These are a Few of my Favorite Things

Before I take down my Christmas decorations, I thought I'd share some of my favorite things.

First, I have a collection of nativity sets. I believe it's getting close to 20 sets. Some of them are just ok ,and may be weeded out eventually, but some of them I absolutely love. This is my Fisher Price Little People nativity set. I bought this 3 Christmas' ago (I think) off Ebay. It was the first time I had seen it and had to have it. Because I was fairly new to Ebay, I ended up paying WAY too much for my sentimental love of Fisher Price Little People. --Don't ask how much. I don't know. I've blocked it from my memory. --I love that kids can play with it, without the fear of breaking it. My only rule is that kids have to play with it in the same room, so the pieces don't get lost.
This is one of my first sets I bought. I like it because the figures are child-like and cute. Kind of like watching kids put on a Christmas pagent. It has "everyone", I just took a picture of the most important people.

This set I made it at an R.S. Super Saturday craft day. I love the simplicity of it and that kids can play with it.

I got this one in Mexico, when we went on our cruise. I searched and searched for a CUTE nativity. I like this one because it's miniature and reminds me of a fun vacation.

This is my Christmas tree star. I love it because it's simple and "country-ish". I don't care for angel tree toppers or tinsely stars, so this one suits me just fine.

These are some of my snowmen. I like snowmen just because they're so darn cute.

I like looking at Christmas lights. This is the Denning Family's house. We drove around and looked at lights on Christmas Eve. This one was impressive! All the lights were set to music (tuned in on the radio).

I don't think this video turned out very well...doesn't quite give you the awesome effect, but here it is anyway.

If you want to go see it, here's the address: 4468 W. Blue Creek Meridian, ID 83646. It's off Cherry Lane, in a neighborhood, West of 10 Mile Rd.

Christmas

Our family's Christmas morning tradition is to have "breakfast" before looking to see what Santa brought us. Breakfast usually consists of a sweet roll and orange juice.

After breakfast clean-up, the kids line up by age...youngest in the front, oldest in the back. (I can sympathize with Rylee. I was always in the back too.)

Rylee got a cute red purse and some gift cards (Payless Shoes & Ross) to go shopping. --At first, she was a little bummed about her gifts. She had nothing to "play" with. Some times it stinks gettin' older. :o) She soon cheered up as we talked about the fun she would have shopping. Taylee was kind enough to let Rylee play with her "Littlest Petshop" toys. (The red purse is in the background.)

Taylee FINALLY got a pair of Heelies (shoes with a rollerskate type wheels in the bottom). And lots of "Littlest Petshop" animals.

Treyson was stoked to find a PSP (hand held electronic game system) and games by his stocking.

Abree was excited to see a digital camera and.....

a PINK bike, by her stocking.

We had originally planned on being in Utah for Christmas. When the freeway was shut down and bad weather was predicited, we opted to stay home. At the last minute, we rounded up a Christmas feast. We had turkey, mashed potatoes/gravy, green beans, jello, stuffing and biscuits. I was surprised that we had everything here (that's not typical). We had a nice dinner shared with James, Savannah (Jason's salesman at the carwash and his 1 year old daughter) and my dad.

Thanks dad for doing the dishes. That was one of the nicest Christmas gifts ever!

Later, we headed to my mom's for more Christmas fun. We had a nice buffet of rolls and ham and all the sides and snacks you can imagine. We opened gifts and hung out. The neatest gift we recieved, was from my mom. She had taken her journal entries and complied a book of memories of us kids (me and my siblings). We took turns reading outloud funny or interesting stories from our childhood. It was 2 1/2 to 3 years in the making, but well worth the wait. Thanks mom for taking the time and energy to make such a special book for each of us. I love it and will cherish it always!

Merry Christmas!

Family Gift Exchange

One of our Christmas traditions is to give a gift to one of our family members. We draw names and then head to the dollar store to buy for our (secret) person.

This year, we did things a little different. Instead of purchasing a gift, we decided to make gifts for one another. Jason drew Treyson's name. His gift was a picture of Woody and Buzz on canvas. He didn't have time to finish before Christmas, but plans on having it painted and totally done by the end of the week. --I can't wait. I've been wanting a painting from Jason, since we got married. --Treyson LOVES "Toy Story" (still) and will love having this hanging in his bedroom.
I had Rylee's name. I monogramed a towel for her. She's been needing/wanting her own towel again. (She lost her other one.) Not the most exciting gift, but one she'll appreciate over and over.
Rylee had Jason's name. She (with a little help from me) made him a neck roll. He can't sleep on a normal pillow (or even special pillows from the chiropractor for that matter). He usually just rolls up a towel for the night. It's actually a cover, so if the foam we put in it breaks down or doesn't work for him, he can put his rolled up towel in it. :o) So far, so good.

