EXERCISE!

Okay. So. I have been slacking off big time in my exercise habits lately... I make excuses and what not about being soooo busy and not having a car and not having the energy, missing all my old work-out buddies and work-out spots... the usual! Well, I have turned over a new leaf (hopefully) after reading a lovely little blog. The post that I especially loved is her last post (I wish it wasn't her last!) but it really moved me and hopefully it will MOVE me tomorrow as I try to get out and do some quality exercising! Yee haw! Check out her blog via my favorite post, here. Thanks!! 

Cards for a 5 for $5

Here's some cuties that I made for a Five for $5 I'm doing tonight... They turned out pretty cute I think! I used the Pick a Petal stamp set, several sentiments (Wow Flowers, All Holidays, & Birthday Wish) and all SU! paper and products... As always, you can purchase anything you see by clicking on the catalog over on the right - it takes you to my Demonstrator web site! I had a lot of fun putting these together. It's such a great stress reliever to get creative and crafty!

Pay It Forward

I won a surprise gift from my sister-in-law, Mylinda. She sent a great CD with awesome songs on it. We've been playing it over and over and over in the car! So... I must now do my duty: 

I will send a gift to the first Three people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join the PIF exchange. All the gifts will be posted out 'sometime within the next year'. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive!

What you need to do in return, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This Exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'PAY IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL PAY IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG. I'd love for you to join me! Will you?

Other comments are welcome, but only the first three will be my Pay It Forward recipients!! 

What Have You Done With Your Life?

Here is a list I found on someone's blog... It's sort of a 'what have you accomplished' list. I've done quite a few things! The one's I've done are starred! There are some things that I'd really like to do... maybe now that I have a list I can make them happen! How do you stack up? Let me know if you post this on your blog! 

1. Started your own blog*

2. Slept under the stars*

3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower*
6. Given more than you can afford to charity*
7. Been to Disneyland/world*
8. Climbed a mountain*
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo*
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch*
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning*
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables*
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight*
22. Hitch hiked 
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill*
24. Built a snow fort*
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse*
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset*
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language*
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing*
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke*
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt*
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance*
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain*
53. Played in the mud*
54. Gone to a drive-in theater*
55. Been in a movie*
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business*
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen*
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason*
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma*
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check*
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy*
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial*
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt*
73. Stood in Times Square*
74. Toured the Everglades*
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person*
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper*
85. Read the entire Bible*
86. Visited the White House*
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox*
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous*
92. Joined a book club*
93. Lost a loved one*
94. Had a baby*
95. Seen the Alamo in person*
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake*
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone*
99. Been stung by a bee*

Check These Out!

The Relief Society (women's organization at church!) President in our ward is a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator also. She had a card class the other night and I went! It was sooooo much fun! I loved that I could just make cute cards and not have to do any prep work!!! It was awesome! The cards were soooo cute too! Way fun! Now she wants to come to one of my card classes so that she can just sit back and enjoy as well. I may just have to get a class together soon!

New Favorite Commercial!

Have you seen the new Chef Boyardee commercial? I couldn't stop laughing the first time I saw it and had to rewind it about eight times to really enjoy it. Now whenever I catch it, I have to rewind it and play it a few times... It's great! 

A husband comes in and sees his son sitting at the counter eating ravioli. He picks up the can and notices that there is now "a full serving of vegetables" in every can and he tries to read that fact to his wife. She doesn't want their son to hear the word "vegetables" so she does a bunch of CRAZY things to drown out her hubby's voice. It is awesome... Start watching commercials again so you can catch this one! Hee hee!! 

Some More Projects!

Jessica went to a birthday party for a friend in her class on Saturday and I made this cute journal for her to give. It turned out sooooo cute I almost couldn't give it up! I used the new Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper and the Big Deal alphabet. So stinkin' cute!

The following things I made for my New Catalog Open House I had tonight. It was not well attended... even though I sent emails AND delivered invitations... bummer! No one likes to try new things here! It's sad. I did have three ladies there though and it was a lot of fun showing them how to complete the projects and discussing stamping and life. I had the most fun preparing for the event... since I never really get my stuff out here because there is NO WHERE to set it all up! Grrrr. Hopefully that will change soon! We're looking at renting off post now - a house with 4 bedrooms and lots of space. We'll see what happens!

Card I made for the event... used the Love You Much set, Happy Heart Day set and new heart punch!

I used the A Happy Heart set for the paper bag... and the new Candy Lane Designer Series Paper (which I LOVE!) This is my favorite time of year! I love hearts!!

I threw together this adorable box from a tutorial online... somewhere. I think it turned out so cute! Everyone wanted to take it home!

Reading More in 2009?

Are you planning to read more in 2009? I was looking at a blog today and saw this great list of books... "In April 2003 the BBC's Big Read began the search for the nation's best-loved novel, and they asked us to nominate our favorite books." Here is the list...

