**a very merry**

CHRISTMAS TO YOU!!














Bless you and your family.

peace.

**love this song**

and could she be any cuter??




saw this on lindsay teague moreno's blog and had to share.


peace.

**love it!!**

**poor thing**

**now that's what i'm talkin' about**

woot! woot!










































meanwhile... in the kitchen i have been really busy preparing sweets for my goodie boxes that the kids and i are going to give as gifts.

























































i have since made chocolate crinkles, molasses snaps, peanut butter balls, and no-bake cookies. today i am going to tackle scotchies and a cake balls. i found the cutest christmas decorated chinese to-go boxes to put the goodies in. yum!


bailey was supposed to have her christmas choir concert on wednesday and thursday but it got postponed until january due to the weather. kind of a bummer since it is special because after at least 5 years of choir it is her last one. i am really anxious to see it. i definately have to get there early to get good seats so i can get good pictures. i always have to take pictures of all three of the girls so i have to have good angles. now that i know what settings on my camera to use for the crappy lighting in the gym i don't have to worry about that. =)

cj had his first wrestling meet last week in salem at McKay high school. there was one scheduled this week at McNary high school in salem but it was cancelled because of the weather. those meets are crazy! there are at least 8 schools there, 3 huge mats, and 2 matches going on each mat. the kids didn't stick to one mat either. they would go to whatever mat was open when their weight class was up. talk about chaos! i got a few good pictures of his matches.





































i got the cutest dept. 56 xmas cats while i was in california visiting danea. we were at Lisa'a Tea Room and in the waiting area there is the neatest gift shop. i have only seen dept. 56 items online so i was thrilled to see them in person. these cats just screamed to come home with me and be displayed next to the funky arrangement that i made. what'cha think? aren't they the cutest?






























danea also took me to an AMAZING christmas store. i have never seen so many xmas ornaments in one place. there were some high-end artificial trees there that i couldn't believe weren't real. each tree was done in a theme or a color combination. i purchased funky ornaments from the circus-themed tree. i shipped them home and next year i will get a small tree to put on my kitchen bistro-style table and use just those ornaments. i love them! this year i have THIS on that table:













i have to hand it to the nursery. they can grow some phenomenal poinsettias. this baby is huge. my mom got ones like this that are white, pink, and marbled. i was too late and got red only. but boy is it pretty.


.......and it's still snowing.


peace.

**bummer**

my kids (and me to tell the truth) are totally bummed that we didn't wake up to a view of nothing but white. but no, we got rain. usual oregon, no wait...JUST ALBANY, rain. WTF?? i guess our "snowed-in" was short lived.

keep your fingers crossed we will still get that winter storm that has been predicted for the last 4 days. a sea of white is what i'm lookin' for.


peace.

**so true, so scary**

peace.

**i was tagged**

it's nice to know you Carol. i just adore your daughter Jamie. anne and jamie are the best....and they make a beautiful couple.






I was tagged by CAROL at http://carolskitchentabletalk.blogspot.com/
Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

1. i have to check on-line sites in order in the morning. msnbc, my email, my bank, my blog, pioneer woman's blog, and then the blogs on my blog-list.
2. for at least the past 5 years i have done at least 90% of my shopping on-line. i hate going to stores to shop. if i could shop for groceries on-line i would.
3. my house is almost always picked up and clean. but my office/scraproom is a nightmare. the area around my computer is terrible and i am amazed that i can sit here and be comfortable.
4. i hate to drive.
5. i always have to have noise in the background. a radio or the tv, even if i am in the other room or not watching it. i sleep with the tv on, too.
6. i find it hard to throw magazines out. i have piles of them in my office. i love to look at them but rarely read all the articles. i am a "picture-reader".

i seriously don't have anyone to tag that will do it or that hasn't been tagged a million times over. i hate to list them if it isn't going to go anywhere. i will give it a shot but don't expect much. lol

http://zeedoda.blogspot.com/

http://splendidmissm.blogspot.com/

http://creativekate.typepad.com/my_weblog/

that's all i got.

peace.

