CHRISTMAS EVE AND COUNTING

A DAY TO CALL MY OWN. THAT'S WHAT I HAVE BEEN WANTING FOR A LONG TIME BECAUSE LIFE HAS BEEN SO BUSY LATELY.

I HAVE BEEN TELLING JEFF FOR A WHILE NOW THAT I WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO A DAY WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT WE HAD TO DO, A DAY TO JUST CHILL AND TODAY WAS FINALLY THAT DAY. WE FINISHED OUR ERRANDS YESTERDAY, TURNED OFF THE ALARM CLOCK LAST NIGHT AND SLEPT IN TILL 9 AM. I KINDA HAD A HARD TIME I TOSSED AND TURNED A LITTLE BUT IN THE END IT FELT GOOD TO SLEEP IN. THIS YEAR FOR CHRISTMAS THE KIDS ARE ALL AWAY FROM HOME AND AND JEFF AND I ARE COMPLETELY ALONE. THIS IS A FIRST SINCE WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD FAMILY AROUND. IT HAS BEEN A RELATIVELY QUIET DAY, I WRAPPED PRESENTS, GAVE LEXIE AND BATH AND WE WENT TO VISIT A COUPLE OF FRIENDS THEN WENT TO DINNER. HOWEVER, BY 6:30 TONIGHT JEFF LOOKED AT THE CLOCK AND LAUGHED BECAUSE IT FELT SO LATE, AND HERE WE WERE WATCHING TV LIKE IT WAS JUST ANOTHER DAY AND IT'S NOT. IT'S A CHRISTMAS EVE UNLIKE ANY WE HAVE EVER HAD, ONE WITH NOTHING TO DO. IT WAS THE RELAXING DAY THAT I WAS HOPING FOR WITH NOTHING TO DO, BUT IN REALITY HAVING NOTHING TO DO IS NOT ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE, OUR CHRISTMAS EVE WAS TOO QUIET. MY FAMILY IS NOT HERE, I MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH. IT'S A NEW CHAPTER IN OUR LIFE.

SUCH A CUTIE. ALL CLEAN AND DRESSED UP FOR CHRISTMAS.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

EVERY WEEK I KEEP THINKING THAT I REALLY NEED TO UPDATE MY BLOG, BUT SOMETHING (CHRISTMAS) HAS BEEN GETTING IN THE WAY. I HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY SEWING UP A MERRY CHRISTMAS. I DECIDED TO SHOW A VERY TINY SNEEK PEEK OF SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON. I DONT WANT TO GIVE TO MUCH AWAY BECAUSE ALL PRESENTS HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN OUT YET. BUT IT HAS BEEN SO MUCH FUN TO SEW FOR MY GIRLS. DAYNA AND HAILEY I HOPE YOU LIKE WHAT YOU GOT AND MICHELLE AND JESSICA YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO KEEP GUESSING. :)

REMEMBER THIS...

LIFE HAS BEEN CRAZY AND WE HAVE BEEN RUNNING AROUND LIKE THE PROVERBIAL "CHICKEN WITH IT'S HEAD CUT OFF". I WOULD NEVER HAVE THOUGHT THAT I WOULD LET MY BLOGGING GET BEHIND, BUT I HAVE. I HOPE TO CATCH UP SOON, THERE IS SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT. BUT FOR NOW WITH CHRISTMAS AHEAD PLEASE REMEMBER THIS...

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE ELF!!! AND ONE OF THE MOVIE SONGS IS PLAYING ON THE RADIO RIGHT NOW, HOW'S THAT FOR TIMING?

WHAT IS UP WITH COLDS IN NOVEMBER?

Last November I had the first dreaded cold of the year and here we go again. Another November cold. What is up with that? I don't know where they come from and the hard part is that I didn't have anyone to work for me this week so I just had to motor through it. Somedays have been better than others. On the bright side, its Friday, and I feel much better today, and I get to spend the weekend with my kids. YEAH! It is the annual Idaho Falls ski swap and funny as it seems there are just some thing that we still like to get together and do and the swap is one of them. Oh, and thanks to Ben I found a new drink with 1100 mg of Vitamin C in it and I have drank one a day since. I love Naked Juice Power C Machine. I think it has helped.

THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA

THIS IS OUR PRINCESS. OUR LEXIE IS STARTING TO GET OLD AND LATELY WE ARE NOT SURE WHAT SHE CAN SEE OR WHAT SHE CAN HEAR. WE FIND HER LAYING IN ODD PLACES LIKE IN THE CLOSET, ON THE RUG OUTSIDE THE SHOWER DOOR . PLACES THAT SHE NEVER REALLY WENT BEFORE. NOT SURE IF SHE KNOWS WHERE SHE IS OR IS A BIT CONFUSED. SOMEDAYS IT MAKES ME A LITTLE SAD. I HAVE BEEN SPENDING TIME IN THE BASEMENT SEWING AND I KEEP TRYING TO GET HER TO COME DOWN WITH ME BUT FOR SOME REASON SHE GOES BACK UPSTAIRS AND I FEEL BAD BECAUSE I KNOW THAT SHE SPENDS SO MUCH TIME ALONE THAT I WANT HER TO BE WITH ME. SO I CARRY HER DOWN AND PUT HER ON A CHAIR THINKING THAT IT WOULD BE COMFORTABLE AND SHE WOULD WANT TO STAY DOWNSTAIRS WITH ME, BUT AGAIN SHE RUNS UPSTAIRS. TONIGHT HOWEVER, SHE FOUND THE PERFECT PLACE. ON TOP OF A STACK OF PILLOWS AND A BLANKET. MAYBE SHE DOES SEE BETTER THAN I THOUGHT!

NOT MUCH TO SPEAK OF...

It has been a slow "blog" news month. The first weekend in October a friend and I did a 5K walk/run which I really enjoyed. It was along the Snake River which is so pretty this time of year. I have been going to a total body conditioning class twice a week and yoga once a week and that has been keeping me busy after work. I am working really hard to get into shape for our exciting ski trip to ITALY in 2012. YEAH! (Did I say how excited I am? ...) I am so excited, and want to be in the best shape I can be so I can enjoy it without any aches and/or back pains. Back to the weather... the recent change in the weather has brought me inside and I think I am in the beginning stages of the dreaded winter hibernation. I don't find myself going outside enjoying the cool crisp fall days like I should and I'm staying in the house more, I think that has a lot to do with it getting darker earlier.

The temps have dropped dramatically this week, we had our first really hard freeze and the leaves dropped from the trees overnight, we are definetly headed towards winter. I've canned my applesauce and apple butter, pulled my sewing machine out and spent all day last Saturday sewing and watching countless re-runs of Chopped while Jeff played in the warm sun of Moab. My fireplaces are lit and have been turned on once or twice already, my sweats are now the after work attire of choice now and I have to admit that I do enjoy those things, but I do hate to see the nice weather come to an end. I am hoping that we actually see the forcasted temps in the 50's this weekend so that I will be able to get out for a good long walk/run. (I alway put/run because I am not really a runner, but I do a little to get my heart rate up) My goal for 2012 is a 5k for fun with no walking, we'll see. So as you can see it really has been a slow news month, but I am sure that there will be more to blog about coming soon.

ASK YOURSELF

Maybe if we asked ourselves these questions everyday we would have a more positive outlook on life, improve ourselves and maybe it would help us to do a little better each day.

MY TO DO LIST...

A LITTLE FALL CRAFTINESS

I SAW THESE CUTE PUMPKINS AT THE CRAFT STORE THE OTHER DAY AND KNEW THAT I WANTED TO MAKE THEM AND GIVE THEM WITH MY VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE THIS MONTH. A GOOD WAY TO USE UP THE EXTRA FALL PAPER LAYING AROUND.

WHAT HAPPENED TO FALL?

