Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:SO cold! Cold and cloudy...I guess it is January...

One of my simple pleasures:Ta coloring with my little girl on our tummies

On my bedside table: "A Light Unto My Path" by Elizabeth Elliot

On my TV: not a tv day

On the menu for tonight: Meaty Corn bread casserole we'll see how it turns out...after all it is a casserole..but it is made with comfort foods..might be good for a cold January day :)

On my To Do List: make breakfast treat for mops tomorrow, finish putting out winter decor, clean bathroom

New Recipes I tried last week: chicken & wild rice soup (so good!), spinach pizza (delish! Next time I'll make it with a whole wheat crust to make it more healthy)

In the craft basket: knitting

Looking forward to: The New Year! I love a fresh start!

Homemaking Tip for this week: Make a plan. This comes from my hubby...I always share my big ideas of all the things that I want to do...and he always asks what my plan is or when I'm going to fit it in.

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): not much blog reading going on right now

Favorite photo from last week: I always love a picture of me and my love...we don't take as many of these anymore with Hannah around.

On my Prayer List: My sisters-in-law Jill who's been sick, and Erica who is due to have her baby on Jan. 16th but we are expecting him anyday. Also praying for friends Julia and Andrea who are also both due this month.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

Psalm 100

"Make a Joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."

As I look back on 2009, I am filled with thankfulness to God for all that he has done. He is good and faithful and deserves our praise.

2009 Recap

One of the best parts of 2009 was watching my little girl grow from a one year old to an almost 2 year old. I'm joining in with Jo-Lynn over at Musing of a Housewife to recap some of the highlights of our 2009.

January
Playin' in the snow
It was fun to enjoy some winter snow with Hannah. So many first time experiences in that first year of life



February
standing
Hannah started standing on her own
A weekend with my friend Luke
I don't get to see my dear friend Teri very often, so every visit is very special. We enjoyed a visit from her and her son. Hannah and Luke had a ball playing together!

March
Hannah's first birthday

It's so crazy to look back at these pictures and see how much she has grown in a years time. Hannah had a great first birthday where she was surrounded by wonderful family and friends.

April
Up...Down..and all around
Hannah finally starts walking this month...just in time for her Uncles wedding in May. What an exciting time!

May
Uncle Adam and Aunt Jills wedding day
Adam and Jills wedding was definitely the highlight of May. It was so sweet to see Hannah get to be a part of their special day.

June
Lake Ann Camp
We really enjoy taking our teenagers up to Lake Ann every summer...it was fun to stay the week with Hannah this year.
A Hot Day at Shaiwassee Park
another highlight of our summers was going to the park every Tuesday with our friends from MOPS.

July
My first 100 words
By July Hannah was saying over 100 words!
Kids Kamp
wow...summer is always very busy and eventful. We always have a great time running Kids Kamp at the church! I love listening to the kids sing "One Way". Hannah still perks up when we sing this song to her.

August
Gatlinburg Vacation
this was just day 2 of our vacation. We had a great time seeing the beauty of God's creation together. This was our first family trip!

September
Happy 40th Anniversary Skyview
Skyview Ranch holds a very special place in our hearts. It was great to go back to visit over Labor Day weekend. We enjoyed spending time with old friends and getting caught up to speed on some of what the Lord is doing there at the Ranch
God takes Care of Me
This was the scariest day of my life. God took care of my little girl..thats for sure!

October
My God is so BIG
Hannah learned the motion and loves to sing this song!
My first Trick-Or-Treat

November
Welcome to the World Sweet Ethan Edward
Cousin Ethan comes into the world
A week long visit with Ethan
We stayed with my sister for a week just after Ethan was born. It was the most amount of time that I've had with her since we moved...so it was very sweet sisterly time. It was neat to see her become a mother, she is just a natural!

December
Hannah sings Away in A Manger
It was so neat to celebrate the real meaning of the season with Hannah.

First trip to Chuck-E-Cheese!

