The Blog in Review - 2011

I started this blog six months ago.  During that time, I have made a few really great blog friends and gained some AWESOME readers!  There are a few of you that even leave comments.  Most of you are too shy but that’s ok.  I love you anyway!  ;)  But thanks for leaving comments when you can.  I love to read them!

It’s been really fun for me to get to know so many of you through your blogs and through emails back and forth.  

I wanted to take a minute to thank the academy……

Oh wait, that’s not right.  I really just wanted to take a look back at some of my greatest hits here on this blog. 

Here are the FIVE most viewed posts of 2011:

Soda Pop Can Hair Bows (most viewed by a LANDSLIDE! – this was my very first post!)

Busy Bag Ideas (Part 1 here, Part 2 here)

Homemade Butter

Sinful Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownies

Raspberry Cream Cheese Bread

Even though the following posts didn’t make it into the Babblin’ Brooke Hall of Fame according to views, I wanted to post some of MY personal favorites.

Mommy Guilt

A Day of Firsts

I’m Gonna Miss This

You Should Know…

You Should ALSO Know…

Our Sunday Adventures

And there you have it!  I can’t wait for a new year of blogging!  And this time it will be a full year.  None of this starting in June business.  I realize that I’m no photography buff, nor am I a great writer.  But I appreciate all of you that take the time to read this little ol’ nothin’ blog.

I’m curious… what are some of YOUR favorite posts? 

 

Messy, Messy, Messy

Kids have a way of making messes out of just about anything.  My children are no exception.  Here are a few of their most recent antics… and by ‘their’, I mean mostly C.  Are you surprised?

Oh how Anthony despises nail polish!

A hot chocolate spill because two kids were fighting over a particular mug.

Playing with the printer.  A… you know better than that!  Little stinkers!

I swear I left the room for 5 seconds!  A girl’s gotta go potty once in a while… sheesh!

 

And now for a fun C story. 

I was having a conversation with C about his awesome new Mater socks that he got for Christmas.  It went a little something like this:

Me:  C, I like your new Lightning McQueen socks.  Come and show them to me.

C:  (walking towards me)  That’s not Whitening McKeen.  It’s Mater!

Me:  Oh, it’s Mater!  Do you like Mater?

C:  (looking past me toward the couch…)  POOP!  Ew, that’s disgusting!

Me:  (turning around to see what he’s talking about)  **Laughing hysterically!**

 

Hmm, I think he’s got a point.  Until now, I never realized how closely potatoes could resemble poop!

Christmas

It was fabulous, as always! 

Santa made his second appearance for the year to fill stockings and such.  He also left his autograph in the form of a Thank You not for the cookies and Coca-Cola. 

My parents spoiled the kids Christmas Eve night with dresses and suits (which were worn to church ON Christmas, and yes I forgot to get a picture)…

… and new pajamas.  It’s tradition.

They also got their new Christmas ornaments for this year.  K got a beautiful angel, A got a cute little sassy cat wearing sassy boots (you have no idea how fitting this is), H’s ornament was a pair of ballet slippers, C was presented with a Lightning McQueen ornament, and B got a cute little snowman wearing blue, popping out of a blue ‘jack-in-the-box’ box with a star on the front of the box.

And I’m sure that’s what my mom thought it was.  Just a cute little snowman in a blue box.  (It’s a Dallas Cowboys snowman ornament.)  We got a kick out of that as we put the Christmas stuff away.  **Mom, if you’re reading this, just laugh.  It’s funny!**  And really, it is a very cute ornament. 

Christmas morning went as planned.  Luckily, we were able to get to bed relatively early on Christmas Eve this year which made waking up at 7:30 a breeze! 

And now we’re just waiting… for Thursday.  Waiting, and waiting, and waiting. 

No, there’s nothing special about Thursday, just in case you’re wondering.  It just can’t get here quick enough!! 

Thursday is garbage day!  We’re to the point that we are stock piling bags of garbage because we don’t have the kind of garbage men in the movies where they get out and pick it up if your cans are overflowing and you have to leave some of the sacks to the side.  Oh no!  Ours are the kind that pick up the cans with that funky contraption they’ve got that lifts them up and dumps them.  Anything left to side will still be left to the side once they leave. 

After hosting a couple of family Christmas parties and opening up boxes and unwrapping presents, our 2 garbage cans and our recycling cans are all about the explode! 

But hey, it’s all been worth it. 

For breakfast, we had my family’s traditional meal.  Waffles with vanilla ice cream and strawberries (frozen berries with sugar… heated on the stove and mashed).  I don’t know when this tradition started.  I only know that is what we’ve had for breakfast on Christmas for my whole life.  Whoever thought that one up is pure GENIUS!!  Try it, you’ll agree.

