I've never really been into the late night shows, ya know the David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien ones... but I came across something that Conan said on his last tonight show and couldn't help but feel inspired and even a little choked up! It's so true...

After finding this image of his quote by old sweet song on my happy little life  I had to share it too!

I also loved it... since the very vintage-retro border is the exact colors and look I'm metamorphosing my kitchen/family/dining area into! Very gritty indeed...

the dish rag and all...

Ok. So I'm over the XANADU high. Now I've got something new that's making the dull, cold, winter-y days so much more enjoyable... and that is ScentSationals from Walmart!!! I hear they have them at Hobby Lobby too. They are just like the Scentsy bars, not all the same flavors... but still some really yummy ones and they're under $3.00!!! Gotta Love that~ The one that I almost can't get enough of right now is called "Lemon Chiffon" - Oh my goodness... it'll make ya wanna bake a lemon cake and eat it right up! Plus it just smells spring-n-summer-y and that makes everything all better.~ Some of my other favorites are:

Right now-

• guava berry
• jelly beans
• crispy apples
• and I wanna try cupcake, it sounds like it would smell scrumptiously delicious!

Fall/Holidays-

• oatmeal cookie
• cranberry clove
• fall harvest
• fresh-cut pine

Anyhoo- you really must get some. It will make you feel like you're little again and playing with your Strawberry Shortcake Dolls or like I said before.. it'll make ya feel like you wanna bake a lemon cake and eat it all up! Either way... I'd say that's a good way to get through the l-o-n-g winter months. Oh, and if anyone has tried and likes any other flavors, do share... I love me lots of yummy smells!!!

Due to my complete style change and overhaul that's slowly beginning to take effect in my kitchen/family/dining area... I need to order this to replace this.

Oh and another thing that makes a gray day a little more peachy is a Rt. 44 Peach Sprite from Sonic! Go at happy hour and you'll leave feelin' even peachier...

I've been having fun crocheting all sorts of yummy yarn goodies too... this has also helped the month of January go by in such a smoother fashion. Outa' sight... Outa mind... It's been busy, so-busy... that I STILL have what looks like a bare, sawed off Christmas tree waiting for me to pack him away in the box for next year. I say sawed off because I've really been trying to attempt getting all those last lingering things put away and over a week ago, maybe even two I took off the top portion of the Christmas tree, but the rest still remains. Oh bother. It's at the top of my list of things to do tomorrow. Afterall, I'm having a friend and her family over for FHE and the last thing she wants to have staring her in the face when the front door swings open is a naked, sawed off Christmas tree that should've been packed away weeks ago. My bad.

Speaking of FHE... I've been meaning to write about this since the beginning of the month and just haven't had time, or haven't wanted to make the time after everything else was said and done each day.. but here I am, Sunday 12:23 a.m. or Monday I guess and I'm suddenly in the mood and and making time. That's because I cuddled up on my bed earlier this evening and had a very nice nap and therefore I'm not at all tired.

So, I was divinely guided to stumble upon a book during my holiday shopping that has completely changed our family-home-evenings! I'd even call it an answer to my prayers. It's amazing... I love it...  and I'm so glad I found it... It's exactly what I've been wanting to zero in and focus on more as a family and for each of us individually. We've always been pretty consistent in having family-home-evening, but whether it consisted of a spiritually uplifting lesson each time was hit and miss sometimes. The book is called Teaching Christlike Virtues in the Home. You can order it at  Deseret Book.

It has an exact amount of Christlike virtues to be studied as there are weeks in the year, so we have all of our FHE's already planned out and ready to go for the entire year. That right there gives me much peace. The layout of each lesson is short and to the point and very simple for even younger children to understand. It gives you the definition of the virtue to read, a hymn to sing that goes along with that virtue, a few scriptures to read, and a short story from the scriptures that talks about that virtue. Another one of my favorite parts of the whole thing is that at the end of each lesson it gives you a journal prompt to spur some ideas of what you could write about in regards to the virtue you just studied.  I was so excited about this part. We started out using this book for our FHE's on the first Monday in January and I bought journals for each of us to go along with it. We have written in our journals as a family at the end of each lesson and it's been such a good experience. The kids have really enjoyed having family-home-evening more than ever before and it's targeting the issues that I've been wanting us to be more aware of as a family and individually at the same time. I highly recommend it to anyone!

At the end of our first FHE that we used this book, with it being the new year... we each included "one word" in our journal entry that we want to live by this year, then we went outside and danced around with sparklers to ring in the new year, our excitement for a full-year of Christlike centered FHE's, regular journal writing, and in celebration for the "one-word" we declared we'd live by with all our might, mind and strength!

