Fa-la-la-la-la!

Look! It's CHRISTMAS!

From a good snow storm..

..to a brand new snow outfit.. (does someone like to pose??)

..to Bo's Christmas Concert

..to TWO Christmas dresses..

Yup. Definitely Christmas.
Now. About the Christmas cards. The following is the picture I used for my Christmas cards..

It seemed O.K. at the time.. but somehow upon shrinking it into a bordered Christmas photo (which I wasn't happy with, so ended up putting in ANOTHER card border. It's jacked up.)I found I resembled an asymmetrical-faced transvestite with fuzzy ocean-air hair.. it really looked freakishly different from the original(as many of you across the miles will be able to enjoy as you recieve copies of it.) Hmmm. Too late to do anything about it now.. and I know its not ALL about the Christmas picture (but it KINDA is..) So this is my disclaimer. To those of you that find my card in your mailbox.. I know. I look a little creepy.. and I should of gone with THIS one..

BUT! It's Christmas! And we're warm and safe and happy.. Sophie dancing around in her bloomers from under her church dress-- singing random Christmas lyrics, presents tucked away hiding in every spare nook and cranny we could find, and a really cute tin of peppermint bark on the counter. So I won't sweat the card. So I'll love that there's snow to look at, and lights lining our little downtown, and treats from neighbors pouring through the door. So fa-la-la-la-la. Merry Cozy Christmas to you.

Now THAT'S Annoying.

Sophie just crawled up on my lap (that's not the annoying part.. that's cute) and pushed some button that just deleted my whole list of friends blogs. THAT'S the annoying part.

Good Question.

Bo wandered up to me the other day.. double dimples in tow.. and ask,
"Do people with brown hair, have to marry other people, with brown hair?"
(I think he was just checkin' his options.) A few moments later, on a seemingly completely different train of thought.. he was back by my side.
"Mom. When I get older like you-- will I have to worry?"
"Worry about what?" I asked.
"Oh.." he answered, kinda thinking a minute..
"like about, car insurance and stuff?"
I'm pretty confident I have never discussed anything on the subject of car insurance with him ever. I was kinda shocked he even knew it was a thing. I could of responded with..
"Actually, YES. You'll have to worry about that, and maybe even have it, but not get your cracked windsheild fixed for 2 years, like Mom, just cause you'd rather buy Old Navy clothes than pay your deductible."
But I didn't. I just smiled and said
"Have fun being little and NOT worrying about stuff."

SOS Pads. Who Knew??

My sweet Mom, kept a very tidy house. I remember always being proud when walking in with friends after school-- at the clean, orderly-- and always tastefully decorated home she made for us. I always loved all of our houses.. all the decor.. all the well-kept homey-ness it always was. The crazy part is that admist all my Moms tidiness (with 5 kids, a dog, and plenty of church roadshows to write and direct, weddings to decorate for, and football pants to wash..) us kids never had so-called, "chores." Now as I got older I remember always being pretty good at keeping my own room cleaned up.. and secretly helping out around the house with little "The Good Fairy Was Here" notes left behind for my Mom... but it was all.. voluntary. Hard as I try I literally cannot remember my Mom ever telling me to do anything specific around the house. I'm sure there was occassion-- and I remember randomly helping out, vaccuuming and squirting down a bathroom here and there (in fact I do specifically remember her showing me the 'get all around the base of the toilet' technique.. and she called the pee drops from the boys on the rim,'butter stains'..)but for the most part, she did it all. She was just happy to have us being kids, doing kid things. So long as we were making good choices-- and loving eachother.. she was good. (For those who never had the joy of knowing my cute Mom.. let me take this spot to just say she was really, really, great.) SO... this brings me to my blogging point today. I consider myself a decent homemaker. I'm a mediocre cook.. excellent laundry doer, and always make my bed. I vaccuum pretty regularly, sweep a little less than is required, but honed in on my Moms skill of keeping things straight. Presentable. Uncluttered. Sink empty. My ability to never leave a room without taking something out of it that belongs somewhere else is a mastered skill straight from Mom. BUT-- there's a few things I never picked up on. While I was busy picking out Homecoming dresses and deciding which bangle bracelet to wear with my royal blue flats (well, royal blue bangle, ofcourse. It was 1989..) somewhere I seemed to miss the Mom lessons that teach you things like what kind of starch to use when ironing, or what the true process of mopping a floor looks like.. (I always end up on my hands and knees with a wet paper towel.. but I have a feeling there's other options.) Then there's my husband. HE, (although you wouldn't guess it from his own house-dwelling habits.. love ya honey!) had chores. So he will often reccommend a product or process for cleaning totally foreign to me.. which I respond to with a blank stare. So imagine my intrique when he picked up SOS pads at the store the other day. The burner trays (if that's even what you call them.. you know-- the silver things under your burners that your boiled-over pasta gets gunky in)were getting embarrassing.. and my paper towels and hot water just weren't doing the trick. Long story short (wait, actually.. this is just a very, very long story.) I tried SOS pads for the first time in 13 years of marriage. Wow. They work. And TOTALLY remove, gunk. (As well as the finger nail polish Sophie spilled on the table a week ago.) Gone. Poof. Wa-la. I thought Magic Erasers were the only thing capable of such miracles. Other than roughing up my hands a little (is THAT why people have rubber gloves?? It's all coming together.) it was a very exciting experience. So there ya have it. For the other possible TWO of you who haven't tried em.. SOS pads. Getcha some.

