Gone Fishin'

I wrote a lovely post about Dan's fishing trip. Dan did not like it. He said it was "Preachy" and gave to many details about him. I strongly disagreed, but since it was his fishing trip, I have changed it. So.... here are the pix of Dan's trip. No text, no commentary. poophead.

Tithing Settlement

I signed up for tithing settlement for last night. I thought it would be nice and convenient. Dan's in the YM, so he'd be at the church anyway, and 7pm was the first slot, so the kids could still get to bed about on time. I felt clever about it all. Then they changed the Ym to a combined activity at the stake center. We don't meet in the stake center. So I took all 4 kids alone to tithing settlement.

We arrived 5 minutes early to a dark and deserted parking lot. It wasn't raining at the moment, but it had been, off and on all afternoon. To get the kids out of the car, I told them they could run around the parking lot and splash in the puddles. I didn't think they's actually do it!

They did. Fortunately, Joshua was wearing crocs, and Callie had a spare pair in the car, that I'd never quite gotten around to taking into the house. Nobody but Callie was wearing socks. When the bishop arrived, the kids trooped in with water halfway up their pants. Oh yeah, they had saturated their pants splashing in the puddles. Delaney was so funny, walking all stiff-legged and concerned because her pants and shoes were wet.

We were in and out in 5 minutes. The kids splashed some more and we drove home. Callie and Delaney went pants-less, and Delaney cried all the way home because she thought she needed those wet pants on. It was a fun time!

My Favorite Things

I know Oprah always likes to share some of her favorie things, but honestly, I can't afford what Oprah likes. I will share some of my favorite things with you though. These are the top 10 (not family and friends) things that enrich my life and make me enjoy it more.

1. The Chiropractor. I love the chiro. I really liked the guy in Cherry Point. So, anyone in CP who thinks they'd like to get their back cracked by a professional, Russell Davis is the man. I miss that place. I'm working on a new place here, but it takes time for these things.

2. Normal Mormon Husband Blog. I can always count on a laugh from there. And his Twilight spoofs make me roll on the floor. I don't know if it is Mormon humor or what, but I get it. When he writes, I get it. (Unless its about sports. That's still funny, but I don't always get it!)

3. The Poineer Woman. Ahhh, the stuff she cooks, the stories she tells..... it makes me happy and it makes me laugh. Aparently I'm all about the laughing right now, because that's what my favorite things seem to have in common.

4. Curves. I love Curves. They do not offer babysitting, so I don't go now, but I DID go 3 days a week up till the day Delaney was born. And I went back a week after she came home. I love Curves. I love that it is fast. I love that it is really simple and easy. I absolutely love that it makes me feel great and works most of your body. I completely endorse Cruves fo no reason other than I think it is great and I wish I had no children at home just so I could go there!

5. 5 Guys Burgers. I thought that In n Out was the epitome of tasty burger. Then their burgers suddenly were not as tasty. I do not know why. Once here, I heard about 5 Guys, and the hype is true. Although it is like comparing apples and oranges, to try to compare it to In N Out, because it is a very different burger. Who knew grilled onions could pack such a surprise for my mouth! And their fries. I'm doing the Homer Simson right now, just thinking about it.

6. Blurb. I know I have expressed delight about Blurb.com before, but I love their books. Everything I have made by them I have love, love, loved! This year I tried the new 5x8 text only book- cheap and nice, and it came out great. I'm "scrapbooking" all my 2008 pictures into a book, and I love that it will be smaller than a scrapbook. It will be portable, and kid friendly as well.

7. Time Out for Women. It always amazes me what I learn. I have been 3 times, and at each of them, I have learned life-altering truths. Okay, I have heard things and learned things that have changed the way I view my life and the way I live it. It is such a fantastic thing to go to and I leave feeling rejuvenated and excited about my life. If you ever have the opportunity, GO!

8. My Elliptical Machine. Yes, we paid a small fortune for it 3 years ago. That's where our tax return went, and I have never regretted it. Dan wanted a gym quality machine. We got a Spirit, and I love that it has a 21 inch stride. I use that thing usually twice a week, more if the weather is too cold to run. Its a beast and will probably be a problem if we ever have a smaller house, but I love that thing!

9. My Make Ahead Meals Group. I never thought I would love it this much. 8-10 of us get togther every 2 weeks and swap 10 meals. I make 10 of the same thing and trade them in for all different things. All I have to do is to remember to take something out of the freezer the night before and I never have to worry about what's for dinner. What will I do when I actually have to plan ahead?!

10. Young Living Essential Oils. Love the way they smell, Love the things they do. Especially now when so many of our friends are getting sick.

The Last Gingerbread Post!

Okay, I was so done with making gingerbread houses, that I did not even want to post the kids doing theirs. It seems however, that some people desire to see this, so here it is:

Joshua was obsessed with his yard. He worked mainly on that. That marshmallow is going to be Santa's sleigh, I think. He spent the most time on his house, and it was the least decorative home, but it had the most decorative yard.

Delaney was just there for the food. She snagged everything in sight.

Marian was very cute. She worked very hard on her house and did almost everything all by herself. I love the pixie dust covered roof.


Ah yes, I finally got Joshua to put something on his roof. And he actually did all the work on his house. I didn't do anything but nag.

Here is Callie with her finished project. I helped her a lot. But the giant snowman in the front was all her idea! As was the gumdrop tree there!

No, I have no shots of the other 2 houses when they were done. I was upstairs trying to get 2 girls bathed and ready for bed. I meant to go back and take pictures, but I didn't. And then Callie and Delaney figured out how to move the chair just so, and they climbed on the counter and started snacking the candy off the houses. That's my life. (And I like it!)

Gingerbread Parade of Homes

We had some pretty spectacular homes created today. Bear in mind that these were made by girls age 9-12. Thier primary goal was more towards how much candy could they apply. I think they succeeded admirably! Check these out!

The girls worked hard on these. They had an hour, and most of them stayed a bit longer than that to finish thier masterpieces.

The green and red sprinkles make this one extra festive. I like it.

I think the candy cane pillars on the corners are a lovely touch.

I like the simplicity and the roof is way cute. It's a charming cottage, not overdone.

Look at the colors on this roof. She spent a lot of time on this. And there is a marshmallow sleigh in front. Such a cute idea.

Again, the cute candy cane pillars. The marshmallow were a hot commodity today. I like what she has done with them. And the gum drops on the front.

This one has Santa's sleigh up on the roof, and a snowman in the yard. Such great ideas!

I was really impressed with the girls and the things they came up with. It was good fun!