Pictures

You know,

I really thought that I had done a phenomenal job of taking pictures over the holiday season.  I thought that I had been toting my camera around with me almost the whole time.  After all, I did get pictures of the tree and stuff - but still, that was done before the break.  Now that I have looked over the disk, I have found that I have not taken near as many pictures as I thought that I had before... :(  Sad.

So, I am sorry - I don't have pictures to post here because I didn't take any.  Guess I will have to do better next year.  You know, it's only a day away!

Can you believe that Christmas is going to be here in just 3 more days?  (A little less for those of you who are getting up before me - hahahaaa!)  Anyway, I just wanted to share this little gift that I made for Kennedy .  She needs a new swimsuit, but I can't take her to try one on before Christmas otherwise she will know what she's getting!  (And I can't have that) So, I made this little certificate for her...

Pretty nifty, huh... :)

I miss the days of "Warm" already... and though it's not quite Christmas (7 more days for those of you that have lost count) I am ready for Spring to come back already.  Last night Rick and I stayed up and wrapped presents - it's an advantage when we don't have kids with us nightly.  Just about everything is done - just about.  There are a few loose knots that need to be tied up, but otherwise, we are ready to go. So, as I am sitting downstairs amidst all of the mismatched pieces of cut up paper, I realized, it's COLD.  I can't wait for spring to return!!  So, from me to all of you snow bunnies out there - I am officially on STRIKE!  I gladly take up my picket sign and chant "No more snow!  No more snow!"

LOVE YA!

The Butcher, The Baker, the Candlestick Maker...

You have all seen the pictures that I have of Darrell in the kitchen.  This boy just loves to cook.  I don't know what it is - but he has a thing with being hands on in the kitchen.  I am totally alright with that as long as it is a recipe that I am willing to do with him.  He has this cookbook and personally, none of the recipes are worthy - so, I spend time finding ones that are.  And he spends time helping me make things.  This season it has been cookies.

He helped to soften the dough, roll it out, cut out the shapes, and even place them on the cookie sheet.

We have yet to decorate the delicious cookies - And I have a LOT of cookies that need decorating... What to do! What to do!!

More on Natalie and Saturday Fun...

NATALIE COLE - was incredible.  My personal assessment, the gal can sing. HahaHaha.  No, really, she can.  Something about winning a few Grammy's - I guess she can.  The performance was not up to Sissel or The King Singers, but I liked it a lot better than Brian Stokes Mitchell.  She has a very smooth voice -

Now, there was a slight mishap with the tree.  They dancers and choir did a song, and as the tree was coming up from the floor it must have gotten snagged on something, because there was much shaking and I am certain that everyone in our section Gasp as loud as they could.  I don't think that they will pull a fully decorated tree from the floor again any time soon. Tee hee...

Now, onto the Party!

YAY FOR GINGERBREAD HOUSES MADE OUT OF GRAHAM CRACKERS!!  This weekend we had a "Cousin Party" hosted by Auntie Aislinn.  The cousins got together to make Gingerbread Houses and Play Musical Chairs and Open presents from each other, white elephant style.

Making a Gingerbread house takes precision and a steady hand!  It also takes a strong will to not eat the special gingerbread-house making ingredients... ooooh, but they look so tasty and delicious!!

THERE ARE TOO MANY PICTURES!! Just wanted to point that out.  Anywho - Aislinn has completed pictures of the gingerbread houses.  Perhaps I can get some of them from her to put up here- or maybe she will post them herself... HINT HINT...

Tonight...Is... THE NIGHT

MOTAB!  

And- 

NATALIE COLE

I know that you are all VERY Excited - just as I am.  After all - this is the Annual Christmas Concert that you have to be in a raffle to get tickets to. Tonight, I get to go with the sweetheart and the sister and her husband.  Tomorrow night my mom and D are going with the gals.  I can't wait to see how this one turns out.  I really like Natalie Cole.  Ooooh the anticipation!!!

