Check. Check. Check.

Too much to do. Too much to buy, think about, experience, share with my kids, bake, wrap, coordinate, decorate, create... trying to catch the Christmas spirit here, but finding it stressful amongst all the things on my to-do list. I thought I had seriously simplified my Christmas card this year, but I'm still finding the process taking way too long. Again, the mess on my dining room table is lasting WAY too long already. The idea of driving around town to go shopping for gifts makes me gag. The idea of staying home to try and finish all the homemade ones is almost as bad. I don't know how to make the magic of "Santa" happen with my kids, when I just CAN'T/WON'T get them everything on their lists... and when we're not going to be at home for Christmas morning anyway. I don't know what to get several people on my list, including my son and my husband. I've SO MANY craft projects I'd really like to finish by Christmas. Including 5 Nephite costumes, aprons, Christmas cards, my clipboard advent calendar, glass blocks, wooden block nativities, something for my visiting teachees whom I've ignored the past few months, a new wreath for my front door that looks like - but is less expensive - than the cool square one from Ballard Designs, and that silly wool penny rug I started like 5 years ago. I swear, I need a personal assistant from October to January every year. I'm nervous we're not going to be able to afford to actually feed 100-150 people for the Christmas party like we've planned. I've no idea how to coordinate 15 people's schedules in order to pre-record our Christmas program. I think I definitely need a different calling by next Christmas...

Thankful

Un-photoshopped. I promise.
It's been a bad attitude year for me. But as I look at my family photo here and write out my Christmas card letter, I realize I have much to be thankful for... too much on my mind to list at the moment!

Anybody got one of these laying around?

Because I could really use a nice theatrical spotlight. Really, I could.

Coming soon, to a mailbox near you...

If you didn't get a Christmas card from me last year, or you've moved since last year (C & A, you know who you are) and you're just dying to be on "the list" - then leave me a comment. Then I'll take your family's name, and I'll put it under consideration. No promises.

Go buy yourself a 7x5 glass block...

If you want to make one of these. Still working out the details. Cost is TBD, but should be between $6 and $10 for each one cut in vinyl. Don't ask me why Joseph isn't showing up. I promise he's there... I don't want to try and fix it at the moment.








Yours finished will look something like this (but better, because YOURS TRULY did the art, and added the words, duh...)

Restaurant Recommendation

We went HERE on our anniversary and it was BLISS, I tell ya. It's a little bit of a hike, off of 7th street and Thunderbird, but SO worth it. And I believe Restaurant.com is doing another special where you save 80% - use the code SURPRISE when you check out and you'll pay only $2 for a $25 certificate.

Calling all Fake Ferns...

If you have any palm trees in pots, (easily transportable), ficus trees, ferns, palm trees we can steal fronds from, or tan, brown or black fabric panels, especially jungle slash animal fabric,

then leave a comment so I can come borrow them and return them in pristine condition.

Trust me, you'll get lots of blessings for this one.

Don't forget...

Seriously, could I look any older in this picture? Apparently it's been a LONG ten years...

Zoo day.

Is it bad that I only wanted to go to the zoo so I could scrapbook the pictures afterward? I mean, I already DO have the paper...Margaret, you can relate, can't you??

My five-year-old is flirting with a younger man...I think Josh liked the monkeys. Yep. I do.This kid was WAY too occupied to bother posing for the camera...
Ahhhh... success!

Super Saturday

Just found these photos...

so I thought I'd share.

Anybody with me?

Stomp, coming to Gammage, in May. I'm all over it. The best tix are like $70 a piece. Email if you'd like to join me...

To Do, this week

I can't even believe how glamorous my life is sometimes...

Catch up on sorting coupons
Finish advent clipboard
Get gift out of attic for b-day party
Sew my aprons
Probably ask Deirdre's help to sew my aprons
Clear off dining room table
Work through the clutter in my craft room
Dust? HA!
Pack the kids for the weekend
Wash/vacuum car
Get lawnmower fixed
Get back porch/garage cleared and organized
Work on FHE kits
Take stuff to school for rummage sale
Figure out Christmas card design
Send box o' baby stuff to Amanda
Send Allison's school pic to Nonnie
Call customer service re: unworking Visa
Get TIVO set up. Call Qwest/Direct TV.
Go shopping for new cell phones/new cell phone company - anyone have any suggestions?

