Favorite '09 Christmas Pictures

Christmas this year... well... wasn't as joyful as it usually is. But, I made the most of it. Laughs and smiles were still shared even though the love of my life wasn't here with me. We got snowed in at my grandparent's house so lots of cards were played and movies watched. Braelyn had fun tattling on her uncles whenever they'd touch her, playing with her shopping cart and table and Grandma's bears, and of course, cuddling with Mommy.

We came home to LOTS of snow. Thanks to our neighbors we were able to get into the driveway. I live in the best neighborhood in Madison, SD! Wonderful people!

My little cleaning lady. She helped Grandma clean up on Saturday morning.

Uncle Rane reading The Mitten.

Playing farm with Papa. Braelyn LOVES her Papa and I think he loves her just as much.

Lessons Learned

When I was growing up I always considered my parents strict. My older brother and myself had chores, I wasn't allowed to hang around certain people, and there were rules that had to be followed. There were consequences if the above were not followed. There were many times I became very unhappy with my parents because of their rules and I felt they were unfair because the younger two children didn't have the same rules as us older two. Why? I'm not quite sure and I've never asked.
But, looking back I'm grateful for the way they raised me. Looking back I can see that I did have more freedom (sometimes more than should have been allowed) to make choices, but they also had the reins to say slow down. And of course I didn't always make the right choices and those were lessons I learned.
I'm thankful for the lessons my parents taught me. The values they instilled in me. The values that make me who I am today. Were they perfect parents? Probably not. But, they were the best parents for me and I'm grateful for having them in my life. Right now, they are my strength. They are the ones who are helping me get through life. Even if it's to make a wise crack!

Life

Life isn't about surviving the storm...
It's learning to dance in the rain...

Christmas Card

Hug those loved ones extra tight.

Give them one more 'I love you' before you shut off the light.

But before you shut your eyes, sneak in a little kiss.

For this holiday season, those are the things I'll miss.

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Wishing you all a Holiday Season filled with joy, love, and happiness.

Picture taken by Estelle's Photography

http://estellesphotography.blogspot.com/

Laundry Day

Just chilaxing in the laundry basket.

Three Things I'm Loving this Winter

Here are three things I'm loving this winter.

First, my new jeans from Gap! LOVE them. I've searched and search for jeans the fit and don't have holes like the teeny boppers like to wear. Let's face it, I'm not young and hip anymore. I have a young one and my hips, well, they aren't what they used to be. These are the best jeans!

My next love is apple cider. It keeps me all warm and toasty on my route to work. I love sipping it on Saturday or Sunday mornings when my wee one is still sawing logs. That's about the only quiet time I have to myself anymore. I'm very picky about my cider though... it must have a cinnamon stick boiled with it and it has to be boiled on the stove. No microwaving it for me. I'm sure it probably tastes the same, it's just I'm weird like that.

A co-worker of mine gave this Bath and Body Works Stress Relief Lotion when Heath deployed. I was a little hesitant in using it because I have weird skin issues and usually break out using any lotion that smells. Not this. Again, LOVE it.

December Daily

Okay... so this has nothing to do with Christmas, but I have been fighting a cough/cold/runny nose/congestion/everything for about a month now. I went to the doctor last Friday, she took an x-ray of my chest and did some blood work, and came to the conclusion I had bronchitis. Fine. She prescribed me some meds and off I went. My cough went away and my chest stopped aching, but I was still clogged up in my head. It was to the point I couldn't hear squat! A teammate of mine suggested using a Neti Pot. I used it once tonight and wowza!
I CAN BREATHE THROUGH MY NOSE PEOPLE AND HEAR! It's amazing!

December Daily

Dear God,

Please keep Heath and his troops safe and let them return home to their families in September. Please give the people of Afghanistan the wisdom to understand there is a better life than fighting one another. Please give the children of Afghanistan moms and dads that teach them right from wrong and that hurting one another is not acceptable.

In Your Name,

Katie

December (I skipped a few days) Daily

I'm having difficulty posting my videos so that's why I missed a couple of days. Pictures will have to do.

Here is my Nativity Scence. I love, love, love it!

This year I bought Braelyn this:

I think it'll be a great tool to help Braelyn understand Christmas is about Jesus' birth.

10 more days (of school) until Christmas break! I'm really looking forward to spending that time with Braelyn and relaxing at home. Hopefully it remains stress free!

December Daily

Each month since Heath has been gone he's sent me flowers...

It's so nice to receive a symbol of his love for me. Don't get me wrong, I know he loves me, but when I don't hear it everyday, it makes it difficult to keep moving on. Instead of him constantly reminding me he loves me, I have to convince myself. At times, it's hard to do. The flowers seem to come at a time when I need them most.

Here is a look at December's bouquet:

Absolutely beautiful!

Tour of Our Home Cont.

Here is our small tree that sits in the kitchen.

God Bless America... Land of the Free... Home of the Brave...

Christmas Tour of Our Home

I know I missed a couple of days, but I'm going to try to do a December Daily. We'll see how it goes!

Here is our Christmas tree all decked out in red, white, and blue.

Heath and I had only been dating a couple of months before we had our "first" Christmas together. We had separate apartments and of course when it came to decorating for Christmas, my apartment was covered from floor to ceiling. Heath's, not so much. I finally convinced him to buy a tree and decorations. The tree had to "represent" him so he bought cop and patriotic ornaments. I remember the night we bought it and set it up and how much I appreciated his willingness to pretend to get into the Christmas spirit for me.

Setting up the tree this year brought back all of the wonderful memories of our "first" Christmas together and Christmases after that. Memories are wonderful...

I miss and love you Heath! Looking forward to making more wonderful Christmas memories next year when our family is together.

You Know You're a Guard Wife When...

1. You walk into the post office every week with Flat Rate box or boxes and it costs $11.39 to ship each box.
2. The custom labels are filled out before entering the post office.
3. Your eyes swell listening to "I'm Proud to be an American".
4. You're able to switch radio stations one minute before the news airs.
5. You have no idea what's going on in the world around you because you avoid the news at all costs.
6. The "big" problems to some people, seem so small to you. And you know in the picture of life... it'll be okay.
7. It's emotional to set up your Christmas Tree. You know Christmas won't be the same without your husband.
8. The people at the post office know you by name and know the address you're sending your packages to because you are there every week.
9. You look for the little things to smile or laugh about.
10. You wake up each morning and thank God for giving you another opportunity to be the best citizen you can. Afterall, you are free because of the brave men and women that fight for our freedom. The least you can do is respect our country and the people that live in it.