Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe another year is coming to a close!  I'm excited for new experiences with my family, possibilities, the journey ahead, my first full year being 40, things I'm going to learn, and things I'm going to create!!  I'm excited about my photography!  I'm excited that I will be learning to say NO!  I don't like to make resolutions, since it's hard for me to keep them.  I like to make goals instead. 

In 2013, I want to devote my full attention to my kids, and spend less time on orders.  I have been thinking long and hard in deciding whether to give up my little girly business.  That, I must decide on.  I love creating, and love the colors, the sparkles, the glitter, the glue, the excitement of making pretties for other people.  But, my customers will never know the sacrifices that my kids have made so I can get their orders to them. The trips to Hobby Lobby, Michael's, the shipping store several times a week after school, the late nights, the movie nights that I have missed so I can meet deadlines, the times when I'm not all there when they talk to me, and the mess in my kitchen where I work.   This stay-at-home mom enjoys a little extra money, but it really isn't worth it all knowing how much time I miss with them!!  I'm ready to do pretties again for my own girly and me!!  We're always last.

I want to date my honey again, once a month, at least!  Also, I want to spend more time with my parents.  Life gets crazy with all our weekly activities with the kids, then sports on the weekends, and birthday parties.  I want to make them a priority too!  We recently saw Parental Guidance and it tugged at my heartstrings when Billy Crystal's character mentioned to his daughter that she went away to college and stopped coming home, then she got married and came home even less, then had her own family and never came home.  It made me sad!  I want to be sure to make it a point to drive 15 minutes to go bring them dinner and spend more time with them. 

I also am pumped about diving into Photoshop, and can't wait to play around with my
Oh So Posh Photography actions that my mom and sister gifted me for Christmas.  I plan on making photo books instead of keeping all my thousands of pictures on my laptop.  There are so many home projects I want to do, but better take advantage before baseball season starts.  And, I'm planning on random acts of kindness more often. 

It's time to start with a fresh, clean slate!  Good bye 2012!  I'm looking forward to a brand new year!  Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, Happy New Year!!!  Hello 2013!

Yay!! I just finished our Christmas card for this year!   I haven't done cards for three years, so I'm a little excited. Yes, I waited too long again, so my friends and family probably won't get them until after Christmas. These are just shots from my cell phone. I waited too long to get the photographer's pics. There's always next year!!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Forty Things

 

 

Today has finally arrived!  The day I turned 40 years old!!!  Time really flies when I think that Tim and I have been together since we were 18!!

In honor of turning 40, these are 40 things about me!

1.  I was born on 11-20 at 11:20am, my mom calls me every year at my actual birth time, I love that!

2.  My favorite time of year is fall when we can all be outside again after being stuck in air conditioning all summer long.

3.  I'm addicted to glitter, my glue gun, ribbons, and paper pretties!  I love to craft, if only I had more time!

4.  I'm so blessed to have wonderful, caring parents who have been married 45 years and have taught me values, lessons, and compassion.

5.  I am such a baby, and cry so easily at everything!  Commercials, movies, babies, I should just keep a tissue in my hands all the times!!

6.  My nose knows, I have a strong detection of scents and  I secretly love the smell of skunks!  Except, at night if the windows are open if it's cold out!

7.  I'm obsessed with Christmas decorating...there has to be a tree in every room (except bathrooms).  I have two up so far and have six more to go!

8.  My favorite color is hot pink.

9.  I have names for my big left and right toes.  For some reason Latreca always gets kicked, Rhonda seems to do ok, except her baby toe sister that I kicked on the bathtub by accident recently and has left me limping lately!

10.  My favorite scripture is Philippians 4:13.

11.  I love to clean, always have!  Almost obsessed, have to have it clean before I can enjoy anything I really want to do.  I guess that's why I never get anything done, like blog!!

12.  I cannot live without Sonic's Strawberry Limeades.

13.  Or, Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbuck's

14.  Or, sweet tea from McCallister's Deli, or any tea for that matter.

15.  I love to grocery shop!!  Most people can't stand it.  I love to look at all the possibililities and take my time strolling along.  The sights and smells and samples are the best.  I am an HEB snob!

