Thursday, December 31, 2009
Dear Ellen
First I want to wish Everyone a Very Happy New Year filled with Blessings of Love, Hope, Joy, Peace, Compassion, Abundance, Health and Laughter.
all photo's are from Camp Jack's website you can see more there!
I was reading Camp Jack again today. This is an excerpt from Camp Jack’s site www.caringbridge.org/visit/campjack :
“… So, here's my idea, and I'm not sure how to go about it, but know y'all will be brilliant... What if we could get some real exposure for Childhood Cancer in the popular media? No, I'm not talking about turning Jack into Ashton Kutcher, and twittering his latest chemo escapades. But, what if the world could just see his face --- The face of life and hope and compassion and humor, and really make the opportunity to embrace the humanity of this innocent sufferring? What if we could do it in a way that wasn't frightening, but rather engaging, so as to move people to open their hearts and big pharmaceuticals to open their wallets for research? WHAT IF WE COULD DO IT WITH LAUGHTER AND JOY?
What if we could to it on the Ellen Show? : )
Many of you probably heard how Ellen recently campaigned to be put on the cover of Oprah's magazine? She did something differerent and funny every day, until finally Oprah gave in! Ellen's goal was to make Oprah's magazine the biggest selling edition of all time! And, I'm sure it did, just by hijacking it! : )
So, my goal is to attempt to get the highest exposure of pediatric cancer of all time by starting a "Get on Ellen Campaign!" Besides, the similarities between Jack and Ellen are undeniable!
1. Ellen is a commedienne, and as you know, Jack LOVES to tell jokes!
2. Ellen grooves on her show, and Jack shakes his bum with the best of 'em! Heck, he has some cool Robot moves he could teach her to freshen up her routines a bit!
3. And finally, Ellen has a Porsha, and well, Jack has a Porsche Hot Wheels!
I'm telling you, these two would be a match in Heaven……
…you can send her mail at http://www.ellentv.com/
…You never know, friends, it's worth a try! Perhaps I will be more inspired after I clean the fridge.
Have a wonderful New Year's All! Remember, love can move Mountains!
Jen
Camp Jack”
Maybe if we all write a note to Ellen, she will use her voice to help get the word out for more research and funding for Childhood Cancers: in this case, Neuroblastoma.
Ellen is a very Compassionate soul and already helps so many causes. Maybe, just maybe, she can fit in one more.
Please join me my friends, for Jack and all the other Children that are suffering from these terrible cancers.
So that is just what I did, I sent Ellen an e-mail:
Dear Ellen
Neuroblastoma a Childhood Cancer
Needs attention to find an answer
Little man Jack is a precious soul
Beating this Cancer, his greatest goal
So little funding means slow research
We need to get off our silent perch
Jack and his mommies need your help
Seems little voices don’t carry much yelp
So Please Dear Ellen, won’t you consider
To help out Jack with a little twitter
Your voice carries far, so please give it a go
Have Jack, Kate and Mommies on your show
Put a sweet face on this deadly disease
Maybe compassion will help? Won’t you Please?
See for yourself and you won’t turn your back
He’s the sweetest young man I’ve seen in a while
His sparkle and courage will make you smile
This cancer needs a face that people can see
His smile and eyes a poster should be
He’s one among many that need their voice heard
Won’t you, oh won’t you help get out the word
Thank you Dear Ellen, from my heart to yours
For being a Leader in Childhood Cancer Wars
Written for Jack and his family
Who are fighting the battle of their lives
With Hope, Love and Light,
by, Nina Pauline Ploetz
Thank you and .......
A big thank you for all your help with my butterfly hunt.I have purchased the Quik Kutz Monarch die and also Karen Marie Klip laser cut butterflies which i never knew excisted and they are so beautiful.
All that is left for me to do is wish
all my new friends in blog land
a very very happy new year sent to you all with lots of love.
tracey xxxx
HAPPY 2010!
2009 was one amazing year. We have been blessed with so many fun exciting changes in our lives, new traditions and happy memories. I'm happy to have completed my New Year's resolution by keeping up with my blog. I absolutley love doing it and look forward to blogging another year.
Here is a quick recap of 2009...
In February we met a very special person, Vic! For those of you who follow my Blog, you know who he is. Our Realtor! Adam and I had been talking about being able to get out of our tiny little townhome and move our family to a house of our own. Vic made this all possible for us. He spent hours and days and weekends with us, showing us multiple properties at a time. After a LONG wait we closed on our house in Farmington on June 3rd. A 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom split. We spent the first 3 days painting the whole entire upstairs. After living in apartments and townhouses for 5 years, we wanted something other than white walls in our lives, so we went all out, painting our living room orange, kitchen green and dining area yellow. The girls picked HOT PINK for their room. With the help of our wonderful family and friends we were moved in and settled in the first week. We could not thank you all enough. A very special thank you to my Mom and Dad and Grandpa Dick for your generous gifts in making the purchase our home possible.
We settled into the neighborhood immediately. We are SO grateful for our wonderful neighbors and new friends. Our kids have tons of new playmates and there is even a little girl that will be going to kindergarten with Alexa. Lillian is the youngest in the neighboorhood, but she keeps right up with the big kids. She learned how to ride her scooter pretty quickly. Alexa even learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. We were all very surprised at how quickly she caught on. We are so proud of her. She definitley learned this year that, 'practice makes perfect'.
We spent many hours BBQ'ing, hanging out in the back yard, playing horseshoes, entertaining family and friends and enjoying having our own space.
As promised to Alexa when we moved into our own house with a yard, we surprised the girls with an early birthday present. A Puppy! We welcomed Chip into our home in August. He is a miniature daschund and was only about 4 lbs when we got him. The girls adore him and Adam and I have grown to love him, too. He's almost completely potty trained, but still has to sleep in his kennel at night.
We got him a few days before going up to our cabin for a long weekend vacation. It made for a stressful few days rather than relaxing, but we still enjoyed our time there. We took the girls on a few boat rides, visited the Cheif Wononga statue, went to an auction, the flee market and the candy store. Alexa made a necklace that said her name at the bead shop as a souvenier of our vacation. We went for walks and had a bonfire. It was nice to be 'just us' for once. We look forward to another week vacation at the cabin in 2010. It's my favorite place in the world and I'm happy to be able to share special times there with my family.
Some other highlights of the year include, taking the girls to their first Vikings football game in the dome, Twin's games, Alexa and I having a bout of strep throat (not exactly a highlight, I guess), having a big benefit garage sale for a sick child Alexa and Lillian know from school, watching Alexa dance on the BIG stage for her dance recital, Lillian learning to talk, Lillian moving up to the older toddler room and the girls' conferences. We had a big Birthday celebration for the girls at our house, Alexa turned the BIG 5 and Lillian, 2. They had over 20 friends come to celebrate with them. We had a big pinata and lots of family and friends join us. Alexa had her kindergarten screening exam and scored a perfect score. She is so excited to start kindergarten next fall in Farmington. Alexa took swimming lessons at the city pool, learned how to ride her bike without training wheels, pump her legs on the swings and tie her shoes. We celebrated our first Christmas at our new house, a few weeks before with my family and during Christmas with Adam's family. It brought a huge smile to my face having everyone fit around our dinner table. Adam and I were able to surprise the girls with a dance studio in our basement for Christmas. With the help of our neighbor, Dave, we had our guest bedroom decked out with a gigantic mirror and stage.
Family:
My dad got a job working as the manager of the Tipsinah Mounds golf course in Elbow Lake, despite his punk voice, which is getting better, by the way. Adam's mom took a trip to Europe in the summer and another trip to Washington D.C. this winter. Grandpa Dick was the Grand Marshall in the Flekkefest parade and turned 90 years old this year. Grandma Katie retired from teaching for over 30 years and Grandpa Carroll, after a year of up and down medical problems, feels well enough to help friends on their farm. My mom continues helping families with her various charity works, knitting, sewing and crocheting for the sick or those in need. Adam's sister Andrea continues her studies in Duluth, becoming the face of UMD. She is in various oraganizations and absolutley loves it there. My brother, Tiny, switched his major this year to elementry education and is already putting hours in the classroom. He continues to date the love of his life, Courtney Vogel from Morris, who we consider part of the family. My brother, Ben, flew for the first time to California to help his boss with the bees. He was a beekeeper in the summer and now is back in Minneapolis, driving zamboni at Parade Ice Arena, making friends with the MN Wild. My brother Geoff and his family live in Moorhead with their 2 kids, AJ and Joey. Joey turned 1 this year. Adam's brother, Benny, proposed to his girlfriend Amanda the week before Christmas. She will join our family in June of 2010. Their wedding will be in Albert Lea. Adam is Benny's best man, I'm one of Amanda's bridesmaids and Alexa and Lillian are 2 of the 3 flower girls. We congratulate them and look forward to celebrating their marriage.