Pop and Nana took me to Chuck-E-Cheeses while we were visiting them for Christmas. I had SO much fun running around and playing!

my favorite was the slide

riding on the great big rocking horse with Mommy

My mom loves my face in this picture..it was so much fun to ride with Bob the Builder

I had to hang on tight...whee!! :)

I got to ride on Clifford too!

Roth Family Christmas

We celebrated Christmas with my family on Sunday. We enjoyed going to church with them in the morning. Hannah took a nap in the afternoon. For dinner Mom made a delicious ham dinner, we enjoyed some family time then opened gifts

Hannah reading a Christmas story with her Nana

another Christmas tree picture

first Christmas with cousin Ethan...I know there are many more fun times ahead!

Hannah found her stocking

Her Uncle J worked with Pop to make Hannah her very own climbing bear. She always play with the one that I played with when I was little when she visits...now she has her very own.

A fun computer puppy from her Uncle Tim

and Elmo from Aunt Beth and Uncle Adam

dress the bear puzzle from Nana and Pop

All of the adults drew names this year for a gift exchange. We loved doing it this way!! Here are a few of the gifts that found their way under the tree:

Tim bought for Seth and got him some good books that he's been wanting

my dear sister knows exactly what I love...she helped Adam pick out this beautiful vera bag for me...I love it!

Beth made a photo book of Ethans birth and first month for Mom...it was precious!

my brothers

I just adore my little nephew...I absolutely love this pic of him. We have so much to be thankful for as we look back on 2009!

My {gasp} 10 year class reunion

We made it to my side of the state just in time for my 10 year class reunion.

It was great to see many of my classmates from Revere High class of 1999. :)

the guys survived :)

We've come a long way in 10 years: 4 moms, a speech therapist and breast cancer researcher.

High School Best Friends :) I sure do miss these girls

So this is what we look like now...

here are some pics of what we looked like back then....

Carrie and I in 8th grade

yes...we're wearing matching shirts...

love this pic

prom 1999

We were the marching minutemen. We loved our uniforms and took pride in being a high step band...so many great memories! This is my parents and I on senior night.

Dad F's Birthday

Dad F's bday is on the 28th of Dec. It's rare that we are there right on his birthday (although last year I think we were). We gave him his gift right before we left to visit my family.
Hannah loved to give gifts this year. Here she is giving her Papa candy, and a movie

to go with his new Ohio State snuggie! I'm sure he's watching the Bucks today curled up in it! :)

Happy Birthday Dad F!

Finnegan Christmas 2009

This year we spent Christmas day with Grandma and Papa. We got to their house late Tuesday night and stayed until Saturday. It was so nice to have a long visit with them. We also enjoyed seeing Hannah's great Nana and Papa and Cody and Erica, and Adam and Jill. We enjoyed Christmas brunch and dinner at Gran and Pa's house on Christmas day. They sure know how to roll out the red carpet for the family...we had a great time celebrating with them!

What a wonderful time we had!

Grandma makes the BEST sugar cookies ever! A favorite Christmas tradition :)

Adam and Jills first Christmas together. We were so glad that they were able to share it with us! Jill has been sick lately, we were very glad that she was well enough to make the trip to join us!

Gran and Pa made Hannah this adorable crayon holder. The perfect gift for her because one of her favorite things to do right now is color!

Hannah delivering Pa's gift. A pampered chef ice cream scoop with yummy ice cream toppings.

an adorable Christmas dress from Grandma

The Finnegan Fam (Does anyone have a pic without glare coming off the window? I guess I'll have to try to figure out photoshop one of these days :))

After a day at Gran and Pa's we headed back to Grandma and Papas for Christmas with them. Are all these gifts for me?!

yeah! Bath toys and a boon frog to hold them all!

probably the most favorite toy of all

A fishing rod and reel for the guys summer fishing trip to Canada

A beautiful gift of time and love...Mom F. made a wedding scapbook for Adam and Jill

We got Adam these books that we just read together: "For Men Only" and "For Women Only"

all of us together!

Cody and Ericas last Christmas as two. We can't wait to meet baby Eli who will be here any day! She sure doesn't look like she's due any day does she?!

I'm so blessed to have 2 GREAT sisters in law. So excited to meet baby Eli who we love so much already!