Christmas Questions...(a.k.a Blog Mood Lifter!)

My last post made me down and thankfully Em had just the solution!
"The Top 20 Questions of Christmas Favorites!"
(Or is it 22?) Anyway, here they are!

1. Gift Bags or Wrapping Paper?
Wrapping paper! I love to wrap after buying gifts.
2. Is your tree real or artificial?
Artificial. I love the look and smell of real trees,
but they make the pre-lit fake ones so easy to put up!
Partylite candles in Pine scent fool everyone.
3. When do you put up your tree?
Usually the day after Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take your tree down?
Um, I truthfully get around to it a week after New Years.
5. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate, but my favorite is spiced apple cider.
6. What is the BEST gift you've ever received for Christmas?
There have been a few. A digital SLR camera...I still love it!
7. What is the WORST gift you've ever received for Christmas?
Granny panties that were 3 sizes too large.
They literally DID go up to my armpits.
8. Do you have a Nativity?
Not right now...but I do love the one Lydia sells w/Partylite.
9. Who do think is the easiest person to buy for?
Toddlers. They love the box the gift comes in too!
10. What is the most annoying thing about the Holidays?
Grumpy shoppers and traffic congestion.
11. Do you mail or e-mail your Christmas cards?
Call me old-fashioned, but I love sending and receiving
Christmas cards by snail-mail.
12. When do you start Christmas shopping?
Around Dec. 1st...payday.
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas Present?
Guilty. Not undesirable gifts, however.
14. What is your favorite Holiday food?
Pumpkin pie. My mom's sugar cookies are a close second.
15. Do you like clear or colored lights?
I prefer clear outside my house, and either looks cute inside.
If I trim a tree for the kids, it usually has colored lights.
16. What is your favorite Christmas TV show/Movie?
I like them all, except Charlie Brown...do they still play that?
17. Do you travel or stay home for the holidays?
We have always traveled, so I look forward to staying home!
18. What is your favorite thing to do over the holidays?
Be with family and friends. And eating way too much.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Who can't? I mean really...unless you are foreign.
20. Do you have an angel or a star on top of your tree?
Neither. I have a big red bow.
21. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
We always open one on Eve and the rest early Christmas morning.
22. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
"What Child Is This?" and "Silent Night". Oh! I almost forgot,
"Did Mary Know" but only if it is sung by the Rasmussen sisters.
The way they sing it has always given me chills.

PS- I would like to say that I love the fact we are going to have a very white Christmas. Maybe my honeymoon with the white stuff hasn't worn off yet, but I love the look of it.
Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

Not A Pleasant Thought...

This post is going to be a little depressing. I was supposed to fly to Texas to visit my friend and have a great time celebrating my birthday with "just the girls". I did not know until the day before I left that my friend's mom passed away the night before from an unexpected heart complication. I'd tell you what it was, but it's a word I cannot possibly pronounce or spell. It was rare, I guess. I still went to be a support for my friend, who quite frankly is a mess. I cannot say the trip was fun. It was enlightening though.
What I learned was this...no matter what age you are, make sure you have a life insurance policy to cover your funeral expenses. A BASIC funeral costs $8,000-10,000. You heard me. That's for cremation in a plain pine box. If you want a nice funeral, you are looking at $20,000 or more. (Maybe Texas is more expensive, I don't know the costs in Utah.) Secondly, make sure your family and loved ones know what your wishes are after you die. Burial or Cremation? Memorial service or full-fledged funeral? Open or closed casket? Who gets your belongings/property/savings? If you have small children, who will raise them? Will you split them up? None of these things are pleasant to think about, but they sure are a burden on your family if you have never talked it over. I felt so bad for my friend because she had NO IDEA what her mother wanted. They didn't discuss it. Her death was very sudden and unexpected. Now my heartbroken friend is scrambling to make arrangements that she "thinks" her mom would like. And it rests all on her shoulders because her dad doesn't even know how to pay the bills. Her mom did everything. Everything but plan ahead. She was 62.
Death is hard enough on the living without all the decisions that unavoidably follow.
Just think about it.
Talk it over with someone.
Life is so short, so plan ahead.

*****Stepping off of soapbox******

Ski Lessons

Connor and Gavin got the opportunity this weekend to attend their first ski lesson. We enrolled them in 4 weekly 2-hour classes to help them learn to ski. Already after one lesson, they are doing fantastic (and they love it). Sean caught some of the highlights, and I wanted to share them.

Our first time down the hill....with Instructors Phil and Tim.

Go Gavin Go!

All smiles up to the top.

How do you get back up? This is tricky.

Hi Dad!

Connor took to skiing like a duck to water.

I don't even have to look where I am going!

This is fun! Riding up and skiing down.....

A pro. Connor skiing "Little Cat" by himself.

Yep, we're awesome.