We are saddened still of the loss of both mine and Adam's grandma's. Grandma Louise and Grandma Cruz are still talked about in our house each and every day. We miss them dearly and know that they are watching over us, blessing us with their love. We love you both! :)
We welcomed a new addition to the family in October, Samuel Chhin. Adam's cousin Tuppance and her husband Eurn have a new bouncing baby boy. Brother Zach is a proud big brother. We have yet to meet Sam, but we look forward to in 2010.
We also look forward to the births of our friends babies in 2010. Aric and Crista Attig are expecting a baby girl any day now and Derek and Amber Schewe are expecting their second child in July. We wish you all the love, joy and excitment that babies bring.
Adam and I are so blessed to have had such a wonderful year. We have never been more in love and happy with our lives. We have the 2 most beautiful girls in the world and cherish every single moment with them. They are the light of our lives and the twinkles in our eyes. We look forward to watching them grow in 2010, entering new phases and stages in their lives. Alexa is still my little drama queen and Lillian our class clown. They are so similar, yet so different.
Alexa will say goodbye to preschool at All Stars Monetssori and hello to Akin Road elementry. My baby is off to kindergarten and my therapy sessions begin.
Lillian will be going to school without a diaper starting right away after New Year's break. We wish her lots of luck and want her to know we're proud of her. She will start to 'visit' the preschool room this fall.
We hope to spend another week up at our cabin on Eagle Lake this summer. Adam is going to try his hand at catering a wedding in August. We look forward to many visits to our families and them coming to visit us. I'm also planning a 'Cousin's weekend' up at the cabin with all my cousins. We also hope to take the girls on a few camping trips.
It's been a tough year for a lot of people. The economy was worse than terrible, the craziness of celebrity deaths and the Swine flu (H1N1). We are very fortunate to have good health and good jobs. We hope things pick up in 2010. 2009 seemed to be a whirlwind year, always moving and on the go. We hope to slow things down in 2010 and enjoy life.
CHEERS to a brand new year of happiness, laughter and love. GOD BLESS!
HAPPY 2010! :)
My New Year's Resolutions for 2010:
1.) Continue my blog.
2.) Cook more - be more creative and try different things. Eat Healthy!
3.) Take more pictures and keep them organized. AND use our video camera more.
4.) Scrapbook!
5.) Slow down and enjoy life to it's fullest.
This weekend I'll be working on a BIG slideshow of pictures from 2009!
Here is a quick recap of 2009...
In February we met a very special person, Vic! For those of you who follow my Blog, you know who he is. Our Realtor! Adam and I had been talking about being able to get out of our tiny little townhome and move our family to a house of our own. Vic made this all possible for us. He spent hours and days and weekends with us, showing us multiple properties at a time. After a LONG wait we closed on our house in Farmington on June 3rd. A 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom split. We spent the first 3 days painting the whole entire upstairs. After living in apartments and townhouses for 5 years, we wanted something other than white walls in our lives, so we went all out, painting our living room orange, kitchen green and dining area yellow. The girls picked HOT PINK for their room. With the help of our wonderful family and friends we were moved in and settled in the first week. We could not thank you all enough. A very special thank you to my Mom and Dad and Grandpa Dick for your generous gifts in making the purchase our home possible.
We settled into the neighborhood immediately. We are SO grateful for our wonderful neighbors and new friends. Our kids have tons of new playmates and there is even a little girl that will be going to kindergarten with Alexa. Lillian is the youngest in the neighboorhood, but she keeps right up with the big kids. She learned how to ride her scooter pretty quickly. Alexa even learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. We were all very surprised at how quickly she caught on. We are so proud of her. She definitley learned this year that, 'practice makes perfect'.
We spent many hours BBQ'ing, hanging out in the back yard, playing horseshoes, entertaining family and friends and enjoying having our own space.
As promised to Alexa when we moved into our own house with a yard, we surprised the girls with an early birthday present. A Puppy! We welcomed Chip into our home in August. He is a miniature daschund and was only about 4 lbs when we got him. The girls adore him and Adam and I have grown to love him, too. He's almost completely potty trained, but still has to sleep in his kennel at night.
We got him a few days before going up to our cabin for a long weekend vacation. It made for a stressful few days rather than relaxing, but we still enjoyed our time there. We took the girls on a few boat rides, visited the Cheif Wononga statue, went to an auction, the flee market and the candy store. Alexa made a necklace that said her name at the bead shop as a souvenier of our vacation. We went for walks and had a bonfire. It was nice to be 'just us' for once. We look forward to another week vacation at the cabin in 2010. It's my favorite place in the world and I'm happy to be able to share special times there with my family.
Some other highlights of the year include, taking the girls to their first Vikings football game in the dome, Twin's games, Alexa and I having a bout of strep throat (not exactly a highlight, I guess), having a big benefit garage sale for a sick child Alexa and Lillian know from school, watching Alexa dance on the BIG stage for her dance recital, Lillian learning to talk, Lillian moving up to the older toddler room and the girls' conferences. We had a big Birthday celebration for the girls at our house, Alexa turned the BIG 5 and Lillian, 2. They had over 20 friends come to celebrate with them. We had a big pinata and lots of family and friends join us. Alexa had her kindergarten screening exam and scored a perfect score. She is so excited to start kindergarten next fall in Farmington. Alexa took swimming lessons at the city pool, learned how to ride her bike without training wheels, pump her legs on the swings and tie her shoes. We celebrated our first Christmas at our new house, a few weeks before with my family and during Christmas with Adam's family. It brought a huge smile to my face having everyone fit around our dinner table. Adam and I were able to surprise the girls with a dance studio in our basement for Christmas. With the help of our neighbor, Dave, we had our guest bedroom decked out with a gigantic mirror and stage.
Family:
My dad got a job working as the manager of the Tipsinah Mounds golf course in Elbow Lake, despite his punk voice, which is getting better, by the way. Adam's mom took a trip to Europe in the summer and another trip to Washington D.C. this winter. Grandpa Dick was the Grand Marshall in the Flekkefest parade and turned 90 years old this year. Grandma Katie retired from teaching for over 30 years and Grandpa Carroll, after a year of up and down medical problems, feels well enough to help friends on their farm. My mom continues helping families with her various charity works, knitting, sewing and crocheting for the sick or those in need. Adam's sister Andrea continues her studies in Duluth, becoming the face of UMD. She is in various oraganizations and absolutley loves it there. My brother, Tiny, switched his major this year to elementry education and is already putting hours in the classroom. He continues to date the love of his life, Courtney Vogel from Morris, who we consider part of the family. My brother, Ben, flew for the first time to California to help his boss with the bees. He was a beekeeper in the summer and now is back in Minneapolis, driving zamboni at Parade Ice Arena, making friends with the MN Wild. My brother Geoff and his family live in Moorhead with their 2 kids, AJ and Joey. Joey turned 1 this year. Adam's brother, Benny, proposed to his girlfriend Amanda the week before Christmas. She will join our family in June of 2010. Their wedding will be in Albert Lea. Adam is Benny's best man, I'm one of Amanda's bridesmaids and Alexa and Lillian are 2 of the 3 flower girls. We congratulate them and look forward to celebrating their marriage.
We are saddened still of the loss of both mine and Adam's grandma's. Grandma Louise and Grandma Cruz are still talked about in our house each and every day. We miss them dearly and know that they are watching over us, blessing us with their love. We love you both! :)
We welcomed a new addition to the family in October, Samuel Chhin. Adam's cousin Tuppance and her husband Eurn have a new bouncing baby boy. Brother Zach is a proud big brother. We have yet to meet Sam, but we look forward to in 2010.
We also look forward to the births of our friends babies in 2010. Aric and Crista Attig are expecting a baby girl any day now and Derek and Amber Schewe are expecting their second child in July. We wish you all the love, joy and excitment that babies bring.
Adam and I are so blessed to have had such a wonderful year. We have never been more in love and happy with our lives. We have the 2 most beautiful girls in the world and cherish every single moment with them. They are the light of our lives and the twinkles in our eyes. We look forward to watching them grow in 2010, entering new phases and stages in their lives. Alexa is still my little drama queen and Lillian our class clown. They are so similar, yet so different.
