2007

2007 time square ball


2007

In the last few days as we get ready to
welcome the new year of 2008
I have been kind of reflecting about
what the year had brought in and out of my life
this past year.

It started off last January on a sad note for
at the beginning of the year I was attending one
of my uncles funerals and as most of you
know in Nov I was doing that same thing
for my aunt.

I was always raised for every death there is
a birth and in my family we were blessed
twice by the birth of my great nephew in April
and my great niece in August.

I also went through some moments of uncertainty
about many things in my life some that affected me and
some that affected my family the main one was what my eldest
sister went through with her 7 heart bypass which she
is still in the recovery process but I am blessed that she
is doing well. and I thank my sisters who took good care
of her during this time.

the other was being my nephew was sent overseas and
it was hard on the family but thank the Lord he returned
home safe and sound.

I was introduced to the world of blogging and have
learned to enjoy expressing my "expressions"
and must say thanks to those who take the time
to read (some of my craziness at times!!)

I reconnected with my brother's two daughters and
their children and I am so blessed to have done so
we have been having some fun times that I know will
continue and it feels so good to have them in our life.
I know my brother and mother would be
so pleased about this. it is a connection that I plan on
having stay constant throughout my life time. ( I hope the girls
want it too!)

My husband and I have kind of reconnected in some ways
(not that we were ever disconnected) but sometimes with
the constant of daily living, couples tend to get a bit side tracked
and this year we made it a priority to not get so side tracked
from each other which has been wonderful cause we have taken
a few little "mini road trips" A.K.A. "weekend getaways" and
we are closer and still enjoy each other's company( good thing to
know cause in a few years the kids will be out of the house!)

I tried to go back to school, math not my best subject but
I still one day plan on returning. so until then I am
taking craft classes and fun things like that.

I returned to the work force and was blessed to end up
with a job I love and work with wonderful women.

I turned 45 and seemed to be alright with it
I am starting to be comfortable with the skin I am in
(so to speak, I just need to be more diligent in getting
there)

2007 taught me so many things and I am glad
I hope that 2008 will do the same.

2008

What I know for sure:

I will become a great aunt again very soon in the new year
I will be celebrating 25 years of marriage to my best guy friend
I will watch my son graduate from high school and then off to college in fall
I will see my daughter get her Driver's license!
I will see one of my sisters retire from teaching after 30 + years

what I hope to accomplish in 2008
make more time for myself ( physically and emotionally)
family togetherness
have fun
enjoy life.
keeping in touch with my friends
keep on sharing my expressions

so I am looking forward to what 2008 will bring
and my wish for everyone who reads this is that
2008 will bring them all they wish for.
and for a happy and blessed new year.


HAPPY NEW YEAR

We Gather Together

Like most families we have been busy with the
business and gatherings of family, loved ones, and
friends celebrating Christmas, and we have had a
wonderful time doing so.

I was blessed to have one of my sisters and her
family stay with me for two days, My nephew came
home from Japan to spend the holiday with the family
it was wonderful for he gave all of us a special gift by
announcing the name of his child that will be making
it's debut sometime in the new year. we were all
very excited to learn the name and I think it
will suit the child well.

It was great to spend time with my sister
then on Christmas day we spent the day
with all my sisters and our families together
then we all ended up at one of my cousins house
where other cousins and uncles attended and we
embraced each other and we learned some family
history that I never learned before. ( I thought that
to be a gift in itself , for I am a nut about family history!)

when I got home I decided that I was going to write it
down and perhaps start a project of a journal with it
for my knowledge or just to have our family history


now we are kind of getting ready to ring in the
new year normally we are always just myself, kids
and husband this year kids are having a little party
at the house so guess who is the caterer for this party?!

oh well at least I know it will be fun ( at least I hope so!!)

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS
MERRY CHRISTMAS
MERRY CHRISTMAS
MERRY CHRISTMAS
MERRY CHRISTMAS
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Traditions Part 2

There are traditions that we keep in our family
some from when I was a girl and the others from
my husband's family that have been handed down
the photo above is from my husbands side of the family
it is Date candy. I used to think it was awful but it is
actually very good it is an old family tradition that
goes way back on my husbands side it is one of the
first things I learned to make from Granny when I
we were first married.










the other is a sweet bread that my mother
used to make to give as Christmas gifts
I am not an expert at it as she was but I
don't do so bad at it, one of my sisters can
make it better but I think it is fun to try and
I am glad that one of my sister's found mom's
old recipe we called it Papatiza!

so this week I will be baking these two yummy things
along with a few others that are on my family's gotta
have goody list.

Oh Christmas Tree

This year I decided to only put up one of my Christmas Trees
( I usually put up two) anyway I wanted something a little
different and I thought about doing kind of a memory tree
I ran out of time and so I did not get it done as I liked but
next year I plan on having one of the trees just dedicated
to that so at least by this time next year it will be complete!

so for this year this tree is still an unfinished work in progress
and well I must say I enjoyed trying to find the right photos
to match up with the ornament frames. anyway as stated
earlier it is still a work in progress and next year will be complete.