Taylee had Abree's name. She (with help) made Abree a tu-tu and matching headband. (I'd seen tutorials on these and had been wanting to make one. This was a perfect opportunity. It was easy enough Taylee could fully participate AND something that Abree would love.) It took us quite a while, but Taylee stuck with it and loved the results.

I think she likes it. Don't you???

Treyson had Taylee's name. Treyson (with help and encouragement) made this bracelet for Taylee. It's made out of little safety pins and beads/pearls. He did such a good job and worked REALLY hard on it. At one point, (I hadn't been paying attention to his progress) when I looked up I noticed some had been strung backwards. We had to undo his great progress. At first, he was disappointed and a little discouraged, but at las' endured to the end. I was so proud of him. --The best part was when Taylee opened the gift. As she opened it and saw what it was she exclaimed, "Oh Buddy, it's so pretty. Thank you!" And then she gave him a great big hug. So sweet. (Choked Jason and I up. As parents don't we just live for those moments?!)

Abree had my name. I didn't know how this would go. I had been the one helping with all of the gifts. Jason didn't have lots of time to help and didn't know what to do. I had made a few cooking suggestions; fudge, no-bake cookies, but to my surprise when I opened my gift I found these 2 cute little heart-shaped pillows (and drawings). Rylee had helped Abree make them the day before. She had used the sewing machine and everything. Where was I? Why didn't I hear the sewing machine??? I don't know... a little Christmas miracle. :o)

We LOVED how this turned out. I believe we will be repeating this new tradition again and again and again.

G.N.I.

What's a G.N.I.?... a Girl's Night In, of course.

Jaime, Marianne and Bethany came over for a GNI. We frosted/decorated sugar cookies (thanks for making them Jaime) and then got our snacks and headed upstairs for a Christmas movie.

Yum!

Marianne the cookie artist.

Jaime the beautiful baker.Bethany the ferocious froster.

Thanks for PLAYIN' girls.

ONE Word Tag

Here's a fun tag that I copied from my cousin Melanie's blog. Thanks Melanie.

Rules: Answer the questions with only ONE word.
Where is your cell phone? Bag
Where is your significant other? Downstairs
Your hair color? Brown
Your favorite thing? Autumn
Your dream last night? Weird
Your life dream/goal? Happiness
The room your in? Upstairs
Your hobby? Crafts
Your fear? Death
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
Where were you last night? GNO
What you're not? Skinny
One of your wish list items? Skinniness (nice word, eh?)
Where you grew up? Boise
The last thing you did? Blog
What you are wearing? Pajamas
Your TV? On
Your pet? Fishy
Your computer? Frustrating
Your mood? Ok
Missing someone? Ya
Something you're NOT wearing? Socks
Favorite store? Clearance
Your summer? Wedding
Love someone? Yes
Your favorite color? Undecided
When is the last time you laughed? Dinner
When is the last time you cried? GNO
Your significant other's hair? Coarse
You in one word: Alisha


It was a challenge for me to use only ONE word. See if you can do it. Copy and paste if you want to PLAY.

Choir Boy

Monday, Treyson took part in a Christmas program, at school. He sang with the 2nd graders while some 5th graders played orchestra instruments. They all did a great job. I'm always so impressed by the music teachers who put on these programs. They do so well to get all the kids on task and doing what they're supposed to be doing. Seems like a big job to me. :o) Treyson is located far right, top riser, second one in (kind of a purplish shirt). He barely took his eyes off me and kept waving throughout the whole program. On one of the songs, I could hear his voice above all the other kid's voices. He knew that song well, and wanted me to hear him for sure. He asked me after the concert was over, "Mom, did you hear me singing?" Yes I did!
This was a tree right outside his classroom. They has all sorts of handmade ornaments from all over the world. They have been learning about different world holiday customs.

Good job Treyson! I'm proud of you!

"Snow Village"

This evening, my family and I went to go see the "Snow Village".

It all started with a little white plastic church. As a child, Lyn, would look at this little church and imagine the little town it was a part of. She loved this family Christmas decoration and spent many hours looking at it.

As an adult, becoming a mother for the first time, she found this same little plastic church at a rummage sale. The church flooded her with wonderful childhood memories. She had to have it. It cost all of .25 cents!

One day, as she was shopping, she found a little house and thought, "This would go well with my church." The rest was history! Her collection has expanded over the last 25 years, finally creating a whole village.