Alexa will say goodbye to preschool at All Stars Monetssori and hello to Akin Road elementry. My baby is off to kindergarten and my therapy sessions begin.
Lillian will be going to school without a diaper starting right away after New Year's break. We wish her lots of luck and want her to know we're proud of her. She will start to 'visit' the preschool room this fall.
We hope to spend another week up at our cabin on Eagle Lake this summer. Adam is going to try his hand at catering a wedding in August. We look forward to many visits to our families and them coming to visit us. I'm also planning a 'Cousin's weekend' up at the cabin with all my cousins. We also hope to take the girls on a few camping trips.
It's been a tough year for a lot of people. The economy was worse than terrible, the craziness of celebrity deaths and the Swine flu (H1N1). We are very fortunate to have good health and good jobs. We hope things pick up in 2010. 2009 seemed to be a whirlwind year, always moving and on the go. We hope to slow things down in 2010 and enjoy life.
CHEERS to a brand new year of happiness, laughter and love. GOD BLESS!
HAPPY 2010! :)
My New Year's Resolutions for 2010:
1.) Continue my blog.
2.) Cook more - be more creative and try different things. Eat Healthy!
3.) Take more pictures and keep them organized. AND use our video camera more.
4.) Scrapbook!
5.) Slow down and enjoy life to it's fullest.
This weekend I'll be working on a BIG slideshow of pictures from 2009!
Things that make me laugh....
Last night Alexa informed me that I needed to 'sew' her plastic Dora cup, because it had scratches on it from being used so much.
Lillian says "Baby Uheeewwwga" for Baby Baluga.
I love my kids!
Have a SAFE and HAPPY New Year! :)
Lillian says "Baby Uheeewwwga" for Baby Baluga.
I love my kids!
Have a SAFE and HAPPY New Year! :)
A belated Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year
Well if anyone sees this I just want to say I hope you are all well. A belated Merry Christmas to you all and I hope you all have a great 2010. Building work downstairs almost complete I actually have a lounge again...yippee.......and the dust and mess is almost gone.
I've missed crafting and all my lovely blogging buddies and I'll catch up with everyone in the New Year... now things are in better order here and I've got space again.
Love to you all
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
New Years Resolutions...
Oh yes...it's THAT time again. I HATE New Year's Resolutions..because I, without fail, break them. So this year, I'm giving myself ONE, ONE single resolution. I do have other goals for the year, but this is a true resolution to change a behavior that I do not like in myself.
Here it is:
I resolve to stop saying NO to my daughter when she asks me to play or pick her up. I KNOW she asks me at the most inconvenient times. I KNOW that she just wants my attention when I'm trying to get things done. But I also KNOW that she's already three and I say NO all the time and one day she's going to be much older and she's going to be the one saying NO to me when I want to spend time with her.
So, I resolve to say YES. Yes, I will play with you. Yes, I will hold you. Even if it's just for a minute and then I have to get back to whatever it is that needs to be done. But at least she will have that YES moment...and I'll say it with a smile, instead of a sigh and a grimace.
This resolution I WILL KEEP.
Here it is:
I resolve to stop saying NO to my daughter when she asks me to play or pick her up. I KNOW she asks me at the most inconvenient times. I KNOW that she just wants my attention when I'm trying to get things done. But I also KNOW that she's already three and I say NO all the time and one day she's going to be much older and she's going to be the one saying NO to me when I want to spend time with her.
So, I resolve to say YES. Yes, I will play with you. Yes, I will hold you. Even if it's just for a minute and then I have to get back to whatever it is that needs to be done. But at least she will have that YES moment...and I'll say it with a smile, instead of a sigh and a grimace.
This resolution I WILL KEEP.
Amazing!
This is an amazing story that hits close to home for our family. On Christmas Eve of this year, a mom and her baby both died and then miraculously revived. What a true Christmas gift!! See the Yahoo! News video here.
Our own Christmas miracle occurred one week before Christmas 2006, thanks to an amazing team of skilled doctors and nurses. Without their quick thinking, calm presence of mind, skilled hands and the medical technology in part made available by research from the March of Dimes, and most importantly, God's Will and Plan for our lives, neither Reagan or I would be here.
Aren't God's miracles absolutely amazing and breathtaking? And aren't the talents that He gives people, like helping to heal the sick and hurt, truly wonderful?
Our own Christmas miracle occurred one week before Christmas 2006, thanks to an amazing team of skilled doctors and nurses. Without their quick thinking, calm presence of mind, skilled hands and the medical technology in part made available by research from the March of Dimes, and most importantly, God's Will and Plan for our lives, neither Reagan or I would be here.
Aren't God's miracles absolutely amazing and breathtaking? And aren't the talents that He gives people, like helping to heal the sick and hurt, truly wonderful?
Please i need your help
Please i need your help.I have been trying to find the name of this butterfly punch die cutter.Its driving me mad please please can some one tell me.At first i thought it might be marther sterwart but alas not.
thank you so very much.
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love tracey xxx
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Eat From the Pantry Challenge
I've been in the mood for decluttering and revamping for quite some time. We just have too much STUFF. Or maybe it's the wrong stuff. I don't know. But I've been feeling the need for change. I just feel CLUTTERED all the time. And one of our worst "CLUTTERED" areas is food storage.
I know I've blogged about (or maybe I haven't?? Who knows!?!?) the importance of having emergency food storage. And that not only includes food, but other household items as well--water, toothpaste, etc. And not only for emergency purposes, but for the simple economy of it--when you have food stored, you can buy only things that are on sale, stock them and shop from your own "stores" of food when you need to make a meal.
We've done fairly well. I'm sure we could live for quite some time off of what we have. But I know some of that food needs to be cleared out to make way for fresher food. So I've decided to join Money Saving Mom and FishMama's Eat From the Pantry Challenge for the month of January. You can read more about it here and here.
Here are the rules I've set for our family:
1. Shop weekly to take advantage of fresh produce and milk and any "free" items. (Basically I'll be purchasing milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables, and household items as needed (our grocery budget includes household items) such as toilet paper, cat food and cat litter).
2. Budget is $20/week or $100 for the month, which is a SIGNIFICANT decrease in grocery spending.
3. Savings for the month gets split directly between emergency savings and dream home fund savings.
4. By end of challenge have a list of remaining food on hand so I know exactly what we have and can plan to use it effectively in the future.
5. Forgot to add this--absolutely no eating out fast food!
Reflections Of Jennaa -NYE My Way!
Jennaa Wears:
Dress: (osakki) Entangled; Sweater Dress in the shade of [ Ice ]. (Buy here)
Tights: (osakki) Comes with (osakki) Entangled; Sweater Dress. (Buy here)
Boots: BAX Prestige Boots Black Suede. (Buy here)
Hair: Exile Single Lady in the shade of Ash. (Buy here)
Skin: *Beauty Avatar Couture* Daria Skin - Light 5. (Buy here)
Eyes: ** DP**yumyum Mooney Eyes: Glassy in the shade of green. (Buy here)
Eyelashes: Silhouette Lashes: WIIDOW (Full). (Buy here)
Bracelets: [MANDALA]TAKARA Bangle/Metal silver & Nail&Ring. (Buy here)
Disco Balls: GLITTERATI. - Disco ball pose set. Love these! (Buy here)
Records: Sway's Records from Sway's listen to the Music set. (Buy here)
Speakers: [ MAVEN INC. ] Maven Speakers - 3 Set. (Buy here)
2009 has certainly been an all over the place year for everyone around the globe. Lets hope 2010 is a wonderful year where everyone can come together and live in peace. I wish you all a wonderful, happy and healthy 2010 and may all your dreams come true. Love Jennaa XoXo.
PS. Now lets go dance!
Our First Christmas in our New House!
A Great Christmas...
Despite all the nasty blizzardy weather and snow, most of Adam's family was able to make it to our house for Christmas. Juan was stuck in Texas, unfortunately. Their plans weren't to come up until Thursday, Christmas Eve, but decided to beat the storm and come up Wednesday night instead.
We had some great news to celebrate!! Adam's brother, Benny, proposed to his girlfriend, Amanda. The wedding will be in June of 2011. Adam is the best man, I'm a bridesmaid and both Alexa and Lillian are flower girls. We will all be a part of his special day and we could not be more honored. Congratulations Benny and Amanda!