**everything except the tree**

i finally finished decorating the house for xmas. except the tree. i am leaving for california at noon today and i don't trust that it will get watered while i am away so we are waiting until i get back. here's what i have so far.













i got the trees and the frames from Pottery Barn 5 years ago and i guard them with my life. i have a large 3-wick round white candle that goes with the set as well. these are in the same room as the tree.




















these pillar candles are part of the set and are on the dining room table that is attached to the living room where the tree will be. the lights on the tree really pick up the crystals on these and make them really pretty.













same room

these next pictures are all from my family room























































this one is my favorite decoration of all this year. it just makes me happy. the colors and the whimsy...plus, i made it. little 'ole me. had a vision and there it is.






















i am off to finish packing (i know, last minute). i am so excited to spend a week with Captain Cripple!! (please don't send hate mail or shoot daggers from your eyes. she named herself that after an incident in the airport. we still laugh about it. matter of fact she made a layout of it and i had it hanging in the shop. i think i was Deputy Dumb-Down or something. we have a twisted sense of humor when we are together.)

















and these two....i am going to miss like crazy!

**absolutely**

Main Entry: bless·ed
Pronunciation: \'ble-sed\
Function: adjective
1 a: held in reverence b: honored in worship
2: of or enjoying happiness ; specifically : enjoying the bliss of heaven —used as a title for a beatified person
3: bringing pleasure, contentment, or good fortune
4—used as an intensive
— bless·ed·ly adverb
— bless·ed·ness noun

....to have 2 amazing best friends. my best friend who lives in california, Danea (i keep trying to get her to move here) and my best friend who lives right here with me, Anne. it's a great feeling to know i have such great hands to hold.


















peace.

**happy thanksgiving**

this year i am so very, very thankful for my kids, my family, my health, and my friends.

have a wonderful day!

peace.

**one reason why**

this website is on "my favorites" list

dog needs a good home

she totally cracks me up.


peace.

**becky, dear**

it's on!!

peace.

**ahem, becky**

all MAN baby!!

'nuf said.

peace

**yes, he can still hear**

well thank goodness that's over! cj has been waiting to go to the devil wears prada concert. his friend austin, austin's mom susan, cj, and me went to portland yesterday for the concert.

we had dinner at the cheescake factory. what a cool place. we all brought home a piece of cheescake (i brought a piece home for bailey, too). susan and i then took the boys to the roseland theater downtown and dropped them off for this:



i don't know how cj listens to this. he loves it and had a great time. even austin, who listens to rap, had fun. austin just went as a buddy with cj. what a guy!

cj and his dad are headed to seattle on december first for the metallica concert. they are going up via train and spending the night. they are going to have a great time. 2 concerts in 2 months...he is in heaven.

bailey, becky, and kelsie just went to a concert as well. it wasn't nearly as scary. =)


well, i am off to california to see my best friend, danea on december 3rd. her lovely husband cashed in their frequent flyer miles and got a ticket for me. i am sure i will have a few meals to cook, some dishes to do, and i know danea wants me to help her clean her scraproom (again!!). it's so worth it to get to spend time with them. i bet they will want a batch of these as well:

Ingredients

18 1/2 ounces yellow cake mix
3 1/2 ounces instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zest of
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. (The batter will be thick). Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. (I found a small cookie scoop the perfect thing for making them a uniform size).
3. Bake for 12 minutes. (I baked 4 dozen at one time, so it took a little longer--be sure to reverse places in oven for even baking if you cook this many. Also, they come out of the tin better if you cook a little past the golden brown stage so the cake is more firm). Turn out onto a tea towel.
4. Make the glaze while the cakes are baking. Sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.
5. With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips.
6. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

well, that's all i have for now.

peace.

