Showing posts with label new year. Show all posts

2024

 Happy New Year!


I hope everyone had a great time ringing in the new year. We usually stay awake to see the ball drop on TV and around the world but not this time. Nick has to work this New Years day so we hit the sack early.


We went to church yesterday morning.  Me and Nick go to two separate churches, but I decided to go with him to his this time. It was sorta nice sitting in a more quiet setting without the bands and loud music (which I do love by the way) that cause a sensory overload I have been getting in my bad ear. This can easily trigger a vertigo attack for me. 


We did go out for a nice steak dinner before heading back home for the night. We ran into a couple friends we knew while we were there and did some catching up on our lives. 


I hope this year will be a good one but I feel like it’s going to be wild ride with it being election year, leap year and year of the Olympics. I feel like a lot of things are going to happen. So buckle up.


I do not make resolutions but I do try to set goals. I accomplish most of them. 


This year I plan to get healthier. The past few months have been hard on me going through more than usual effects of Meniere's Disease. I am currently loaded up on Steroids to see if they help. So far they seem to be helping. I will start weening off of them in two days. I have been on Prednisone for 2 weeks now with one more week to go. Since they seem to be working, I will be getting steroid shots directly through my eardrum into my inner ear 3 times in a series of 3 weeks. This will not have any side effects and will only help my inner ear issues. He just did not want to go this rout unit we knew if it will work or not. I can and will continue to have issues but hopefully no more vertigo attacks out of nowhere! 


I am beginning to get “moon face” . This is weight swelling in my face but will go away once I’m off of steroids. I can’t wait. However, I am full of energy and I can’t stop eating! I have gained 10 lbs in two weeks! I need a detox!


Here are a few of my plans for the new year.


  • Talk and walk with God more.
  • Eat healthier and get this steroid weight gain off.
  • Purchase a lap top with my Christmas money.
  • Start walking on a regular basis again.
  • Do some in home workouts to keep toned.
  • Save money for the new Ford Bronco I want.
  • Maybe a new tattoo. 
  • Maybe start a new blog on a new platform (while keeping this one).
  • Start a new skin care routine.
  • Vote
  • Spend more time relaxing and enjoying life.
  • Stay away from anything or any person that brings negative vibes.

We only have a little while left on this earth. We need to enjoy and live life abundantly (John 10:10).


Do you set any new year goals? 





2022

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope you all ready to start a new year with new plans and goals. 

New years eve is always a mess for me and Nick. We laugh about it. We never have any parties to attend so we just go out for a nice dinner somewhere.
We always wait to late to make reservations and that always leaves us scrambling to get into a restaurant and end up just going whereever we can find a seat. This time we planned ahead and made reservations at a place in my old hometown of Belmont called the “Old Stone Steak House”. We were excited and relieved that we did not have to go searching for a place to go. We had already searched the menu online and picked out what we each were gonna order. We were excited. We like to eat dinner around five or six but our reservations were for 7:30 and that was fine.

We were both off work on New Years Eve and enjoyed our day together relaxing. We started getting dressed for dinner and left the house a little early just in case there was a problem with parking or getting in the door. We found a parking spot in front of the door and walked right in. The hostess was nice and took us to our table. There at the table she handed us a menu and went to get our drinks.

There was a problem here. The menu was a special four course New Years dinner with limited options. First the price was 55.00 per person and that did not include drinks or tip. Second, there was nothing on this particular menu that we wanted. I asked the waitress if we could order off of the regular menu and she said “No, not tonight” . We apologized and left. No way would we pay 110 plus dollars on something we did not want. We simply don’t spend that way. We expected to spend around 70.00 for the special occasion but by ordering what we wanted. 

We ended up walking down the street to another place in town called “The Lodge Tavern and Tap”. Not our idea of a place but it was getting late and we were mad and hungry. I guess you could say we were “Hangry”. There was no wait and they took us to our table. There we ended up ordering the Ribeye Steaks with two sides. For appetizers we order fried pickles. My favorite! 




