What a Week!

Remember how I was going to show you my fridge? Well, here it is:



It was a very "aftful" season by both girls. I think my favorite was Bug's card to her dad: it read "I would hope you would keep this card." He did.


Well, it's been a crazy busy week. I'm sure all of you felt the same way. It started out with dinner with my friends, including my friend who is leaving in a few weeks for Afhghanistan. I tried to hide her suitcase but she went back to D.C. anyway to get ready. We'll keep her in our thoughts and prayers ever day until she comes back in the summer.


Next up was dinner with my parents and siblings. My nieces and nephews are all quite a bit older than my kids, but they are so fabulous to play and have fun and make them feel a part. We have a delicious dinner, a program, and (of course) presents. I think the girls' favorite part was decorating a gingerbread house.



I need to add that our gingerbread house had some structural integrity issue and did not make it home intact. But we enjoyed snacking on it for the next two days.


That night, Erin came to town. We have had such a great time being with her and Kara and Bri and Adam. I think our favorite part was decorating sugar cookies (our favorites seem to be focusing around food here . . . interesting). I think the adults had as much fun as the kids, but The Guy seemed to think it was OK. Christmas Eve brought another program and another fabulous dinner (yep, more food), courtesy of Erin and Kara.



Christmas day was very fun, except for the seven year-old curled up in a ball in the corner and running for the bathroom every thirty minutes (too much food? nah). Merry Christmas. "Santa" resolved to keep things very simple this year. The kids got one small toy each and a new set of sheets. Funny thing is, by the time we were all done opening presents from Nanas and Grandpas and Grandmas and Grandpas and Aunts and Uncles . . . well, I'm still digging out. But such fun gifts, such generous and loving family. We are truly blessed.


So, there's my week in a nutshell. I'm just about finished digging out from all our "festivating", and, strangely, enjoying putting the Christmas decorations away and getting simplified and organized. It's been so chaotic for two weeks, it's really refreshing to get put back together and hit the new year running.


Question for the Week: Where do you all stand on New Year's resolutions? Mine usually last about five minutes, so I've strayed from them the past few years. I love the idea of making a new start in the new year. I just think it's become very cliche and very few of us really intend to making meaningful changes in the upcoming year. What do you think?


I'm hoping to feel much less fried and much more creative next week so I can dazzle you all with my wit and keen grasp of syntax and grammer. Until then, I'm off to take a nap.


Happy New Year!

Christmas Traditions: Reads For The Adults!

My reading list for adults is very short, probably because at Christmas time, the last thing I have time to do is read. Particularly because this year I've embarked in the secret crafty present thing. More on that later.

My favorite Christmas reads:

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens (I usually read this one upstairs in the library, wearing my smoking jacket, which would I'm sure be much more impressive if I actually smoked)
Two From Galillee, by Marjorie Holmes (my sister-in-law gave this to me when she was my youth-group leader about 18 year ago -- it's a sweet story about the love between Mary and Joseph)

So, there's my list. Now I need your help to add to my list. What do you read at Christmas time, besides credit card statements? Help me out!

Sidenote: I have a new addiction, this show. OK, so this show's choir led by Blake Shelton. Go team Shelton! It's good to know I'm in good company. Check out Erin and Kara's posts too.

Next Up: A Virtual Fridge, full of my girl's artwork! I bet you can't wait, can you?!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: Listen To The Music!

I'm a music nut. Especially at Christmas time. While my DH (ok, my husband . . . the DH thing is just too weird for me) decorates earlier and earlier each year, I turn on the music earlier and earlier each year. Seem fair, don't you think?

My brother called me last week and offered us tickets to go here last Saturday night, but after taking 45 minutes to travel four blocks, we missed it. The bug was sad she couldn't pretend she was eight. After discussing the moral ramifications of fudging my daughters age by seven months, we determined we were in better shape than the people who were auctioning off free tickets to a Temple Square concert for $100 a pop to "help out a family in need." Yeah, right. I need a Wii. But after it was all said and done, it just strengthened our resolve to try to go next year, and the violin on the tree at Little America where Bug and I took our picture after dinner was as musical as our evening got.

Yesterday, however, we added a little more music to our world. I know, I know, again with the shameless child parading, but I love her and I love Christmas music. So it works. Hey Mom, don't you think Bug's teacher looks like my teacher when I was her age?

