Spiritual New Years Resolutions

Growing in my faith and walk with my lord and savoir Jesus Christ is number one my New Years resolutions.

• Read a devotion daily
• Memorize a verse monthly
• Pray before each meal
• Tell my daughter often of Christ and his love for her

Small steps, on a long journey, but I hope to implement these in my life this year.

New Year Resolution Categories

A new year is just around the corner.  Here are some New Years Resolutions Categories I will be working on in 2012!

• Spiritual
• Family
• Health
• Finance
• Home Projects

What are some categories you will be working on this upcoming year?

Christmas Traditions

There are some things that we do every year on Christmas Day, here is my list of favorites.

• Waking up 'early'
• Making Kringler
• Reading the Christmas Story
• Opening Stockings
• Having to play with the stocking toys before opening presents
• Going one at a time opening gifts
• Eating ham, and cookies

Are there things you and your family do every year on Christmas day?

Christmas Eve Traditions

Over the years some traditions have been added and changed, but here is a list of the most consistent and memorable.  I'm so glad to share these with my family every Christmas Eve

• Presents at Nana and Papa'
• Going to a different church every year
• Eating eggs Benedict for dinner
• Opening one gift 
• Stuffing the Stockings
• Wrapping any last minute presents

Do you have any tradition that happen on Christmas Eve?

Christmas Memories

I have so many happy Christmas memories, here are a few:

• Having a snoring 'contest' with Grandma Frances (she didn't know we were having a contest..opps!)
• Seeing A snowflake in Southern California
• Seeing bugs all over the Christmas tree
• Going to a church with an organ, it was an awesome Christmas Eve service
• Seeing a barbie under my full stocking
• Opening gifts at Nana and Papa's
• Making a ginger bread house at Grandma's
• Making chocolate covered raisins for Grandpa
• Playing Sets, and Wise and Otherwise
• Reading the Christmas story
• Making kringler in Grandma's kitchen

Okay, I had to stop...what are some of yours?

Christmas Firsts

Even with all the traditions every year seems to hold firsts, here are some of my memories.

• 1st in Missouri (cut down a real tree, it was a Cedar, it took up the whole living room and we all got sick)
• 1st Christmas with Hermes (in Columbia)
• 1st Christmas with Fiance
• 1st in Michigan (dad, mom and brother came to visit us in our 1st home)
• 1st without Grandma and Granny
• 1st with my beautiful daughter
• 1st in Indiana (everyone came to sister-in-law's house)
• 1st in Texas (was my 1st Christmas without my parents)

 What are some of your Christmas Firsts?

Why My Husband is Super Great

Let me just put this out there; I love my husband.  God sure knew what he was doing when he brought us together.  Here are just some of the reasons I think he is super great!

• He gets up early and comes home late to provide for our family
• He makes me laugh
• He is all man, outdoors man, hunter, sports fanatic (completely opposite from me!)
• He is kind and gentle
• He helps around the house, all I have to do is ask and he makes it a priority to get done
• We like a lot of the same things (that could be a whole other list)
• He is crazy in love with our daughter (me too btw)
• He lets the in-laws visit us almost every weekend!

Books that Changed my Life

Sometimes books help you achieve a 180. You think things are going along great and then you read something that changes the course of your life, these books have done that for me.

• The Total Money Makeover
• Love and Respect
• Calculus 2 (developed a friendship that has turned into a marriage)
• How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen, and How to Listen So Your Kids Will Talk
• Wrinkle in Time, took my love of reading to a new level

Books you've read that had a huge impact on you?

Financial Links

Here are some financial sites/books I like.

• Dave Ramsey
• Rule #1 Investing
• Rich Dad Poor Dad
• The Automatic Millionaire
• Suze Orman
• Yahoo! Finance

Do you have some faves?

Friends Pages

Here are some links to sites of people I know and love.

• Discovering Jubilee
• Marathoning for Marriage
• Kitty's Vintage
• Red Step Studio
• Plain Great Women

Things I'm Addicted To

We've all got something we can't live without, here are a few of mine!

• Kettle Corn
• Morning 'coffee' (2cups soy milk and 1/4cup coffee)
• Pretzels and dark Chocolate
• Books, my nose is always in one
• HOT showers, I could stay in one forever
• Chap-stick (I use it multiple times a day)
• Making Lists!

Do you have something you crave everyday?

Car Trips - The Funny Times

With family car tips there are always some suprises, some good and some not so good.  I've complied some of the more funny events from family car tips.

• Driving from Kansas City to Lincoln with the whole family, fishing poles and all.
• Having "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" blaring, windows down, 20 degrees out side, going 0.002 mph; all of that to arrive right back where we started from.
• Taking a night 'tour' of DC
• Feeding my husband non-boneless wings in the car after he said "This is the best idea ever!"
• Sounds of the car - mom swallowing, and dad narrating the scenery "There's a stick out over there."
• Playing Wise and Otherwise
• Watching a guy try to pick up a pallet backwards at a gas station.

We have all laughed so hard we could cry, do you have any memories of those times in a car?

Generations of List Makers

This compulsion to make lists must be a genetic thing. My sister, Paula describes it as a family habit! She calls herself an inveterate lister who couldn’t get through a day or a week without one (some?) My list memories of my mother, Gerry, are of her sitting at her little roll top desk making a grocery list on the back of a scrap paper pad. She was green and recycling before it was in. She made lists of groceries, menus, and party planning details. The classic example is each serving dish on my wedding supper table had a hand printed note describing what food it should contain. Mom said that was so the aunts would know how to help!

*Aislie Frances. The newest daughter
*Leslie Frances. The mommy
*Karen Frances. The grandma
*Paula Gerry. The aunt. Her middle name is from our mother, Gerry
*Geraldine "Gerry" Frances. The great grandma
*Fannie "Frances." The great great grandma. Her given name was Fannie, but she didn’t like it!.
*Hattie ? The great great great grandma

Christmas Cookies

With Christmas fast approaching, I find myself wanting to bake Christmas cookies, here are my favorites.

• Sugar Cookies (Almond flavored)
• Chocolate Crackles
• Mexican Wedding Cakes
• Minute Fudge
• Chocolate covered raisins (or pretzels...or both)
• Fruit Balls 

What are some of your Christmas cookie traditions?

When a Cold is Coming On

When I get the scratch in my throat and I know I will soon be sick here are some things I do immediately.

• Neti Pot - Saline nasal rinse
• Gargle with Sage and Salt water
• Tap (Body Talk)
• Yoga - Downward Dog Pose
• Hydrogen Peroxide in ears 
• Homeopathy - Belladonna, Aconite, Ferrum Phos 
• Take Immuplex  
• Trigger Point Therapy
• Stock up on Orange Juice
• Make soups with garlic and onions
• Get a rice heat pack ready

 This might be over kill, but I do seem to not get the colds as severely as my husband.  If you have any cold remedies I'd love to hear them!

Other Related Post:
What I like to do on a cool rainy Fall day

Homemade Items I'd like to Try

I have loved some of the homemade items I've made and here is a list of ones I haven't gotten around to making yet.

• Hand soap
• Shampoo
• Eye Serums
• Tea (herbal)
• Hydrosol
• Essential Oils
• Vanilla Extract
• Beer
• Wine

Have you tried any of these?