**Picture courtesy of my sister.  Thanks Kort!**

Doesn’t it look heavenly?  It is! 

You know, I could go without any presents at all…. just give me my waffles and ice cream and it’s Christmas!!  It’s one tradition that I refuse to change, ever! 

So, what was your favorite part of Christmas this year?

 

The Stranger

I don’t think it’s a bad thing to get excited about Santa Claus and presents, but I think it’s most important to remember our perfect brother, Jesus Christ, for whom we celebrate the glorious holiday in the first place.

I heard this poem several years ago and it has been my favorite ever since. It reminds me of the real reason for the whole Christmas season.

At Christmas time there was a man,
who looked so out of place.
As people rushed about him,
at a hurried sort of pace.

He stared at all the Christmas lights,
the tinsel everywhere.
The shopping center Santa Claus,
with children gathered near.

The mall was packed with shoppers,
who were going to and fro.
Some with smiles, some with frowns,
and some too tired to go.

They rested on benches,
or they hurried on their way.
To fight the crowds for purchases,
to carry home that day.

The music from the stereo,
was playing loud and clear.
Of Santa Claus and snowmen,
and funny nosed reindeer.

He heard the people talk about,
the good times on the way.
Of parties, fun and food galore,
and gifts exchanged that day.

“I'd like to know what's going on,”
the man was heard to say.
”There seems to be some sort,
of celebration on the way.

“And would you tell me who this is,
all dressed in red and white?
And why are children asking
"him" about a special night?”

The answer came in disbelief,
”I can't believe my ear.
I can't believe you do not know,
that Christmas time is here.

“The time when Santa comes around,
with gifts for girls and boys.
When they are asleep on Christmas Eve,
he leaves them books and toys.

“The man you see in red and white,
is Santa Claus so sly.
The children love his joyful laugh,
and twinkle in his eye.

“His gift packed sleigh is pulled along,
by very small reindeer.
As he flies quickly through the air,
while darting here and there.

“The children learn of Santa Claus,
while they are still quite small.
When Christmas comes he is
the most, important one of all!”

The stranger hung His head in shame,
He closed a nail pierced hand.
His body shook in disbelief,
He did not understand.

A shadow crossed His stricken face,
His voice was low but clear.
"After all these years they still don't know."
And JESUS shed a tear.

 

~Author Unknown~

 

In case I don’t get a chance to blog tomorrow…

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 

I hope it’s a great one!  And please, remember Him!!

 

A’s Birthday Post

Last week A turned eight.  Do you know what that means?  It means that we have a baptism coming up very soon.  Soon, as in, New Year’s Eve soon! 

Yes, we’re slightly crazy but we are trying to accommodate for a certain sister of Anthony’s who will be in town.  Except that she informed me the other day that she may leave before that day. 

Um, all I can say is, she better not!!  She made a fuss about us doing it while she’s here (along with her husband and kids) and New Year’s Eve isn’t exactly ideal for us so… Penny, you’re not goin’ anywhere, my friend!!  ;)

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A woke on her birthday to the breakfast of her choice…

They choose sugary cereals as a ‘special breakfast’ because we don’t keep it on hand very often. 

Her party was the following night and we all had a lot of fun.  There were several people that weren’t able to make it… WHAT THE HECK?  Do they think it’s Christmas time or somethin’?  Nobody’s busy or anything….

The kids decorated gingerbread houses.  Not really, they were only graham cracker houses.  I asked a couple of cousins of mine to help contribute to the candy assortment because this is usually a tradition we do with our kids all together at some point during the season.  This year, the night it was planned, my kids were sick so we rescheduled for A’s party.  It works! 

Aren’t they beautiful? 

On to the cake(s).  THIS is the type of cake you get when you have a December birthday. 

I tried to get her to celebrate in November, before all the festivities but she refused.  Something about it not feeling like her birthday.  Fair enough!

She blew all her candles out in one breath… several times.  Gotta love trick candles!  And all her cousins, siblings and friends helped out after the first three attempts.  None of the adults wanted cake after that.  I can’t imagine why.

Lucky for them, I had a backup plan!  Besides, the first cake was WAY too small for everyone. 

Cupcakes were served alongside the Peppermint Fudge ice cream.  Ever tried it?  I think it’s new, and delicious!!

And this is how C decided to consume his cupcake…

**Sigh** I just don’t know what to do with that boy! ~

I haven’t had a moment to interview A like I did for K, yet.  It’s on my list!  I’ll add it once it’s done.  Holiday birthdays are so finicky! 

For now, I just want to tell you that A is a special little gal.  She really is.  Fire and ice!!  She’s a very stubborn and headstrong little thing.  Sometimes she’s hard to reason with but I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the whole wide world. 

A is beautiful inside and out.  She made me a mom for the second time and for that, I am so grateful!  I don’t know where I would be without her.

