May we all have a vision now and then of a world where every neighbor is a friend….

I’ve had that ABBA song stuck in my head since yesterday.  I swear I’m not going to get off on a ABBA tangent today, but gosh their songs take me back!

We had a peaceful New Year’s Eve celebration here.  I made prime rib for dinner (my first time making one myself and let me just say….yum, double yum!).  We let the girls have a celebration around 9:00 p.m. to ring in the New Year in their own little kid way.  I bought them a bottle of sparkling grape juice and we let them give toasts with plastic champagne glasses.  They were so cute clinking their glasses repeatedly.

“To sisters!”

“To cousins!”

“To Sissy & Me!”

“To Sisters Everywhere!”

“To the Whole World!”  Abigail keeps that whole world thing as her special trump.  She uses it for prayers all the time (“Dear God, thank you for the WHOLE WORLD!”) and apparently for toasts, too.

And yes, in the picture above, that is confetti all over the floor.  Yesterday afternoon, Steve stopped by our local hardware store to pick up some batteries.  Abigail was with him.  Whenever one of the girls goes with him, they come home with a prize from the hardware store.  Over the years, the owners have given the girls popsicles, jump ropes, stickers.   Yesterday, Abigail came home with several little confetti poppers.  They were these really cool little pouches that you blow up somewhat like a balloon and then pop.  When they popped, confetti flew out all over the place. 

Steve & I talked about doing them outside but then decided that it would be okay to do them inside.  We needed to sweep and vacuum today anyway and how much of a mess could they really make?  Sometimes, I think Steve & I lack common sense individually, but when we make a decision together, we elevate our lack of common sense to complete idiocy.  (Although, Steve by himself does have more than a healthy dose of common sense, so I’m thinking I’m more the culprit here than he is).  The confetti was a huge mess.  I think I’ll be finding pieces of it until June.  But, it was so worth it to see the girls’ faces.  They absolutely loved the confetti! 

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Today was pretty low key, too.  The weather was dismal and Steve had to work, so the girls and I just hung out and watched some shows on Netflix.  We met some friends at church to watch some of the bowl games (okay, Steve watched the games…I talked to my friends and the girls ran around like insane children how have been cooped up inside for two days).  Tonight, we had these black-eyed peas and tomato pie for dinner.  I also made a caramel apple pork tenderloin that was the Publix Apron’s Simple Meal for this week.  It was great – even Gracie proclaimed the meat “especially tender”.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish in 2011.  My mind is spinning with all the goals I have, both professionally and personally.  I want to run a 5K for the first time and walk a 1/2 marathon again.  I want to get better organized.  I want to remember this time with the girls.  I’m going to do Project 365 again – I know that the chances of me successfully completing it are pretty slim, but on the years I’ve at least attempted to do it, I have at least a small journal of our days.  I love going back and reading the pages from 2008 and 2009.  I want to spend more time creating and less time reacting.  For much of 2010, I felt like I was always behind.  I feel like I didn’t sew or scrapbook or craft as much as I have in years past and I’ve missed it.  I want to make those things a priority again this year, for me and the girls.  They love crafting as much as me!  I want to spend more quality time with Steve.  I love him and he is my rock, but all relationships need nurturing, even the most secure of them.  I want to do better setting aside time to read my Bible and devotionals.  I know that my days go better when I start them in prayer, but that seems to always be the first thing that gets pushed to the side.  There are so many things I want to do this year, but my biggest hope is that I find the kind of joy I see in this picture!

Times Square had nothing on our little living room last night!

I hope your 2011 is blessed with love, joy, and peace!