find joy in the journey

one little word 2013: wrap-up

THRIVE

It has been a good companion for me this year.  I have taken this word to heart more, and felt a bigger impact by it than any other word I have journeyed with so far.  I'm not exactly sure why.  Maybe it's because thrive is more of an action word.  But it's also a feeling -- of fullness, growth, and well-being.  

Either way, I have felt really good about my experience with it this year.

I was so pleased to hop onto Ali Edwards' blog this week and see that she has chosen thrive for 2014!  I love her definition of the word:  "To me thriving is optimal living. It’s being present and awake and stepping up to be my best self physically, emotionally, spiritually, creatively and within my relationships."

I took part in her One Little Word workshop this past year.  I didn't keep up with every monthly prompt, but I love the way her questions and assignments helped me to reflect on my word, keep it in the forefront, and most importantly to act on it.  I highly recommend her workshop.  This year she is offering it through her site HERE.

Here's a look at some of the class assignments and prompts that I worked on:  FEBRUARY  --  MARCH  --  APRIL  --  MAY/JUNE/JULY  

At the beginning of the year I wrote out 12 facets of my life in which I wanted to thrive.  As I look back over these things and I remember the work and time and effort (over and over) that I put into these things, and now see the results . . . I don't know how else to say it, but I am pretty darn proud of myself!  Because there was work involved.  There was thought and being aware of my intentions.  Not to mention lots (LOTS) of stepping outside of my comfort zone.

thrive // within - I have worked more on my personal scripture study and prayers.  I attended a weekly Book of Mormon class (and I even volunteered to play the piano once).

thrive // love - I tried to make a point of letting my family & dear friends know that I love them.

thrive // home - painting, painting, and more painting.

thrive // friendship - I worked on maintaining my long-distance friendships with two trips to Oregon, phone calls, emails, texts, and Facetime chats.  I know these girls will be my forever friends and we can always just pick up where we left off . . . but I also think it's important to nurture these important relationships.

thrive // extend -- This year I invited 13 different families into our home for Sunday evening dessert.  I've thrown 2 parties, a lunch, initiated at least 3 group picnics at the park, and we invited a group of 5 families to join us for Christmas Eve bowling.  I have definitely extended myself!

thrive // body - I completed a walk 100 miles challenge.  I attend a weekly Pilates class (when I can).  And this fall I worked through a Couch to 5K program.

thrive // family -- We started a new tradition of celebrating half-birthdays.  I discovered Power of Moms (retreat, blog, and podcasts) and I feel like this has really helped me to be a better mom and think about the way that I do things.  Being more deliberate. 

thrive // create - I have found time to do a few creative/crafty projects - Pinterest Party, handmade Christmas, etc.  But this is one area where I definitely feel like I wanted to do more.  There's just never enough time!

thrive // time - One major change for me is that I don't retreat to the computer after the kids go to bed anymore.  I make sure that I reserve this time for Scott and I.  So I try to use my time during the day to fit in all the computer-y/bloggy stuff that needs to be done.

thrive // cultivate - I feel like I have been cultivating some new friendships, getting to know people better, and I feel their friendship in return.

thrive // flourish - Earlier this year I worked on a few projects to help with my mom's shop, Flourish.

thrive // me - Trying to be my best possible self.  This is the culmination of it all.

And so here we are about to say good-bye to 2013 in just a few hours.  I will say that it has been a good year.  Busy and frantic at times.  But good.  

I am thankful for this word -- thrive -- and how it has inspired and pushed me this year.  In fact, there were many times I felt brave and emboldened because I was doing things in the name of this word.

I watched this little video from Elise Cripe on Ali's blog today and I love what she said about her past words and how they seem to stay with you.  They become a part of your character and who you are. Yes!  I agree with that 100%.  

I will add thrive to my list of past words (simplify, play, joy, nurture, embrace) and continue to think about it and let it influence my life.

*I will share my one little word for 2014 sometime in January.  Stay tuned!

handmade christmas

In my family I have 4 younger brothers - Sam, Kent, Denver, & Mason - who are all married.  For a while now we have done a sibling Christmas gift exchange in which we each give a gift to one other person and the list rotates each year.

Early in 2013 my mom made the suggestion that maybe we should try exchanging handmade gifts this year.  I thought it was a good idea.  And by the time Christmas came and the gifts were exchanged and opened I had moved my opinion from good to great!

Here are 3 reasons why:

1) Obviously the gifts are more meaningful.  I'm probably going to love and enjoy my handmade gift more and longer  because I know someone put effort & thought into it.

2) I actually spent less $$ putting together my handmade gifts than I would have if I just went to the store and bought something.  Crazy!  I know that's not always the case with handmade vs. store bought, but it worked for me.

3) As Scott likes to say, "Let's stop the crap exchange."  Granted, there is still plenty of crap (stuff) I want, and sometimes random crap can be really fun . . . . but for the most part we have all the crap we need.  So, the plan to stop spending our money on stuff we're not even sure other people want/need sounds like a pretty good one.