The food was ok but we were still disappointed that our original date plans did not work out.
We had plenty left over and that’s what we ate for New Years Lunch. 

Speaking of New Years lunch. This is the first time in at least 10 years that we have not prepared a big traditional New Years Dinner. We always make enough for 12 to 15 people and the meat prices are outrageous. We also struggle to find enough collards. It was stressing me out this time so we decided to give it a break this year. I think we made a good choice because we have some family members battling colds. It feels weird and I miss it. Hopefully we can get back to doing it next year. 

I hope you all have a wonderful 2022! What are some of your goals? Mine is to get a new car in the Spring or Summer. I also hope to lose my weight again. 

Looking back 2020



I am not one of those people that look back. I like to keep my focus forward and keep the past in the past. But today I had to look back. We have all heard people griping that this has been the worst year ever. I may have even said it a few times. But was it really? I’m sure to some people, this was the worst year. I think the worst years are the years that loved ones pass away or suffer a lot of sickness. 

As I look back on 2020, Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. When I sit back and weigh out the good and the bad, I could actually say it was the best year ever. 
 
My biggest complaint in 2020 was that I could not find a job. Covid hit and slowed down companies hiring. This meant more days at the beach. We were able to go and stay weeks at a time. 

I was able to have every day free to mingle with other stay at home moms in the neighborhood and even enjoyed a few bike rides.
Though we didn’t have any employment income coming in, we managed to always have things we need and never had to go without.

My family stayed healthy. There were no deaths or serious sicknesses in my family this year.  

Speaking of family, I will be busy today cooking pork, collard greens, black eyed peas, potatoes, macaroni & cheese, and three cobblers! My family will be coming over this afternoon for my traditional New Years Dinner. 

Do you make New Year resolutions? I do not make resolutions, but I do set goals. 
My goals for the New Year are:
To lose 15 lbs.
Eat healthier.
Continue my new job until I find another job I like better.
Keep a planner.
Stop worrying so much.
Pray more and complain less.

We do not know what 2021 has in store for us but I will make the best of it. 
Happy New year, Love yall.

Welcome to the 20’s

Happy New Year! We are living in the 20’s now. I have seen a lot of photos on social media of my friends bringing in the new year dressed like the 1920’s. They are wearing pinstripe suits and flapper dresses. Looks like a lot of fun.

We didn’t party it up on New Years eve. We went out to eat at a little pub and was home by eight. We did however, manage to stay awake to bring in the new year. My party starts today as we do our annual new years dinner for family. We have the traditional foods like pork, black eye peas and collard greens. I also added mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and cobblers. My house smells like Sunday dinner at the Golden Corral. 


This year I have decided not to make any resolutions or set any goals. 
Resolutions are rarely kept and goals are made as a one time event. Once a goal is met, you usually will pat yourself on the back and move on to something else. Instead, I will be going into the new year with simple “plans”
Plans to continue maintaining my weight loss.
Plans to Stay Healthy,
And plans to better myself.

Sure I will set goals for myself throughout the year as they come. I usually will give myself a daily, weekly or monthly goal to accomplish something that needs to be done. Totally random. My brain works better that way. I have tried keeping notes, planners and to do list but I fail at them all. 

I have some exciting things happening in then next couple weeks. I have been asked to be an ambassador for another company. I can’t say who it is right now but I will be sure to let you know as soon as it has been approved and dotted lines have been signed. I am still an ambassador for Nutrisystem too and I have a task to do with them in the next few days. 

I hope the new year brings me a new job and new beginnings. 
As I sit down to dinner today I will remember where I came from and stay excited for where I'm going.
I pray for all of my friends, family and foe that everyone will have a happy and healthy New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!





New Blogger Shout Out

Hope everyone had a Happy New Years Day. I had a great day with a house full of family. Everyone came over for the traditional New Years Dinner. We fixed pork roast, collard greens, black eye peas, potatoes, macaroni and cheese and rolls. It was a great feast and I am still stuffed. I am ready to dive into the year with new goals. 