16.  I would love to live in the country on tons of land, in a cute little house with a front porch, a picket fence, old wood floors, and tons of antiques, and a sky full of stars!

17.  I am an introvert and need my quiet time or I go cray cray!  Taken from a fellow Instagrammer (ani_rdz), "Quiet people have the loudest minds!"  Sometimes my quietness has come off as snobbiness, which is furthest from the truth, and I can't stand that!

18.   I LOVE to cook and bake.  That is my time to unwind and chill out, it's so relaxing to me!  I love to throw in my favorite jazz music - Chris Botti and Peter White and an occasional glass of wine.

19.  Photography is my passion.  I'm known to have my camera or iPhone whipped out in a flash!  Now, if I could only figure out what to do with all my pictures!  I wish I had an iPhone when my babies were little!

20.  I love to snuggle with my babies under soft, warm blankets.  It's the best feeling ever!

21.  My favorite singers are Carrie Underwood, and John Mayer (that voice)!

22.  I'm a soupie.  I could eat soup all day, every day.  I make a mean tortilla soup!

23.  I miss the fact that I never grew up knowing a grandpa.  One died before I was born, and the other when I was ten.  He lived in another state and I have no memories of him.  When I see little old guys at Walmart or war veterans, it makes me want to adopt them.  It hurts my heart!

24.  I love small towns and unique shops and restaurants!  I would much rather spend money there rather than chains!

25.  My favorite candle is pumpkin spice!  Mmm!

26.  I am a Real Housewives junkie - Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Miami, New Jersey, New York, Orange County.  I have to have complete silence when I watch, no kids allowed, so I can hear every bit of juiciness!!

27.  I once had someone tell me I smiled too much!  That didn't bring me down, that comment makes me smile 10X more today!!!

28.  I am crazy for leopard print!    Seriously!

29.  I started watching The Young and the Restless when I was in 6th grade, and still watch to this day!  Thank goodness for VCR's and DVR!!!

30.  I'm weird about numbers and think things are meant to be - our address is 20919 - my birthday is the 20th, our anniversary is the 9th, and the day Tim and I started dating was March 19th.  All of our birth years equals 72, 7+2=9 (our anniversary), the kids birth years equals 12, 1+2=3 kids.  My birthday and Tim's birthday equals 23, 2+3=5 members in our family!  Call me a dork, is it a coincidence all our numbers are aligned?!

31.  I HATE, I LOATHE emptying the dishwasher!!  So glad that I can toss that chore off to the kids!

32.  My favorite movies are Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Home Alone, I can almost do those line for line!

33.  I dream to go to Paris one day!!  I want to pig out on French pastries, drink coffee, look at antiques, strolling the streets with my love arm-in-arm observing all the sights and sounds!  Oh, and kiss under the Eiffel Tower.

34.  I had a horrible experience getting four teeth pulled for braces, I felt EVERY bit of the pain as my teeth were yanked.  The dentist called me a baby as I kicked my legs and cried. This is when parents weren't really welcome to go back in the room.   I hate dentists to this day and rest assured, that WILL NOT happen to my kids!!

35.  I'm not much of a drinker.  White wine gives me the worst headache, although I love it so much!  My drink of choice every now and then is a margarita on the rocks, with salt, of course! 

36.  I feel there are no coincidences in life, God has placed people in my life at the most perfect time!

37.  I'm a history buff, I'm not good with dates though.  But, I'm so fascinated at things that have taken place.  One of my favorite series that I still need to finish on NetFlix is called America, The Story of Us! 

38.  My sister Stephanie is my best friend.  We get each other, I love being able to lean on her.  I love you, Steph!

39.  I'm so glad I granted forgiveness to my mother-in-law, Barbara.  She chose to not be very involved in my kids' young lives because she was envious of me that her son married me.  She caused me many tears and much heartache.  I could never understand what my kids did to her.  There were no baking days, no shopping trips, no trips to the store, or even lunch or dinner with them, or trips to the playground.  They lived five minutes away.  She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2009 and eventually lost her battle on October 22, 2011.  During those years, she tried her hardest to be the grandma that she hadn't been for years.  I give her credit for that.  Although the hurt never will go away, it gets easier.  It was her loss. I was the same person and never changed.  She just never got to know the real me.  There has not been a day go by that I don't think of her.  I'm sad that my husband does not have a mother.  I'm sad that my kids have one less grandparent.  Thank you Jesus for giving me the strength to forgive her.

