Just Another Country Christmas!

My family is in town from Wisconsin for our Annual  Christmas...and it wouldn't be Christmas without the drama and insanity that only family crammed into one house can bring!

My mom was stressed out about making a "damned turkey" that wouldn't thaw out....

My sister stirring mashed potatoes until she got carpal tunnel....

Jerimy let our "stray/adopted/inherited-with-the-house-new kitty-cat, "Franklin", inside to warm up his paws, but then my sister Brooke showed up with her dog Kelso, 

{Kelso}

which sent the cat into a nuclear meltdown-mode, who then tried to jump through our bay window, knocking the coffee pot onto the floor and shattering in a million pieces!  Which in our house, no coffee = caffeine addicts all going through withdraw simultaneously!  Which translates to...."shit's about to get real"!  

We were lucky though, Jerimy, being the saint that he is, ran to Walmart and picked up a new pot, and that particular crisis was adverted.  Nobody died, order was restored!

Presents were exchanged...., friends and family stopped by to visit.  Laughs were had, cards were played, the turkey turned out just fine, proving the magic 8 ball wrong....who said the turkey would NOT be moist....a statement that had my mom wanting to throw the magic 8 ball into the fireplace with a vengeance.  
(which btw, she's hilarious when she's all pissed off at inanimate objects!)

Our new sofa bed that we bought for our family to sleep on served it's purpose.  The blow up air mattress in my office for Ang & Matt worked out great.....and the fireplace glass door that Jerimy and I managed to shatter has since been replaced!

By the end of the night, after the stress of the meal was long behind us, with full bellies, a cracking warm fire toasting the atmosphere, wine was drank...

....liquid apple pie was passed around, 
cheeks warmed by the magic of alcohol 
and we all found ourselves in fine spirits.

The night wound down with Jerimy cleaning his 12 gauge and listening to the bears game on the laptop....me loading the dishwasher and putting new sheets on the bed because George decided to pee all over earlier in the day....Angie and Matt shared some quite time making up for time lost with him in Columbus and her in Wisconsin for the last week...and the kids did their own thing and prepared for bed.

I smiled to myself, as our FIRST Schoebel/Osting Christmas at Jerimy and I's new home together came to a close....we survived, we hosted, and at the end of the day, we did good....well I think so anyway!

Family get-togethers can be stressful, but it's best to remember, shit happens, things break, but as long as you have each other, enough food to feed the masses....and a little homemade Everclear Apple pie, EVERYTHING's going to be juuuuuuuuuust fiiiiiiiiiine!

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

~HeatherLynn~

The Underdog:

I don't know about you guys, but I always root for the underdog, which is exactly what I did from behind the wheel of my Mariner this morning on my way to work...as  I watched a cute little squirrel run across four lanes of morning commute traffic on Market Street in Lima.

"Run little buddy!  RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!" I said, half holding my breath hoping that he would make it across without being splattered!

I'm happy to report, with some fancy footwork, and frogger like moves....he made it to the other side.

And don't ask me why the squirrel crossed the road, because I have no idea...it's the question only the squirrel knows!  But if I had to guess, I'd say it has something to do with nuts.  Proving he has em', wanting to get some...or perhaps he's just plain nuts in the head. *shrugs*

hell, I don't know, your guess is as good as mine.

Oh, and in other news...Ohio ranks at the top of the list of States in Ohio that people are most likely to swear at you!

 Which leads me to believe, Clark Griswold, must be an Ohioan!

And because this story is about a squirrel...well, I cant resist leaving you with this mental image:

God Bless us every one.

Love,

~HeatherLynn~

Things I < 3

A absolutely LOVE Peanut brittle.

long talks with my sisters that feed my soul 

and great finds at the Ottawa Ohio Goodwill store....

I LOVE chili made by my momma, with peanut butter sandwiches and Club crackers.

I love the smell of a hay field that's recently been cut....the smell of clothes off the clothesline and Jerimy fresh out of the shower.

I love cool-whip in my Chai Tea....

sparkly fingernail polish.....

and pictures that I capture with my camera that take you instantly to that place in time the moment you see them.

I love hugs from Easton that he gives me every day....

....toothpaste that makes your mouth feel fresh even after you've had your morning coffee.

soft blankets, starry nights and hot apple cider.

I love the sound a fire makes when it crackles, Christmas music that you can't help but sing along to, and the sound or rain, as it comes across a field towards you....getting closer by the second...

I love old houses that have more history than myself.

I love my Harley Davidson motorcycle...more than words can explain,

Rivers that endlessly flow on by...

and finding things that were once lost....

I love daises because they are the happiest of all flowers...and friends I've had since the 3rd grade....

I love the nostalgia that comes with spending a Saturday afternoon shopping at flea markets with Jerimy.

I love finding shapes in clouds, wood grains and carpet stains....

I love to laugh, and talking with smart people who keep you on your toes with wit and insight....I love playing the guitar, even when I suck at it and can't play one note right.

