Projects

I think the week between Christmas and New Years is my favorite! All the craziness is over and it feels relaxing. I love the kids being busy with all their new stuff. I'm dying to get this place cleaned up and de-Christmasfied though. I went to Thatcher for a couple days and did some fun projects. And here is a picture of the fun aprons I've been making over the last few weeks:

This one is Emily's. I got the perfect model for this, huh?? How cute is she?? I'll be making a few extras to have in my salon to sell, so If you want one let me know. They are reversible and there is SO much cute fabric to pick from out there. The top is gathered and they are nice and long. I am going to make myself one to match my kitchen. What that is exactly, I'm not too sure yet.


Em wanted to see how to make cake pops but we couldn't find sticks in Thatcher so we settled for cake balls. Of course, just as delicious, I can't decide if they are easier or harder than the pops. Hard in a different way I guess.

We got to see Nick and Hannah and the kids home for the holidays from BYU Hawaii, the kids had a ball.

Nick took the whole crew- cousins and cousins-in-law to track deer and run around in the desert.

We also made another really cute project, but I can't show it because it is a surprise for 2 of my other sisters :D

And finally, I had a chance to work on some fun fabric flowers I had been wanting to try. This is one type:



Hopefully soon I can work on the other types of fabric flowers I wanted to try, there are just too many things I want to try all the time!! There are some really elegant ones that I want to make, these are the more fun and easy ones.

I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing "off" week, I'm staying home with the kids for New Years (Cade has a party) and we will be here ringing it in and looking forward to a productive new year with new challenges and hopefully good new personal changes.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! MWAH!

Christmas 2009-Picture overload!!

Well there goes another one down in the books. I can safely say that it wasn't my best performance this year, I checked things off my list as the time got closer, but it was because I had to start eliminating things that weren't essential. That was kind of a bummer. The kids won't ever know though, right?? They could care less if I had the laundry done or the carpet spot cleaned, or put together a new program for us to do on Christmas Eve. I didn't quite finish decorating, or cleaning. No neighbor gifts. No Christmas cards. Barely any baking. Ugh. I had to just let a lot of things I normally get done just go and be OK with it. I was up early every day and crashed late every night for weeks (except 1 monday I took "off") and there is only so much time in a day so its OK.





Christmas Eve we had my MIL Dianne over and she spent the night here which is a fun tradition. We had a late Mexican dinner and a nice Christmas devotional where we read scriptures, sang songs and watched this:


if you have a minute, it is pretty good. I made it a couple years ago. Just, ya know, pause------------------->


Life Of Christ





I love this guy!!





Nothing on this earth is more cozy than new Christmas Jammies that the elves brought!

FINALLY its time to go to bed so Santa can get here already! Dayton thought he should leave Santa a special message on the white board outside. All on his own, he included Wyatt. He didn't even tell me about it, I just happened to see him doing it. I'm not sure what it all means, but it was very important I'm sure :D Adorable!

Looks like Santa got the message, and was hungry for the pumpkin pie and Coke!

Christmas morning started with this:

Running and leaping down the stairs to see what Santa brought

We were so lucky Santa was good to us. Cade got his Patriots Wes Welker throwback Jersey, Sadie got a Hamster, Cooper got the Lego set he was DYING for , Wyatt got 12 inch Snake Eyes ands Storm Shadow (GI Joes) and Dayton got the Batman Imaginext. Everyone was so thrilled! I got Mark a power mat to charge his many many devices (which is not going to work out so it has go back :( and he got me a new camera!! YEAH! Coopers other highlight was getting New Orleans Saints Jersey, when he opened it he pretended to faint, which was too funny.

We had the nicest, calmest day, it was really fun and peaceful! The kids were so involved in their new things, we got to rest and take naps. Moments after this was snapped, I was crashed on the other empty couch:

We watched Christmas story (again) and Christmas Vacation.

Then my whole family came over : Mom, dad, grandma, Emily, Katie and Kam, Jason and Ava, and my cousin Adam and his gf Jaime. We had curry dinner and rolls and all the usual yummy stuff. Then it was time for presents again! Woo hoo! I got to give out all the APRONS I had been making over the last month or so. Finally!! We all got more fun stuff and then we all crashed! Especially me.