40.  Creme brulee is my favorite dessert, and I plan on having it tonight at my birthday dinner at my most favorite restaurant, Jaspers!

 

Hello 40!!

For I know the plans I have for you...

This is one of my favorite scriptures and it sums up everything I'm feeling today....my last day of being 39, and my last day in the decade of my 30's.  A whole new decade of possibilities is in front of me!  Tonight, Sydney and I went on a girl date, to dinner and Starbuck's.  She asked me if I'm sad about turning 40.  Up until now, I have have been excited about turning 40.  Now that the time is drawing near, I can't help but feel a little sad.  Maybe it's sadness and fear that I'm moving one step closer to "getting old"! Ha!

Up and on...I'm ready to embrace 40, I'm ready to learn new things and have new experiences.  I'm ready to meet new people.  I'm ready to move away from my baby years.  I'm ready to finally feel a little more free now that my "babies" have gained their independence.  It's time for ME time again!!!  

My FORTIES will bring me elementary school, junior high, high school, braces, teenagers, driving, college, a 25th wedding anniversary to my love, lots of sports and cheer, and homework, life lessons, and coffee!!

My THIRTIES brought me a wonderful career at HP, then the opportunity to leave it all behind to be a stay at home mommy.  Being able to watch my babies grow is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received!  It has been trying at times, but would never change it!  My thirties brought me our first house and two more babies, and a family of five that is now complete!  They brought me struggles with relationships, they brought me cancer of my mother-in-law and then her death, they brought me the true meaning of sacrifice.  They brought me the realization of what is truly important in my life.

The 30's brought out my creativity and expression and gave me the motivation to start my own little business.  They brought me my love for photography.  They brought our whole big family together as we celebrated Grandma Jeanne's 90's birthday.  They brought dreams that came true.  They brought me exhaustion that I have never known before having three kids and all kinds of sports and activities.  They have brought me gray hairs, and wrinkles on my forehead, LOL!

The most exciting part of my thirties was the true relationship I began with Jesus Christ.  He has given me strength when I needed it most.  I learned He was faithful in hearing my prayers.  He has given me relationships with wonderful people that otherwise I would have never known.  He knows my plan and I trust Him completely!  When He quietly speaks to my heart, I listen to Him!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

I can honestly say, that I wouldn't go back for a re-do!  I'm completely happy in my own skin and not so much worried about what anyone thinks of me anymore.  It feels good to have the confidence that I didn't have ten years ago!

Tonight I go to sleep being 39 and thankful for all the wisdom and knowledge I have gained.  I will turn the chapter and hold all the wonderful memories tight that these years have brought me.  Tomorrow, I will wake up beginning a new book!  I can't wait to see what lies ahead!!

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13

Love my little boy

Some days, he's cranky when he wakes up, and some days he's not.  Brody must have gotten a great night of sleep last night!  My sweet lil' angel was right by my side as I got dressed.  Mr. Coat and Tie gave me his honest opinion on my outfit.  I just got a vest with a little faux fur hood.  He was adament that I did not wear it.  I had the perfect solution...unsnapped the hood off, then suddenly I became "fableeus"!  Brody loved my new boots and helped me zip them up, "Here Shan, let me help you, that looks cute."  Yes, he calls me by my name.  I love it and don't have the heart to tell him to stop calling me by my name.  I am just savoring these last few days of Brody being three.  I am so thankful that my prayers were answered in deciding if our family was complete.  Brody was part of His plan for our family.  He keeps us laughing and we can't imagine our lives without him. 

I had to snap this moment, regardless of the messy background.  Brody just asked me to marry him!  Melted my heart! 

It was a BoSox and bow-tie kinda day, he dressed himself!

Three Brodys 

Cousin time at lunch today.  Brody just can't get enough of Jemma and squeezed the heck out of her and always tries to hold her!

Playin' in the leaves

My sister's birthday...

