Go Elf Yourself!!!

Scroll down to the bottom of my page and see my family "elfed" and then go make your own. Let me know so I can come check out your very own "elfing"!!!! And Merry, Merry Christmas!!!

Broken weather widget!

I think my weather widget might be a little "off". It's showing a clear, sunshiny day in my neck of the woods. When in reality - it's dark, windy and practically monsooning!!!

Thanks Tank #26

This evening I am thankful for many things. Our warm home with Christmas decorations up and Christmas lights softly glowing here and there around the rooms. I'm thankful for dinner made by my husband and the chance to sit and eat with the whole family even though it was nearing 9 pm, a whole hour after the girls' bed time. I'm thankful for the opportunities taken to get together with friends for an evening of food and fun and knowing that it didn't matter what my house looked like - they were just glad to be here. I'm thankful for the honesty of friends asking for prayer for a difficult time they are going through and being able to diligently pray for them and then see specific answers to prayer. But mostly tonight I'm thankful for my husband. I'm thankful for the love we share and the burdens that we bare together. I am a blessed wife because of my husband and I never want to take that for granted. So thank you Keith, for all that you are to me! I LOVE YOU!!!

Thanks Tank #25

I AM THANKFUL!!!!!!!

1. I am thankful for the beautiful weather and warm sunshine today.
2. I am thankful that things went so well having Savanah's "saliva ball" lanced. Unfortunately, I don't think it was a permanent fix but it will give her some relief temporarily.
3. I am thankful for a wonderful Thanksgiving break spent with family all four days!
4. I am thankful for my husband taking the time to unbury all of our Christmas decoration tubs and boxes.
5. I am thankful for a "free" weekend to spend putting my Christmas decorations up.
   
6. I am thankful for our house and home!
7. I am thankful for the chance to reconnect with some "old" friends and also family on Facebook.
8. I am thankful for dear friends that I miss so badly I can actually feel a physical ache.
9. I am thankful for time spent hanging out with my girls, playing around and having fun!
10. I am thankful for our hairdresser squeezing us in for haircuts and hair-colors before Christmas!
11. I am thankful that Samantha is taking the loss of her kitty as well as she is which is much better than I have been taking it.
12. I am thankful that my sister is slowly, but surely, healing.
13. I am thankful for laughter and how much I have been hearing it in my home when only the four of us are here.
14. I am thankful for candles and how yummy and inviting they make my house smell.
15. I am thankful for a cleaner than normal house.
16. I am thankful for my heating blanket on my bed and for my husband who always turns it on in plenty of time to warm my side of the bed before I crawl into it!
17. I am thankful for coffee that is already brewed before I wake up.
18. I am thankful for my niece who just turned 3 years old on Monday and who will officially be my niece within 2 weeks time.
19. I am thankful for my new niece or nephew and the technology that allows us to know before hand - pink or blue? Hopefully, we will know tomorrow!
20. I am thankful for hope.
21. I am thankful for my parents and how much I love them and how lucky I am to still have both of them in my life.
22. I am thankful for surprises.
23. I am thankful that gas prices have dropped so significantly.
24. I am thankful for chocolate and brownies.
25. I am thankful for a tiny, perfect baby born of a virgin who came to earth and died on the cross for my sins and for the sins of ALL who would believe.
    

Wednesday Why's

There are no "whys" concerning this Wednesday's post . . . . . .

only a bunch of "yes, Yes, YES's"!!!!!!!

Wednesday Why's

Why????

I am wanting to know what the common practice is for recess on rainy days like today. I understand the need for teachers to have a break from the students and for the students to have a break from the classroom. But I'm also sure that there is some alternative for recess on days when the weather is so poor. Apparently Samantha is not aware of the alternative so I thought I would find out from you what the policy is. She came home today with pants wet all the way up to her knees, boots soaked through and socks that were so wet that I actually wrung them out. She said they had been this wet since first recess. Obviously walking around in wet socks and shoes all day cannot be healthy. I'd like to let her know what her other options are for recess besides for standing outside in the pouring down rain.
(Above letter sent to teacher today via email!)

Why????