The storm came Wednesday night. We all woke up to at least 6 inches of snow. Adam went to work snow blowing the driveway right away and Benny and Amanda made us all breakfast. Amanda made pancakes that spelled each of our names, which is a tradition in her family. I unfortunately had to eat and run, as I had to get in to work. I was a bit nervous to be driving in the icky weather, but the roads weren't actually that bad, just real wet and slushy. Tom, Steve and I were the only ones working Christmas Eve. It was really slow, so I was able to cut out at 11:30. On my way home I saw Alexa, Mongo and Grandma Linda running up the hill with the sleds in search of a good hill to slide. Lillian was back at home with Daddy, settling down for a nap. I was able to snuggle her and get her to lay down for a bit. We made quesadilla's for lunch when Alexa and Grandma got back from sledding.
Church was at 10:30 in Farmington, so we had keep the kids up late. I thought for sure they'd fall asleep in church. Alexa did, but Lillian was wide awake, wanting to run up and down the aisles. I spent most of the mass in the back entry with her. She ended up falling asleep on the way home. It was still snowing and accumulating. Another 6 inches or so.
We put the girls to bed in our bed and we all went to sleep. Then all of a sudden we heard some jingling bells, so we quickly woke up. Adam, Alexa and I peeked outside the bedroom door and to our surprise, Santa was putting presents under our tree. Alexa got a little scared and wanted to go lay back in the bed, but she peeked one more time to see him putting treats inside her stocking. As we laid in bed we heard him take a rest on the couch and eat the cookies and milk we left out for him. Then heard his big footsteps go down the stairs and open the door. We heard again the jingling bells of the reindeer out on the lawn. Alexa's eyes were sooo wide and she had a big smile on her face. She had sprinkled reindeer dust on the sidewalk, so they'd find our house. It took her awhile to fall back to sleep, as you could imagine. She was so excited to wake up Christmas morning to tell everyone she saw the 'real Santa' in our house.
Christmas morning we all woke up to find all the gifts Santa had brought. I made cinnamon rolls, which is a tradition in my family for breakfast. We all gasped at all the new fallen snow. More snow!! Ugh! We didn't have to fear not having a white Christmas.
We started opening gifts around 9:15 and didn't finish until almost 1. The girls were spoiled with such nice things from their auntie, uncle and Grandparents. Even Mongo went shopping for us all. Mongo and Chip were spoiled with treats and toys, too. Alexa got a pink fishing rod, SkippyJon Jones book, coloring books, 2 outfits, a set of bath towels with her name on it, a hoola hoop from Lillian, a Belle Barbie, a baby dolly that she named Isabelle from Santa and some chapstick and pens in her stocking. Lillian got bath towels with her name on it, too, color books and crayons from Alexa, a kitchen set from Santa, a set of books, a snow white barbie, a baby doll, a couple outfits and musical instruments.
Adam and I got a fire pit from Benny and Amanda, a shop vac from Linda and Juan and bath towels with our names on them. Adam got a hat, a couple shirts, a Vikings flag from the girls and I and I got a lunch box, a picture frame, a water fountain, a table cloth, some cook books and a box of love from Lillian and an ornament from Alexa. Santa also brought our family an ornament that said 2009, for our first Christmas in our new house. We were so very blessed to be able to be in our house Christmas with Adam's family. It was a great day! Lillian was a little tired and overwhelmed towards the end and started pushing all her presents away. She was done opening gifts, she just wanted to sit and color. So, Alexa helped her out.
After everything was opened, Adam and I had one more surprise for Alexa and Lillian. We closed their eyes and brought them downstairs to the guest bedroom where we surprised them with a BIG stage and mirror. We created a little dance studio for them because they LOVE to dance. Their eyes lit up and they went crazy. Lillian snapped out of it and was all about Christmas again. They danced their little hearts out. We turned their music on and they went crazy. Alexa had also gotten a box of princess shoes from her auntie, so they were dancing in their new shoes and even drug out their tap shoes. It was tons of fun and Adam and I were so happy to see our little girls with smiles on their faces, having a fun Christmas.
We spent the rest of the day playing with all our new toys and gifts, assembling things and eating. My countertops were covered with food.
We all helped in making our traditional Christmas meal with the Lares family, crab ragoons, king crab legs, shrimp and platter (taco dip). We also made a pot roast and veggies. Alexa and Lillian are at the fun age of being able to help. They were right there with us at the table getting their hands dirty filling the crab ragoons. Alexa's actually turned out very good.
When we finally sat down to eat around 8pm, the food was absolutely delicious. We kept eating and eating and eating. We'd rest a minute, then eat some more. We always have a competition to see who can get the biggest crab. I think I won this year. :) I put the girls to bed while the other helps clean up the kitchen. Then Adam, Andrea, Linda and I stayed up to play a game we received as a family gift, Catchphrase. We stayed up til 2am not able to stop playing. We laughed so hard we cried. It was so fun.
Benny and Amanda left early Saturday morning to make it back for Amanda to work. Linda and Dre left that afternoon. We cleaned the house and tried to get things put away and back to normal. The girls received some gift cards to Target from my boss and his wife for Christmas, so we took them there to pick out another new toy. Alexa chose a pony and Lillian picked some food for her new kitchen. We also took advantage of the wonderful after Christmas sales on all the holiday stuff. We got a new tree and ornaments for our basement next year. Mike, Inna and Tori came over Saturday night for some drinks and a couple games of Catchphrase. We laughed hysterically and had a blast.
Sunday we cleaned some more and some more, then went over to Mike and Inna's to celebrate James' 4th Birthday. It was fun to get together with all the neighbors again. The kids sure had fun telling about what they got for Christmas.
Uncle Benski was at our house when we got home with gifts from AJ and Joey. The girls got some books and dress up clothes. After the kids were in bed we stayed up and played Catchphrase with Benski. I stayed up way too late on a work night, but it was so fun.
Overall, what a great Christmas. We love having family and friends around and we were so lucky and blessed to have them there and their travels were safe. Adam and I are so thankful for everything and that we have each other and our health. It's been a tough year for a lot of people.
We are again so blessed and fortunate!
Despite all the nasty blizzardy weather and snow, most of Adam's family was able to make it to our house for Christmas. Juan was stuck in Texas, unfortunately. Their plans weren't to come up until Thursday, Christmas Eve, but decided to beat the storm and come up Wednesday night instead.
We had some great news to celebrate!! Adam's brother, Benny, proposed to his girlfriend, Amanda. The wedding will be in June of 2011. Adam is the best man, I'm a bridesmaid and both Alexa and Lillian are flower girls. We will all be a part of his special day and we could not be more honored. Congratulations Benny and Amanda!
The storm came Wednesday night. We all woke up to at least 6 inches of snow. Adam went to work snow blowing the driveway right away and Benny and Amanda made us all breakfast. Amanda made pancakes that spelled each of our names, which is a tradition in her family. I unfortunately had to eat and run, as I had to get in to work. I was a bit nervous to be driving in the icky weather, but the roads weren't actually that bad, just real wet and slushy. Tom, Steve and I were the only ones working Christmas Eve. It was really slow, so I was able to cut out at 11:30. On my way home I saw Alexa, Mongo and Grandma Linda running up the hill with the sleds in search of a good hill to slide. Lillian was back at home with Daddy, settling down for a nap. I was able to snuggle her and get her to lay down for a bit. We made quesadilla's for lunch when Alexa and Grandma got back from sledding.
Church was at 10:30 in Farmington, so we had keep the kids up late. I thought for sure they'd fall asleep in church. Alexa did, but Lillian was wide awake, wanting to run up and down the aisles. I spent most of the mass in the back entry with her. She ended up falling asleep on the way home. It was still snowing and accumulating. Another 6 inches or so.
We put the girls to bed in our bed and we all went to sleep. Then all of a sudden we heard some jingling bells, so we quickly woke up. Adam, Alexa and I peeked outside the bedroom door and to our surprise, Santa was putting presents under our tree. Alexa got a little scared and wanted to go lay back in the bed, but she peeked one more time to see him putting treats inside her stocking. As we laid in bed we heard him take a rest on the couch and eat the cookies and milk we left out for him. Then heard his big footsteps go down the stairs and open the door. We heard again the jingling bells of the reindeer out on the lawn. Alexa's eyes were sooo wide and she had a big smile on her face. She had sprinkled reindeer dust on the sidewalk, so they'd find our house. It took her awhile to fall back to sleep, as you could imagine. She was so excited to wake up Christmas morning to tell everyone she saw the 'real Santa' in our house.
Christmas morning we all woke up to find all the gifts Santa had brought. I made cinnamon rolls, which is a tradition in my family for breakfast. We all gasped at all the new fallen snow. More snow!! Ugh! We didn't have to fear not having a white Christmas.