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien*
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen*
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling*
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee*
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne*
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell*
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis*
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier*
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame*
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens*
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott*
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell*
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling*
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling*
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling*
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien*
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck*
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl*
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen*
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen*
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery*
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald*
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell*
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens*
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett*
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer*
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding*
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar*
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy*
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker*
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl*
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl*
170. Charlotte's Web, E. B. White*
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway*
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery*
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens*
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Grossmith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. Lawrence Life of Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle*
200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews*

Are your favorites in this list? Personally, mine are not here! I love A Little Princess, Frances Hodgeson Burnett and Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, and Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott, and all the writings of Lloyd Alexander!! They did get a few right in there and I starred the ones that I have read in the past. There are quite a few that I still have on my "to read" list. What is missing from this list for you? What is on the list that you totally agree with!!? I'm glad they had Harry Potter books which I love and Jane Austen! Leave me a comment with the title and author of your favorite book or books (if you're like me and can't say just one!)!

Latest Creations!!

I've actually had some time to stamp! Yay! Here are some cute things I've made for a Stampin' Up! show I did last week! I am so in love with hearts! So sweet!

Pure Joy

Here are some priceless photos of my little sweetheart! She has finally gotten to the "make faces at the camera" stage. One of my favorite stages! Hee hee!!

Cool Chair

I went to help clean a girl's apartment last weekend and came home with this cool chair! I was excited. I also bought her dryer and sold it on Craigs' List! Yeah! I made 100 bucks so that was sweet! I love it when you can do stuff like that and it's really easy and things work out. We sold the dryer to a cute little couple and it was great knowing that they were getting a good deal too. I posted a bunch of old stamp sets on Ebay and I'm really hopeful that they will sell for more than I am asking... we'll see. I am really glad I finally found the time to get them on there! My sister motivated me because she's been selling her cards on Ebay! She hasn't made any real money at it... but she's getting quite experienced at how to do things and how Ebay works... pretty fun! Don't we just live in a great age?!

2008 in Review

Grabbed this from Nicole's blog and I was amazed by how HARD it was to come up with most of these answers!!! Give it a try if you get a chance!!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? We went to Six Flags over Atlanta

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 
I kept a few... and will make more for this year... I'm just a list maker!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? 
My sisters, Rebecca and Amy, Neice Lauren and Sister-in-Laws, Amy, Julie & Heidi

4. Did anyone close to you die? 
Yes, my grandfather

5. What countries did you visit? 
None. Again! Never been outside of the Continental U.S. Still. 

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? a smaller appetite! 

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 
April 5th and April 11th. Chris came home on the 5th and Miah was baptized on the 11th. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? 
Surviving deployment and moving us

9. What was your biggest failure? 
Still haven't scrapbooked all that I want to! 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  Nope!

11. What was the best thing you bought? Smaller clothes!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? 
Jillian's! She learned to go potty!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 
Every politician running for political office at every level. (I must agree Nicole!)

14. Where did most of your money go? 
Eating out... I hate cooking in the tiny hallway that passes for our kitchen! Grrrrr! 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 
Chris coming home from Afghanistan in April!

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? 
All the songs from Guitar Hero! Especially "Ruby"!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? sadder
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter darnit!
c) richer or poorer? Poorer ... we never get richer!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? 
Reading

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? 
Eating junk.

20. How did you spend Christmas? 
With Chris and the kids

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? 
All over again with having a husband at home!!! Yeah baby!

22. What was your favorite TV program? 
Heroes

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
nah... hate is such a strong word 

24. What was the best book you read? 
Goose Girl, Enna Burning, & River Secrets by Shannon Hale

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? 
Love Joshua Radin

26. What did you want and get? 
I wanted Chris to come home and he did!

27. What did you want and not get? 
A Cricut!

28. What was your favorite film of this year? 
Ghost Town

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 
I went to lunch and dinner I think... and I was older. 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? 
Can’t think of a thing. 

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Love watching "What Not to Wear" and I try to be like them... TRY 

32. What kept you sane? 
All my awesome friends!! Seriously!!

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? 
Dora the Explorer

34. What political issue stirred you the most? 
The appalling reaction to the Prop 8 victory in California. Hear hear!

35. Who did you miss? 
I miss my friends and family way too much!!!  

36. Who was the best new person you met? Kindra, Conny and all my new friends in our ward!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. 
You have to have Faith.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 
I'm peanut butter and you are jelly.... (Inside Out PB&J song... was played over and over and over!)

Okay - your turn! How was your year?

My Beautiful New Dishes!

Chris and the kids picked out these beautiful dishes for me for Christmas! I just love them! First of all - they have SUNFLOWERS on them!! Secondly, they are just chunky and delightful! I was so thrilled with their choice! Love them!

