another wreath

i made a couple wreaths for christmas this year...this one in particular is one that i made for my grandma...i knew she would love it, and she did. i think i even saw some tears :) these wreaths are so super easy and fun to make...i can't wait to see mine in paper trends...only a couple months away! how exciting!
well, keith got in late last night to florida...but it wasn't without stress, cause his flight was late getting into charlotte, which meant he had to sprint to his next flight...luckily they waited for him to get there, otherwise he would have had to wait until morning for the next flight, as that was the last one to fly out! oh yah, friends, if you're interested in visiting us in sunny florida, you can get on southwest right now and book a flight for $59!! that's one way, but super cheap! i think you can fly till the end of april or something...so, come on out...we'll have plenty of room in our new townhome! we signed the lease today so it's official! it's a 5 bedroom townhome...which we don't need 5 bedrooms, but for the price and location, we took it! so, i was going to make one of the rooms into my scrap room, but after being there today, we switched things around, and the master bedroom (which is actually on the lower level) will become the guest room, and we will take the biggest room upstairs and one side will be for my scrap stuff. i'm happy...i get a new area, and a new desk and some new shelves...i'm excited!! and it's nice for when we have guests, cause they are downstairs, in the back of the house, with their own bathroom...and we don't have to feel like our kids are bothering them at night or anything...i mean, it's rare for our kids to all sleep through the night...one of them always needs a drink, or to go potty, or whatever, so we figured it would be best to be upstairs with them. i really am just so excited for all of this! it's happening in 2 weeks...can you believe that???
on that note...keith will probably kill me for putting this on my blog, but i was so moved when i read this, that i just had to share. this is his "farewell address" as he called it, to all of his co-workers. basically, an email he sent to them, on his last day...i was blown away when i read it:
"With today being my last I wanted to convey my deep gratitude in working alongside with each one of you. It has been a pleasure getting to know many of you over the years. Life seems like a revolving door many times with people coming and going during our lifetime. And it has come to a point where I'll be leaving StateStreet and may not see many of you ever again. I was up at a ridiculous time this morning, with the help of Caedmon(the 3-year old), and it was really put in my mind to write what I needed to say today. So being way to early to do anything else, I listened. Working with all of you over the past 4+ years has been a great experience for me. Some of you I have known longer than others, but my hope is that each one of you was encouraged, and not discouraged, in our interactions with each other. My purpose at StateStreet was much greater than getting the job done each day or getting along with co-workers, but rather to point to someone greater than I. Many of you know who I am and what I represent and my only hope is that my actions, work & knowledge were seen as representative of my belief. My purpose has brought me and my family to Orlando for a new adventure. My hope is that each one of you would take time to reflect and find purpose in your life as you continue down it's path. May each one of you aspire to great things this coming year! Thanks for working alongside me. Off to the sunshine! "
ummm....yah, the tears were flowing from my eyes when i read this. i am married to a good man. he told me later that he felt God telling him that he needed to write this...and so he obeyed...he just knew that his time at state street wouldn't mean much if people weren't absolutely sure of his faith. he is such an encouragement in my life...he is always striving to be closer to our Lord. seriously, i love that man.
well, have a great night and thanks for stopping by :) we'll be flying home tomorrow...pray for safe & timely travels! thanks all :)

84 degrees

hi all! i've been a bad blogger :( but, i'm back (at least for a short time)...my mom, milo and i are in florida right now, hunting for a place to live and the good news is...we've found one! the exact one that i wanted, was still available, so we went ahead and decided on it...it's perfect for us, and the best part about it is that when we look out our back door, "campus crusade for christ international" is right there! keith's job is right there!!! i'm so stoked! we are used to keith driving 45 minutes back and forth to work everyday, and now he's so close, he could walk! it's such an answer to prayer...God is so faithful when we trust in Him.

