3 Days until Christmas!

I love having the kids home for Christmas Break.  We got to sleep in a bit and then make and decorate Gingerbread houses.  This is one of my favorite traditions every year.  Thanks to my great friend Stacey, we made the houses out of graham crackers and burnt/melted sugar which was the glue to hold them together! So easy and each kid got their own, and much cheaper than buying a pre-made one at the store like I've done in years past.  I had lots of leftover halloween candy stashed away in the laundry room so we didn't have to buy the candy:-)  LJ lost interest in decorating his house pretty quickly and so I got to have fun finishing it up myself.  My kids are going crazy that tomorrow is Christmas Eve, hope I am ready and didn't forget anything! Merry Christmas!

#ChristmasCheer

Lots of fun to be had at the Relief Society Christmas Party this year!  As soon as I got there, my friend Nikki said, "I almost called you!"  We wore the same sweater!  Even funnier is that we also paired it with polka-dots! Great minds dress alike:-) I was also so glad my friend Lana came with me again this year. The house was decorated so beautifully, I should have taken some pics of all of Debi's hard work decorating her gorgeous home! We heard a special Christmas Message- and visited while we ate yummy treats.  Anyhooo, it was a lovely and fun time as always! I'm so thankful to be a part of the world's largest women's organization celebrating this special time of year:)

O' Christmas Tree

I love really love Christmas.. I love everything about it- the lights, the decorating, baking, and it's the only month of the year I like cold and snow:-)  The best thing about Christmas though is watching the  kids experience everything.  They love Phinneas the elf, back for more Christmas fun this year.  My 9 year old daughter has actually been helping Phinneas this year, and when Phinneas sometimes gets too tired she's assisted in setting him up. That's been a huge help for when I've forgotten, and makes her feel special to be helping surprise her little brothers.  The tree is only half done in the above photos.  I covered a bunch of ornaments with fabric this year to change up the color scheme, I love doing a different tree each year.

Raindrops are Falling on My Head

Pert the request of some friends, I'm posting some photos of my short career as a weather girl:-)  [I took cell phone pics of my computer screen, of my old videos my mom clipped together- that's why the quality is marginal of the actual weather segments]

Preston, Marvin, Abbey and Me on my last day.

 (circa 2005-- I'm so glad my fashion sense has improved since then- lol!)

How did I get to be the weather anchor? Here's the story:

When I lived in Casper, Wyoming, the local news station K2, held an "Anchor for the Day" contest.

I did a video tryout at the studio and then they aired the auditions and the 4 people with the most votes got a chance to do the news one night.   Well, thanks to lots of family and friends, and especially my brother having lots of his friends vote for me, I was one of the 4 contestants.

So when I got there, they assigned me to do the weather.  I had a few hours of instruction by the actual meteorologist, and the next day we aired live on the 5 o'clock news.

 It was pretty fun.  I'm the only one that didn't read the prompter.  The weather is all unscripted, since you are looking at 3 different screens.  Anyhoo, I guess I did such a good job that the station manager asked if I would be interested in subbing when the regular weather girl was on vacation or out of town, I said "Sure!"

So after doing that for about a month, they moved her to the desk, and asked me if I would accept the position as weather Anchor for the CBS station KGWC (that they also owned).  And so I said sure to that too!

I did 3 segments during each newscast.  The first was a quick look at today/tonight/tomorrow's weather, then the national, statewide and 5 day  forecast, then the quick recap at the end of the newscast.

And so that's how I got to be the crazy weather girl!  It's so funny to watch now (I was pretty amateur), and maybe I can upload some videos later [but I don't know how to rip them off the DVD my mom made of some of the segments I saved...hmmm...]

Anyhoo, it was great fun.  I signed a year contract with the station, it was only for 2 hours a day, 1 hr to prep all the slides and learn the forecast, and then the newscast.  It was a small market news area, but still super fun.  All the other journalists at the news had come from working at other cool places, like my friend and main anchor Abby, from MSNBC.

 Keep in mind I was only about 25? Sometimes people ask me if I'd try to get on at a station here, but I really don't have time to work right now with the kids, and this is a bigger market with a lot of competition.  I think I could do a much better job today, but it was I was young and had fun.

Thanks for all the good times in Casper, WYO, where the forecast always included how fast the wind gusts would be, that's one thing I don't miss:-)

"ONCE"

Saturday night at the Palace Theatre in Cleveland was so fun with my friend Teri! We thought we were going to be late after getting caught in road construction, so we're running through the parking lot and the maze of a building to get to the right theatre- just to find out curtain time was 7:30 and not 7! lol! We looked like idiots in a rush for nothing.:-)  However, I am proud to say I could keep up with Teri (aka Cross fit/Tough Mudder Mother), at her jogging pace:-)

  I absolutely loved this musical. The music was absolutely amazing.  5 stars for the talent and plot,  negative stars though for the cursing.  [I heard the f word more that night in 2 hours than I've heard in my entire life.]  All that aside, the characters were lovable, believable, and the love story was gut wrenching.  Such quality music, which all the actors played their own music on stage, and the set was set up with mirrors for the so you could see the actors playing their instruments from different angles, etc. All of that really made for a stellar performance.  Thanks for a fun night Teri- I should get out more often:-)

First Snow!