I had Kent's name this year and here is what I put together for his family:

The big pillow is for Kent's theater room.  If you don't recognize that movie quote then I kinda feel sorry for you.  I made the pillow from cotton canvas and the words were printed out with help from my Silhouette Cameo onto heat transfer material.  

The memory game was for Nicholas (4) and Ellie (2) and includes pictures of all the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on the Andersen side of the family.  It was a pretty fun project to put together.  Here's a few easy steps:

• Sand and paint 3" wood discs (I got mine from Michael's - 40% off coupons are your friend).  I also did a light sanding after painting.
• Print your photos (with or without text) and cut into 2.5" circles.  Remember, you will need two copies of each photo.
• Adhere each photo to a wood disc using a light layer of mod podge.
• Once dry, brush a thin layer of mod podge over the entire disc.  Let dry, repeat.

And be sure you give the discs plenty of time to dry before stacking or bagging them up.  You don't want them to stick together.

I made the canvas bag with some leftover fabric from the pillow project and used my scrapbooking stamps and ink to add the title & year.  

 

Finally, this cute silhouette canvas was for Becca.  I plan to share a step-by-step tutorial for this project in the next week.

The kids and I made a set of personalized flour towels for each Grammer.  See idea HERE.

Denver and Bree gave me two jars of flavored salts which I LOVE!  One is Rosemary-Cumin and the other is Lemon-Chili.  I used the Rosemary salt on our Christmas Day pork tenderloin.  Mmm!

My parents also got into the handmade spirit and gave us a few things.  This shadowbox contains my mom's wedding veil.  What a keepsake!

And the fabric envelope above is meant for using in the temple.  It was made from my mom's wedding dress.  At first I was a bit surprised when I opened the gift and read the note - she cut up her wedding dress??!  But after talking to her it all made sense.  You can read the story HERE.

For Scott and I she also put together this bag with picnic supplies and a denim quilt made from my dad's old work jeans.  She made a jeans blanket for all 5 of her kids!  That is a lot of sewing!  I love these denim blankets -- we had a bunch growing up and I've even made one of my own.  They are so great for picnicing, camping, tailgating, city parades, on the beach -- just so sturdy and they hold up to everything.

Oh and one more handmade item . . . my dad is offering "free labor" for one home improvement project.  I better start planning!

While the majority of our Christmas was not handmade (we are very good friends with Amazon.com), it was nice to infuse just a little handmade touch into the gift-giving season.  It adds a little extra magic.  Who knew I would be so excited about salt?!    

ladies' christmas lunch

Last week I had a few ladies from church over for a Christmas lunch at my house.  Wow, I can hardly believe that was just last week - so much has happened since then!  This idea had been simmering in my head for quite a while so I decided to go for it.  In total there were 9 women invited -- everyone was connected to me somehow through visiting teaching -- and 6 were able to attend (plus 1 little lady).

I loved the opportunity to set the table all pretty.  The Christmas dishes are a hand-me-down from my mom.  I found the gold chevron paper placemats at a local boutique.  And gold Christmas crackers were picked up from Target.  It was all very easy to put together.

The bonus of hosting a lunch (or dinner) at your home in December is that your house is already primped and pretty for Christmas!  So, not a whole lot extra has to be done.  Make the food, sweep the floors, set the table.

We served ham and swiss rolls, caprese skewers, roasted red pepper dip with sourdough bread & veggies, and salad.  I found this amazing recipe for crockpot hot chocolate so I had to whip up a batch.  It did not disappoint.

I also sent everyone home with a bottle of my homemade vanilla.

We had a great lunch!  We visited, laughed, and told jokes & played charades from our Christmas crackers.  Then I had them all gather in the family room so I could share a spiritual/Christmas thought.  This year I purchased the book Christmas from Heaven and it comes with a special DVD.  This DVD includes a 12 minute portion of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas Concert from 2012.  In this clip, Tom Brokaw narrates the story of The Candy Bomber -- the true story of an American WWII pilot in Germany, his simple act of service, and how it grew into something much bigger.

So I showed this clip to the women.  It is such a touching story, with powerful music and theatrical presentation, and Tom Brokaw's words to pull it all together.  It gives me goosebumps!

The over-arching theme or moral of the story was: From small things, come big things.  

We can spread love and cheer and lift others' hearts . . . no matter how small the gift.  I love that message.  

around here

. . . the Christmas decorations are down and after a trip to Party City the kids and I re-decorated the tree for New Years.  I read this blog post and thought we'd give it a go.  

. . . Conner is getting braces in just one week.  He better hurry up and eat all that Laffy Taffy he got for his birthday!

. . . the weather is pretty incredible right now.  I was standing outside for a few minutes this afternoon, in the sun, and I had to take off my cardigan because it was too warm.