Friday night was my sister's birthday dinner at Carrabba's, one of our family's favorite places.  There were 17 of us in all including 7 kids! These are some of the pictures of our night! 

The second day of summer was much quieter!  Tim took the boys to baseball, I had planned on going but Sydney had a birthday party.  Caroline's mom offered to take Sydney to the party AND bring her home too!!  Soooo, I suddenly had an eMpTy house and took advantage of the time to go find a dress for Sydney for the Huntoon wedding we attended last night.  What a treat to have shopping time ALONE.  I almost didn't know what to do with myself.  While at Target, families were everywhere.  So many kids where misbehaving badly!!  I wonder how we sound when we are out, I'm sure no better, haha!!
Tomorrow's post...the wedding!

First day of summer

June 1st is here!!  Yippee, it's the first day of summer.  I'm glad after a long school year that my babies are finally mine again {even though today was rough}!!

I am loving the Keep Calm iPhone app, and made this yesterday while sitting in the carpool line for the last time of Sydney's second grade year.

Today started off lazy, we all slept in!  It was one of the best nights of sleep I have had all week.  I loved it!!  On Instagram, I am taking part of the photo-a-day challenge - I will get through this month without missing a day!  :0  Today's day was morning, so I snapped a picture of my clock, the time that I woke up!  Oh, did it feel good to sleep this late!

Since Tim's shoulder surgery two weeks ago today, the house has been a WRECK!!  Toys, laundry, stuff, everywhere!!  I'm putting all that off until next week since we have a busy weekend ahead!  It's so hard for me though, I feel so much more productive when things are organized and in their places!  First up, we had to make our first batch of summer lemonade, what's summer without it?!

Brody and Sydney wanted to go outside and swim in the little plastic pool, so we did that for awhile and enjoyed the awesomely amazing weather for the first of June.  Blue skies ruled today with the nicest breeze.  After they went in to watch a movie, I enjoyed a lil' quiet mommy time listening to the birds chirp, the planes flying overhead, the sound of kids playing outside, all without the constant hum of all the air conditioners running.  It was just the bit of calm I needed before heading back inside to the constant, "mom, mom, mom", oh and the fighting and crying!   

Unfortunately, we received some bad news today.    Tim's dad has not been feeling well the last few weeks, and went into have some tests run.  The doctor's office called and wanted him to go in for the test results.  We knew immediately that didn't sound good.  There is a 95% chance he has lung cancer.  He will have to have a biopsy on Monday to see for sure.  Poor Tim, this is too soon.  We just lost his mom to cancer 7 months ago.  We are not ready to go through this all over again!  All we can do is pray!  The doctor said it looks like they caught it early.  But, regardless, cancer.sucks.period!

Today is Stephanie's birthday.  Tim's dad told us to go to her birthday dinner, or else, we would have spent the evening with him, since he was upset about today's news.  We ate at Carrabba's, all 17 of us!  We missed Blake.  Now that he's a big 7th grader, his priority is friends and going to the movies!

This is a picture of Steph and me taken in the back of the good ole' station wagon, circa 1970 something!  It's my favorite childhood picture of us!  Sisters and best friends...I'm so blessed to have such a caring, loving, creative, talented, and funny sister!  Happy birthday Steph!  I love you!

Happy 40-months old!

When all my babies reached two-years old, I sadly no longer referred to them as a certain number of months old.  Instead it's was just two years old and not twenty-four months.  Just this week, Sydney wanted to know how many months old and how many days old she was and she's almost eight.  She was also asking about Brody and as it turns out he's exactly 3 years and 4 months old today (40 months) old, hehe!!  Well, since this is a big year of 40 for both Tim and I, I couldn't help but do a 40 month post for Brody!

40 months ago, we welcomed a fifth member to our family, our sweet little Brody!  As much as I LOVE being a mom, adding a new baby left me feeling like a zombie!  I have cried in my closet more times than I can count, I have been overwhelmed beyond measure trying to juggle it all...being a wife, mommy, maid, chef, poopy diaper changer, bottle feeder, throw up cleaner upper, homework helper, sports mom, car pool queen, laundress, and having a home business to top it off! 