I love you B-Boat (Don’t ask)!

 

A Dental Emergency, a Cape, and a Glove

This past Sunday night, my parents came over to play some games.  Hand and Foot!  Ever played?  It’s a card game.  Similar to Canasta.

Well, when we play games at our house, Anthony and I like to do it a little later so the kids can go to bed and we can play in peace.  Not too long after we had sent them to their rooms, H came back into the kitchen complaining of a sore gum and a bump above her silver tooth.  It’s the tooth she had worked on years ago after I noticed a gigantic cavity.  I’m positive it was the result of bathing her teeth in soda every time she got the chance.  She wouldn’t just drink it, she had to swish it in her mouth before swallowing. 

When I took a look at her gum, sure enough, there was a bright red bump.  I knew instantly what was wrong…. the tooth had died!!

A dead tooth means a trip to the dentist to have the culprit removed.  I know from experience.  Twice, in fact.  K has had two teeth die.  TWO!  A dead tooth causes infection which can affect the permanent tooth underneath if not removed.  They first told me that it happens 1 out of 50 times a baby tooth has work done.  It was just bad luck!  The second time, we were told that it happens 20% of the time to baby teeth.  AND we were told that it can NOT happen to adult teeth.  Good to hear!

I called the dentist first thing Monday morning and we had an appointment set for that afternoon.  Upon seeing the x-ray, the dentist confirmed my suspicion.  Oh, and this time I was told that it happens a third of the time… what the heck?  AND, it CAN happen to permanent teeth as well.  I’m beyond confused. 

Luckily, the tooth was already loose.  The dentist was sure the root had dissolved because of the infection. 

Sadly, that was not the case.  The tooth broke right at the gum line and all the roots were still inside.  Poor H had to endure the likes of a small spoon digging up in her gum for the roots which ended up coming out in about a hundred shattered pieces.

 

Finally, it was all out!  They put the main part of the tooth in a little box for the tooth fairy to find.  H’s very first visit from the Tooth Fairy!!

Did I mention that the tooth STUNK!!  Holy… somethin’!!  Not even joking, it was foul!  There was definitely infection goin’ on up in there. 

Now I can breathe again…

Thanks for caring. ;)

And now for a look at some future fun we’re going to have with H’s tiny palate.  (Seriously, she’s got the tiniest mouth.  The dentist always comments on it.)

Take a look at those x-rays below… the two bottom ones show the infected tooth.  The black in the root area is BAD!  That’s how they know the tooth has died. 

But now, look at the top x-rays.  Notice how twisted and mangled the gigantic permanent teeth are.  Those are her 2 front teeth (top left) that will be coming in once she loses the baby ones.  I’m 110% sure we’re going to need some intervention in the form of an orthodontist.  Ya think?  Just a wee bit crowded!!

Anyway, H was a true superhero and they gave her a cape to prove it. 

She adores it!  It only comes off at bedtime and when she showers.  Other than that, she wears it everywhere!!

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And now, on a completely unrelated note, apparently C found some scissors in the girls’ room.

 

This should be effective… A was NOT amused.

Peppermint Pudding Cookies

I am so excited to share this recipe!  It’s slightly adapted from this recipe that I just discovered the other day.  I had to tweak it a bit because apparently the store that I shop at isn’t cool enough to carry Peppermint pudding mix.  But it really doesn’t matter because my version turned out delicious!!  Plus I tweaked a couple other things. 

Peppermint Pudding Cookies

2-1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. sugar

1 (3.4 oz) package instant White Chocolate Pudding Mix (or Vanilla)

3/4 c. yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. peppermint extract

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. Andes ‘peppermint crunch’ baking chips (white chocolate chips will do)

1/2 c. crushed peppermint candy canes (or just buy them already crushed) ;)

Preheat oven to 350*.

Cream butter and sugars together in the bowl of your mixer (or a large mixing bowl). Add pudding mix and cake mix.  Blend well.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda.  Add to the wet mixture a little at a time until it’s fully incorporated.  Stir in baking chips and crushed candy canes.  Roll into 1” balls and place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

**Below is a picture of the baking chips and crushed candy canes in case you want to look for them in your grocery store.

I hope you love them!  My family sure did. 

 

Sugar Cookies {Two Recipes!}

No holiday is complete without sugar cookies.  Wouldn’t you agree? 

My kids love to help in the kitchen and making sugar cookies is one of their very favorite things!  They love choosing their favorite cookie cutters for the season and pushing them into the dough, placing them on the cookie sheets and watching them bake.  Letting them cool is absolute torture for them.  Luckily, sugar cookies cool pretty quickly and we are able to frost them shortly after placing them on the cooling rack. 

