A Couple Top 5's or 8's or 10's

Here are some of my top 5 (or 10) list for 2013 in no particular order.

 

My top songs

1.  Royals by Lorde
2.  Treasure by Bruno Mars
3.  Roar by Katy Perry
4.  One of Those Nights by Tim McGraw
5.  Mine Would Be You by Blake Shelton
6.  Anywhere With You by Jake Owen
7.  Done by The Band Perry
8.  Cruise by Florida Georgia Line
9.  It Goes Like This by Thomas Rhett
10.  As always any song by Kenny Chesney

My top movies that I've seen, I didn't see many this year.
1.  Frozen
2.  Catching Fire
3.  Monsters University
Crap I'm having a hard time with this lol, I didn't go to many movies.
3.  Now You See Me
4.  The Croods
I guess I've seen a lot of kids movies.  Hmmmm maybe I should venture out to the movies more this year.

My top tv shows
1.  Sons of Anarchy
2.  The Blacklist
3.  Revenge
4.  Any Real Housewives except Atlanta, I cannot stand NeNe.
5.  Criminal Minds
6.  New Girl, although the last few episodes weren't that funny.
7.  Vanderpump Rules, good lord I can't look away.
8. Amazing Race and Survivor equally.
9.  Scandal
10.  Dance Moms




2013

 

There are so many post about the New Year.  Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest.

People are wishing friends and family a Happy New Year.  Wishing them good health wealth and happiness.  Pictures and post about going out tonight, about the parties and the fun. 

We're sitting home tonight.  Not really what I wanted to do but nevertheless here we sit.  The boys are watching a movie Sarah is in her room watching Disney channel and here I sit blogging.  We're happy healthy and content.  I think thats all we can hope for.

Tonight isn't really any different than any other night for us (although I swear I don't usually consume several glasses of egg nog and fireball whiskey). 

I was thinking about New Years resolutions earlier today.  I don't usually make any.  I'm not gonna lie I always go into the new year thinking that this might be the year that I actually lose weight.  It never happens.  My sister in law asked me to join biggest loser with her and instead of jumping in with the, heck yeah and this year I'm gonna win attitude, I told her no thanks.  I always fail and I always feel like crap about it.  So this time I just said no.  

And now while all that babbling above sounded like a bunch of bah humbug oh woe is me I didn't mean for it to. 

I'm going into this year with an it is what it is attitude. 

I'm never going to be skinny, or beautiful.  I will never have perfect children.  My husband isn't going to turn into super husband and start behaving like I wish he would.  My house isn't going to get clean and stay clean.  I'm not going to make a lot of money.  And I'm not going to Disney this year, boo.  What I've learned is that I have to make myself happy with what I've got.  I need to be more thankful for my self, my not perfect children, my husband and most of all getting out of bed this morning. 



Christmas morning

Gingerbread Building

 I feel like a broken record when I say that every Christmas activity the kids do I keep thinking Jacobs going to say "no way".  He's just growing up so fast.  He hates having his picture taking.  As a matter of fact if he knew that I blogged about him he would probably die of embarrassment. 

Making a gingerbread house didn't take too much pressure.  He actually jumped right to it.  Probably because it involved building something and he didn't see my camera right away.

 Sarah likes the decorating of the houses but not the putting together.  I admit getting those dang walls to stay together isn't easy. 

 Most of our family activities get started with me saying that I won't post any pictures on facebook or tag him in anything.  I can do that, as long as he'll still have some fun with us.

 I love that I caught him explaining to Sarah how to make the walls stick.  He had some big reason and explained for several minutes what to do.  Sarah said "so its just luck then right."

 Their favorite was the outhouse.  That would be the house on the far right with the hersheys kiss on it.  Yes, poo on the outhouse, oh so funny.

Another successful gingerbread making year.  Believe it or not it's been on our table for a few days now and Sarah hasn't eaten all the candy.  

Rewind Just a Little Bit

I'm going back into my pictures a little bit to see what I forgot to post.  On Thanksgiving weekend we stayed with Josh and Allison. On our way home on Sunday we stopped for our Christmas tree.

 

 Our second annual trip to Klucks Nursery. Another cold day, another successful trip.  I love this place.  You park your car walk all around the lot to find your tree.  Cut it, then drag it to be shaken and wrapped.  And then when your done with all that you can get some hot apple cider or hot chocolate and sit by a great big fire.  I'm sure I posted pictures last year of the fire.  Somehow I didn't take any of that this year.  I think I was too busy drinking my delicious apple cider.

 ahhhhh I wasn't so sure about this tree.  I didn't care for it much on the lot but I was feeling agreeable.  I thought oh geez how bad can it be, we have a ton of decorations, I'll make it work.

Turns out it is one of my favorite trees of all time.