We started opening gifts around 9:15 and didn't finish until almost 1. The girls were spoiled with such nice things from their auntie, uncle and Grandparents. Even Mongo went shopping for us all. Mongo and Chip were spoiled with treats and toys, too. Alexa got a pink fishing rod, SkippyJon Jones book, coloring books, 2 outfits, a set of bath towels with her name on it, a hoola hoop from Lillian, a Belle Barbie, a baby dolly that she named Isabelle from Santa and some chapstick and pens in her stocking. Lillian got bath towels with her name on it, too, color books and crayons from Alexa, a kitchen set from Santa, a set of books, a snow white barbie, a baby doll, a couple outfits and musical instruments.
Adam and I got a fire pit from Benny and Amanda, a shop vac from Linda and Juan and bath towels with our names on them. Adam got a hat, a couple shirts, a Vikings flag from the girls and I and I got a lunch box, a picture frame, a water fountain, a table cloth, some cook books and a box of love from Lillian and an ornament from Alexa. Santa also brought our family an ornament that said 2009, for our first Christmas in our new house. We were so very blessed to be able to be in our house Christmas with Adam's family. It was a great day! Lillian was a little tired and overwhelmed towards the end and started pushing all her presents away. She was done opening gifts, she just wanted to sit and color. So, Alexa helped her out.
After everything was opened, Adam and I had one more surprise for Alexa and Lillian. We closed their eyes and brought them downstairs to the guest bedroom where we surprised them with a BIG stage and mirror. We created a little dance studio for them because they LOVE to dance. Their eyes lit up and they went crazy. Lillian snapped out of it and was all about Christmas again. They danced their little hearts out. We turned their music on and they went crazy. Alexa had also gotten a box of princess shoes from her auntie, so they were dancing in their new shoes and even drug out their tap shoes. It was tons of fun and Adam and I were so happy to see our little girls with smiles on their faces, having a fun Christmas.
We spent the rest of the day playing with all our new toys and gifts, assembling things and eating. My countertops were covered with food.
We all helped in making our traditional Christmas meal with the Lares family, crab ragoons, king crab legs, shrimp and platter (taco dip). We also made a pot roast and veggies. Alexa and Lillian are at the fun age of being able to help. They were right there with us at the table getting their hands dirty filling the crab ragoons. Alexa's actually turned out very good.
When we finally sat down to eat around 8pm, the food was absolutely delicious. We kept eating and eating and eating. We'd rest a minute, then eat some more. We always have a competition to see who can get the biggest crab. I think I won this year. :) I put the girls to bed while the other helps clean up the kitchen. Then Adam, Andrea, Linda and I stayed up to play a game we received as a family gift, Catchphrase. We stayed up til 2am not able to stop playing. We laughed so hard we cried. It was so fun.
Benny and Amanda left early Saturday morning to make it back for Amanda to work. Linda and Dre left that afternoon. We cleaned the house and tried to get things put away and back to normal. The girls received some gift cards to Target from my boss and his wife for Christmas, so we took them there to pick out another new toy. Alexa chose a pony and Lillian picked some food for her new kitchen. We also took advantage of the wonderful after Christmas sales on all the holiday stuff. We got a new tree and ornaments for our basement next year. Mike, Inna and Tori came over Saturday night for some drinks and a couple games of Catchphrase. We laughed hysterically and had a blast.
Sunday we cleaned some more and some more, then went over to Mike and Inna's to celebrate James' 4th Birthday. It was fun to get together with all the neighbors again. The kids sure had fun telling about what they got for Christmas.
Uncle Benski was at our house when we got home with gifts from AJ and Joey. The girls got some books and dress up clothes. After the kids were in bed we stayed up and played Catchphrase with Benski. I stayed up way too late on a work night, but it was so fun.
Overall, what a great Christmas. We love having family and friends around and we were so lucky and blessed to have them there and their travels were safe. Adam and I are so thankful for everything and that we have each other and our health. It's been a tough year for a lot of people.
We are again so blessed and fortunate!
Monday, December 28, 2009
My "What THE Heck?" Moment...
So does Pottery Barn REALLY expect people to pay $39 for THESE when you can buy burlap fabric and jute and fix up three baskets yourself for under $7!?!?!?!?
Unbelievable!!!!!!!
OH WAIT....you have to pay for the jute rope they're using seperately....wow. Just wow.
Unbelievable!!!!!!!
OH WAIT....you have to pay for the jute rope they're using seperately....wow. Just wow.
my fave*
Guys, i've never enjoyed blogging like i enjoy it this year. Suddenly, blogging has been part of my daily life and from blogging i can meet and know all of youuuu!!!!! :D From blogging, i can inspire you and get inspired by you. I do enjoy posting my piece of writings or share God's love, cool stuffs, webs, movies, my quotes, my designs, even my own life to all of you. I do really hope thousand sunny can give a positive input to your life. In the edge of 2009, i reviewed again all my posts and i've found there are several posts in thousand sunny that have been my own personal fave =) So, here are my fave top10 thousand sunny's post in 2009:How about you, guys?
Christmas stuff is almost put away...
WOW. I can't believe I've already taken down the Christmas decorations..what is wrong with me this year??? To tell you the truth, I've been longing for a clean slate...a fresh start...and that includes decluttering. I swear, if it were spring, I think I would have emptied the entire house out..but as it is, well there's snow everywhere and it's sooo cold....sigh...why can't it snow for Christmas and then STOP?
ETA: Maybe I'm just longing to put Christmas behind us this year after the atrocity that occurred in the White House this year....is Obama just TRYING to piss us all off? Really....???? I'm beyond anger at this point. I'm at the point where I just feel sick all the time and completely scared out of my whits at what will become of my child and her future in this country. If you voted for Obama, I hope you're feeling really proud right this moment (heavy sarcasm intended!) Link here.
ETA: Maybe I'm just longing to put Christmas behind us this year after the atrocity that occurred in the White House this year....is Obama just TRYING to piss us all off? Really....???? I'm beyond anger at this point. I'm at the point where I just feel sick all the time and completely scared out of my whits at what will become of my child and her future in this country. If you voted for Obama, I hope you're feeling really proud right this moment (heavy sarcasm intended!) Link here.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Cookbook Giveaway: Dollars to Donuts
Mindi over at Moms Need to Know is giving away a copy of the cookbook "Dollars to Donuts: Comfort Food and Kitchen Wisdom from Route 66's Landmark Rock Cafe". Hurry over by 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 2, 2010 to leave a comment for your chance to get your own copy.
I swear I'm drooling over some of the recipes featured in the book. You can read more about it on her site, link above, and here at amazon.
Seriously, people: Bread pudding with hot buttered rum sauce?!?! Chicken fried steak with bacon gravy!?!?!?!?!? 10 pounds just went straight to my hips. In the words of one of my new favorite bloggers, SHUT. THE. DOOR. Oh my word. This sounds like a great meat and potatoes kind of cookbook..exactly what my family likes!
I swear I'm drooling over some of the recipes featured in the book. You can read more about it on her site, link above, and here at amazon.
Seriously, people: Bread pudding with hot buttered rum sauce?!?! Chicken fried steak with bacon gravy!?!?!?!?!? 10 pounds just went straight to my hips. In the words of one of my new favorite bloggers, SHUT. THE. DOOR. Oh my word. This sounds like a great meat and potatoes kind of cookbook..exactly what my family likes!
New Portfolio Gallery Website!
After weeks of work and sleepless nights, I just finally launched my new gallery website. Thank goodness! I've been working on it every evening for weeks. Sometimes staying up until 3:30 am. I'll still be doing some tweaking but the brunt of the work is DONE!!!!! Wooo hoooo!!
Check it out here: www.ti-imagery.com
Now maybe I can get rid of the circles under my eyes. lol!
Check it out here: www.ti-imagery.com
Now maybe I can get rid of the circles under my eyes. lol!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
im not giving up tonight
I’m a knight who fight for the sake of the lightEven in the darkest one, my sight is always bright
And tonight, my flight will be full of delight
Coz i'll fly to the perfect height so I can see the twilight
God, You are my lantern
Just in You
I will never give up,
Because You've never given up
“If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” - Psalm 139:9-10
And tonight, my flight will be full of delight
Coz i'll fly to the perfect height so I can see the twilight
God, You are my lantern
Just in You
I will never give up,
Because You've never given up
“If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” - Psalm 139:9-10
What I'll Remember from Christmas 2009
1. That not having your preschooler take a nap is a disaster! And we truly are the Clark Griswold family! (Think trying for that Norman Rockwell moment and ending up with the Griswold one instead!)
