Doing Our Part...

I know with the sagging economy, there are so many people who are worried about their jobs, homes and futures. Sometimes I ponder just what I can do to make things a little better. I'm so grateful that at Christmas time I am able to put some money back into the economy and I hope that it goes to someone who really needs a bit more encouragement.

Here is the loot under our tree

Well, after opening our presents and checking out our loot, I am so proud to tell everyone that I think we made someone a little more stable in this bruised economy. It is thankless support, and I know that. I certainly don't put myself through this expecting any awards. So even though this person may never know just where that extra little bit of income came in, it warms my heart to know that my family and I had a little hand in it. So as you raise your Sparkling Cider tonight, say a little toast to Hannah Montana, who will weather the financial storm a little longer because one little 6 year old girl received many gifts with her image this Christmas.

We don't have cable, so Abby really didn't know who Hannah Montana was until her little cousin Isabel taught her that "Hannah Montana Rocks!" So ever since summer, I have known that Abby holds a special place in her heart for this teen girl sensation. And because of that, Abby had a Hannah Montana Christmas. The list of goods:

Hannah Montana PJs and Slippers (from mom and dad)
Hannah Montana Stationary Set (from Iris)
Hannah Montana Action Figure (from birthmom's gift card)
Hannah Montana Cosmetic Kit (from G&G Leaf)
And last but not least... Hannah Montana Guitar Video Game (from Santa).

SAWEET Guitar Game.. she's almost identical to Hannah Montana, isn't she?

Hannah Montana PJs and Robe

So no worries, Miley Cirus, we've got your back!


In other Christmas News, Iris' favorite present was the $10 stroller we picked up for her. She actually smiled her big cheek smile (you know the one where she is smiling so big you can see the inside of her cheeks)! Unfortunately, Daddy wasn't very quick with the camera, so you'll have to take my word for it. But she loves that thing. She also loves the little baby that we got her with the gift card Abby's birthmom sent. Of course, she loves everything else too, like her barnyard bowling set (funny story about that, it came from Amazon and when the mailman delivered it, it was mooing. He said we wouldn't be able to hide it! Apparently they shipped it in the on position and the mailman had been hearing that ball moo his entire route! Merry Christmas to him!) Iris also got PJs, which happened to be Abby's old ones. I just didn't see the sense in buying her new PJs when we had a box full of old ones. Shhhhhhh don't tell her. She got a see-n-say and some cute books too.

Who knew something so small could make her so happy?

I got a SAWEET watch from Nate. He did so good in buying the exact one I picked out! It is really pretty. It is a brown metallic watch with gold accents. It's about the nicest watch I've ever owned. I do miss indiglo from my old watch, but this one makes up for it in style and wow-ness!

I know that my pretty face overwhelms the picture of the watch, but here it is in all its glory!

Nate loved everything, of course, including the MP3 player I bought him, which he ordered on Amazon, paid for and shipped. But I wrapped it! And I was able to finally buy him a Duke Tie. Apparently, no one thought to take pictures of Daddy this Christmas, but I promise he was there.

All and all it was a good Christmas. We didn't go crazy with gifts (you must discount the whole Hannah Montana thing to make this statement true). But we really enjoyed just spending time together. And I really enjoyed the 2 hour nap I took Christmas afternoon!

Yesterday I took Abby and Iris bowling with a friend. Abby got a free bowling card from school. We had to pay for my game and shoes... so our free bowling trip was almost $14, but it was fun. They put the bumpers up and I had one of my best games! I totally kicked Abby, Trent and Aubrey's butts! LOL

Look at that bowling stance, you'd never know this is her first time.

Only four pins standing... not bad!

I know my butt looks awesome, but you must focus on the cute little one who is bowling!

