We survived-so far

Jonathan turned 21. We took him out two nights in a row; Once in Marco Island with my folks and then again in Ybor last night with Joseph, Jen & Lexi who had just arrived.

I have 8 people, 2 dogs and a baby at my house.  And my parents are driving up.  It’s crazy. It’s a mess ( I can’t walk into my room) We slept 3 in our bed last night. Joseph slept on the hard floor on our cesil rug (uggg!)

I’m back at work for a few hours-hopefully somebody will come to pick me up when I’m done….but until then we’re alive, happy, healthy and some (I’m assuming) are hung-over.

Christmas was a whirlwind-more on that later.

Family Game Night

Mom put together a pot roast in the crock pot and I fixed up some Cauliflower with sausage  (random I know) and we all sat down for a nice family dinner. 

Afterward we decided it was time to play some games.  We’re usually an all Cards family, but mom wanted to play something different and I have a closet full of games.

So this is how our night went:

Mom chose:

Adam won by a very small margin-He was very happy.

FYI according to my dad FurFur is the hair between a polar bears toes.

Next was Jonathan’s choice:

I’m really good at this game-Like REALLY good. So I won by over 15 points.  (I use this type of game as a means to fall asleep when I have insomnia)

Since I won I chose:

We decided to do Girls vs. boys (there were only 2 girls, but 3 boys) I thought this was fair since mom and I are good at word games-and they had my dad (FurFur anyone?)  Well Jonathan-the kid who barely talks was kicking butt! And mom and I , well I think the wine had started to impair our ability to read/describe/function.  I described FLAME perfectly all the while my dad (who was watching my words) looked at me like I was nuts.  Bless his heart he finally said something and I blinked, looked and realized the word was FAME. oops.

In the end though the girls pulled it out and one by 1 point. ya!!!

We finished the night off with a game of euchre while Jonathan prepared his Super Mario Brothers skills.  Boys won both games.  Mom and I really didn’t care as we were ready for bed.

I enjoy nights like this and I wish we could do them more often.  Most of our friends live 45 min. away, so it makes it difficult to have impromptu get togethers.  So we cherish these times, especially with family, and look forward to the days when we’ll be closer to whomever and play games with our friends and someday our own children.

They’re coming….

My family.

They’re in Georgia right now…nearing the Florida line.  They said they wouldn’t be here until Tuesday (taking it slow) but they’re coming tonight!

Luckily I spent the weekend at home cleaning/sewing/preparing.  Adam worked all weekend so I had the place to myself.  I do feel like I got a lot accomplished.  All the presents are bought and wrapped, the sheets are clean and floors have been swept and swept again.

Friday night was my office Christmas party.  Tara was going to be my date since Adam had to work.  About 6:30, while I was curling my hair, Adam called and said he could leave work if he wanted. (it was a slow night) So he came home and we had a night out for the first time in a while.  It was a great party-too good seeing as I was a little slow Saturday morning.  I wish I had some pictures to share, but I forgot the camera. 

The holiday’s are upon us and it’s going to be a crazy week with my mom dad & no. 5 with us.  Then heading to Marco come Thursday. Fuzzy Nut's arrive Friday and will join us on the island. 

It will be a big family Christmas (minus no. 4 but he’ll be in town with the two gf’s on Wednesday-in time for 5’s 21st.) Lots of love, fun, food and swimming in the pool on Christmas day-just to say we did.

 

To all of you: Merry Christmas from the Young’s.  May your days be bright and your nights peaceful. Enjoy your family your friends and remember what is really important.

God Bless A+S

My first commissions

Remember when I said I was starting a new project/business?
Well I finished my first pieces and gave them to their owners!  AKA I sold my first two items!  Very exciting.  Even more so when I saw how happy they were with their purchases.
Here’s a peak:


I also have one piece almost finished and will be able to list it in my store…very exciting.  But who knows if anyone will find them in the sea of online Etsy shops or if anyone will really even like them.  If not, that’s ok, I will have presents for all my girlfriends then.
Hopefully between shopping/cleaning/parties/decorating this weekend I will be able to sit down at the machine and crank out a few more things…but we’ll see.

She's Up

And I did her all by myself.
Adam is sick.
As in run over by a truck and can't get up sick.
I'd been pumping him full of flu medicine and when I got home from The Depot with the tree, he was able to get all the Christmas stuff out of the attic for me before crawling back into bed.
He's feeling better today and plans to go into work this afternoon.  Fingers crossed I don't get it.

We had to find a new place for the tree this year since the table would  be going where the tree normally would.  (I've yet to believe he'll have it done by Christmas.)
So I had to rearrange the living room to make it all work.  It works for now and will be good for all of the company we'll be getting very soon.

Tonight I plan on wrapping all the presents and putting them under the tree and finishing up with the decorations.  I'm hoping all of this will help to make it feel more like Christmas.  It's hard down in Florida.  While we've had quite a cold snap; it just doesn't have the feeling that a mid-western December has.  I think people up there are just a tad more jolly this time of year.  They wear Santa hats to pump gas and there is garland and red bows everywhere.  Oh, and there's snow. Beautiful white fluffy snow.

But not to worry, I will blast the Christmas music, hang my bells and dress up my dog like a reindeer.  I will make my Christmas spirit come out and play.  Ten more days!

Oh-And our new ornament this year

Thirty-two

I had a birthday this past weekend.

It was a good birthday.  I am definitely starting to feel Grown up.  However I still jumped on the couch to The Beatles when the Birthday song came on.

Adam unfortunately had to work all weekend.  But we stole hours together when we could.  Tara & Krista came over Friday night for Spaghetti, wine/champagne and cake.  And our friend Kathy who has moved to New Orleans was in town and she and a few friends came over.  It was nice.