keith's flight gets into orlando in about 3 hours, so i'm definitely excited to see him...and to show him the place tomorrow! i know he'll love it! it's been fun to get to explore this city today...it's completely different from what i'm used to. the high today was 84*...we left kansas with snow on the ground (and i heard you all got more last night)...and came into 80* weather. the place where we'll live has a community pool in it, and people were swimming today!! can you believe that?? well, if you live in florida, than you can believe it, but it's just so crazy for me to see! i can hardly believe that we are going to be living here...all i know is kansas...that's all i've ever known! it's such an exciting adventure! we drove up to crusade's headquarters today, and looked around. if you have never been there, they are just about the most beautiful buildings i've ever seen...i got major butterflies in my stomach when we were there...i'm just so excited for keith. this is his dream job!! i know he's going to love it, and i have no doubt that this is where we are supposed to be right now...we have been praying (along with a lot of other people) about his job situation for so long now...it's such an answer to prayer :) is this all really happening?? pinch me :) well, not really.

i'm glad to have found our home...i miss caedmon and hadley terribly (why is that, cause they drive me crazy when i'm around them :) )...i can't wait to get back to kansas and see them...and give them the biggest hugs :)

well, i'm off to shower and get ready for bed...i didn't get very good sleep last night, so i'm hoping to make up for it tonight! g-night!

christmas card

merry christmas!

love, the anderson crew!

the nativity story

keith and i rented "the nativity story" last night. it was by far one of the best movies i have ever seen! have you seen it? if not, i highly recommend it...and try to watch it in this season. you'll have a new found appreciation for christ's amazing birth. i mean, can you imagine? how scared mary must have been, when an angel told her she would conceive God's son...how much faith it took for her to trust. she was so young (some say 13 or 14 years old)...and she was pregnant with God's son. what a responsibility she must have felt. what if she didn't raise him the way God wanted...what if she couldn't be a good mother for him. all those questions must have been racing through her mind. and then to have to tell joseph, the man you are supposed to marry, that you are pregnant and it's not his baby, but it's God's baby. yah, can you say crazy? i bet joseph was thinking "do i really want to marry this girl?" but what blows me away even more is the way joseph took this girl and cared for her. he could have easily accused her, which would have then led to her death by stoning, but instead, he chose to believe her, and care for her and this baby, who was not even his. he took mary to bethlehem (a hundred mile walk)...he walked the whole way, pulling a donkey behind him, that was carrying mary. i just love that. joseph believed mary, that she was carrying God's son, and he stood by her (even though everyone in the town disliked them now). he knew that this woman was to be his wife, and through good times and bad, he would stick by her. and that is exactly what he did. it's a beautiful representation of how marriage is supposed to be. about how marriage is not about feelings, but about actions. joseph may not have wanted to care for mary the way he did, but he knew he was supposed to, and from that, bloomed a beautiful love. and mary could trust this man to stay by her side and take care of her and this unborn child. i was overcome with emotion by watching this movie. what a great reminder of what this holiday is really about. it's not about the magic of santa, or presents...it's about the birth of a beautiful baby, in a stable, a long time ago...to 2 young, scared parents, who trusted the Lord with all that was in them.

again, if you haven't seen this movie, go see it! buy it! i'm so glad we bought it...it's one that our whole family can watch. and i think we are going to start a tradition where we watch it on christmas eve or christmas day every year.

we hope you all have a very merry christmas!!

sweet sixteen

i had the rare opportunity to take some pictures of my 16 (soon to be 17) year old sister...yes, sister. we look nothing alike, but alas, we are related! i love how these pictures of her turned out...her eyes stand out and are just stunning, huh?

could hannah be any cuter??? anywho, the next pic is of me, my mom and hannah! i had fun taking pictures of hannah (i also took some stellar pics of my mom, her husband, doug, and hannah all together...they were awesome!) thanks for being such beautiful subjects guys!!

siblings

brotherly love...

and then brother, sister "love" as we like to call it...right after hadley slapped him on the face.

they really do love each other :)

no more monkeys jumpin' on the bed...

