Sunday's Picture of the Day

Here is Cor relaxing in a chair, reading the back of the cake mix box with his new Webkinz.

Saturday's Picture of the Day

This is Ballerina and Em in the tub. They really think this is funny.

Friday's Picture of the Day

This is Ballerina in her pajamas. She got into the water color paints and did some artwork on her palms.

What is a White Elephant Exchange

Scott and I are wondering what is a white elephant exchange? Our impression was the point of white elephant is to bring the oddest, worst, or most horrible thing you have lying around your house and make it seem like a great gift by wrapping it pretty. But his mother's family complained after the white elephant exchange last year that they ended up with other people's junk and they did not like that, but they called it a white elephant exchange. So we are really confused. So this year his aunt sent out an email that said we are doing a nice white elephant exchange with a $10-$15 limit. Which basically means don't bring your junk from around the house, go and buy the nicest thing you can find for $10-$15 dollars. Which would be fine except that this family doesn't do gift exchanges because every year everyone pools their money and we give a donation to a charity that we vote on every Thanksgiving. So if we are not spending money on each other why are we spending money on each other.

So here's how the white elephant exchange went. We picked numbers, there was very little stealing because everyone was pretty pleased with what they got. So I think it should be called a random gift exchange not a white elephant gift exchange. Well I am grateful that was the most controversial thing that happened this Christmas.

Christmas Memories

Ok, here is my lovely family. We had such a great day. It was busy and the kids were tired but everything turned out nice. The kids slept in till 8:00 AM. We opened presents for about an hour then we played. I took a shower and decided to trade fashion for comfort. I wore my sweatshirt and stretchy pants all day. I twisted my hair up in a bun so I was pretty lazy. Ballerina was pleased most of all with her cheapest present; a Hello Kitty coloring book she got in her stocking. She does like her Leapfrog alphabet toy that magnatizes to the fridge. We also got her a baby doll, stroller, and little car seat. Mya got Heely's, The Daring book for Girls, Scooby Doo movie and a few other small things. Cory got Knex, a book light, and a Webkinz but the website was so clogged today we couldn't get on. But he worked on some other projects. Em was the hardest to shop for but she got a Webkinz Pink Poodle, Island Princess movie, and from her cousin a Pink Volkswagon bug, that is her favorite thing so far.

My parents got us a Toaster/Convection oven that goes on the counter. It looks pretty cool. My brother J got us The Princess Bride movie and book and a computer game for Scott. From Santa we got a comfy computer chair that I am enjoying now. Scott got me a gravy boat and a butter dish, both were on my list. Santa got me a new pair of Ginghers. Sharp. I got Scott a Zune, that's a really cool MP3 player. He loves it. I like it too.

Christmas Eve we went to Kelly's house, unfortunately her husband and his brother had to fly back to Peru that morning because their mother passed away. So with the stress about Grandma and his mother it's kind of been a rough Christmas. Plus a woman from our ward passed away so it seems strange. But the family parties went on as planned and we all enjoyed being together. Christmas day we went to Aunt Jolae's for brunch then to my brother's house they just bought in Woodburn. Poor Scott wasn't feeling good but he made it through. I got my feelings hurt by something my family did but it wasn't intentional so I let it go.

I did talk to my Older Sister S a lot and she starting texting my on Christmas day, asking me where I was and what we were doing. She is so funny. I missed my sister and brothers that live away. We had great Christmas's growing up so it's kind of sad not to have them around. It also seemed strange that Scott's parents weren't there either. But Christmas was a success and I was really JOYFUL about that.

Ballerina is a Dragon

I think my youngest who I will now call Ballerina might be part dragon. This morning I was trying to get her dressed and she was getting mad at me. So she blew her nose at me in anger. But the only thing that came out was a few snot bubbles. She did it again a few hours later. It's pretty funny.

My Weekend

I think it's funny that by Sunday night I have to try really hard to remember what it was that I did Friday night. I seriously can't remember. Last night we went to a friend's art studio in West Salem. It's actually the parents of our friends but the husband makes pottery and his wife teaches art classes to children. We bought some of his pottery that he had displayed for a Open House they did this weekend. It's absolutely beautiful. Then we went upstairs to look at the Art School.

My DH wants to put our oldest Mya (9 years old) in one of her classes. But I have an aversion to driving my kids all over the place and spending money. She is already taking piano lessons which are not cheap but she loves it and she is doing so well. The art classes look like fun, educational, and something she would absolutely love. So I will probably fork over the money eventually and drive her all the way to West Salem so some day when she is rich and famous I can go live with her. Ha ha, just kidding. I would be great to sign my kids up for everything they want to do but not realistic. I know life will eventually get busier than I want it to be but I am avoiding it as long as possible.

