Birthday Suprises concieved by my little brain.

It's Tuesday Wednesday and I'm in California !!! (I think I lost a day since I was in the car all day on Tuesday)    No I haven't moved here, but I was a little devious and planned a suprise visit to my parents place.  Where everyone around knew we were coming except for my mother.  We devised the plan in such a way that we were able to leave early the morning of the 29th of December, and amazingly enough arrive right around dinner time, and my Mom was completely surprised and had no clue that we were coming.  It also helped that I was able to call her while en route and claim that we were headed to a friends house later that night, and wouldn't be able to call her later so I wanted to do it then. 

Being the sneaky little devil that I am I crafted this little plan and it completely came together like bread on hot butter.  My mom was completely surprised and had no clue.  Her face was priceless and I can hardly wait until I get home and can download it, and find out how well/bad it turned out.  

Now you might not think that surprising someone for a birthday is a big deal, but when I live in Utah, and my Mom lives in California and the drive is around 10 -11 hours long.. and you don't get to see each other very often it makes  moments like these very sweet.  

And to top it off, we are going to take a trip tomorrow to visit with my Great Grandfather which happens to be my children's great great grandfather, and we'll have five generations there.  How awesome is that!!   We'll be getting an updated 5 generation picture.  And the cool thing on top of this, happens to be that we came on my Mom's birthday which was the 29th, and my Grandma's birthday is Jan 1st and she'll be turning 70!! And my Papa Jones (my great grandfather) will be turning 90 in 2010 !!! 

He's never had the chance to meet my two boys yet, and it's been even longer since I've been to his house, and we'll head there tomorrow. 

I love life and all the surprises that bounce my way. 

And it sure is great to get some time away from Utah, to get a change of scenery !!!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Just wishing you a Merry Christmas at this time of the year, and may your family be blessed, and be safe this Holiday season. 

CHristmas Tag... What can I say...I'm a sucker for these.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? WRAPPING PAPER all the way!!! Unless the item isn't a good one to wrap, and then we improvise.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I love the smell of real trees, but couldn't hack spending the same amount of money on a tree ever year, so we have an artificial tree that won't die!! Bonus!!

3. When do you put up the tree? We try to set it up the weekend after Thanksgiving!! Always a fun time for our family.

4. When do you take the tree down? Well Usually by the 1st of the new year. (But this year it will have to wait until ... well I can't say it's a surprise....shhhhh)

5. Do you like eggnog? <<<<<>>>>

6. Favorite gift? Well I really enjoyed what Chris did for me last year. He supplied me with some cash to purchase tickets to go see Twilight, because I hadn't seen it yet. And there was enough money to grab a bite to eat before hand too. This was a girls night out with my sister in laws. Awesome ladies. Plus he had a nice bracelet waiting for me in the tree. I LOVE IT!!!

7. Hardest person to buy for? Chris. Yeah, sure he says he doesn't want anything, but if I have some money I can use on him, I try to use it. But everything he wants/needs are usually clothes, and he likes he stuff a "CERTAIN" way, so it's hard to surprise him with it.

8. Easiest person to buy for? The youngest kid. They are always so easy to please. (But it might be the age factor)

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Maybe the question to ask is how many do I own?? I have 12 right now, and I love to collect them. So every few years, I try and acquire a new nativity. I love them.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Well, of course, I mail them. But sometimes I forget a few people, or get surprised by someone sending me a card I wasn't expecting, and then if I can I send them a scanned version of what we sent out. And then add them to the list the next year.

11. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? They have all been pretty practical, although there was a white elephant one time that consisted of one hot pad. Not really a big deal but this thing was half grey and BRIGHT orange. It was rather obnoxious. but like I said it was practical. But I don't think I have it anymore, I think I passed it on.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Oh my, I can't even narrow it down. That's what I want to do next week, is watch lots of Christmas Movies. I do really enjoy A Christmas Story.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When I have the money. So usually end of NOvember or December. This year we started the day after Thanksgiving.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Call me lame but I love DEVILED EGGS!!! And the pies afterward!! Yummy stuff....this is making me slightly hungry.

16. Lights on the tree? Yes, and we switch off from colored to white. Chris prefers white, and I like multi. This year we have white lights. Because we hung the colored strand around the girls bedroom.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Angels we have hear on high. And Oh Holy Night.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We usually stay home for Christmas, and just visit with close family later in the day, but still return home to our beds.

19.Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Well if they are all named in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer than HECK YEAH I know them.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? STAR. IT changes every year. Next year will be interesting to see what we put on the tree. Since we are going to do a HOME MADE Christmas Tree.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning.

