They should have a patch for this!

Our computer finally crashed last Friday . We saw it coming for a while. So glad we ordered a new one a couple weeks ago. HP said it shipped yesterday and I'm standing at the window watching for that fedex truck!! And thank goodness for this phone!

looks like grown ups live here

We bought a new bed a couple of years ago, and since then I have been wishing for new linens. We had a double bed before and bought a queen. The double size quilt we were trying to use just wasn't cutting it. Then almost 2 years ago, I bought my alligator Walter Anderson print and since then it has been rolled up in the closet. So finally "things for our bedroom" topped my Christmas lists. I got new sheets, spread, comforter, shams, throw pillow, my print framed and new lamps. Kenny was out of town when I "redecorated" the room with all my gifts. He asked how I liked it. I told him I loved it that it looked like grown ups lived here now!

wordless wednesday

some things are always fun

Carly got weaving looms for Christmas and a couple of bags of loops. The looms belonged to Kacey and I when we were growing up and there was much discussion about all the potholders that had gone before. The guys didn't know anything about weaving looms or making potholders.

As soon as the present opening was over, the first thing out was the weaving. After a quick lesson, she took off making her own potholders. By the next day, she had used all her loops and was trying to find out where she could get more.

all about the countdown

by request for all who have asked .......

This is Carly's Christmas countdown box. Her Aunt Kacey gave it to her before December 2005. It is Carly's box, but it has turned into the way our family's holiday is organized and celebrated. The first year, we filled the boxes with candy, small toys, nail polish, bubble bath, jewelry, and I made a couple of notes because quite frankly, I was not creative enough to fill all 25 boxes. Come to find out, Carly liked those little notes more than she liked the little trinkets.

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Each year, before December 1st {sometimes November 30th at midnight}, I plan a month's worth of holiday fun. I make a calendar and add important dates like weekends out of town as well as marking the days of the week. It is important in scheduling - you can't make Christmas cookies if you are going to be out of town and some activities are better suited for Saturdays than Monday nights.

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This is the calendar I make and keep handy. I have to make sure that the scheduling continues to work....occasionally activities have to be changed or swapped the night before {shh, don't tell}. Carly keeps me honest. If the note says, going to the Christmas parade, she doesn't care if it is 10 below and sleeting she still expects that we are going to the parade. I also have to make sure we have what we need to accomplish the activity such as bacon if the activity is breakfast for supper.

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Most days, there are notes with activities but there are still a couple of small objects through the month. These work well for the days that we are not home such as the Saturday of the weekend that we have Christmas at the Lake House.

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Each year Carly's 25 box has a riddle that ends with a new game for the family. Kenny is really good at making up rhymes/riddles so they have become increasingly more complex. This year's had a scavenger hunt with 5 riddles.

Some activities have returned year after year. Some have come and gone. And others have made return appearances. Here are a list of activities that have been in Carly's box over the past 5 years.

• decorate your room
• new Christmas t-shirt
• paint nails with a tiny bottle of polish
• new Christmas puzzle
• Christmas parade
• bath in mom's tub with bubble bath
• dress Julie & Natasha {AG dolls} in Christmas dresses
• special night with Dad
• breakfast for supper
• make rice krispie treats
• make brownies
• visit Santa
• go to a Santa party
• write Santa a letter
• art activity
• make gift tags
• make wrapping paper
• ride around and look at lights
• out for ice cream
• ice cream sundaes for dessert
• Wizard of Oz tickets
• Zoo Lights
• go to work with Dad
• decorate gingerbread house
• make Christmas cookies
• make smores
• make bird feeders
• start a new chapter book
• shop for school missions project
• set the dinning room table for Christmas dinner
• make shrinky dink ornaments
• go to church Christmas concert
• eat lunch with mom {at school}
• out to movie
• Christmas movie night

[2005 - Kenny helping Carly read the riddle from box 25]

girls! girls! girls!

Loaded up to meet more friends for dinner at Hueys,

a movie - The Spy Next Door, and then ice cream.

What a group of sweet girls! So glad they all get along so well together

and that they are now old enough to take care of themselves!

we are....off to see the wizard

Our local theater was putting on a production of Wizard of Oz during the first week of December. Carly had seen the poster and asked could we go. I said maybe. When I was organizing Carly's countdown box, I decided as one of our activities that we would go.

I asked Kenny if he wanted to go, and he asked at the Orpheum? I told him no that it was a local production and he said, I just saw an advertisement for the Broadway production of the Wizard of Oz at the Orpheum let's do that instead.

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So I bought tickets {mind you 3x the price} for later in December and put the note in Carly's countdown box. The tickets were for Sunday evening after we had Christmas at the Lake House. Carly asked as we are pulling up in the driveway, can I open my countdown box doors? She opened Saturday and it was a little toy. Then she opened Sunday's box and it said "go see the Wizard of Oz". She looked at me with a little bit of a sad/confused face and said "but we missed it". {She hadn't said anything else about the local production but obviously she had known it passed by without us going}.

It was a wonderful show. Carly sat on the edge of her seat for just about the whole night. The costumes were fabulous, there was "flying" and other special effects and I think Carly's favorite, a real dog.