 Jacob was about over posing for pictures.  I could barely get him to sit long enough to take any. Sarah on the other hand is like mom mom mom take my pic over here, over here and over here.

 I think these are Chase's favorite pictures.  They have to try several times till he thinks I've captures just the right jump.  They of course to post it and tag him right away. 

 3 stooges!!

 The decorating process.  Jeremy hangs the lights and then we all help with ornaments and getting it to look just right. 

The finished product!

So pretty, with my precious pup posing for his picture.

Merry Christmas

 

Well it's all over. 

Another Christmas, another opening of presents, another day full of good food and this year full of good friends. 

I intended on blogging everyday till the end of the year.  I really tried. Then on Sunday early morning I got sick, really sick. Ruined my Christmas this year but I'll post a "I got sick" blog to tell you about that later. So for now all I can do is try to blog these last 6 days and then next year....well we'll just have to see what happens. Although I will say this would've been easier had Santa brought me a tablet, sigh. 

Christmas cookies

 

We had the annual cookie exchange last night with the bffs.  Another year with some new yummy treats.  I spent Monday night making sugar cookies and these two goofballs spent Monday night decorating.

 

 

Sarah takes it pretty seriously.  She usually talks to herself or her "audience" while she's pretending to be on a cooking show.  Jacob just rolls his eyes and often just tells her to be quiet.



I ask to get a picture of the two of them and the first picture above is what I usually get.  Then I have to tell Jacob to take a nice one or I'm going to post it on facebook or instagram and tag him in it.  Seems to work most times, I usually get one good photo.

All in all I'm happy with the help.

I think they enjoy doing it.

And who doesn't love to listen to Sarah with her fake foreign accent pretending to be some super chef on food network for 2 hours.  

Santa baby

I honestly don't know how we do it but for the last 3 years we have ended up at the Harley Davidson store on the day that Santa visits the store.  I usually end up getting my mom and step dad something from there for Christmas so we've been stopping in on our Saturday shopping day for the last 3 years. 

 

 

 

How convienient, especially since I don't think I could talk either one of my kids into sitting on his lap anymore. 

They think they're too old. 

Well Jacob does for sure but I think this little lady Sarah is embarrassed that she still wants to see Santa.  She didn't want to sit on his lap but he patted his knee and said "come on now, how will I know what you want"

There's that little bit of spirit left in her that wants to believe.  She had a smile a mile wide and happily told him a couple things that she would like.

I'm having a tough time this holiday season.  Looking at my children and realizing that they no longer believe.  They still have that holiday spirit and act as if they believe.  They have helped with the tree and the shopping.  Last night we decorated cookies and made cookie platters for friends. 

I hope that they remember these holidays and love the memories as much as I do.



The Zoo Boo

I almost forgot about our trip to the Zoo Boo this year.  We were invited to go with the Morales family. And we had the best time.

 

 

 I miss my babies being small especially when we do something like this.  Sarah still tries real hard to participate and enjoy these outings.  She does like to "mother" the little kids so I think she had a great time.

 

 Look at this beautiful family.  I always tell Kelli how lucky she is that they are so involved.  Seems like every holiday season there is something that they all get together to do.  I would give anything if my family would be this interested in being with the grandkids and doing fun silly things like this.

 Perfect example of Sarah having a great time doing something that she knows will make me smile.  I've been taking her picture on this ant since she was a toddler. 

 6 more years people and this little lady will be tearing up the roads.

I think she would've carried Jax around the whole zoo if she could've.  I think she's going to be a great babysitter. 

I'm so thankful that we were able to go to the zoo.  It ended up being a beautiful day weatherwise and I always love spending time with the Morales family.  

Tucker

 

Is this not the cutest picture you've ever seen.....

What in the world did I do before this little guy came into our lives. 

He really does make me smile.

I just saw something tonight about a puppy mill down south somewhere that was full of yorkies.  I just want to drive down there and save them all.  I don't know how we got so lucky to get such a good little guy especially since our last two dogs have been so good also, but I thank God that he's so good.  Makes it easier for everyone in the family to love him, especially since I'm the only one that really wanted him.  

Polish Pinchers

freshly pinched, waiting to be boiled.

 

I asked if anyone was interested in getting together to make some pierogis this year and halleluiah Aunt Kathy, Aunt Rita, and Michelle were thinking the same thing.  Somehow it all came together and we all met at Michelles house in Zeeland last Sunday. 

 

Aunt Rita concentrating hard on pinching them just right.

I grew up with pierogi.  My grandma made them every year.  She used to make them with her church ladies and sell them as a fundraiser for her church. 

I remember my aunts getting together at Grandma Borowys house to make them.  I remember having them for Christmas and Easter.  We always had them for the holidays. 

 

Aunt Kathy pinching some noodles with the leftover dough.

