gone is 2009............

Well, I have to say that I am looking forward to 2010! I know that God has many wonderful blessings coming our way in 2010! I feel that 2009 was our year to seed and we will harvest in 2010.

What are my New Year's resolutions? I have many. Every year my friend who now lives in Port Orchard, Washington and I put together our list and share it before the New Year comes in, so I am looking forward to that today.

Terri's 2010 Resolution's

1. To floss daily! I always start off good then it's kind of hit or miss!

2. To get these 30 LBS off that I have put back on!

3. gym 3X's a week

4. To get back into scrap booking

5. Clean out my closet and redo

6. Have more friends over for dinner and games

7. Bible Study with my husband

8. Payoff the Van and Credit Cards

9. Be better about planning meals and grocery list, keeping up with coupons

10. Organize Time better

11. Have fun!

12. Take more pictures

13. Date night once a week with Mike!

These are my top thirteen, I actually have a list in the daycare room at my desk, but I'm to lazy to get up and get it right now,,,LOL! One more that isn't on either list, is to have more contact with my Dad. My Dad is a wonderful man, but he is an alcoholic and he is so down on his self and he really does distance himself from the ones who love him. I am going to make it a point to see him at least once a week. Even if it is for 5 minutes. He needs to know we love him for who he is, no matter what. Yeah, that is a great resolution. I am not asking that he reciprocate, by hanging out with us. If he does AWESOME!

Looking forward to blogging in the New Year whether I have any followers or not, I enjoy reading every ones blogs and the ones I do follow, it's nice to see that all over the country that other people enjoy the same things I do.

So, for New Year's Eve we are going to church then home to hang out and see the New Year in.

Looking forward to 2010 and wishing everyone a wonderful year to come!

Love to all,

it's over..............

Well, the commercial part of Christmas is OVER,,,,thank goodness! I still love the coziness of this time of year. I am looking forward to 2010 that is for sure! We did have a very nice Christmas with our family. My daughter at the age of almost 18 woke us up at 5:45 A.M. Mallory was so excited to open gifts. I'm glad they still have that excitement, even though they don't believe in Santa Clause any longer.

Once all the gifts were opened I started in with making Breakfast Pizza for the family, and then went right into preparing all the dishes for our Christmas Day Dinner. You know how that goes! My feet were so achy by the end of the day. Aunt Sandy Uncle Al and Jill came over for dinner and we had such a good time and enjoyed the wonderful food and conversation.

Christmas Day Menu 2009

Turkey

Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Green bean Casserole

Dressing

Cranberry Relish

7-Layer Salad

Mandarin Orange Salad

Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pie

So, I'm excited the year is coming to a close and that I'm on vacation until New Years Day,,Yippee. I am going to work on my plans for 2010 and will post them soon. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and my wish is for everyone to have a wonderful 2010.

Peace and Love,

the cookie exchange..................

I am 40 years of age not old. I love to cook, I love being home being a wife, cleaning, raising my kids, cleaning house, making list, grocery shopping (when it's not crowded), laundry, and all the other many pleasures that come with being an at home Mom/Wife. BUT, in 40 years I have never participated in a cookie exchange. I did last night though. I am in a craft cell group (smaller group of people) and we meet the first and third Friday of every month.

We usually just visit for awhile, then have a quick Bible reading followed by prayer, eat and then work on our craft project. I enjoy the people and the crafts so much, and I am not a crafty person. I can copy peoples ideas but being creative with crafts, NOT me!

So, we had an ornament exchange and cookie exchange last night. I have been looking for the cookie that I was going to take since the end of October. It couldn't be a typical Chocolate Chip cookie. We were suppose to be creative. The first cookie I made was a Yuletide Log Cookie, they were okay, but I was frustrated with the dough; they however had a great taste to them. I was watching the food network last Saturday and what do you know Paula's show was about a cookie exchange. I seen a Peppermint Pinwheel Cookie that someone made and thought I would try that one out.

Made a batch on Sunday, the family loved them. They were the new winners! So Wednesday morning I made a double batch, and refrigerated them. From Thursday on to Friday it was the great bake in the Giles household. I really enjoyed this event, and even everyone in the house was excited about it and couldn't wait until I came home last night to see what I was bringing home. I would really like to host one next year!Start a new tradition.

I really enjoyed this!

Terri

out with the old....................

I can't believe that Christmas is almost here! Where did this year go? It blew in and blew out! Might be a good thing though. I am on vacation the week after Christmas and I am looking forward to that, and THAT is for sure!!!

Michael is on the swim team again this year for school, he is doing so good with that. So glad to see that he has found something he REALLY likes. He has been doing a lot of driving since receiving his learner's permit, and does well.

Mallory is looking forward to graduating this coming year. She is in the nursing program at the Vo-tech school and is really liking it. Can't believe she is going to be 18 in January. I was just telling my sister the other day that besides a few little bumps in the road in her 9th grade year, it is such a blessing to have a child who has successfully made it to the 12th grade and not be on drugs, no drinking, no pregnancies, and who has loved going to school. YAY! That is such a good feeling. Just feels sort of weird knowing they have to sprout their wings now and start learning about life and going through the process of adulthood. Hopefully we have planted enough seeds that they will dig to find them, and eventually know that we are always here for them. I ask God to guide her and keep her safe.

Until the end of the year we will prepare for the Christmas season, and enjoy the cozy moments that we have together. Going to set my goals for the 2010 year, call my friend Rachel so that we can go over both our goals. This is a tradition we have been doing for many years in our friendship. We are going to be changing some rooms around here at home. My Mom had moved back in with us in 2008 after my Dad returned from a job in Iraq. Yes, they have been divorced since 1982, but they still remain friends. She moved into his home while he was gone to house sit. She then came back here to live. Now that I have totally finished my licensing process for real estate, I feel I need to put my focus back into daycare until I decide the time is right to close it. It may be another year or two, I'm not sure yet. I'm ready for a change. I'm not sure where God is leading me yet, but I am trying to listen to him and be ready for whatever he has planned for me.

Weight loss, well, still working on it. Nothing big has happened with that. I need a huge dose of MOTIVATION!! I'll get it though.

So, I am looking forward to moving on to 2010. Praying that God is ready to move us on out of this season that we have been stuck in since August of 2008. I know he is, and we are SOOO ready. Out with the old and in with the new.

Keeping in the word,