WELL IF YOU LIVE IN IDAHO AND YOU BLINKED YOU MISSED FALL. WE WERE JUST IN THE BEGINNING OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A BEAUTIFUL FALL WHEN MOTHER NATURE SUPRISED US WITH WINTER IN OCTOBER. IT WASN'T BAD ENOUGH THAT WE HAD A MAJOR SNOW STORM IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR (WHICH STARTED THE SKI SEASON EARLY, YEAH!) AND A WINTER THAT SEEM TO LAST FOREVER, NOW WE HAVE WINTER MAKING ITS DEBUT A MONTH EARLIER THAN LAST YEAR. I AM THINKING THAT BY FEBRUARY NEXT YEAR WE (I MEAN ME) ARE REALLY GOING TO BE SICK OF WINTER, THAT COULD POSSIBLY MEAN 7 MONTHS, YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT, 7 MONTHS OF WINTER HERE IN IDAHO IN 2012. I DIDN'T EVEN GET A CHANCE TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE FALL COLORS AND NOW THEY ARE PRETTY MUCH HISTORY. TODAYS FORCAST, RAIN, CHANCE OF SNOW AND 30MPH WINDS, I HOPE THAT FALL WILL RETURN, BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S NOT LOOKING TO PROMISING.

A FAMILY TRADITION

EACH YEAR WE HAVE BEEN GOING TO THE TGR SKI MOVIE PREMIER  IN JACKSON HOLE.  THIS HAS BECOME A FAMILY TRADITION, BUT THIS YEAR NONE OF THE KIDS WERE ABLE TO COME  SO JEFF AND I  DECIDED THAT WE  HAD TO KEEP THE TRADITION ALIVE EVEN WITHOUT THE KIDS,  HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR THEY WILL BE  WITH US.  WE TOOK OUR BIKES AND RODE UP A REALLY PRETTY ROAD ALONG THE SIDE OF THE SNAKE RIVER WITH A VIEW OF THE TETONS.  AFTER THAT WE MET OUR FRIENDS THE STROBELS FOR DINNER AND THE MOVIE.  THIS SKI MOVIE IS ALWAYS  LOUD AND VERY EXTREME AND THIS YEAR IT DIDN'T DISAPPOINT....  AND JEFF EVEN SNAGGED A TEE SHIRT. 

 

OUR  BIKE RIDE. AND YOUR COULD FEEL FALL IN THE AIR.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

I AM STILL TRYING TO CATCH UP ON SOME FAMILY ACTIVITIES. WE WENT TO PARK CITY FOR LABOR DAY AND WE STARTED WITH THE GIRLS GOING TO SWISS DAYS IN MIDWAY ON FRIDAY. HAILEY LOVED HER OWL HAT AND WOULDN'T TAKE IT OFF EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HOT OUTSIDE.



WE PLAYED ON THE PLAYGROUND WITH HAILEY AT BEN AND MICHELLES APARTMENT WHILE WAITING FOR THE BOYS TO GET OFF WORK.



WE SPENT SATURDAY PLAYING AND HANGING OUT TOGETHER. GRANDPA AND PHYLLIS CAME UP AND WE ALSO SPENT TIME WITH KELLE AND HER FAMILY.

UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS THE ONLY PICTURE THAT I TOOK AT THE RESORT.

JEFF AND I AND BEN AND MICHELLE WENT UP TO SUNDANCE SKI RESORT ON MONDAY AND HAD A LITTLE PICNIC AND TOOK THE CHAIRLIFT UP THE MOUNTAIN. IT IS REALLY A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. I AM HOPING TO GET THERE THIS WINTER TO SKI.



AND BEFORE WE WENT HOME WE HAD DINNER IN OGDEN WITH BRANDON, DAYNA AND HAILEY.

IT WAS A FUN WEEKEND THAT ENDED WITH THOSE CUTE LITTLE PIGGY TAILS. YOU HAVE TO LOVE HER. WE ALWAYS HAVE SO MUCH FUN WITH OUR KIDS AND LEAVING TO COME HOME TO IDAHO IS SOMETIMES VERY DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY LEAVING THAT CUTE SMILE.