I’ve come to the conclusion that sugar cookies are a very personal thing.  Some folks prefer them to be extra soft while others prefer them to be a bit crisper.  Do you have a personal favorite when it comes to sugar cookies, yet?  Or are you still searching for that perfect recipe? 

Here you’ll find two recipes…. the ever-famous ‘sour cream sugar cookie’ and the traditional sugar cookie.  The sour cream version (which I got from a ward cookbook) is much softer and tends to grow quite a bit in the oven.  The second recipe (from my sis-in-law) is still soft but is a bit crispier and seems to stay flatter in the oven. 

{Pictured is the Sour Cream version – K made the dough all by herself!}

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies - Anthony’s favorite

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. sour cream

2 1/2 – 3 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. soda

Preheat oven to 350*.

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add egg, vanilla, and sour cream.  Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to wet mixture a little at a time.  Once it’s thoroughly combined, cover and chill the dough for at least an hour. 

Roll dough on a flat, floured surface.  It may take quite a bit of flour.  This is a pretty sticky dough.  Roll to about 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut into favorite shapes.  Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 8 or 9 minutes.  Do not over bake!

Decorate!

Delicious Sugar Cookies – Brooke’s favorite

1 c. butter or margarine, softened

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

6 T. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

5 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 375*.

Mix wet ingredients.  In separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and add a little at a time until fully incorporated.  Roll to 1/4 inch thick and cut into favorite shapes.  Bake for 8 – 10 minutes.

**For the record, the kids just don’t really have a favorite.  They just like cookies!  Who cares what recipe is used, right?

Performances and an old friend

All three girls have had their dance performances.  Hooray! 

A performed last night at a local high school.  K performed twice.  Once at The Festival of Trees on the 2nd and again tonight at a nursing home, along with H.  Tight quarters there at the nursing home.  Most of the parents didn’t even get to watch.  I was one of them.  It would have been just fine with me except that this was H’s very first performance EVER and I missed it.  :(

Anthony and the boys went back to the car after realizing there was extremely limited space.  

On a happier note, I got to see one of my old good friends!  She happens to work at the nursing home the girls performed at. 

Never mind that my face went beet red upon seeing her.  It’s normal for me.  I hate it but I don’t know how to prevent it.  It doesn’t matter who it is, if I know someone and I run into them somewhere, I feel my face get really hot and red!  I stood in the get-embarrassed-over-just-about-everything line in heaven… probably a few times.  It seems that I must have also stood in the line that prevents me from knowing what to say when I run into someone I know.  Especially someone from my past.  I just babble (ok, I know I babble here too but it’s much worse when I run into someone) and talk about… NOTHING!  Such a geek, I am! 

And do you know what I discovered?  I discovered that I really miss my Heidi friend!  It was so fun to see her.  **And if she happens to be reading this, I really do think that we need to go to lunch sometime… I promise to rehearse ahead of time so I can actually have an intellectual conversation.  You’ll still have to deal with the red face.  It goes away… after a while ;)**

Heidi and I were like bread and butter when she first moved to my neighborhood.  Thick as thieves I tell you (now watch, she’ll disagree)!  We just clicked.  Complete opposites but I learned so much from her. 

She memorized every stinkin’ one of the scripture mastery scriptures for the Book of Mormon in 9th grade.  It was pretty much awesome!  I always wanted to follow in her footsteps but only came in at a close second.

I memorized all but two…

Alright, you win!  I cannot tell a lie.  I didn’t memorize a single one.  They were just supposed to come to me like magic!  You know, I was going to reap all the benefits without any of the work.  I just don’t understand why it didn’t happen like that.  UGH!

Anyway, I’m getting way off track here.  It’s almost 2:00 am (yes, I’m insane) and I’m about to go on a streak of complete random.  As in, I will have no control over what I type. 

So, point at hand, all the stressful dance performances are over which means that we can now start focusing on OTHER Christmasy things.  Like cookies!  C has been begging to make some and I promise they are coming. 

We’ve got a birthday party to plan, 2 (possibly 3) Christmas parties to attend and Christmas Eve coming up – all of which require food.  That means RECIPES! 

And just because I did a post yesterday without a picture, I’m throwing this pic in for you to enjoy laugh at.  Are we super cute or what? 

Don’t answer that!

 

Dear Santa,

Just wanted to drop you a line.  Or a list, rather. 

I know that all families do things just a little bit different.  Some have you bring EVERYTHING, some ask for very little, some want you to bring only one gift per person so that they can take care of the rest, some may not want you to come at all.  I respect each one of their decisions. 

Last year I heard an idea that I really loved.  A friend of mine mentioned that Santa brings four gifts for each of her children. 