I have given up on trying to be perfect, which is hard for this perfectionist!  There are days when there are dishes in the sink {shudder}, days and piles of laundry with no end in sight, dinner menus that don't always get followed, clothes on the floor that don't get picked up, beds that go unmade, toys that might not get picked up for days, and the list goes on and on.  Oh, and did I mention, these are the days where people just happen to come by my house, when our abode is at its WORST!  Of course, it's never on a day where my house is all clean and sparkly!

40 months - I feel like it's FINALLY a turning point from the last few years of all things baby and sheer nuttiness!  Brody is finally able to find his own quiet time, playing or watching a movie.  He's his own little person!  Brody has supplied us with loads of laughs and we love how he has rounded out and completed our family!   I just can't imagine that we had plans to stop at two.  It's so fun to watch how he acts with Blake and Sydney, he adores his bubby and sissy!  I feel sooo blessed that I have been given the gift to stay home with my little man and watch all his milestones since I was a working momma with the first two. 

At LAST, I am beginning to get little portions of MY life back now and it feels good to finally be able to breathe again!   A happy momma=a happy family!!

Happy 40 months old my sweet lil' monkey man!  I wouldn't trade the last three years of craziness for anything!!

Another ER visit...

Since it's been forever since I have regularly blogged, I'm going to play catch-up for the month of February.  Up until last month, I had only visited the ER twice in my career as a mom for the last {almost 12 years}.  I think that's a pretty good record, thank you kids for playing it safe!  It should have actually been three times, but I won mother of the year award a few years back when Blake broke his wrist, only I didn't know it was broken until three days later :-(.

Enter, Friday night, February 10th, almost a month ago.  My sweet, grown-up sixth grader, Blake, requested to go to the skating rink with his friends.  It's the fun Friday night hangout place to be for the pre-teen crowd.  I lived at the skating rink when I was his age, the same skating rink.  Oh, do I feel old!  Of course, we let him go.  There is a uniformed police officer who stays there the entire night, so I feel safe leaving him there for a few hours.

Most weeks, we don't even get a call from Blake.  We text back and forth, just to make sure everything is ok.  Skating starts at 7pm, and we HAVE to be there on the dot!  A few hours later, he called Tim's phone crying that he fell and hit his head on the skating rink floor, and he wanted to come home.  Tim picked him up and the minute he walked in the door, he ran right to me, and buried his head as he hugged me.  He began sobbing uncontrollably.  My strong boy doesn't normally cry like this.  We talked about it and he said it really freaked him out.  I suggested that he get in the tub to relax.  I began asking him how hard he hit his head, and if he caught himself.  I don't think he liked that I was asking him so many questions.  I think it scared him. 

Kids have fears, certain fears like death.  He asked me if he was going to die {that broke my heart}!  I reassured him that would not happen.  A few minutes into his bath, he began to vomit.  Over and over.   I immediately Googled head injury and vomiting and it pulled up concussion, and to seek immediate medical attention.  My poor baby was hurting, and it killed me that I wasn't there to see how hard he hit his head on the skating rink floor due to him tripping on his skate.  Mommy guilt, check!

So, at 11pm, up to the ER it was.  I stayed home with Brody and Sydney while Tim took Blake to the ER.  They waited and waited, and waited some more.  Blake had to have a CT scan to assess the injury.  I prayed and prayed and cried for my first born, who hadn't been to the ER since he was four.  I prayed to God that he would wrap his arms around Blake and take care of him, and give him comfort.  Finally, Tim called around 3:30am to let me know that he was ok.  The scan came back good.  He had a mild concussion without losing consciousness. 

Blake came home and went straight to sleep.  I knew I wouldn't be getting any sleep though.  I kept checking him so often to make sure he was breathing.  I watched his chest rise up and down, I felt so blessed that God took care of my baby!  All that was left was a nasty looking bruise on his right forehead.  He hasn't been back to the rink since then!

Sweet text Blake sent me telling me he loved me! 

ER Score

Blake - 2

Sydney - 1

Brody - 0 and hoping to keep it that way!  Although, he's a rough and tough little boy...