Girls Night Note

So, last Friday night - I know, I know, I am way behind. I just happened to find this note and though "ooh yeah, I was GOING to post that." - ANYWAY, last Friday night was "girls night" at Heidi's house. Oh yeah, she rocks. So, it was me, my sis, Heidi, Nikkie, and Lili (I think that's how you spell her name...)

Anywho... we played this game. One person starts a note, and folds it, and the next person adds on, and folds it - so you can only read what the last person wrote, and you have to add on to it. Some that we came up with were really funny. Either way, I just wanted to share one of them:

What if one day you woke up and found out that you were the President of the United States?

I would Buy A Dog

I would Buy A Cat

And Then I'd Have to teach it how to "Fish" because my dad needs a fishing buddy.

And Fishing buddies are forever friends! :)

The End.

Tee hee hee

Good Golly Gallivan!

So, I work downtown by the Gallivan Center. Now that it is winter, they have their lights up, and every morning when I drive in to work, I get to see the lights. Sometimes, I work late enough at night that I get to see them when I am leaving as well. Though I didn't capture the precise way that I truly see the Gallivan Center, I wanted to share a few pictures with you anyway.

The Gallivan Center is an outdoor amphitheater area. It also has an ice rink, a HUGE outdoor chess board, a sun dial, and is home to quite a few pieces of unique art. I walk through the Gallivan center at least once a week and it's become a downtown haven when I need to get out of the office building and take a quick walk.

Now, I know this is going to surprise the heck out of you all, but - I don't do well on Ice Skates. (GASP!) No, really, it's true. I never have. So, I can't guarantee that I will ever skate at the lovely blue pool of ice in the center of, well, the center. But - it's still nice to look at.

Dipping Chocolate

This past Saturday, my lovely sister taught me how to Dip - pi - dee - dooo things in chocolate. You see... delicious, wonderful, melty bowl of happiness above? Yeah... it's all that and more. More like... PERSONAL HEAVEN. :)This is before the melty gooiness can get all over the place. The dropping of the Mallows... quite a fun experience. It's lots more fun trying to get them out... slippery little devils.

One of the lovely finished products - I figured that I would sprinkle a little pepper-minty happiness on the tops of my mallows of chocolate bliss.

AND ALAS! An entire cookie sheet of chocolaty melted bliss! And I did them all myself- with a little help from the eldest... Aren't they the most lovely goodies you have laid your eyes on? Ok, fine, that could be taking it a little bit too far. After all, I have seen better. But for my first attempt, they turned out pretty well. And they weren't very hard to do. I am grateful that Ais showed me how so I can dippity doo the chocolates each Christmas season now. (Hey, that rhymes...)

Lovely Snow Flakes

So, have you ever wondered what the lovely white snowflakes that are falling from the sky look like up close? You know - no two snowflakes are the same:

http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2009/12/the-unbelievable-world-of-snowflakes.php?page=1

Just wanted to share some of their Beauty... :)

ALAS! The Festival Of Trees!!

So, Last night Rick and I went on a... d-a-t-e... tee hee. We don't do that very often, and I have never been to the Festival of Trees, so - off we went. For those of you that are thinking of going, it's busy - and there are LOTS of people - and no one has break lights on their butts, so be careful because people stop abruptly to view... BUT, it was only 4$ per adult, and that is quite reasonable for dating standards. *and remember, all proceeds go to our wonderful Primary Children's Hospital... what a treat!*

BEHOLD! The ROW of TREES!

Actually, I took this picture on the way out, but I just love how it turned out - so there ya go. Trees upon trees upon trees... and more trees. Pretty excellent if you ask me.

This was the picture I took about halfway through the tree looking process. LOOK at all the people. And for those of you that have been scrapbooking with us before - this wasn't just that one section of the Expo center - it was the WHOLE expo center. All three areas were opened up for this tree experience. So, this is halfway through the entire center... craaaayyyyyzzzeeeeee!!