• something they want
• something they need
• something to wear
• something to read

It’s so simple and I’ve fallen in love with this idea!  I’ve heard the ‘gold, frankincense, and myrrh’ idea as well.  Also a great one but I love love love the want, need, wear, read.  Not too little, not too much!  Not to mention practical…

This year, as well as last, are kind of difficult because you’ve had helpers.  Actually, I like to call them angels!  I thank my Heavenly Father for them every day!

And next year, we totally plan on using this. 

I realize that I shouldn’t be asking for anything at all.  After all, the only thing I really need for Christmas is for my kids to have happy, smiling faces!  But I wanted to give this whole want, need, wear, read thing a shot! 

Don’t worry… I don’t actually plan on you bringing any of it.  Maybe next year ;).  Just humor me for now…  I’ll throw Anthony’s in there, too.  We’re just getting a jump on our lists for the future.  That’s fair, right?

 

Brooke’s List

• Want – a nice camera… semi-professional (Canon or Nikon)
• Need – a new dishwasher… seriously, a major need at this point
• Wear – a belt… or maybe a new bra
• Read – Jane Austen books, The Hunger Games series, or any other classic.
• **Extra** – GAMES!!  I love board games!!

Anthony’s List

• Want – Running Gear (anything really)
• Need – He’s totally on board with the dishwasher idea
• Wear – new garments (exciting, eh?)
• Read – A Book of Mormon study book (I forget what it’s called)
• **Extra** – a Transformers Lego set… probably Bumblebee!

And now, Santa, if you could get others to share with me how they do Christmas, that would be great! 

Love,

Brooke

 

“I needa go potty!”

I really hope we can still be friends after this post. 

I had a nice Christmas-y post planned for today but when my kids give me something blog worthy (in other words, something I want to remember), I’ve just got to go with it.  Christmas tomorrow… I promise!!

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Today (Monday) was my mother-in-law’s birthday… Happy Birthday to her!  She invited everyone over for chili and cornbread.  As we were waiting for the chili to finish cooking, Anthony and his dad decided to go to Lowe’s for some materials they needed for my in-law’s basement that Anthony is currently working on. 

Anthony offered to take C with him.  I am not one to argue ;)

When they got back, C came running in telling me that he had ‘peed in the potty at the store!’

Indeed, he had… Anthony took pictures to prove it.  Although, I couldn’t figure out why this was so significant.  He’s been potty trained for quite some time.

Then I heard the full story from Anthony and his dad (who could not stop laughing, by the way)!

C had told them twice, “I needa go potty!”

Apparently the plea fell on deaf ears.  But no matter, C found his own potty while Anthony was 2 aisles away and Grandpa couldn’t keep up. 

**The zoomed out version of the first picture**

That’s right… he peed in one of the display toilets… at Lowe’s! 

I was mortified upon hearing the news.  The first question I asked was “Did you at least tell someone?” 

Yes, Anthony told someone.  He claimed to know that would be the first question I would ask. 

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So, was that just too much?  Are we still friends?

In all fairness, he’s 3.  He has no idea that he did anything wrong.  That’s what makes it so funny to me!

Happenings

So much for writing “every day” in December, eh?  I’m trying but I’ve been extremely busy with… boys.  All three of them! 

B has been busy taking lessons in the art of tantrum throwing.  He’s a quick learner.  Of course, it helps that he’s got the gold medalist himself as a mentor.  Oh, not only is C teaching him how to throw himself to the ground in protest any time he doesn’t get his way, he has also taught him how to spit (see here and here)!  B doesn’t quite have it down yet.  He still has to gather it up in his mouth for a few seconds before there’s enough to actually spit out.  Even then, it falls to the floor slowly…. after pooling on his chin first.  It’s pretty much awesome.

C has been busy not only giving lessons in spitting and tantrum throwing but he’s perfecting his aim in the throwing department.  Just yesterday he threw this angel at A.  She now only has one wing…. not A, the angel. ;) 

C is also working on his artistic abilities.  I’ll have to take pictures tomorrow.  I might have been too upset about it today.  There are several ‘mysterious’ blue colored pencil marks (some are quite large) in several different areas of the house.  Everything seems to be his canvas; the girls’ freshly painted pink bed, the couch, a large section of wall in his bedroom (the same wall with the nail polish), and the wall next to the heater he likes to sit on when it’s blowing (next to the couch). 

Speaking of said heater… look what I found down in there when C removed the cover today. 

Too bad we had just thrown the bodies of these dolls away because the heads were nowhere to be found.

Anthony has recently cooked up some shenanigans as well.  My favorite is this… (The one on the bottom looks horrible but I promise I wash it!)

Me (as I’m washing my cookie sheets after they mysteriously showed up in the sink):  Holy cow!  What happened to my pans?  Why are they all scratched up?  That’s weird!

Anthony:  What do you mean?  Is something wrong with them? 

Me:  Yeah, they’re scratched really bad!  One of them is even gouged and has a sharp piece sticking up.