February Photo-a-Day a-la-Instagram

One of my most favorite things to do is take pictures!  Having an iPhone certainly helps with my obsession.  My family knows that I can't let a day go by without taking a gazillion pictures.  The most popular phrase from two of the kids when the iPhone is held up is, "Mom, not another one, please!"  Hehe, they won't stop me.  I loved the February Photo-a-Day by Fat Mum Slim.  I have to admit though, I only did the first 20 days, then busy days set in!  I'm trying to do better with March so I can collage the whole entire month.  :0

Thanks to House of Smiths for the fun Instagram February Photo-a-Day link-up!

Some of my favorites from the month of February!

Post Christmas Baking

For the first time in over 15 years, I did not get around to my usual Christmas baking,  I LOVE cookies and counted a few years ago that I made 144 dozen of them.  I used to make about 7-8 different kinds and sometimes doubled and tripled the batters.  I would wrap them all up in pretty tissue papers and bows and hand out to co-workers, neighbors, friends, teachers, and whatever was left, we would eat. 

Since we were out of town for eight days over Thanksgiving, and started off with a busy first part of December, I had to give up many things on my list, and sadly, my cookie baking was one of them.  Part of me felt strange not making them, this was a tradition of ours.  But, on the other hand, it was a lot less stressful knowing I wouldn't be in the kitchen for days!!

Today was the last day of Christmas break with the kids, and a well deserved day spent in my jammies.  Now that the Christmas rush is through, and I had time on my hands today, I got the baking bug!  I was craving some sugary, and buttery goodness and thought of a recipe from my sister-in-law's mom I received last year.  The moment I tried these melt-in-your-mouth goodies, I knew I had to make them.

Super Sugar Cookies

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup butter flavored Crisco

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon almond extract

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

Combine oil, Crisco, and sugars.  Beat until creamy.  Add beaten eggs, and almond extract, beat together.  Combine flour, salt, soda, and cream of tartar.  Add flour mixture gradually.  Refrigerate dough for at least two hours.  Make walnut sized balls, and roll in sugar.  Place on cookie sheet.  Flatten with bottom of glass with sugar coating.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.



Mmm, mmm, mmmmm!

Twenty.12...Day 1

I'm ready to put 2011 behind me and start off with a fresh, new year!  Twenty 12, here I come!!  We hosted a fun family New Year's Eve at our house last night (my parents, 90-year old Grandma Jeanne, Tim's dad, my brother, my sister, brother-in-law and kids, and my next door neighbors).  With seven kids between my sister and I, home is the most fun to us surrounded by the people we love.  We had loads of food (as usual), our little ones' talent show, a game of Apples to Apple, lots of laughs, and we finished it off with fireworks.

Today was such a peaceful and relaxing start to the year!!  Yesterday, it felt like a spring day, it was foggy in the morning, then humid in the afternoon (or, shall I say, a bad hair day)!  Today, we woke up to the brightest, blue skies and much nicer temps!  Hooray for Texas cold fronts!

We knew it was the perfect day to spend outdoors with our family of five.  First, we headed to one of our favorite pizza spots - Grimaldi's (as if we need ANY more food)!  Then off to one of the prettiest parks surrounded by Lake Woodlands.  There were kids and families everywhere, it was such a stunningly beautiful day out.  I wanted time to stand still and enjoy the laugher of my kids, and the last few days we have left with them before it's back to the usual routine of school and work.  The ducks were in full force and we came with a box of cheese crackers, I'm sure they loved us!  Most of the leaves have fallen off the trees by now, but there were a few that had the prettiest orange leaves left.

As Tim watched the kids, I took some pictures and sat and thought about how blessed I am!  I am looking forward to a new year, new experiences personally and with my family, new things to learn, and goals that I want to accomplish in this last year of my 30's.  I feel like now that Brody is three, I can finally breathe a little and come off this crazy train that I have been on for years!  I'm ready to be me again.  Having three kids is HARD!!  I'm ready to slow down and enjoy life's little treasures.  I'm ready to be in the moment again.  Now that I am approaching 40 (and that was so scary to just type), I am ready to do things for me again! 
Breathe, pray, live, enjoy, learn, embrace...my plans for Twenty 12!!!

Happy New Year!

Clear blue sky...my favorite kind of day!

Some fun with the ducks!

I'm excited to see what path 2012 will take me on!

Happy New Year!