Picture update

It's been busy around here, for that reason I am just posting some pictures of all the fun we have had lately. We are blessed. Stay safe friends.

coudn't be happier!

1. worked all day yesterday to get the house clean! so now I can focus on other things!
2. It is snowing, beautiful fluffy snow!
3. I get to hang out with my very adorable baby Sophie everyday!
4. Today is the last day of school for 16 days!
5. I am getting my hair cut today!
6. I am listening to Josh Groban's Christmas CD!
7. It's FRIDAY, and y'all know I love Fridays!
8. It's almost Christmas!
9. Did I mention it is snowing!?
10. I have a wonderful family, and fabulous friends

How could I not be happy? ~E

Christmas is just around the corner!!!

Oh my goodness! Time is flying, but it's been lots of fun. I love the Christmas season. I had a great weekend! Let's start with Thursday night. I made Vanilla, Butter Rum, Orange and Peanut Butter Centers for Chocolate dipping on Friday. I skipped last years candy making 1- I was pregnant and sick. 2- I didn't want to do it by myself and 3- I was moving from one teeny tiny rental to a tiny rental exactly 1 year ago today. So of course my candy making skills this year were a bit rusty. Can I just tell you one of my batches of fondant was so stubborn! Finally and hour and a half into stirring 12 am, I said a quick prayer, please help this batch to work cause I am way to tired to make another, I put the spoon down and let the candy rest, and what do ya know Heavenly Father heard my plea, and the candy worked!!! Whoo Hoo! So Friday I went to my sis-in-law Colette's beautiful new house to dip. My Mom-in-law brought toffee, and she made lunch for all of us. My sis-in-law Janalyn, made lots of Carmel's. My sis-in-law Heather brought stuff for turtles. Paige brought a beautiful smile...and probably something else, but I can't remember...sorry sweety. And Colette made the centers for truffles. We dipped for 8 Hours! It was so fun!

Saturday I bummed around the house and took a very long nap with Sophie while Wes wrestled with the crowds and did some shopping. Poor guy! Oh, oh, and it snowed!!! The kids played all day in the snow, they didn't stop until 10 pm! My sister Amber watched our kids on Sat night while Wes and I and my mom and Chuck went to the James Bond Movie. Wes really liked it...to me there was way more action than dialog, not my fave but it was nice to get out. Sunday morning I woke up and got my Young Women lesson ready. It was all about building relationships and learning how to associate with others. LOVED it! i don't know that I did a fabulous job teaching, but, the girls talked alot, which was great I love there input!

So now this week is crunch week. I have so much to do! Here is my list, I highly doubt I will get to it all!

1. Make Muddy Buddy's for our neighbor gift.
2. Make another batch of vanilla cremes
3.Dip Cinnamon bears in chocolate.
4. deliver neighbor gifts.
5. Christmas shop for All our parents
6. address Christmas cards and send
7. buy gifts for Wes' employees spouses
8. go to dinner with Wes' work associates.
9Godfrey family Party
10. wrap some gifts
11. clean my house as always!
12.Young Women tonight and a Presidency meeting.

OK, I am now having a panic attack, I really should be doing something beside blogging...OK self pull it together!

I know all of you out there are just as busy, hope you all are Happy, Jolly, Merry and are enjoying the season regardless of all the stresses that sometimes go along with the Holidays.

~E

10:46 AM

Holy Cow! It's 10:46 AM and I already have the kitchen and great room cleaned and vacuumed! Seriously since Sophie has joined our "Brood", getting anything done before 3 PM is amazing! I know pathetic, huh?.

Yesterday Wes and I did some Christmas shopping finally! But for some reason we are stumped on what to get almost everyone we need to shop for! Neither of my kids will give me a decent list. Frustrating...Speaking of Gifts,

I read in Gracie's class yesterday. After, I had a bit of time to talk to her teacher. She mentioned that all the kids had made pretty candles out of paper and glitter. They were told to put one Gift that they would like this year for Christmas on the back. She said most put toys or video games. Gracie put the gift she wanted was for nobody ever to be hurt in a Tornado again. Very Sweet I thought. When I got out to my car I was overwhelmed with gratitude (again) that we are all safe and happy. Also for the experience, I think not only did it teach Wes and I alot about ourselves. Our Strengths and our weaknesses, the experience taught my children how fragile life is, and to be aware of the people around them, and their needs. Now I hope I don't sound all "Holier than thou", but, it has taken me a while to find the good in the experience of loosing it all.... I knew eventually it would come. Just not so soon. I finally feel the old door shutting and the knew one opening.

Have a great day! ~E

Slowing Down is Not an Option.....Really!

Wow...it's been busy around here! I keep thinking, just get this and this and that and this done and you can relax. Then I get some more that and this and that to do! Anyone out there in the cyber -world know what I mean?