. . . the kids have been playing outside everyday, riding bikes back and forth to a friend's house in the neighborhood.  It has been so nice to have the time and freedom to just play.  

. . . I purchased some Bermuda shorts online today.  Scott and I are going to Maui in just a few weeks and I realized that my vacation wardrobe needed 1 or 2 updates.  And yes, I know I am totally spoiled to be going to Hawaii again after just 9 months.  Hooray for vacation ownership and airline miles!  This trip we only have to pay for food and a rental car.

. . . I took the kids to a pet store today where they actually let you hold and play with the puppies that are for sale.  We chose a poodle/pomeranian mix to play with.  Super cute.  But also super-nippy.  I kinda want to go back and cuddle the black & white polka dotted cocker spaniel.  She looked sweet.

And this is us on Christmas Sunday.  Scott is not pictured because he was sick as a dog and actually stayed home from church.  We're glad he is all better now.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

I wanted to share a great deal from Power of Moms.  As a holiday gift to their readers, POM is offering everyone a FREE program!  Just go HERE and choose from the 3 options -- Deliberate Motherhood Podcast series, Do-It-Yourself Summer Camp, and Organizing for School Success.  Hurry, the offer ends January 1st.  I'm picking this one:

christmas 2013

Ah, another Christmas is in the books.  I heard lots of "this is the best Christmas ever" from the kids.  I'm not exactly sure what made it the best Christmas ever for them, but it makes me happy that they feel that way!

The kids' big gift from Santa was a Wii-U.  The boys were super excited about it.  Anna on the other hand said, "but I didn't ask for a Wii-U."  Luckily, her other gifts made up for it -- furry lounge pillow, rainbow loom, sewing machine, Rebelle crossbow -- she was very happy with all of it.

I think Payton's favorite gift of the day was the $10 pack of Pokemon cards that he received from Conner.  He has been carrying them around everywhere and has informed us that ALL he wants for his birthday (in 5 weeks) is Pokemon cards.  Lots and lots of Pokemon cards.  (When I saw this plush Rotom doll I knew that it would totally make his day.  And it did.)

Conner was a hard one to shop for this year.  He is 13.  And there was nothing that he really wanted.  So he got some LEGOs, of course, Skylanders for the new Wii-U, as well as an electronic programming board (Arduino) and his first bottle of cologne.  He didn't really know what to think about that.  Scott let him know it was for the ladies.  ;)

In the afternoon the sister missionaries came over and they got to make a phone call home (Skype) from our computers.  That's always an exciting day for missionary families.  When they finished their calls we watched Mr. Krueger's Christmas and Joy to the World while dinner was cooking.  It was delicious -- pork tenderloin, funeral potatoes, broccoli, raspberry jell-o/pretzel dessert, rolls, and individual bottles of Martinelli's to drink.

I had placed Christmas crackers at each setting and boy, that sure opened a can of worms.  Between the jokes, the charades, and silly trinkets inside . . . . the kids took it all way too far and the room was filled riotous laughter and craziness.  I hope we didn't scare the missionaries too much!

After they left we spent the rest of the evening lounging -- watching movies, Anna and I worked on her rubberband loom, C & P played Pokemon cards, Conner tried to hide his orange (but was easily found), and Payton built a huge tower with his Kapla blocks .

It was just a nice day.

I hope you had a good one too.

Sometimes you purchase gifts and cross your fingers that they will be winners.  And sometimes you randomly grab a gift off the shelf and it ends up being the recipient's absolute favorite thing.  To aid in future gift-giving, here's a short list of Christmas winners that we gave or received this year:

Perplexus - all the kids are hooked

Kapla Blocks - This was a wild card choice by Santa for Payton.  SUCH a fun building toy!  Think, Jenga blocks, but thinner and wider and longer.  I wish we had them years earlier, but I'm sure they will still get plenty of play-time.

Skylanders -- Boy heaven.

Rainbow Loom -- It seems that this is the "it" item of 2013 for 7-10 year old girls.  I believe Anna has already made about 10 bracelets.

Letterpress Family Proclamation - It is gorgeous!  Can't wait to get it framed.

Disc-O-Bed - Taking camping to a whole new level.  Literally.

DropStop - Do you watch Shark Tank?  We do.  And this is one of the success stories from the show.  I got these for my dad and Scott and they both love it!

Shark with Frickin' Laser Pointer -- Scott loves Austin Powers.  And he has always wanted a laser pointer.  Boom!

"Oh my Gravy" ladle - just cute and just for fun.

Homemade gifts (more on that later)

 

**Note:  some links are affiliate (which means I receive a small tiny comission if you click and purchase), but opinions are 100% my own.

christmas eve bowling 2013

2013 marks 10 years that our family has spent Christmas Eve (morning) at the bowling alley.  10 years!

