MamaKat's Losin' It - Writing Prompt: 3. If the way you spent your New Year’s Eve is any indication of how the rest of the year will go, how would you say your future is looking right about now?

Wow. That is... A mouthful of a topic...

We don't usually have a party on NYE. We usually sit at home, have a meal (maybe In-N-Out), have a couple of drinks, casually watch the countdown and the performers on Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve, cheer, and go to bed... all in between snoozing (yes... I feel like I'm "old" sometimes...)

This year was different.

Quickie recap of 2014... We ended 2013 with the premature death of our beloved family dog, the day before NYE. 2014 was a bad, bad year. We went through a lot. Between allegations of "me" making my work environment "hostile" to death after death after death... I have never been to so many funerals or memorials in my life, all of the years put together. And we are fairly young. We are in our 40's. I won't dwell on this today.

This year IS different. We decided to have a "2014 was a Shitty Year Party And Let's Kick it to the Curb!" (There were many more expletives put in there when we "named" it, but that's the gist of it.

And so we did. We had some family and friends over. I made food. I did some frozen appetizers (which my husband wanted... he wanted the easy stuff. Go figure.). I handmade some other appetizers. And we drank, but not too much (nobody was wasted...). And we visited. And we sang. And we boogied our butts off.

Placing a Rose on the Donor Float at the Rose Parade -
What a WONDERFUL Experience

It was 1980's Old School in da house! (My husband's brother is a DJ, so the walls were vibrating...) We weren't forgetting all those we love that are now gone. We were living FOR them. We danced and laughed and waited for 2015 to arrive in our own time zone.

All of my husband's siblings were here. and... it was "nice". There was NO drama which is a frickin' miracle or fighting. It was just a good group of people together. Hoping. Wishing. Praying. For a better year.

OMG! It snowed in our little city (This was NYE morning)... It NEVER snows (and sticks...)

So, all in all... my NYE was pretty darn good. My future? This will be a GREAT year! I am determined. We are determined. This is really truly going to be a great frickin' year!

No filter. Just HOPE.

*Undernote because it's not really on the side, is it? : I'm really just trying to get back into the swing of things. Write more. Craft more. Do more, like I used to. And this... is one more step to it.

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If you would like to read more or join in the Writer's Workshop at Mama's Losin' It, please feel free to click on the link and enter in. The more the merrier... Be sure to leave some comment love for everyone you visit. And thank you!

Pardon my tears (Part Seven... [the last for now]) - It's a NEW YEAR!!!!

I needed to take a little break; I'm sure you all understand. (If you don't, please refer to my most recent posts. I'm sure you will understand, after that.)

2014 was the worst year ever. First, our son. Days later, my mother-in-law...

Every month after... at least one or two people close to me. I'm only 44. My friends and people close to me that this is happening/happened to are not old! Everything (almost) is completely unexpected.

I am tired of it all. I am tired of mourning. Of fresh tears. Of opened wounds. I get that "it" will always be there but will get easier. It's just hard. The holidays especially. I cannot write how much I cried. How many tears were shed. But we made the best out of it. We did all that we could.

Me? I stayed super busy. No... I didn't get Christmas cards out. I hardly made any for 2014. I didn't do as much shopping as usual, either. Or decorating. Lots and lots of boxes stayed put in the garage for the season and didn't even get cracked open.

We even forgot to put out the stockings. Eek! Thank goodness for Elfie. He relayed messages to Santa, telling him how "out of it" we were. And that's ok.  It's ok for us to be "off" for a bit. We did put Jr's picture with the kids for the Santa photo...

I won't be posting pictures of our precious photos. Those are mine to cherish and to share with people close to me. I'm trying to stay healthy... and to deal. And so...

We threw a New Year's Eve party.

We NEVER do that. But we had such a crappy year... (it needs to be said... and last year's year end started with our beloved dog dying, and went downhill from there, ending with lots of losses). We know death is a part of life. But OMG! Give us a break. We are accepting and trying to move on. We want to live and cherish the memories, not dwell on the "what if's" and the "why's". They won't be answered.

And so we "partied". We had family and friends come over. And we had fun. We said goodbye to 2014 and kicked that awful year to the curb.

We are now here in 2015. It is a new year. A fresh start. And that is all of that. Welcome to the new year. May it be better than the previous. May we all be healthy and wise for it.