A perfect addition to our holiday season!

it has to be ABOVE freezing

Carly came home from summer camp raving over archery. She loved it and was only upset because she didn't get enough turns.

When Kenny and I started talking about what we were going to give Carly for Christmas, a bow came up. To Kenny's surprise {I think}, I thought it was a good idea. It is an activity that she does outside. It is an activity that once she has some instructions she can do by herself. It can also travel easily to the lake house or deer camp.

We gave it to her Christmas morning with the big target. The only problem was the wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour. Not really good conditions for an arrow. Then we left for Silver City and then deer camp. By the time Carly got home, the crazy cold weather had moved in. She really wanted to get outside and shoot it. I told her she couldn't do it the first time without supervision/instruction by her daddy. Her daddy told her that there was NO way he was going outside to shoot the bow and arrow until the temperature rose above freezing.

Patiently she waited until the temperature inched up to 33, maybe 34 and gave her daddy the "you said.....". I on the other hand was content to stand at the windows looking out into the backyard and watch the fun.

wordless wednesday

boot independence day

On December 22nd, better known now as boot independence day, we went back for Carly's 4th orthopedic appointment.

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**First appointment was on the night of October 30th to find out that she had broken her foot. **2nd visit was one week later, after the swelling went down, to have a cast put on. **Then on November 30th, we returned for the 3rd visit, with our fingers crossed hoping that the cast had done its job and it had healed up all nicely. Only to leave that appointment with the boot back on for 3 more weeks!

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So, after 8 1/2 weeks, we were ALL very excited when the orthopedist said it was time for her to start bearing weight! Yippee!!

Carly became very full of herself once she found out she was free of that boot. She had several things she wanted to do including shop at Swoozie's and eat lunch at La Siesta. We were all so excited and relieved that we were very accommodating. Miss MM, who was along for the ride, thought she had hit the jackpot.

When we got to Swoozie's there was this bench out front. I asked them to sit by the reindeer and let me get a picture. Carly plopped down held up her feet and said "hey mom, look, 2 shoes".

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I needed to make a little Christmas purchase {by myself} so I sent Kenny down the sidewalk with the girls. After putting my purchase in the car, I tracked them down here.....

Ice Cream at 10:00 in the morning. I told you Miss MM thought she had hit the jackpot. Sorry Edmund. We will blame Kenny. Carly frequently chooses sorbet's {I probably should learn how to make those}. Then they got into a heated checkers match. Miss MM had never played checkers before so Carly initially had the edge until Mr. Kenny teamed up with Miss MM. I think we were there until almost 11:00.

By the time we made it back to our side of town, it was time for lunch. And since it had turned into Carly's day, we ate at La Siesta. After lunch, Kenny had to go to work and girls and I went back to house where the girls tried out several activities minus the boot including rope swinging and riding bicycles. It was a good day!

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Today when I picked Carly up from school, she jumped into the car all smiles and said "guess what I did today?" I guessed a couple of times and then she got exasperated with me. "No mom, I played 4-square". It didn't seem to be a reason for such excitement. Then she said, "do you realize, when the last time I got to play 4 square was?" That's when it hit me. This is the first outside recess they have had since the Christmas break and before that she couldn't play because of her foot. "That's right mom, OCTOBER!"

we're on a roll

the honor roll good job sweet girl....keep up the good work

mia famiglia

Celeste hosted a "celebration" dinner for the Campassi family that had gathered in town for Uncle Lou's funeral. The Campassi family is Kenny's maternal grandfather's family. Kenny's grandfather, William "Willie" Campassi, was Uncle Lou's brother

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{Kenny and Celeste in the kitchen.

Check out those cute shirts.}

{Kenny and I before dinner.}

{Kenny helping out.}

{Doug and Uncle Roland}

{Kelty & Denise, Uncle Lou's granddaughter & daughter}

{Kelty and Aunt Margaret, Uncle Lou's sister}

{Denise and Aunt Evelyn, Uncle Lou's sister}

{Ronnie, Kenny, and Denise}

{Carly, Celeste and Ronnie}

{Chuck and Aunt Margaret}

{Celeste and Uncle Roland}

{Carly and Celeste}

wise guys

[photo by Celeste]

In honor of Uncle Lou Campassi

The boys decked out in their cold weather funeral attire.

With temperatures the lowest this area has seen in a while, everyone was looking for enough clothes for the day. Temperatures were in the single digits with wind chill below zero. Look at those wool overcoats and cool little hats. They would have made Uncle Lou proud!

my room rocks!

Carly loving her new room :o)

christmas in silver city

random moments Christmas morning in Silver City

[Kacey & Robert sharing the couch with all their loot]

[Gabby got new jewelry]

[show and tell during a refreshment break]

[Carly and Finn visiting]

[Kacey helping Dad get his new computer set up!]

[Buck having too much fun!]

the first {sorta} snow of the year

Carly wanted me to go outside with her in the "snow". So we bundled up and headed out. There wasn't much snow but enough to make snowballs from flat surfaces. She wanted to have a snow ball so fight. So we made a deal. She could try and hit me in the back with snowballs and I could take pictures of her. She hit me with several snowballs and I took a couple of pictures most of which looked like.....