New Look

Hi everyone.

Just trying on a new background, thanks to inspiration from Emily's and Natalie's blogs. Like changing my hairstyle, this will probably take some getting used to. I may change my backgrounds more often, just to spice things up!
(If I change my hairstyle...watch out, y'all.)

Thanksgiving = Lazertag?

Lots of lovely words spring to mind when someone says "Thanksgiving".The beautiful fall weather, a delicious meal, spending quality time growing closer to loved ones.
I bet no one would say "LAZERTAG"!
That is the word that springs to mind this Thanksgiving. A bunch of nutty adults running around in the dark, bundled up, equipped with fashionable gear, and mocking smiles... trying to kill each other in new and exciting ways. Steve Caldwell (my bro-in-law) gets the "kills with skills" award. He hiked up in the rafters of the cabin we stayed in to taunt and completely decimate his fellow taggers. He actually did have a uni-bomber appearance which must have aided him greatly in his killing spree. All I can say is Wow. You guys are great.

Thanksgiving Lazertag Club
Back row: "Uni-bomber" Steve, Jen, Clayton, Mindy
Front row: Mike, Sean, Emily

P.S.- I think my "G" rated Blog site just became
"PG" with all the killing words.

Halloween Spooks A Plenty

I love Halloween. As a kid, I loved to trick-or-treat until the pillow case was too heavy to carry, or until people gave us crabby looks when we'd ding the doorbell past 9:00. As an adult, I am having just as much fun carving pumpkins with my kids or watching them run from house to house with huge smiles on their painted faces. What's weird about my kids though, is they enjoy the Trick-or-Treating gathering rather than the gorging on candy until they are sick. I don't get it, but I am definitely not complaining.

Maybe it has something to do with the "Candy Fairy". A couple of years ago, we introduced the candy fairy. The more candy you leave in your sack at the end of your bed on Halloween night, the more she'll trade you for it. She's pretty generous if you give her ALL of your candy. Connor got a guitar from her last year because he did not eat a single piece! Amazing but true. Gavin has a little harder time giving up his goodies. (This year he didn't want to give her any) But, in the end, it works out well. Why do this? Why would I allow a strange fairy into my home to take away all my kids hard earned candy?? It's a blessing not to have over-sugared kids (and Mom) in the house for a week. I know this won't last long. Santa Claus, Candy Fairy, and the Tooth Fairy will all be extinct by next year. I am clinging to the last remaining imaginations of my children. And hey, they aren't complaining. They get a pretty sweet toy they've had their eye on. WIN-WIN!

We were lazy (and when I say "we" I mean "me") this year and recycled some costumes. After our trip to California last week, I just couldn't get excited about going to a picked over store looking for last-minute costumes. The kids looked cute anyway in their not-so-new costumes. Take a look.............

Arrgh, the treasure...

where did ye hide it, ye scurvy dog??

My darling blue-eyed pirate,
how I love your painted-on beard, and silly face.

Never grow up, Connor.

Superbaby saves the day! He is a master at
drooling on foes and blasting them
with toxic fumes from his diaper.

Brennan is my kryptonite.
Too...cute...can't...move!A fun shot for the scrapbook.
Pirates, Peter, and a cute witch to boot.

Framing, framing, framing!

Okay, I totally warned you all. I get into this sort of thing, and sadly nothing else major is happening in my life, so you'll get to see every detail of this house being built whether you like it or not. Sure, I will throw the occasional picture of my kids or a rare moment worthy of posting, but the majority of the posts from here on out (until April, at least) will be ones just like this.
Framing! HOORAY! I never thought I would see the day when I could actually SEE what my house will look like. I have already gushed about our framing crew. They are awesome, of course. But we go on vacation for a few days and BAM! There's a house, framed that is.

Here's the front..porch, entry, garage, guest room...
click on these if you can't see 'em too well.

Back of house...dining, living, master bedroom windows.

Standing in the living room looking at the front door
(office to the left, stairs to the right)

Living room to the back porch.
There will be a big fireplace going in on the left there.
All windows and a french door! Pretty, pretty.

Dining room/ breakfast nook off of the kitchen

Kitchen (cabinets and bar will be here).
Pantry is straight ahead. Office to the right.

Master bedroom...ahhh, my retreat.

Guest bedroom. What a view!Just a couple of basement shots...this is the game room.Kitchen/dining area,
home theater through the right doorway.
I am printing these pages off and compiling a chronology book of our building adventures. I am sure there will be good and bad times, ups and downs. But overall, it is a fun process and is so exciting to see OUR home! Please put up with me for the next few months...I will be a little obsessed if you haven't picked up on that already. Sorry. :)

Disneyland fun!