Tuesday Teachings

Today is Veterans Day and so I thought I'd do a little research on this National Holiday to better know what we are celebrating and to be able to pass some of this information along to my girls so they too realize how blessed we are to live in a country with so many freedoms.
Veterans Day began as Armistice Day and it was to commemorate the ending of the first World War. Armistice Day, "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'.", became a legal holiday in 1938. In 1954 this was replaced with a new bill and a new name. Under this new name, Veterans Day, all veterans from all wars would be remembered - not just those from World War I.
I often get confused what the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day is. Memorial Day is a day set aside for remembering and honoring those that died in service to their country. Veterans Day on the other hand is for remembering and honoring ALL that served their country.
So today as we go about our daily lives, remember those that have served and who are still serving to ensure all the freedoms that we enjoy today.


I looked at this article and this web page to get more information about Veterans Day. They are worth checking out!

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . .

It completely KILLS me (totally in a good way) that my two not so little "princesses" are so completely engrossed in this (new to them) fad!!! Ever since we got home from our vacation these movies are the only movies that they want to watch. They are trying to recruit their girl cousins to the "dark side" with little success. Translation - they didn't want to have anything to do with it! The questions they ask are so intriguing and it's very interesting to see how their minds work in comparison to all the little boys who are so enamored. I mean really how many of you parents with boys have ever gotten the question - So do you think that Princess Leia is going to marry Indiana Jones?

Wednesday Why's

Why, oh why???????

Tuesday's Teachings

i'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony . . . .

sorry that's all i got for today

Cutest Trick-or-Treaters on the Block

Thanks Tank #24

So today has been a rather crazy, busy day but I really wanted to make sure that I posted a thanks tank because it's been a little while and because I have SO MUCH to be thankful for. I hope that as the holidays are starting to ramp up for everyone and the next two months fly by that everyone will make sure that they are consciously making an effort to think about the things that are filling your heart with thanks and the One who gives us joy!

1. I'm so thankful for a chance to go on vacation with my family. We had so much fun doing all the touristy Southern Cali things but we also managed to squeeze in time to see family. I'm thankful for my extended family and how much they mean to me and how much I love them even though I don't get a chance to see them very often.
2. I'm thankful for Facebook. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again but I just love keeping in touch with not only local friends and family but also my friends and family that are far away. In the past week I've reconnected with my two best friends from high school here in Eatonville and also found some "other" family members on FB that I didn't know were on there. It's too fun getting caught up on their lives and family!!!
3. I'm thankful when my husband sees that the garbage needs to be dumped and takes it out without me having to ask. It might sound silly but it means a lot to me to have him do that w/o me asking him to.
4. I'm thankful for modern medicine and all the things they can do these days to treat people who have serious medical issues. It really wasn't too long ago that some of the things that are so easily diagnosed and treated now were undetectable and led to death or severe illness.
5. I'm thankful for the power of prayer to not only heal but to calm. I'm thankful for all those that are praying for the medical issues that are going on with in my extended family right now.
6. I'm thankful that when we got home from Cali and over the last couple of days that even though it's been cold it has been nice and sunny and not stormy.
7. I'm thankful for beautiful autumn days and for the fall colors appearing on the trees and bushes.
8. I'm thankful for our good friends the Thompson's who agreed to watch our pets while we were gone.
   
9. I'm thankful that the girls' parent-teacher conferences went so well and the girls are doing so well in school.
10. I'm thankful that Wednesday was the last day of volleyball practice and this Saturday is Sammy's last game. I LOVE the sport but am happy to be having a few less things to do every week!
    

Wednesday Why's

Why does the peel on a banana get thinner the riper the banana gets?

Why does it seem that the shows I like to watch on TV are always on when I'm busy but then not on when I have nothing going on?

Why do some people love rainy, gloomy weather and others prefer sunshine and heat? Does it have something to do with personality, genetics, environment?

Why did my floor fail?

Why do I sometimes prefer a latte over a regular cup of coffee and then other times only a cup of coffee will satisfy?

Why do we give out candy at Halloween time? When did this ritual start and why?

And lastly - this isn't a why question but it's something I'm hoping someone might be able to answer for me - has there ever been a child/person abducted from Disneyland?

Litterbug?

would it be considered littering and could I get a ticket for the massive amount of pine needles and leaves that collected on my car while I was gone for a week and then proceeded to fly off as I drove down the street yesterday?