Xanadu Flashback!!!

Don't know why... 

but I'm having a total XANADU flashback today! 

I even wanna put on some roller skates, a flowing dress with legwarmers and ribbons to blow with the wind through my hair as I skate and sing at the top of my lungs like theirs no tomorrow! It'd all play out so much better too if it were a hot, summer-y day out... but this cold, winter-y day doesn't hold a chance of keeping me from dancin' and singin' to all the Xanadu songs around the house! 

You should try it.. I guarantee it will bring a hop to your step with twirls and spins galore, you may even feel like a Solid Gold Dancer.. bursts of song like your on Broadway.. a silly-youthful feeling... and you might just find yourself whistlin' too!!! 

{I totally looked forward to this show coming on every Saturday night! I remember, I used to try and swing my head around-and-around-and-around-and-around.. like the black chick with the way long ponytail!!! Hahaha} Speaking of good TV shows back in the day, anyone remember American Bandstand hosted by Dick Clark??? That was a great show too, we used to crank the T.V. up and do our chores to that with a little dancing in between! 

Can't beat that on a gray January Day!

*Turn up the volume.. I've got a five song line-up at the top of my playlist! All you need to do is let loose and party like it's 1980 again!!!  If you just don't get the whole XANADU thing and you're havin' a hard time feelin' it... bare with me 'til I'm over it!

Drumroll Please.... buurrrrrrrrrr-----

It's only taken us almost three weeks... but we have F-I-N-A-L-L-Y given the other puppy a permanent name! Poor thing.. its probably been suffering from a major identity crisis. She started out as "Sissy" though soon after we {all but Marcus} decided that was not the right name for her. Then it went to "Sis" or "Little Sis"okay, but still wasn't the one. Then we tried Cider and Oaklie which Marcus totally disagreed with. Then a cute reader of mine suggested "Emma" which although we liked the sound of it with the other puppies name "Grace," we decided it probably wasn't a great idea since the next door neighbors little girls name is Emma and happens to be one of my son's best friends. Then I called my sister and she suggested Opal, Pearl or Barley. Didn't like Opal at all.. Barley sounded too much like a boy name to me so we tried Pearl for a few days but it didn't roll off the tongue very easily and still just didn't seem right. 

I've always liked the idea of funny, old-fashioned names since the very beginning.. before Santa even delivered them to us. The first names that came to my mind were "Lavern & Shirley!" I thought that would've been hilarious, but I knew my kids would have no clue what the relation was. The next name I thought of was "Mable" and all-this-time we've been trying to think of something different when in the end... Mable won the vote!

 

-Mable-

We've loved playing with and getting to know the personalities of our little.. or big puppies I should say, I think they've almost tripled in size over the last three weeks. They've already had baths three times too... One thing that makes us laugh just as hard every time we see it, is this...

Grace sprawls out spread eagle on her back when she sleeps, she almost looks more like a human laying there asleep than a puppy!

We like to call them:

Gracie-Loo

&

Little-Mable

It's a pretty good indication that you've blogged enough for one day, when...

...that's pretty much all you've been doing since you sent the kids off to school, to get caught up, ya know... and yet you're startin' to feel like a smelly plumber! Eeeewwww, I know. -

Not a good thing!

I mean, I'm caught up.. {almost} Yes -- a good thing;

but smellin' like a stinky plumber.. not so much!

..and I didn't say

stinky plumber's crack 

-- mind you.

I haven't graduated to that level on the reek-o-meter yet

although I am thinkin' it's probably not a bad idea to 

sign out of the blog world & take a shower before 

I reach that point! 

Hate to leave you with such vivid-stinky thoughts,

but I'm just keepin' it real people.-- 

***Oh, I almost forgot.. did anyone happen to DVR the first episode of The Bachelor last night that would be okay with me inviting myself over to catch up???

New Years Eve Bash!!! {you'll wanna bookmark this one for a guaranteed laugh on a bad day!}

Ya gotta love it! The fact that we know how to party like animals, minus the alcohol! 

{I cannot look at these without bustin' a gut...}

My family and some friends came over for a New Years Eve Bash never-to-be-forgotten this year. We ate a yummy salmon & bbq Italian sausage dinner + key lime pie and warm apple crumble with vanilla ice cream for dessert, we played games, told jokes, drew silly picture on the chalkboard and laughed the night away! Oh and we watched a movie too! Come midnight we paused the movie to kiss our loved one's and do cheers to a happy new year with our sparkling apple cider! ..and my Mom sang whatever that famous New Years Eve song is at the top of her lungs in front of our friends that she'd only just met! Our friend Jake joined in too, so I guess you could say we rung in the new year with more laughs and happy moments than ever before!

