Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!
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Monday, December 19, 2011
Merry Christmas!!!
Heading South a day early for Christmas in the morning!! Hope everyone has an awesome Christmas! I know I will because i'm spending it with my favorite people in the world, my family!! Love you all!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Busy
What's a better word than busy? Because that's what i've been!
I'm on the Enrichment committee and I got put in charge of the craft for the Christmas Activity so we did the wood letters. Well they got ordered under someone else's name who had to leave out of town the day before the activity for a family emergency, and they came that day. So I went to get them but I wasn't her so they wouldn't let me pick them up. Luckily someone worked at the pharmacy right beside the post office they knew so she got them for us!! Lucky! Well then, I got home and saw the box and knew that it wasn't big enough. Turns out we were missing 2 more boxes. Needless to say it was chaos trying to get them for that night and we ended up only getting one more. Oh well it worked out and ladies had fun making what orders we did have. We scheduled a second night to finish them this last Thursday and we were still missing some letters but over all it worked out. We just had to re order some words. I'm so grateful for the patient ladies in our ward and how supportive and helpful they were through it all. I was a little stressed out at first because I always want everything perfect, so it sucked there was nothing I could do about it.
Can you believe how awesome this Santa picture is? It's a picture on my phone of the actual photo so it's blurry. But they photographer couldn't believe them and how they were all looking and smiling! He also wanted me and Dust in the picture. Maybe next year. Or porbably not. I was in the one last year, which will not be shown, because I was fat and pregnant and it is not cute. Yes i'm selfish and care about me in that situation. ha.
Next. This is the second time i've typed this out, I wanted to add one picture from my iphone and it deleted the majority of my post. Sucky.
Ok I was in charge of the decorations for our ward Christmas party. I got the idea to get glass bottles and spray paint them and roll them in epsom salts from online. It looks like snow. Cute. Then I wanted to get stick from the woods and spray paint them silver and glue leaves all over them cut from old books. Then we put them on doilies on silver table cloths, the bottles were all different sizes and in the center of the tables we did two bottles, one big and one small and then we got Christmas decoration balls in silver, white and two different shades of purple and put them at the base. It looked so awesome. It was classic and vintage. I had so much help from Becky, and Jill came to help set up. Thanks girls! I couldn't have done it without them!
I also got so many compliments on it so it was totally worth it! It looked way better in person!
I'm on the Enrichment committee and I got put in charge of the craft for the Christmas Activity so we did the wood letters. Well they got ordered under someone else's name who had to leave out of town the day before the activity for a family emergency, and they came that day. So I went to get them but I wasn't her so they wouldn't let me pick them up. Luckily someone worked at the pharmacy right beside the post office they knew so she got them for us!! Lucky! Well then, I got home and saw the box and knew that it wasn't big enough. Turns out we were missing 2 more boxes. Needless to say it was chaos trying to get them for that night and we ended up only getting one more. Oh well it worked out and ladies had fun making what orders we did have. We scheduled a second night to finish them this last Thursday and we were still missing some letters but over all it worked out. We just had to re order some words. I'm so grateful for the patient ladies in our ward and how supportive and helpful they were through it all. I was a little stressed out at first because I always want everything perfect, so it sucked there was nothing I could do about it.
Can you believe how awesome this Santa picture is? It's a picture on my phone of the actual photo so it's blurry. But they photographer couldn't believe them and how they were all looking and smiling! He also wanted me and Dust in the picture. Maybe next year. Or porbably not. I was in the one last year, which will not be shown, because I was fat and pregnant and it is not cute. Yes i'm selfish and care about me in that situation. ha.
Next. This is the second time i've typed this out, I wanted to add one picture from my iphone and it deleted the majority of my post. Sucky.