Anthony:  Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize it did that. 

Me:  What do you mean?  Did you do this? 

Anthony:  Yeah.  That’s how I moved my pool table the other night. 

(We rearranged the basement so we could actually use it as a family room.  The pool table [which is a very heavy slate table] usually has to be moved by several men.  Anthony was too impatient to wait!)

Apparently he used the cookie sheets under the back two legs of the pool table so that it would slide easily.  Then he just Supermanned it!  But really, couldn’t he have at least put a towel over the cookie sheet to prevent scratching them so badly? 

Silly him!  Silly all of them. 

My boys… I love ‘em!  How boring life would be without them!

**P.S.  Next week and the following should be full of recipes and gift ideas.  Stay tuned!  The girls and I have lots of plans!**  

 

Motivation

This post has nothing at all to do with Christmas. 

Well, maybe that’s not entirely true because I was actually at a Christmas party… which gave me the idea (you’ll find out in a minute)… which may not have the happiest of results but definitely happier than I had expected… still, I’ve got a some serious work to do.

So, other than the party this post has nothing to do with Christmas.

There I was, at my Relief Society Christmas dinner Tuesday night.  My mom went with me because ever since she’s been back from California, we are pretty much joined at the hip.  It’s been a lot of fun. 

We had just finished the dinner portion (lasagna) and the program was starting.  A fashion show!  Mostly dresses because our theme came from the book The Hundred Dresses and we, as a Relief Society tried to collect 100 dresses for charity.  I’m not sure how many we actually ended up with but I think we collected more.  Go us! 

Anyway, there were a couple of girls in the fashion show who modeled their wedding dresses.  One of them has three little girls and the other has a little boy.  They both looked absolutely stunning in their dresses!  They FIT!  Gorgeous!

It got me thinking… (scary, I know!)

I thought, hmm, I wonder if I could fit into my wedding dress.  I think I could have after my first round of P90X (I finished in June) but I’ve since gained almost all a smidgen of the weight back.  And did you know that five pounds of muscle takes up way less space than five pounds of fat?  Yes, I’m sure you knew that.  Even I know that but for heaven’s sake, does it really need to be that way?  So, even if I weighed the same amount now but replaced all the fat with muscle, I would be a different dress size.  How rude! 

Can’t I just take a magic pill to turn it all into muscle? 

So sorry, I’m getting way off track here. 

Back at the ranch… I got home Tuesday night and pulled out my wedding dress.  I haven’t tried it on for over 11 years!!  (Holy cow is it dirty!  I think I forgot to have it cleaned after the wedding… whoops!)  Anthony couldn’t figure out what the heck I was doing but I asked him to come over and help me zip it up.  THIS was it!  The moment of truth…. 

Would it zip?  I was sure it would stop in the middle of my back. 

Surprisingly, it zipped… all.the.way!!  No problems! 

Ok, so maybe there was a bit of tugging and prodding and maybe I had to suck in a bit.  I may have even had a lot of a little trouble breathing once it was on but the point is, it zipped! 

Anthony thought it hilarious that I couldn’t breathe.  I practically had to beg him to unzip the dress for me.  The punk rocker, sheesh! 

And thus begins my new round of P90X.  I’m gonna get back into that wedding dress!  Maybe I’ll be asked to model it in a fashion show one day.  Good thing I wasn’t asked this time around, eh?  I’ll let you know how it fits after 90 days ;)

Anyone else wanna get back into their wedding dress with me?  We can do it!!

 

St. Nicholas Feast Day

One of the traditions I didn’t mention in this post was St. Nicholas Feast Day.  Probably because it wasn’t a true tradition for us… until now.  I figure it can’t be called ‘tradition’ until it’s been done at least twice. 

My cousins moved a lot when we were kids.  Army brats.  At one point, they lived in Germany for a span of 3 years.  When they came back, I hardly recognized any of them.  The one my age was a boy.  I remember being there at the airport when they landed and I watched for each one of them to get off the plan.  Aunt and uncle I recognized, no problem.  The kids, not at all.  Then this boy got off the plane, ran up to me and gave me a GIANT bear hug.

Um, excuse me, do I know you? 

Yes, it was the boy cousin but it sure didn’t look like him.  He was just so big… and different!

Well, years later, the cousin just younger than me (part of that same family) served a mission in Germany.  Surprised?  Me neither. 

When she came home, I asked her to come and teach us a little bit about German Christmas traditions and customs.  She taught us a few and I fell in love with the idea of S. Nicholas coming the night of December 5th so the kids wake up to shoes filled with candy on December 6th… if they’ve been good.  If they’ve been naughty, they get a switch. 

December 5th would come and go every year without me ever thinking about it.  I’d always say ‘Well, I guess we’ll wait until next year.’  Then last year my brain was actually functioning for half a second and I remembered!  Go me!!

