Anyone up for a Giveaway?

CSN Stores has offered up products for me to review or giveaway once again! They have products that are within all different price ranges meaning that there really is something for everyone.  I know one of the big things I'll be shopping for are extra tall bar stools for our kitchen counter.  The ones we have now...well, let's just say it's time for them to say goodbye! 


   
The great thing about CSN stores is that they have over 200 stores to browse through...can we say yeeessss!  How great is that?  CSN has become my go to site! I will soon be hosting a giveaway, but in the meantime be sure to check out their site. I promise you will be surprised with all that they offer!  And check back to see what I'm giving away!

This Isn't Me

Down in the dumps, blue, crying crocodile tears....Not Me At All!  I am a little dramatic at times, and I do get very emotional at times, but this last few weeks...Not Me At All!  I know the cause...utter, unbelievable PAIN.  I can't sleep at night, I can't walk for long periods of time, or sit or stand.  I hurt ALL.THE.TIME!  It never stops.  I've had a bad back for years, and last year it got to the point where I just had to go see someone to get relief.  I didn't think it could hurt worse than it did then...wrong.  It's gotten to the point where I can hardly do anything physical.  I can't sweep, mop, put the dishes in the dishwasher, well....I can, but not without crying.  The mornings are the worst, I have to roll off the bed because I can't sit up.  My legs go numb, and if I bend forward or backwards it literally feels like my back is going to snap in half.

I've tried several treatments, seen several different doctors, and talked to several friends who have been through this stuff.  I grudgingly decided it was time to call in the big guns...the surgeon.  I have an appointment scheduled for next Tuesday.  I'm not sure what he'll say.  I just want some relief.  I'm starting to get to the point where I don't even want to get up in the mornings because I know I'm gonna hurt.  I can't even sit in the floor and play with Caroline.  I can't go outside and jump on her new trampoline with her.  I just can't live like this anymore.  I just can't keep hurting.

If you've ever been through back issues, or have them, I'd really like to hear your story.  How you dealt with the pain, what treatments you've done or if you've had surgery and what the outcome was for you.  You always hear soooo many different stories about back surgery, and it scares me to death, but at this point, if it will relieve the pain, I'll take it!

Christmas Re-Cap

First, I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas!  I know we sure did!  It was filled with family, friends, good food, presents and the most important thing, the birth of Our Savior, Jesus!!!

We started out with a family {sort of} gathering on Christmas Eve afternoon.  Now I say sort of family because it was with family, but for my step siblings father.  Yes, the oddity of my family continues!  My step siblings father is great, we call him Pop Pop, and he treats Caroline, Tab & me like we were part of his family too.  It's such a relief, because I have to admit the 1st time I met him 5 years ago, I was a little unsure of how we would be accepted since my dad is married to his ex-wife!  But he's totally great and adores Caroline!  I've even taken him to the doctor when no one else could!  I guess we all just seem to carry out the we're all one big family thing!  LOL!

On our way I was taking pics of course!

 Dillon & Blake

My Sweet Hubby

 Pop Pop & Sherry

After that, my SIL, nephew, Caroline & I went to Christmas Eve service.  I love going to Christmas Eve service, it's so re-affirming of my faith, and I love that Caroline gets to be a part of such a beautiful service reminding us of what Christmas is all about right before getting into to bed on Christmas Eve.  As usual, it was a beautiful service and Analisa {SIL} and I didn't make it through the 1st song without bawling like babies.  That's the other reason going to Christmas Eve service with her is so special to me...we've both lost our mother's, and both of us have great memories of being at Christmas Eve service with our families.  So I think that may be our new Christmas Tradition.  We always get some pics of the kids after the service while they're all dressed up!

 

 After church, I dropped Boog off at her dad's so they could have Christmas.  Then, about an hour later I had a total meltdown...sobbing into my pillow meltdown.  When they were done, they were going to bring her home so we could finish getting ready for Santa and tuck her in.  Then I get a call from Caroline asking me if she can stay at her dads.  Of course I couldn't tell her no when she was so excited to play with her new toys, but I was crushed.  We had our Christmas Eve traditions that we were going to do...I totally lost it.  I hate last minute changes to plans, and this was by far the worst.  Mostly, I was mad because it should have never happened, she should have been told that she had to come home, but I also understand that her dad wanted time with her too...I just wasn't expecting it, and it really threw me off.  After she played with her toys, she wanted to come home.  Which again gave me more mixed emotions.  By that point I was over it, and then I felt bad that she told her dad she wanted to come home.  What a roller coaster!

