Recent Adventures with Buster

The boys found Buster in the linen closet ,covered in band aids. He fits right in with our family. We know a certain 5 year old who loves band aids, too!

Buster left the boys a message with M&M's. Hopefully they take note and do as Buster says.

Buster had a little fun with the crepe paper. tTe boys found him tangled up in the Scotch tape!

The boys love waking up each morning knowing that Buster has been busy during the night.They love finding him each day!

Tacky Christmas Sweater Party

Tonight was the 2nd annual (for the Roseville friends) Tacky Christmas Sweater Party. My friend, Amanda has been hosting this party for years. We are happy that she brought the fun out to the West Coast.

Some of the details that contribute to the perfect Tacky Christmas Sweater party are:

Name tags and a tacky gift bow for your hair.

Dinner at the food court at your local mall.

A (re-gifted) gift exchange. It has to be something that you have been given but knew you would never use.

Lots of photos with your  friends who are also wearing their best tacky sweater.

Cupcakes that were frosted with hot pink frosting. YUM!

I do have to mention that I won 2nd place for my Tacky Sweater. I received 2nd place because I had mentioned that I was so cheap. I didn't even buy a sweater, I bought a t-shirt that has the sweater vest on it!

Tina took 1st place and Jessica took 3rd place for her puff paint work of art.

I am already on the hunt for next years sweater. Gotta take that 1st place prize.

Adventures with Buster

Here are a few places the boys have found Buster! We sure have a busy Elf and are convinced that he came to the right home to stay for the month of December!

December 1st

The month of December is upon us. We are excited and so ready. We kicked off our December with a few traditions. The boys received their new Christmas jammies and a new ornament. The boys look forward to this yearly tradition.

Here's to a Happy December!

December 1st traditions

We all look forward to the 1st day of December. Even the younger boys have caught on to the yearly traditions. On Dec. 1st, the boys know that they will get new Christmas jammies that they can wear all month long.



















They also received their advent calendars. They love hunting for their daily piece of chocolate. We won't mention names, but one of them had too much fun and got ahead of himself in the candy department :-). According to his calendar, we are 3 days away from Christmas. Yikes :-). The boys each received an ornament to add to their own personal stash. We buy them a new ornament each year. The idea is that someday(in the far, far future) when they are ready to leave home, they will have ornaments for their own Christmas tree. This years ornaments represented their year in the world of sports. Tanner got a football to remember his 1st season of middle school flag football. He was the team captain and played quarterback. Carter got baseball to represent his awesome All Star season. Garrett got the soccer ball to represent his fun soccer season. Brody got the basketball to represent his 1st official sport. He is so excited to play. They loved their ornaments.















Our December is off to a great start. We can't wait to see what kind of magic the rest of the season holds. Happy December.

December by the numbers

This is my last blog post. This is my last by the numbers post...for 2010. There was so much to be thankful for this December. Our numbers for themonth seem to focus on lots of fun, family, traditions and December "to do's".

ONE happy boy (Tanner) had his cast removed.

TWO a. holiday parties attended.
TWO b. batches of caramels were made(for the first time) and delivered.

THREE batches of fudge were made.

FIVE dozen sugar cookies were made and decorated.

SIX happy family members enjoy a fabulous December.

TEN scrapbook layouts were completed. Not bad for December.

ELEVEN friends pull together to help throw a wedding reception at the last minute.

TWELVE days of Christmas were completed, door bell ditch style.

FOURTEEN blog posts recorded for the month.

FIFTEEN dozen Pretzel Hug treats were made and delivered.

TWENTY FOUR 1st graders had a blast building Gingerbread houses.

TWENTY FOUR Christmas books were read as a family.

TWENTY FIVE days of Christmas countdowns and FUN.

TWENTY SEVEN monogram cards were created as gifts.

FORTY Handmade Christmas cards created.

SIXTY the # of candles on my Dad's birthday cake on the 14th. Happy Birthday, Dad.

SEVENTY ONE Christmas photo cards were received.

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY Christmas cards sent.

ONE HUNDRED SIXTY SEVEN blog posts for 2010...same excact amount as 2009.

THREE HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE days (as of tonight) w/out a Diet Coke(or caffeine) I did it!!!

THREE THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY photos were unloaded off of my camera. Can you say shutterbug?

ENDLESS holiday traditions lived on this month. It is what the holidays are really about...family,our Savior's birth and traditions.