Ok I was in charge of the decorations for our ward Christmas party. I got the idea to get glass bottles and spray paint them and roll them in epsom salts from online. It looks like snow. Cute. Then I wanted to get stick from the woods and spray paint them silver and glue leaves all over them cut from old books. Then we put them on doilies on silver table cloths, the bottles were all different sizes and in the center of the tables we did two bottles, one big and one small and then we got Christmas decoration balls in silver, white and two different shades of purple and put them at the base. It looked so awesome. It was classic and vintage. I had so much help from Becky, and Jill came to help set up. Thanks girls! I couldn't have done it without them!
I also got so many compliments on it so it was totally worth it! It looked way better in person!
The last picture is proof I don't always get cooperative children. Laken is ticked we took her bottle away for a picture. Ha. Plus the twins smiles lately are so awesome, but they sure practice them!
So I have 3 dentist appts for myself this week. I don't want to talk about it. I also need to post Kyla's Christmas concert which got deleted from this post. But right now i'm going to eat some cheesecake pumpkin pie. So good.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Me time!
So this past year i've been putting a lot of effort into getting some ME time, without kids, responsibilities or anything of the sort! I have found it to be really important for me to have this and I'm pretty sure that is how I stay sane. I used to feel selfish if I thought that way, but you HAVE to be. Mom's deserve to have fun too! For a long time i've been wanting to get into a dance class and I wanted to take hip hop but they didn't offer that class anymore at the college dance academy, they offer it I think at the other two studios in town but lets just say, the classes at the college at $550 and they were the cheapest! Ya crazy eh? Hence why Kyla is the only one in ballet! ha.
Anyways, Becky and I decided to try something different out for fun and we heard they had belly dancing classes here so we signed up! It was 10 classes and tons of fun! It was once a week on wednesday nights, and I LOVED getting that time to myself once a week. I'm serious if I had some good advice for moms out there, this would be it. Do something for yourself!!
So last night we performed at a restaurant with some other students and it was so much fun! The class started out with like 8 student, and there was another class too with a few students, but by the end the only ones who would perform were Becky and I! We obviously are beginners and I was SO nervous at first, but then once we started everyone was so happy and cheering for us and so we just had fun! I did video it but I think Becky would kill me if I posted it! ha.
Anyways, Becky and I decided to try something different out for fun and we heard they had belly dancing classes here so we signed up! It was 10 classes and tons of fun! It was once a week on wednesday nights, and I LOVED getting that time to myself once a week. I'm serious if I had some good advice for moms out there, this would be it. Do something for yourself!!
So last night we performed at a restaurant with some other students and it was so much fun! The class started out with like 8 student, and there was another class too with a few students, but by the end the only ones who would perform were Becky and I! We obviously are beginners and I was SO nervous at first, but then once we started everyone was so happy and cheering for us and so we just had fun! I did video it but I think Becky would kill me if I posted it! ha.
Me and Becky before!
And this ones for Dustin...
So we are probably going to continue with it and maybe try out different styles, they have swords, canes, Gypsy and more! I think the Gypsy would be so fun!
ps: i'm getting my hair done on Thursday, what should I do?? Nothing drastic though.
Friday, December 02, 2011
Rootbeer Cookies
You're probably thinking, rootbeer what??
Yup Rootbeer cookies, and they are delicious!!
I can't take credit for the recipe since I got it from my sister Britt, who got it from her sister in laws Michelle and Nikki.
I've made them twice lately and everyone loves them, including me because I eat them all. I make them in bite size so I don't feel as guilty eating lots! ha
The only catch is, you can't get rootbeer extract in Canada. So get some connections and get a bunch of bottles because one batch of cookies and icing uses up half the bottle. So good.
These are crappy pictures because they are the left overs from last nights enrichment so they aren't super pretty but this is how I make them.
Yup Rootbeer cookies, and they are delicious!!
I can't take credit for the recipe since I got it from my sister Britt, who got it from her sister in laws Michelle and Nikki.
I've made them twice lately and everyone loves them, including me because I eat them all. I make them in bite size so I don't feel as guilty eating lots! ha
The only catch is, you can't get rootbeer extract in Canada. So get some connections and get a bunch of bottles because one batch of cookies and icing uses up half the bottle. So good.