allyson needed a quick shot of her family having fun and jumping on their bed, for their christmas cards...so i helped her (even though i was very nervous the whole time! she's an awesome photographer...so, i really wanted to make sure i got what she wanted :) ) when i was taking the pictures, i ended up doing the EXACT thing that i hate when photographers do to me...just standing there, asking them how they want the photo, rather than getting right in there and snapping away. so sorry for being so lame allyson, blame the nerves! anyways, the picture on their christmas card, really inspired me to take pics of my kids having fun and jumping on the bed. they love to play on mommy and daddy's bed (probably because it's soooo comfy and big!!) so, while they were doing it today, i snapped some pictures...i LOVE them! i'm so glad for the inspiration...thanks cheney ;) i can't wait to scrapbook these...if i ever find the time...ugh!
speaking of time...i had the whole day to myself (and milo) yesterday! for christmas, my friend jenn wanted to give some of her friends a "day to themselves"...and it was EXACTLY what i needed! i spent the day finishing up my christmas shopping, wrapping presents and reading the new CK issue...i saw it on the stands at hobby lobby, complete with elizabeth kartchner on it...and so, i couldn't resist, and i bought it and enjoyed every minute of my peace and quiet, reading the mag. AND, i've been complaining the past couple days cause i still hadn't received my demo copy of the new su! catty...even though everyone and their brother had already received theirs days earlier...i was about to call su! and give them a piece of my mind, when i found out that it had been sent to my dad's house...little ol' me forgot that i changed the address in my profile to my dad's address, just in case anything was sent after we moved. ooops, yah, my fault! and i must say...i have heard that people haven't been very impressed with this fatty catty, but i love it! the cover/colors are the best that i've ever seen su! put out...i think it's just a beauty! i can't wait to sit down and check out all the ideas in it! alright, gotta run and try to rest while the kids are enjoying a movie...i feel a cold coming on...ugh...not again. can this house ever be completely and totally sick free??? anywho...have a good day!

busy weekend!

well, it's been a busy couple of days! as you can see from the pictures, we got snow!! my wish came true :) i really wanted to be able to play in the snow at least one more time before we leave for warm and sunny florida and it happened! and i don't need to ever play in it again...it was bitter cold, with the wind blowing in our faces, and the snow falling. and of course, the amount of time it took to get all the kids bundled up was about the same amount of time that we spent outside! we went with our good friends, the cheneys...thank goodness allyson took some pictures...otherwise, our last sledding experience would not have been documented! thanks cheney! as you can see in this picture...caedmon and hadley had a blast going down the hill...that is until...

...hadley fell off the sled, face first...ouch! and would somebody please get the girl a kleenex??

i even went down the hill a couple times...seriously, sledding is fun!! it's been YEARS since i've been on a sled, so i had a blast too! when we were driving home keith said "i didn't even get to sled"...he was so busy helping kids and holding the baby that we forgot to send him down the hill too! bummer...and i'm sorry babe! maybe there will be a fluke snowstorm in florida and i promise you can sled then!

here is milo...he hated the cold...the wind on his face was overwhelming for him...he just cried until he finally fell asleep! yah, it was cold...but lots of fun! and i'm so glad we got to go...especially for the kids!

that night, we tried to get a date together with some of our friends, but all of us failed at finding babysitters, so what's the next best thing to do when no one can find a sitter? you guessed it, go to chuck E. cheese. so that's what we did. and i never need to go there again as well. places like that stress me out. i know that the kids can't get out the door because they stamp your hand, but i constantly feel the need to keep my eye on the kids and when i can't see one of them, i freak. and then i get frustrated with keith cause i feel like he's not watching them. ugh. never again.
today we had a family christmas party...my cousin, connie, works at a scrapbooking company and so she had a surprise for me and another cousin...free scrapping goodies!! organizers, totes, paper, punches...you name it, she had it! it was like christmas, my birthday and mothers day combined!! thanks connie...i'm so excited to use my goodies!!
well, i am on the house hunt for homes in florida...looking online for a home is tough...very tough. but i know that it will work out...and i'm trying to get all the moving stuff figured out too. ugh again. i am seriously on the internet all day long these days...looking for homes...contacting people about homes...working on moving stuff. i know the kids are feeling the lack of attention, and so they choose to fight with each other...which then frustrates me, cause i just want to do all of this stuff in peace and quiet. it's annoying when you have to hang up with a realtor or someone because your kids are screaming at each other in the background and you can't hear anything. on friday, my stepmom came and took the kids for a couple hours so i could work in a little peace...thanks michelle! and i'm so excited for tuesday cause my friend, jenn, is taking the kids from 9-4!!! that is her christmas present to me (and a couple other gals) and i'm telling ya, there is really nothing i need more right now, so thanks a ton jenn!
well, i'm not quite sure how much crafting i will get done from now until we get to florida...i had to take my craft table back to my dad's house today (they needed it so people could eat off of it)...and it's their table anyways, so we just left it there. so now my stuff is strewn all over the basement...there's just no organization to it, not to mention i don't have a hard surface to work on down there...so, we'll see...but this may just be a family blog until i can start crafting again! sorry if you come to my blog to see my crafty stuff...i'll try my hardest to create something (for my sanity as well) but it's just not high on my priority list right now. we'll see!
gotta run and spend some time with the husband!