Speaking of new, there is a new blogger in town. Well, she is way out of town for me but we are all in the same blogging world, right? Get ready for some positive words and motivation! 

Meet Michelle. 


I had the privilege to spend a few day with her during my last Nutrisystem Photo/Commercial shoot in Orlando Florida. You can see her in several of the Nutrisystem Commercials and is cute as a button. When I met Michelle it was like we already knew each other. It is like that with all of the girls and guys I met during these shoots as they are all so nice and we all have something in common. I call her one of my NutriSisters.

Michelle is always smiling her big signature smile and is as fun as she looks. She is also great at promoting and works hard for the things she is passionate about. Though she is new to the blogging world, her first post already proves her writing talent. I’ll stop here and let you read more about her and see for yourself. Just head over to “Life On The Bright Side” and show her blog some love.

Good Luck Michelle!





New Year New Goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hope everyone is doing great and recovering from the mid night activities. My husband and I went out for a nice dinner then back home to start the preparation for my annual family New Years Dinner. We are not fans of late night partying. We like to stay in and stay sober.

I started my morning off using this little New Years coaster I whipped up for fun.


Crochet pattern HERE.

I love having a coaster under my coffee mug so it doesn't clank on the table.

Later, we will be enjoying a feast of meat, black eye peas, collard greens, potatoes, macaroni n cheese, bread and dessert. When everyone comes, I can have a crowd of about 13 people. However, now that the nephews are all grown up, they can't be forced to come over and eat greens.


Do you make resolutions for the new year?
I don't make what I call resolutions but I do make goals for myself. Here are my top five.
I will always be adding new goals throughout the year.

1. I have lost the weight, now I want to get healthier.
My goal is to be able to run a mile without stopping, be able to do 50 sit ups by my 50th birthday, and loose another 10 lbs by Summer. I will also be taking more vitamins and collagen to help with my skin and muscles.

2. My car will be paid off in July.
My goal is to purchase a new one by Fall. I like to keep a new car so I never have to worry about putting money into always fixing an old one. I like warranty protection and new car smells.

3. I want to get more involved in blogging.
My goal is to get more involved as an influencer while still keeping my blog personal. 
I want to build my blog followers and reach out more.

4. Keeping up- I can never keep a planner going. I always fall short. I find it easier to just jot things down to remember other than adding them to a certain date on a calendar.
My goal is to start a bullet style journal using my new "Rocketbook" for keeping blog ideas, to do list, social media activities, and goals. I will keep using my Google calendar on my phone and iPad for appointments and events. This also keeps "Alexa" in the loop. haha.

5. Call me crazy, but I want to start a small Loofah garden.  I think it will be something different to try and fun results at the end.
My goal is to be able to actually get it to produce.

....Not sure about number five. Nick is over there shaking his head. Well, see. I have already bought the seeds.

Do you have any new plans for the new year? 



Its a New Year

Its a new year. What's that mean for you? What are you going to do new this year?

Im sitting here, barley able to keep my eyes open but I wanted to take some time to tell everyone Happy New Year. Me and my husband brought in the new year at home. We went out to a nice dinner and headed back to the house to finish up some last minute preparations for my annual family New Years dinner. It was complete with collard greens, black eye peas and pork. Not to mention the crock pot macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and fruit cobblers.
I set up tables from my dining area throughout the living room, making sure to have enough seats for sixteen people. It turned out great and a lot of full bellies.


Everyone is gone now and everything is cleaned up and put away. I am now ready for the new year. Every new year, we think about what we can do different to make it better than the last.
I do not usually make resolutions or promises to myself. Its just puts to much pressure on the thought and therefore I never hold to it. I do plan to make some changes and do some things differently. Will it happen? Im not sure but here are a few of my plans for this year.

1. Stop complaining so much.(It is what it is)
2. Blog more.(blogging is mind relaxing)
3. Stop worrying so much about people and how they act and what they do.(drives me crazy)
4. Stay more positive and smile more. (while biting my tongue)
5. Have a healthier lifestyle ( I may even use sunscreen)
6. Clip and use coupons. (health Insurance went up and im broke)
7. Find somewhere to volunteer or work part time to get some use of my Phlebotomy skills.
7. and last, Stay off facebook as much as I can. This will help me accomplish 1-4.