22.Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Everyone is TOO busy, to just hang out and spend time together.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My ornament theme at the moment... anything that is Shatterproof. I have kids. And next year, we're going to do something a lot different. It'll be exciting getting everything ready for next year.

24. Favorite thing for Christmas dinner? Usually it's a tukey. But one turkey memory blends into another turkey memory, and soon all is forgotten, but one year, we didn't have money to buy the turkey so we just had lasagne and the kids LOVED it. And so did I!!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? For my family to be HAPPY! And to spend time with those that mean a lot to me!! ALthough a LAZY BOY would be a great addition!! But that will have to wait for now. A new computer would be nice, a DSLR camera, A bigger house.... I could go on and on. But I know that these things won't happen this year, but it's always good to have goals to work towards. Right.

Wordless Wednesday!!!

Do I really need to say ANYTHING?? I'm tired!!! This happens on a daily basis.

Don't miss out on this....

What a crazy busy week it has been!!! I haven't gotten a lot accomplished on my "Christmas" projects, but I have had a lot of help, with getting the house cleaned up and some dejunking going on. YEAH for less CRAP!!!


I just wanted to share a movie/film that I watched last night.

Anyone ever hear of Fireproof. www.fireproofmymarriage.com

Well it's a great video on the marriage relationship specifically, but a lot of the concepts could be applied to other relationships as well.

The story goes something like this: One boy, one girl .... but not all happy and bliss. He's the captain at the fire station and fights fires and rescues people for a living, and the number one thing he points out that a fireman " Never leaves his partner".

She's a working woman, feels unappreciated, and wants more help at home, would like him to fix things up, and lots more things...

She says she wants out.... and he says FINE!!

When he tells his parents that they are probably over, they step in and strive to help him save his marriage with something the dad was going to mail to him later.

It was the LOVE DARE, it's a 40 day process of trying to find out how to love another imperfect person unconditionally. And no it isn't easy and not always fun, but when you get married it's for life, and we should work through the tough times, and the good times.

So the whole love dare is a process, but it also helps him find his faith in God, and over time, starts to realize what love really is, and what it isn't or shouldn't be.

Through his attempts to try and do this dare, his heart isn't really in it during the beginning, and every attempt he made ... she shot back down, and even told him that she doesn't love him. All the while, she starts becoming "attached" to a DR. at work.

And in the end..... well I don't want to give it all away. But I feel completely blessed that I watched this!! I think everyone should find a way to get a copy of this and really work on cherishing your spouse, and loving them with your whole heart and not just going through the motions.

This isn't my normal thing to do... but I don't want to forget this brief moment in my life, because I want to make sure that I'm with my husband FOREVER!!! Times get rough, but that's when a couple needs to come together and withstand the fire that rages about. I don't have the perfect marriage, but my husband is definitely my best friend, and I know he LOVES me, I just need to make sure that I don't take advantage of that!!

Cherish your family members, because life is too short not too!! And it's always full of surprises, and sadness and joy. Don't live your life with regrets. (as far as family members are concerned)

Merry SITSmas to You....

Merry SITsmas to all you blogger people out there.... SITS is a place where lots and lots of bloggers have linked up and share and get comments on their blogs. It is seriously amazing!!! I love it. Even though I've only been aware of it for a few weeks now.


Well, here are some things I've been thinking about that I want to either work on next year or continue to do....

1. I love the fact that I've stumbled upon vlogging!!! I love it!! It's a great way to feel like I'm getting "adult" time in while being kept here at home with two little boys. (Who I love very much by the way) So this next year I want to continue to vlog, and this will also be beneficial to my family in years to come. okay, maybe not. But I'm hoping so.


2. I want to focus my energy on getting all the scrap booking finished for the last few years since I've gone to using a digital camera!! It shouldn't be too hard, if I'd just take the time to figure out the pages and events that need to be documented. I love to digi-scrap and love the stuff I've come up with so far. And want to continue to learn all I can in that area.


3. I want to remember to be HAPPY! So many times, I find the slightest little thing and that causes me to be upset ALL day. NO MORE!! I just want to be HAPPY and part of that is going to help me try to overcome the tendency of yelling over stupid things towards my family members. (No I don't do this all day all the time, but some days it may seem like that) I know kind of depressing. But this is something that's important to me and going to be a real challenge!!


4. I want to build the friendships I've got already, and make them stronger. Whether it's with family members or those in my neighborhood, or those I've recently met through blogging. I can learn so much from those around me, and look forward to getting to know each of you better.