Have a Happy and safe New Year's Eve.

christmas treats

One of our favorite December traditions is to bake treats for our neighbors. We made several different types of treats(I will share those too) this year. One of our favorite treats(super simple and yummy)were the Pretzel Hugs. I am not even sure if that is their official name...but that's what I'm calling them.

Pretzel Hugs
2 bag of Hershey Hugs
1 bag of Pretzels (Butter Snaps)
1 bag of red and green M&M's
(This will make two cookie sheets full)

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Unwrap all of your Hershey Hugs. Place Parchment Paper down on your cookie sheet(this will catch the melted chocolate and save you from a messy pan). Line your cookie sheet with Pretzels topped with Hershey Hugs! Place in the oven for 9 minutes. Once the cookie sheet is out of the oven, Start placing M&M's into the melted hugs. Let cool until until chocolate is set. This takes a while. Do not place in fridge to speed the process up. Your M&M's will get that cracked, old looking vibe to them....yes, I am speaking from experience.

Place them in a clear cello bag and tie off with a fun ribbon. Share them with the people you love!

finding joy in the small things.

I can't believe it is really Christmas Eve, Eve! The boys are over the top excited and had trouble falling asleep tonight! I wonder how long it will take them tomorrow night :-).
I have tried REALLY hard to enjoy this Christmas season! I have tried to find the blessings, the opportunities to serve and most of all, to experience December with my family. We enjoyed lots of fun activities this season and are filing many of them away to repeat next year.

Our favorite activity this month was actually something we did as a family when I was a little girl. I will NEVER forget the year we doorbell ditched my Grandma Davis for 12 days. It was her first Christmas without my Grandpa and we wanted to make her December a little brighter. It was an awesome experience. This year, we picked a family to door bell ditch every night...aka Secret Santa. You do it for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. We typed up silly little notes based on the Twelve Days of Christmas song and attached them to little gifts.


We drive over as a family, usually listening to the GLEE Christmas album...a MUST HAVE!!! The boys would bantered back and forth over things like whose turn it was to carry the gift. Whose turn it was to ring the door bell. Brody had the same job each night. He would watch for the boys as they'd run back to the car and then he'd shout "hit it Dad/Mom". That was our cue to get get out of there fast. We will deliver our last gift tomorrow night. The boys are just as excited about the last delivery as they were the first. This little family activity has brought so much love and laughter into our lives. It really is what Christmas has been about this season...finding the joy in the small things.

What are you enjoying this season?

Happy December

Just typing that simple phrase makes me happy! I love everything about December. I love the decorations. I love receiving Christmas cards in the mail. I love the music. I love the hustle and bustle. I love the opportunity to catch up with family and friends. I love the holiday baking and crafting. It makes me so happy.

Today was a great day. I spent time making lots of peppermint bark and Christmas cards for our adopted Grandparents at church(a way fun service project). I received a Happy Wednesday package in the mail today. My sweet friend, Meridee is trying to "Meridee-ify" my Christmas tree. She sent me two new Christmas Ornaments, a very sweet note and a Target gift card. Such a kind, thoughtful surprise (love you, friend).

We could not let the first day of December pass by without the boys receiving their new Christmas jammies. After they snuggled into their new jammies, they each received their Trader Joe's advent calendar.

Our December is off a to a wonderful start. There are so many fun things to look forward to this month. What are you looking forward to?

Halls are decked

I love the weekend after Thanksgiving! John (w/out me having to ask) got the Christmas tree and all of the decorations out of the garage. Everyone jumped in to help deck our halls. Our home feels festive, the Christmas music is on in the background, and we are ready for December. Bring it ALL on!

special delivery

I love delivering handmade treats to friends & family. Years ago, all of the women in my family who were over the age of 18, would get together & have a candy making/baking day. I loved this tradition. My Grandma Shore would make lunch for us & even had cute Christmas aprons for each of us to wear (I am going to have to find those photos). Each of us would make a different treat & enough of it that each one us would go home with a plate of it. Think cookie exchange, times 10 people. This saved me from days of baking/cooking. One day in the kitchen & I had an assortment of goodies to pass out to neighbors & friends. As some of us have moved away & some of us have gotten older, the tradition has died.

My Aunt Carla would make her yummy fudge each year. It is divine. As December approaches each year, I crave her fudge & can actaully smell it. As I have shared it with friends over the years, I always get requests for the recipe. I thought I would share it on my blog for all of you to enjoy! This year, I cut my fudge into big slabs & placed them in cellophane bags with peppermints sticks. Tied it all up with a cute bow & a photo gift tag. All set to make our special deliveries.