Tanner & Teancum {our friends little boy} went outside to visit the puppies while Andres was grilling the Italian Sausages. *Check out how Teancum's shirt says "I'm the top dog!" He's so cute.

The three older kids were going to spend the evening with us but they got invited by the neighbors to go to the Classic Skating's New Year's Eve Party, where they'd be able to skate, ride scooters, have all-you-can-eat pizza and drinks all night long and enjoy a balloon drop at the strike of twelve.. and I figured they'd enjoy that more since my family doesn't have cousins near their age. I took this photo of Sydnee right before she left!

My brother drew this one.. he said it's me yelling "H-a-p-p-y N-e-w Y-e-a-r!!!" I know he's such a nice brother... ha ha ha Like the hairy wart on my nose?

Our friends Jake & Malynn

 Bein' silly with my Mom again...

not a hard thing to do...

Hope you had a good one too!

My LittLe TaG AloNg-- AND --"One-Little-Word"

This little guy is my tag-along! He's growing up though and our tag-along days are numbered. Next year he's off to Kindergarten five short days a week, instead of three and the next year he's officially a big boy, off to 1st grade five whole days a week! It makes me wanna cry just thinkin' about it... 

I must treasure these numbered days we have together, make the best of 'em! This, and the growing up of the rest of my little kidlets ever so quickly brings me to my "one little word" that represents the way I want to live my life this new year, the year twenty-ten.. and that word is:

-treas⋅ure-

-verb (used with an object)

1. to retain carefully or keep in store, as in the mind.

2. to regard or treat as precious; cherish.

  Treasure is what I'll strive to do each day this year.. there's always something to treasure, even on the worst of days. Blessings that could never be replaced by any material thing, the blessings of children laughing and gift of being a mother.. a faithful & hardworking husband to grow old with.. good parents to cherish and learn from.. strong health.. a feeling of happiness & safety in your home.. respect and love for one another.. service.. friendships young & old.. a testimony of the gospel and the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. 

 If you stop and look around, there's always something to treat as precious & cherish; to retain carefully or keep in store, as in the mind.-

What's your 

"one little word" 

of  inspiration 

for 2010? 

{stay tuned for some the dang funniest New Years Eve photos you've ever laid eyes on...} 

December's come & gone...

December seemed to zoom by this year, or so it does every year now that I'm a Mom with five kids. I wish I could just slow it down somehow. I did get pretty much all of my shopping done a lot earlier than normal for me.. {thanks to the nudging of a dear friend who always completes hers usually before Thanksgiving}. Even know time was flying by... I do have to say that because of this I was able to enjoy it a lot more and definitely stress-free, thanks Cher!


We did all of the traditional things throughout the month, but I didn't take as many photos because of the issue with my camera so I'll just list a few.

• Christmas Parties
• watched the snow fall while drinking hot cocoa
• read from our collection of Christmas books
• Secret Santa for siblings
• celebrated Andres' birthday
  
• made goodies for neighbors & bundled up to deliver them
• Christmas sleepover at Gma & Gpa's on the first night of Christmas Vacation 
• visited Temple Square with the kids on our actual Anniversary
• decorated gingerbread houses (nothing like my sister's though) 

It's tradition to spend Christmas Eve with Andres' side of the family each year, and this year I think may have been the best year yet! There was a great spirit and feeling of Christmas there as we enjoyed a delicious meal, the kids acted out the nativity, we played a fun gift exchange game & the kids each decorated a plate of sugar cookies to take home & leave out for Santa!

Cousin Hallie played Mary

Marcus played Joseph

Tanner played an Inn Keeper

Sydnee played an Angel

Chandler was the Narrator

 {Thanks to Elisa for doing such a great job at planning & organizing the Nativity}

Tanner didn't waste anytime with decorating cookies.. he was the first to finish and taste!

Fun plates of cookies all decorated and ready for Santa on Christmas Eve! Poor Santa probably had to take a bottle of Mylanta & a bottomless cookie jar along on the trip.

-Christmas Day-

The kids kept trying to wake us up and we kept telling them to wait just a little bit longer... Finally we decided to stop the cruelty and grant them their begging wish, the anticipation had risen so high they could hardly wait and that's when the fun began... it was a good Christmas day.~ 

The kids were happy with what Santa brought them and played and played the whole day through.. Grandma & Grandpa {my parents} came in the afternoon to spend the remainder of the day with us being merry and eating good food!  

Couldn't ask for much more than that.. except that I wish my sister lived close(r). Maybe when we're old and gray haired, wait.. I already am gray haired! *bummer* Well... maybe someday!