This was the camping tree... We really thought that the Marshmallow top was cool - so, naturally, I got a picture of it.

1000 Origami birds make up this tree.

This was the Michael Jackson tree - notice the glittery gloves and the white socks.

This Santa is HUGE - I would say bigger than 8 feet tall, but I am not positive. I know that I am shorter than the black background sheets, and it's taller - so... it's pretty tall...

This one was really cool - the toymaker - someone carved it. Really well done.

And, naturally, my favorite of the bunch was the nightmare before Christmas tree. Whoever did it used one of those nifty upside down trees as you can see. And the white balls on the tree all had a different Jack Skellington facial expression painted on them. I thought it was very well done.

I have a ton of other pictures of trees that I felt were impressive, but this is a blob so I didn't add them here. I do think that everyone should go - try not to worry so much about the crowds, and just look at some of the creations that people come up with. VERY impressive! What a great way to start out the month of December.

Thanksgiving Day Celebrations!

It's Black Friday - time to update on Thanksgiving! All went so nicely. I let the kids make their Christmas cards while things were cooking. (I still have glitter all over the place...)
Finally, the turkey was done! Rick carved the delicious bird the best that he could with the rotten knife that I have- but he managed to get things together. :)
And we set the table with as much formal stuff as I really have. I realized that I don't really have all that much when it comes to formal place settings. I have the glasses, and the stemware (Kind of) and I have napkins... but the gravy was still served with the trusty 1c pyrex measurer. :P
Everything was lovely and wonderful... Rick is (seriously) the best cook I have ever been married to. After the feast we went downstairs and watched as many Christmas movies as we could before it was time for bed. I did go out for Black Friday shopping before work today - and I was mostly successful. :) I got everything that I really wanted to for now. I just need to remember to go to the Mexi-Mart on 13th - I think that because of the cops, there was a better selection. Centerville was so uncivilized this year... Yuck. Never again there, if I can help it...

One Thousand, Three Hundred, Fifty One Lights

That's how many lights are on this tree... One thousand, Three Hundred, and Fifty One. Where did the one come from? The one bulb in the star. Three boxes of 450 lights, and we are set to go.

And here it is after the decorating is done... :) The kids did the same thing that they do every year - all the ornaments are on the front - and there are hardly any around the back. Now, I do understand, after all - you can't see the back, but there is only so much of the front of the tree, and I have a-LOT of ornaments...

So, you are hereby invited to come over and bask the the lovely glow of one thousand, three hundred, and fifty one lights whenever you want - just give me a call first so I can be sure to tidy up! HUGS!

My New Moon Semi - Review

Sooo, way back when (This past July) I decided to finally break down and read the Twilight series. I will admit that it was VERY addictive. And I think that I read all 4 books in a weeks time. After the books, I rented Twilight - the movie... and I was pretty disappointed in the acting and how much information that was left out of the movie that I think should have been put in... BUT, my co-worker / friend Mandy convinced me to get tickets MONTHS ago to go see New Moon.

I wasn't so sure about the upcoming movie, I will admit... BUT, I already paid for the tickets, and I figured that it wouldn't hurt to have a girls night out... why not, right? So, I started reading what I could about the movie, and finally - this morning at 12:30AM, I got to see Part 2.

And I will admit, that I was surprised. Slightly irritated at the screaming girls each time some young boy went shirtless... but that's besides the point. It was as if the cast finally read the books themselves, or took acting classes. This movie was (in my honest opinion) so much better than the first movie. It even followed the book better. So, I will have to say that you should go see it ... it was pretty good.

On a side note - I haven't been to sleep yet... I came from the theater to work .. .. and I have been here since. I need sleep - and I will get it... but time is just a draggin' away...

Maaaan - Politicians

That's right - we plan to keep them in the family...

