Happy New Year! plus 1 More Kitty for the Bunch!

Happy New Year!...almost!On this eve of the new year, I wish you a wonderful and safe, happy and fulfilling 2013!

 Our plans are simple~~ringing in 2013 here at home.  My husband is working today so when he comes home, we plan to pick up a bunch of favorite appetizers from a local restaurant and enjoy a mini New Year's Eve party in my very own family room. I'm making a nice dinner so the kids will get to pick out their favorite appetizers as a first course! It will be a fun night of board games, reading  and tv and just relaxing in our jammies as we snack, snack, snack! We had been invited to a small New Year's party at a neighbor's house, and generally I would consider that since we could walk there and the kids were invited as well, but we opted to stay home and take it slow.  I don't like to travel in a car on this night for fear of crazy drivers, and I always prefer to be with my kids for the evening as it is New Year's for them too! We ring in the New Year as a family! only my husband will probably fall asleep before midnight! It's very cold here so jammies suit me just fine!

This evening always brings back memories of my childhood when my grandparents would be down from Connecticut visiting us for all of Christmas week. On New Year's Eve we would have Chinese food and play an old card game called 7 1/2! My Mom would be busy preparing for the next day's New Year's Day dinner where we would again have a house full of relatives visit for a big meal just like Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! My grandfather owned a Carvel in Danbury, Connecticut so he would close the "store", as he called it, for one week in the winter to come down to Long Island and visit. We would watch the ball drop at midnight! I have faint memories of Guy Lombardo toasting in the new year! Good times and even better memories.

Now I would like you to meet our newest addition:  Patches! Miss Patches is a tortoise cat and approximately 4 years old. She had been a stray in our yard for the last 2 years. She's a sweet little girl with six toes on each front paw and a broken tail! We finally were able to coax her in the other day and now she is sleeping in regularly and enjoying the life of a house cat! She does still like to go outside, but I am happy that she understands that she can come in and sleep, eat, etc. Welcome little Patches! aka Patchie Poo. She joins Robin, Dixie, and Red Cat who have accepted her as sister! There's always room for one more, right?

We did get some snow the other day but then it rained and then it snowed again; just enough to make the grass and bushes white and pretty! I photographed the planter my son gave me for Christmas too. Isn't it lovely? And you can change out the plant and put anything you like...mums for Fall, tulips for Spring.....

I'm thinking of all the things I want to accomplish in 2013--making mental notes and written notes in my notebook. So many craft projects I want to do. I'm happy to say that for the most part I do ALMOST complete my wish list of projects! I hope to do the same this year. I want to do some fabric pictures with appliques, more button crafts and I have been seeing so many posts about glittered putz houses that I am going to try them as well! I also want to make some ornaments for my new Christmas tree! As for cooking, well that is another favorite pastime andI have a ton of recipes I want to try!

Happy New Year! See you in 2013!