I love steamy showers, and bubble baths, wearing an apron when I'm cooking...even if it's just something in the microwave...and I love when Jerimy wears my pink slippers with the red hearts on them.  Makes me smile every time I see them together.

I love my furry mongrels I call dogs, 

and when I find a random toad in the back yard while doing landscaping....that I can't help but to smile and stare at and ponder where he's been in his life.

I love random texts from people who think enough of me to send them out of the blue...like this morning from Annie Poo....

and most of all,

I love you.  

~HeatherLynn~

Thankful Day #2

I really should of started this "thankful" thing a month ago, because I have so much to be thankful for, I could just ramble on and on...and ON...and then, you'd want to throw things at my head, and delete my blog address and un-friend me on facebook, and well, we can't have that now can we....so it's best I keep this limited to a week as not to cross your threshold for Thankfulness.

Today, I'm thankful for my family.  An unconventional family....Boyfriend instead of husband, Boyfriend's offspring instead of step-son, two dogs, a ferret and a turtle.  But they are my family, and I couldn't be happier that we all now live together in a house of our own, and I no longer have six bras and forty seven hoodies in my car due to the fact that I was living between two houses for the past couple years!  I <3 being all in one place.

And you know, sometimes boyfriends are cranky butts, and sometimes, teenagers are a bit of a nightmare to interact with, and sometimes the dogs crap on the floor, drink out of the toilet, and throw up in your bed, but they are my butt sniffing, toilet licking mongrels and I love them.  So the point is, when you live in a house surrounded by boys and animals, things can get a bit "hairy"....but I wouldn't have it any other way!

I also have a wonderful Mother, Two sisters, a Niece and Nephew, Brother and Brother's girlfriend Tara!

I have THE BEST cousins, and kids of cousins, grandma's and Aunts and Uncles...."Uncle Snuggles" comes to mind!

I was lucky to grow up at Woods and Waters, where my family adopted many people AS part of our family and its' a trait that to this day, I love and appreciate.  Because, family isn't just the people you're blood related to, its the people you choose to love, and CHOOSE to treat LIKE family and thereby BECOME your family....Stephanie Stemen, Amber Kruse,  Tonia Wodarski, Karen Connolly, Chuck Peak, Sherry Bentley, Margie Rostorfer, Jan Romes, Mary Meyer, Chris Huisman, Alexandra Nahum, Jessi Hammonds & Beth Huffman.....just to name a few.....

They say a man with lots of friends is richer than the wealthiest man in town, and I agree with that....it's not your bank account that matters most, it's your friend account that matters...because it's your friends and family that COUNT the most.

One thing I have been really blessed with through my writing is that I've come to know people that I might not of otherwise have met....Betty Dilworth, Gary Dilworth, Cindy Tippie, Kasey Rigali, Donna McGuinness- Allen, Carol Shulfer, Laura Tippit, Mary Meyer, Alexandra Nahum, Dionne Cooper Yurko, Chris Huisman, Tommy Cross, .....just to name a few! :)

It always astounds me when I hear people say "I hate people!"...."and people suck!"....and things of this nature, because I can't imagine being the lone human in the world...I'd be just like Tom Hanks in Castaway, I'd have to befriend a volleyball just to survive!  Human interaction is like air to me, I need it to live.  I write about, I sing along to songs about it, I dream it, I live it...I love it.

There is no amount of money that you can put on a conversation that enriches your soul....a debate that boils your blood, or a laugh that you feel in your toes that you share with a dear friend.

So, as I give thanks for my friends and family, and for the human race, be sure to love those who treat you right, .....

If you're reading this right now, I probably know you, and I most likely think you're pretty darn special, and unique and wonderful....and I'm glad you're here....and if you and I are not friends, if I have never met you and you are here, perhaps one day we will be friends or family.  Ya never know...I once was the maid of honor in a wedding for my high school nemesis, turns out, she was really awesome, and I can't believe we ever hated each other!  Life has a funny way of coming back and showing you a thing or two....so never rule anybody out...because one day, you could be standing next to them, honoring them by being at one of the biggest moments of their life.  You just never know!

Love,

~HeatherLynn~

House Before and After's...{A PREVIEW}

This week starts the things I'm Thankful for Blog posts!

Monday November 25th, I'm thankful for all the hard work Jerimy and I did to get our new house livable and ready for the holidays!

Here's a sneak peak into our little love nest!

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

 LIVING ROOM AFTER:

{+ A CAMEO FROM GEORGE}

DINING ROOM BEFORE:

 DINING ROOM AFTER: 

(+ GEORGE, A MINI TRAMP AND SOME RANDOM DOG TOYS]

And here's the results of my weekend

 artwork / decorating project:

{and yes, i know they are crooked and mis-spaced, I just hung them to get a preview....

Jerimy will make them look pretty later!}

{my personal favorite}

I got out all my yearly movies to watch for the holidays....and I'm curious, what do you guys watch each and every year to put you in the holiday spirit?

Here's mine:

Ok, you're turn, what will you be watching?

~HeatherLynn~