Friday, January 6, 2012

Happy New Year



Congratulations
To 
Judy Curry
of
Grandy, North Carolina

She is the winner of our FIRS EVER "Green Gourd Giveaway".  
She won a gift from Sew4munchkins  
A handmade pair of Eco Friendly Arm Warmers.  
Thank you to all those who entered and I hope to have another "Green Gourd Giveaway" sometime in the near future.



Fare thee Well 
2011


and


HELLO 
2012


I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Holiday 
and a joyful New Year!


(I know that we here at the Marchitelli House did.)




It has certainly been an interesting holiday to say the very least.
However, we are truly grateful for all our many blessings.

Happy New Year


to me!

Literally...

I was born on the second day of our New Year.

So, for me it truly is a NEW YEAR.

Now look at what my hubby went and did for me.

Check out the wrapping.

The bow is from one of his old torn t-shirts.
(I am assuming from his rag bag)

Nice, huh?

And just in case you were wondering what frivolous gift he showered upon me
well...


A new Power Steering Pump for the Chevy!

Ok...
some of you may think...
"what the heck?"

He has given me more expensive gifts and certainly much fancier gifts
but I will have you know that this is probably the BEST birthday gift he has ever given me.

 My husband has this pattern of gift giving.

The day of said birthday, anniversary, holiday, etc.

He has to go to the store for smokes...
and it must be in Virginia or something because it takes him forever to buy one pack of cigarettes.
Then about a half hour after he returns 
he comes into the house 
mysteriously
with a beautifully wrapped or bagged gift.

Hmmmm....

I don't know about you all...
but
I tend to wonder how much thought actually went into the gift giving process.

However this year...
well,
I woke up to this gift... no trip to the store and no frilly wrapping.

As wonderful as he is... 
he is usually the one to fight me on recycling, organics and ethical buying.

Not that he disagrees...
it is just not always 
lets say...
"Frugal"
(be nice, ya'll)

I won't tell you how long I have been driving that truck without power steering
I will only say that my biceps are not as jiggly as they were last year.

Any hoooooo...
I was completely surprised.
I didn't see this one coming at all.
Usually I have a pretty good idea of what he is up to.

But not this time...
I have to say that the wrapping was the icing on the cake for me.
I guess maybe he is paying attention after all.

He was a little less practical for Christmas 

Gifts from
Knitting Addiction




Yummy Alpaca fiber!

Our Christmas Tree


This was the first year we didn't put up a Christmas tree.
It felt a little strange...
but I think in the long run, this one brought us more joy.

We got to watch the kittens run up and down with out knocking any ornaments off and breaking them.  And I think Bill even got a kick out of adorning this beautiful live oak with lots of colorful lights.
He has already told me that "next year, I think I will go out on the limbs even further"
(now... that is assuming we are even still here)

I think that having a tree in the house could have been a little messy with 3 kittens
what do ya think?

Every year ...
how I spend and view the Christmas Season evolves.
And this year was no different.

Because of Mary's unexpected surgery, we were forced to make a lot of changes this year.
It certainly forced us to keep things close to home.
I didn't do the typical frantic shopping, sewing and baking that whole week before Christmas.

What ever didn't  get done, simply didn't get done.  
And you know what...
I think I actually got more of what I "wanted" than in years before because there was
No Stress to get it done.

It was the leanest Christmas ever...
and the "One Gift" Mary wanted ended up on Backorder  and still hasn't been shipped.
A blanket for Phoenix.
But you know what ... she didn't care.

I was so worried that this Christmas wouldn't be "magical"
I told her this summer that there was no such thing as Santa.
Boy, did I have to eat my words!

She told me by the way that this was the ...
"BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!"

Over the years I have come to spend less time worrying about making or buying gifts for Christmas day.
And I have tried to be more intentional ...


I would get so stressed out about 
"getting ready for Christmas"
that I found myself not being
"present"
in the moment.
(obviously I still have some issues with this)
That must be why God keeps giving me opportunities to practice.

I have tried to carry this intention through out the year.

Why not give with the intention of Christmas 
through out the year?

Like ...

Christmas in August


or simply giving of ourselves... 
in time well spent with family and friends.

Don't get me wrong...
I am not against giving gifts,
I just think you should give gifts because it is from the heart,
not just because...
_________________________________
(you fill in the blank)

Good Medicine


Best medicine in the world...
a visit from a friend.
Look at the smile on her face!

And a visit from a...
Secret Santa






Now this...
in my opinion was the BEST gift...
and it is not just what came in the bag that I am referring to.

3 elves came up on my porch 2 days before Christmas
(I think they thought we weren't home)
And a beautiful young elf says...
"Hello, I am one of Santa's helpers and I have a gift for Mary"
I responded by saying...
"Well, Mary is right here... would you like to come in?"
She seems a little nervous and not sure what to say when
 a much taller senior elf beside her said...
"We can't, this is suppose to be a surprise"
I was speechless...
(imagine that)

One of our dogs got out while we were talking and they helped get him back into the house and quietly turned and left.

Mary was FULL of questions...
"who was it?"
I could only tell her... "one of Santa's helpers".

I had to peek at the card...
and I will say that I was even more blown away.
I told Mary that she had to wait till Christmas.

She was so bright eyed and said...
"that is going to be the first present I open"
and It WAS!

I had to eat my words, and told Mary...
"I am sorry, I guess there really is a Santa"

I can't say for sure...
but when I went to Mass on Christmas Eve
there was an actual "angel" 
dressed in white with a halo and everything
that resembled that very same beautiful little "elf" at my front door just a few days prior. 

This will ALWAYS be a CHRISTmas to remember.

Now, the rest of this post may not be something you want to look at.
If you have a weak stomach then these pictures may be a little uncomfortable for you.

So be warned...

Post Surgery Wound Vac
December 20, 2011

1 Week Post Surgery
December 27, 2011

2 Weeks Post Surgery
January 5, 2012
(before shower)

(After Shower)
             

and if you didn't see it before ...

These are the before shots leading up to this surgery

day after accident
October 21, 2011

No broken bones, no open wounds or lacerations.  
Not one drop of blood fell that day.  
Just this nasty crush wound where Phoenix stomped on her with both his front hoof and his back hoof after falling from his back, hitting the fence and then being sling shot back under him.

7 days after accident
October 27, 2011


December 1, 2011


December 5, 2011


December 14, 2011 


Now 
This ...


doesn't look so bad in comparison anymore does it?

I am happy to say that 
Mary is finally off bed rest and is allowed to put weight on her leg again.

She is still not able to resume normal activities,
her doctor only wants her WALKING
nothing more.  
No horseback riding, basketball, skating, bike riding etc...
she is a little upset because at 11 years old two weeks is like two years.
However, she is beyond happy that she can at least be up walking around again.
Two weeks will go by before she knows it.

Her first stop on the the way home from the doctor Thursday was the barn.
Just because she can't ride...
doesn't mean she can't work her horse in the round pen.
(Don't worry, she asked her Doctor first)
I think they are both a little out of practice.
Hopefully, they will be patient with one another.
I don't think Phoenix was quite as eager to start his training again as Mary was.
Yikes!
It was a little scary.
Thanks to Mary's trainer...
we were able to finish that exercise session on a good note.

So a small note
 to all those little girls who 
LOVE HORSES...
remember
these are huge 1,300 lb powerful living creatures
and it only takes a second to change 
your whole life.

We think Mary got off pretty easy...
it could have been MUCH worse!

The bond between a girl and her horse is a powerful thing.


It is going to take something a lot worse than this to break that bond.

Happy New Year to you all and may your lives be filled with abundant peace and joy!

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