Back from some much needed rest..

I kinda took a vacation from my Christmas Vacation.  Every Vacation I love to take my nieces for the week.  It is a wonderful time of girls and chaos but I love it.  This year I ended up sick just before New Year’s but I just couldn’t stop moving.  I continued to stay up past midnight playing games with them.  We taught the girls how to play Risk.  The following day my niece, Jade, exclaimed she was ready to try it again.  This time she conquered the world.  We will be ready for a re-match in February! 

So many things has happened that I would love to blog about, however, today is about getting back on track.  Dance starts up tonight, full on school today, and so much more.  I spent all day yesterday cleaning.  Just getting everything back in order.  I had been lazy all week.  I am ready for a structured day and glad to say the house is still clean. 

My daughter received an Ipod for Christmas.  She has been thrilled.  She is not going to be happy to put it down for school work today.. she has been attached to it for the past two weeks.  Last night she even made up a song for her Ipod. 

A look back at 2011

This has been a really hard year.  I am not gonna lie.  We have been faced with many challenges from Angel’s liver transplant to watching our home appliances fall apart.  The latest was just last week.  We already did not have a working oven but this week, while the girls are here, the stove top shorted out when Angel tried to see what he could do about the oven.  With the nieces here we needed to cook with something so he ran out to purchase a double burner and a griddle.  Cooking since has been interesting.  I quickly learned that I can not just pour 8 scrambled eggs onto the griddle.. there is a drainage and those eggs go down it really fast.  What a mess!!  However, it is great for making large batches of pancakes or sausages! 

We ended 2011 with a huge party pizza and cookies that I made in a little toaster oven.  The cookies took a lot of time since I could only fit 6 at a time.  I made myself some spicy chicken, wrapped in rice wrap and baked.. then dipped in a mix of mayo and hot sauce.  It was yummy.  Top that of with some flourless pb cookies and all was good.  However, I am sick.  That isn’t a fun way to start the New Year.  I am not sure if it is just a cold that feels like allergies or if I got some dairy in my food accidently.  The evening before the symptoms started we had tacos.. I gave the girls tips on how to keep the contaminated stuff away from the clean items I could eat but who knows. 

Although the year has been hard.. we have had many blessings throughout. Angel is alive!  That is a huge one for me.  I was able to spend the week with my beautiful nieces.  That is something I always cherish no matter how chaotic it gets.  Even though we were not able to buy Christmas gifts, a friend from another state basically adopted my daughter and grandson for Christmas.  Anna has been getting little things in the mail and a huge box came in the other day full of things.  This same person has also ordered us a stove.  I am just stunned. 

I remember ending 2010 so ready to move on.  November 2010 was a horrible month with my grams death then almost losing Angel the next day.  I was so ready to put all that behind me.  Didn’t think I could handle any more than what we had that month.  I was so wrong.  2011 proved to be a huge challenge but the Lord never left our side.  Anna was forced to be separate from us for two months and just handled it so well.  It has been an amazing year.  I am so thankful for my family and friends but most importantly for the Lord who carries us through. 

I enter 2012 not as naïve as 2011.  I know we will still be faced with challenges.  However, I have more faith that we will get through those challenges with the Lord by our side.  I believe we are stronger because of those challenges.  I think I am ready to see what 2012 holds for us.