WHERE DO PEOPLE COME UP WITH THESE THINGS?

THIS MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD.

SUMMERS LAST HURRAH!!

IT HAS BEEN A BUSY SUMMER AT THE SWANER HOUSE AND IT IS COMING TO AN END, BUT BEFORE WE FALL INTO FALL I DECIDED I HAD BETTER FINISH BLOGGING ABOUT OUR LAST FEW FAMILY ACTIVITIES.

AUGUST WAS BRANDON AND DAYNA'S 6TH ANNIVERSARY, AND THEY DECIDED TO COME UP FOR A LITTLE GET AWAY AND LET GRANDMA AND GRANDPA TEND HAILEY OVERNIGHT. HAILEY STARTED WALKING RIGHT AFTER WE SAW HER ON THE FOURTH OF JULY SO THE WAS THE FIRST TIME WE HAD SEEN HER WALK ON HER OWN. OH WHAT FUN WE HAD!

A TRIP TO THE FARMERS MARKET

IN STYLE.

SIDEWALK CHALK DRAWING

BUBBLE BLOWING

WHAT MORE COULD A GRANDMA AND GRANDPA ASK FOR THAN TO HAVE ALONE TIME WITH THE CUTEST LITTLE GIRL EVER.
PS... MORE ADVENTURES TO COME...I PROMISE.

I LIKED THIS.... THOUGHT I WOULD PASS IT ON

FOR THOSE DAYS WHEN IT SEEMS HARD TO GET MOTIVATED FOR A WORK OUT

THIS SOMEHOW MAKES IT SEEM ACHIEVABLE.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Mark Twain

GREAT QUOTE

"TO KEEP THE BODY IN GOOD HEALTH IS A DUTY....OTHERWISE WE SHALL NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP OUR MIND STRONG AND CLEAR."....... BUDDHA

What else can be said. I think that covers it.

HEY KIDS...YOUR MOM MAY BE OLD BUT SHE IS NOT TO OLD TO...

WATERSKI.

This weekend we went on a boat ride with our friends the Belnaps. We put the boat in at Palisades reservior and road all the way down to Alpine Wy. where we docked the boat and walked into town and had a burger at the Cheeseburger Factory. It was a beautiful day and the chance to waterski again was really getting to me, so after 10 plus years and 4 tries I was up and waterskiing. It felt great. What a great day, beautiful weather, good food, and great friends.

THANKS BELNAPS!

BLOG? STEPS? BLOG? STEPS?

THAT IS THE QUESTION. NOW THAT I HAVE GIVEN MYSELF THE CHALLENGE OF 10,000 STEPS A DAY I HAVE A DILEMA, AND THAT IS EITHER MY BLOGGING OR MY STEPS WILL HAVE TO GIVE A LITTLE. I LOVE MY TIME BLOGGING, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IF THAT PEDOMETER DOESNT HAVE AT LEAST 10,000 STEP ON IT I AM NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY. CALL ME OBSESSED, BUT MY TEAM GOT COMPLETELY SLAUGHTERED LAST WEEK EVEN THOUGH I THINK THE DECK IS STACKED AGAINST US, BUT I AM GOING TO GET MY 10,000 STEPS A DAY NO MATTER WHAT. I HAVE FOUND THAT TUESDAYS ARE THE HARDEST DAY TO GET MY STEPS IN. I ONLY WORK 1/2 DAY AND DON'T GET HARDLY ANY STEPS IN YOGA CLASS. SO TONIGHT AT 8PM AND ONLY 6500 STEPS I HAD A LONG WALK AHEAD OF ME BUT BY THE TIME I GOT BACK I HAD 1100+ STEPS. HURRAY!!. AND I REALLY DON'T WANT TO GET RID OF MY YOGA CLASS. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE A BALANCING ACT TO GET EVERYTHING IN EACH DAY. I THINK I HAVE TO PLAN MY DAYS NOW. HMMM? WHAT A NOVEL IDEA. (STILL WAITING TO GET MY GLACIER PICTURES ON HERE. )

