Brace yourselves....A Domestic Diva is in training!!

I am SOOO proud of myself! Because I am one that I would label domestically challenged (compared to all of my amazing friends), I am thrilled with how my neighbor Christmas gifts turned out. Thanks to my cute friend, Erika, who helped me think of this idea, I actually did it, added my own touches and followed it all the way through... homemade, no bailout from the store (as I always let the store bail me out every year). I coated popcorn with melted white chocolate, sprinkled it with green and red colored sugar, and put it in these adorable inexpensive boxes I found online wholesale. They look so cute! Maybe I'm happy to be poor this year and forced to make everything I give away. Hey, it's actually kinda fun stirrin up some action in the kitchen. I'm not so intimidated by my stove anymore! WOOT WOOT!!

Metal Mania!!

Sadie got braces last Thursday! She has been seeing Dr. Vincent for 2 years and she hasn't been ready to get braces....until now. She was so excited to get them.....she was begging Dr. Vincent all this time to just go ahead and put them on. The night before, we went out and I bought her her favorite candy bar...a TWIX because she won't be able to have one for two years!! You should see how she struts her stuff...it's hilarious but great that it's given her this added boost of confidence for whatever reason. She doesn't even care that her teeth hurt. What a good girl!


Stay tuned for the after pictures...my camera battery is dead!!

Family Christmas Party

The first weekend of December, we packed up the kids and met our family at the cabin for our annual family Christmas party weekend. In Midway, the first weekend of December is very important because they hold the All-Faith Creche Exhibit which displays the Nativity from 90 different countries. They also hold the local Gingerbread House exhibit/charity fundraiser. The town is absolutely packed! Even so, we took advantage of this awesome opportunity and took the kids to these extraordinary exhibits. The weather was amazing and it wasn't difficult to get around with so many kids in tow. We then came back to the cabin for an evening full of crafts, food, and fun! We had an awesome pasta bar, then dove right into the activities. We made marshmallow snowpeople, decorated graham cracker gingerbread houses, made some Christmas artwork and finished off the night with some hot chocolate mixed with marshmallows and whipped cream. Stirred with a candy cane, of course. The kids went to bed that night anticipating the arrival of St. Nick. If you believe and leave your shoe out on the windowsill, St. Nick will come over from Germany and leave candy in your shoe on the night of December 6th. The kids were just ecstatic as they woke up and discovered Christmas candy in their shoes! What a fun family tradition to enjoy this weekend as a family at our cabin each December. I am so appreciative for the things my kids got to see and experience. Seeing the marvel and delight on their faces the whole day is something I will always cherish.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a wonderful and meaningful Thanksgiving, wherever you may be. Thanks for all of your friendships and the many blessings I have experienced from my loved ones. Happy Turkey Day!!

Twilight

OK...I am off to see TWILIGHT with my daughter, Sadie and my mom. I am so terribly excited...I can't wait to see the special effects! Although I have a problem with some of the people who have been cast. This is MY Edward...down below. He gives new meaning to the old phrase..."bite me!"

??????

I feel like I've been smashing into this a lot lately. For the last 3 months, I have been trying to do something good that will help improve our family situation. I tried one thing, and it was a complete and utter disaster, beyond my ability to describe. I tried another thing, and it is also turning out to be a disaster, maybe even bigger than the fist attempt. I made yet another attempt and was really excited about it, but that is not going to work out. Today I made another attempt, and it looks like I am hitting another brick wall. How many times do I hit the brick wall and fall down on my face before I am able to either give up or finally break it down? Life is so confusing sometimes, especially when you feel like you are flying solo and feel so alone in your efforts to make a solid change, especially if you don't know if it will yield positive results even after you get there.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I can't believe I'm turning 20! (for the 18th time!!)

Addendum to the Rocky Horror Picture Show~~Kiss My GRASS!!

Who needs a scary Halloween when all you had to do was come and look at our yard? It was truly frightening looking out and seeing everyones exquisitely and professionally done yards and only seeing boulders and rocks in our yard.



YAHOO!! After 2 1/2 LONG years of hard work, we had grass delivered on Halloween!! On Saturday, we were so thrilled that first thing in the morning, about 10 neighbor men showed up to help Andrew lay the sod. I was so touched I was brought to tears. So I bought everybody doughnuts and chocolate milk. With all the help, it only took 1 hour to lay all the sod, front and back! It would have taken Andrew forever to do it alone. So THANK YOU to all the good neighbors who gave such wonderful service to us.





Even though it has been so difficult cultivating our yard over the last 2 1/2 years (thanks to this ROCKY substance they call Herriman), we have grown so much as we have humbled ourselves and have done the work as a family instead of hiring someone to do it. Each member of our family spent months throwing rocks into the wheelbarrow, raking, and shoveling up dirt. But the greatest thanks goes to my husband, Andrew who has spent every minute of sunlight, before and after work and every weekend to put this thing together. WOOT WOOT! KISS MY GRASS!!

Trick-or-Treat!!

We had a great Halloween this year. It was very low key, non-stress, and just a lot of fun. I could never have experienced this night with my kids if it wasn't for my friend, Nikole at work. She selflessly offered to trade shifts with me so I could spend this fun night with my kids, so here's a shout out to Nikole THANK YOU!! We had a great night, and the kids cashed in royally (which I am very happy about hehehe!!)

Halloween party!!

My sister, Rachael and her kids came up to the cabin on Saturday so we could have our annual Halloween party. The kids dressed up in their costumes and had a blast.
On the menu:
Appetizer: Mummy Dogs
Sloppy Boo's
Witch fingers (celery)
Dead mans eyeballs (olives)
Skeleton teeth (corn)
Tweenkie Ghosts

The kids helped make the Mummy dogs; they thought it was the best activity!!




I'm so glad we got to have a Halloween party. I'm already planning next year's!!

Going to the cabin

I had my first official weekend off from work ever. To celebrate this phenomenal occasion, we decided to go up to the cabin and have a wonderful weekend relaxing. Our cabin is in Midway, and I just love going up there this time of year. The air is so cool and clean; the colors are so vibrant. You get that hometown feeling of community that is so unique to small towns. Everybody knows everyone else. Everyone is so friendly. Nobody is in a rush. The best shakes are found at the local mom and pop ice cream stand. The local bakery on Main has the best little cupcakes and had a big huge moose cake in the window. I went to a new store that is located in a big red barn! It was a wonderful weekend and a fabulous opportunity for me to reflect on my countless blessings. The weekend was over too quickly. I can't wait go to back!!



I was relaxing so much I didn't see Ava eat a bright red marker!!

We took the kids to the park for the afternoon. They had so much fun!!


That is the face of pure happiness!