Goodbye Old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well as today is the last day of 2010 I am deciding to reflect on this year.  2010 has been a year of many ups and downs.  Although I would have loved for it to be all ups I know that I have learned much through the downs.  My oldest son finished 1st grade and started 2nd, my middle son began Kindergarten this year and that has been a somewhat rough beginning but I am looking forward to a smooth end.  My baby girl turned 2 this month.  Time has flown by, I still want her to be that little infant.  My niece moved into her own apartment and began her 3rd year of college at University of South Carolina.  I began teaching dance again through the parks here but due to low registration at the parks I was assigned I stopped.  That is one major thing that is hard being here not dancing as much as I did at home.  Some things happened to me personally that I expect and never want to have to deal with again.  Since I have chosen a life verse in Jeremiah 29:11 which states "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,"plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future", I have been looking forward to what God has in store for me.  Real estate has been a slow business for me and with three young children and more money going out to maintain license and other things I am contemplating putting my license on hold in 2011.  I also returned to school this year,YAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!.  I have put off finishing my degree long enough.  I joined a moms meetup group in hopes to find friends for my daughter and myself.  Although I have lived in SC for 5 years now I still don't have those friends like my friends in Ca.  Hmmmmmmm I wonder is it me!!!!!!  I also told my husband that I didn't want to live here anymore and of course he didn't agree.  I have decided to once again go back to Jeremiah 29:11 and try to be at peace on living here and make the best of it.  Well I know if you've read this much your are probably thinking WOW she has had lots of downs but believe me there have been many ups, starting this blog was a great one, also but sometimes I just need to look at the negatives to see how much I have grown.  So no pitty party here just doing some reflection.
     Now as we head into 2011 may all your resolutions not just be resolutions but a new beginning for you.  I normally don't make resolutions but I did tell you that in 2011 I plan to find some design skills and use them to decorate my house.  I want to no longer envy everyone else's homes I enter.  I want for this blog to grow to many followers and new friends.  I also of course, well for me, want to be a better wife, mother and child of God.

                                     FROM MY FAMILY TO YOURS

HELP HELP HELP!!!!!!!!

I am wanting to learn how to create buttons and add buttons to my blog so please enter the link and give me some help PLEASE!!!!!

Well I have been so inspired by all the beautiful rooms that I have seen on other blogs that I have decided to make it my mission to turn my house into a home in 2011.  I guess that's my resolution SORTA.  I always look and say oh how nice but never take the plunge past paint, that my husband always wants to hire for, and now I am ready.  So as www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com is doing her best of 2010.  I will be doing my redo's of 2011.  So to start hereare two spaces I will start with since I think they should be pretty easy and build my self confidence in the process.

1.  My staircase

 I want to do a picture wall or something and I have been thinking about painting the rail.

The other side.  I also would love to take the carpet off the stairs but I'm nervous.

2. My boys room.  They are 7 and 5 and they love sharing a room.  I have started a nautical theme but need more.

 This is what you see as you enter the room.

 I have the boat prints above each bed along with their initials.

Blank wall that needs help.

What do you think?  All IDEAS and help are WELCOMED.

YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I am glad to say that I have two followers.  I know that's not many but to me it's a big deal.  I am so in awe of many other blogs and want to learn so much about blogging.  Now that I've said that I am happy to say that we had a white day after Christmas.  The snow began late Christmas night and was still going into the afternoon.  The kids were happy to get out there and play.  As for me it just put a damper on me hitting those after Christmas sales.  I know for some of you facing the sales in the snow is no big deal but with us not getting much snow here it just made me not want to leave the house.  Here are a couple of pictures of the snow.

 Little Miss KC enjoying the snow.

The neighbors snowman.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!

Blessings to all on this wonderful Christmas day 2010.   Today has been a good day.  Although I am missing my family in California I have also managed to have a great time with my husband's family.  The kids were up at 7am and daddy said wait 30 more minutes, of course that didn't happen.  Little Miss KC loved her 2 babies and stroller, a little too much for me since I keep hearing about the baby.  Here are a few pics of the Chinnis Christmas.