Attempting to write more often, improving myself, learning more, and being more positive are on my list for the year. I'm not saying they are "resolutions", but just something I'd like to do for myself. And if I do it for myself, it will improve everything about and around me. I need positive air surrounding me. I am going to do it.

So watch for it... Today is the second of January (I needed a recupe day, ya know?)... and I plan on being much more present this year. How about you?

And just so you know... Besides taking down most of Christmas today, I actually overhauled a full room! Fresh start! The laundry room is super fresh, now! Watch out world... HERE. I. COME!

A New Year!!! Welcome 2013

Whew! It's been a crazy fast-paced year, 2012 was... and I let all of that and more overwhelm me.

But let's be honest here. We all make resolutions at some point during the year, whether it's at the fresh start of the New Year, or further on down the line.  So, I'm not making a resolution, so much as promising myself (and you) to get back on track... or at least a little more so.

My last post was in October. Ugh. That was a long time ago.  At least in followering and writing terms. A lot has happened, and a lot more will happen.  Such is life. I may or may not post somethings I worked on or did during that time, but, I was busy, just like all of you.

Right now... I just dropped off the middle child at school (yes, my 19-year-old started the Culinary Academy today!), and am sitting quiety here (at home) typing in this post. I'm waiting for my lazy-purchased pie crust to come to room temperature so I can roll out the dough and make some mini beef and mushroom potpies.  Recipes? you ask... um... let's see how they turn out first.

My goals today are to:

1.  Make tamales (with stuff I've been hoarding).
2.  Complete these potpies. (I've got turkey to do, as well...)
3.  Clean a bit of the craftwomb. (Wholly guacamole! If you could see inside there right now, you'd wonder how I possibly got ANYTHING done during the holiday season. Maybe I'll post before and after pics later.)
4. Walk a little.
5.  Do a weigh-in with My Pink Loser... (we'll see about that one...)
6.  Pick up above-mentioned child.
7.  Keep my mind and sanity intact.

Do we think I can do it? We'll see... while the youngest is still sleeping (she doesn't go back to school/I don't go back to work [if I still have a job...] until January 14th), I'll see how much I can actually get accomplished.

But just know that I'm welcoming 2013 with a fresh breath and fresh mind. I'll be updating more and being a little more open-minded about getting rid of things... You never know what will happen.  Have a wonderful day, and please... let me know what your goals for the day are. And what you actually able to do.

Gotta run... pie crust should be ready... Toodles!

Saying Goodbye...

to Christmas 2010, that is! I forgot to take pics of all my decorations and lights and displays this year, like so many other years before. I can't believe I did it again!

But, before throwing out the stale Gingerbread house that Marissa and I worked so hard on, I actually remembered to take pics.

Let me set the stage for you... and include some pics of the building of the Gingerbread House 2010... *yeah... you know that's not gonna happen... lost the external hard drive where they were all stored... BOO!!!*

We had purchased a kit last year at the "after" Christmas sales. I will never do this again. Even though we saved a lot of money on it (75%), it SO was not worth it.

For one, Marissa likes to eat the gingerbread, the candy, AND the icing.

Ew... the icing was almost as hard as a rock. EVEN in an air-tight bag. Super gross. I worked it, too. I kneaded it with my warm hands, soaked the bag in warm and hot water, microwaved it... everything I possibly could, to no avail.

The gingerbread was hard. Ok... that's a given, because we all know in those kits... they're hard anyway. Like cardboard. (But hey! it still smelled good!)

The candy? Nah... I wasn't even going to try it...

But yeah... we put it together anyway. (If you notice some clear-ish glue... keep your comments to yourself and don't judge. Heck ya! I used the hot glue gun! It wouldn't stay up, otherwise...)

I threw together some icing... Well... um... Marissa was getting impatient and wanted to do it RIGHT NOW! (She'd already been waiting while I tried to soften the kit's icing.) So... I opened a can of vanilla Betty Crocker stuff. (Yes... I keep some in my cabinet - I love "instant cookies". What are these?, you ask? Graham crackers with frosting inside. Yum!)

Put some in a piping bag with a #3 tip and let her at it.

That didn't last long... Icing was coming out of the bag opening and not through the tip. Will kids ever listen? And so... Mama took control. I iced, and she put the candy on.

Where was Daddy through all of it? Uh... taking pictures (that got lost in the hard drive... when it crashed the week before Christmas).

