Before and After!

I hate to get my hair cut. I hate to pay someone to cut it. And in this area, there is no stinking way I'm paying someone $60+ to cut my hair! Usually I just need a straight trim across the back, and it galls me to pay someone so much to do so little. Thus, I try to have my mom do it whenever I see her. This means I get my hair cut every few years. And every so often, I get it cut short. And then I hate it and say I'm never going to do that again!

In November, we had a Relief Society activity that was a service auction. I spent every single pretend dollar I had on a set of family haircuts. And it was worth it! A lovely and fabulous lady in the ward came over yesterday and cut my hair. She also trimmed all 3 girls tresses to an even and dead-end free length. There was much rejoicing by me!

And I know, I know, I say every time that I'm never going so short again. And I did not really mean to go so short this time. I meant to have it down past my shoulders. But I let her have her way with me and I let her do something totally new! Its only hair, right? And if I hate it, it will grow back. Plus, if I wait my usual 2 years before cutting it again, it will be right where I want it!

I do like it. I love the way it feels and love that I'm not always shoving hair out of the way. I just don't know if I like the way I look with it. I realized that I want sleek, straight short hair. If you have seen my hair, you know that sleek and straight, it aint! So, do I like unruly short hair? I need to think on that. She did a great job though and left the front sides a little longer than the back so I can still pull it out of my face. (I love it when someone knows me!) I am excited to have it shorter and I had 2 ulterior motives. 1. I wanted something easier to do for the upcoming trip to Africa, and 2. I wanted to donate it to Locks of Love. (I have about 15 inches of ponytail to donate!)

I want to preface the pictures with the fact that the kids took them of me. I didn't realize what an unflattering perspective they have! Aack! That, the shirt with a collar, and the lighting are not making me really happy with these shots, so rest assured, that I am much more attractive in real life. And if you see me in real life, pretend that it is true!!

BEFORE:

And, AFTER:

A Merry Christmas for Us!

This is the obligatory Christmas posting. I realize that no one really cares about pictures of my kids opening presents as much as I do, but I figured I was due for some pictures and I took a bunch yesterday. So, here you go!

This is our little tree. I bought this tree 5 years ago when Dan was deployed and I had to actually purchase our first tree. It was the first Christmas that we would not be going away to spend it with family, so I had to get a tree. I couldn't make myself spend a fortune on one, so I got the cheap-o Walmart tree. And look! 5 years later, its still working. A bit saggy on the bottom, where 5 years of small children have pulled and bent the "branches" and it does lean a little. We put it on the table to make it look bigger, and to keep it a bit more out of Rylee's reach. We still ended up with random ornaments in odd places and Rylee managed to get more than I had expected. While we do have a few breakable ornaments, we do make sure they are at the top!

Here are all the kids, lined up, all ready to open their first present. I love this picture because no one looks excited, and that cracks me up! They really were excited, they were just tired of having to wait and wait. Hee hee hee, I am so my father's daughter sometimes!

Marian made this adorable "Wii Remote" for Joshua. She taped it together out of paper and the back is a real dollar bill. It was quite cute, and Marian had such a blast making presents for each family member. I love that Joshua is thrilled with it!

Marian got this snow hood and wanted to wear it the rest of the morning. Such a funny girl! My little Merry-Ninja!

Rylee thought this bike horn was the best toy ever. It was very loud and such fun for her. Not so fun for my ears.

Callie was adorable and happily posed for pictures. She was happy to get several items off her list. Of course, her list was a mile long, so she would have been delighted with anything she was given!

Joshua chose this hat for Dan for Christmas. Joshua thought it was so clever that it was a Baseball Cap. Get it?! A baseball and a cap. He found it hysterical, and Dan found it funny, so it was a great gift.

Delaney was adorable. She had such a good time and enjoyed opening her presents. She also enjoyed opening other people's presents too. If you ask her, the first thing she will tell you is that she opened her gift to Joshua. (We took the kids shopping to buy simple gifts for each other, and she chose a Christmas tie from Target's fabulous $1 section.) She was just so excited to give it to him that she couldn't wait and opened it for him. So cute!

After the festivities, we cleaned up the carnage and I made the kids put their candy and loot in zip lock bags. Callie did not monitor her stuff very well. This is Rylee, raiding Callie's stash!

And on the subject of Rylee..... Here she has pushed her chair up to the shelf so she can reach the phone. She can also reach the car keys and Dan's wallet there and this has become a problem. See, she's got the phone base in one hand, and Dan's keys in the other. Such a troublemaker!