The tree before the kids came down.  You can barely even see the green decorations.

The 3 lil C's. I just love the PJ's.

LC with his favorite thing, Legos.

JC with his one request an Nintendo DSi.

Ms. KC and her baby!! Nuff said.

No Gift Christmas!!!!!!!!!!

Ok first can I tell you that my tree has not one gift under it.  This is not because we don't have any but because they are on lay away this year and today is the only day that I will be able to pick them up due to Mr. C's work schedule.  So is it necessary to say that we will wrapping gifts all night and tomorrow so that The Big Guy can make his appearance.  This is the first year we used lay away for Christmas and it was good doing it but I'm unsure if I'll do it again.  Especially since I don't remember everything I have.  Secondly I have the DIY and redo bug.  I have loved HGTV for years and became a realtor so I can look at houses.  But Mr. C could live in a all white wall house with no decor so I have never gone through with putting my abilities (or lack thereof) to work.  For 2011 I am making changes and I am going to begin decorating and making my builder grade house into a home.  I will post pics along the way and ask for help so come back and hopefully enjoy.

Countdown!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Well I got our family pictures back and I was pleased with them.  Now I just have to get those Christmas cards in the mail.  I can't believe Christmas is Saturday.  I am really not prepared.  There are no presents under the tree and the kids are now out of school.  Waiting to the last minute isn't a good idea!! I have to do all the necessary stuff after hubby gets home from work when I can go by myself.  I also would have loved to also have my home beautifully decorated.  Not only for Christmas but just in general.  I look at all the blogs and see all the beautiful homes and long to have my home look like those.  People always seem to find great deals at Home Goods and Goodwill and other thrift stores, but here in Columbia we have no Home Goods and I never seem to find the great deals that others do.  Enough of my sulking, I did say I would post some pictures so here they are.

 This is my little KC and she is now 2.  She loved the leaves.

 The love of my life MC.  Sometimes it's hard but I see us growing old together.

 I just love how my oldest JC is the only one looking at the camera.

 My intellectual 7 year old JC.  He always has a question and I love that he keeps us on our toes.

   My rambunctious little 5 year old LC.  He's all boy and although he wares me out at times I love it.

COLD COLD COLD

Ok so it has been freezing here all week.  We were scheduled to take our family pictures(which are outdoors) on Monday but had to cancel since I didn't want my children to freeze.  We rescheduled for tomorrow because it is suppose to be better weather.  I hope the weather is better so we can get these pics done.  We haven't had family pics done since my middle child was 1 month old and now he is 5, so yeah we have been slack.  If I get some great pictures I will definitely tell you who the photographer was and hopefully send some business her way.  Speaking of business I sure need to have some sent my way.  Being a realtor in Columbia, SC isn't the easiest thing right now.

Be thankful today

Today is Thanksgiving and I am thankful for everything that God has blessed me with.  I am thankful for the trials also because without them I wouldn't be me.  I am missing my family today.  They are all getting together at my brothers house in Ca. and I am not there.  If only I could click my heels 3 times and be there right now.  The holidays haven't been the same since moving here to SC.  I wish I would have thought about these things before wanting to leave Ca.

Thanksgiving is here

Living in South Carolina is truly an experience.  The people are so different (not in a bad or great way).  There are things that I love about the time I have been here and things I could go without.  It's hard to believe it is 3 days until Thanksgiving and before we know it Christmas will be here.  I wanted to go home this year for Thanksgiving but once again that's not happening.  If that's not upsetting enough I am also trying to find a photographer to take my family's Christmas pictures.  The one that I want just seems to be booked.  I guess people out here book their photo sessions way in advanced.  I'm just not that organized on things like that ( especially since the last time we had family pics taken was when my now 5yr old was 1 month old).  I have to have my Christmas cards out on time or else I will be punished by the southern etiquette police LOL.  I'm sure there is so much more for me to say but thoughts are being clouded by the smell coming from my almost 2 year olds pants LOL.  Come back soon and hear more about this exciting life I am living.