The Curtain Falls on 2018

Are you ready for the new year? Are you ready to look upon 2019 as a clean slate and a new beginning? I try to do that every year and approach it with a refreshed attitude. New adventures, new friends, new things to learn, new things to look forward to. It's also a time of reflection upon those we lost, or things we had planned to accomplish and never quite got there. Or thinking one thing would happen and another did instead! Remember God has a plan for us all. Its actually every exciting if you think about it! Every year we have a fresh start. Tomorrow I will tell you some of my plans and wishes for the new year. 

My tree had to come down on Friday. Sadly. It was dead; "dead as a doornail" as Charles Dickens says. Not the needle dropping kind of dead but the "you could snap off a branch very easily" type of dry. The gingerbread tree in the foyer will be up for a few more days but as much as I love (and I DO LOVE) to decorate for Christmas, I also don't mind removing it after it's over and, like the "new year" having a fresh start in the house too. 

So with cup of coffee in hand, I begin. As my husband works repainting some of our rooms and reorganizing our basement now that there is new carpet, it's a team effort of starting 2019 off to a fresh start! I find that when he is working on a project in our house, it become all encompassing.

 We'll finish in time for an early dinner out tonight and I'll be counting my blessings as we are enjoying our quiet evening. I hope your night is wonderful and your new year is wonderful!

Happy Holidays! Remember me?

Is anyone out there? Hello...I know its been a long time...is anyone  there to reconnect through blogging with me? :)  I have spent so much time working on my Facebook pages about Country Decorating, Amish and all the seasons that I sadly abandoned my blogging. If you'll have me, I'm here again....Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

So much has changed and so much has not! Life is interesting and fun and when I thought as my kids got older that the special times would be fewer because they are now "older" I was wrong! Life is joyful; my kids are my best friends. We are a happy foursome--Billy, me, our son Billy and our Caitlin. And more than two years ago we added another love to our bunch and that would be my son's girlfriend Brianna. She fits right in as does her wonderful family. 

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I especially enjoyed them this year because I started earlier! I made it a point to get things accomplished and ENJOY accomplishing them instead of feeling rushed and stressed. It made all the difference. Shopping earlier was key! I started during the Summer for the many that we exchange with.

I decorated slowly. Some each day. Adding some, moving it around...I will tell you it was perfect and I will do the same next year. 

I'm just waiting for our first snowfall. I love snow! Usually we would have already had a storm but we haven't seen any snow since right after Thanksgiving. I'm crossing my fingers. 

For now I thank you for reading my post and I hope you will come back once again! We all have so much to share!