I know I haven't blogged much lately. I have to admit that I have a bit of a problem blogging. You see I am a very private person. I'm sure a lot of that comes from being raised as an Army brat. You never stayed anywhere very long so, even though you made many wonderful friends, there was a part of yourself that you never shared. I have since discovered that this a problem with many of us Army brats.

The first and only person that has gotten really close to me was Patrick and even after years of marriage there were still little things he was learning about me. Of course, he also said that kept things interesting so it's not all bad.

Then I have the problem that even if I did open up a little more, there are people that read my blog that might get hurt. I would never want to purposely hurt anyone. So therein lies my dilemma.

So for right now I am going to step away and try to decide what route I want this blogging to go. I'm sure I will be back soon. Until then I wish you love, hope and faith.

This is my new boy, Chester. The kids helped me adopt him on Sunday. It was love at first sight for both of us. His tail is a little messed up but that's part of what makes him so endearing. He's about 1-1/2 years old. I took Serif with me so that I would be sure get a cat that liked children. She never even phased him.

Missy had warned me about the adjustment period when you bring a cat home but there wasn't one for us. I opened his carrier and he walked out and took over the house immediately. He and I are having a good time getting to know each other.

After Bosco it took a while for me to get ready for another pet. The more I thought about it and the more research I did, a cat was just the perfect solution for my life style. I want to get another dog some day but I think I'll wait until I retire and can spend more time with one. Right now I need the independence that a cat has.

Chester has been just what I need. I'm sure you will hear lots more about him as the years go by.

Well he came and went quickly but it was so good to see him. I know it's only been around 5 months but it seemed like forever. It's hard that it was such a fast visit. But something is better than nothing.

The visit started out a bit rocky but it all worked out.

He looks fantastic. He's happy and that makes a big difference. I figured he would love Alaska. Of course the country is beautiful. No one can deny that. Plus he likes the cold. Not at all like me. I seem to have less tolerance of it since I've gotten older. I've seen enough snow and ice in my lifetime.
Serif was so happy to have her Tom-Tom back. That's the nickname that I had for him when he was little so I let Serif use it with him too.
One of the presents he brought her was a neat children's book about Alaska. He got to be the first one to read it to her.

On Saturday Tom, T and her family all gathered at Missy's in order to spend more time with Tom. It was such a great visit. We hadn't seen them in so long. Their little one has grown so much. He and Serif just adore each other. I would have a picture but neither one of them stopped long enough for me to get a good one.

Here's a picture of one of my favorite guys. He's going to break a lot of hearts before he's done.
Here's Tom trying to slow the kids down. Trust me, it didn't work for long.
Of course the guys had to play wii. What's a get together without the wii these days?

Tom left on Tuesday so on Monday he and I were able to get together for a little one on one time. It was so special to just sit and visit with him. We had Mexican just because he was in Texas. Then we went home and just talked some. It made me so happy to see how much he had grown up being on his own. I knew it was the right decision for him. No matter how much we miss him.

Last Saturday I got the grandbaby for the night so Mommy and Daddy could celebrate their 11th anniversary. Wow the time does go by fast. I also need to stop calling her a baby. She is such a big girl these days.

We had so much fun while she was here. They brought the wonderul pink dollhouse that Santa brought her so we were able to play with that. I would arrange the furniture it and she would change it all. Just like her mother did to me when she was little. I would wait for Missy to go to bed at night then I would fix up the dollhouse. When she got up in the morning she would change it all around again. I finally gave up and let the bathroom be in the living room. :-)

It really is a nice dollhouse. She got an assortment of dolls to go with the house. She got a Grammy G doll and a Serif doll. We had so much fun playing with our dolls. Mommy doll went to work and Daddy doll sat at the kitchen table and ate pizza a lot but Grammy G and Serif got to play together and kiss and hug.
Here she is all dressed up in her princess jewelry. Isn't she beautiful? It's hard to tell her but she did put on makeup too.