These are crappy pictures because they are the left overs from last nights enrichment so they aren't super pretty but this is how I make them.
Rootbeer Cookies
1 C Butter
2 C Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp Rootbeer extract
3 1/2 C Flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 C water
Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Bake at 350F 6-8 mins.
Icing
1 1/4 C Butter
3 1/4 C Icing sugar
2 tsp Rootbeer extract
3 tbsp water
Love them.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Dear Santa
I'm so proud of myself how on top of things I am this year. I already had the girls write and mail out their Santa letters and it's not even December. ha.
Kyla asked for the leapfrog leap pad, which originally was an iphone but we said um, no. So then she saw the leap pad on toysrus.com and asked what it was and she was set on it. So we'll see if Santa can find one that isn't sold out! She also wants a make up set, which originally was a vanity but we talked about it and she doesn't really have room for a vanity so just a make up set with a mirror will be great. And then of course a Snow White princess dress.
Jayci asked for an Angry Birds "stumpy" (they always call little stuffed animals, stumpys, ha), so funny. They both saw them in a flyer and wanted them so bad, it even made the Santa letter! She also wanted a Cinderella or no, Sleeping beauty princess dress and new princess dolls. She couldn't make up her mind. I even had to fix it on her letter. (Picture down below) But yay more princess dolls! So they can fight over them more...
Presley was pretty much the same thing as Jayci but a Belle princess dress.
Laken didn't write a letter obviously but she wants some toys and clothes. She told me.
So I actually have them almost all done! That's right we bought stuff!! I was so excited! I also had Jill pick up a few things in Edmonton for me and have a few people looking around for a specific "out of stock everywhere" gift! This weekend I will go get Dustin's stuff, he is easy this year thank goodness. I did plan it out a while ago so that helped.
I had a hard time coming up with stuff for me but I finally dug deep and came up with some things. Mainly clothes as always... accessories and some other random stuff like a house and boots.
Today is a sick day for me. Actually day 2. Not sure what I have, just feel weak and achy and gross. Oh well, the girls let me sleep in and they even cleaned the living room for me! They really are amazing girls, most days. ha. I love em.
Kyla asked for the leapfrog leap pad, which originally was an iphone but we said um, no. So then she saw the leap pad on toysrus.com and asked what it was and she was set on it. So we'll see if Santa can find one that isn't sold out! She also wants a make up set, which originally was a vanity but we talked about it and she doesn't really have room for a vanity so just a make up set with a mirror will be great. And then of course a Snow White princess dress.
Jayci asked for an Angry Birds "stumpy" (they always call little stuffed animals, stumpys, ha), so funny. They both saw them in a flyer and wanted them so bad, it even made the Santa letter! She also wanted a Cinderella or no, Sleeping beauty princess dress and new princess dolls. She couldn't make up her mind. I even had to fix it on her letter. (Picture down below) But yay more princess dolls! So they can fight over them more...
Presley was pretty much the same thing as Jayci but a Belle princess dress.
Laken didn't write a letter obviously but she wants some toys and clothes. She told me.
So I actually have them almost all done! That's right we bought stuff!! I was so excited! I also had Jill pick up a few things in Edmonton for me and have a few people looking around for a specific "out of stock everywhere" gift! This weekend I will go get Dustin's stuff, he is easy this year thank goodness. I did plan it out a while ago so that helped.
I had a hard time coming up with stuff for me but I finally dug deep and came up with some things. Mainly clothes as always... accessories and some other random stuff like a house and boots.
Loving Presley's (in pink) bed head from the morning sticking straight out. These were taken at 5pm...
I may not brush my girls hair everyday but we do write Santa letters!
What do you think they'll remember when they are older?? I'll answer that, for sure the letters.
This picture is my favorite. Jayci (left) accidentally bumped Presley and this was her scolding her for it. "Jayci, you just bumped me, don't do that again." Hilarious.
