Waiting for Santa

Our youngest was determined to see Santa this year.  She made a palate between the fireplace and the tree so that Santa would have to either step over her or go around, which would surely wake her.

I'll have to admit that it made for an interesting evening.  Mommy kept checking on her to make sure she was warm and that she was sleeping soundly.

Well, Santa came on schedule and must have put pixie dust on her head to put her in a deep sleep, because she didn't hear a thing!  Santa went about his business stuffing stockings, eating the milk & cookies (on the fire place brick entrance), and setting out toys and gifts.








On Christmas morning, she couldn't believe he came and worked right in front of her eyes!  Next year, she plans to set up a motion-detection video recorder.  Her favorite gift was a stuffed frog sticking out of her stocking.  "Froggy" had to go to Mass with us that morning, and has been by her side ever since.

Caroling in the 1800s

Our little one was in her school Christmas play, and had the role of a caroler.

Here, the music teacher is giving instructions to the carolers prior to the show.  Our little one is the last one on the right in the white shawl and white bonnet.

















A close up of our girl and one of her best friends...

The sweet girls singing their hearts out during the show.  So cute!

Birthday at Grandma's

Our little one wanted to spend her birthday at Grandma's house, and it was her best birthday yet!  She couldn't wait to play with Grandma's toys.


















Her cousins surprised her to make the party even funner!

Grandma made sure the cake met all of the little one's VERY specific guidelines.... A Christmas scene with Santa and his reindeer flying at night with grass and snow on the ground.  Kuddos to the artist!

Group picture of the birthday girl and Mommy.

Grandma lighting the candles.....






















And afterwards, pinata fun!  Grandma filled the cupcake pinata with lots of candy!  Thanks, Grandma, for her best birthday yet!  :)

Black & White Fundraiser

Eric & I attended a black/white fundraising event last weekend and enjoyed dressing up.  Our youngest took the pictures, so this was the only one that wasn't blurry, showed all of our heads, and we weren't blinking.  It was a fun night, and I especially enjoyed the company!  He's still so handsome after 18 years!

Invited to speak

Our oldest was invited to speak at the Girl Scouts of SC semi-annual meeting of the board of directors and delegate conference several weeks ago.  She had to prepare 6 mini-speeches to bridge topics throughout the meeting, and helped to pass out annual awards at the end.  So proud!  :)

Renting, not flipping

The latest investment has turned to renting instead of flipping.  The best market for renting are smaller homes, so we look for a fixer upper (mostly cosmetic), and get a good price on the purchase.  Here's our latest before/after pics....

Before:

After....pressure washing, mowing, and landscape grooming can do wonders!

















Living room before....










After....added hard wood floor, new paint, etc.




















Master bedroom before...  Notice how the carpet below bubbles up.  It also had a pet urine and smoke stench.















After....new carpet, new paint, etc.

Guest bathroom before...The bathroom had water damage in the lower bottom left corner.
















And after....mold removed, repainted, new flooring, removed cabinetry, and lots of cleaning.

And the backyard before....

And now after....

Halloween Cutie

Our youngest couldn't wait for trick-or-treating!  She wanted to be a witch, so this is what we pulled together from her gymnastics outfit, a tutu, and a few extra accessories from the store.  The weather was unusually warm, so she stayed out much longer than I expected.  It was a long day for Mommy, but I enjoyed it.