We took a little break during the kids' fall break at school. Where did we go? Disneyland, of course! We had an awesome time...the boys are really at the age where the wonder and magic are at an all time high. We had so much fun! BUT I am glad it is over. Three days at Disneyland is one day too many. We tagged along with Mindy and Steve and all their kids. It was a trip we will never forget. On with the show.... ( I apologize in advance for no pictures of my nieces and nephew. I only took pictures on the last day when we went our seperate ways. I did get one shot of dinner together, however).

Brennan and the binkie...
Man, I need to break him of his crutch. (Shudder to think).

"Hey! I don't think I can break this bridge...but let's find out!"

Connor's engineering tests prove successful.

Indiana Dad strikes again! (Connor took the photo I think.)

Happy baby's got his blanket, binkie, and no shoes! Hooray.

Brennan fought the nap for two days straight...

and finally gave in on the last day.

The bruise over his eye is from
doing battle with the coffee table.
It obviously won.

It's a small castle, after all.

Connor's attempt at being King of England...

...Gavin puts a little more effort into it.

The Mathis Train

Watch out, Toon cars drive themselves.

Back at the hotel....Brennan has
more fun playing in the cupboards.

Where's Connor?

Our last night at Disney. Rainforest Cafe was fun,

but if I never see another animatronic animal, pirate,
huge boulder rolling on top of me...that's just fine.
:)

Floor Joists and Snow

This may end up being an incomplete post only because I did not get the chance to take all the photos I wanted to take today. Our framers are frantically working to get us "dried-in" (meaning all framed with a roof on) before winter really hits. Our basement is totally framed now, (pictures to follow soon), and they laid the floor joists today amidst frigid temperatures and soggy wood. Our framing contractor Randy is the greatest guy...so flexible to last minute changes, and has even come up with some neat solutions to unforeseen problems. (Not to mention, meticulous). He is dead-on with the measurements of our rooms (which we've measured ourselves to make sure) and every wall is perfectly plum. It's nice to see someone take such pride in their work. Sorry... straight walls just make me so happy!

Still not a whole lot to see from this angle, but the floor joists are down and ready for a floor.

We are supposed to be getting the back porch, basement steps and driveway this week as well.

The park in front of our house is sure coming along nicely. The sidewalks are poured, the gazebo is being built, and the playground will be going in soon. Also, it's fun to see some snowy peaks...as long as it stays on the peaks and not in my house. (Crossing fingers the weather will hold!)

30 Pounds Lost....Never to be Found!

Today marks a very special occasion for me. Since the beginning of June, I have been working on losing some weight. I am embarrassed to say I topped the scale just shy of 200 pounds. (No, I do not have a before picture, unless one of you sneakily took a picture of me at Lydia's baby shower.)
Weight (gaining, losing, gaining more) has always been my nemesis in life...and something I never felt I had control of. Well, I have lost 30 pounds! That sounds like a lot doesn't it? Too bad it doesn't LOOK like a lot, especially since I have about 40 left to lose. But, I am happy and proud that I have gotten this far. I guess I am FINALLY figuring out (after 34 years) what food is. Food isn't the enemy I always thought it was. It is a friend who demands respect. Thankfully, it's finally clicking in my head...it's not so much what you eat, but at what TIME and HOW MUCH. No more nighttime ice cream binges. If I want a little treat, I have a small serving before 3 pm. If we eat out, I cut my portion in half or share with someone else. No eating after 7 pm, period. These little lifestyle changes are something I know I can stick with for the rest of my life. I don't dread working out like I used to, either. I have my days where I really don't want to go to the gym, and sometimes I don't. But, once I am there I wondered why I dreaded going in the first place. I feel alive, and AMAZING!
Sorry for the boring post. This is more for me than anyone else really....just trying to keep myself truckin' and pep talks (even to myself) are always good. I will be posting my photo soon... just got to get over my fear of the camera first. ;)

Concrete Done!

So here is the latest on our house. Concrete floors? Check.
We even have the radiant floor heating installed,
so now on with the framing!
Things are going much slower than I anticipated,
but maybe that's just the way things are around here,
right Mindy? ;-) (Speaking of just that, Mindy needs
to post an update with new pics of her house too!)

Connor looking in to what will be the home theater
on the left and the kitchenette on the right.
Straight ahead is the recreation room. (Or until it is finished,
the "ride your bikes around in a circle until you get sick" room)

A better angle on the home theater,
the 2 car garage is the gravel to the left,

and the 3rd garage bay will suspend over the home theater.

Here are some of the bedrooms, cold storage areas in
the far front left and back right, and HVAC room where
all the red tubes are sticking up.
Ahhh, warm concrete floors will be nice.
My next big project? I am going to do some concrete staining
in the bathrooms, kitchenette and workout area.
Never done it before,but I am borrowing my builder's wife
who is supposedly really good at it.
Hopefully, the floors will turn out nice.