And we can't forget Laken! She can bounce the crap out of her jolly jumper. She loves it.
And tell me she isn't the cutest? This hat is my fav, it's one of 4 my friend Alison made her. I am in love with it! Oh and the baby too!
Today is a sick day for me. Actually day 2. Not sure what I have, just feel weak and achy and gross. Oh well, the girls let me sleep in and they even cleaned the living room for me! They really are amazing girls, most days. ha. I love em.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Real
As amazing as my life is, it's a lot of work. These are a few struggles i've been trying to cope with lately.
My 3 older girls fight a lot. It drives me crazy! Like I really am going crazy. I seriously need a whistle because I feel like a referee all day and it's EXHAUSTING. I'm starting to feel like the worst mom alive because I feel like i'm ALWAYS getting mad at someone, or yelling so loud just to be heard! You know what I mean if we've talked on the phone...
My husband works a retarded shift, 11 on, 3 off. Yup worse than the 10 and 4 he was on before. Luckily it's only days, but it's a lot. I'm pretty used to it now though. I go to church every other week by myself with the girls, and ballet with all of them. Both are early mornings and now that it's winter, it's more fun.... Get up early and shower (in order to even wake myself up), get everyone dressed (they are the slowest children in the world I think!), get myself ready, get their hair done, pack diaper bag, feed them, start van, bundle them all up, haul them all out to the van, crawl in and buckle the twins in, get into the drivers seat and BREATHE. ugh. I think that's the hardest part about going anywhere. This winter is going to be hard.
I live in a small townhouse that we grew out of a long time ago. I would drive myself crazy if I thought about this too much. Hence the husband working a lot. I hate complaining about this because i'm so grateful to have a home, but I want a home I can love and decorate and paint! I'm hoping next year this will happen. :)
I have a 5 year old going on 14, as awesome as she is, she has this little attitude coming out and i'm terrified!! I was pretty sure the toddler years were the hardest, but now i'm not so sure.
Anyways, my point is. Life is not perfect and these are only a few things I deal with on a daily basis. I had to adjust to being a mom of 4 before I was ready and it's not easy. I'm so blessed. SO blessed. But it's hard. I completely understand why people say being a mom is the hardest job in the world. It's emotionally, mentally and physically exhausting.
Am I discipling this right? Then I need to stay on top of the discipline (you give em an inch they take a mile), then I feel like i'm too hard and not being a loving mom, so I do something such as surprise them and make them playdo and they fight over what color to make it! It's a crazy circle and some days I wonder how i'll make it through. We do have awesome days and have so much fun, we are such a happy family and I love us so much. I have the worlds most patient husband. I would love to hear what goes on in his head some days because I feel like I can be a challenging wife who complains a lot.
I'm grateful for my sisters who listen to me vent pretty much every day. I've been blessed with an amazing friend who has been through everything i'm going through and I swear without her support i'd be way worse off right now than I am.
I didn't want this to be a "poor me" post but I needed to write it out. When I feel something, I write about it.
I'm done. :)
I made pumpkin cookies today for the first time from a recipe I pinned on pinterest and i've been wanting to try them for a while. They are awesome. All 75 of them!! Who knew one recipe could make that many FREAKING cookies! Hilarious.
My 3 older girls fight a lot. It drives me crazy! Like I really am going crazy. I seriously need a whistle because I feel like a referee all day and it's EXHAUSTING. I'm starting to feel like the worst mom alive because I feel like i'm ALWAYS getting mad at someone, or yelling so loud just to be heard! You know what I mean if we've talked on the phone...
My husband works a retarded shift, 11 on, 3 off. Yup worse than the 10 and 4 he was on before. Luckily it's only days, but it's a lot. I'm pretty used to it now though. I go to church every other week by myself with the girls, and ballet with all of them. Both are early mornings and now that it's winter, it's more fun.... Get up early and shower (in order to even wake myself up), get everyone dressed (they are the slowest children in the world I think!), get myself ready, get their hair done, pack diaper bag, feed them, start van, bundle them all up, haul them all out to the van, crawl in and buckle the twins in, get into the drivers seat and BREATHE. ugh. I think that's the hardest part about going anywhere. This winter is going to be hard.