It all started in 2004, Payton was just 1 years old, and we were joined by one other family -- the Habels.  Soon that group grew to 5 families and it was a tradition that we all (kids & parents) looked forward to every year!  Here's a little walk down memory lane:

Love these people.  Our Oregon extended family.  

We just love bowling on Christmas Eve because it's such a good way to keep the kids occupied on this long day of waiting and anticipation.  It gets us out of the house and it's just plain fun!

Since moving from Oregon our friends have kept up the tradition (we are with them in spirit!) and we have continued with it as well.  Last year Scott's parents visited for Christmas so they joined us.  We were fairly new in our ward and didn't know people well enough to invite others to bowling, so it was just our group of 7.

This year I decided that I would extend an invite to a few families.  We didn't know what others' plans were (family, their own traditions, etc.) and figured it was a shot in the dark, but at least we would try!  Much to my delight, they all wanted to come!  It was great.  And I think everyone had a great time.  Afterwards we met for lunch at Freddy's for steakburgers and frozen custard -- it's a pretty good substitute for Burgerville. Everything worked out really well and I was so so happy!

 

Last year I put together a little video of our bowling day (HERE) so I thought I would do the same this year.  Enjoy!

Song:  The Cowboys' Christmas Ball by The Killers

For my record:  I bowled a 123 with NO bumpers!  Boo-yah!

merry christmas 2013

It has been a wonderful Christmas day!  I've tried to stay unplugged for most of it (I haven't even looked at instagram or Facebook today - shocker!), but I just wanted to pop in real quick to share our Christmas card and the note that we sent out with it.  I hope that you have had a wonderful day of family, love, magic, and memories to be cherished.  Merry Christmas!

* * * * * * * * 

2013 will be remembered as the year that we officially became old parents.  Yes, we know that mid-30's is not that old!  But this year we reached several milestones and aged out of activities that would otherwise keep us in the "young family" bracket.

In September, Anna turned 8 and was baptized.  It was a wonderful event and she looked darling in Shannon's baptism dress.  We are about to say goodbye to Cub Scouts, as Payton has already received his Webelos and is ready to pick up his Arrow of Light at the next pack meeting.  And most recently Conner turned 13.  Yes, we have a teenager in the house!  So far all signs indicate that he is going to be a delightful teenager and we can't wait to go on that ride with him.  So yes, we are old.

Scott and I will celebrate 15 years of marriage in January, and as we sit back and look at our family we can't help but feel blessed and thankful for each member of it.  Each year the kids change and grow, and yes new challenges come up.  But we have to admit that we have enjoyed each stage more than the last.  It just keeps getting better.

With all that changes in life -- work, school, age, moves (21 months in Nevada, 14 months in our home!) -- we are thankful for the things that stay the same.  Family.  Faith.  These are the things that truly bring us happiness and keep us centered as we travel through life.  I love this quote, "The future is as bright as our faith."  -Thomas S. Monson

It is faith in our Savior Jesus Christ that brings peace and hope.  We are so thankful for this Christmas season to celebrate His birth, remember His teachings, and strive to be a little more like Him.  We share a testimony that He lives and loves each and every one of us.  May you feel His love this Christmas season and always!

when I forget everything else

Saturday night we took the kids to see The Forgotten Carols -- a Christmas musical/play composed by Michael McClean.  I remember being a teenager and listening to those songs over and over again, singing along, and playing the piano music.  They are such moving songs with a great message.  So I was thrilled to discover that the "show" was coming to Vegas!

Here we are seated and ready for it to begin

And here we are at intermission.

I will say that the kids were laughing their guts out during several of the acting scenes.  But when it came time for singing . . . . they got a bit sleepy.  

At the end of the show Michael McClean came out to share his thank-you's, a few more songs, and some uplifting thoughts.  In the show he played the part of Uncle John, an elderly man.  He mentioned that if you were a regular to the show you would notice that Uncle John's wardrobe was different on this tour.  This time, all the clothes he wore belonged to his own father.  His father is still alive today, with Alzheimer's.

Michael's father can't remember his son's name. "But I'm sure I like you!"

What struck Michael is that his father is still very aware of and familiar with his faith, Jesus Christ, and the meaning of the Christmas season.

And I love what he said next.  This is the gist:  

I hope that I can get to the point in my life where the Savior is so inscribed into my DNA, that when I forget everything and everyone else, . . . I can still recognize Him.

Isn't that beautiful?  I hope for the same thing too. 

december in review

I don't know about you, but december ended up being a little cray-cray in these parts.  Just non-stop, my-head-is-full-of-lists, the-errands-never-end, wondering-why-the-house-doesn't-clean-itself, wishing-for-a-few-extra-hours-in-the-day kind of busy-ness.  Am I alone in this?  Probably not.  

It wasn't until Friday that I felt that life finally settled.  And let me tell you, it feels darn good.

But that busy-ness was also wonderful, full of lots of fun trips, visits, celebrations, and activities.  It just meant that I never had time to sit down and blog about any of it.

