DERRY - Michelle Goodwin loves New Year's Eve. In fact, she's so full of spirit this year that she created her own Times Square ball for people to view as she lowers it in her backyard tonight.

"Ever since I was a kid, I loved 'Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve.'" said Goodwin, who invites neighbors over to watch her lower the ball, or even view it from their windows.

"After I had my own children, we'd take a nap during the day and stay up and watch the ball drop," she said.

Goodwin's father died two years ago at the age of 60, and she said she now she looks at life as a "precious gift."

"New Year's is a time to look back on the old year and see what you can do better in the next one," she said. "I want to teach my children that life is a gift to be thankful for."

Goodwin and her husband, Bill, have three sons - Shawn, 12, and 7-year-old twins, Brad and Ryan.

"We go all out for New Year's Eve," Goodwin said. "We get dressed up and have party decorations and chips and dips. The kids have sparkling cider."

Goodwin's idea to make her own New Year's ball came to her about a month ago.

"I soldered together some wire in the shape of a ball," she said. "It's about 2 feet in diameter."

She then strung about 300 lights around the structure.

"My budget doesn't allow for a Waterford crystal ball like the one in Times Square," she joked.

Her husband made a sign with tubing that will light up and read "2007."

"This all has to be carefully choreographed," Goodwin said. "We'll lower the ball with pulleys, and then when it gets near the ground, someone will flip the switch to light up the '2007' sign."

"Santa brought the family a patio fireplace," Goodwin said. So the family and some friends will go outside around 11:30 p.m. and toast marshmallows.

They'll also be keeping an eye on a little portable TV so they can time their ball drop with the one live from New York.

Goodwin's mother, Kathy LaFreniere, who lives with the family, said when her daughter gets an idea, there's no looking back.

"When Michelle was 7, she asked us for a new pool," LaFreniere said. "I told her, 'No, not this year.'"

The next morning, LaFreniere found young Michelle and her cousin in the yard.

"They dug up a round hole and took the liner from the old pool and sunk it into the hole," LaFreniere said. "Michelle said, 'Now, we have a pool.'"

Bill Goodwin said he thought his wife was "a little crazy" when she told him about making the New Year's ball.

But he soon got into the spirit and planted a pole in the ground to support it.

As for the three Goodwin boys, they think the whole idea is "great."



BOX

History of the New Year's Eve ball

r 1907: The ball made its maiden descent from the flagpole atop One Times Square. It was made of iron and wood and adorned with 100 25-watt light bulbs. It was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds.

* 1920: A 400-pound ball made entirely of iron replaced the original.

* 1955: The iron ball was replaced with an aluminum ball weighing 150 pounds.

* Between 1981 and 1988: The ball had red lights and a green stem for the "I Love New York" campaign.

r 1995: The ball was upgraded with aluminum skin, rhinestones, strobes and computer controls.

r 2000: The ball was completely redesigned by Waterford Crystal.

* 2006: The ball today is a geodesic sphere, 6 feet in diameter, and weighs approximately 1,070 pounds. It is covered with 504 Waterford crystal triangles that vary in size and range in length from 4.75 to 5.75 inches.

Source: www.timessquarenyc.org