The Queen’s Chronicles
Our weekly update rounding out 2014 and beginning a fresh new year!
The week started with my little man flying to Memphis to attend the Liberty Bowl with his Aunt Amy. This has become somewhat of a tradition and I love that this is something special they get to do together. Plus the Aggies brought home a win so Gig ‘Em to that!
I spent the entire day Monday putting away Christmas decorations and getting the house back in order. I’m always sad to take them down and I typically wait until after the 1st but this year I just wanted this out of the way so I could have some fun.
Speaking of fun…Tuesday was even more fun….and I have no pictures of that day either as the highlight was purchasing 6 new tires for two of our vehicles. There went all our Christmas cash + some! Both vehicles also had oil changes and while this was not my idea of fun it was necessary and I’m glad to have it checked off my list!
Wednesday….finally some fun! New Years Eve is my friend Holly’s birthday. I’m not sure we will ever top her big 4-0 last year as we watched the ball drop in Times Square but we definitely enjoyed some wine, pizza and two hours of straight girl talk!
She can also throw one heck of a NYE party and you can read more about her decorations and games here. I love to pin lots of ideas but seldom do I make them come to life while she is great at pinning ideas and making them come to life times 10! We celebrated with our kids and the husbands and had so much fun. A NYE party is definitely what you make it!
NYE B-I-N-G-O
Ringing in the New Year….have you tried a ring pop lately? It’s been years and it was yum-o!
Mocktails for the kids…gummie bears & sprite….bottoms up for Dillon the photo bomber!
And honestly, even the adults had a blast playing glow in the dark ring toss!
We had 2 loving sparklers and 2 who decided it wasn’t worth the risk!
We counted down with the NY Rockin’ NYE and we had to pause the TV to show the guys EXACTLY where we were standing last year when the clock struck 12! I really don’t even think they were paying attention…this was totally for our benefit. We toasted the New Year with one great glass of champagne and headed home.
Friends are the family you choose! Here is a group shot only missing one who was away at scout camp. Long ago we labeled our joint “family” the McJanacs and it stuck. These kids are definitely more like cousins than friends.
By this time my sweet husband had been up for 20 hours but he was a good sport and let us pile in the bed for a picture at midnight. God bless him! I really, really love this picture so much.
I love the idea of a daily picture to represent the every day and have been trying to come up with something for my pix. I settled on the Queen’s Chronicles so on January 1 this became my new hashtag!
Day #1 – New Years Day the kids and I FINALLY went to see Annie and we really, really loved it. I just love a feel good movie. Going to the movies is not something I love…I mean once I’m there and watching the movie I love it but taking the time to actually go over doing something else is hard for me. Hopefully I will pause a little this year to take my kids to the movies more and maybe even enjoy a few date nights.
Sadly I’m not sure I will ever be able to stick with one picture a day on this post….but I will try…next week! Ha!
I made some black eyed peas in the crockpot and we served along with stir fry cabbage and grilled steak.
Day #2 – We had to get out of the house on Friday while the house was thankfully being cleaned. I have the two sweetest college girls who clean for me and it is always such a treat. We ran errands and finally grabbed Chick-Fil-A but they were still working away so we had a little picnic on the back porch in the cold and rain. Truth be told we had such a great time riding around in the car and sitting on the patio…lots of great conversation with my Littles.
Day #3 – Today was just as hard on my wallet as the darn new tires! We visited the Men’s Warehouse and picked out a suit and an additional blazer and kaki slacks for Riley. He really just doesn’t have a standard body and Momma wanted him to look his best this season! I love that his coach requires them to dress up on travel days. I’m definitely biased but I think this boy is so darn handsome!
Day #4 – Quick trip to my hometown and before leaving we ate lunch at Hinze’s Barbecue. This family has worked so hard for years serving the best barbecue around and a few months back they lost their restaurant to a fire…total loss. They recently reopened for now at a new location and it was so darn good!
It’s back to the grind tomorrow. I’m not sure who is going to be more sad to see it end, me or this little guy! He has been snuggled up in my bed enjoying the easy going morning routine every day.
The good news is I feel super rested and ready to start fresh….and most of all I have a plan! Let’s see if I can stick with it.
I always love your recaps! And, thank you for your sweet words! I love doing it and it makes it more fun to celebrate as the McJanacs! Have a great day back at work – definitely NOT looking forward to sending the kiddos back… 🙁
Looks like a wonderful Holiday filled week!
Melanie @ meandmr.com
I decided to do a Daily IG thing too! So far, so good. I don't blog so you wouldn't see a recap but I think it'll be fun to try it this year. I am always doing the monthly challenges so I am going to skip that this year and try this daily #alittlebitofKimeveryday thing!!!