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.