Here's Wishing Everyone Joy! :)

 First off, let me say Many Thanks to Chris from "Geek Squad"! Thanks to him I'm back in business with my blog! He made a few changes to my Windows 8 laptop so it acts a little more like my Windows XP computer did! :) I'm So Grateful!! :)
 Now we can get back to enjoying life's journey together again! :)
One of the most joyous things of all, in my opinion, is Christmas! :)

 Welcome to our home! ...

 Come on in! :) ...

 If you've visited our home in the past, at Christmas time, you'll see the familiar decorations that we enjoy year to year! :)

 This year's tree! :)

 One thing that made This year more special was having Sheana, Troy, and the grandkids with us for Christmas! :)

 We even found time to watch Mary Poppins together! :)

 "Bert" looking up the chimney! "Chim chimary, chim chimary, chim chim, charoo"! :)

 Another angle of the tree shows some of the lights in the living room! :)

Coal and his guests all tuckered out! :)
It was a Great Christmas for the whole family, and for the first time since Sheana's been married we had everyone home for Christmas, and even saw in the new year together! :)
Here's wishing everyone joy in this new year! :)

Here's Hoping, Anyway! :)

Hope is something I often feel when I'm watching the sun rise! Even when the morning sky issues a winter warning, as it has lately, followed by an unexpected snow turning everything into a beautiful winter wonderland, ... there's something promising about a fresh new day! :) I hope to share a few photos of an even deeper red sky and white back yard! ...
I'm still not up and running with my photos, since there are so many more steps involved with this new Windows 8 format compared to Windows XP, that I'm not sure I can repeat the process, ... but the fact that a photo has been successfully downloaded gives me hope for the future of my blog! :)
Here's hoping, anyway! :) ...

Family left today, making their long drive home. We miss them already, and I'm grateful for my long list of "want-to-do's" to keep me busy until our next get-together!
Ironically, with family here I had more to take photos of, but took less photos as I was so involved in each moment that I didn't think to take pictures the way I meant to! I already regret that, but hope the few photos I did take will keep moments alive in my memory! :)
Here's hoping, anyway! :) ...

After seeing in the new year, and having a fun-filled full week + with family here, we are quietly taking it easy today! :) I have a long list of things I'm anxious to do and have been mentally going over some resolutions which I will be writing down as goals!
Many of my goals are ones that are on-going from year to year, with a few new ones thrown in, that are of the short-term variety! :) I'm anxious to tackle things on my resolution list and turn my goals into dreams-come-true! :) ...
Here's hoping, anyway! :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! :)

Busy, busy, busy!!! :) Even too busy to blog! :) Will take a lot of photos over Christmas and New Years, and try to learn how to share them come the new year! :)
Merry Christmas Everyone!!! :)

Wish me luck! :)

Just a quick note to say how much I'm looking forward to our son arriving tonight! We have plans of going to get our tree tomorrow, at a local tree farm! It is a fun family tradition that we've been doing for years and I'm grateful he'll be joining us again! :)
I'll take photos of the tree and trust that I'll be able to get help in how to use them on this blog! :)
I did call one person from my "Geek Squad" service, but she neither has Windows 8 or blogs so was unable to assist me! Soon I plan to try calling again! :)
It's a challenge to find a free moment to focus on getting help during this busy Christmas season, but hopefully later this week I can try again! I'm praying when I do call I'll have someone on the other end of the line who can help! :)
Wish me luck! :)

I Have Photos Ready & Waiting! :)

My Honey helped me figure out how to load photos to an area that I can access for my blog, but for some reason, even though it started to download the first photo, halfway through, it said it exceeded the space and couldn't do it. I'll need to contact my Geek Squad and see if any of them have blog experience with Windows 8 and can help me successfully blog with photos again!
It was all so easy with Windows XP! How I miss it!
If I can get photos back on my blog with this laptop, I'll be able to live with it! :) The salesperson knows blogging is an important part of my computer needs, so I'm certain this computer can do it, if I can just figure out how to get it to do it! If not, I'll be seeing about replacing this laptop with something more blog friendly! :)
Until then, please bear with me, as "A picture is worth a thousand words!" :)
...
The ironic thing about all of this, is that right now I Need my blog, like never before! Finding joy in life has always come easy for me, (even in difficult times), but after this recent election, a feeling of doom and gloom has come over me, and I need the blessing my blog affords me, of counting my blessings and expressing all the little joys in life! :) This blog can be therapeutic for me right now, and it is not a good time to feel unable to blog with the joyous photos I so enjoy taking and sharing! ...
The thought occurred to me that perhaps some of you are feeling what I am, right now, and may benefit from my blog expressions focusing on the joys in life, too! :) ...
I have photos ready and waiting, and hope I can soon share them again, and that this blog will yet bring smiles to our faces, and joy to our hearts! :)

Transformers! :)

Sorry, but I have not had time to experiment with photos yet on this new Windows 8 laptop! With the holidays upon us, (Thanksgiving just past and Christmas ahead), time is tight, at best! :)
Since I assume your time is just as filled as mine is right now, and since words are not near as fun without photos, I'll keep this post brief! :)
Today I cleared off all the Thanksgiving decorations and swept the fallen leaves from our front deck, replacing it with Christmas! As I watched the transformation taking place before my eyes, the transformer cartoon jingle ran through my mind! "Transformer! More than meets the eye!" I thought, "I'M a Transformer! I'm transforming our home from one wonderful holiday to the next, and loving every minute of it! In my mind I heard the words to the jingle, slightly changed. "Transformer! More now meets the eye!" :)
Happy decorating (transforming) everyone!! :)

Where's The GPS!? :)

Our old computer died so I'm now typing on a new Windows 8 laptop! I'm blown away by all this computer can do, but also a bit mystified at how to go about using it! My greatest concern is how to blog with Windows 8 when I'm used to blogging with Windows XP! I feel like I've been driving a comfortable small SUV and suddenly have found myself in a red hot race car that hugs the road and is made for speed, speed, Speed, but has me breathless behind the wheel! :)
Not only that, but my road map is Completely Different!! How do I find my way around, now!!? How do I set up my photos and move them to my blog? How do I utilize the "Cutest Blog on The Block" backgrounds that I love? My new wheels have the capabilities to get me where I need to go but this Driver sitting behind the wheel of this hot-rod is less inept at controlling this vehicle, at this early stage of ownership, and is lost! :)
I hope I can figure out the new map so I can get myself from point A to point B again! Where's the GPS when you need it!? :) ...