmas started and the count began...of course all the little bears were having a blast, but it wasn't the same without hearing Mickey's Once upon a Christmas on the TV in the background and seeing jack playing out the scenes with giggles and smiles that only a child could have.

Mother bear continued to think about that show, thinking to herself "there had to be one somewhere". She went from place to place, mall to mall, everywhere that it might be. She quietly looked and hoped that it would just fall out of the sky for she knew she had done everything a mother bear could. (besides order it on line which she was about to do, but would she get it before Xmas?)

she strolled through target on a hussel & bussel day she picked up the cat litter, the wrapping paper, some paper towels, and a box of tissues. She wasn't in a hurry, her bears were home with Father bear enjoying the fire. So she started to drift. She started to poke around and found herself looking at the Christmas stuff that target is so infamous for . Especially the isle that has all the cheap stuff. Stocking stuffer's and candies and little fun things. She poked and added things to the red cart, and as she was bending over to pick up some Hersey kisses.....there it was....sitting as still as snow on a branch in the forest, quietly, unassuming, .....waiting..... for mother bear......Mickey's Once upon a Christmas! ONE mickey's Christmas! It was for us. For my little bears.

Mother bear looked twice blinking and sweating. Knowing it was true but couldn't believe her eyes. She looked behind her to see if anyone was witnessing this magical gift. She picked it up as if it was on fire and gently, like laying a princess into her bed, put it in the cart and walked off to pay in the lines of chaos and tempers.

Ahhh.... the beauty of Christmas, so many people, so little time. So many people standing in line! Mother bear smiled and took in a breathe, today it didn't matter. She was shielded with pure happiness. She was busting with joy to be able to bring home this wonderful surprise to her little bears that all the chaos in the world couldn't take her happiness away. So she stood for twenty minutes in line and floated out the door with Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas in her hand and the land of make believe in her heart.

Things come when they shouldn't. When it seem the most impossible to come. They find their way to open hearts.

It's just as if ...

it.......

fell out of the sky.

Happy holidays!

Sing it kids! "OOOOH the weather outside is ..............." COLD! SNOW! COLD!

Having a good time before "old man winter sits to perch" in the early Dec. snow. We hardly ever have snow this early here.....everyone had fun having snowball fights and slippin' and slidin' ......

up early this morning...house is quiet....and i have a hell of a head cold! Bday was a fun day..sorry of the sudden cancel of party but really didn't want to get anyone sick..matt made me a beautiful brown sugar pound cake, mom and dad brought in cake for the kids, and GA poured "tia maria liqueur" on the pound cake just for me:) (her family recipe) very yummy....so in other words we had pizza and ALOT of cake!

...thanks to all for the wishes....it was a great day of shopping and being smiles:)

posting some pixs i have that i think turned it nice.

I FEEL

I FEEL

I SEE

I FEEL

I SEE

I AM

40 (years old)

TODAY (soon to be Dec. 11th 2010)

IN THIS TIME

I

HAVE MADE IT

TO A

"MILESTONE'

A LUXURY TO THE DEAD

AN OMEN TO THE YOUTH

A BLESSING TO THE OLD

AND TO ME?

A MOMENT

TO SIT

IN THE SOUND OF SILENCE

AND RECALL

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

TO

LIVE THESE YEARS

THESE

MANY THOUGHTS

THIS

MANY...................

......................................EVERYTHING

I AM GREATFUL

I AM EXCITED

I AM CURIOUS

TO SEE

WHAT THE NEXT PART OF MY LIFE

HOLDS............

I KNOW

AFTER 40 YEARS ......

I AM

SURE

I AM

CONFIDENT

I AM

HAPPY

I AM READY

TO PROCEED

FORWARD

WHAT WILL

I SEE

WHAT

WILL

I FEEL

WHAT WILL

I

BECOME?

40

I INVITE YOU TO BE WITH ME

HELP ME

BE THE PERSON

I AM FOREVER

BECOMING

BECOMING

IN HOPES

OF

BEING

FREE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK! THE BEST BROTHER-IN-LAW A SISTER-IN-LAW COULD HAVE!!!!! this is a picture that i got while you were waking up one morning while visiting for thanksgiving......"ahhhhhh coffee".......too cute:)

HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY! MISS YOU AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU FOR THE NEW YEARS EVE BASH!

CHEERS!

Notable mention!

I did my first ad for my "photography" and I wanted to share it with everyone! Jack is on the cover!

There are over 10,0000 distributed all over knoxville,maryville and oak ridge......who knows if i will get a call, but i was all worth to see my kids in print!:)

Logan and tatum are in the ad inside

New pixs from the weekend. Went out to a friends bday party and Matt cracked us all up when he REALLY got into hanging the lights. HE'S SUCH A TREE HUGGER! The kids thought he was really cool!

It' really cold here, Feburary cold!

So we were lucky to get done what we got done on the light thing considering, I say "we"......... It was all Matt!

thanks superman!:)