2. Reagan playing dinosaurs and saying "..the dinosaurs were watching over their flock by night..."
3. Me finally admitting to Josh that the matching pj pants he was wearing were indeed WOMEN'S pj pants. I wish I'd had a camera to catch his expression. Needless to say I laughed so hard that I nearly pee'd myself, tears were running out of my eyes and I was gagging!
4. Throwing carrot and broccoli pieces out in the snow to look like reindeer had eaten them..only to realize it looked to the passersby that I was throwing chunks at their cars!
5. The oven smoking as I tried to dry the coffee stained note from Santa to Reagan!
6. Drinking Killian's and watching White Christmas with Josh after we FINALLY finished wrapping all the presents!
7. Reagan adamantly stating that baby Jesus canNOT have frosting on His cake because babies don't eat frosting.
8. Watching Reagan's face in absolute amazement as she gazed at the presents, and how she just stood there and didn't touch a single one for quite some time!
9. That Reagan and I were both equally smitten with her Kota dinosaur and we both played with it and cooed over it for HOURS!
10. That Josh apparently thinks I'm trying to give him a heart attack because most of his gifts were food related (OOPS!) but in my defense I gave him a snow blower-shovel too!!
11. That mid afternoon naps are WONDERFUL!
12. That I always go way overboard on gifts for Reagan and Josh and I need to chill because that's not what the season is about.
13. That I am absolutely teaching Reagan to play games so we have lots of fun activities on Christmas Day!
14. That missing Christmas Eve service just leaves a big hole in my heart...I really need that time to commune with God.
15. That there are STILL wonderful movies that the whole family can enjoy and watch again and again and again and again and.....oy vey.
16. And that I really love all of my family and when I'm away from part of them I feel it--so I need to make more time to focus on family!
All in all, we had a fantastic Christmas and I hope you did too!
2. Reagan playing dinosaurs and saying "..the dinosaurs were watching over their flock by night..."
3. Me finally admitting to Josh that the matching pj pants he was wearing were indeed WOMEN'S pj pants. I wish I'd had a camera to catch his expression. Needless to say I laughed so hard that I nearly pee'd myself, tears were running out of my eyes and I was gagging!
4. Throwing carrot and broccoli pieces out in the snow to look like reindeer had eaten them..only to realize it looked to the passersby that I was throwing chunks at their cars!
5. The oven smoking as I tried to dry the coffee stained note from Santa to Reagan!
6. Drinking Killian's and watching White Christmas with Josh after we FINALLY finished wrapping all the presents!
7. Reagan adamantly stating that baby Jesus canNOT have frosting on His cake because babies don't eat frosting.
8. Watching Reagan's face in absolute amazement as she gazed at the presents, and how she just stood there and didn't touch a single one for quite some time!
9. That Reagan and I were both equally smitten with her Kota dinosaur and we both played with it and cooed over it for HOURS!
10. That Josh apparently thinks I'm trying to give him a heart attack because most of his gifts were food related (OOPS!) but in my defense I gave him a snow blower-shovel too!!
11. That mid afternoon naps are WONDERFUL!
12. That I always go way overboard on gifts for Reagan and Josh and I need to chill because that's not what the season is about.
13. That I am absolutely teaching Reagan to play games so we have lots of fun activities on Christmas Day!
14. That missing Christmas Eve service just leaves a big hole in my heart...I really need that time to commune with God.
15. That there are STILL wonderful movies that the whole family can enjoy and watch again and again and again and again and.....oy vey.
16. And that I really love all of my family and when I'm away from part of them I feel it--so I need to make more time to focus on family!
All in all, we had a fantastic Christmas and I hope you did too!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Happy Birthday Jesus! Merry CHRISTmas to all!!
Luke 2:1-7
[2:1] In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. [2] (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) [3] And everyone went to his own town to register.
[4] So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. [5] He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. [6] While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, [7] and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Text from Jesuswalk.com
Merry Christmas Eve!
From our house to yours...Merry Christmas!
And here's a little laugh for you...Reagan and I were building a block pen for her dinosaurs and as I was texting a Merry Christmas to my best friend (and sister!) in the whole world, Stacy (which by the way didn't go through :( ), I heard Reagan moving around some blocks and whispering "...and the dinosaurs were watching thier flocks by night...."
And that folks, is just one of the reasons why Christmas with a little one is so special!!!
And here's a little laugh for you...Reagan and I were building a block pen for her dinosaurs and as I was texting a Merry Christmas to my best friend (and sister!) in the whole world, Stacy (which by the way didn't go through :( ), I heard Reagan moving around some blocks and whispering "...and the dinosaurs were watching thier flocks by night...."
And that folks, is just one of the reasons why Christmas with a little one is so special!!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Cover Boy!!!
Mens Non-no is one of the top leading Mens magazines and my most fave manga character, Monkey D Luffy is in there!!!! This is the first time that a manga character has been on the cover in the magazine's 24-year history (WOOWWW!!!)Shinichi "Miter" Mita was the stylist responsible for Luffy's look on Men's Non-No's cover, although Luffy did retain his trademark straw hat. The first eight pages of the magazine will be devoted to photographs of five models who resemble the characters Luffy, Nami, Robin, Zoro, and Sanji. The models donned clothes with the motifs of the sea and pirates for the magazine (Guys.....please tell me how can i get this magazineeeeeeeeeee????).
ps: Just read it in Jawa Post this noon that in 2009, Shueisha announced that they sold 176 million volumes of One Piece manga so far, making it the highest selling manga in history.
Go...go...Straw Hat Pirates!!! Go Luffy!!! :D
*TRIVIA: this blog name "Thousand Sunny" is taken from Straw Hat Pirates' ship name =)
Pajama Day!
Alexa and Lillian in their jammies for pajama day at All Stars Montessori!It's the last day of school for my kids before Christmas. They were both invited by their teachers to come in early today to celebrate and have a Christmas party. It was an all school pajama day and they'll be watching The Polar Express and having popcorn and hot chocolate. They will be doing other fun activities as well. They were both so excited to be having a party with their friends and snuggling in their pajamas. I'm a little jealous actually.
I think people are actually starting to take the winter storm that we've been hearing about seriously. Adam's family has decided to all come up this afternoon to try and beat the storm. I'm happy for that, as I was stressing a little bit about them traveling tomorrow. My brother Ben went up to my parents last night and is planning to come back down Christmas Day. We'll see about that, though. I think he may just find himself stranded in Elbow Lake. My husband is taking it a bit more serious, too, forcing his mom to come up today.
However, he was outside this morning shoveling the end of our driveway in shorts and crocs with no socks on.
*confused* I'll never understand how he can wear shorts in the winter and hooded sweatshirts in the summer??????????????????????
So, once Adam's family gets here, I say, BRING ON THE STORM!
I'm planning on coming in to work tomorrow (Christmas Eve), that is, if I can get out my front door. Over a foot of snow in some areas, they are saying. They are even comparing it to the Halloween snow storm we had in 1991 where we got over 28 inches of snow. Yikes!
I feel like I'm just rambling, but seriously, it's so slow at work today. I think the rest of the world either A. already planned to take this week off for Christmas or B. is now taking it off last minute to get to where they were supposed to go for Christmas early, to beat the snow.
Dooo Ta Dooo!!
How much you wanna bet the phone won't ring today?
Ok, so being I'm a little bored today..here are a couple cute stories about my precious baby girls.
We had Lillian's conferences a couple weeks ago, as I mentioned in a previous post. Her teacher told us that the one thing that Lillian needed to work on was using her words. She said she knows she can talk, because she hears Lillian talk to Adam when he drops her off and to me when I pick her up. But, she wouldn't ever talk to the teachers or her friends. So, Adam and I had a talk with Lillian, telling her that it was important that she used her words at school and that she could talk to Ms. Keiya and her friends. The next week her teachers were absolutely flabbergasted by the change in Lillian. They asked us what we did, because now Lillian won't STOP talking. She jibber jabbers all day, talking to Ms. Keiya and singing songs with her friends. They said it was a night and day difference. Silly Lilli! Once again, she does things how she wants and when she wants to.
Every day that I go pick her up from school I walk in the door and one of the teachers says to me, "Oh you gotta here what Lillian did/said today". Then Ms. Keiya proceeds to tell me stories of Lillian trying to change her own poopy diaper or when she says 'duck' it sounds like another four letter word and how she follows Ms. Keiya around all day and says "What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?" We all laugh and get a huge kick out of our little Lillian!
My personal favorite is when she says "tayn-tew-titer" (Thank you Sister) or "tayn-tew-elcom" (Thank You, You're Welcome).