5. I want to get on a regular work out schedule once again. In college, I was working out on a regular basis and loved the way I felt. Had so much energy, and got plenty of sleep. (Oh yeah, the big difference between then and now, might be due to the fact that I now have 5 children to tend to, and no quick and easy or FREE access to work out facilities). But we're hoping to buy a membership to the rec center here, and the hubs and I will start "WORKING OUT!!" and shedding some pounds of FAT that have accumulated this last year.

Hope that you all have a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or whatever you might be celebrating at this time in your life!!!

I'm still working on my Christmas Cards for this year and don't want to let the cat out of the bag as to what they'll look like until I get them mailed next week.

I love how there is some RANDOM KID In the background.... and the hubs wasn't with us on this little outing so he isn't in the picture with us.

Monday Mingle Dec 7, 2009

Okay so once again it's time for MONDAY MINGLE!!! I'm linking up with 80 mph MOM and I LOVE DOING THIS!!! I think when I've got a collection of them, I'll just burn them to a CD or DVD or something. Pretty fun stuff!!!

Before the video though, I want to wish my friend LORIE a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! We've been friends since we were kids and are still friends today!!! Love ya Lorie!!! Have a great day!!!


**Just ignore the "SCREAMING" babe you can hear... he's always doing that.*

And now I realize I put some pretty lame facts about me on the video so I'll just a list a few here too. I love to Digi scrap!!! I love to run bath water (with or without bubbles) and relax and read !!! I played basketball, volleyball and softball in high school, and for a little while I was also a cheerleader. But I really preferred playing basketball the most!!

So maybe this will make up for the LAME -O ones I used in the video.

Ta ta ...looks like snow.. and I'm off to get some Hot Cocoa because I love a nice large cup of that!!!

Have a great Monday!! (and rest of the week)

Mounteenas of Laundrias and other such funny stuff..

For all you MOMS out there or WOMEN who do laundry ... Hillary Weeks puts a great spin on Laundry and Music. This was great!!!

Her Laundry Song Parody :




And here's her other one called "The To Do List". Crack me up funny!!!



Just wanted to pass on the fun!!! Enjoy!!

Serving time ....

...in the KITCHEN.

Okay so I'm a HUGE DORK!!!

I just attempted to make brownies. And no, I didn't make them from scratch, so that's why I feel like an even bigger DORK!!! LOL......

Okay so the deal is.... I pulled down the box out of my pantry, and have been craving these delicious brownies for a while. So just now, and I mean JUST NOW, as in less then 2 minutes ago I have just entertained my husband, but he doesn't know it yet.

So you maybe wondering what the heck I'm talking about, well I'm glad I waited to post for today because this is just hilarious. Or maybe you'll think I'm just an IDIOT!!

But, you know how you follow the directions on the back of the box, well I added the 2 eggs, no problem there. I added the 1/2 cup of oil, no problem there. Well, when I went to add the water and started mixing it... I thought the batter was a little RUNNY, and that might just be an understatement!! I looked at the directions, and double checked the eggs, the oil, and then the WATER.

Oh. MY. GOSH!!!! The WATER!!!

I didn't just put 1/4 cup of water into it I added 1 cup on top of that for a total amount of 1 1/4 cups of water. Duh RETARD!!!

So the consistency seems to be that of cake, and maybe even a little bit more runny than that. OH FLIPPER SKINS!!! Well, I thought I could just add that many more boxes to make it right but HELLO that's like adding four more boxes of mix, which I DO HAVE. BUT I only want use them here and there and not to correct a huge mishap on my part. Like hello, go back to school and practice reading again. (Maybe this is more evidence that I need to wear my glasses MORE like ALL the TIME!!!)

I then started thinking what I could add to it so that it would be better, but hello trying to go from a box to a "homemade" version has got to be the hardest thing ever. So maybe I should just go throw some flour and more sugar into the mix, along with a little more oil ... ah heck who am I trying to KID!!?? So I'm going forward with the RUNNY BROWNIE BATTER and hope that the final version still tastes good.

Not to mention my mishap in the bath this morning. I was washing my hair and had just lathered up my head with the shampoo, all the while my brain and thoughts are off on a tangent somewhere in la la land. And then I open up the conditioner bottle and start rubbing it into my hair just as I realized I felt "slimy" hair. OH FLIPPER SKINS!!! I forgot to rinse the shampoo out before I did the conditioner step.

Luckily that was an easy fix, but maybe today is the day I should have just remained in my bed. Reading a book!!!