Zooming into today. Today, it was the last thing sitting out... a reminder of Christmas Past except for the wrapping paper still in the dining room, waiting to finish wrapping presents that still need to be shipped up North. And so... I thought it appropriate to give it a little boost into the trash can. It was completely inedible, stale, and beginning to collect dust.

I grabbed a couple of shots, turning it this way and that, then off-loaded it into the waste can outside... Adios! Until next year... when we might... YES! we just might... make our own next year. No more nasty-tasting gingerbread houses for us!



Hoping your day is as sweet and sunny as this "Sun" is!



It's January? Break Out the NEW Calendar! (Calendar Swap Pages)

Yes, I took a much needed break yesterday. I lounged around, checked in on Facebook a little, made a "boxed" dinner (Stove Top Stuffing ROCKS, btw...), watched some television, and read a little, too. (Oh yeah... and in all of that, I also hit up Walmart for some 75% off stuff...) After all, I had to recover from taking down and putting away all things holidays...

But, I'm coming back today! And... with something a little bit crafty, too.

I am in a couple of groups online. The Scrapbook_Bingo group on YahooGroups does swaps occasionally. This last time, we did a calendar swap. We each signed up for a particular month to put together a "Header Page" (you know... the one that goes at the "top" of each calendar month) and made 12 landscape-style layouts for it. We then sent them in and would get a full year's worth back! Woohoo! I just love assembly-line style...

This is what I got back:

January! (You already know it came from me... Don't you just love the cheery snowman?) For more information on this layout, click HERE.

February... the month of L.O.V.E.

 

March... the month of Leprechauns

 

A super cute list of dates and an adorable buttoned 4-leaf clover were added to complete it.

April brings RAIN SHOWERS... that make uh... FLOWERS!

And I just love the matting and felt flowers!

May(be)...
(NOT)

June... oh, so sweet!

a little more detail on those super CA-YOOT! lady bugs...

July... full of sparkle and patriotism!

August... is a good summer month.

September... School Days!

October (another one by yours truly!)... a Boo-tiful month!

Notes on October... this cutest paper was a pack at Big Lots... adorable and so fitting! The web was Stardust Gellyroll-penned for glitter effects. The Floating Ghosts are cut from the Paper Doll Dress-Up and pop-dotted at the eyes to keep them afloat in the air. 

And the webbing behind the mat is leftover Halloween "webs"... The font is Blackletter, which I thought I'd never use. But! I did, especially since it came for free with my Gypsy download. I added Red Stickles for the glitter-y blood effects... Boo!

 November... time for leaves to fall.

A closer look at the details... very nice falling leaves.

And these pumpkins are look so sweet... perfectly inked and irresistible.

December... a month for celebration and magic... just BELIEVE...

This layout is simple, yet... majestic. The tree just makes it that way!

The calendars were then bound with my friend's wonderful Cinch. Later... I customized calendar pages and printed them from KeepAndShare.com (which is a FREE site, so check it out!!! GET IT? FREE Printables!!!), and adhered them with my trusty friend... ATG! A quick hole, punched with my Crop-a-dile Big Bite (exactly in the center at the top of the pages), and Voila!

And so... I created two calendars, both of which were given as gifts, which I'm sure the recipients will cherish forever and ever, especially since they have to add their own photos... I'll show the glorious wrappings another day...

What type of calendar are YOU using for 2011? Get crafty! It'll make you want to use it more. (AND... fyi... these calendars CAN be used over and over again, by simply re-printing new years and placing them over the old... maybe update the photos a little bit, but hey! very economical!)

Before I hit the sack... Here's the 1st Give-Away of 2011!

My friend (Lisa) over at Designs by Papergrace Designs is doing a great give-away to break in 2011! Check it out by clicking the link or clicking HERE. Just so you know... she is awesome in everything she does, even having the awesome name that she has (*snicker*). I am very lucky to have her as a friend... I even made her Christmas Card list, and boy, oh boy! was it a ca-yutie patootie card!

I love her. Please... show her some love and leave comments. Peruse her sight and see the awesome work that I see. She is so talented... words cannot describe it, so look at her work. AND PLEASE! Leave a comment (or two or four) for her. Love is needed everywhere, and everyone needs to hear it a little now and then.

Thank you! And have a Happy 2011!

New Year's Eve 2010...

New Year's Eve is a time for having that last bit of 2010 fun, and we did!

Tonight was a completely impromptu evening... so impromptu, that I did not have a camera with me, except my camera phone. Therefore, please excuse the super crappy photos. And thank you!