So I thought I would take a minute today, 3 days before christmas, to record some of our December happenings.

The day after Thanksgiving (not officially December) we decorated the house for Christmas.  The kids got to decorate their own tree which was mostly successful.  Only one child had to be sent to her room for pouting, bossing, and tantrum-ing.

Later that night we went to see the Christmas lights at the Ethel M cactus garden.

We watched the Polar Express and the kids slept under the Christmas tree.

The kids wrote letters to Santa (see the LEGO catalog on the table).  A few requests:  LEGOs, an iPod, Rebelle nerf bow and arrow, and a pink blow up castle with a drawbridge and turrets. Scott watched the King Singers perform O Holy Night -- the first of many viewings this month.  It is soul-stirring.  We love this DVD.

I sent out Christmas cards the first week of December.  This year we mailed about 75 cards.  I'm curious, how many do you typically send out?

I took a girls' weekend trip to Portland.

It got really cold (for us) so I got to wear my Uggs and drink hot chocolate.  Yay! And we had a solid layer of ice across our pool for 5 days.

On one rare occasion I had dinner in the oven, homework was complete, and we were able to steal a few minutes to sit around and chill on a school night.

Our Relief Society had a great Christmas Party / Progressive Dinner one night -- almost 60 women in attendance!  I laughed when I arrived and found that my friend Katie and I were twinners.  #christmaspants

 My mom came for a little visit to see the kids perform in some of their Christmas music programs.

We also fit in some shopping, yummy lunch dates, light fixture installation, and plenty of loving on the kids.

We had a Ward Christmas Breakfast activity that I helped out with.  The gym looked beautiful!  Thanks to the ward who had their activity the night before and left up their lights and snowflakes.  We served breakfast casseroles, Krispy Kreme donuts, fruit, and juice & milk boxes.  

We watched Elf.  Of course.  "I'm sorry that I ruined your lives and I'm sorry that I stuffed 11 cookies into the VCR."

For the past month I've been brewing some homemade vanilla and it was finally time to bottle and label it to give as gifts to friends & teachers.  I felt pretty fancy.  Here is a link to the recipe I followed.

We have read lots of Christmas books.  Some that made us cry -- A Christmas Dress for Ellen aways leaves me in a puddle of tears so I made Scott read it this year and he fell to the same fate.  And some that made us laugh -- leave it to Scott to turn this book into a tale about Dead Kitty; lots of inventive rhyming and lots of belly laughs.  If you haven't guessed already, he is not a fan of cats.

I hosted a Christmas lunch and invited the ladies that I visit teach, my visiting teachers, and my companion's visiting teachers.  We had 6 women attend and it was just. so. lovely.  (I'll share more pics later).

Payton received his Arrow of Light!  Woo-hoo!  In a little over a month he will be out of Cub Scouts.  It feels so strange to be done.

Apparently hot chocolate and Doritos constitutes an after school snack.

Conner had two opportunities (at church and at school) to spend an afternoon & evening wrapping gifts for needy families.  Love that he's excited and willing to volunteer for these kinds of things.

The kids had a pajama day on the last day of school before break

I visited Anna's class Christmas party

And Saturday morning, the first day of Christmas break, I slept in until 7am.  Hooray!  And then I stayed in bed lounging, reading, and eating breakfast (Scott made a quick run to McDonald's for Egg McMuffins & hashbrowns) until 9:30am.  My wish come true!

We aren't traveling or hosting for Christmas this year. It will just be us.  We don't have a whole lot planned, which is wonderful.  I'm planning to squeeze in lots of quality, hanging out, watching movies, drinking hot chocolate, family time in the next few days. 

It's shaping up to be a great Christmas break!

Christmas decor 2013

My long-time bloggy friend Katie over at Creole Wisdom is hosting a Christmas decor link-up right now.  She lives in a cute 1-bedroom apartment and puts deliberate thought into the way she decorates her small space (at Christmastime and year round).  It's pretty cute (classic / clean / shabby chic) and she takes amazing photographs -- you should check her out!

Anyways, back to the link-up party . . . . I thought this would be a good excuse to share some photos from around my house this year.

Things are looking pretty Christmas-y around here!  And I love it - and need it - because outside it is 60 degrees and doesn't feel like Christmas at all!  (I know, like I should really complain about 60 degree temps.) So, I fill my home with Christmas decorations, Christmas music, and an unlimited supply of egg nog* in the fridge to compensate for un-holiday weather.

*We are on our 6th half-gallon carton of egg nog this year, thanks to Payton.

This year we bought a new Christmas tree.  We have had a fake tree since 2004 and Scott's allergies thank us for it.  The new tree is a 9 footer and oh baby, it is huge!  We wanted a bigger tree for the front room which has 20 foot ceilings and we thought our old 7 footer would look pretty dwarfed in that room.  So the old tree has now become the "kid tree" and we set it up in the family room.  The kids get to decorate a tree and I get to decorate a tree.  Everyone wins!