So I swear, if I ever have this happen again ... I'm going to scream somewhere in the "MOUNTAINS" where no one will hear me, and won't think something bad is happening. But wait, I forget that I'm screaming because it was something bad, but not the kind that makes you ... never mind... I think I'm having bouts of adult A.D.D. setting in. (I need to find that song again, it's FUNNY!!)

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,

I don't usually write a letter to you, or at least I haven't for several years now. But I decided that I wanted to change that this year and just let you know how the year has gone.

As you know we've got 5 rambunctious, full of ideas, who won't be quiet when I want them to, but will come and give random hugs, and say I love you, --kids that live here and call us Mom and Dad. They are really working hard these days, and have really been good at doing dishes lately. It's so nice, less that I have to do!! So feel free to indulge in their favorite wishes, but only if you have time, because I know you are quite busy.

I also have a few wishlist items right now too!! For one I would like to have a BIGGER HOUSE!! Of course, there aren't too many bigger houses that we could afford the payment on so that's why we still LIVE here in our little house. But that's okay, because at least we can be cozy!!

So if I can't have the bigger house, I would settle for a new computer!! But even with that, we can't afford it outright either! So maybe I could go for a DSLR Camera, please!!?? Oh yeah, that one will cost a lot of $$ too!!! (Maybe in a few years, I'll have enough saved up) So if I can't have any of these things, because you have a "tight" budget too, then maybe we can go for a LAZY BOY rocker/recliner!! We have room for one in the living room now!! Well, seriously if that's still too much, I could settle for CHOCOLATE!!! Especially Reece's Peanut Butter cups -- the miniatures, and then I wouldn't mind getting boxes of peanut butter TWIX's. I love those things!!

And if I haven't been good enough to get even that, well then I'd be happy if I can spend Christmas with my family, and share in the laughter and love that we have for one another. I would also like "WORLD PEACE" ---**( can you tell me where that line is from?)

My husband has been a huge help the last few weeks, yeah, I know it took a while, but he's doing great and he works hard and amazingly enough we survived this year living on reduced pay. We had just enough to pay the bills, and somehow managed to get some food. Not our favorites but we did have food!! So for Christmas I'd like for you to supply him with some new clothes for work seeing how he spends most of his time there, and it's been a couple years since we've gotten him shirts. He'd also like to get a membership to the rec center. (I'd like that too!!) And could you please make sure that we have some grubbin food ready to eat so that I don't have to stress over it all day. (stress and I really don't go well together!)

My children have actually expressed some interest in some kind of gaming system!! They feel so left out that we don't have anything like that and all their cousins do. (Well mostly all of them do). But I'd just settle for a MIRACLE of having them clean their room!! See what you could do about that one!! I could use some help in that area.

I have lots of friends across the country and even the world, and if you could please make sure that they are watched over and have a good Christmas too that would be great!!

I'd also like an extra helping of ENERGY!! Some days... well it's all I can do to just stay awake!!

And if you could seriously work another miracle and get the 2 year old to sleep through the night and not run to my room, I'd seriously like that!! And while you are at it, a new mattress in the bedroom would be great too!!

Well, you know all the specs, on the kids being good or not, but they really are good kids!! See if you can help them out.

And as always, be sure to stop and get your snack, and there'll be snacks for the reindeer too. So if you have a request, now's the time to put it in!! You got my digits.

Make sure to rest up, because Christmas is coming up fast. And be sure to use the "hidden" key we told you about, so that you can still get in the house, seeing how we don't have fireplace for easier access. I'll do my best to make sure the kids are in bed EARLY that night, and for some reason it seems to be the only night that they ever do EXACTLY what I say. Why is that??

Well, take care Santa and tell the Mrs. I said Hi, and

wish you both a Merry Christmas too!!

***********************************************************

If you want to play along visit MamaKat's blog, there were a few writing prompts to choose from.

Blog Roll

Okay so I'm making a post for all you wonderful readers to leave me your blog addresses, or if you have a button... make a note of that.. and then I'll start listing all the blogs I like to follow, and the ones that would like me to follow them.

Amazing Family

Emmy Mom

Handsfull MOM

I Wanna Grow Old With You

Laughing at Life's Little Wedgies

Memories in French

Momza's House

Never a dull Meredith Moment

Trapped Between a Hug and a Scream

{Love is Spoken Here}

DIGI SCRAPPING BLOGS:

AnDi Designs

PHOTOGRAPHY BLOGS:

McPherson Love Nest

Peace and Pandemonium

Wright Family Pics

Stick 'em Up Tuesday

I just posted a bunch of these post its to Cream of the Crop, but found these others that were intended for last week before Thanksgiving and didn't get around to it. So I'm sharing them now.