**sweetnees and sleepyheads**

look what i found! i absolutely love this kitchen!!

sweetness


why is it so hard to wake my son up in the morning? i stand at the foot of his bed and talk nicely..."cj, it's time to get up", "cj, you need to get in the shower" , "cj, you are going to be late". if i start to get pissy or get a "tone" to my voice he wigs and we start off the day in such a pleasant manner. i swear it takes me about 15 minutes to finally get that kid in the shower.

i use to wake bailey up as well but she was easy to get up. open the door, turn on the light, "bailey, it's time to get up", and that was it. i then got her an alarm clock because sometimes mom (that's me...bad mom) might over sleep a little (no, not mom) and then she would be late.

but cj? nope. i have to throw the dogs on him to irritate him, turn his light on, flick his toes, and push on the bed with my knees to move the mattress around to bug him. drives me nuts. if he would just get up when i go in there i could let him sleep for an additional 15 minutes.

here's to hoping it will be better next year when he drives and doesn't have to worry about missing the bus.....

**welcome**

Welcome to our Country, Mr. President.

**my wish**

“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.”

peace.

**len and susan suck**

i am sorry len, but you need to get with the times. try to accept something new. this was amazing!



could susan be anymore akward??



and again, len ruins the day. i thought cody did a great job!



i can't believe i watch this show. when it first came out i cracking up. i thought it was so stupid and that it wouldn't last. look at me now, posting youTube videos venting about len! LOL


oh, and dear sweet anne i went and searched out a few more songs from Missy Higgins since i liked the one you posted. i really like this one.



i get my hair cut on wednesday. i think i am going to tweak it a little around the face. one of these days i will get it right. staci is probably sick of me. i love getting my hair done. it always feels so good.

here are a few more of my favorite pics of my "kids". i love them all

(especially mine).

my girls

cj and his best buddy austin

cj and his other best buddy andy

ok crafters, i am going to take the bull by the horns and try to get this craft day scheduled. if we can do a weekday how about FRIDAY, NOV. 14th?? if not how about SATURDAY, NOV. 15th?? same deal the following week FRIDAY, NOV. 21st or SATURDAY, NOV. 22nd. thanksgiving isn't until the 27th so we are o.k. there.


peace.

**flu blogging**

i got a flu shot. i now have the body aches and a slight fever. yay me. so, i have been doing some mindless blog-hopping. i found a few things i thought i would share.

this one goes out to kambria. when i laid eyes on it i was reminded of the picture of the room you posted a couple days ago. they don't necessarily go together in the same home (they would for me) but i love it. it doesn't quite have enough space for me but a kitchen that had that feel would rock.

i found this lovely kitchen on a blog i came across called Door Sixteen. i think i will bookmark this one and keep checking back to see how i like it.

and for my lovely, sweet anne...a chandelier

and a beautiful blue owl
blue owl

coming from a family of farmers i find these beautiful as well as a sweet memory from my childhood.




peace.

**didn't get it all done**

Happy Belated Halloween!

peace.

**sometimes it's too surreal**

i'm now the mom of a son with a permit who is relentless about taking him driving.
i'm now the mom who is having to order the cap, gown, and graduation announcments.
i'm now the mom who regulary talks to her daughter about college.
i'm now the mom relinquishing more & more control of my kids' lives to them.
i'm the mom who loves her kids more than ever.


last saturday the kids and i went to a friends' halloween party. anne came over and did my hair and make-up. she took some pictures for us before we left. she tried to get me to make some 'in character' faces for the camera but i think i just look like a dork.

i like the picture she took of me and my girl.


i thought the girls' costumes were great. now, i will admit that i didn't know who becky was supposed to be. she was 'miss scarlet in the library with a candlestick' from the game Clue. it's obvious that i have never played that game.


a picture of me and my sweet friend anne.



bailey and her friends are headed to a corn maze in salem and cj is going to the west game so guess who gets to play with the lil' trick-or-treaters?? me!! yay!



peace.