It's getting cold in here - so put on ALL your clothes!!!

36*F ~ 36*F ~ 36*F

Seriously? Seriously!?!?! It's 10:30 in the morning and still only 36*F!!!! We just got back from 90*F weather!!!! I'm not sure my blood can take it!!!!!

Wednesday Why's

Why does some people's hair naturally change color as they get older?

Why does the thought of going back to work (even part-time) terrify me and yet thrill me at the same time?

Why does it warm my heart to the core when a baby lays their head on my shoulder and then just stays there for a snuggle?

Why doesn't Stephanie have 24 oz iced cups at Austin Chase?

Why do I like Almond Roca syrup in hot drinks and not cold? And Coconut syrup in cold but not hot?

Why do I love homemade banana bread but despise eating a banana?

Tuesday Teachings

This past week was really, really busy and I didn't take the time like I should have to do my bible lesson each day. So I ended up doing it all on Monday. While I'm really glad that I got it all finished I definitely didn't get the full benefits of being in God's word each day and taking more time to dwell on the key points of each days lesson. I'm praying that this next week I will do a better job of that.

As I assumed when I started this bible study and when I started these Tuesday postings, the longer I'm in the study the more great bits of insight I'm learning. So I'm going to share a couple of points and thoughts that just really stood out to me. Starting with a statement that Tianne Moon said today during our DVD session - "Bible study is not just about gaining knowledge of the bible but about applying those principals to our lives."

While there were many things that stood out in this weeks bible study, I feel the main topics we touched on that hit home the closest were about humility and obedience. Here are some of the phrases I underlined in my book.

Living in unity means that we stop pushing our own agendas and actively value the ideas and opinions of others. We become willing to set aside unimportant personal differences so that we can accomplish important godly goals.

My disobedience to God is more than committing sins or making bad choices. My disobedience takes God off the throne in my life and seats me in His place. By disobeying His commands, I choose to be in charge - ignoring God's rightful place in my life.

True joy does not come from being in charge, it comes from humbly acknowledging that God is in control. Joy is a product of worshipping the only One worthy of our praise and humbly serving Him in every aspect of our lives.

Unity and humility are essential qualities of strong friendships.

Before and After

So on Friday I had my hair done. At the beginning of the summer I went back to blond after having dark hair for a long time. I was intending to go back to the dark chocolate color come fall. But after having been gone from blond for some time, I started feeling like maybe I wanted to stay in this "land of denial" a tad bit longer. But either way, something had to be done about those roots. So I decided to ask Keith what he thought and he decided I should go back to the chocolate. Here's some before and after (though not the same day) photo's for ya all to look at and then tell me what you think - blond or brunette?

Thanks Tank #23

Gonna make this short and quick cause I've only got a few hours of sleep time before we are up and at them and starting on a very busy day! My thankful thoughts for this week are as follows:

• i'm thankful that my hubby was able to get away for a couple of days and relax, chill and hang out with his really close friends.
• i'm thankful for my daughters help in cleaning the house this evening. they did an awesome job and with minimal amount of complaining.
• i'm thankful for the fun next couple of days we (the girls and I) have planned.
• i'm thankful for the extra helpers we had in MOPs today. and the reminder of when I was younger and only wanted to be around babies!
• i'm thankful that the girls are older and i can do things like take them to scrapbooking with me.
• i'm thankful that i'm going to be an aunt again!
• i'm thankful that i was able to fall asleep and sleep well w/o having keith here.
• i'm thankful that when my husband is gone - I miss him terribly.
  

Wednesday Why's

A couple of things I've been pondering today -

Why do I miss my husband more today than any other given day when it's been the same amount of hours since I've seen him? Is it because I know that I won't actually be seeing him til Saturday? Or is it because I won't have his help with the girls for the next couple of days?

Why do your taste buds change as you get older?

Why is it that when you are prepared for the rain it doesn't make an appearance but when you aren't - man does it dump?

Why is it so important to me to receive comments on my blog posts?

Why do my two closest friends have to both live in Oregon - hours and hours from me but only 1 1/2 from each other? It hardly seems fair!

And I'm still wondering why not only the smell but even the thought of coffee, makes me smile?