I live in a small townhouse that we grew out of a long time ago. I would drive myself crazy if I thought about this too much. Hence the husband working a lot. I hate complaining about this because i'm so grateful to have a home, but I want a home I can love and decorate and paint! I'm hoping next year this will happen. :)
I have a 5 year old going on 14, as awesome as she is, she has this little attitude coming out and i'm terrified!! I was pretty sure the toddler years were the hardest, but now i'm not so sure.
Anyways, my point is. Life is not perfect and these are only a few things I deal with on a daily basis. I had to adjust to being a mom of 4 before I was ready and it's not easy. I'm so blessed. SO blessed. But it's hard. I completely understand why people say being a mom is the hardest job in the world. It's emotionally, mentally and physically exhausting.
Am I discipling this right? Then I need to stay on top of the discipline (you give em an inch they take a mile), then I feel like i'm too hard and not being a loving mom, so I do something such as surprise them and make them playdo and they fight over what color to make it! It's a crazy circle and some days I wonder how i'll make it through. We do have awesome days and have so much fun, we are such a happy family and I love us so much. I have the worlds most patient husband. I would love to hear what goes on in his head some days because I feel like I can be a challenging wife who complains a lot.
I'm grateful for my sisters who listen to me vent pretty much every day. I've been blessed with an amazing friend who has been through everything i'm going through and I swear without her support i'd be way worse off right now than I am.
I didn't want this to be a "poor me" post but I needed to write it out. When I feel something, I write about it.
I'm done. :)
I made pumpkin cookies today for the first time from a recipe I pinned on pinterest and i've been wanting to try them for a while. They are awesome. All 75 of them!! Who knew one recipe could make that many FREAKING cookies! Hilarious.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Christmas Activities
I still haven't bought one gift yet. Not ONE! Thank goodness Dust and I are going shopping tonight! I was beginning to get a little nervous. I do have lists of what i'm getting everyone but now I have to actually go get them! Anyways...
I have been wanting to do some Christmas countdown activities with the girls this year now that they are old enough to enjoy them. Thanks to a few pins on pinterest and some traditions we have always done I came up with our own list of what we are going to do. I figured i'd post this now BEFORE December starts. Look at me being a good mom and not procrastinating until the last day. I have 5 days.
These are in no special order.
1. Leave a surprise on someones doorstep
2. Watch The Grinch
3. Drink Hot chocolate
4. Read a Christmas Story
5. Ward Christmas party
6. Drive around and look at Christmas lights
7. Bake cookies and give some away
8. Make playdo snowmen
9. Have a candle light dinner
10. Make paper snowflakes
11. Dance to Christmas music
12. Do a Christmas craft
13. Wrap presents
14. Go see Santa
15. Make a gingerbread house
16. Go sledding
17. Build a snowman
18. Make ornaments (I found this easy and cute recipe for handprint ornaments here)
19. Make Teachers Gifts
20. Go sibling Christmas shopping
21. Act out the Nativity
22. Read the Night before Christmas
23. Write Santa letters
24. Decorate the tree and house
25. Go on a sleigh ride
So a couple of these we have already done but we are going to my sisters for Christmas so i'm sure we'll be busy doing activities everyday for the week. I can't wait!! I'm so excited to see all my sisters again, it's been too long. Why do we have to live so far from each other?!
Is there any on my list I missed that you do with your kids? I'd love more ideas! :)
I also need more ideas for the twins for Christmas, what should I get them??
I have been wanting to do some Christmas countdown activities with the girls this year now that they are old enough to enjoy them. Thanks to a few pins on pinterest and some traditions we have always done I came up with our own list of what we are going to do. I figured i'd post this now BEFORE December starts. Look at me being a good mom and not procrastinating until the last day. I have 5 days.