What are some of your plans for the new year?

Now finally, im off to bed .

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!

Happy New Year!

Wow, twenty thirteen went by way to fast but I'm ready for a new start.


As I look back on the past twelve months, its hasn't been that bad. My daughter graduated college, I received a pay raise, my online shop stayed steady, I learned a few new things, got rid of a few so called friends. I didn't have to go any further than deleting them off face book because that's the only place they seemed to know me. You know what I'm talking about. Even though I would have liked to be closer and would have been a good friend for them, they just had their own groups and lives and were to busy or thought they were to good to know me well. I say, good riddance.

Looking forward, I'm pretty excited about what the new year may bring me. 

In February, I hope to have some exciting news to share. (no pregnancy, weddings or moves). Just something I've been challenging myself to accomplish and hope it happens.
I also, hope to get a new car this year. I have had one now for seven years and if I see my budget will let me, I hope to have something new. Its just scary thinking about getting into another four years of car payments.
I might be a mom to a college student again. My daughter is waiting on news of acceptance into a masters program.
I plan to visit the beach more often this year, loose weight, tithe more and be a better person.
I have lots of drawers and closets to clean out and maybe learn a few new recipes and crafts.

Today I will be having my traditional New Years dinner complete with collard greens, black eye peas, mashed potatoes, pork loin, macaroni and cheese and cobblers. My house will be full of friends and family as we celebrate the New Year.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all of my readers! Hope you can put behind 2012 and make 2013 a better year for you and everyone around you.

I start each new year off with a traditional family dinner with collard greens, black eye peas, pork, mashed potatoes and crock pot macaroni & cheese. My husband worked hard to fix the greens and meat while I did the rest. If you know me, you know i'm all about the sweets so I made two fruit cobblers. For the first time, I made a chocolate pecan cobbler! Read on, I posted the recipe at the end.

Ever wonder what this lucky meal means? Here is a little run down....
 
Pork: Usually consumed in Italy and the United States, where thanks to its rich fat content, it signifies wealth and prosperity.

Collard Greens: Their green leaves look like folded money, and are thus symbolic of economic fortune and believed the more you eat the more wealth you will have.
 
Black Eye Peas: Symbol of money. Their small, seed like appearance resembles coins that swell when cooked so they are consumed with financial rewards in mind.

Now the mashed potatoes and macaroni & cheese are just thrown in the mix for good eatin'. That's how we do it in the South.
 
My husband cooked the collard greens outside. We do eight bundles.
If you have ever cooked collard greens, you'd know why.

Then he grilled some BBQ Pork loins on the grill.

 I cut up ten pounds of potatoes.

Here is the black eye peas, mac n cheese, and potatoes cooking.

I always do a half and half cobbler. This was the cobbler before I cooked it.
I never got a picture of  "after". That's how fast it got gone.
 
 
Before we began to eat, my sweet daddy had a short family devotion.
He left his paper here so now Ill share it with all of you.
 
 
Then everyone found a place at the tables and dug in.
 
It's hard to get everyone in one picture but we had fifteen!
This is where my front living room turns into a dinning room.
 
 
OK now for my favorite part. Chocolate Pecan Cobbler.
 
 
This is the first time I made it and thought I'd give it a try. It turned out wonderful and I will probably have to add this to the menu every year from now on. I was lucky to snatch a piece for this photo. It was gone in no time.
 
CHOCOLATE PECAN COBBLER.
 
Melt 2 sticks butter and pour into 9x13 dish.
 
In bowl mix:
1 1/4 cup sugar 
1 1/2 cup self rising flour
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk
Pour the batter mix into the melted butter ( Do not stir)
 
In separate bowl mix:
1 cup sugar
6 Tbls cocoa powder
2 cups chopped or half pecans (optional)
Pour on top.(Do not stir)
 
Then pour two cups boiling water into it (Do not stir)
 
Bake 350 for 30-45 minutes or until nice and brown.
Serve warm with ice cream or whip cream.
 
