Happy 2013

I want to wish you ALL 

a very very Happy New Year!

I pray it brings us all

Awe

Bravery

Contentment

Discovery

Enthusiasm

Faith

Greatness

Health

Integrity

Joy

Kindness

Love

Movement

Networking

Optimal Living

Peace

Quiet

Respect

Success

Thankfulness

Use

Victories

Wealth

X-citement

Yippees

Zeal

Clever, huh?

My 2013 Alphabet of Dreams.

Truly, have a beautiful 2013!

Thankful...

Truly so much to be thankful for!!

TRULY!

Here a few I am thinking of this week:

Thankful for the beautiful sunny weather we have been having to start the month of November.

 Thankful for hockey and the lessons/hard work/dedication it is teaching the boys. 

(and way to go Xander on scoring your first goal ever!!!!)

 Thankful for our home...for the warmth and protection it provides.

 Thankful for my sweet kiddoes....they make my life so full!

 Thankful for puppy snuggles for all of us...

even Steve...he loves a little Gregor snuggle! :) 

OK maybe not but watching Gregor and Xander love on each other 

makes me very happy...so sweet!!

November is the month that we focus on all that we have to be thankful for...

but these are things I am thankful for year round.

I am very blessed and so very thankful...

I would really like this to be my focus every day. 

What are you thankful for today?

Hello Monday

Hello blogging it's been a while.

 Hello to life with our sweet new puppy Gregor.

Hello to my last week of training before my first marathon.

Hello to last week (only a day an a half) of school for the boys.

 Hello days spent with Macey - we love having her home.

Hello scrapbooking...getting ready for Feeling Scrappy's class if fun!!

Hello family made Chinese Dinner plans...Egg Rolls, Crab Rangoon, Chicken Fried Rice,
Generals Chicken and Hunan Beef...will let you know how it turns out.

And as always a big thank you to Lisa Leonard for such a fun idea! 
How is your Monday looking?

My Xander - He's An Artist

This sweet boy of ours is an incredible artist.  Always has been...

He spends hours drawing...

HOURS!

He has a unique style that is all his own!

I just love it!

This is his latest drawing!

Roberto Luongo

This one will be framed and put it up in Connor's room...

Connor is a HUGE Canucks fan.

A pretty sweet gift if you ask me.

We put this up in the USA Hockey Magazine's Slap Gallery

Maybe you'd like to vote for him.

 He may just end up in the magazine...

And that just might make his year!!  :)

Thanks everyone for looking!

Have a beautiful day!

Hello Monday...

Hello to our first Monday with a 14 year old son!!!  :)

Hello swollen eye - adult acne sucks!

Hello sore muscles - but I am so glad to have yoga back in my life.

Hello week 4 of  training!!  3 whole weeks and 46 miles down - only 16 weeks and about 465 miles to go!!!

Hello contractor - thank you for replacing that missing piece of siding!

Hello handmade Valentines!!  What a clever idea (his mouth is where the kids will put in the Valentines!!!

Hello aromatherapy classses - I promise to start working on you!

Hello design work...can't wait to make you two realities!!

Hello to a wonderful REAL life, full of opportunities, choices, and blessings!!

 And as always a big thanks to Lisa Leonard for such a fun idea!

A Little Scrappy Goodness!!!

I have been a scrapbooking fool these past few weeks!  I am SOOO excited about all the pages I have completed!!!  25 pages completed!!!  25 layouts in 32 days !  Woohoo!!  So I decided to share a few:

The above layout was inspired by a My Minds Eye sketch by Tamara Jensen

The above layout was inspired by the layout on page 59 in the Spring/Summer 2012 CTMH Catalog

And the above layout was inspired by a Basic Grey Sketch by Kelly Goree

All the layouts below were done for the Inspired to Scrap Sketch Class that just finished up!  Awesome inspiration there!!!  The classes are ultra affordable - you should sign up for the upcoming April sketch class!!  Really you should!  If you scrapbook that is!  :)

My Girls Crafty...

Check this out!!!

She's crafty!

And she's good!!  :)

The kids have always been interested in craft projects around

the holidays but I didn't think it went beyond that.

I did craft with them throughout the years - little projects here and there 

but sometimes looking back I worry I might have been too stingy 

about my craft time...not really wanting to share that time 

as much as I should have.  Maybe I would have been surprised sooner.

And maybe I started the fire just enough so it would come out at just the right time.

Anywho...

Miss has all these great craft projects she would love to do...

I'm impressed!

Now on to her wreath.  

She made this for her "Big" (her words not mine).

The fun of sorority life.

She used her sorority colors - aqua and grey 

(and we added the black since we couldn't find grey tulle)

She used almost 3 full rolls (at least 2 1/2) in the aqua and black color.

6" spools from Michael's Celebrate It brand.

1 spool of glittery silver/grey ribbon. 

(we had glitter coming out our ears - just ask the boys of the house - they were not amused)

I am not sure of the exact size of the wreath because I have already boxed it up, 

but I think it was a 12" foam wreath form - also from Michael's.

We followed these basic directions.