Aunt Carla's Fudge














3 c. sugar
3/4 c. (1 1/2sticks) butter
1 small can of evaporated milk (about 2/3 c.)
1 bag of chocolate chips ( I use nestle semi sweet chips)
1 jar of JET PUFFED marshmallow Creme
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla

Line a 9 in square pan with foil, with foil ends extending over the sides of pan; set aside. Place sugar, butter, evaporated milk in a large heavy saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 4 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. remove from heat.

Add chocolate and marshmallow creme, stir until completely melted. Add walnuts and vanilla; mix well.














Pour immediately into prepared pan; spread to form even layer in pan. Let stand at room temperature 4 hours or until completely cooled.
Store in tightly covered container.

*I have never used a candy thermometer. I don't even own one :-). I just carefully time the 4 minutes! Let me know if you have a questions.

Have a Merry Christmas!

s"NO"w way!!!!!!

this dusting of snow was found in our backyard. We have lived here for 6 1/2 years and this is a first. We had heard on the news that it might snow. John and I were so excited that we couldn't sleep. We did end up falling asleep right before it started to snow. The boys were so excited to see that some light snow had actually fallen during the wee hours of the morning. We are enjoying the cool air & the added feeling of Christmas.

I feel like I am constantly saying "what a great way to kick off our December". I can honestly say that every activity & tradition we have experienced so far has really helped kick off our season & add to the holiday spirit in our home. Tonight was the Christmas party at church. I am happy to report that I did not have to plan the party this year. Oh happy days :-)! We enjoyed a yummy dinner, friends, Christmas lights, & lots of wonderful holiday music.










































We can't forget the visit from Santa Claus either. Last year, Brody cried (total under statement)every time we saw Santa. I have three different sets of photos to prove it. He did not like Santa last year. This year, Santa walked into the party & Brody started yelling, "Santa! Santa! Hi Santa". He then followed Santa all the way up to the front of the room & was ready to climb up on his lap. What a difference a year makes :-).

happy december

Can you believe we are in the month of December? This has been the fastest moving year of our lives.

We love December! With the new month, many traditions are upon us. December 1st is a big day filled with fun traditions at our house. The first tradition was added to our already existing traditions,last year. Not really a new one, but a new one for the 1st day of December. The boys received their new Christmas jammies to wear, starting tonight. This is the 1st year, in the last 9 years(of having multiple children), that all my boys have not had matching jammies to wear. The younger boys got the fitted jammies(Gymboree) & the older boys got flannel drawstring pants with t-shirts(Target).They used to get them on Christmas Eve but then my friend, Stephanie T., turned me on to the idea of the boys getting their jammies at the beginning of December. That way they can enjoy them all month long.














































Up next, advent calendars. This is a tradition carried over from John's Mom. John remembers getting one of these every year. He warned the boys not to do what their Aunt Heidi did many years ago. One year, she opened her entire calendar on the first night(after she was in bed) & devoured all of the chocolate. She never got another calendar after that year :-).




















































Before heading to bed, the boys made Christmas countdown chains. Another great way to use my scrapbook supplies. Apparently, one chain was not enough. Everyone got in on the fun & made one! Let the countdown to Christmas 2009 begin.

decking our halls...

The Christmas party has come & gone! Another HUGE thing checked off my list. We had a great time. The children did a wonderful job with the nativity, the desserts & hot chocolate were yummy, & we had a fun visit with Santa. Good times!








We were finally able to put our tree up on Sunday night. The boys had a great time decking our halls.






We "ooohhhed & aaahhed" over all of our ornaments. There were a lots of "Remember whens" & "Who gave this one to me"? Each of our boys have their own ornament box. We buy them a new ornament (or two or three) each year. I have this bad obsession with Christmas ornaments...I LOVE them! The idea is when they leave home, many years from now, they will have a box of their own ornaments to take with them. My Mom did this for us & it was wonderful. Our first Christmas, as a newlyweds, we actually had some things to put on our tree! It is amazing that it takes a day or too to get the house decked out just right...making sure things are out of Brody's reach-LOL!We actually strapped him into this highchair while we decorated the tree. Don't worry, he was right there with us but just couldn't throw the balls-aka ornaments!



Here are some of my favorite ornaments from years past. I have been so good this year, I have not purchased a single new ornament. I think I hear Pier One calling my name right now-LOL!








We are enjoying our tree!

Grateful for this season where people seem to speak a little kinder & are thinking about others & their needs. Enjoy the season!