And, can you believe that this little politician suckered me into helping her make posters to put up at school, when ELECTION day is on Monday?!?! But, we pulled it together just the same. So, we came up with two "catchy" slogans - GO GREEN WITH GEHRING and KENNEDY G. 4 VP. We were so beat after coloring the first sign that the second sign didn't have near as much "STUFF".

Anyway, the election is on Monday. Kennedy says that even if she doesn't get it she is going to Run for President next year - something about planning parties and stuff. I don't know if she put up her stuff in time this year, but I guess we will wait and see. Anyway - I say we all dress up as 5th graders and go to her school on Monday and vote her in office. :) She would be a fantastic VP!!

DON'T BUST THE CRUST!

This weekend we went to my Mom's house for a short visit. (Weekends are always WAY too short in my book). And on Saturday we decided to take Aspen to the Colorado National Monument so she could become... ba da de dummm... a Junior Ranger. Kennedy and Darrell have already done this program twice before - but, naturally, they wanted to do it again... so, off we went.
On alcove nature trail there is an area where the kids (Yes, D qualifies as a kid too) climbed up the side of the mountain. I, personally, feel like it's too high, but this has kind of become a tradition since we first did the Junior Ranger Program - This time Kennedy wasn't too certain about going all the way up. Then Grandpa D said "I'll show you how to do it!" And up he went. I am shocked that he didn't seem a bit sore on Sunday!
Towards the end of the Alcove Nature Trail, the sandstone has been worn away by the wind. The girls insisted that they saw a mountain lion up in one of these "caves" - I think that it was doubtful... but, ...

And, a picture from across the Monument to Window Rock -

Fun day... the kids all got their Junior Ranger badges (Yet again). And we got to spend a lovely day with G and G. They have lived there "FOREVER" and it was their first time going up to the Monument together. I think that they should invest in a yearly pass - it's really beautiful up there. But then again, at the same time - very scary. I can't stand that there aren't fences up the whole way around so a child doesn't slip and go right over the edge, but that's just me.

Style Designer open for all!

So, there is this tool that we have at Obeo - that is now going to be released to the public. I've told people about it before - it's the Style Designer feature that is on most of our tours.

http://obeosites.com/360/

I love this tool because you can take a room and you can change the walls paint or the floors. You can change cabinets, trim, countertops. It's a lot of fun. So, I think that they finally realized that you can use this for a home you already have and you can see what it would look like if you changed the paint on the walls and such. I just thought that everyone would want to play with it. Tell your friends that are thinking about painting their homes or remodeling their kitchens. :) It's really a fun little too.

Sick of being sick...

You know, I am really sick of being sick... Tomorrow will make 7 days of "Sick" - and 7 days is 6 days longer than I prefer to be sick. I went to the Doctor today, who did not give me anything conclusive other than it was Laryngitis / Bronchitis / Asthma / and perhaps the tail end of Strepticoccolidoodledoo. (See, nothing conclusive). Though, the Asthma part is what threw me. He said that with the coughing that it had to be Asthma, but I did not have the cough prior to last Tuesday, so it's unlikely in my mind, but he wants me to start back up on Albuterol. Seriously? Is the man nuts? My typical doctor is out of town and this is the quack he left in charge?

So, I spent another entire day doing nothing strenuous, (I suffered through cross stitching and daytime television). And the meds that I got seem to have started helping quite a bit. I think that I might even try out working tomorrow... after all, I am not contagious. I just sound like a dog. But all in all, I am tired of being sick. :( Anyone want to trade places with me?

Happy Halloween

Well, Halloween has come and gone - and this year I ended up with three classic monsters on my hands. A lovely Frankenstein Monster, A Vampire (Who prefers to kill his victims with his swords prior to drinking their blood), and The Grimm Reaper. I did not go trick or treating this year with the children, the dad's took them out since I was sick. I stayed at home and watched Michael Meyers butcher people with a kitchen knife and I hid out from people knocking on my door. When the kids got home, I heard that the girls wussed out early due to the cold, but Darrell kept on going from house to house. He'd probably still be going on if Rick hadn't stopped him...