It's huge!!!  From end of tulle to end of tulle it is about 27".

I Love It.

Now I want to find an online supplier of fun colors of tulle

so she can make me one for:

Valentine's Day

and one for Easter

and one for Birthday months

and one for Halloween

and I think you get the picture!!  :)

Oh and for gifts!  What an awesome gift this would/will make!

Hello Monday...

Hello first Monday in this exciting new year of 2012.  

Looking forward to all that is to come!  

Think it's going to be a good one!

 Hello pain from yesterdays fun day of skiing at a beautiful Meadowlark!

Hello empty girls room.
We are missing our Macey now that she's back in Omaha.

Hello last day of  Christmas break.  

We loved the sleeping in, 

especially after said day of skiing!  :)

Hello messy piles of "stuff" all over my house.  

Thinks it's time for a deep cleaning/organizing of the house!!

Hello nice little surprise on Ali Edwards blog.

I am one of the winner's of a  

Lisa Leonard's Word of the year Necklace!!  

Lucky Lucky Me!!!  I am soooo stinking excited!!!

Hello tasty easy faux Italian sodas.

 Hello Inspired to Scrap sketch class.

 Hello Kung Fu panda and cozied little boy.

Hello One Little Word.

Hello hockey.

Sorry we missed a few practices.

We're back now!

Christmas was a good one....

...a very good one!!

And now I feel like I can say goodbye to it.  

The decorations have been taken down.  

My girl is safely back in Omaha!  :(
(happy she's safe...just would have loved more time with her here in Wyoming)
Now I'm ready for the fresh start that 2012 will bring.

But before I say goodbye completely, how about a few (or a TON) pictures of

my favorite moments and my favorite people.

 Macey was home for three whole weeks.
How fun it was to have her here for three whole weeks.
It was nice just bumming around with her.
And I found out she's very crafty - like me.
love love love this little tidbit.

Love that we only have to travel 3 hours to get back to my home town.
It soooo beats the 12 hour drive we used to have to make from Omaha.

We celebrated my sister's 40th birthday.
A surprise "Look Who's Turning Awesome" party.
Lots of fun!  And boy was she surprised!  Love it!

 Christmas Eve mass with the family.
Love the comfort that the (mostly) familiar brings.
Love that Joy to the World!

Christmas Eve festivities at my sister and brother in law's home.
Family, friends, YUMMY food, and very thoughtful gifts.
(More on one very special gift later)

 
Christmas morning at Mom and Dad's.

Up soooo early to open those gifts.
Such excitement!!
Wondering if Santa's made his visit yet and if so what he might have left.
Again with really thoughtful gifts!

A scrumptious Christmas feast - eating too much!
A little after dinner napping.
A little dancing with the XBox - oh the laughs.
Mom, Carol, Jo - you rock those dance moves!!!

And that oh so fun game of Quelf.
Have you heard of this?
Definitely a fun one - would be worth the purchase. 

Goodbye Christmas 2011!

It was a good one!
A very very good one!

Successful Hunting Season

So proud of my boys!!  Check out these bucks!

This was Triple C's first year hunting and he was one LUCKY kiddo!!!! 

Next day Steve had awesome luck too!!!

Steve hasn't been hunting for the past four years - since we moved to Nebraska.  Every fall he missed it terribly - now that we are back in Wyoming things will be different - something that these boys are excited about - lots of public land out here in Wyoming. 
This year though - Steve lucked out by FINALLY drawing that Montana tag - so needless to say he was thrilled for the weekends that he could make it work - which with Connor's hockey schedule wasn't looking easy - but they got a couple weekends squeezed in and this one brought success!!

Now our freezer will be FULL!!!  If you are in the family expect some gifts of summer sausage cause it might be coming out our ears!!!

Stay tuned for pics of their European mounts that will be adorning out walls very soon!!

Chronicles of a new hockey mom.....

...so let me start out by stating the obvious....I know very little about hockey...the rules, the proper  etiquette....for the players, for the mom, the dads, the fans....etc. 
I am a hockey mom for one....let's make that two....very simple reasons....because my boys want to be hockey players!!!  That's it...for them not me!  Not me at all!!!  Not ever!
I will learn the ropes as they do...but there are certain things I will NEVER become...I will never become that crazy mother who yells at other players because I feel my son has been roughed up unnecessarily!  NOT EVER!!!  Sure I may get mad - in fact I am very certain of it...I will cringe and have second thoughts about letting the boys play hockey....probably over and over again...but they love it and I  love that about them!!!  And I will learn to love hockey for them.  HOWEVER, I will not become a crazy abusive mother who yells at another woman's child!  Especially not at practice.  NOT EVER!!!  It's just scary!  Bullying is a bad thing....for children and especially for parents. 

Way to go boys!  I'm proud of you!  Skate hard, really hard.  Listen to the tips your given.  Give 110%!  ALWAYS!!!  Prove that you want it and you will get better and better!