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
 
Ive shared this on:

DIY New Year Wreath

My door is bare now that I have taken down all my Christmas decorations, so I wanted to make something to hang on my door to replace the Christmas wreath and its not time to hang up Valentines Day decor yet, so I decided to make me a new years wreath using Christmas tinsel and party favors. I usually buy party favors and set them out on new years day for the kids that come over for dinner but that sure can turn in to an annoying sound of clacker and horns, so I'm using them for decoration this time instead.


I started with a foam wreath from the craft store and wrapped and glued until it look right. Then I took two plastic champagne glasses to give it that toasty look.


I got it all from the dollar store but if I would have taken the time to look through my closets, I probably could have found last years left overs. So you could probably make one of these for nearly nothing.


I found the idea from searching new year wreaths on Pinterest. There are so many unique and talented people out there. It just amazes me.

Ive shared this on make-it-yourself-monday at anoriginalbelle

Year End and New Year Planning

Whoosh! I'm behind on my blogging. There is alot I could have blogged about the past few days but I have been busy rushing here and there and everywhere.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I did. I managed to get my shopping done a week early, everything I baked came out delicious, and I racked up on some clothes, a pair Toms, and new pocketbook from St.Nick!

I think I ended up making three batches of Almond Christmas Cookies for family, friends and us, and my daughter made a batch as well. The ones I made for our enjoyment didn't stay in bowl but two days. They are just that good. You can find the recipe in my recipe tab. Along with some of my other holiday favorites.

Now the year has come to an end. I have taken down all my Christmas decorations and getting everything ready for my New Years dinner I do every year with my family. We do not really do anything special on new years eve. We will go out to dinner and then stay in and watch the ball drop on tv while we prepare for next days company. My daughter goes out with her friends to celebrate and we choose to stay grounded, so that we can always be on call in case she needs us. I guess as parents, no matter how old your kids get, you always worry about them. I hoped this would subside as she got older but it only brings on new worries. But of course, that could just be me. The ole worry wart.

I may make me a new years themed wreath for my front door or I may decorate my mantle or paint a new year painting. My mind is full of ideas. Just wondering if Ill have the time.

What is your New Years Plans?

Twenty-Twelve

Another year is gone and a new one has just begun.
As I sit here thinking about the new year, I was thinking back at the first of last year and the resolution I made. It goes something like this...."eat less, dance more, and pray often".
Can't say I really accomplished any of those, However, Here are a few things I did accomplish last year.
  • I lost 10 lbs
  • made new friends
  • created this blog
  • Tithed regularly
  • read a whole book for the first time
  • visited the beach more
  • deleted my face book account
  • learned to like sushi
  • started drinking water at meals
I have been pretty busy this weekend getting things ready for new years dinner. I have twelve to fifteen people over.
First, my daughter made some toffee apple cupcakes from scratch for the first time.
 While she was baking, I was busy washing and cutting up collards and sorting through the black eye peas to get things ready for my traditional dinner I make every new years day for my family which includes: eight bundles of collards, two bags of black eye peas, fifteen lbs of meat (usually pork), ten lbs of mashed potatoes, crock pot macaroni & cheese, thirty rolls and two cobblers.
 Ill say it again....."eight bundles of collard greens"
We cook them outside. If any of you have ever cooked collard greens then you can imagine why.
After the family left with full tummys, me and my daughter found time for a little game of  tennis while the weather was nice.

Now that its a new year, I will also make new goals for myself. Here are a few of them:
  • loose at least 20 lbs
  • better manage my money
  • stop interrupting in the middle of a story someones telling me. (I caught myself doing this a lot)
  • be at work on time
  • attend zumba classes more than my regular 10 times a month
  • eat healthier
  • complain less
  • keep my house cleaner
I can hardly keep my eyes open right now so I'm ending this post now. "I wish all my readers a Happy New Year all year!"