All in all, a pretty musical weekend. Now I should share with you some of my favorite CD's in our Christmas box. Here goes:

1. Josh Groban "Noel". Sigh.
2. Bing Crobsy Christmas Collection
3. The Carpenters. Actually my husband made me say that. I'm not a fan. But it's in our box.
4. Anything by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We had one Christmas record growing up. I'm surprised I didn't wear it out. But I've always associated Christmas with "the choir."
5. Jim Brickman "The Gift."
6. Johnny Mathis Christmas collection. Again, more bretto's favorite than mine.
7. David Foster "The Christmas Album." So fun. However, currently AWOL. I think one of the kids ate it.
8. Charlotte Church "Dream a Dream." It's just fun to watch DH run screaming from the room.

And we've got a couple more that we listen to selected tracks from. And thank you to radio stations who now start playing Christmas music in August. There's just something about Christmas music that makes your house a home and makes everything seem cosy, warm and inviting. Don't you think?

Up Next: Christmas Reads for the Adults!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: Movietime!

My hubs and I have always been big fans of television. I'm sorry to say we don't run marathons and we don't have any plans to start a couples bowling league. We're working on that one (the running part, not the bowling). We have always especially loved watching Christmas shows and movies. The kids all love popping some popcorn and curling up with the tree lights on and just being together. Here are some of our favorites:

-- White Christmas (ok, my favorite -- hubs won't even be in the same room)
-- It's a Wonderful Life (turned this one into a FHE last year, probably reaching a bit, don't you think?)
-- Polar Express (we all love the story even if some of the animation is very strange in a way I have yet to identify)
-- Christmas Vacation (no cats were harmed in the making of this movie)
-- The Grinch (this one creeps me out a little but the kids really like it)
-- Christmas With the Kranks (an exact, and humorous, picture of what has gone seriously wrong with Christmas)
-- Santa Clause 3 (our addition this year, both of our girls really love it)

We also enjoy watching the made-for-tv movies on the cable networks. Wouldn't it be great if all of our problems in life could be solved in two hours, not counting the commercials?!

OK, so now here's the deal. Everyone who reads this entry is officially "tagged" to respond or post on your own blog your favorite Christmas movies or television shows. So what are your favorites?

See you next time for my personal favorite part of Christmas: MUSIC!!! (hint: Josh Groban, anyone?!)

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: Breakfast at Tiffany's

Well, it wasn't really breakfast, it was brunch. And it wasn't at Tiffany's, either. It was at the Little America, but you get the idea. It's times like these when I need Erin and Kara to give me a cool quote from a Jane Austen novel to use as the title for my blog post.



These young women and I have known each other for a very long time. Since we were all 12, to be exact. (And no, I won't be doing any math for you. I'm 29 years old. I like this age and I'm sticking with it. It's worked really well for me for a while now.) We get together for birthdays and at Christmastime, swap work and home stories, cry a little over the trials life has handed each one of us, and laugh over the silly memories we have, when all we had to worry about was how to get our hair to be the biggest in the group. And just so you know, I would always win. We're missing a couple members of our group, one who is living in Washington, D.C. and heading out with the U.S. State Department to Afhghanistan in January to work on the government's justice programs over there, and one who is living in Denver with her family. I love each one of my friends, mostly because I feel younger when I'm with them. Each of our lives is unfolding in different ways, but we have a commond bond of shared memories and a desire to keep our friendship going. Even when it takes three weeks, five calendars and a note from our mothers to get together, right ladies?! So I'm very thankful today for good friends to laugh and cry with and also for patient husbands who take over at home so I can have a lunch without my children. Thanks, honey!



Stay tuned for Christmas Movie time!

Hello, I'm a Children's Book Addict

Doesn't the saying go that "Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery." Well, here's my problem:

But, when your kids curl up in your lap every night to read a Christmas book, how can you resist? The girls never miss a night with one of their Christmas stories. In all fairness, my illness is not entirely of my own making. For our first three or four Christmas seasons after the Bug was born, my darling mother-in-law would send us clues to books she was sending to us. My mom also got into the act with several selections of her own. And I just had to have a few from a sale at the local book-selling giant. So, you can see how things got a little out of control. But I love every one of our Christmas books.

Some of our favorites:

Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera

Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas by Elise Primavera

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

Angelina's Christmas by Katherine Holabird

The Polar Express by Chris Van Alsburg

Christmas in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Snowman Named Just Bob by Mark Kimball Moulton

Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

Dream Snow by Eric Carle

Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

I'll Be Home for Christmas by Holly Hobbie

Eloise at Christmastime by Kay Thoompson

Sorry, I must go now. My sponsor is calling.

