Merry Christmas!!

I hope you've all had as fabulous of a Christmas as we have had. It's been a nice, relaxing day, filled with good food, good fun, lots of games and toys, and just enjoying each other. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Families.

I just have to say, I love my ward. We had a wonderful Christmassy Sacrament meeting today. We have a lot of musical talent in our ward. From vocal to instrumental. It was great. So much talent! We have a young man who plays the organ for Sacrament and the piano for the choir. He is very talented. Unfortunately, he has an epileptic condition and had a seizure during the program. It actually has happened a few times before. But there is always someone equally talented who can just step up and fill in for him when that happens. I just love my ward family! I hope we can find a new home in our ward boundries.

We had a great time at our Blad family Christmas party. Everyone was there, which makes for a large group. 17 adults and I think 36 grandkids. (I've lost count of how many grandkids there are now.) The grandkids 12 and under draw names and exchange gifts. It's so fun to watch how excited they are not only to open the gift they recieved, but see someone open the gift they brought, and see their excitement as well. I have felt an overwhelming sense of love for my family this past week. Even though everyone may not alway agree or get along, we really do have so much fun when we are together. That goes for my side of the family, too. I often wish we all lived closer, so we could see each other more often. I'm just so grateful for family!

Straight No Chaser

Okay, since I still can't figure out how to put a video from Utube on my blog, you have to go here ( Yea! I did it! Thanks Ashlee!) and listen to this awsome acapella group sing the 12 days. It's awsome. Hope you enjoy!

HOT!

Okay, so I was in the laundry room (our furnace is also in the laundry room), and I was really warm in there. And then I noticed the rest of the house felt warm, too. Then the kids started asking "Why is it so hot in here?" So I checked the thermostat and SOMEBODY had turned it up to NINETY-SIX! Holy Crap! Of course everyone in denying that they did it. I know it wasn't me, and I know it wasn't Cory. That leaves 4 suspects. So it's now a balmy 80 degrees in our home. Perhaps I'll just take advantage, and imagine I'm in Hawaii at the poolside.

Last Minute Gifts.

So, true to my nature, I have once again put off making my SIL gifts. I hadn't even come up with an idea. Since the Blad family party is tomorrow, I have been racking my brain all day trying to think of something to make. I just really enjoy making little homemade, crafty-type gifts for my sisters-in-law. Usually something
Christmas related. 3-4 years ago, I made this little primative nativity.

As I was walking around Micheal's today, waiting for some sort of creative inspiration to hit me upside the head, I found some little square wooden frames for $1. I picked 10 of them up, not really knowing what I was going to do with them. Then, while walking down the isle with all the styrofoam & hot glue gun stuff, I noticed the glass pebbles. (I love making magnets with them!) When I saw the glass pebbles, I remembered seeing a post on Becky Higgen's blog. (http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/. If you look in her October archives, you can find the post. Someone needs to teach me how to link a site to a word, so you can just click on the word, and voila, you get to the site.) She had created an art piece scrapbook paper, an 8x10 frame, and glass pebbles. The wooden frames I had found would require painting, and were somewhat smaller than the frame she used, but an idea hit me none the less. I must say I am pretty pleased with the outcome. I had some larger sized glass pebbles at home that I had picked up from Target this summer, (I love target!), and I knew I had tons of Christmas paper, so after purchasing the frames, I came home and created these. I had some cute

paper that had "believe" written all over it. So I cut those out, ran them through my little Xyron Create-a-Sticker, and adhered them to the pebbles. It's kind of hard to see in the pictures. I have to apologize for the pictures. I am far from a professional. And a few months ago, Cory dropped our camera on the cement while at a cub scout pack meeting. We can no longer focus on close up pics. Anyway, I hope they like them. I think they are pretty cute!

Where have I been?

Wow! This week just flew by, didn't it? I've been so busy! I pretty much cancelled everything I had planned for today, just so I could have a break. And it has been so nice! Jake and I made some cookies yesterday for cub scouts. He was so cute, and such a great helper. He even cracked an egg, right into the bowl, and didn't even get any shells in it. What a genius! (lol) Can I just say that I love my KitchenAid? I got it last year for Christmas, and haven't used it much, but I love it when I do. I love that I can throw stuff in the bowl, turn it on, and walk away for a minute. Then you come back and voila, it's mixed. You don't even have to scrape the sides of the bowl, but I still do anyway.