random facts

i was tagged by the fab elizabeth kartchner to post 7 random things about me (that you may or may not know)...so here ya go:
1) i can recite almost every line of nacho libre...and so can my 3 year old son.
2) i still sleep with a stuffed animal named "blankie bear"...he used to be my blankie (that i've had since i was a baby)...but my mama had someone turn him into a bear for me...when she thought i was too old to still have a blankie. (i mean, i was in high school). i can't go anywhere without him. and sometimes, caedmon tries to take him from my bed and sleep with him, and i have to steal him back after he falls asleep.
3) no matter the temperature, i have to have my feet sticking out of the covers when i sleep...i absolutely cannot sleep with them under the blankets!
4) i jam out to hip hop music when i'm driving in the car by myself (and sometimes when the kids are in there too).
5) i once got a concussion when i was surfing...i fell off the board and it came back and knocked me in between the eyes!
6) every day at nap time, the first thing i do is eat a huge, heaping, spoonful of peanut butter...my kids are allergic to peanuts, so i can't really eat it around them, so i wait till there sleeping and enjoy my PB in peace.
7) this makes me laugh the hardest, but in high school, i was a varsity cheerleader! ha! go tigers :)

and now, since this is an anderson blog, i thought it would be fun to have keith post 7 random facts about himself:

1) emily was the first girlfriend i ever had.
2) i am a northern california boy, living in the midwest.
3) i like to watch the gilmore girls...it's pretty much my favorite show.
4) my dream would be to rent an RV and travel cross country with my wife when we're 60 years old.
5) i've had a partially collapsed lung, but still went to my prom just a few days later.
6) i wish i was bear grylls (man vs. wild). yah, all the ladies would dig me for sure.
7) i think i'm cool.

okay, so now i have to tag more people to do the same thing SO: Allison, Jenn W, Jeanna, Allyson, Melissa, Carly, Toni & Brooke...go for it!

just some random thoughts

so i got to talking with some girlfriends tonight...about blogging and such...and something they made note of is how they don't like the blogging world and they don't want to get caught up in it because they think it can be an artificial world. now, i completely 100% understand that. some people have their blogs so that other people look at their blogs and think "man, i wish i was her"...we as woman are so friggin' competitive and judgemental about anything and everything, that why wouldn't blogging fall under that category too? and that just plain stinks. i never had any intention of starting this blog so that people would be jealous, or that people would think "she's a better mom/crafter/wife/whatever than me." because for real, why would you think that? i am so far from perfect (along with everybody else) and i just want to make sure everyone out there knows that. yah, i may not post all the horrible things that happen during my day, but believe me, they happen...daily...sometimes hourly. (i would seriously bore you with that!) now, i have to clarify that my friends were not saying that they felt like my blog was fake, but occasionally they visit other blogs and their minds just start reeling...and believe me, i've done the same thing. sometimes there are just some blogs that i can't even go on, cause i know where my brain is that day, and it just wouldn't be good for me. i would start thinking "man, she's so much better than me"...stop!! that is not what this is about...for me, this is about being able to 1) post my creativity...and not really for all of you, but mainly for me (and hopefully my kids will see it one day and think i'm cool :) ) & 2) to keep out of town family up to date with what's happening in the anderson fam. so, i beg of you...if you are blog surfing and you start admiring/become jealous/think the person's perfect...just seriously stop and click the X button and close the computer. the devil will use this tool as much as he can to get in our heads and have us start believing the lies. and if you are a blogger...just be real on your posts. i would much rather know that you had a bad day, just like i did that day...than get a "oh, life is great" post. ya know? i dunno, i am just so grateful that there is such a thing as a blog...especially now that we are moving cross country. it will be a tremendous blessing to my friends and family once we move. so, i'm done rambling, and i guess if you've read it this far...thanks for listening...long live real bloggers!

