Hot Cocoa.... No Thanks

This is why children shouldn't have hot chocolate..... ever!

The Family Photo Christmas Card Endeavor

It's that time of year again folks, the time when I attempt to get my kids, my husband, and I to all face the same direction and smile like we like each other. Yep, every November we attempt to take the perfect picture for our yearly Christmas card. We made it almost through an entire hour photo shoot before the crying began. As the girls ran from one picturesque scene to another, there was some tripping and falling over each other that resulted in skinned knees and a sudden lack of enthusiasm for posing for our photographers.

So, I want to order cards that are reasonably priced, and that provide a classic format for our family pic. This year, I'm going with shutterfly (and yes this is a shameless plug). They've got pages of formats for me to choose from, and I can't wait to see my finalized product. Maybe you should get shopping too! http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

Shopping Made Easy

You may be wondering what are these ladies (myself included) doing exactly? Well, I'll tell you. I happen to have an incredibly crafty and talented neighbor that lives one house away from me who makes amazing and delightful decorations and personalized necklaces and jewelry. Tuesday night we laid out a spread of all her wares at my home, and about 20 ladies from near and from far came to browse and shop for Christmas gifts and so on. Can I just tell you that as much as I have always loved shopping, shopping in your own kitchen while eating cookies, drinking cider, and talking with your friends brings it to a whole new level!

Needless to say, we had a lot of fun, and if you're curious about my friend's products, you're in luck, she has a website. So go check it out and get some of your early Christmas shopping done! www.bethanymariedesigns.com/

Bragging is So Unbecoming

Okay, so I know that I'm trying to teach my kids that bragging isn't right, but I'm going to have to break my own "No bragging" rule for a moment. I figure it's slightly okay, because I'm not going to brag about my kids, my husband, or myself..... Nope, today I'm bragging about my sister!

Yesterday our little Bethie ran her first half marathon which is 13.1 miles, which is about 13 more miles than I could ever run. 1,487 people ran the half-marathon, and my sister came in 18th of the women!!! In her first half-marathon, with a time of an hour and 37 minutes!!! I think that's especially impressive, since she's only 4 foot 11, and her entire body was the length of some of her competitor's legs - I'm just saying.

To celebrate, I'm going to go have some pumpkin pie I made for breakfast. Let's see it's 6:58 am right now, I'm getting ready to eat a pie breakfast, and Bethie's at a gym somewhere. I'm beginning to wonder if one of us was switched at the hospital.

Anyway, have a good day all.... and remember my sister is cooler than yours if you have one.

California - Only Good For Our Weather

Okay, so seriously, on a positive note, I'm going to wear a sundress and sandals today and it's November 3rd. But let's face the reality of some of my state's newly elected officials: Embarrassing. Liberal. Embarrassing and liberal.

So perhaps it was no coincidence that I read this verse last night:

Daniel 2:20-21

Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

So with that I will not face my future in a fearful or anxious way. God appointed Pharoah and hardened his heart against Moses at one point in history, and He did that for a reason. So today, I will not be disheartened by my new leaders, rather I will trust in the God who removes kings and sets up kings..... and I will be grateful for the warm weather He has provided!

Let the Candy-Eating Begin!

That's right... embrace the cuteness. Thank you mom for making Beth that adorable Heidi-esque dress for Bethie (my sister) back in the 80s, and thank you for actually keeping it, so that we could put Morgan in it and re-enact The Sound of Music. And yes, this year you truly outdid yourself by making Lorelei's doll a matching costume. I so enjoyed pushing the stroller around the block as we went trick or treating, you know the stroller for the doll! I didn't want to push and force you to make the twins costumes too, so for that we must thank Target. Kitty cat ears seemed genius to me because I thought, wow, cheap and simple, and then when the bunny ears concept fell through for Noelle at the last minute, we bought the least plastic looking costume we could find for Noelle. It was labeled Snow Princess and she was loving it, so we all lived happily ever after.

Well, sort of. I actually have a stomach ache right now, because even though I enforced the only 2 candies today rule for the kids, I found myself repeatedly sneaking into the kitchen for just one more itty bitty Twix. They seemed so small, so bite size, but apparently when you eat bite size candies ALL DAY, they end up sort of stomach size. And I wonder why my kids lack self-control.