And in other Duke news. I actually got my sewing machine out and made some bean bags for Music Makers. I signed up to do marching time and we are going to do the "Bean Bag Alphabet Rag", so I made a bunch of bean bags out of leftover Duke material. It took me HOURS!!! But I'm done. I'd like to thank all those who helped make it possible. First, Sandy for introducing me to a sewing machine and teaching me to sew a straight line. Second, Katrina for giving me her old sewing machine when she bought a new one. Third, my mother-in-law, Adele, for cleaning said sewing machine on a visit a couple of years ago. Fourth, my sister, Molly for inspiring me to make her Duke aprons last year for Christmas (incidentally the apron experience also inspired me NEVER to sew stuff for Christmas again). Without any of these women, these super cute bean bags wouldn't be possible (and my lack of sewing abilities make them nearly impossible as it is).

DUKE DUKE DUKE!!

DUKE DUKE DUKE!

I made some generic "Tarheel" colored ones in case there might be someone who isn't a Duke fan... now you can NEVER say I'm not fair!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Christmas is coming... the Homer's getting air!

***WARNING-- LOTS OF PICTURES***

We've had Homer up for a while. It took the neighbor's collective begging to get Nate to put Homer up early. Last year it seems like he put Homer up a few days before Christmas. But for the neighbors and in the true spirit of Christmas, he put him up a little early. For some reason, our neighbors really enjoy spending hours putting their own lights and yard decorations up AND still like us for just plugging ours in and anchoring him down. But the people in the South are nice and hospitable.

He looks so peaceful there, doesn't he? We are all about spreading peace!

Today, Abby and I made our gingerbread house. This is from a cutting kit I bought a couple of years ago. The dough recipe pretty much SUCKS, so we had to improvise a bit. It's not like we planned on eating it anyway. But it is fun to lather it up with icing and stick candy to it. We always enjoy that. Abby enjoys eating the candy... which I do to I have to admit. Last year my mom sent us one of the those premade ones that you just put together. That was fun and all, pretty perfect, but it just doesn't compare to what we created today. Our house today has a lopsided roof, crooked walls, and way more icing in the cracks than a Candyland plumber (LOL I just made that up)! But it was two hours of mommy- daughter- sometimes father-even the other daughter FUN!

So here are the pictures in chronological order:

Here is Nate making the gingerbread on Sunday night... He's HOT!

Abby and I making the icing

We have the first two walls up... what a feat!

Iris realized she wasn't getting any photo action... yes that is her smile.

Abby was ever so helpful licking the knife

Again, Iris wanted her picture taken... again, this is what she does when we say "smile"

Here is Nate getting the roof ready to put on
Construction is complete and decorating begins

The final product

A close up of the finished gingerbread house... YUMMY!

Another angle just for fun

Abby posing with her work of art

Mommy helping take some credit... and yes this is what happens when I'm told to "smile"

Iris was not having any of that... she wanted more pictures taken. BTW this is not her pooping face

This is
(Just kidding, she isn't pooping at this moment, but she is cute)

Let me inspire you...

A little list of activities I did today... to inspire you. Glean what ever you want from it, but I might have suggestions (wink)!

I ate a sugar cookie before eating my bagel for breakfast!
Inspiration-- there is no better time to eat a cookie. If it is calling you, don't look at the clock, just eat it!

I did 40 minutes of Turbo Jam at the church!
Inspiration-- there are so many... but mainly you are never too old, or fat to "shake and shed" and if you happened to eat a cookie before breakfast... all the better!

I went Visiting Teaching this morning!
Inspiration-- it's pretty self explanatory... if you have a great partner and super sisters to visit, it isn't really a job at all, just a lot of fun!

I went to the library to get a book on hold for me
Inspiration-- you will only lose brain cells from now on... so use them by reading a variety of books. Oh and putting books on hold so you don't have to actually search the whole library for them is not laziness, but efficientness. (And I can make up words if I want... I read)!

I took a shower and shaved my legs
Inspiration-- you don't have to have a reason to shave... like a date or other (wink) with your spouse or because you don't like wearing nylons to church. You can totally shave in the middle of winter just to feel smooth!

I got dressed in clean pajamas... at 1:30pm!
Inspiration-- if you aren't going anywhere and don't feel like wearing jeans, put some PJ pants on and if you are like me, wear a sweatshirt over your T-shirt so you don't even have to wear a bra! AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

I attempted to start a double batch of these while talking to my mom.


