Forever Weekend Farm: No New New Year's Resolutions-Happy 2011

Happy New Year!

Joe and I really filled the vacation days we had for the Winter Break! We had one of the best times ever and we got to see and catch up with family for two weeks.

I bought Joe a really nice hardly used table saw with all attachments for Christmas. He was very happy, as it will make a lot of his projects easier to finish. He is in the process of screening the side porch which has added more room to spread out when we have guests.

We celebrated Christmas early first with Jerren, Pat, Kim, Sloan, Ashley and Sarah on Monday in Orlando. Jer flew in from CA and wanted us to go to an artsy place called Tu tu Tango and it was a perfect place for all of us to gather and eat fun tapas! The walls are full of art from local artist and several artists are sitting and painting while you eat and watch! We then helped get Jer and Pat to the condo that Melissa and Pat, his parents, had rented outside of Disney. They were all driving from Panama City with Pat's whole family for several days of fun with the seven grandchildren. They thought Jer and Pat had to work so were not expecting them to be sitting in the lobby--what a wonderful reunion to witness! Next celebration was Thursday night with our neighbors/second son and daughter Jimmy, Courtney and baby Charlotte! The highlite of the night was Charlotte asking Uncle Joe to play Jingle Bells on his red guitar. She sang the entire song while he played! (18 months old)

We got up Friday, finished wrapping presents and headed to The Fountains in Orlando to meet all the sisters and family at the resort. I am so lucky to have my sisters! What fun they are--Kim and I sent out a list of a menu and generic items of food each person was to bring. So it was so easy and fun to see what showed up. And of course no disappointments there as we all love to eat and drink! We played really fun family games,had the 5-10 dollar gift auction, celebrated one niece 's graduation from college and then Joe proposed to me all over again and presented me with an engagement ring with the whole family cheering!!

We got home the day after Christmas and slept like logs.. Of course Joe gets up several times to check his fires and report the drop in temperature......trying to protect my tree orchids and some sentimental plants during this record breaking freeze.

New Year's Eve was a quiet bon fire with the Sellers. We even stayed up this year to watch the ball drop and sip champagne. We are now enjoying balmy weather again and have plans to fish at the beach today.

No New Year's Resolutions this year--we want no pressure. Tight pants have become an accepted reality. We were pretty happy eating and drinking our way through 2010 and look forward to doing it again in 2011. Our exercise program this year will be walking the farm, raking, picking up and burning frondage, and reeling in fish!