It came early this year, November 12th to be exact. (Last year it didn't snow until after Christmas!!)  Of course I had the sprinkler guy coming to winterize my sprinklers the day before but he cancelled, and then it snows:(  Anyway, it's thawing out today, so he's coming over and hopefully will still be able to blow them out.  The snow is almost completely melted, but the kids were dying to go out and play, and luckily it was wet enough snow for this:

And yes I did get pegged plenty of times (after I put my camera away to keep it safe:-)) Nothing like feeling fresh COLD snow up your nose! Those little stinkers! Don't worry though, it's just too hard to try to have a "nice" snowball fight, so it got a little dirty-- aka the REVENGE of MOM. Bwahaha!

Apparently the patio table doubles as a winter tanning bed.

Best Trick or Treat Ever-- NOT!

It was a warm but drizzly Halloween night.  The kids were dressed in their costumes and umbrellas were in tow. 

The big kids were having a great time, but occasionally Landon would trip over his own feet, fall on the wet grass, and his candy would spill out.  We got to the farthest point in the neighborhood, and then  he would just get frustrated and lay down in the middle of someones walkway to their front door- upset that Leah and Drew were getting ahead of him, and he couldn't keep up.  After repeatedly asking the kids to wait for him, they forgot, and he had had enough, and so did I.  Thankfully I was walking around with my neighbor, so she finished taking the 3 older kids trick or treating while I carried Landon all the way home, screaming and crying, wet, and windy.  My umbrella flipped inside out and broke from the wind, and so I had to carry him, the broken umbrella, his candy bucket, and his hat.  Keep in mind I don't work out, and to say I love carrying a 33lb kid for 10 minutes while juggling an armful of crap might be a bit of an overstatement.  When I tried to put him down to walk the rest of the way, he pulled back trying to turn around to go back with the big kids.  So, here I was again stuck carrying the little guy home.  He's 3 ( almost 4), and he just tired out on a walk around the neighborhood the day before-- why had I not thought to bring a stroller???  I finally made it home,  I ended up carrying him straight upstairs, pajamas on, got him a snack and he stayed up there until he could calm down.  My biceps and whatever else are still shaking-- ha!  Thankfully he calmed down and was able to help me pass out candy to a few of the last trick-or-treaters that stopped by.   Drew and Leah came home a bit later, and they had fun, but for me I'd say it was a bit of a bust... here's for hoping Trick or Treat will go better next year!

Trunk or Treat 2013

Last night was the ward Trunk or Treat.  I like to get there early to do a quick costume photo shoot on the lawn behind the church.  The kids were excited and had fun playing with all their spooky friends.

Spiderman, a Ninja, Me, and Batgirl 

 Our good friends were able to come along and I'm so glad they did! We were quite the pair of witches:-)

The Deacons did a scary "Haunted Hallway" in the RS room and up to the stage.  It was surprisingly well done! There was a cupcake walk for the kids,  games, and hot dogs.

The YW leaders announced prizes for the kids-  Most Scary costume (Drew's pal the Grim Reaper), Prettiest Costume- Cleopatra (above), and I didn't know they were doing adult prizes, but I got the award for best adult costume.  (Like I need more candy:-))

The nicest ladies I know!!

LJ and M eating their treats!

Unusually Busy Week

Oh my goodness- I cannot believe October is almost over!  I guess I'm glad to have gotten a lot accomplished, but also glad to make Monday's my stay home and clean up the house/tackle laundry day.  Last Monday was my pajama day.  Yes, I'll admit it, I hadn't had one of those in a long, long time. Didn't go anywhere, and my hair didn't get "did" and I didn't care.  Course you know Murphy's law -- I did have an unexpected drop in visitor (which only happens on days you are NOT presentable- haha), but luckily it was just the neighbor kids with their fundraiser- and not the UPS man:-)

I made this super easy flower arrangement for my front door.  I wanted something fallish- but not all orangey.

I hosted a nice morning play date at my house with some new friends from this Momtourage group I'm in.  Yes, the name is so funny,  like we've got our "entourage."  Rollin' in our minivans- haha. It was fun with donuts, juice, and some incredibly cute children.

 The kids got their flu shots, and Drew had an unexpected trip to the doctors office, and after a few tests, including a blood test, which he was NOT happy about, I had to take the sweet kid to Jimmy Johns. (well, all the kids since it was after school and I forgot to bring snacks and they were starving.)  Luckily everything was fine and the doc had simple explanation for his problem, and we checked his sugar levels and allergies too.

He did like his cool red bandage however, and was quite brave after the initial freak out-- but I can't blame him.  I remember being so worried about getting my blood drawn when I was 14 and he's only 7.  I had to do it in order to get a wellness pass to the rec center where I worked so I could work out there for free... I was really anxious about the whole thing but managed to suck it up and got the pass.