Feelin' the Love!

Just a little shout-out to all my 'peeps' (another vocab word sure to keep me young and hip... and classy..) who made my birthday week such a good time! I apologize to the blogging world in general for not having pictures to illustrate my varied and festive activities.. but I promise it was full of friends, food-- and presents. Lots of prettily little packaged presents. I have recently decided that it's O.K. to openly admit, that getting presents.. is really fun. Doesn't matter what it is.. doesn't matter how much it costs-- just being handed a little mysterious something, all tied up just for you.. just cause someone was thinking of you, just cause it's your birthday-- just cause you were BORN.. now that's just sweet. Just good plain fun. I like birthdays. I like that everyone has a day where the people that love them, can celebrate them.. in whatever little way that might be.So thank you to all those I love-- who love me back. It was a perfect week.. even if I am now, 37.

Let's Get This Party Started!

So just for the record.. I.. FREAKY as it sounds.. will be turning 37 years old this Saturday. (I know.. I know.. hard to believe-- I don't look a DAY over 36 and 1/2.)
So what BETTER way to start the party-- then for my darling, fun, so stylish-a cousin, and her Mom, my cute and cozy Aunt-- to drive up from Salt lake to see ME? No better way. Not only did I get to hug and chat and eat with them (three of my favorite things in life right there) BUT, to top it off.. they gifted me my very own 'Duwop Venom Gloss'. The name alone makes me happy. I'm a big fan of the lipgloss in general.. even my very sticky Dollar Store pick.. but THIS stuff.. I mean Jennifer Aniston is rumored to wear it dontcha know (and trust me when I say I look JUST like her with it on.) So thank you my sweet and giving relatives. There's nothin' like family faces at your front door.. (and a new lipgloss in the purse!)

The Boy's Got Skills (And The Princess Prefers Asian)

We are not a "musical" family by any means (I am totally and completely tone-deaf, as the poor little children in my nursery class will attest.. and Jasen has never even SEEN 'The Sound Of Music.' WHO hasn't seen The Sound of Music? I didn't know one could live 36 years in America.. and NOT.) But I gotta give our Jesse some props (I use words like "props" to sound younger.. is it working??) In the last few months-- thanks to a generous hand-me-down gift of a sweet electric guitar (see how I did that again.. "sweet.") and a few lessons.. the boy has totally got it goin' on.. as he displayed here at our own private concert the other night!
(Bo was lucky enough to get an autograph. He'll probably sell it for cash on Ebay.)
In other news..
Sophie the Crazy Princess (she prefers her tiara, upside down..) while eating fried rice, declared, "Princesses like Chinese food."

So. Now ya know.