Twenty-two Dollars.

Okay this is such a cheesy thing to do, to take a picture of my groceries I bought tonight... but holy cow, 12 pounds of boneless skinless chicken, 1 pound shrimp, 2 gallons milk, 4 boxes cereal, 2 Dove Ice Creams, 10 powerades.... and more! I heart competitor's coupons!

Ten Years.

Ten Christmas cards.
Two States.
Three Kids.
Six Addresses.
Four Houses.
Hundreds of gallons of paint applied.
Dozens of fans and fixtures installed.
One riding lawnmower.
One double-wide!
Five cars.
Three car accidents.
Half a dozen tickets.
One cross-country drive with two kids.
Four jobs for him.
Three jobs for her.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars earned, and spent.
Lots of plants and trees killed.
Six preschools attended.
Dozens of vomit-cleaning-bedding-washing all nighters.
Half a dozen teeth lost.
Thousands of diapers changed.
Two potty-training marathons.
A few trips to the emergency room.
Dozens of callings held.
Dozens of Enrichment activities carried out.
Hundreds of Sundays spent in church foyers.
Seven temples attended.
Hundreds of family home evenings survived.
Thousands of movies watched.
Thousands of shared Diet Cokes.
Lots of trips to California.
One trip to Palmyra.
One trip to Independence.
One trip to Philadelphia.
One trip to Hawaii.
Two trips to New York City.
Thousands of scrapbook pages created.
Millions of laughs.

Here's to eternity. I love you, babe.

Just to clarify.

I've got too much worry in me today. I fear for my country. I fear for our military. I fear the idea of redistribution. I fear for Wall Street. And for my ever-shrinking retirement. And tax increases and plans that will keep us in a down market and keep people from investing. I fear the fairness doctrine. And partial-birth abortions that my new president-elect is perfectly okay with. And all other abortions, for that matter. I fear the partisan people Obama is already putting in place (Rahm). I fear that many, many people see Obama as some kind of "Messiah". Dangerous. I fear for small business owners. I think that a $3000 tax credit for every full-time employee hired is a complete joke. Yeah, that's REALLY going to stimulate something. I loathe the partisan members of the media who are GIDDY after THEIR candidate won. I loathe the "victim" mentality that is perpetuated by liberalism with too many government programs, too many excuses, too many rescues, affirmative action, and actually any talk of race whatsoever. I am disgusted by the idea of entitlement.

I can breathe easier, however, because I do believe that the country DOES have some core conservative principles in place. Arizona, California, and Florida all voted FOR marriage. Awesome. Now can we please find a candidate that will walk the walk of conservatism, please? Of limited government and INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY that we NEED to get this country back on the side of RIGHT. Not left, not liberal, not democrat, not republican. Just RIGHT.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

Darn. Dang. Shoot. This sucks. This bites. Historical? B.S.!!! If this country was so far "progressed" then the color of you-know-who's skin would never have even been brought up. Instead, headlines today read "First BLACK president". Makes me sick. Negative thoughts. Negative thoughts.

More curse words.

*&*)#&^$#(*&*!!






Nope, still not satisfying.





















DAMN IT!




There.

HERE we go. Camera ready now.

Like I've always said, it's not about the actual event. It's about the scrapbook pages AFTER the event. In that spirit, here are some highlights from our photo shoot tonight, just a mere 3 days after Halloween.
The sunshine of my life...And the cutest little croc in town.You don't need to comment on this one. Really. We know.
Would it be politically incorrect to photoshop my skin a little darker, just so Tiger Lily would be more authentic??? Hmmm....Honestly, have you EVER seen anything so fabulous as Tink here, in this picture? Come ON!

I'm so lame...

because I hardly took any pictures on Halloween. Kind of had my hands full, ya know? I stole most of these pics from Brenda, but I may take more/upload some later...

Here's the Cap'n himself. Aaarrrrrgh...And the croc who took off his hand.Unfortunately he was WAY too busy playing with a balloon to pose for the camera. Just know that he was having a really, really, really, really good time with that balloon.Better pics may come later, if I can convince everyone to put their costumes on again!