Darth Vader still resides on my tree, though.  It's tradition.  (Here's the story of how he came into our family.)

A new ornament this year from my mom

Last year, I took advantage of Lisa Leonard's after Christmas sale and ordered this ornament to commemorate our move.  Now I'm kicking myself, wishing I had ordered one for each of the cities we have lived in as a married couple -- she no longer carries this particular ornament design.  Our list would include Provo, UT (1999), Beaverton, OR (2000), and St. Helens, OR (2002)

So we got the bigger tree but I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on more ornaments.  Here are two solutions I found to fill in the green space:

1) This awesome JOY sign, which I already had.  Big and bold, front and center.

2) Clear glass ornament balls and that I filled with white craft feathers.  (I saw the same thing at West Elm selling for $6 each!)

I always enjoy the muted tones of this nativity set in contrast to the vibrant reds in the rest of my decor.  It just feels calm and peaceful.  As it should be.

Those Santa mugs are a dear favorite of mine.  My Grandma Margaret purchased them when she was a newlywed (late 1930's) and at some point she gave them to my mom.  And now I have them!  I feel so lucky.

I love things that have a story.  My mom came to visit for a few days last week and she brought this old apple cider jug that she picked up in a town nearby their new cabin.  Then she had my brother, Sam, drill a hole in the back so that we could fill it with these beautiful fairy/starry lights.  (You can find the lights at Restoration Hardware, Anthropologie, or search online). And the jug is placed on a slice of wood from one of the redwood trees on my parents' property (they had a few trees die this year, so they had to cut them down).  See?  Every part has a story.

I have a set of gallery frames in the hallway nook.  I printed up a bunch of 8x10 photos of the kids wearing their new Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve over the years.  Rather than go to the effort of removing the frames, inserting the pictures, and hanging them back up, I simply taped the new 8x10 photos directly to the glass with washi tape.  Easy peasy.

I love my Christmas card wall.  It usually stays up until Valentine's Day.

A wider shot . . . we've got some mixed up holidays going on.  That's pretty typical for me.  There was that one year I printed up a huge vinyl ghost and adhered it to our kitchen window for Halloween.  He stayed there until the spring.

This collection/display of trees is always a favorite of mine.  I've had the gold wire trees forever.  And the wood veneer trees came from West Elm last year.

A little garland love

And a wider angle, to show you what life really looks like. 

** Linking up at Creole Wisdom

our gingerbread house

On a recent Monday night I was in need of a Family Home Evening activity.  Scott was still at the office late.  My original idea wouldn't work without him.  

I scanned the kitchen and my eyes stopped on the gingerbread house kit that my sweet visiting teacher gave us the week before.  It included graham crackers, icing, piping bags for the icing, misc. candy & marshmallows, and a cake round to build it on.  She thought of everything.  Which was awesome because I typically don't do gingerbread houses but my kids loooove them.

So I proposed the idea to the kids with the caveat, "You realize that there is only one house which means we all have to work together.  Do you think you can do that without fighting?"

They all paused and looked at each other.  Ummm . . . . We all knew that assembling one ginberbread house as a group would definitely be a test in patience and sharing.

With some mild hesitation they all agreed and we went for it.  I think they realized that it would probably be more fun to build a ginberbread house than to not build a gingerbread house.  And I have to say that it went really well!  

I handed the camera to Payton & Conner to take turns documenting our little activity.

I decided to construct the delicate walls myself, with their building plans, just to avoid any and all frustration that would inevitably come from that.

A little note told us to add 1/4 tsp. of cream of tartar to the store bought frosting to make it stiffer.  It worked!

Selfie with his bag of Cheetos

Done!  And there was no fighting, whining, or complaining.  A Christmas miracle!

my oregon christmas weekend

"You can always tell when two people are best friends because they are having more fun than it makes sense for them to be having."

Case in point (and only my girlfriends will understand this):

the razor aisle of Target

the Wendy's drive-through

driving in a Suburban equipped for anything (including a zombie apocalypse)

This past weekend I got to spent some time in Oregon with my girlfriends (a repeat of last year).  It was so so great to be with them again!  As always we have a lot of fun, we stay up late, we eat out, we shop, we pamper ourselves, and we have great conversations.  Though, each time we get together the thing I look forward to the most is the familiarity.  The way that we know each other so well, our stories, our quirks, our children, etc..  It's the kind of comfortable where it just feels like family.  Whether it's foot-rubs or chatting with Jaren (Paige's 7 year old son) while I put on my mascara.

I just love these girls and I'm so glad I get to go back to Oregon from time to time to visit them.

Here's a peek at our weekend

Reading material on the plane  // a view of Red Rock Canyon shortly after take-off  

Hot chocolate under the heaters at PDX while waiting for our hotel shuttle (Paige, Jenn, Nicole) // Christmas lights in our hotel room.  So fun!  Jenn thinks of everything.