December is well in to the swing of things! I am enjoying the Christmas season! I have been listening to lots of Christmas music, it helps me get things done, and stay jolly at the same time. I am starting to feel a little pressure because I haven't started Christmas shopping yet, although, I went to Shopko last week and did a Sub for Santa name. I totally forgot what I was there for! I spent an hour getting Christmas for an 11 yr old boy who I will never meet. I felt so privileged to do it. On the little card he got to list a Need, then a Want. His need was clothes, and his want was shoes. No toy was listed. That made me sad, the lady at the booth told me I had a spending limit which also made me sad. But luckily, I was able to get him a nice outfit, some Adidas shoes and a BIG remote control Hummer. All of that and I only went 4 dollars over budget. It made my day to have been able to do this for someone. I am always looking for ways to give back because of all the help we received after the tornado.

So, Saturday Wes got our storage room all ready for all the food that I went and canned. he put shelves together and unloaded my Yukon to fill the shelves! He worked his hinny (spelling i know) off. Yay WES!!!

Sunday we took pics of the kids for our annual Christmas card. It was a chore! Trying to get Sophie to look at the camera, trying to get Hayden to smile (he hates having his pick taken) and trying to get Gracie not to squint! I think we got some cute shots, but lets just say when we were done....everyone needed to go to there own corner of the house to blow off steam! LOL

Hope everyone is having a peaceful, enjoyable, Holiday Season. Stay safe ~E

Finally...

So finally 6 months after the Tornado, I have some furniture. It is such a relief. It took me forever to find what I liked we went to every furniture place in town! I also got a shower curtain for upstairs which is for some reason exciting for me...I guess cause I just like it...LOL. It was kind of hard buying the furniture when I know the whole economy seems to be crashing! I kept thinking what good is this going to do me when we are starving! To make myself feel better, I went today and dry packed canned tons of food storage. I did 96 #10 cans in 1.5 hours thanks to my friend Natalie who came and helped me.I got hard red wheat, dried carrots, dried apple slices, white rice, powdered milk, dried onions, cocoa mix, and potato pearls, black beans, pinto beans and white beans!!! I am going back Monday and doing more! I have been so worried since I don't have any storage after the tornado. I didn't have much, but what I did have blew away. Funny side story here, the day before the tornado my mom called me and we had a small tiff. She was very insistent that I get some more food storage. She told me that the leaders of our church told us to do it so I needed to. I told her I didn't have it in my budget at the moment. The next day you all no what happened. So sometime after I said to my Mom "see aren't you glad I didn't go buy a bunch of storage when you wanted me to?" and she replied, Well, yes it would be gone, but at least you would have been showing obedience to your Heavenly Father by being prepared. This remark has made me think alot, and she was speaking the truth I think.

I am thankful that I was able to get Food Storage today, you never know what will happen tomorrow. I am astounded by the fact that 500,000 jobs were lost in the US in November. I don't believe anyone is immune to what seems to be happening to the economy and the effects of it. I am making my focus right now on getting my house in order and finding ways to serve my heavenly father. ~E

Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving. It was with my Mom and her Husband and all their kids. My moms 3 kids and spouses and chucks three kids and spouses and 16 grandkids. We had to do it at the church cause there are so many of us. It was fun. The kids all ran a bit wild. I made Crab Cheese balls and Apple Pie. Surprisingly I didn't over eat! Natelli and Dave and their 3 little boys stayed with us Thursday& Friday . It was really fun.

Sophie

Sophie is changing every day. She is pretty mobile, she rolls around like a Roley Poly. She loves to eat rice cereal and squash. Her very favorite thing to do is take a bath every night. she splashes and laughs. Wes and I look at her in awe...#1, because we thought we were done having kids until just over a year ago when we got the surprise news. It's so weird that we have a baby, but such a huge blessing. She is so fun and brings so many smiles to all of us. I even think Oscar is growing fond of her!

Gracie

Gracie is so freaking hillarious. We are always laughing at her. She still loves arts and crafts and reading. she is way far ahead in school..sometimes she gets a little bored. Here is a funny story and it is a little TMI, but sooo funny. If you have a week tummy don't read any further.

Last week Wes and I went shopping and left Hayden and Gracie home. About an hour in to our trip we get this message. It's from a very concerned Gracie. It was as follows:

Dadddd or Mommm, if you get this message please call me I am really worried. My poo was just green and I need to know if that is usual, if it's not usual please call me.

Oh my Gosh, it was the funniest thing ever. She was so serious...anyhoo we love her.

Hayden

Here is an update of our little tech-ee. He is doing fabulous in school. Loves science, and social studies. He is always 20 minutes early for school and really enjoys his teacher, Jason Benson. As usual he is still smarter than his parents. The other day he asked Wes if he knew why the funny bone was called the funny bone. Of course Wes was like ...a...no... So Hayden proceeded to tell him that the actual bone is called the humerus bone...then he said " dad, do you get the correlation?" Wes was flabbergasted with H's vocab, and couldn't even think about what H was asking him. Now, i haven't researched to see if what Hayden was saying was fact, but he sure sounded all smart. He loves his xbox. He thinks it is way fun to talk to children from Russia and Japan and Great Brittan. Pretty funny. We sure get a kick out of being his parents.