We don’t do the feast part on December 6th but I’m thinking we should have.  Maybe next year.

To be honest, I didn’t even remember this year about the whole shoe thing until K mentioned it after noticing the date on the calendar.  So, guess who went to Wal-mart after midnight for some candy. 

Me?  Psshhh!  That’s funny.

I sent Anthony.  I know, I’m the best wife pretty much EVER!  Hey Anthony, it’s midnight.  Go buy some candy! 

The kids loved waking up to this!  C ate his whole tube of Runts… the girls each split theirs evenly amongst themselves to get more variety.  C found H’s ‘hidden’ tube o’ variety and ate all but one piece. 

Sigh.  That kid has no self control.  Takes after his mother Anthony.

Don’t those sixlets just take you back in time?  I’m not the only one that ate those things, I hope.

 

In Preparation…

So, a while back we started a ‘weekend project’, do you remember? 

Ok, so it took way longer than just the weekend.  We’re busy.  That’s the only excuse I’ve got. 

But, with Christmas coming (and all the whining that had been going on in the kids’ room recently) we decided to just buck up and finish it!  The girls really wanted to be in their new room by Christmas. 

To see how it looked before, be sure and check out the link above.  Pretty scary!

Much better, no?  Pretend the beds are made.

The girls LOVE it!  And poor little C thought he was moving downstairs with them.  Instead, he got a new roommate in the form of B.  We finally moved him out of OUR room!  Yes, I know he’s a year and a half and it’s pretty pathetic that he was still in our room with us – NOT in our bed, just in our room.  None of our other kids made it past four months old. 

C was happy with the change… B took a couple of days to get used to it.  He was one mad little man those first couple of nights.

Dad had no problem adjusting to the change.  Mom, however, is taking a bit longer.  I didn’t think I’d miss having him in there with me but surprisingly, I do!  It won’t be long before I’m basking in the freedom… no more tiptoeing around in the dark or whispering to avoid waking him.  That part has been nice.

And now we’re all ready for new Christmas stuff!  Do you make your kids get rid of some old toys to make room for the new? 

 

Christmas Traditions

What would Christmas be without traditions?  We all have them.  I love and cherish ours. 

When Anthony and I got married, I have to admit that he thought some of my family’s traditions were really weird.  He was totally wrong.  Our traditions were really cool, not really weird.  But what did he know back then?  He’s adapted and has come to love the traditions that make Christmas special to me.  We’ve added a few of our own over the years, too. 

Anthony’s family didn’t have a whole lot of traditions so it was easy to push mine on him encourage him to adopt some of mine. 

I remember going to his Grandma’s and Grandpa’s Christmas party a couple of years in the beginning of our marriage but then it stopped.  From there, his family has put on their own Christmas party every year.

Traditions are what make Christmas Christmas, if you ask me.  It just wouldn’t feel like Christmas without certain traditions.  Some of the traditions I just couldn’t live without include

• decorating the Christmas tree (I know, original, right?)

This is traditionally done at our house on the Monday after Thanksgiving as our Family Home Evening activity. 

Speaking of decorating the tree, that brings me to another of my favorite traditions.  This one began when K was very small.  My mom and dad buy each grandkid (that consists of only MY children… my siblings have no kids, yet) an ornament or set of ornaments each year.  Sometimes they all match and sometimes they are completely unique.  And almost ALWAYS, they are fragile.  You’ll notice on the tree below that there are no fragile ornaments amongst the clusters.  {The kids decorated}  We don’t put the fragile ornaments up with little ones around.  Especially not B and C.  They would ‘accidentally’ drop them to the floor on purpose… just to see what happens.  So, this is a ‘no fragile ornaments’ year.  It happens about every other year. 

 

Another favorite tradition we have is opening one present on Christmas Eve.  It’s always pajamas courtesy of my parents.  Sometimes the adults get some but the kids know they’ll get new jammies every year.  I grew up with that tradition.  Anthony’s grandma used to make them each pajamas growing up to open on Christmas Eve.  I don’t think the tradition continued for him after she was no longer able to continue. 

One of Anthony’s traditions is Christmas Coke!  He has to buy a 6 pack of Christmas Coke every year.  He usually cracks into it when we put the tree up.  This year, C was determined to have a Christmas Coke as well.  He was NOT going to have the boring ol’ 2 liter of root beer poured into a cup. 

Little does he know that we poured the root beer into an empty Coke bottle.  We win!!  He sure was proud of that Christmas ‘Coke’!

