Monday, November 29, 2010

Five days later and a holiday passed and yet, Mom still maintains her sanity

I made a wreath for a friend...

Camilla made a wreath too...

Camilla's wreath was super colorful and cheery (just like her!)

and Lee amused himself by torturing the children! ;0)

We had like the endless holiday weekend for Thanksgiving and I was so busy cooking up a fabulous gluten-free storm, that I didn't have time to take pictures of the actual day, but I got pictures of the days around it (yes, that does too count!) oh, and a video of Adree! ;0)

Thank you W.C.S.D. for leaving the kids home with me for 5 days straight, 5 WHOLE DAYS!!! Do you have any idea how long that is?! Alright, enough with the melodrama they weren't THAT bad...just the normal bickering and maybe a little more than usual whining. They were out of school all day Wed., all day Thur., all day Fri. and then the weekend too!;0) So what all did we do?

Wednesday. Since the kids were out of school I recruited them for labor purposes. They helped clean the house (that they helped dirty up BTW) they emptied trashes, cleaned the bathroom, picked up their rooms, picked up the family room, emptied and reloaded the dishwasher. They were quite useful actually...hmmm...;0) I got started with the food prep for the next day by making 3 pies too and a large batch of Jello-salad! ;0)

Thursday. The big day! Lee and I got up at 6:30 and got started with the feast. Lee is such an awesome good kitchen helper, I never have to worry about making the whole meal myself, he's always right there with me. Thanks baby!;0) Lee prepped the Turkey for the oven and made the stuffing and the gravy too. I made the mashed potatoes, the sweet potatoes, prepped and put out a veggie tray and salami and cheese balls and crackers too. Dick and Brenda (my ex in-laws) came over and ate with us and then we watched "Christmas Vacation" and "A Christmas Story" while we lay fatly on the sofa. Camilla and Steven and Steven's dad and little baby Illianna came over later in the evening and we sang karaoke too! ;0)

Friday. In years past when money flowed a little more freely, Lee and I would have gone to Vegas for Black Friday or at least gotten up to snag something the kids or us needed for the impending holiday, not this year though. Nope, this year Lee and I slept in pleasantly and Lee went to work. I got to work on the many Christmas decorations and stockings I need to make this year, so that we can put up our tree next weekend. Well, Adree had other ideas. As I was cutting out stockings, Adree brought me her poor clothes-less Madam Alexander doll and insisted that I needed to make her a dress...and shoes (what?!) as well. As ugly as the dress turned out (and shoes), it took up way too much of my time and I finally got stockings done at 3 in the afternoon. I ran out to fetch a couple of things from Michael's I needed and when Lee got home we took the kids to go see Megamind in the theater (it was really cute!). Lee had asked the kids to make him a list of three things they wanted for Christmas that day and when got home he and I scoured the internet to find what they wanted. We were up until midnight, but we got almost everything! Woo hoo! ;0)

Saturday. The big rivalry game of Michigan vs. Ohio State was on Saturday and since Steven is a huge buckeyes fan and Lee a Michigan alumn, Steven and Camilla came over bright and early at 10am to watch and share a little smack talk (of course!) Lee and I made sure to dress appropriately in Michigan apparel and even donned each of the kids in blue and gold as well. Not that I was overly interested in the game and since Michigan got slaughtered so ( 37 to 7), Camilla and I amused ourselves by making rag wreaths (thanks Sissy!). Camilla's turned out so bright and cheery and I made mine for a friend who wanted one and it turned out great as well! (She loved it!) Since, watching the game depressed Lee (he says Michigan has sucked for a while, he doesn't normally even watch) he insisted that we needed to watch the U of U/BYU  game too. He rooted for the Utes, Steven rooted for the cougars. They came out even with the Utes winning (that was a great game) and Camilla and I completed our wreaths and Lee barbecued turkey burgers, yum! It was a good day all in all and Lee and I (and Adree) sang a little karaoke for the rest of the evening!;0)

Sunday. Church, finished up what little Christmas shopping was to be done and a retro Pink Panther movie and a lot of rest from such a busy weekend.;0)
So, five days later and a holiday passed and another looms on the horizon. Mom is busy and barely maintains her sanity, but I wouldn't have it any other way! ;0)

Monday, November 22, 2010

Adventure fizzled...





The pictures above are what happens when Mother Nature refuses to cooperate. We attempted to make it to Sink Valley on Saturday and spend a little time at Mom and Dad's cabin before it gets snowed in for the season. Since we hail from Dixie, the quickest way to get there is up and over the top of Cedar Mountain. Which isn't a problem at all in dry conditions or even if it has snowed a little, a couple of days later when the road gets cleared. We closely monitored the weather and knew that a storm was coming, but all the weather reports up to the day before promised of snow late in the day on Saturday. It came early, obviously. So what do you do when you have to make new plans on the fly? Ah, you make do! 
My in-laws (ex) Dick and Brenda were with us for the day and so we stopped in the snow, let the kids out (Lee included!) and let them throw snow at each other for a while! It didn't last long, no one was really dressed for snow. Afterword we gathered everyone back up and headed back down to Cedar and ate at McDonald's for lunch and let the kids run around in the play area for quite sometime while we visited. Essentially the entire trip ended up being a quick jaunt in the snow, a meal at McDonald's, and a short drive through Cedar Valley. Yep, pointless? Perhaps. Lots of fun anyway? You betcha! And hey, we got our Christmas card picture taken too...it even has snow in it this year! ;0)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Fingers crossed...

What a cute picture this is! I will never say that I don't have silly energetic kids! They brighten my existence in all ways and I know that I am a better person because of them. I have loved to watched them grow up so much this last year and Drake and Adree especially have just sprouted before my eyes. Sethee, as skinny of a monkey as always, has grown like 2 shoe sizes himself! He's still not very tall, but should be really stable!
I wish I could stay at home with them forever, picking them up from school, getting a snacks, helping with homework...but I can't. I have to find a job and at this point, I'm tired....so very tired. I have had three interviews with a company over the last couple of weeks and I must say, I really, really want the job! So, I have my fingers crossed and I'm trying to only think positive thoughts. I feel anyone's pain who's trying to find something in this trying economy, it's so very hard. I have sent out my resume to like a hundred people, I've had like a dozen interviews, I'm almost to the point of standing by the freeway with a cardboard sign....uh, almost!
I'm tired of my life in a limbo of sorts and would love to fast forward a little just to get on with it! Fingers crossed for me and all the positive thinking one can muster...time to move on! ;0)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Over the weekend

Forgive me for my lack of pictures for this post, although I was prepared enough to grab my extra batteries for my camera, I subsequently left it behind...poo. Anyway, if you want to see pictures visit my sissy's blog here!
The kids and I and my Mom in tow had the opportunity to trek up north to participate in my little niece Ainsley's baptism, so cool! She was baptized by her Dad on Saturday during their Stake's baptism day and got to share the opportunity with 3 other little girls from her ward. They all looked like angels in their white dresses and smiling faces, it really was neat! I can't believe that she is eight already and that means that Sethee will be eight and getting ready to be baptized soon, crazy! I can't believe they are growing up so fast...*sniff*
This is going to be short and sweet, especially for the lack of pictures...but, I want my sissy to know that she is a great person and Mom and sissy and that we all love her! You do a wonderful job with your little family and I look up to you even though I'm older and always have. I'm sorry that you have people in your life that are unkind and unappreciative of what you are and have to offer and I pity them, for they are missing out.
That's it, that's all I have to say today.