I put in too much sugar and then tried to compensate without knowing what I was doing... thus the batch was ruined.
Inspiration-- A batch of cookies is worth ruining for a good talk with your mom!


I made another double batch of these without distraction (only had the Twilight soundtrack in the background).
Inspiration-- 100+ cookies makes everything better! And if you did Turbo Jam... eat some dough and a cookie from each cookie sheet... you know to make sure it all tastes good. Turbo Jam goes a long way!

And tonight I plan to eat more cookies while watching The Biggest Loser Finale!
Inspiration-- You tell me...

We've Been Invaded!

You know I would probably be braver if facing a swarm of alien abductors. I'd throw myself in front of a bus to protect my kids. But right now all I want to do is hide from them! It's all because of this:


This little germ is my nemesis. I remember growing up and standing in line at school to get my throat swabbed because SO many kids had this. I remember getting it two or three times a year. I don't remember how sick I was, only that I was. When I got strep throat as an adult... MAN WAS I SICK!! And so, I declare to the world I HATE STREP! It has invaded my house and I want to run away! I can deal with vomiting, diarrhea, coughing for days, allergy season, ANYTHING before I can deal with strep. I know, I'm a big baby when it comes to this! I can admit that.

Abby started complaining of a mild sore throat on Saturday night, by Sunday she had a bit of fever and stayed home from church. Monday her fever was very low but too high to send her to school. She was bouncing off the walls. Tuesday her fever was all but gone, but she said she still felt yucky so I was going to give her one more day to rest. By Wednesday her fever was back with a vengeance. Our ER Resident neighbor brought cookies last night and I bribed him to look at Abby's throat (I bribed him with Orange Rolls... if only I could do that for everybody). He suspected strep and I took her in today. Turns out she has strep (Bet you didn't see that coming). Did I mention that I HATE STREP? So after a very stressful 3 hours or so in the doctor's office and then Costco with one sick 6 year old and one stubborn 19 month old, she has had her first dose of antibiotics.

In the past 5 days I have been climbed on, sneezed on and spit on, not to mention that I've had to pick up all of Abby's snot rags! So, I ask you, what are the chances of me getting strep? Pretty good. Remember that throwing myself in front of a bus thing... I'd much rather Abby had strep than me... there you go, my LOWEST mother moment ever.

If you want to know some stuff about strep, check this out.

Otherwise, stay tuned...

A poem inspiring tree

So I'm going out on a limb here and posting a new poem I wrote this morning. On MC I've been seeing all these beautiful, coordinated trees that look like they should be in a magazine or something and I've dreaded getting our tree up. It is older than Abby and all the ornaments we have acquired as gifts or Abby's art projects and some are from when Nate was little. So none of them match, but after we decorated it today, I was thinking about the history of those ornaments and how our lives have changed since we bought the tree and started decorating it. And it made me a little teary to realize what this tree actually represents. So I wrote it down, in poem form. You don't have to love it, Nate doesn't (but he's not a big fan of any poetry) and that's okay. I still think it expresses how I feel about my most beautiful tree.

My Most Beautiful Christmas Tree

I have a beautiful tree of green
It is neither full or lean
It's ornaments don't match
And it's branches might scratch
It is the most beautiful Christmas tree

I have a small family of four
I couldn't ask for more
My oldest helps to decorate it
My youngest tries to decimate it
It's the most beautiful Christmas tree

I have a few decorations
A hodge podge for the celebrations
Given in love from friends and family
I put them all out to proudly display
It's the most beautiful Christmas tree

I have my favorites that hang
From school crafts or a timely exchange
They decorate the branches with color
We feel the Christmas Spirit together
It's the most beautiful Christmas tree

I have never won an award
It may seem weird or awkward
There are no big coordinating orbs
And the varying colors take much to absorb
It's the most beautiful Christmas tree

I have no real need to defend it
Even if some wouldn't commend it
Cause it's proof of a life filled with love
And the blessings of family from above
It IS the most beautiful Christmas tree