Alexa and I have always had this little girle gesture where we say "OooOOOoooh" and then touch the tips of our pointer fingers together and then say, "Tttssss". Well the other day we made up this new one where we kiss the tip of our pointer finger and the wiggle it like we're waving to each other. Lillian was watching us do this, trying to copy our every move. Words can't describe how absolutely adorable this is, but watching her kiss her finger and try to wiggle it, is DARLING! She ends up wiggling all her fingers and then almost her whole fist. It's so darn cute. And she knows how to 'use' it against me. I'll try to be putting her to sleep and she act like she is sleeping, eyes closed and everything and then right before I'm about to get up and leave the room, she opens her eyes, kisses her finger, wiggles it at me and then shoots me the biggest grin ever. I've never felt frustration and love so strongly at the same time before. I want to spank her little butt and kiss her all over the place! Stinker! Little Stinker, I tell you!
Sunday, while Adam and I are cleaning the house like mad, Alexa and Lillian go to their closet and put dresses on. This is not an unusual occurrence at our house, by the way. Every day when Alexa gets home from school she will go to her room and put a dress on, turn her radio on to KDWB as loud as it can go and dance her little heart out until it's time to eat dinner. Anyways, so I took a break and jumped in the shower and Alexa runs in and informs me that her wedding is in 15 minutes. She is to marry Adam and Lillian is going to marry Chip. I laugh and say ok. I continued to take my time in the shower, enjoying every minute after working so hard all day. A few minutes later Alexa barges in again and asks how much longer I'll be because the wedding is about to start. I told her I didn't want to miss her wedding for the world, so I'd hurry. I peeked around the shower curtain and saw her talking into her bracelet around her wrist, "Get em ready in 5 please". She was playing wedding planner/bride. It was adorable. She was telling people to get the flowers ready and people to get in their places..ect. I giggled to myself watching her run around making wedding plans. Lillian just followed her around like a little puppy doing what she was told. Finally it was time for the wedding, everything was in place and I played the priest. They said their vows and said, I Do's and the it was time to kiss the bride. Adam picked Alexa up and planted a big kiss on her face. She was SO embarrassed. She giggled and turned red. Lillian held Chip around the neck and bent down and let him lick her face. We all laughed at each other. However, I couldn't help but think that some day my girls actually would get married. I whispered to Adam, can you imagine planning our girls weddings. He just sat down on the couch and shook his head. He had a smile on his face, though. He would give those girls the world!! We should start a 'wedding fund' alongside their 'college funds'.
Just talked to the UPS guy and he said they are saying at least 5 inches of snow tomorrow for the morning commute and it's supposed to keep accumulating all day along with the wind picking up. FUN!
NOT good...
Our playdates canceled today because four of the five children are throwing up......this does not bode well since we all were together on Monday....eeek.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Two for Tuesday
Hi there! I thought I would share two cards that I created this summer. See, I told you I had a bunch of stuff I needed to clean out of my "to be blogged" folder. :) Both of these cards were created for the Dare to get Dirty challenges over on SCS back in July.
This card covered two DTGD challenges. They were: DTGD09debdeb Moved by Music and DTGD09Toy Color My World The color part was easy, I didn’t have the exact cardstock, so I used colors that I thought were pretty close. The Moved by Music part was TOUGH! I looked at my stamps and drew a blank. I saw this cute little surfboard stamp by Savvy sitting on my shelf and the song Surfin’ Safari by the Beach Boys came into my head. I finished it off with this cute little sentiment from Anna Wight/Whipper Snapper
This card covered three DTGD challenges. They were: DTGD09BevMom Sew Unexpected, DTGD09rainy Sketch Challenge and DTGD09PickleTree Born to be Wild I pondered over this card for a couple of days, I knew I needed to combine these challenges in order to get them all completed and uploaded on time. I picked this great DP from Bo Bunny’s Abbey Road collection and added some chocolate cs from Prismatics as the base and accent pieces. I faux sewed down the sides of the center piece and added some bling. The cute little owl and the sentiment are from Hero Arts. The ribbon is from my stash.
hugs,
This card covered two DTGD challenges. They were: DTGD09debdeb Moved by Music and DTGD09Toy Color My World The color part was easy, I didn’t have the exact cardstock, so I used colors that I thought were pretty close. The Moved by Music part was TOUGH! I looked at my stamps and drew a blank. I saw this cute little surfboard stamp by Savvy sitting on my shelf and the song Surfin’ Safari by the Beach Boys came into my head. I finished it off with this cute little sentiment from Anna Wight/Whipper Snapper
This card covered three DTGD challenges. They were: DTGD09BevMom Sew Unexpected, DTGD09rainy Sketch Challenge and DTGD09PickleTree Born to be Wild I pondered over this card for a couple of days, I knew I needed to combine these challenges in order to get them all completed and uploaded on time. I picked this great DP from Bo Bunny’s Abbey Road collection and added some chocolate cs from Prismatics as the base and accent pieces. I faux sewed down the sides of the center piece and added some bling. The cute little owl and the sentiment are from Hero Arts. The ribbon is from my stash.hugs,
Godquote #4
I often consider children are annoying but i want to learn to not think like that. Moreover, i want to learn from their humble character. Jesus loves children so it's gr8 if we learn to love them too =)
Ok, so here is what I've been hearing...
1.) My mom said we are getting at least a foot of snow starting tomorrow through Saturday morning. It's going to be a terrible storm with wind and not to believe anyone who says otherwise. My aunt and uncle from Prior Lake have already decided they will not be making the trip up to Elbow for Christmas Eve and my aunt and uncle and their 5 kids won't be making the trip up there from Hutchinson either because this storm is going to be massive. My brother Ben won't be going up to spend Christmas with my family either as he lives here in the cities and the storm is going to be so bad that either he won't make it there or won't make it back for work.
2.) My co-worker, Taing, said that her son from out east that was supposed to fly in last Friday night has been delayed until at least Thursday (Christmas Eve) due to the terrible weather. There has been over 5,000 flights canceled or delayed.
3.) My co-worker, Steve, said that we could get 8 inches and some areas could get up to 12. South is supposed to get it worse and we're going to get rain and lots of wind after the snow. It's going to be terrible, but Saturday will be fine, because that's when his flight leaves for Costa Rica and there should be no problem.
4.) My boss, Tom, said that we're supposed to get up to 2 feet of snow on Christmas. No travel is recommended. The storm is identical to the one out east?
5.) My co-worker, Ron, said that it's already starting to snow and doesn't think any of his family is going to make it to his house for Christmas. It's a crisis because his wife doesn't know how much food to prepare.
6.) My husband, Adam, says everything will be fine. It's all being blown out of proportion, his family will all make it to our house Christmas Eve. I'm being over dramatic! No worries!
LORD HELP ME!!!!!
2.) My co-worker, Taing, said that her son from out east that was supposed to fly in last Friday night has been delayed until at least Thursday (Christmas Eve) due to the terrible weather. There has been over 5,000 flights canceled or delayed.
3.) My co-worker, Steve, said that we could get 8 inches and some areas could get up to 12. South is supposed to get it worse and we're going to get rain and lots of wind after the snow. It's going to be terrible, but Saturday will be fine, because that's when his flight leaves for Costa Rica and there should be no problem.
4.) My boss, Tom, said that we're supposed to get up to 2 feet of snow on Christmas. No travel is recommended. The storm is identical to the one out east?
5.) My co-worker, Ron, said that it's already starting to snow and doesn't think any of his family is going to make it to his house for Christmas. It's a crisis because his wife doesn't know how much food to prepare.
6.) My husband, Adam, says everything will be fine. It's all being blown out of proportion, his family will all make it to our house Christmas Eve. I'm being over dramatic! No worries!
LORD HELP ME!!!!!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Reflections Of Jennaa - Christmas In Black & White.