The party continued today, everyone came back over and we did hair, then had some leftovers, and went to do family pictures (which are going to be FABulous, I'm so excited!!) and then we came back and played Settlers. The kids all wanted to go with my mom back up to Thatcher, so we packed them all up and everyone took off except Cade, Katie and Kam, so we went out to dinner at Applebees, it was so good. Mark had to work, bummer.

Although there was lots I didn't get to do, there was lots that we did, and it was all pretty great! I am so grateful for ths season we have to celebrate the birth of Christ and make so many fun family memories and traditions. I am looking forward to setting some great new goals, and this year will hopefully be a great new start and much more successful that 2009. Do you have any goals that you are setting for yourself ?? I'd love some great ideas!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Its finally time.......

To start enjoying Christmas!! My mom came today and helped me get things back on track at home. I've been working so much I needed a clone and she was the next best thing! Tomorrow I will be chilling all morning while the kids (and I) enjoy they're last half day of school and then it will be full on fun stuff that they want to do. Fun baking, looking at lights, delivering neighbor goodies, Shopping for each other, and playing games. That will be the goal, anyways.

Wednsday night I had the chance to take our acheivement day girls ( ages 8-11) to drop off donations they had collected from our church and neighborhood to the Child Crisis Center. Its where kids are able to go when they get taken from their parents for any number of sad reasons. We had SO much stuff! It was incredible. The donations go straight to that center, and I know we really made an impact for the kids, and the girls were really impacted as well. We could tell how good they felt inside as they were loading the big rolling bins in and stacked the bags and boxes. It was a great thing to do for the Christmas season, and a lot of people worked hard to make it happen.

Tonight we had a party for the kids who live(d) on our old Elgin street. It was great. One of hte best parts was talking to Jill and Noah and the kids on Skype. We still miss you guys terribly!! There is a definite hole that can only be filled by you!! We had a really fun time, the kids made Christmas trees with upside down sugar cones, and had a dollar store toy gift exchange, and the moms had an ornament exchange. These kids(and moms :) just really enjoy each other. After the party we had Cade and Sadie babysit the Rogers and Krassows and us and the adults got some dinner down the street. Hooray for big kids!! They did a good job keeping them entertained. I love this new tradition. Its my turn to host next year, so plan on it!!!

I hate blogging with no pictures, and these are not great flattering shots, but heres a little of my decor this year. I'm still adding and finishing stuff. I still have so much I'd like to do!

Having a hot chocolate break with some kids on the new street :D

I hope everyone can feel at least a little bit of Christmas magic in the middle of this hectic and stressful season! hugs!

Staying ahead of it

It is a week full of fun and work! I figured I better recap every other day or else theres no way I can remember it all!

Saturday our ward put on a live Nativity for the entire community. We got the sets and costumes from the Easter pageant! There were live animals too. It was a fun experience (because I just had to be in the choir) Sadie was a singing Shepherd. I had someone (a neighbors sister from out of town) take our picture, but then I didn't copy it off her card right and now I can't see it. I'll have to wait until all the real pics come out and hopefully we'll be in there somewhere. A lot of people worked VERY hard to pull it together, so thank you!! It was great!


Sunday Mark and Cade went with a bunch of youth down to a place called Randolph. It was a great experience. It is a home for the mentally ill and disabled. From what I hear the kids did an amazing job with the people, they were really caring and had a great time with them. They had sacrament meeting there. Some funny things happened at church, I can't post about it you will just have to ask me later :D Then Sunday night Mark had some friends over to watch the UFC fights. Ug. I took Cade to my brother Jasons in Mesa to hang out and play with my dad and they learned some Christmas songs. I am so grateful to Jason, he is going to give Cade this guitar thing of his that Cade wants SO bad for Christmas that Jason never uses. How nice is that?? Love it! He is gonna be so thrilled!

Monday I did hair and then Mark and I did a little more Christmas shopping. It was fun but then I had to cram a day worth of errands and dinner between 4 and 6:30, so that was stressful but we made it to our caroling activity. We ended up with a really big group and it was a total success. The kids were wild (not mine so much-others) but we survived. After that, more hair to do and then I crashed.


I decided the best way to cope with this week is to just take ONE day at a time, and about an hour prep for the next day. I have lots of popcorn to make for baskets and orders, lots of hair to do and parties and a concert. Mark is actually going to have to make popcorn for me today, how crazy is that?? I'm glad though. One day down, 10 more to go!!!