Christmas Hoopla

Oh I have been tagged for Christmas Hoopla
I have never been tagged before so if I do this
incorrectly forgive me for I am still kind of new
at this blog thing.
being tagged I am supposed to list 12 random things
about myself that have to do with Christmas
well here they are

1. I enjoy watching Christmas movies My favorite is
THE CHRISTMAS STORY

2. I love the smell of Cinnamon pine cones and
and pine scent in the house at Christmas time

3. when I was younger I once had a tamale eating contest
with a family member till I got sick to my stomach on Christmas
eve.

4. I enjoy looking at all my old photos as a young girl sitting on
Santa's lap and looking at my children's photos with Santa as well.

5. I enjoy decorating the house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving
and I start listening to Christmas music that day, everyday until Christmas.

6. I like family Traditions and the three that I keep are making tamales and my
mother's sweetbread and my husband's grandmas date candy.

7. I save my Christmas cards and some I use as Name tags
others I make a collage or use as Christmas Ornaments

8. I am a snowman Freak! I love collecting snowman ornaments, anything
snowmen.

9. I buy my Christmas cards for the next year the day after Christmas

10 I love baking Christmas cookies and candy for my kids

11. I can never decide what it is I want for Christmas.

12 The craziest of all I somehow always end up Christmas shopping the last
few days before Christmas. ( I guess in some strange way I enjoy the
rush of it weird I know!!!)

alright I am suppose to choose someone else to be tagged
I really don't know that many people so I will choose

Dee Dee Girl @ Desires

The Christmas Ornaments

Here are the Christmas ornaments that I have been blessed to receive at the cookie and ornament exchanges I have attended or hosted I still have one more to attend next week ( I can't wait I have been getting pretty good ones don't you think?)

(the date is wrong on the photos cause it was wrong on the camera)

the ornament in the first photo is the one I received this past Tuesday.




the second photo is one I got today at the exchange that I hosted upon opening I noticed the fence came unglued well I will mend it this evening







and the last one I also got today it was disguised by my breakfast club
buddies as a belated birthday gift
so may your days be

MERRY & BRIGHT

Cookie & Ornaments

Every year my friend and I have held a
little cookie & Christmas ornament exchange
for some ladies ( in past post I called the Breakfast Club).

we have a great time and I seem to end up with some
beautiful and interesting Christmas Ornaments.

This year I also have attended a few. this past Tues
I attended one with the ladies I went on Church retreat with
it was so beautiful and elegant. I really had a great time
I got some great ideas for the one we are hosting.

I enjoy this (and it has become a kind of tradition ) because
I love to see the joy in my elderly lady friends faces.
it is such a wonderful time to have fellowship & laugh & have a little fun.

I guess it is becoming a little tradition on it's own

Traditions part 1

As far in my childhood as I can recall
my family like every Hispanic family
has the tradition of making Tamales for
Christmas, it is a lot of work but it is
a tradition that I enjoy to do and will continue
to keep in my family.

whenever we make them I feel my mother's
presence (she made pretty good tamales)
it brings back a lot of fun memories that
I will cherish forever.

we made our tamales this past Saturday
so now one tradition done and a few more
to do before the holidays.

Alice in wonderland

Last night I got to be taken to
a kind of dark place in watching the
high school production of Alice in wonderland
my son was the Cheshire Cat he did a wonderful
job with a small part. the whole cast and crew did
a great job.

This was not the Alice from the Walt Disney movie
the kids in the play made it their own with some
humor and song, and set, but yet still on the dark side
some scenes kind of creepy like but not devilish.

I am always amazed to see such talent these high
school kids have and I am glad that my son is
apart of it and that the performing arts can
still be apart of the school system.

I don't know if my son will perform in the spring
play I hope he does.

The Birthday

The last week of November
I had a birthday I really did not
celebrate it like I would normally
have done due to the passing of my aunt
but my daughter baked me a cake and so
I celebrated a little. and my family called and
gave me birthday greetings which made the
day not so sad.

we decided that after the holidays we
will do our family birthday ritual that we
always do and go out to dinner somewhere
of my choosing.

bless my children's heart for the thought.

Gone Home

it has been a week since my last entry
a week of sadness and of fond memories
a week of seeing family you only get to see
when someone you love leaves this earth.


Last week my aunt left this earth and went home
to heaven. I am so blessed to have spent the time
I did to tell her goodbye and I loved her I will always
treasure that gift.

one of my loved ones was asked to do the eulogy and
she did a remarkable job. after that I visited with realitives
I have not seen in a while and we had a good visit
under the circumstances.
I know my aunt would have loved it.

for the last two days I have had this thought going through
my head when my time comes to pass I wonder if I would be
so Adorn by my nieces, nephews, cousins, etc I hope that I will be
that somewhere along my life time I gave some sage advice or
gave them some special memory of me to make a lasting memory.

well I carry my aunt in my heart with a few special memories
of visits we had together from me being a little girl and into the
very last days of her life. she will be truly missed.