Bed: .:NsB:. NOTsoBAD. Sexbed CHABBA White. *Transferable* (Buy here)
Mannequin: *aN* Gothic mannequin_01. *Transferable* (Buy here)
Tray: +mudshake - grungy try with candles-cross-vase. *Transferable* (Buy here)
Rug: The Loft - Dahlia Texture Change Rug (5 colors). *Transferable* (Buy here)
Gift Boxes: GLITTERATI GIFT BOX! They really do make gift giving easy this Christmas. Purchase any gift set and you will get this gorgeous full perm gift box to play with. Also when you purchase a gift set, you get a gift card as a bonus. Well worth checking out, no one can ever have enough poses. (Buy here)
Snowflakes on bedframe: (iTuTu) Snowfrakes Illumination. (Buy here)
Photo Board: * nonino * Pinup-Board (Black). 5 colors available. This has to be one of my favorite items to give as a Christmas present this year. Add your own photos for a more personal touch or let them decide what they would like in their frame. The colors are amazing and it's really cheap. Go check them out as well as their fantastic other items. *Transferable* (Buy here)
Doll: !* Rebel -X- *! KOKESHI - Black Clouds - SMALL. *Transferable* (Buy here)
Ottoman: Morantique/Fifth Ave ottoman. White. *Transferable* (Buy here)
Snowflake Necklace: Swallowtail Snow Flower Necklace. *Transferable* (Buy here)
Earrings: Sway's 'Christmas Bauble' Earrings shade of silver. *Transferable* (Buy here)
Letter necklace: <> Alphabet Changer Pendant (4 Letters). This was given to me from my best friend Imani Enzo, and I love it to bits. I have put both our initials on it and I pretty much wear it everywhere now. Thanks so much Imani xoxo *Transferable* (Buy here)
Tree: norðari. and.birds. This is FREE people FREE. Lovely piece and great for photos. Really head there and check out the fantastic items. *Transferable* (Buy here)
Jennaa Wears:
Dress: [LeeZu!] Catch Lily Dress in the shade of black. (Buy here) If you are a mad fan like me of [LeeZu!] and would love to give something as a present from the store please contact Barbara Nicholls and she can organize it for you.
Boots: BAX Boots Black Leather. (Buy here) BAX offers fantastic gift cards in store so you can give someone the gift of shoes or gorgeous accessories. Come on tell me what girl doesn't love the gift of shoes.
Jennaa XoXo
Another whirlwind weekend...
My co-workers are always so generous in giving the girls gifts for Christmas. Steve, his wife Kathy and daughters Alicia, Paige and Courtney gave Lillian a little play table and Alexa a couple playdough sets and lip gloss. They were, of course, THRILLED. We made playdough ice cream treats this weekend. This will provide us with hours of fun this winter.
As I sit here at my desk at work, I wonder, where on earth did my weekend go? It feels like I was JUST here. Sigh!
All summer I would day, "Oh, when summer is over thing will slow down". And now I'm saying, "After the Holidays things will for sure slow down". I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Our Teal Christmas party went very well on Friday. The food was delicious and there was PLENTY of leftovers for us all to take home to our families. Lucky for me, too, as we had our friend Isaac over Friday night for dinner. He stayed the night and spent all day Saturday Christmas shopping.
Adam and I finished our Christmas shopping on Saturday, too. We had our neighbor, Tori, come over and watch the girls, so we could finish up what we needed to get in a hurry. It ended up taking us much longer than we had anticipated, but at least we finished. And Tori said the girls were great, so that made me happy.
We ate a quick dinner and then I took Alexa to the CVS for her to pick out something for Lillian for Christmas. She still has a hard time with the idea of giving. She wants to make sure she gets something for Lillian that she will like just as much so Lillian can 'share'. I had to remind her that Lillian got something for her, too. Anyways, after we did our shopping we went home and did a little holiday baking. My girls are such big helpers, aka spoon and bowl lickers. We had a great time and then the 3 of us snuggled together in my great big bed. Adam was at the neighbors talking about 'boy stuff', as Alexa says.
Sunday morning while eating breakfast, Adam and I made a list of all the things that we wanted/needed to get done before his family came for Christmas. There was a list of at least 20 things, that in the back of my head didn't think we'd get to half of them. But, we worked our butts off and actually accomplished everything on our list, but one thing. Alexa was able to spend some time outside playing in the snow with Maddie, while Adam shoveled the driveway and cleaned the garage. And Lillian and I cleaned the heck out of the inside of the house. I even managed to make 8 banana breads for us to deliver to our neighbors with our Christmas card. We worked steady all day. Figuring this might be our last opportunity to look at Christmas lights before Christmas, we quickly delivered the banana bread and set off to look at the lights, before the Vikings game.
You can tell we had a busy weekend when Lillian fell asleep at 6:30 and Alexa was sleeping by 7:15.
Adam watched the first half of the game while I ran to Target to pick up a few things he needed to make enchiladas and rice for my co-workers. My Christmas present to them. I got home at about 9 and sat down to rest for the first time all weekend. Uuuuggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! Eventually I got up to help Adam finish up the cooking and then slept on the couch while he played video games.
4 more days until Christmas!! :)
As I sit here at my desk at work, I wonder, where on earth did my weekend go? It feels like I was JUST here. Sigh!
All summer I would day, "Oh, when summer is over thing will slow down". And now I'm saying, "After the Holidays things will for sure slow down". I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Our Teal Christmas party went very well on Friday. The food was delicious and there was PLENTY of leftovers for us all to take home to our families. Lucky for me, too, as we had our friend Isaac over Friday night for dinner. He stayed the night and spent all day Saturday Christmas shopping.
Adam and I finished our Christmas shopping on Saturday, too. We had our neighbor, Tori, come over and watch the girls, so we could finish up what we needed to get in a hurry. It ended up taking us much longer than we had anticipated, but at least we finished. And Tori said the girls were great, so that made me happy.
We ate a quick dinner and then I took Alexa to the CVS for her to pick out something for Lillian for Christmas. She still has a hard time with the idea of giving. She wants to make sure she gets something for Lillian that she will like just as much so Lillian can 'share'. I had to remind her that Lillian got something for her, too. Anyways, after we did our shopping we went home and did a little holiday baking. My girls are such big helpers, aka spoon and bowl lickers. We had a great time and then the 3 of us snuggled together in my great big bed. Adam was at the neighbors talking about 'boy stuff', as Alexa says.
Sunday morning while eating breakfast, Adam and I made a list of all the things that we wanted/needed to get done before his family came for Christmas. There was a list of at least 20 things, that in the back of my head didn't think we'd get to half of them. But, we worked our butts off and actually accomplished everything on our list, but one thing. Alexa was able to spend some time outside playing in the snow with Maddie, while Adam shoveled the driveway and cleaned the garage. And Lillian and I cleaned the heck out of the inside of the house. I even managed to make 8 banana breads for us to deliver to our neighbors with our Christmas card. We worked steady all day. Figuring this might be our last opportunity to look at Christmas lights before Christmas, we quickly delivered the banana bread and set off to look at the lights, before the Vikings game.
You can tell we had a busy weekend when Lillian fell asleep at 6:30 and Alexa was sleeping by 7:15.
Adam watched the first half of the game while I ran to Target to pick up a few things he needed to make enchiladas and rice for my co-workers. My Christmas present to them. I got home at about 9 and sat down to rest for the first time all weekend. Uuuuggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! Eventually I got up to help Adam finish up the cooking and then slept on the couch while he played video games.
4 more days until Christmas!! :)
Special Delivery
Good Monday morning! I have been hecka busy getting ready for Christmas, how about you? I have several cards in my "to be blogged" folder that I haven't shared with you yet so this week I will have several little posts for you as I clean out my folder and make room for new cards. I'm not going to go into construction detail, but I will list the recipe below. I have been working on some Valentine class projects.............can you belive that? Stamping for Valentines already? I have my family coming for Christmas Eve and then we go to David's parents house for Christmas Day. I would love to hear what will you be doing to celebrate the holiday?Card deets:
Stamps: Special Delivery (Gina K. Designs)
Paper: PL Vibrant Violet, PL Black (GKD), Gold Shimmer (Cat's Meow)
Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Memento Lulu Lavender, TopBoss
Extras: Buttons (GKD), Snowflake CB EF, Ribbon, Gold Spica Glitter pen, Gold EP
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Rajasthan,India Tour and Travel .My Dream Came True
Dear Friends,
Today is a very Special Day for me.It is because my long Awaited New Travel Website Unseen Rajasthan is on Air.
It Took more than 5 months to complete it .I have been able to make it up because of your appreciations and love that you have given to my through your Comments and Mails.I am grateful to everyone who has made me strong walking this way.I Would request you all to please have a look at my new Website and give your sweet comments about it.I Would Be more than Happy to see you on my Website.
In this website i have mention about the different places ,Forts,Palaces,Fairs,Festivals,Traditions,Culture,Religion,Yoga,Ayurveda,Hidden Destinations,village life and much more about Rajasthan.Hope you will love my website as the way you loved my Blog.
Also i will be traveling to more and more hidden destinations to share with you all.
Any Queries or Suggestions are highly appreciated by us.
As on the Launching People who are planning For Trip to India can get discounts upto 45 %.
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