These are in no special order.
1. Leave a surprise on someones doorstep
2. Watch The Grinch
3. Drink Hot chocolate
4. Read a Christmas Story
5. Ward Christmas party
6. Drive around and look at Christmas lights
7. Bake cookies and give some away
8. Make playdo snowmen
9. Have a candle light dinner
10. Make paper snowflakes
11. Dance to Christmas music
12. Do a Christmas craft
13. Wrap presents
14. Go see Santa
15. Make a gingerbread house
16. Go sledding
17. Build a snowman
18. Make ornaments (I found this easy and cute recipe for handprint ornaments here)
19. Make Teachers Gifts
20. Go sibling Christmas shopping
21. Act out the Nativity
22. Read the Night before Christmas
23. Write Santa letters
24. Decorate the tree and house
25. Go on a sleigh ride
So a couple of these we have already done but we are going to my sisters for Christmas so i'm sure we'll be busy doing activities everyday for the week. I can't wait!! I'm so excited to see all my sisters again, it's been too long. Why do we have to live so far from each other?!
Is there any on my list I missed that you do with your kids? I'd love more ideas! :)
I also need more ideas for the twins for Christmas, what should I get them??
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Let's move on!
Well that was fun. I love how many awesome people I have met who read my blog in the last few days and I have the best friends and people in my life! I love love hearing who reads my crazy blog! So at least a lot of good came out of that day! You guys are all the best. For real.
I don't believe it deserves any more attention from me.
So, let's move on.
We finally set up my new BLACK tree! Yup, black. I seriously wasn't feeling the "Let's set up the tree!" thing. So I decided I wanted to do a smaller tree this year since we are leaving for a few weeks at Christmas. So I found a 5 ft black tree and it was love at first sight. I love things a little different than the norm. My mother in law hated it, ha. She said she remembers when all the colored trees were so tacky and nowadays they are the "cool" thing. I loved it! It's classy looking and the perfect height for our smaller place! My girls loved it at first, but then Kyla was saying, "mom I want a huge tree!" Some day Kyla, some day. Deal with it. That's what I tell myself anyways.
So here we are! Decorating our tree!
K funny story. The twins are into this thing where they look at me and say, "mom! Look at my cute smile!" And this is the smile I get. It's hilarious. No idea where they got that from. So funny.
I don't believe it deserves any more attention from me.
So, let's move on.
We finally set up my new BLACK tree! Yup, black. I seriously wasn't feeling the "Let's set up the tree!" thing. So I decided I wanted to do a smaller tree this year since we are leaving for a few weeks at Christmas. So I found a 5 ft black tree and it was love at first sight. I love things a little different than the norm. My mother in law hated it, ha. She said she remembers when all the colored trees were so tacky and nowadays they are the "cool" thing. I loved it! It's classy looking and the perfect height for our smaller place! My girls loved it at first, but then Kyla was saying, "mom I want a huge tree!" Some day Kyla, some day. Deal with it. That's what I tell myself anyways.
So here we are! Decorating our tree!
K funny story. The twins are into this thing where they look at me and say, "mom! Look at my cute smile!" And this is the smile I get. It's hilarious. No idea where they got that from. So funny.
These next few weeks are going to be BUSY. I'm in charge of a huge craft for our Christmas Enrichment night on the 1st. I'm teaching everyone how to make my wood letters! I'm going to post a tutorial in the next week for all my awesome friends so you can make your own! I still get people with orders and I don't think i'll ever go back to it. So stock up on your letters and cute scrapbook paper!
I'm also in charge of the ward Christmas party decorations for the 10th of December. phew! Any ideas would be great! Hook. me. up.
Ps: Can someone please tell my husband how NOT hot he is. I'm hoping the less attention I give it, the sooner it will go away. Cross my fingers it works. He was mad I made him shave it on the 6th for family pics for our Christmas cards, so now he says he is growing it until the 6th of December or longer. Hideous.
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