I had another dentist appointment- luckily that was only 10 minutes instead of an hour so I ended up being kid-free and got some shopping done at the mall... I need to do THAT more often. Totally nice to recharge by myself with some retail therapy--and a pretzel from Aunt Annies- yum! Picked up my new favorite "sparkley camo" top.  While I shopped for outfits for our family pictures.  Also took the kiddos to play at the library this weekend, and get Drew some more of his favorite "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books to read (we just laugh and laugh together while he reads them to me at bedtime).  Now if I can just make it through Halloween festivities this week-- and yes I do have to buy more candy to pass out because there is only like 10 pieces left in the 150 pc bag I got previously-- big surprise I know. :-)

Countdown to Halloween 2013!

It's one of my favorite times of the year- Fall!  I love the crisp air, and weather just cool enough for a sweater and jeans.  I had planned to go to the mall Saturday, and then a few costumes arrived in the mail and Leah and I couldn't wait to try ours on.

The little boys got excited and dressed up too.  It was also raining-unfortunately-- or maybe fortunately-- since we ended up doing the photo shoot in my garage!  I haven't dressed up for Halloween probably since Leah was 2.  It's something I always enjoyed doing even in college, so I finally got myself a costume and will be wearing it to the ward Trunk-or-Treat, and potentially if I take the kids around the neighborhood, or stay home and pass out candy.

It was a good trial run of make-up, which I will be doing up more on for the actual halloween festivities, and I'm in dyer need of some extremely long witchy nails!  Anyhoo, I love how the kids get so into their characters: Leah is Batgirl, Drew is a Ninja, and Landon is Spiderman (he is just crazy so only a few pics for him).

 Leah took my witch picture- didn't she do such a great job?:-)  She's the one person in the family besides me who knows who to take an in-focus picture-haha. Warning-- picture-overload!

**Disclaimer-- the photos of Drew with the machete were done in a very safe environment. There was absolutely no swinging around of that thing. He is a very responsible kid, and he held it only for about 2 minutes while we got the shot, and it was very carefully held in position each time.  So, no I don't give my kids machetes to play with, but for a great photo op, and  in a safe situation with a kid I trust to be responsible- yes:-)

Really wishing I hadn't cut her boot off in this shot.

Boys Room

Hola! Now that I finally have LJ's big boy bed to match his brothers, I thought I'd share an updated pic of the boys room. Just excuse the crappy iphone pics- will have to take ones with my nice camera, once I make 2 new bolster pillows (not striped) to coordinate with their new matching bedding.  I'm not a fan of "matchy" rooms, but in the instance of twin bedding it works.  You can see more of this room on my decorating blog: www.houseofchicandpenoche.blogspot.com

and when I take away the boys head lamps after bed time, apparently they will just turn the light on. This is how I found them at 11pm the other night.

And when I went to Colorado this summer I picked up the cutest apron at Peppercorn on Pearl Street in Boulder.

Clear Danger

The kids were dying to make another trailer- here they are starring in "Clear Danger." I even make a short cameo.

Waffles

One of my favorite breakfast foods is waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.  So we make them a lot around here on the weekends.  Leah is almost 10, she can make a lot of stuff in the kitchen. She's a great helper.

and me on clean up:-)

Well, I'm completely skipping our trip to Disney, that will have to come when I'm ready to write all about it.

And here' s a few pics of the backyard campout on memorial day weekend, before it went south, throughout the post.

 Just wanted to update my gardening progress, for myself, since I am so happy with all my hard work, I have been falling asleep at 9:30 cause I'm so capooped from manual labor- haha. and I'm not even minding the run-on sentences:-)

We rebuilt the vegetable garden from the 4x8 rectangle raised bed into a U shape, easier access and more space. 

I will be planting my broccoli, peppers, tomatoes that I grew from seed in my makeshift grow light in my guest room.  Hopefully they actually produce something edible.  

Planted my flower pots, somehow I thought I had more flowers last year.... but we also rearranged the eating area and moved the bench, is seems sparser this way.... I might need even more pots and flowers...

Tonight I planted a hydrangea in the front yard, hot pinkish coral petunias by the mailbox  (upset the insane ant hill that is under there), and divided one of my mums and replanted them along the walkway to the front door.  

So, the goal is to finish planting the veggie garden this week, and then I can turn my attention back to the family room, which walls I was going to paint last week, and the room still has all the furniture pushed to the middle, ladder up, but the walls haven't even been prepped yet.... oh boy, I have started more than I can handle at once.  Plus I have new photo shoots scheduled,  Just got switched to the nursery after serving in the primary presidency for the last 4 years.  I will be Landon's teacher so I am excited about that, but I will miss the big kids.  Trying to figure out flight plans to get Leah out to colorado this summer to visit gma and gpa. wa wa. sometimes I swear I am not busy for weeks, and then everything comes all at once...