We also had fun getting under the blanket on the sofa and pretending to hide. While under there I told her to tell me a story. She has such a great imagination. I got to hear all about pirates. Boy pirates and girl pirates and all the things they were doing. She talked for so long. She and I love to laugh and talk while we "hide". It's one of our special games.

Mommy and Daddy got there the next morning and we all went to do our grocery shopping and running around. I guess their celebration and the store wore them out. I know that Serif stayed up too late at my house but that part of the fun isn't it?
We had so much fun. I can't wait to do it again.

This week has been hard on me. I haven't had a full day of work in a couple of weeks and I can tell it. It's been hard getting out of bed in the mornings. I am counting the days until Saturday and sleeping in.

Tom is due in today for a visit. It's been a little over 4 months since he moved to Alaska but it seems like forever. I can't wait to see him and give him a big hug. It was so hard having him gone for the holidays. It just wasn't the same. We did send him a care package with presents but it's not like having him here with us. I'm sure I will have lots of pictures from his visit to share.

Here are the Christmas pictures I had promised. I finally got them downloaded from my camera. I have no idea where all the time has gone. I did take a few days off for the holidays and didn't get anything I had planned done. Pretty tyical for me.

Christmas eve started off with Missy and me enjoying cherry cokes made with cherry brandy. Boy were they good and definitely set the mood.

Missy and Serif made gingerbread cookies in different shapes for everyone to decorate in the evening. As you can see it was all very laid back and happy. Definitely the theme for this year's holidays.

Mommy and Serif had fun getting everything ready.
Serif was very serious about rolling out the dough and making the different shapes.
Here is Serif decorating some of the cookies. I hope you can see all the sprinkles she has on them. I don't think there were any sprinkles left after she finished.
Here are some of the finished cookies. Everyone had a ball making them.

Nova brought the makings so that everyone could make their own fruit juices. We all came up some strange combinations. We learned lots and will do better next time.
We also had crackers. Serif liked the crown in hers.

All Serif could think about was getting her pink dollhouse for Christmas. She was so big and sat on Santa's lap and told him that was what she wanted. She was so thrilled to see it under the tree.
Missy couldn't believe the camera she got.
That was one happy little girl.
Santa was very good to all of us.
Terry didn't think he was getting his Rosetta Stone. Missy surprised him after all the presents had been opened.

Christmas day was a very relaxed open house at my house. There was food and good company. I told you that the theme of this Christmas was relaxed. I loved doing this. I was able to visit with everyone instead of being in the kitchen cooking. It was great.
Here is Missy, Patti and Kathy relaxing and enjoying themselves.

New Years eve was a spur of the moment. Kathy, Emily, Missy, Terry, Serif and myself decided to bring in the New Year at Missy's. Since we all had to work that day, we really hadn't made any plans. We decided to go out for a nice spaghetti dinner and then came home and plalyed wii until it was the New Year. I know it sounds boring but we really did have a great time.

Kathy volunteered to do New Years Day dinner. After going all over to find the black eyed peas and cabbage, we all sat down to great dinner with all the superstitions for wealth covered.

If we don't have money in the new year, it won't be because we didn't eat the right food. Thank you so much Kathy. It was all delicious.

This is as we were leaving Kathy's. Full and ready for the new year. As you can see, here in Austin, the weather was beautiful. No need to for sweaters or coats.

I hope everyone has all of their dreams come true in the New Year.

Christmas is over and I am back at work. At least it's a short week since I am taking Friday off.

Christmas was great. Just what I had hoped for. Very relaxing. We had more of an open house type of celebration. I cooked a ham and made some deviled eggs. We ate sandwiches, snacks and lots of sweets. It was an all day event. Started about 1:00 in the afternoon and ended around 10:00. It was great because no one was stressed out. Just lots of conversation, food and laughter. The kids even managed to find time for a nap.

Friday was a day of quiet for me. Reading, knitting and resting. It was perfect. Just what I wanted.

I have pictures but haven't had a chance to download them yet. I will post them soon.

I hope that everyone one had a very blessed Christmas. Guess it's time to start taking down the decorations and preparing for the New Year.