A Toast

Happy Birthday to The Sisters

Blow out the candle and make a wish
Shutter Sisters is a wish already come true,
Dream bigger my sister,
And just look what you can do.

i love you

Love for Obama

"The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit, the God given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. Starting today we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the work of remaking America again." -Barack Obama

The hope in that quote is almost tangible ~

This, That, And The Other Thing

This

Was Christmas Eve

Drinks and appeitizers were had by all while the stocking were hung by the chimney with care, NOT! The kids ran-a-muck, the men watched football, and the fancy dressed up gals were around the tree laughing about Christmas past. Good times and laughter with my older and younger sister is what I treasure most about Christmas Eve! Followed closely by sprinkling reindeer food (uncooked oatmeal and glitter) on the grass with my son, for Rudolph and his crew.

That
Christmas Dinner..... Lobster!

My hubby's family have been having live main lobster since anyone can remember. Every year the men instantly turn into 10 year old boys when the lobster come out.

Impressed??? Don't be, hubby is the true Rock Star in our kitchen. I want to say a special Thank You to the the whole gang, what a team effort! Thanks everyone for bringing your specialty to our table. I couldn't have done it without each one of you.

Here is the proof, I can turn on the oven!

Becky+Entertaining =YES!!! Becky+Cooking= NO!!!

And The Other Thing

New Year's Eve, we had the perfect night.

Cuddling on the couch with my two favorite boys!

Our First Self-Timer Photo of 2009

*Parenting Tip*

(for those of you on the west coast)

Celebrate New Year's Eve with your kids by watching the count down on the east coast at 9pm. And have them tucked tightly in their beds by 10pm!

Blowing through my plastic horn...now that's something to celebrate!!!

Strip and Snow? You Bet!!!

Hubby and I drove to Vegas for another one of our "honeymoon" trips ala no kids, no cares and nobody but us! (Sound good? It is!!! I highly recommend it) The weather was very cold and I repeatedly wished for snow. Being a California girl, I love snow when I'm inside warm and toasty and since there's no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. (sorry I couldn't resist) Detour-My always competent, never let me down hubby planned our alternate routes (Cajon Pass Closed For Snow) while I adjusted my seat heaters and browsed my new Entertaining at Home Catalog.


That magical white stuff was around us. As we drove through the higher elevations we were on our toes watching the road instead of the usual 4 hours of playful banter that usually accompany these road trips. More wishing for snow on the strip prompted hubby to ask me to clarify the snow start after we get there! Let me preface what happened next by sharing it hasn't snowed on the strip of any substance in over 30 years~

We were living our sudo "Las Vegas Lifestyle" lap of luxuary, ultra romantic, you get the idea. Three days into our trip, we heard rumors of snow from the casino floor. We hurried up to our room on the top floor of The Mirage, and opened the window to feel the snow flakes on our hands and face. It was a beautiful sight, I savored every moment. "I want to remember this trip always" I kept saying. Pure magic. The snow had closed the airport and all the roads in and out of Vegas! We called downstairs to let them know we wolud be staying another night. A dream I never knew I had, came true! Watching the snow from our bed with the window open and heater on as high as it would go, made us miss the slot tournament reception which was what prompted this particular trip to begin with. We played in the tournament earlier, but missed the announcement of the winners. The casino automacially deposits any tournament winings into your account, knowing this we weren't worried about hearing the winners announced. Little did we know, they were announcing our names to the tune of $5,000. Yep, we were awarded the second highest payout of the tournment. When we finally did find out, I screamed so loud security was by my side instantly. And what perfect timing, we were going to be staying an extra night!

This is a trip we will always remember in more ways than one!