 

When grandma got older and wasn't able to make them as much it just wasn't the same to not have them for the holidays.  A couple years ago my mom started making them on a regular basis and I know that my Aunt Kathy makes them too.  Its been so nice to have them again. 



boiled and waiting to be counted and bagged.

I'm a regular pincher.  I haven't been the dough maker or the dough roller yet.  I haven't been in charge of the boiling and stirring of them.  I sit at the table with my bowl of potatoes and my towel covered in flour.  I put the potato mixture in, fold the dough and start pinching.  I'm not as good at it as Aunt Kathy or Aunt Rita and I catch some flack for it but I try.  And I love doing it.

We made 26 1/2 dozen.  Ate 3 dozen and shared 23 1/2 dozen

While I'm sitting there pinching I find myself thinking about my grandma. I think about how I wish she was still around.  I wish that I would've been older when she started getting forgetful so I could've asked her things that I want to know now but was too young and immature to think about then.  I would've liked to have talked to her more about when she grew up.  I know she had a hard life but she never complained.  She always worked hard.  I wish that my kids would've been able to truly know her.  I think she would be proud that we still make pierogis.  I know that she would criticize the way I pinch, and how much potato I am able to put in one.  But I would give anything to have one more pierogi making day with her.  

 

The finished product. 
Although Aunt Kathy and I agree that you need yellow onions not purple that Michelle uses.  Truly it doesn't matter the onion, they still taste amazing.



I do hope that over the years my children will start participating in these days.  I hope that I will pass this tradition down to them.  I guess I better get busy learning how to make the dough. 



Halloween 2013

I'm sad to say that Sarah hated her Halloween costume this year.  She told me she wanted to be an angel.  So we looked online but couldn't really find what she had in mind.  I told her I could make her a skirt and then we could just add wings and a halo.  She was fine with that. 

Well fine with it until it all came together, then not so much.  She never really told me what she hated about it but she didn't want to wear it. The wings annoyed her cause they were constantly hitting things and she added the sweater cause the shirt I got her "made" her cold.

Whatever, I'm just glad its over.

And I thought she looked cute. 

Pictures were not happening happily this year.

Tuck on the other hand loved his costume.  He sat in front of the door and showed it to everyone that came by for candy.

And sadly this is Jacob on Halloween night. 

No costume

No trick or treating

I offered to help him figure out a costume but he did not want to go.

Very very sad mom hates to see him grow up.

On the other hand he and I spent the evening handing out candy. Having him all to myself and chatting for the few hours that we passed out candy was great.

 I had over 500 pieces and almost all of it was gone.  He and I ate a few of our favorites,

Jacob/fruity tootsie rolls

 mom/snickers.

Another shot of Tucker in his hot dog costume. 

Buddy thought he was pretty cool.

The kids carving their pumpkins.  They better never get too old to do this.  They still need me to get the gunk they can't get out of the pumpkins so at least I still get to be involved. 

Jacob went with the U of M theme this year. 

 

Sarah went with the usual scary Halloween face. 

I did find out that a magic eraser works well on the pumpkins if your kids use marker to draw on the design.  After Sarah had it the way she wanted it we used one to wipe off the black marker left over.  

 

Jacob and Sarah with Halloween pumpkins 2013. 

Brack Sleep Over

 

 

 

 If these two were brothers they couldn't look more alike.  Unbelieveable to me!

 

And then these three girls who all have their own unique looks.  Sarah looks like me, Natalie looks like her mommy, and Elizabeth looks just like her dad. 

Emily and Cole had big plans and needed a sitter for their kids so it was a perfect time for them to come spend the night.

Emily keeps my kids ALL the time WHENEVER I ask her to.  I don't think she has ever told me no.  So I was happy that I was finally able to return the favor.  I think I only owe her like 199 more sleep overs to be even.  We watched Monsters University and had pizza for dinner.  Popcorn and ice cream for treats and lots of laughs.  I'm so thankful to be a part in my nieces and nephews lifes.  

Goals

I'm feeling like quite the failure today.  I don't usually set goals for myself.  I hate to be disappointed so I quit setting them long ago.  Lame I know.  BUT this year I really wanted to blog more.  I thought I would at least beat out how many post I did last year.  It's not looking like thats going to happen.  I uploaded a bunch of photos and I have a bunch of ideas in my head about what I want to write about.  Its a great time of year with a whole lot going on so hopefully I can get motivated to blog.  And yes this short post with no pictures totally counts as a blog post.

Stay tuned.........

It's Football Time

Lakeview Spartans 2013 8th grade

 

I'm so happy that Jacob plays football.

I love to watch the games.

This year he's #74 and playing "tackle"

 I just cringe when the helmets all smack together during the plays.

and then let out a big sigh of relief when he gets up.

 He spends most of his time on the side lines but he loves being on the team.

Thats all that matters, right?