Happy Christmas and a day or two

I find myself simply amazed how quickly this month of December has gone by. J and I decided maybe saying yes to everything was the culprit..not enough down time to simply sit and enjoy the lights and decorations. We did have a lot of fun so its wasn't all bad...just disappeared too quickly!
We had about 50 people show up for our big annual Christmas party and most said it was the best yet.
I tried to do too many last minute hordourves and found myself still working when the first guests arrived. Fortunately it was my Canadians bfs and they went right to work helping me. J had spent weeks getting the train far enough along to run during the party. It was wonderful because he lit up some of the cars with tiny xmas lights and a tree. He also decorated some trees with lights and the backyard looked great.  While it was a big success I don't think we will do it again next year. Maybe take some time to help others and volunteer. If you look up Snowball Express its a wonderful program put on by American Airlines for families that have lost a parent in the war. It is such a worthy and noble cause I am hoping to have J and I volunteer our time to it. We have been so fortunate it would be a good thing to pay it forward. I cry every time I see a commercial asking for us to help wounded warriors. They come home so broken and yet so many find ways to continue on and be amazing. True heroes.

Here are a few pics of the party so you can feel like you were attending. I know it looks like J wasn't there but I am pretty sure I saw him at some point.

SOOO many people and yet such a perfect house to entertain in!

Food galore and almost everything was GONE by the end of the evening.

Gdma and Rande

I told J about 4 days ago I could not imagine having to take down all the decorations so soon and thought I would wait until I felt ready. Yesterday my brother Ron left, my mom went home and I took Ky to the airport. Today Rande flew to Denver to move the rest of his stuff back to CA. For some reason having everyone leave left me craving a return to normal. I still had a cup of coffee in my hand when I started taking down this morning. I didnt get it all done but a very good start. Isn't it crazy how much more spacious one's house feels with no xmas clutter? I am always surprised by the starkness of normal.
T and J decided they didn't want to come over this year but we had R and K plus my bro who is usually in Mexico by now. The most difficult part of Timothy not coming is how many have asked why not, he lives so close.  At the same time we all want our kids to be happy so if staying home was impt, so be it. Being the parent of adult children is so different from what I expected. Our 3 boys are all so different I am amazed and bewildered they had the same parents and upbringing. I was hoping we would all be grownup friends and look fwd to spending time together sharing adventures.  "Life is a box of chocolates and you just never know what you are going to get." So true.

Uncle Ron and Ky

Vetterlis

Ky and Grandma

Cannot have a Vetterli get together without a little Mexican Train. I lost and Ky won.... as usual.

R and I made fresh spinach pasta one night and it was one of my favorite nights. I thought I simply had to have a pasta maker and yet managed to talk myself out of putting it to use for 2 months. R said lets do it and we were off...Yes it is quite a bit more work than picking up a package at the store but oh man it was heavenly! Really light and airy tasting...kind of pleased there is some in our freezer for another go around!

Next time I will clear and clean the island for this part...who knew it made so many?

Oh so delicious!!

Here is a cute little pillow gift I made for a friend who has a scottie dog. I could probably start a business making pet pillows right?! Everyone LOVES their pets.

I still have 2 trees and 3 dept 56 villages to take apart today and I am finishing this post on day three of take down. Who the heck thought 3 trees and xmas villages in every room were a good idea!?!?! lol... me of course!
It was so weird last night as I was removing ornaments from a tree I had the strongest sense of deja vu I would not be here to put them on next year. It was so strong it brought tears to my eyes and this feeling of doom.. I know, I sound crazy. I choose to believe it was a sign for me to let go of the unimpt conversations in my head and make a difference in 2014. Make every day count kind of thing. We dont know the future so live each day gratefully and continue to follow dreams. I will end here with yet another adorable photo of the coolest kitty ever!

Buster practicing not peeking at Santa or his gifts!

 Love this boy so much! Thanks for dropping by and I wish you all blessings, joy and love in the new year. Lets all go make a difference...