Yesterday I had a screaming headache. All the muscles in my back, neck, and shoulders were so tight. Everytime I turned my head to the right it would crack four times in row. It sounded horrible. I took some Tylenol with Codeine. The first time didn't phase me a bit. Even though I am petite since I had my back surgery when I was 14 years old I have a very high tolerance to drugs. But it did help the second time I took it but it made me kind of loopy so then I couldn't sleep. Ah and Anth just wrote me an email that she hasn't been sleeping well which reminds me that the reason why I am so "uptight" is because I haven't slept well in over a week. I have periods of insomnia and this time it was coupled with sleeplessness the rest of the night. Which means I have a lot of really bizarre dreams which can be stressful. So I am tired and stressed when I get up in the morning. Then I try to sleep in which makes my morning hurried and rushed. And it just gets worse from there. So after all that complaining the reason why I can't sleep and have tight muscles is because I haven't been exercising everyday. I been off my schedule since Thanksgiving. So it's time to get back in the exercise groove because I feel so much better when I do. I feel guilty because it takes up so much of my day but it is definately worth it.

Oh I spent all day Saturday making 14 Angel robes for the ward Christmas pageant then tonight I went to the choir practice to cut all the robes to length. And I need to make 2 more robes. They weren't hard. We made them out of King size sheets. I did them in a method I call Junk sewing. Because I get them done as quickly as possible making as little measurements as possible which goes completely against my grain (ha ha textiles joke). They look okay and are good enough for something that is only going to be worn for one song. And I just keep reminding myself that it's okay not to do your very best work on every project sometimes it's more important just to get things done. Right?

Scott is bummed that I still have 2 more robes to finish he was sure that he was getting his wife back after I finished on Saturday. He was not pleased at having to make dinner but he made potato soup and it turned out so yummy. He said I add a special kind of love to my meals, I told him that I like his kind of lovin' better. "That's what she said" was his response. He just didn't want me to get too excited about him making dinner.

I have had Ferrero Rocher chocolates in my house for over 2 weeks and I just ate my first one tonight. I have got to give those away STAT.

On Saturday I also tried to organize my family for a Christmas photo in front of the tree. Once again I lost my patience and Scott kept arguing with me but we did get a photo. I haven't downloaded it to see if it's any good. I thought I might attempt to send out Christmas cards this year. Apparently I need to send a card to Anth every year now or I will get X'd from her list. Maybe that's why it seems like I get less and less Christmas cards every year. I really like cards with pictures so I just think mine should have one but taking a family photo is my #2 most stressful thing to do. #1 is going to the dentist. I am not exactly sure of the order but this week that's the list. I had to go to the dentist this week and I was so proud I didn't cry this time. And I really don't cry very often but I get so upset about going to the dentist. I do have 2 cavities so I get to go back in January. My new dentist is really nice so that makes it a little better.

I haven't decided if I am going to use Blog lingo for my blog or just use real names. I don't like writing "DH." But I still feel like there is a safety factor there. Today I used real names. I will have to give it some more thought.

I Won!!!

I won Bunco. I won for the most wins. I had 15 wins out of 18 games. Woo Hoo! I hardly ever win anything so I have to make the most of this. I got a Antique olive party platter from BB and B and some caramel chocolates (I believe caramel and chocolate are BFF's). I was only sad that my FRIEND Deena wasn't there to share my moment of joy. My FRIEND Anth also won a cute pie plate. What a night!

I made my bed and now I get to sleep in it.

I made my bed tonight. I washed all the sheets and put them on then I arranged the blankets nicely. It's only about an hour till bed time so it will all be messed up again soon. But for this moment I accomplished something. When I am home all the time taking care of kids sometimes it feels like I never get to finish anything I start, everything is a work in progress. So the insignificant accomplishments begin to mean a lot. I don't even have a bed frame, or a headboard. The giant bed sits on the floor which really irritates me. I don't have nice blankets or pillow cases. It is a soft bed and I have had many wonderful nights sleep on it and for a little while it's looking as best it can.

While I was making the bed I had many deep thoughts. I made decisions about what I need to do this week. And I have to say I do a pretty awesome hospital corner. Which my DH will kick out of place as soon as he gets in bed tonight.

My mom always emphasized the importance of a nicely made bed everyday of your married life. I still don't see the logic in that but I do enjoy having the bed made.

I thought the above picture while typing this. It's a little old but it's a sweet one. This was DD V's first time out and she fell asleep.

I'm sick

I've had a terrible cold since Thursday. It wasn't so bad at first but by Saturday morning I was feeling pretty miserable. The weird thing is I have had so many people calling for help and some I have had to say no which is kind of hard for me. Yesterday was the worst. I had a terrible headache. I was mad that I had to miss Anth's talk at church. But it was nice to take a day off from life. But now I have lots of laundry to catch up on and a couple projects that need to be done this week for church. I also want to get my Christmas shopping finished up. Plus I have 2 dresses and one skirt that I still can't wear because I need to hem all of them. The dresses I have had for months already. It's really sad that I never get anything done.

