Happy New Year!

Wishing for you and your family a Happy and Prosperous 2009.

Love,

Melissa and Family

Check it Out!

If you want to see a photo of me doing a back bend, click here.

Have a great day!
Melissa

Year End Review

Cindy @ My Romantic Home is having a Year End Review. (Please scroll down for Blue Monday Post.) I thought it would be fun to join in. I do not have a flicka account so I just posted photos.

I have only been blogging since the summer, but I have gotten so much inspiration. And learned a lot! And enjoyed sharing what little I know.

My lowfat, low cal Banana Pudding Yum!

Crock Pot Turkey Breast Roast. That is good too!

Grilled Tuna Steaks, Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus
I think the rest of my food is on the external which I have disconnected....

Tea Time w/Jan & Tom using my Laura Ashley Tea Set.

Huge wicker basket Thrift Store find. I think $4.25. It will be a parrot poopy perch. (Cheaper than Michael's 1/2 price!!!)

Linen piece found at the same Thrift Store.

My favorite find (Yard Saling with Southern Hospitality Rhoda) 1917 Electric Table Top Singer.

Other Thrift Store Finds. Doilies are in my linen chests until after Christmas. Silver tray, see photo below. Also scroll down a few posts and see a Nativity displayed on it. I think I paid less than 5 bucks for that thing. Candle sticks are in my bedroom, white thing painted black and on front stoop with flower pots in it, baskets put to good use around the house.

Thanksgiving Decor.


I found this tired old Chandelier.

And it was just what I was looking for! Now it has prisms hanging from it. (I need to take a new photo.)

My Laura Ashley Tea Pot and Tea Cup...

Crochet Doilies and Trivets made by my DH's Grandmother.

Recycled stuff from my basement. Old frame spray painted then glazed. Foam core sprayed with Chalk Board Paint.
Old Silver Plate Wire basket primed and spray painted to go with my kitchen.


Homemade Cloche.


Another Homemade Cloche filled to the brim with gourds.

Princess House Crystal Vase with Pine Cones and gourds.

And I am looking for a lid to one of my favorite tea pots. I broke the lid a couple of years ago. But meanwhile, it makes a great flower vase!

Beautiful almost flat clear soup bowl. I want to use it in my china garden. That is what I bought it for. But... It is so pretty!

Old Rusty Brass Umbrella Stand. Spray painted to give it a fresh new look.

Clipboard Craft makeover. Makes great gifts for teachers, co-workers, students, etc.

One of my Trash to Treasure features (made from a sneaker box that you would throw away), an Elfin Bed. Fit for any Elfin Prince. Or one coming to visit from the North Pole for a few days.

I enjoyed sharing some of my review with you. Look forward to looking at yours as well.

Happy New Year!

Blue Monday

Happy Blue Monday Everyone! I took this photo the Saturday before Thanksgiving. A dance school client of mine was invited to bring her performing team to Walt Disney World to perform in the Tomorrowland Amphitheater that Sat before TG. It was all decorated for Christmas and Winter. And the girls danced and twirled to Christmas Songs and Carols. It was so much fun and exciting!

The school invited us to come down and take advantage of the discounted tickets. Park Hoppers were indeed a bargain! And DH & DD have been itching to go back to WDW so we jumped on the opportunity and were delighted to take photos of the team during their performance. I just love how the Blue Stage complimented their Blue costumes! (The school that performed 2 hours before did not have that advantange...) And also notice the coordinated jump! I am an excellent shot at getting those synced jumps. Usually, the girls are not all in sync (sometimes choroegraphed that way) when they are supposed to be in sync and they mess up my shot and their performance. You can tell they worked hard on making this one perfect! Not one girl left on the floor. :D My shot looks good. I think the reason I can get them every time is b/c I danced for so many years and b/c I shoot them so much. Instinct. I know when it is coming and I am ready to shoot.

I love the Blue and the Blue Background. It was not planned. But turned out ever so perfect!

For more Blue Monday Posts or to participate, go to Sally's Blog, Smiling Sally, by Clicking Here. Happy Blue Monday Everyone!

Sunday Music Video

To enjoy the music video, please turn off the music on playlist in the right of my sidebar.



Have a great day!

Wonderful Christmas!

I sincerely hope that everyone had a wonderful Christ-filled Christmas day. We had a lovely day. A lovely week! It was busy! And flew by fast. And we had a wonderful time. My mom, who lives 2 hours away, stayed with us a few days. I went to her place to pick her up Tues and took her home today. She does not care to drive. We all spent Christmas day at my IL's house. FIL's wife had invited her two children and their spouses as well. We had a lot of fun.

Next week, I will begin to start posting to my Health and Fitness Blog again. I stopped some time ago. For a couple of reasons. But the main reason is I was asked to try out a product for free and write a review on the blog. I was not told what the product was, but I was so excited! A new fitness tool/contraption. A kettle ball, a new type of band, tube, ring, weight, something altogether different.... Well it was something altogether different alright. I wonder if the person even bothered to read my Health and Fitness blog! If they had, they would have known that this product was totally inappropriate for my H&F blog. If I told you what the product was, you would either die laughing or be offended. So I will leave it to you imagination. I will say, I was so disappointed and it took the wind out of my sails. I almost made it a private blog for the ladies that come to the fitness classes that I teach at church.

I have had a few of you ask if I will start posting pointers, etc again, either in this blog or in the H&F blog. With that bit of encouragement, I will start posting to the H&F blog. I might even start with a photo of me doing a back bend! And a DISCLAIMER and WARNING!

I will include tips on converting recipes to low fat and healthier ingredients that still taste great. How to start exercise programs, set a goal, etc. It will be great!

I hope that y'all will stop by that blog and visit and post often!

And just b/c I work out a lot does not mean I am immune to the holiday back sliding. I have been a Miss Piggy!!! And I will share with you tips on how to control that and get back into a healthy lifestyle when you catch yourself 'backsliding...'.

Have a great evening y'all!

Merry Christmas!

To: All Blogging Friends and Their Families

Merry Christmas!

(I am going to take a few day off from posting. I will visit, but this will be my last post to my blog until after Christmas.)

As we approach the time that we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, it is my sincere hope, prayer and wish that you have a Safe, Happy and Merry Christmas.

Love,
Melissa & Family

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There is a DeWalt Track Saw Combo Kit GiveAWay. Registration ends January 5th. You can check out the details by clicking here or by going to the GiveAWay section on my sidebar.

Merry Christmas!