On Christmas morning her dad and his fiancee came over bright and early to share in Christmas morning.  Then it was off to my parents for the day!  Let me tell you, the kids had such a great time at their grandparents house!  They all got tons of stuff and had tons of fun playing!  The adults always do a Chinese gift exchange {or whatever you call it} and have such a good time stealing presents from each other!  We do a handmade present for this, so it can get really interesting!

 Opening the back door to see what Santa brought...

 So happy!  She just couldn't wait to jump, so she's out there in the rain!

Dillon

 Blake, Dillon & Caroline {8 years old...yes, all of them!}

 Dillon

 Boog

 Blake showing off his Vex-Con hat!  {He loves Billy the Exterminator!}

 Tracy opening a handmade gift!  {Hubby made a clock out of computer circuit boards}

 Analisa opened a recipe board I made

My daddy opened Analisa's handmade gift!  A milk carton creature!

We ended the day stopping off at the hubby's parents house for more gifts and food!  By the end of the day...we were pooped!!!!  It was a wonderful Christmas and I hope everyone was blessed to be with family & friends!

Deck the Halls

We were a little late in getting our Christmas decor up this year, but it's been up for a few weeks now and I just love to come home to our cozy house with all the pretty decorations!  I've been carrying on a family tradition with Caroline when it comes to decorating for Christmas.  We get everything out, make hot cocoa or apple cider, put on the Christmas tunes and go to town.  I love going through this ritual with her, it brings back such great memories of doing this with my family when I was little.  I hope it's a tradition that she'll cherish too and carry on with once she's grown up with her own family.  Another tradition we have is going to buy a new ornament each year.  We each pick out a new ornament for the tree!

From top left: Caroline's new ornament front & back, My ornament that I got from a childhood friend when we were in the 2nd grade, my family ornament when I was a kid, Caroline's ornament that was made from a painting she did, my new ornament, and our 2010 family ornament!  Center: One of my all-time favorites...it's just so darn cute!

Our tree doesn't have any specific theme, or color pattern, it's just a mish mash of everything!  I have ornaments that were given to me when I was a little girl, some of my mom's, new ones, ones Caroline has made over the years and ones that have been given to our family.  Most years I make new ornaments.  It's just a collection of memories and I love that about our tree.

This year when we started getting ready to figure out what kind of ornaments to make, I was stumped.  I happened to be reading a friends blog {Nicole} and she had the best idea for ornaments, so I copied them!  LOL!  Nicole is reinventing her family's Christmas this year and it has really inspired me.  In fact, I'm really thinking about doing this next year.  You should stop by her blog and read her series called, "The 12 Days of a Simple Christmas".   I would post the links, but there are lots {duh, she's doing 12 of them}so I just linked to her 1st post of the series.  Seriously, you have to stop by!


Back to making ornaments....she had this "recipe" for crystal ornaments using basic household things.  I did have to go to the store to buy Borax, but the rest was easy peasy.  I have to say this was one of my favorite ornament projects.  They were fun to make, fun to watch, and we learned a little in the process!  Basically, it's a simple science project that turns into sparkly crystals to hang on your tree!  And watching Caroline's face as we checked on them and she saw the crystals forming was such a blast, she was full of awe and even had to take one to her teacher and tell her how we made them!

And here are a few of our decorations!  We don't have a fireplace and mantle, but we do have an old wood burning stove and rock wall which makes everything all cozy!  I especially love the feel of it all decorated with our stockings and garland.  Speaking of stockings, we have 9 hanging!  We have our 3 and then we have 6 for our fur babies.  Squirt, Shimmer, Bobby {the lone cat}, Betsy, Heidi & Daisy Mae!  That's a lot of stockings!  And each of them get a treat in their stockings to enjoy while we open our presents on Christmas morning.

 I'll leave with a funny Caroline said the other day while watching TV with Tab when a Victoria's Secret commercial came on and Tab tried to cover her eyes, "It's okay Tab, Victoria's Secret is a place for ladies to get new under clothes"!  
We both started cracking up because she just sounded so matter-of-fact!  I love that girl!

Christmas Time is Here!

In typical Alicia fashion, I'm a little late getting up this post {along with about 10 others!}and thought I would go ahead and share our Christmas card this year!  Since they went out a week ago, I won't ruin the fun of getting it in the mail!  We always do pictures of Caroline on the card, and this year I decided to do a mini photo shoot with her just for the occasion!  She was such a ham and had me cracking up the whole time!

Did you get to send out Christmas cards this year?  I didn't think I was ever going to get them all done!  I already have an idea for next year's card!  And I'm going to start early!