Presents!  It's just like Christmas morning!  //  After breakfast at IHOP we came back to the room for sharing presents.

Last year we piled on the bed for a picture in our pajamas.  But this year Sheila wasn't able to join us until Saturday morning, so the picture came later.  Don't we coordinate so well?

Sheila took some Pinterest inspiration and got super crafty.  I was super impressed.  //  Cutie patooties right here!  I gave all my girlfriends these super soft scarves from Gap only to discover later that they are not a good combo with wool coats.  Lint roller, please?

Loved these geometric/pattern coloring books from Paige! Big girls like to color too.  //  Great minds think alike - both Jenn and Nicole gifted water balloon launchers after we had so much fun playing with Jenn's at her house this summer.

This sign is just perfect.  As are these ladies.  Me, Nicole, Sheila, Paige, Jenn

A little shopping to finish up Christmas lists. Sheila was a bit reminiscent of Mary Poppins as she carried around this coat-rack.  //  Driving back to Saint Helens.  Strangely we only encountered snow/ice on a 4 mile stretch of the highway and the rest was clear.

After Thai food for dinner we booked appointments for all 5 of us at Happy Nails.  I was in massage chair heaven!  //  Pretty toes!

Sheila had to go back home (an hour drive) and the rest of us went to Paige's house for cards and received excited updates on the tooth fairy & Jerry Stewart (their Elf) from Jaren  //  turning in for the night.  Paige's guest room was so comfortable.

Waking up on Sunday morning to these frigid temps.  Brrrr!  //  The sunrise was glorious.  I loved looking out and seeing the snow on the ground & houses, the silhouettes of Douglas Fir trees, and smoke billowing out of neighbors' chimneys.

#airportbathroomselfie  Mark and Jenn picked me up and drove me into the airport on Sunday morning.  Wah!  Too short.

 

In all this weekend included 4 airports, 6 terminals, and 1 almost missed flight so that I could enjoy . . . . 4 fantastic friends, 50 pretty toes, 1 zombie apocalypse vehicle, 10 hot chocolates, and 1 bucket filled.

25 Christmas Books

One of the kids' favorite parts of December is our tradition of reading a Christmas book each night.  Before the month begins I gather up all our Christmas books, wrap them, and place them near the tree.  Thankfully, we have a pretty big collection of Christmas books.  We have received books from grandparents over the years and I also try to buy 1 or 2 new books each year to keep it fresh.  

This is the first year that we actually had 25 books of our own!  (Before, we would fudge a bit by wrapping up Christmas books from the library, making sure to read them early in the month so we could return them. Hehe.)  Now as we collect a new book each year we will phase out some of the toddler board books that we have obviously grown out of.  Except for Santa Mouse.  That one will stay in the collection.

I thought I would share our list of 25 Christmas books, in case you're looking for something to add to your library.

 

NATIVITY

Follow The Star by Allia Zobel-Nolan  *Board book*

One Baby Jesus: A New Twelve Days of Christmas by Patricia A. Pingry  *Board book*

The Brick Testament: The Story of Christmas by Brendan Powell Smith (this one borders on fun/silly)

Christmas in the Manger by Nola Buck & Felicia Bond  *Board book*

The Stars Came Out on Christmas by William Boniface

This Is the Season: Beloved of the Year with art by Simon Dewey

Who Was Born This Special Day? by Eve Bunting

Wombat Divine by Mem Fox

 

FUN & SILLY

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff

The Biggest, Best Snowman by Margery Cuyler

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell! by Lucille Colandro

The Sweet Smell of Christmas (Scented Storybook) by Patricia Scarry

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

It's Christmas, David! by David Shannon

A Bad Kitty Christmas by Nick Bruel

 

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS

Santa Mouse by Nina Barbaresi  *Board book*

Christmas is a Time of Giving by Joan Walsh Anglund (not in print)

The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen

The Night Before Christmas by Jan Brett

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

 

TRUE and/or TOUCHING STORIES (Guaranteed to make me cry)

Christmas from Heaven: The True Story of the Berlin Candy Bomber as read by Tom Brokaw

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

Penny's Christmas Jar Miracle by Jason F. Wright

A Christmas Dress For Ellen by Thomas S. Monson

What are some of your favorite Christmas books?

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Keeping it real: This blog post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I receive a small (tiny) commission if you make a purchase through the above links. :)

grateful 2013

Every November, I pop a new poster into this 16x20 poster frame, add some scrapbook stickers to spell "grateful" in the center, and set it out all month long.  Here is what we are grateful for in 2013.