Since I was sick I got a lot of reading done. I finished The Zookeeper's Wife. I liked it, especially the end, but it was a slow read. It's not one of my all time favorite but it was good. I also finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. DD V was just trying to walk off with the book. She likes the pictures. I liked the book very much. I am going to watch the 1st and 2nd movie very soon.

My DH was so nice to me the whole time I have been sick. He cuddled with me, gave me back rubs, he took the kids where they needed to go, and made me some nasty oatmeal which I tried to eat. He made sure to feed the kids well and make sure they got plenty to drink in hopes that they wouldn't get sick. It was so nice to be taken care of.

DS C (7 years old) has a cough so I kept him home. He is excited to stay home and watch movies. A couple weeks ago he kept telling the teacher he was sick. Two days I had to pick him up and so on the second day we got home and I told him he had to go bed if he was sick. He was all upset because he thought that he was going to be able to watch movies and eat whatever he wanted. So he asked me if he could go back to school because he didn't feel sick anymore. So the next day when the teacher called to tell me he felt sick again I told her that he was just saying that because something must have upset him. I said I would come get him only if he showed a sign of actually being sick, like throwing up. She agreed when I told her what he did the day before. I thought the whole thing was very funny.

Last night my BIL T, DH's brother called. Then I talked to my SIL M. She said she felt bad that we never get a chance to talk. I felt bad that I haven't made more of an effort. My inlaws just don't communicate the same way my family does. The seem to be content with minimal interactions. My family is much more social and much more involved in each other's lives. But I have a feeling that her family is much the same way. I really like SIL M, she is fun and has a good sense of humor and since they live in Utah we don't get to see them very often. She is teaching and going to school. My BIL T is working and remodeling their house. So they are both very busy. I think maybe they are missing family since they know they won't be able to come visit for a while.

My DH's grandma is in the hospital. She is doing much better then she was in the beginning. That is a relief for my MIL because she is in China with my FIL teaching English at the University in Beijing. They will be coming home in January for a short visit during their break. That should be interesting. I love my In-laws but it can be stressful at times. We just have very different personalities and DH and feel like we have a different sense of humor than most of them and they look at us like we are weird. We know we are weird so we just need to get over it.

I feel like my thoughts are not very organized or coherent today so this isn't a very good post. Oh well. I tried.

Christmas Is Coming

I get so excited for Christmas. Christmas was always so magical for me as a kid. I love everything about it except for the advertisements. It's fun watching the kids get excited. Every year I try to do something to help them understand the true meaning of Christmas. But I still haven't decided what I will do this year.

Friday night Anth and I went to 2 Christmas bazaar's. It was fun to get out. The first was good but I don't like sells people so that part was a little annoying. The second one was at our Friend B's house. That was fun. We ate and looked at scarves, Mary Kay products, and jewelry. Anth and I decided that we would ditch it if there wasn't enough to eat but B had a nice lay out. After that we wondered around Walgreens for a few minutes looking at all the crap they had while waiting for some photos I had developed. That's our big night out in our little town.

I informed Anth that Target is now open until 11 PM instead of 10 PM. That's our favorite place to close down after we are done gambling at Bunco night. She doesn't think she can stay up that late because her baby tummy makes her tired. But that's okay because my SAHM lifestyle makes it hard for me to stay up that late.

I am hosting the first part of the Progressive Dinner for RS. I spent all day Saturday cleaning. I got some polish for my piano and it looks beautiful or a better than it did. It's an upright Grand Piano, built around 1925. It's beautiful. I also polished my Grandma's old singer sewing desk that is the peddle kind. Then I polished the kitchen cupboards that were looking pretty drab. My DH took down all the regular home decor and now it's ready for the Christmas decor. I am supposed to be doing that right now while the kids are sleeping. DH helped with the cleaning in between his 5-6 cat naps.

Gosh, DD E (4 years old) sure was a grouch today. She kept telling everyone, "You are the most wicked man I have ever seen." Don't let your kids watch television! DD E and DD V (2 1/2 years old) kept screaming and fighting with each other, we had to send them to either end of the house several times.

Right now I am working on reading the Zookeeper's Wife. I still haven't decided how I feel about it. I am almost finished with the Miracle of Forgiveness. I have really loved it. Especially his insights on the parable of the Prodigal Son. I have made several necessary changes that seemed so much easier from the advice in parts of the book. So I guess I could say the book has changed my life, or maybe it was just the right time, and I had the right information to make the change. Hopefully my new habits will stick because I really am happier with my new attitude and it will help my marriage be stronger. Who doesn't want that. I am also working on the 2nd Harry Potter book. It's fun to read and not as heavy (mentally) as the other 2 books.