Christmas Eve brings a few other traditions at our house besides the jammies.  We always read the REAL Christmas story from the Bible just before bedtime.  But before that, we read a Christmas book.  We try to get a new one each year but we’ve had years that it just isn’t feasible to do.  Those are the years we read a book that we already own.  We all agree on our favorite but I can’t reveal it yet.  That’s in another post ;)

We also have to make cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.  It’s a must!  We also leave carrots out for the reindeer which the girls swear they hear them munching on above them on the roof.  They hear it every year!  Oh, and they hear Santa’s milk cup being set down as well.  It’s kind of crazy.

Another tradition we have during the holidays is baking for our neighbors.  My mom and I (along with several other relatives) have been getting together to bake cookies and other goodies for the past several years…. which reminds me… Um, mom?  When are we getting together?  We ARE baking, right?  It wouldn’t be Christmas if we didn’t!  People are counting on Greek cookies!  We HAVE to bake!!  “Do you hear what I’m tellin’ you?  The prince is marrying the sea witch… IN THE SKIES!!”  {That’s H’s rendition of the classic line from The Little Mermaid.  Just thought I’d throw that in there.}

Now, where was I?  Oh yes, baking.  We must bake.  That’s all.

More traditions… my kids would love for caroling to be a family tradition.  We did it once, a few years ago with a group from our ward.  SO FUN!  My little family on our own?  Hmm, not so much.  Probably would still be fun but seriously, no one wants to hear the adults in this family sing.  TRUST ME!  However, I hope to be remedying that very soon (details to come) ;)  Anthony will still have to stink at it.  Sorry, Mister…  But I’ll get better!

For now, I only carol in groups.  Large groups! 

Other traditions that we love include going to Temple Square to see the lights, driving around to different neighborhoods to see lights, and making gingerbread houses.

Christmas parties on both sides of the family include the White Elephant gift exchange (although it seems to work better for one side than the other… just sayin’). 

Nice gifts with price limits, not TRUE white elephant gifts like a used breast pump or something.  EW!  

Christmas day traditions are HUGE for me.  My absolute favorite tradition growing up?  Sending the little sister up to wake mom and dad (that way I wasn’t the one to get in trouble)………… at 4:00 a.m.  That’s right!  I could never ever sleep on Christmas Eve.  EVER!  That night always lasted way longer than normal, I swear. 

Unfortunately for me, my parents would never allow us to get up at 4:00 (I just don’t get it) so my sister and I would stay up watching A Christmas Story or The Wonder Years (it was a marathon every year) until mom and dad would let us get up.  Waiting until 7:30 was TORTURE!!

After seeing all that Santa had brought and opening gifts from parents, we’d get dressed and drive over to my Grandma’s house for waffles with strawberries and ice cream.  I don’t know how or when that tradition started.  I just know that it’s not Christmas without our waffle/strawberry/ice cream brunch.  That, right there, makes Christmas for me.  I could do without everything else as long as all my aunts, uncles, cousins, brother, sister, mom, dad, grandpa, kids, and husband are there to celebrate and eat waffles with me, I’d be happy as can be and my Christmas would be complete! 

And now you know some of my favorite traditions.  What are yours?  I’d love to hear!

 

Our Advent Calendar

Before I get into the calendar, I need to announce the winner of the Hand Vibes giveaway… (It’s still Friday ;))

The winner is Briana!  Congratulations!  I hope you enjoy them.  (P.S.  I always got Lipsmackers in my stocking, too!)

And now on to the calendar.

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This year, we are trying to focus more on the Christ aspect of Christmas.  Don’t get me wrong, we are huge fans of Santa Claus around here.  I believe Santa is a very Christ-like ‘being’ and we try to focus on those aspects.  We just wanted to integrate more of Christ himself into our holiday this year. 

That’s why we decided to study the Names of Christ for the days leading up to Christmas.  To be honest, I had no idea that Christ actually has so many names.  I found the idea on a blog that I absolutely love.  Here is the link.  She’s got TONS of other great ideas, too.  Just look around, you’re bound to find something you love there!     

I was able to find some free printable Christmas tags here that I copied and pasted onto Word, printed it out (duh!), then I wrote all the names on each of the 25 tags before cutting them out.  On the back, I wrote all the dates.  So far (last night and tonight), the girls have really enjoyed it.  We’ve learned that Christ, Messiah, and Anointed One all mean the same thing.  They just originate from different languages.

 

As much as I would have loved to have them at a height accessible for all the kids to reach and actually participate in the flipping of each days’ name, I have two little monkeys (C and B) that would have the whole calendar torn apart quicker than I could say… anything, really.  **Sigh** Someday we’ll have nice things.  Maybe. 

But until then, we must keep advent calendars up high. 

You really should go check it out.

**P.S.  Please forgive me for not posting as often lately.  It’s been a crazy few weeks for us and our insane December has just begun but I plan to post every day for the month of December.  Stay tuned, I’ve got lots of recipes, gift ideas, and real life stories to share.**