Fuzzy Nuts

I know the title of my post sounds like a bad punch line in an even worse joke, but I promise, it's not! So Abby was reading to me (she has to read 15 minutes every day). She was reading "Skippyjon Jones" which is a super cute book that Darcy brought for her. It is about a Siamese cat who thinks he is anything other than a Siamese cat. In the book his mother gets unhappy at him because he is always trying to be something he isn't. So she catches him waking up with some birds and banishes him to his room. While in his room, Skippyjon Jones ( and if you want the full effect, you have to say it like Abby... super fast.. skippyjonjones) starts bouncing on his bed and notices his reflection in the mirror. Only it isn't his reflection but that of a Chihuahua. And he says (imagine this is done in an attempted Spanish accent by a six year old), "My ears are too beeg for my head..my head ees to beeg for my body. I am not a Siamese cat, I am a CHIHUAHUA!". So you get the picture that Abby gets into this book. And she loves when the mom talks and she gets all loud and mean (I'm not sure why she thinks the mom is loud and mean). Well Skippyjon Jones' mom calls him silly names like Mr. Kitten Britches and Abby thinks those are so funny. Soon she is reading this part where his mom refers to him as "Mr. Futternutter". However, Abby says, "Fuzzy Nuts"! I about DIED! I laughed so hard I snorted... TWICE. Then I kept repeating, "Fuzzy Nuts, Fuzzy Nuts" laughing and snorting. Abby thought that was so funny that she started laughing hysterically. Then I realized I really didn't want her going around saying Fuzzy Nuts, so I stopped laughing but she just kept trying to repeat this experience. Only lucky for me, she couldn't remember what she had said exactly that made me react like that, so she was trying all kinds of combinations. I didn't dare tell her what it was again, but it sure was funny!

Abby is just about one of the most entertaining kids I know. Tonight she got out of bed to tell me that she was just thinking that after ballet she should take some swimming lessons and went on and on about how her last swim teacher (which was when we lived in Ridgecrest) told her that her next teacher would teach her this or that. Finally I just said, "Abby, can we talk about this tomorrow?" And she said, "Sure" and walked out. Then there was the time she came into my room at 3am to ask me why the moon isn't a planet. But the thing about that is she asked me that several days before and apparently wasn't satisfied with my answer.

So some friends and I were discussing my blog and they were telling me that it has a reputation for being funny. I really can not take any credit for this. It is my life that is funny. It is all the comical genius that is my husband, kids and the occasional crazy friend. I just report the funny, I don't make it!

Fun Saturday Activity

So it was cold and wet on Saturday. Nate went to the school to study and get some writing done, so the girls and I hung out. We went to the playground before it rained for about half an hour and it was fun to watch Abby and Iris play so well together. Iris is a dare devil. She isn't afraid of anything! I, on the other hand, am afraid of EVERYTHING! Like broken arms, head gashes, concussions, surgery. But we survived the playground without any injuries, this time. We headed home for lunch and Iris' nap. While Iris napped, Abby and I continued an activity from the other day of setting up dominoes and then knocking them down. We even raced at one point... Abby's straight line against my curvy, swirly line. She won--DUH! It was actually pretty fun to try and set these dominoes up without accidentally knocking them over. We knocked them over unintentionally more than intentionally. And it taught me a very good lesson (besides not letting Abby have the winning arrangement). It taught me that when we turn the TV off, put our books down, lay Iris down for a nap and get creative with our games, Abby and I have a lot of fun together!


And don't worry, I beat Abby twice in a real game of Dominoes after we got tired of just knocking them down! MUUUHHHAAAWWW

I want to just mention that I was one of the crazies out at 4:30am on Friday shopping for deals. I didn't want to be, necessarily, but I woke up at 1:44am wide awake and figured I'd see just how much more fun my friend Kathleen is on little sleep. Turns out, we are both a lot of fun sleep deprived! So thanks, Kathleen for dragging me along on Black Friday! Now most of my shopping is done!