Juan (hubs) and I took the munchkin out to Outback (thank you, Jolene & Abe for the giftcard!) and had a late lunch... It was totally yummy! I'd show ya pics, but I was too busy enjoying the food... NOM NOM NOM...

Then, we went to AMC Theaters and saw Tangled. (You know... we had to use up those passes that expire today!) Funny, funny movie! It was a riot, and I'd love to see it again, and buy it... when it comes out on DVD.

The elves show the way to the Mission Inn (Riverside, CA)

Then, trying to catch up on Christmas lights, we re-visited the Woods Streets (in Riverside) and went by the Mission Inn. Thinking it really wouldn't be open... boy oh boy! Were we wrong. They even still had carriage rides going (even though they jacked-up the prices!).

We got to see all the lights of the Mission Inn, and take our time strolling around and throughout. A much more relaxed atmosphere... such a pleasant time. Crowds did not push and pull us through, and it was bliss.

Shocked from the COLD!

Thanking Daddy for the most BESTEST surprise!

The weather was still cold (apparently, the same temperature as New York City!), so we bundled up on the carriage ride. Munchkin girl was so surprised to have this last day of 2010 in a Cinderella Carriage!

(not possessed... don't worry...)

And Santa, was snuggled in an oversized chair, outside the Antique Store... resting his weary body after a long, hard Christmas (the economy is killin' everyone, people!).

Santa, resting his weary feet... in a Massive Chair

And we walked around the shops, though most of them were closed, I couldn't resist this pic... I just love the idea of Baby New Year, and this shop did him such justice. How adorable, no?

And with that... Have a Happy, Safe, and Wonderful New Year, as we say goodbye to 2010 and tuck it in... And hope for a good year to come in 2011.

She'll Build Her OWN Float!

Southern California is going through some cold, tough weather. If you've read or follow my blog (HELLO! to my 18 Followers, and THANK YOU!), you know most of us can't handle "inclement" weather. Yeah... we can't handle the C.O.L.D., either. At least... I can't.

I've lived in cold climates before. I've endured the snow. Getting up to shovel snow at 6:30 am is NOT my choice of a lifestyle. uh... yeah. I've endured the cold. Shorts and flip-flops are not options. uh... no. And so... I moved back to my beloved Southern California lifestyle, where I can go visit these climates, if I want to, and when I want to. And that works for me.

But waking up to 30F weather, is a little chilly. I'm not sure how low it got last night, or how low it's getting tonight, but when my 5-year-old is asking if we're going to the "Parade" this year (2011 Rose Parade) and camping out... my answer is a firm, "NO!" You see, if you want good seats, you need to camp out. And that begins tomorrow morning at the crack of Dawn. It is COLD! And, you can't layout tents at all. Sleeping bags, mattresses and the warm stuff (including fire pits) can't break out until later in the day/evening. Heck, you can't even "move" into a real spot until around noon. And so.... you sit there and freeze.

Don't get me wrong. It was a wonderful experience, and it's a lot of fun. But... this year, with a congested cough and these freezing temperatures? Uh, NOT gonna happen!

Call me a wimp... I don't care. I am going to sleep as late as I want to, in my nice warm bed, and watch from the comfort of my warm home. And if I miss it... first of all... it plays all flippin' day! And if I miss that, HECK! I already set the TiVo to record it (and TWO different channels!).

Anywho... back to the 5yo... She is in good spirits! And so... with a lot of my collection of Christmas popcorn tins, and some of the everyday ones (they make excellent inexpensive storage, ya know!), She put together 10!. She covered them with decorative blankets, added pillows, and then!

She placed her Barbies and Disney Princesses and Horses and Little toys on TOP of the float, so they can wave, "HI!" to all the people.

Her stables and animals needed to be included, too. And she has the Nutcracker Army standing guard.

At one point, she had all of the Princesses' arms (well... once each) up, waving the Princess Wave. And she hides behind the float (her secret hiding place, because YOU know! the people that control the floats hide, too!)

(See Rapunzel up there, in her TALL tower?) Awesome... just awesome... and creative, too! That's my girl!

New Year's Resolutions? NOT!

Nope, I say! NOT for me! This year, I will not set myself up for failure like so many other years before. Less than a month (sometimes more, sometimes less...) into it, most of us just can't do it any more. Most times, it's from burnout. We/I may have overly done it. We/I may have gone way too gung-ho. We/I may have gone cold turkey (uh... no! I'm never giving up Coke, The Real Thing again!) We/I may just simply not have been ready to do it.