JACKSON HOLE

THIS WEEKEND WE WENT TO JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING WHERE WE MET CLIX AND JULIE. WE WENT TO JENNYS LAKE AND TOOK THE HIKE UP TO THE HIDDEN WATERFALL, SPENT SOME TIME BROWSING IN TOWN AND THEN FINISHED THE NIGHT EATING DINNER AT THE MERRY PIGLETS...YUMMY. THE WEATHER COULDN'T HAVE BEEN BETTER...WE WERE SO GLAD JULIE CAME UP.

LANDSCAPING UPDATE....CLOSER EVERYDAY

BARK DONE!!

NEW CHALLENGE

THIS WEEK I STARTED A NEW EXERCISE CHALLENGE. I HAVE BEEN ATTENDING A CONDITIONING CLASS AT MT. VIEW HOSPITAL AND LOVE IT. THE INSTRUCTOR IS ALWAYS CHALLENGING US AND EVERY CLASS IS DIFFERENT SO WE GET ALOT OF VARIETY AND ALWAYS GET A FULL BODY WORKOUT. IT IS A GREAT CLASS AND I ALWAYS LEAVE SWEATY AND KNOWING THAT I HAD A GOOD WORK OUT. THIS WEEK THE HOSPITAL ALONG WITH A LOCAL BUSINESS IS SPONSORING A DESTINATIONS CHALLENGE TO ANYONE WHO WANT TO PARTICIPATE. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS BUY THE PEDOMETER AND WEAR IT. THE GOAL: REACH THE WEEKLY DESTINATION. EACH PARTICIPANT IS PUT IN A GROUP AND WE ARE ENCOURAGED TO GET AT LEAST 6000 STEPS A DAY(THERE ARE 2000 STEPS IN A MILE) (A PERSON NEEDS 10,000 STEPS A DAY FOR A HEALTHY HEART). WE COMBINE OUR STEPS AT THE END OF THE WEEK TO SEE IF YOUR TEAM REACHES ITS DESTINATION. THEY GIVE PRIZES EACH WEEK AND THE PERSON WITH THE MOST OVERALL STEPS ALSO GETS A PRIZE. THIS WEEKS DESTINATION IS MT. RUSHMORE... EVERY WEEK WILL BE A DIFFERENT DESTINATION.

I HAVE FOUND THAT IT IS VERY EASY FOR ME TO 6000 STEPS A DAY, BUT MY PERSONAL GOAL IS 10,000 STEPS, HOWEVER LAST NIGHT AT 10PM I WAS ABOUT 200 STEPS SHORT EVEN AFTER JEFF AND I PUT DOWN A YARD OF BARK IN THE BACK YARD, SO I WENT OUTSIDE AND RAN AROUND THE FRONT LAWN 3 TIMES TO GET ALL MY STEPS IN. NOT SURE IF THE NEIGHBORS WERE WATCHING AND WHAT THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN THINKING? :) I WOULD SAY IT IS A GOOD MOTIVATOR, WOULDN'T YOU?

NOTE: FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES TO BIKE, THE PEDOMETER DID REGISTER SOME STEPS. I RODE 5 MILES AND IT GAVE ME APPROX. 2000 STEPS. BETTER THAN NOTHING I'D SAY. WISH ME LUCK!

BACKYARD PROGRESS

LITTLE BY LITTLE THE VISION IS BEING COMPLETED. FENCE AND CURBING IS IN. A FEW MORE LITTLE PROJECTS ARE LEFT BEFORE THE SUMMERS END, BUT THE BIG STUFF IS DONE.