My Favorite Gift

My favorite gift to make and give is my little pillows!! I made a bunch this year and sent them off. I was able to watch one friend open one though and the grin on her face made me so happy! (Her's says, "Always Kiss Me Goodnight") I think they turned out really cute this year! I'm getting better at making them and they sure are fun to see finished! Jessica made the American Girl one for her Aunt Sarah. She's even catching the embroidery bug!

Check out some of them!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Here is what my Christmas Cards looked like this year... and if you didn't get one then either I don't have your address or the mail is SLOW and yours is coming! Isn't it cute!?! I thought it was pretty cute and it was so easy to do! I have to make soooooo many cards every year that I HAVE to keep them pretty simple. Of course, I used my Stampin' Up! supplies, (Old Olive, So Saffron and Whisper White cardstock, Old Olive Ink and the tree from the Loads of Love set, words from the Best Yet set. The star punch is a VERY old punch that I got long long ago... but it was perfect I think!)

I love sending Christmas cards, but I love receiving them even more!!! I've gotten quite a few but I still want more! It makes me smile to see all your pictures and read about your year in the fun Christmas newsletters. I even enjoy some of the "Christmas emails" I've gotten this year. I just love getting bits of information about all my friends and family. It's great. It it weren't such a pain... I wish we'd send out "Christmas" cards and newsletters three or four times a year! Wouldn't that be fun! I guess that is what blogs are for right! 

Just a Reminder.... For more info on the family and pictures galore... get on over to my family blog!

Pretty Ornaments!

I went to a RS crafty night and made these adorable ornaments! They are super easy to make (the first one just takes a long time!) and were very fun to do! You punch out 20 2" circles, fold each circle into a little triangle and then start gluing them all together. The top and bottom both have 5 circles glued together in them and then the center section has the remaining 10. You poke the wire through and WA LA! Gorgeous! I, of course, used my double sided Stampin' Up! paper and I think they turned out darling! Maybe when we get bored over Christmas break, the kids and I can sit and make a whole bunch more! Hee hee hee!

Kissy Faces!

I have the cutest little kissy faces in the universe! They make me smile! We stopped at Taco Bell today when we were out running errands and I snapped a bunch of pictures of my cute kids. These are my favorite! These little faces will hopefully remind me what this Christmas season is all about and that I need to slow on down and really enjoy it. It only comes but once a year after all!

100 Posts!!

I made it to 100! Yay! 

Christmas is in the Air!

It has gotten so cold here! I luckily got Chris to walk the kids to the bus stop this morning... so I could stay in the warmth of the house! It's so hard to walk them out there in the morning, so fresh from the warmth of my covers!! It was picture day and I hope their pictures turn out cute! We had a fun Family night last night where we decorated the tree and the house for Christmas. It was a lot of fun. I love getting out all my treasures. Our tree turned out very nice this year. I pretty much left it up to the kids this year (with a little tweaking from me!) It is very patriotic. I love it. Stars are so fun!
The next photo is my "Spirit of Christmas". I just love this little wooden decoration. It is so cute. My mom made it for me - which adds to why I love it! I like that it is faceless and somehow it just brightens my day.
I also included a shot of our stockings. We have yet to have a mantle to hang them on... but I think they look pretty cute! I'm so proud of the job I did stitching them up. I think they turned out perfect... very primitive and fun.
So, there is your little glimpse at some of our Christmas decor this year! WaLah!

Thankful For... one last!

I know I missed a few days... but I was having a great time with our good friends up north and I didn't even think about my computer!
I am so thankful for my five senses! Thanksgiving dinner would hold very little joy without all the sights, scents, tastes... mmmmmmm! I'm thankful that I can see, hear, taste, smell, and touch!
I am thankful for good books... there are so many, I couldn't name just one! I love reading, always have!! I love reading a good book and I think it's great that we have so many good choices out there!
I am thankful for my camera and all the fun memories it captures! What would I do if I couldn't flip back through all our photos and see what our kids looked like as they grew? I love looking back through our photos. It makes me realize how much the kids have grown!
I am so thankful for the generosity and love of others. I love going into our church to see the boxes for food donations crammed full of food, canned goods and other stuff for people who are less fortunate. We have been the recipients of that generosity several times in our lives and it got us through some rough times.
I am so thankful for music! I LOVE music. It has such a great power. I am especially in love with all the Christmas music that is pouring out of every radio now. I love good music. I enjoy being in our ward choir and I LOVE hearing little Jillian sing me Primary songs.
I am extremely grateful for all the good and bad that have come our way this year. It is amazing, looking back, how much has happened this year. I am just so grateful for all my many, many blessings. We are so richly blessed and I feel it tonight! Thanks for joining me in my Thankfullness!