And now to add a little humor and perspective - and a good reminder for me:

(taken from John Buccigross)

Hockey is an emotional game and your child has the attention span of a chipmunk on NyQuil. The hockey coach will yell a bit during practice; he might even yell at your precious little Sparky. As long as there is teaching involved and not humiliation, it will be good for your child to be taught the right way, with emphasis.

Macey....

 Can a parent every really prepare for the day their child spreads their wings and fly?  

I thought I would be ok...I mean let's face it...

...sometimes a parent/teenager relationship can be a challenge...

...and Macey and I fought plenty...just like I fought with my parents at that age.  

A challenge. 

I used to tell Macey that she needed to be on her own...

...just so she knew what it was like to really be on her own and just how much we did do for her.  

I also used to think...I can't wait til she is on her own...

...but only so we could actually be friends...to like each other...

....a relationship without so much tension.  

Macey used to tell us...rather often...that she couldn't wait til she was out of our house...

 ...and then as the months got closer to graduation...this girl of mine...

 ...well she softened...the thought of rushing out of our home...

...those thoughts of getting as far away from us didn't seem so good...

...no she didn't want to go school in Montana...which for months she had planned on...

...no she wanted to stay closer to us...guess she didn't think we were so bad after all...

 ...however by this time Steve had already applied for the job in Wyoming...

...eventually getting the job.

Bittersweet. 

As weeks got closer the thought of leaving her really hit me...

...my baby girl would soon be an adult...no longer living with us...

...making her way in this world on her own.  

Nothing can prepare you for the mix of emotions...

...excited for what the future will hold for her...

...heartbroken at the thought of days...weeks...and even months without her.

I cried...often.

Still do a bit. 

 I cannot tell you how differently our home feels without her...of course it's a new home yes...

...so of course it's all different...

...but not having her here is not something I could prepare for...

...it seems quieter...a little lonely...

 I don't love being the only girl in the house.

 The positive?   

She is doing great...adjusting to this not being close like she hoped for.

She's enjoying the sun...

 ...and all that this last summer as a child will bring...

...this makes it easier...

So happy she is happy!  

And now...

when she is here in our home...

...we like each other...we enjoy each other's company...

 ...less of a challenge.

It's those visits that I will look forward too...

...will cherish...

...will be grateful for...

New Teenager

So our Triple C turned 13 about 2 weeks ago!!!  13 - another teenager in the house.  Heaven help me....:)  Nah...he's a good kid!!  We love you much Triple C!!!  Hope your 13th year is your best yet!

(And he is most excited about his new mountain bike - which is going to get LOTS of use once we are back in Wyoming!  WOOHOO!!!)

 Now the rest of us just need mountain bikes so we can ride along with him!!!  Fun!

Still sick - but here's the big news....

So I went to the doctors this morning because I am actually feeling the same if not worse today....so I am now on antibiotics for a sinus infection and bronchitis!!!  Have I mentioned I hate being sick....thank goodness school was canceled today - I would have felt horrible calling in sick to work again.  By tomorrow I will have been on antibiotics for 24 hours - so I should be good to go - crossing my fingers.  Anywho...enough about sickness!!!
Let's move onto the exciting Curry news......

(I thought the photo was fitting since he is celebrating and this is in Wyoming - Dayton not Gillette - but still close)

We are moving back to Wyoming!!!  Not back to Sheridan - but to Gillette this time around!  We will move after Macey graduates and the boys finish the school year up.  Most of us are thrilled at the idea - Macey is a little sad because she has now decided to stay in Nebraska for college and we will be 10 hours away.

When Steve put in for this job her plans at that time were to attend school in Montana - but she has since changed her mind.  Funny - this girl of ours - she is always telling us how she can't wait to get out and away from us - I would never figured her to be weepy at the idea of living without us.....it in turn makes me very weepy.  I have assured her that we will skype and call and email and text multiple times a day - and we will visit and she will visit - and it will all be good!!!  She is only a flight away!!  This spreading your wings and flying thing sometime hurts a bit - I remember it all to well....
But this really is good news....we have wanted to be back closer to the mountains - back to a slower pace - to the lifestyle we were used to - camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, and closer to family....and this was our chance - the quality of life will be so much better.  Pray for Steve that the transition will be smooth...this will be a big change for him - but a good one.  And really we could all use some prayers because it will be a big change for all of us....
So there you have it big news....

Sick and big news.....

The Curry's are sick - one or another of us has been sick all week - and it's not fun!!  Whatever I had - which I thought was going away - is now settling with a vengeance into my chest - painful!!!!  I hate going to the doctors but if I am still feeling like this tomorrow I am going in.  So Xander (sore throat - cough - fever) and I will be playing hooky tomorrow- and not happily!!
 
And I know I haven't been around much - I have been preoccupied!
With Soul Restoration

With Learn to Hockey - which the boys are loving it - like really really loving it - no matter how many times they fell while learning to skate or how hard they are working to get the skills figured out - they still love it and have a blast.  And I can tell ya - they will not be happy about missing tomorrow night!!!!  It really has gone beyond any expectation I had for them!!

 And with something really big!!  Something big is on the horizon for us.....I can't tell yet but soon - stay tuned!!!!  :)