YARD UPDATE

THIS WEEKEND JEFF AND I LAID THE LAST OF OUT BACKYARD LAWN. THIS WAS NOT AN EASY TASK BECAUSE WE COULD NOT GET THE PALLETS OF SOD CLOSE TO THE BACKYARD AND SO WE BORROWED OUR NEIGHBORS 4-WHEELER WITH A TRAILER TO GET THE SOD FROM THE FRONT TO THE BACK. WE HAD A LATE START BECAUSE OUR SOD DIDN'T COME TILL AFTER 5PM. WE COULD ONLY LOAD ABOUT 7-8 ROLLS OF SOD IN THE TRAILER AND IT TOOK ABOUT 15 TRIPS AND AT LEAST 1 HOUR OF LOADING THE SOD FROM THE FRONT YARD AND UNLOADING THE SOD IN THE BACK YARD. HURRAY!! WE DID FINISHED ABOUT 99.7% OF THE WORK BY 10PM, IN THE DARK, AND THEN COMPLETELY FINISHED THE REST IN THE MORNING BEFORE IT GOT TO HOT. THE LAST 1000 SQ FEET IS FINALLY DONE. JEFF ASKED ME IF I WANTED A PICTURE OF THE 4-WHEELER AND TRAILER TO DOCUMENT OUR PROGRESS (EVEN HE KNOWS TO ASK IF I WANT A PICTURETO BLOG:) BUT I WAS TO TIRED AND DIDN'T WANT TO WASTE ANY TIME TAKING PICTURES, ALL I WANTED WAS TO GET IT DONE. HOWEVER, I DID GET A PICTURE OF THE FINISHED PROJECT. (NOW JUST INVISION A FLOWER BED AND VINYL FENCE ALONG THE BACK. AHH, IT WILL BE SO NICE.

ANOTHER GOOD QUOTE

"A stronger personal faith in Jesus Christ will prepare [your children] for the challenges they will most surely face." -Neil L. Andersen

BACKYARD UPDATE

THE GRASS ALONG THE STREAMBED LOOKS SO GOOD.

THIS WEEKEND WE SPENT WORKING IN THE BACKYARD. JEFF AND I LAID 1500 SQUARE FEET OF SOD. THE REST NEXT WILL BE DONE NEXT WEEKEND. AND I THINK THAT MOST OF THE HARD STUFF WILL BE DONE. THE REST WILL BE THE FUN STUFF, BRINGING IN SOME DIRT FOR MY FLOWER BED AND BARK TO FINISH THE EDGES AND FINALLY PLANTING. YEAH!!

GOOD QUOTE

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” Helen Keller

GETAWAY

LAST WEEKEND JEFF AND I WENT TO DEER VALLEY FOR OUR ANNIVERSARY AND A LITTLE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR ME. WE MET BEN A MICHELLE AT RED BUTTE GARDENS, IT IS A FUN PLACE TO BROWSE AND GET PLANT IDEAS, AND I LOVE A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN.

MICHELLE SUPRISED ME WITH THIS CUTE PLANTER FOR MY FRONT PORCH. SO CREATIVE!
UNIDENTIFIED PLANT THAT I REALLY LIKED. CAN ANYONE NAME THIS PLANT?

WE MET BRANDON, DAYNA AND HAILEY AT "THIS AT THIS IS PLACE MONUMENT STATE PARK". WE ALWAYS HAVE SO MUCH FUN TOGETHER. WHEN WE SAW THIS GARDEN WE DECIDED THAT THE PIONEERS WERE THE ORIGINAL SQUARE FOOT GARDENERS. WE TOOK A FUN LITTLE TRAIN RIDE AROUND THE LAKE, HOWEVER, I THINK WE LOOK A LITTLE BIG FOR THIS TRAIN DON'T WE? WE FINISHED UP OUR DAY IN THE POOL AT DEER VALLEY AND EATING BURGERS AT "FLIPPIN BURGERS" IN PC, TOPPED OFF WITH DELICIOUS BOSTON CREAM CAKE FOR DESSERT. OH SO GOOD!

YOU CAN CHECK OUT BRANDON AND DAYNA BLOG FOR A FEW MORE PICS .

THANKS KIDS FOR SUCH A FUN WEEKEND!