 

Saturday I headed out for my hair appointment and got a new 32 year old do. It’s really the same, just a bit more layers.  Afterward I headed to the outlet mall to meet Krista and spend my birthday money on an expensive frivolous purse at the Coach store.

The purse gods where in my corner because it was the 30% off sale. Yes, including the already marked down sale purses that were an additional 50% off. 

So I was able to get two. Yes, 2,  Coach purses.  Thank you honey.

My mom asked me if they were real.  Yes I told her, they’re real.  I really think she was considering hopping on a plane and flying down after I told her the deals I got.

I finished up some Christmas shopping and headed back to Tampa to get ready for my dinner out.  I chose Bone Fish in St. Pete.  It was Krista (my date) and Tara and her new BF Doug (or as I call him New Doug)

We were supposed to go out, but after one drink at the Wine bar we all decided to call it a night and I headed back over the bridge just in time to catch Sir Paul on SNL (4 x’s!!!)

Sunday Adam didn’t have to go into work Until after noon so we had a few hours together.  I begged him to stay, but he had to go make the money.  So I did some errands and did ALL my Christmas cards at Peg’s in Gulf Port sampling New Doug's beer. (he’s a brewer)

I am happy with my 30’s enjoying life, good friends and lots of love.  I’m ready for 32-Bring it.

Ice!

No, Not on our windows or in our driveway.

The St. Pete Times Forum Christmas party (Adam’s 2nd job) had ice skating!! 

We laced up our rentals (Uggg) and headed out the same way the players do.  It was kind of cool going down that covered tunnel and stepping out of the box onto the big rink.

It took a while for my legs to get re acquainted after a 2 year hiatus, but I did ok.  And so did Adam.  I think he was a little more nervous than I since he’d only skated a handful of times. 

I used to skate on our drive way back home.  And no, we did not ice it over, it just happed sometimes, so I would put on my skates and go out.   It was fun until you hit a patch of asphalt and bit it.

It was a nice evening, we only stayed for an hour and Adam didn’t actually see anyone he worked with in his department, but being together out of the house was nice.  Between own our work schedules we don’t have that many nights together until the Christmas Invasion, so we’re enjoying the time we have now.

 

Burr?

So it's supposedly cold in Florida right now. 
It's in the 40's...maybe even 30's at night.
We do have our heat on and I did make Adam bring in his struggling Basil plant last night.

But seriously.
We Are Loving It!

I got to wear Tights to work!

And Boots!


And My Cable Knit Sweater!!!!!



I have yet to pull out the hats, scarfs and mitten; and I doubt i will.
I wish it would last, but it's supposed to be 70 by Saturday.

So much for winter, but that's what you get when you live in Florida I guess.

I hope all of you up North are enjoying your snow.
Feel free to send some this way, I'd love to see what these people do with a little white stuff on the ground. I bet they'd close down the city :)
Sweet.

Thanksgiving 2010

We arrived early to Grand Rapids; 10:40 instead of the scheduled 10:55.  Jonathan informed us that he would be there at 11:30.  Which meant that he had just left Lansing. Great.

So we call my cousin Chris and 15 min. later he drives up with Sherry Jo yelling “Pleva!!” out the passenger window of a minivan.  We were able to visit with my family for about a half hour before Jonathan and Lexi arrived to take us onward to Pentwater.  So I am Thankful for little brothers being late.

Thanksgiving day was very low key.  Joseph and Jen arrived sometime around noon.  Drinks were poured and cooking began.  I honestly have no idea where the day went, but I do know we ate a lot, drank a lot and played a lot of cards.

 

The following morning I was informed of a miracle in the Pleva family.

My mom was up until 3 a.m.!!!

That will never ever happen again.  And I missed it because I went to bed at 1:30.  Bummer.

Friday my good friend Felicia drove up from Kalamazoo for a visit while Adam and my dad went hunting. 

We worked on her save-the-dates for her wedding, then headed downtown Pentwater for some “Black Friday” shopping.  I could have done cartwheels down the center of Hancock Street.  Even the shop we went into wasn’t “officially” ready for their big sale the next day, but none the less we found some GREAT deals and I spent a little too much .

After our retail therapy we headed out to our cabin where we had a nice elk dinner and played some cards.  Oh! of course Hula hooping.  Mom and Dads new craze.

 

Saturday said goodbye to Felicia and welcomed back Joseph.  The guys were out hunting so mom and I headed back out to the cabin only to be met by Joseph with a “get in the truck”.  Excitement!

Jonathan had shot a 9 point buck just on the edge of our property with the help of Joseph ‘pushing’.  I think that means he made a lot of noise to scare any deer to run in the direction of the hunters.  Everyone was excited and happy-Adam got to witness his first deer gutting (which mom & I  declined). 

 

We spend the evening celebrating our friend Kareen’s retirement then hitting up some friends houses for after party drinks.  It was a busy fun Saturday.

Sunday brought about the usual. Church; saying goodbye to Joe & Jen & Jonathan.  It was a relaxing day.  We did make a visit to Grandma who is recovering in the Medical Care Facility.  She looked  100% better then she did when I visited her the day before.  When I told her I was going back to Florida the next day she made a “boo hoo” sound and pretended to rub her eyes.  And then it really hit me, like a knife in the chest.  This very well could be the last time I say goodbye to her.  It was hard leaving, realizing this reality.  She was in good spirits and good mind, so it’s a nice memory to have.

Monday we said goodbye to Mom & Dad and Marina and Gretta-who we spoiled beyond repair.  It was a much needed get away and we were glad to be heading back to our own place, but realizing the next few weeks will fly before we gear up and do the family thing all over again, on our turf!

 

Did I mention how cute she is?