We had a marvelous Christmas. Joshua declares it was the best ever, and I am happy to hear that because I put fewer presents under the tree this year. I decided we didn't need so much stuff, and even now, after opening what they did, I'm not sure they needed what they got either! Ah well. They had a great time, and are still having a lot of fun with their new loot. I did try to focus on the reason we celebrate Christmas, and they can at least parrot the words back to me, so I have high hopes that they understand we are celebrating the birth of our Saviour. Merry Christmas to you!

Christmas Traditions I Loved as a Kid

1. Reading Christmas stories every night from the book "Christmas I remember Best".

2. Getting to wake up the parents at the specifically appointed hour, and coming up with ever-increasingly innovative ways. My favorite- to the Jurassic Park soundtrack played full blast.

3. Making gingerbread houses. Trying to outdo each other for the best looking or most creative house, while sneaking candy into our mouths- good times!

4. Candy making! Okay, my mom made the candy, but it sure was yummy! I thought she was the most amazing mom ever, when she made her chocolate covered nuts and caramels and peanut butter cups. Sometimes I still get some. Now, when I make candy, I have to be careful since caramel is the only thing I can do well and I tend to eat all the fruits of my labors . (Although this year I successfully made toffee and even managed to get 75% of it bagged and given away.)

5. Delivering goodie-platters. The only problem with this tradition is that my parents made us go caroling when we delivered them. I was not a fan of caroling. I'm still not fond of it, and haven't done it without severe leaning from my folks, but I do love the platter giveaway.

We apologize in advance....

I apologize for the lack of cohesiveness or theme in the following post. I just wanted to get the pictures out there for my parents and I'm short on time and creativity this evening. And without further ado, here is what our weekend was like.

Rylee thought she was all that. She can climb up on the box Grandma and Grandpa sent and this time she brought a snack!

Okay, this one is out of order. The kids were having a blast this morning, dragging each other around the house in on the blanket. They wanted the picture taken. I love how they are all playing together and having fun.

Last night was our Ward Christmas Party. We had good food, a Talent Show and Santa. It was a lot of fun, and look! Delaney found a friend! She was so enthralled with this kid, who is a month older than Rylee.

Dinner was yummy, and these rolls were quite popular, as were the desserts. There was an amazing spread of deserts!

Then Joshua played his trumpet in the Talent Show and did a great job. He is not a shy boy!

Rylee entertained herself during the activity and had a marvelous time.

Of course, there was Santa. A slightly questionably attired Santa, but the kids didn't care. Rylee really didn't care, since it was late and she was 2 breaths away from being completely sacked out when I made Dan plop her on the lap of this stranger just so I could get her picture.

Delaney was so excited, she totally cut in line and barged to the front. Look at that face. She is such a funny girl!

Callie was more excited right up till she got to the front of the line. Now she's not so sure.

Santa asked Marian if she had been good. She was honest and said a little bit. She was cute.

And this next set of pictures needs a preface. I really wanted a family picture. This morning I got all the kids bathed, dressed and ready early so I could get a picture. Delaney had about 5 screaming meltdowns (something to do with a party last night and 2 parents who had to stay after, resulting in an after 10pm bedtime), and ultimately it didn't happen. So after church, I asked my fabulous friend, the Primary President, if she would take a family picture for me after church. She did a great job, given what she had to work with. Here are the results of her efforts:

To my surprise, Rylee was very consistent in the pictures. Actually, Marian and Joshua were too. Callie's Diva look kinda tanked this shot, but I fear this is the picture where we all looked um, mostly the best.

This was good, except for Delaney. I do NOT know what she is doing! Oh yeah, and it gets better.

This shot had me busting a gut, once I saw Delaney. This will be my new need-a-laugh shot! I can't look at it without cracking up!

And the promised silly shot.

I guess I should just be happy that we have a picture with the entire family in it.

What Happens.....

*** What happens when you are in charge of the goody bags for the Ward Activity and need 80 of them done?

You put the kids to work in an assembly line and let them think it is FUN! They were awesome and cranked out all 80 in the time it took me to get dinner ready.

***What happens when you miss "Survivor" so you can attend Scouts with your son?

You get to see him make a tool chest!

And when he notices you have the camera, you get shots like this!

*** What happens when you have a cold and it won't go away?

Your face gets covered in crusty green gunk and you look nasty. Poor Rylee. I was going to take her to the doctor, but life got in the way. Maybe tomorrow... if there is school for the big kids.

*** What happens when the weatherman is right?!

You get snow!

And little girls think they want to go out, but don't want to wear their hats.

Those little girls suddenly realize snow is not fun and being outside is not fun when snow is falling everywhere.

*** What happens when that snow keeps falling?

The school has 2 hour early release and Mom gets to sit in the Kiss & Ride line for 20 minutes. Then the kids come home and race outside to play.