At first, she would make little vignettes around her house. When her collection expanded to a village, her husband said, "Why don't you set it up in the garage." So that's what she did. (It takes her about 100 hours to completely set everything up!) This year, for the very first time, she has opened up the viewing to the public. The entrance fee is a non-perishable food item (per person) or $1 (per person) to go to the Idaho Food Bank. She's open EVERY night from 5:00-7:00pm through Dec 23rd.

I would highly recommend going to see it. She said that it's been pretty slow, so here's my part in letting more people know about it and supporting a great cause.

Location: 2017 E Lochmeadow Ct
Meridian, ID

Directions: N on Locust Grove (from Fairview), E on Chateau (light), go 2 blocks and turn Left on Laughridge, go to the end of the road, turn Right on Lochmeadow St, go 1/2 block and turn Right on Lochmeadow Ct. It's the 1st house on the Right. Look for the cardboard box signs and the signs on the garage.

Fine print: No public restrooms. Children must be accompanied by an adult. No touching. Not responsible for accidents or injuries when attending.

Go see the "Snow Village" and let me know what you think.

PS-I thought about taking some pictures, but got side-tracked and forgot to ask if it was ok. If I go again, I'll try to remember to ask, so you can see some of the cute detail.

Young Womens...Really???!

Can you imagine this sweet little baby going to Young Women's? Ya, me neither. Last Wednesday, I dropped Rylee off for her very first "Mutual Night". It felt so weird, but I was WAY excited for her too. I started to reminisce about all the fun I had when in YW. I wanna go!

Last night, she helped serve dinner at our Ward Christmas Party, with the youth. It was fun to watch her interact with her friends and be a part of the group.

Wow, this is a new stage of life... for all of us. :o)

The Real Birthday, Day

Saturday was Rylee's official birthday, so we had her favorite dinner (macaroni and cheese) and then she opened her gifts from the family. She received a soft, fluffy, warm robe and. . . . . An Ipod!!! Well, actually it's a Phillips MP3 player, but it functions just the same. She was SOOOO excited. She's been talking about wanting one for at least 3 years. We told her that she really didn't have a need for it, being so young. We thought 12 was a good age, old enough to care for it and use it, so we broke down and got one for her.
(Plus, it was an AWESOME deal at Walmart, on Black Friday.) :o)

She's very happy with her new gifts, but she'll have to keep pining for a cell phone and a lap top computer. (Other things that have been on her list for the last several years.)

I know, I know, we're SO "old-school". I just don't think a 12 year old (or younger) NEEDS a cell phone and computer. She'll have to live in the "dark ages" for the next little while. Poor kid.

Par-tay!

For Rylee's 12 year old birthday, she talked me into having a sleep-over. The girls came home with Rylee, right after school and the party started. I was running a little behind getting everything done, so I employed the girls to help me decorate. Here's the festive decor we got.

I wouldn't have thought to tape streamers from balloon to balloon. :o)
They LOVED the streamers on the ceiling fan. When you turned it on it looked "SO COOL!".

Part of my decorating tardiness had to do with these; Exibit #1. I made sleep masks for each girl out of soft flannel, batting and pelon (stiff fabric).

Exibit #2 for my deorating tardiness. I made these towel turbines for each of the girls. After getting out of the shower, you put them on your wet hair, twist, and then loop the elastic over the big button. I had the girls sew on the buttons... hope those buttons stay on. For some it was a first time button sewing experience.

The results.

From left to right; Melissa, Erin, Rylee and Lessa. Rylee's friend Shaye came a little later after her piano lessons.

I was willing to bake another kind of cake, but Rylee wanted to take her turn with the giant cupcake, cake. Look at all of those candles!

In the favor bags we included; lip gloss, fingernail polish, a treat and the sleep masks and towel turbines.

What was your wish Rylee? ...or should I say who was your wish?! :o)

For dinner, the girls made individual pizzas. These look kind of rough, but they tasted good.

Yummmm!

Gift time.

Late, before they settled down for the night, the girls painted their fingernails and toenails.

Caught in the act.

Looking fabulous girls!

Shaye

The girls also watched "Journey to the Center of the Earth" in 3-D and rocked out to the game, "Rock Band". In fact, they would have been satisfied to play "Rock Band" all night and all the next day, if I would have let them. They just couldn't get enough of it.

I hope they all had fun. It was nice to have them over. They are sweet girls. I'm glad Rylee has such good friends to hang out with and be associated with. I look forward to many more fun times.

FYI- Doing a 12 year old party, is a piece of cake, compared to a younger-aged party. They could mostly entertain themselves and just go with the flow. I highly recommend it.