RESOLUTIONS

No matter the resolution made, we/I have not been one that keeps it. It is not in my daily regime, or even in my life for that matter. I cannot remember a time when I kept it up for more than a month... well... I take that back. There was ONE time, that I kept it up for 47 days.

I exercised, doing Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred. And I loved it. Until, that is... my body decided to get sick and I pulled a muscle on top of it. And then... I did what I always do. I make excuses. I'm good at that. I can give/find an excuse for anything and everything. And I know it.

What does a resolution do, anyway? A resolution sets oneself up for failure. Seriously. Who the heck has carried out a resolution without being forced to (for medical or financial reasons, or maybe even being incarcerated)? Yeah, I thought so. And so... it just makes me/us feel crappy and bad and the self esteem drops to an all-time low. I won't do it again. I won't set myself up for disaster with an ending pity party. I can't and I won't.

My time is NOW. I am going to stand up to myself, for myself. Self... get a grip. You can do anything you set your mind to... when YOU are ready. When the circumstances are right. When... (do you remember I'm a professional procrastinator?) YOU feel like it. Don't feel bad. It's ok. It really is. You see all your friends out there...? Go ahead and laugh now... and say, "I told you so." Because we all know, it is futile, and it won't last long. Self... I will NOT make a resolution this New Year's.

I simply am setting goals for myself. NOT resolutions. I figure this way... I have a much longer time to achieve it or get closer to it, and even if I semi-reach it, I have accomplished something so much more than with a failed resolution.

(mini)GOALS ARE THE WAY TO GO!!!

What are my goals? Yeah... that's another post. But basically, I aim to be a little bit better in everything I do. Just a little. Not a lot. And I aim to try to straighten out my life. And I've already begun that journey to that goal. So... my little bit is already accomplished. Now other things need to get into place. And this is why I don't believe in resolutions any more. BECAUSE... no matter how hard you try... there's always someone or something out there to help you fail... that wants you to fail, or just not succeed.

And so... with every little inch, pound, step, etc. I am getting to goals of "little bits". And I have reached those goals.

Here's to a better year in 2011. May you all reach your goals, and get there just a little bit at a time.

Getting Ready for the New Year... and Cookies, too!

So... last week, a couple of friends... uh... well... I know them all, but none of them know each other. It's a funtastrophy. We'll see. Anyway, a couple of my friends were supposed to come over and have a mini-cookie exchange thingy. It didn't happen (insert "The weather started getting rough..." music from Gilligan's Island here). The wind and the rain were killin' us! Floods were happening everywhere. And then there was "the week before Christmas" rush. I don't think any of us were truly ready.

And so... it's gonna happen tomorrow. Tuesday. Three days after Christmas. And one person has already let me know they're flaking. They told me tonight.

(Sigh.)

Oh well...

I still have to make cookies. And I will. Tomorrow.

I still have to go to the store to get baking soda (so my cookies aren't flat like the chocolate chip ones we left for Santa, because my baking soda died). And I will. Tomorrow.

You see, because today... I'm cleaning up the craft room from the Christmas/holiday mess and straightening it out and lounging around and catching up on all those Lifetime and Hallmark Channel and ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas and Lifetime Movie Network's Christmas and Happy Holiday Cheery-type movies that I TiVo'd during the past couple of weeks but haven't had the chance to watch and that might get recorded over because there's no more room on my DVR. (grabbing chest and catching breath because... well, HECK! that was a long-winded statement!)

And today... I don't feel much like going out. Because... I'm tired of the crowds and the grabbing and the traffic and the angry post-holiday people. And I just want to sit on my ass and chill or veg in the craft room and do my own thing.

Is that too much to ask?

Because well... my husband thinks it is...

And so... I'm cleaning up and getting ready to be the most organized non-procrastinator-that-ever-lived for the New Year. Do we think I can do it?

I will...

Tomorrow...

Xanny - being just as lazy as I'd like to be... livin' the life!

Finally! My New Year's Slide Show...

Finally, it is here (took me FOREVER to do it, too!) A small glimpse into our campout on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, beginning the morning of New Year's Eve. Enjoy the floats, the bands, and my kids for inspiration! Just click on play, then light the fuse and begin!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I can't wait to scrap these photos. I think I'm probably going to do a full series of Rose Parade books... Toodles for now! lisa