The snow was just cohesive enough that Marian was able to make a snowball. And she wasn't the only one!

***What happens when you go outside to take pictures and your only son has a snowball?

You duck fast!

*** What happens when the kids play outside for hours on end?

They return to the house covered in snow and you can't figure out where it came from, until you recall this sort of thing. Callie had a marvelous time making snow angels!

And this is my favorite thing to see. I love it when they pull each other around in the sled. And I think we had all the neighborhood kids in our street for a while. Then they ran off to someone else's house. Right now, its almost dinnertime and I still have 2 outside. I know some kids who will sleep well tonight!!

***What happens when 4 children spend the afternoon coming in and out of the house to play in the snow?

No picture for that mess!!! 10 pairs of wet mittens, 5 soggy hats, 4 saturated snow pants, 6soaking jackets, 4 snow crusted boots, and a frosted partridge in a pear tree!

So proud!

I have the funniest girls. Cute ones too. Today I'm going to spotlight Callie! She is such a great girl.

Callie loves to play with her little sister. Here they are laying with their dress-ups. What lovely ballerinas! Earlier they were puppies. Ballerinas are a little quieter, but the twirling can get a little out of control.

I find Callie sleeping in the most interesting ways. Tonight she was asleep atop a huge pile of pillows and blankets. Earlier this week, she and Delaney had "Slumber Parties" and slept on the floor. This, was my favorite though. I love to read, and I love that Callie likes to read before bed too!

I am now going to brag on my little girl. She is a neat kid, and in our ward, when the children memorize all 13 Articles of Faith, our Primary President will bring them a cake. (Joshua got his cake last month.)

Callie got her cake on Sunday! She was so doggone cute!

Yep, that's my girl. She was smart enough to ask for a white cake with vanilla frosting, so I wouldn't at it all.

Last of the Quiet Books

I have spent my spare time in the last 3 months diligently working on my quiet books. (I have completed a grand total of 5!) The ironing board has taken up semi-permanent residence in the living room, as has the card table, which is covered with fabric markers, 3 feet of felt and 5 books on how to make quiet books. Dan has been oh-so patient with me! I have had a very good time making my books. I really enjoy doing them and I am kind of sad to have to put my stuff away. But I think the time has come.

But first, for those who may care, here are some pictures of pages I haven't put up before:

I like a cute cover. And I thought this picture in a coloring book was SO cute! Plus, this book is going to some boys, so it seemed appropriate.

The signs are all velcroed to the page and can be changed up. I ended up putting an eye hook on the garage to keep the car from falling out all the time.

I finally gave in and did a page with a zipper on it. I fear zippers, so I was really happy that "The Quiet Book Tutor" Blog (link on the right) said she did her zippers by sewing the zipper to the felt and then cutting the slit. Wow! SO much easier! Marian saw this page and informed me that Indians did not decorate their teepees like that. I am glad that she is paying attention in school! (They are studying Indian tribes right now.) Anyway, this was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.

I wanted to try a different face. The face in the book for this page is goofy. However, it is nearly impossible to find a picture of a face in silhouette, so I thought I would try this. I decided I like the goofy face better.

I like the red hair better than the blond, and I did a pocket to hold hair stuff.

I took a chance with this one. Usually I only make pages that I know my kids will play with, but the girls told me this was a great page. It was more work than I anticipated, but that's because I had to make my cupcakes. And the oven stumped me on a few things. I guess I'm into the simpler pages!

I really liked this page, but it has some issues. I didn't quite center it properly, and after making it, I found a cuter gumball pattern. Still, I like this. There are 10 gumballs in there, behind plastic and they are numbered 1-10. So you can take the gumballs out and use them for counting.

I think this is just cute. I used the template from a book, but the star fish and jelly fish were borrowed from another QB blog. The fish are from a fish fabric. They all velcro to the page. Snaps would work also, but I hate sewing them!

This was in the Quiet Book Tutor book, but I couldn't understand how to make it. (I'm not that bright unless its all spelled out for me sometimes.) I saw it on someone else's blog and it clicked. On the blog though, she had a snap closure, but the template called for a lock and key. I married the 2 designs of the chest and it needs a lock. Who knew it would be this hard to find a cheap luggage lock?!! Until I find one, the ring is holding in the pirate booty! Oh, and there is a sting there to tie the key to the page, so it won't get lost.

This seemed like a cute, easy design. I had trouble with sewing the yarn on. It was thicker than I expected. I had wanted to go with 6 strands but I didn't think I could sew it on. I do like this one though. Its not so girly as braiding hair. My 9 year son has been enjoying it.

And there you have it; All the pages I have made! And I am done. So let it be written, so let it be done! And now I have to go clean up all my craft supplies and put away my markers and the card table......