• washing machines
• sweet electricity
• rainbows
• Conner, who is an excellent example of respect, reverence, and hard work
• fall colors on the trees
• sun
• holidays
• sam & heidi
• church
• my right arm
• Shannon, who patiently deals with all the crap that happens at home and still smiles and hugs me when I get home from work.
• to have a pool in the hot HOT summer
• carlee
• animals
• Grammer & Papa
• cushions
• my handsome, hard-working husband! (looks great in a suit)
• snakes
• My smokin' hot wife!
• turkey
• workers who help keep our community clean
• beautiful music in our home - 3 piano playing kids
• sea
• morning walks to school
• a testimony
• bodies
• Denver & Bree
• light
• Cole
• legos, video games, beds
• Pirites
• Anna, who is so happy . . . most of the time
• healthy bodies
• food
• piano
• a comfortable home to live in
• hot showers
• doctors
• chairs
• heaters
• tv
• a living prophet - Thomas S. Monson
• my smokin' hot mom, dad, and brothers!
• my face
• books
• home
• Payton, for all the hard work to get to be a straight "A" student
• heart
• the pardoned turkey event
• pioneers
• the sound of crunching leaves
• family

 

thanksgiving week

Hello!

It has been a wonderful, full, relaxing, fun, family week.  This morning I turned to Scott and said, "Can't we just have 2 more days of vacation?"  I'm really not ready to go back to the school/work schedule!  

After taking a break from blogging this week I have lots to share!

Here's a rundown of the past week all beginning with Conner's 13th birthday last Sunday!

Yes, we have a teenager in the house!  It's pretty surreal to think about. And yet, here we are!  I put together a 15 second Flipagram slideshow on his birthday.  It's pretty cute to see his little face grow up right before your eyes.  Check it out HERE.

There wasn't much that he wanted for his birthday . . . Laffy Taffy, a few small lego sets, a personalized towel.  But I wanted to make this birthday extra special because he was entering the teen years and that is a pretty big milestone.  So I took an idea from my mother-in-law's friend and introduced "13 days of 13".  For the 13 days leading up to his birthday he woke up to a small gift or activity just for him.

Some of the gifts included:  a book he really wanted to read, lens cleaning wipes for his glasses, 3 different Lego Hero Factory sets, green duct tape, a big tub of Laffy Taffy, a Big Bang Theory t-shirt, a trip to laser tag, a box of twinkies to bring to school & share with his lunch friends, and a birthday date to see Catching Fire.

On his actual birthday we gave him a new bike.  Because he had long out-grown his old one.  In fact, Anna is currently riding his old bike.

He loved it.  

The rest of the day (other than church) was spent chillin'.  This photo below is quintessential chillin' for Conner.  Wearing his favorite shirt and shorts.  Nestled in with his favorite blanket and pillow which have been around for about 10 years.  Messing around with some app on his iPod touch.

13 years.  They really do grow up!

 The beginning of the week was nice because most of our regular activities had been cancelled.  No piano lessons.  No instrument ensemble.  No scouts.  No religion class.  This helped free up some time so I could prepare for Thanksgiving.

The day before Thanksgiving I . . . set out the china, went to Pilates class, and triple checked my recipes with the pantry and set everything out.

Anna's class had a thanksgiving feast, Conner had an eye doctor appointment (new glasses coming up soon), and I spent the evening chopping onions & celery, baking an apple pie, making crescent rolls, and preparing a 2nd batch of rolls for baking in the morning 

Thanksgiving morning Scott organized a Turkey Bowl for dads and their kids at 8am.  It turned out great!

As you can see, Anna participated for the first time this year and she loved it.  Before the game she asked me if I was going to play. Ha!  Sorry, honey -- but mom does not play sports.  

But I do come to cheer and take pictures.

HERE is a little video of the game.

We spent the rest of the day at home setting the table

eating shrimp cocktail

shaking up some butter

and finally enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving meal together.  

(We took this photo before the food made it's way to the table.  Because once it's hot and ready it is time to eat! -- no time for pictures.  Do you like my post-it notes on the serving dishes?) 

A few minutes into the meal Payton said, "It's so quiet."  Then he had a great idea, "Can we play the game Would You Rather?"  And so began a back and forth game of important, thought-provoking questions like, Would you rather jump into a pool of marshamallows or a pool of Jell-O? and Would you rather kiss all the girls in your primary class or be thrown into a pit of scorpions? and Would you rather sit through a 3 hour ballet or spend 3 hours shopping with mom?  

Other thanksgiving notes:

*We watched Punkin Chunkin, a Thanksgiving tradition

*I introduced the kids to pomegranites.  After some initial hesitation they liked it, but we ended up staining at least 2 shirts.

*The kids jumped on the trampoline for the first time in a month or so and came back in with filthy feet, hands, and clothes.  Time for a re-bath.

*This was probably the latest we have ever had Thanksgiving dinner - 4pm.  We usally shoot for 1 or 2pm.  But when I woke up in the morning I didn't feel like being in a big rush to get things going.

*The bacon-wrapped green bean bundles were a hit for the 2nd year in a row.

*Note to self:  Next year make a half-batch of stuffing.  I'm the only one who eats it.