The kids got some early Christmas presents last night. Mom and Dad are going to Nebraska for Christmas, and so they brought over our presents last night. Mom wanted to watch the kids open something, so they got to open 1 gift. They each got a monogrammed towel, a book, and a shirt. They loved it! And I love that they each have their own towels, now. Thanks Mom & Dad!

And one last thing. We finally got our custom made, log furniture for our bedroom. Cory did some insulation for a Mennonite family in Elko, who happen to make this beautiful stuff. We were lucky enough to trade some of the cost for some furniture. We've actually been waiting for it for over a year. And they brought it up today. I absolutely love it, especially the dresser. I'm still trying to get used to the bed, though. It looks like it was built for Hagrid. It is SO big. But I still like it. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Jalepeno winners

Tonight we had nachos for dinner. Not healthy, I know, but we eat them every so ofter, cause they're fun. I bought some sliced jalepeno's in a jar, because I thought Cory would like them. Well, Cory decided it would be good fun if the kids ate one. He told them if they ate 1 jalepeno slice, he would give them a dollar. Gabby was all about getting a dollar. We told her it would be hot, that she couldn't cry, and then I filled her glass up with milk. She popped it in her mouth, chewed, gagged but didn't throw up, then drank so much milk, she wasn't at all hungry for her nachos. She kept looking at me, on the verge of tears, but she never cried, and now she is the proud owner of a dollar. Alex, not to be outdone by his sister, decided to try also. He has decided that he does not like jalepenos. But he too prevailed, and now has a dollar. Madi wasn't about to try, and I wouldn't let Jake try. So that, along with the kids drawing names for Christmas, was our FHE activity. Good fun!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

So, last night it snowed. We woke up to this, and I was amazed it actually snowed enought to cover the grass. And amazingly, it hasn't all melted away. I love the snow, as long as nobody has to drive on yucky, dangerous roads. Although, around the end of January I will eat these words and whine about the cold and the snow, and wish for spring to appear. Today, we just stayed home and cleaned and played. Should have been preparing for Christmas in some way, but I didn't. I guess I can do that when the kids are at school. Cory was a good Daddy, and played with the kids outside, while I stayed in and dejunked Alex's room, and folded laundry. Holy crap we have alot of clothes! Anyway, Cory and Jake make this very cute snowman. I love this picture. If I had a good printer, I would use this for a Christmas card. Maybe we'll try that for next year. Wouldn't It be cute to make a Snowan nativity? Maybe someday it will snow enough to do that. Well, I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! I have to go get ready for yet another Christmas party. I love this time of year!

Elfin' Kids

This is the funniest thing. We turned our kids into elves. Take a look.
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1206310110

Poor Jake looks a little girly, I think his elf is a girl. And Madi just looks happy to be there.
Enjoy!

Cute Advent

I absolultely love this advent I found at discovering life. Here is the link. http://robynwerlich.typepad.com/discovering_life/2007/12/december.html
She found the kit at Target. I love Target! I will be adding this to my list of things to make and do. That list just keeps getting longer and longer. Maybe by next Christmas, I'll have some projects completed.

Jake, my 3yo, is so cute. The other day he was snuggling with me, watching TV. I looked over at him and he was watching me, smiling. He took my face in his two chubby little hands and said. "You are the cutest little Mama." I just meltled. What a sweet boy.

I'm a winner!

I won! Over at The Goodie Box,(click on the link under my "blogs to visit") they are doing a 12 Days of Christmas thing. Everyday for 12 days, they are posting a Christmas decor idea, along with a video. The first day was yesterday. They are also having giveaways everyday. All you have to do to enter is to comment. Well, lucky me, who never wins anything , won Day 1! Yippee! So, everyone go check it out, and maybe you can win, too! Good Luck!

Disclaimer: this is kinda gross

Jake doesn't let us know he needs to go potty until it's at the urgent point. Yesterday he came to me frantically "I have to go potty!", so we went into the bathroom. He's discovered he can pee standing up, so I asked him did he need to pee or poo, and he said " just pee" so I positioned him in front of the toilet and left to change out of my church clothes. I'm in my closet when I hear "Aawww, aaarghh!" I yelled from the closet "What's wrong?" he replied "My poop came out!" I thought what?, did he just say what I think he said? Sure enough, he had been surprised. It totally caught him off guard. And he was so disappointed. He's done so good not to have any accidents. But his reation was just so funny. I guess you probably had to be there.