Stay tuned for the Ladies' Brunch!

Christmas Traditions: CHRISTMAS CHAINS!

I want you to know that I hesitated to put up pictures of the girls' Christmas chains. I would never want anyone to feel inadequate in the face of my own creative abilities. I feel each one of us has unique gifts. Mine just happens to be the incredible talent of stapling strips of paper together.

Each night the girls count to three and tear off their ring at the same time, like they were watching the ball drop on Times Square or something. It's really fun to watch.

A Mother's Prayer: May my children always be this easily impressed and entertained.

Next Up: Children's Books (or a plea for a "Party of Five Intervention")

Christmas Traditions: DINNER and DECORATING at GRANDMA and GRANDPAS!

We get together with my parents and siblings on the first Sunday of every month for dinner. We usually get a pretty good group, everyone comes when they can. In December, we help my Mom and Dad pull out their Christmas tree from storage and put up their train. Now mind you, this is no regular train. This is a very fancy, very fun, very pricey big train. They now have two engines, a shed to park one of the cars in, and track that goes around most of the family room downstairs. It is a ton of fun. Just ask The Guy.

My nephews are usually in charge of putting up the train. The minute they pulled out the boxes, Guy started screaming "Toot Toot . . . Toot Toot." It was so darling. We think he'll do fine, once it's up and going and he can see not to touch it. I really hope.

The girls were in charge of the Avon nativity, circa 1984, and handing ornaments to the tree decoraters. They just love to help. I wish I could bottle that love for when they turn 13.

So, we're looking pretty festive around here and Grandma and Grandpa's house is looking pretty fun too. Now is when I start skipping around the house singing "The Christmas Song" and listening to Christmas music 24/7. Did I mention I love this time of year?!

Stay tuned for Christmas Chains!

Christmas Traditions: SNOWFLAKES!

I thought I would let you, my blogging public (I think I'm into 10's of loyal fans all over the globe now! Yeah me!) in on some of the things we are doing with our family this year to celebrate Christmas. I must say the first order of business for any parent who wants to keep their sanity at Christmas time is to put on lots of recorded shows when their children watch TV. No commercials! If I hear "OOH, that looks great! I want that!" one more time, the next picture posted on my blog will be of our beautiful TV with a screwdriver through the screen! But I digress . . .

We participated in two of our favorite Christmas activities this weekend, the first of which I'll show you today. I love making snowflakes and the girls really got into it this year (The Guy wasn't interest in the snowflakes but played nearby with his trains, one for each hand, naturally). Number 1 did some great work, Number 2 needs to work on actually cutting pieces out of her snowflakes instead of just cutting into them! Here are some before and after shots:

I wish these photos were better. They don't really do justice to our collective creative genius. But serious backlighting + amateur photographer = sketchy pictures.

Oh, and don't forget the celebratory eating of ice cream (we think The Guy's ice cream was dirt flavored or something, from the look on that face). Anyone who knows my husband's family knows that most activities are followed by eating ice cream. Make snowflakes, eat ice cream . . . play in the snow, eat ice cream . . . get out of bed in the morning, eat ice cream . . . get the picture? I think we're the only home on the block where ice cream is listed on our food storage list. Wheat, check! Oats, check! Honey, check! Rocky Road, check!

So we're looking even more festive around here today. Aren't these original snowflakes fun?

Next up, dinner and decorating at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

What A Way To Ring In The Season!

As if on cue, we were pounded by the white stuff this morning. We couldn't have ordered anything more fun. However, since I was hosting two music recitals at my home this morning, I would have preferred an afternoon snowstorm, rather than a morning slammer. And just to make us all really nervous, the snow blower had a hard time getting started. It was still hibernating for the summer, I think. But My Guy (not to be confused with The Guy, who is two and does not currently understand what a bed is for) won out and convinced it to start. So we cleared the driveway, the recitals were fabulous and now we're all settling down for a movie, some twinkling tree lights and a quiet evening at home.

I'm so excited for this holiday season. We have family coming into town and we're already starting to make fun plans and looking forward to great traditions with Brett-o's side of the family, my side of the family, and some of our own traditions, too! Speaking of traditions, our first one of the season will be making snowflakes tonight. I'll post some pictures soon. I think the girls are going to get a kick out of it. So, put on a pot of a warm beverage of your choice, curl up with a good book or movie and enjoy this splendid season!