mexican food & margaritas

well, last night, amidst the pouring down rain we were having, me and some of my best girlfriends decided to go out to my all time favorite authentic mexican restaurant. we ate lots and lots of yummy food and had some yummy drinks as well. it was seriously the most fun i've had in a long time! there was hardly anybody there, because of the weather, so we were able to be loud and silly and the waiters were having fun with us too. we got free cheese dip, fried ice cream, and of course the girls got a free shot for me. ya know, cause it's my going away party (even though i plan on eating at this restaurant at least 4 more times before we leave :) ) oh 'mi ranchito'...how i'll miss thee (sniff, sniff).

here's amy, marietta, moi & jami (allyson is on the other side of the camera)

okay, this is funny in so many ways (and probably only the girls who were there last night will think it's funny, cause you truly had to see it). all of the waiters started clapping and coming towards our table with a giant sombrero...of course i immediately stand up and take the giant hat, thinking it's for me...well, all of a sudden one of the waiters runs off and grabs another one, and brings it back for a lady at a table right next to us. apparently it was her birthday and they were coming to sing to her, but i clearly stole her thunder. oh well, i stood up there with the waiters and helped them sing to her...a song that was ridiculously long and in spanish, which i don't understand a word of...and the manager put his arm around me and we started swaying...i couldn't stop laughing...i mean, the waiters were so nice and funny...and instead of saying "umm, i'm sorry the song and hat are not for you" they played along with it and let me stand up there. they were probably thinking "poor girl...we're embarrassed for her, so we'll let her have the hat too".
and here is my face after the girls made me take my shot...okay, we clearly knew nothing about shots, cause we were just like "give us something yummy"...i don't know about you, but i've never had a yummy shot...anyways, the manager and bartender were back there making up a yummy concoction for me...and it indeed was...a schnapps mixture. it was YUM! but you still can't help making that face...ya know? thank goodness they didn't make me do a tequila shot...i would have passed out right then and there.
it was a lot of fun and i'm so thankful we got to go out...i love those girls!!! thanks girls :)

a complete layout

so, here is the other page that completes this layout...i LOVE that picture of caedmon holding my belly...(yes, my belly looks like a gigantic boob...but it's still sweet). the greenish paper is from the same paper pack, that i so endlessly raved on yesterday...i LOVE it! anywho, enjoy the pages!
so, today is day #2 of the ice/sleet/snow storm that we are dealing with, and that has kept us in the house for the majority of the past 36 hours...our kids were getting cabin fever this morning, so we loaded them up and took them to grandma and grandpa's house...nothing like a little spoiling to cure the winter time blues, right? our kiddos (including me) have been in our jammies for 2 days straight...we don't leave the house, so no need to change clothes, right?? there's nothing more dirty feeling than going to bed in the same clothes that you woke up in. yum. speaking of jammies, my son has officially named himself the "jammie king"...the minute we walk in the door, he runs up to his room, takes his clothes off and puts on some jammies (we caught him in milo's pants last night...they looked like midget's capris on him...how he got his legs in the leg holes, is beside me...but just imagine...it was quite funny)...anyways, he puts his jammies on and then finds his king's crown and runs around singing "i'm the jammie king"...yes, it was cute the first 38 times, and now it's just annoying...the child changes his clothes more time than a woman does...that's pretty bad. and he loves to change his underwear too...so there is just 3 year old boy underwear (complete with spiderman, batman, superman and any other "strong" man plastered all over the boo-tay of them) strewn all over the house, and i'm not sure if it's clean or dirty, so i put it in the dirty clothes...and pretty soon, 42 pairs of underwear is down to 3 pairs, and i have to do laundry yet again, cause caedmon's undies are filling up the hamper. so, for whatever reason, he loves to be in his jammies and change them quite often, and he loves to think that he's a king. oh the stories i will have to tell his future wife one day...payback for what he's putting my through right now :) well, we've got to get some things done while the kids are away...we're trying to paint and pack and all of that fun stuff that comes with moving cross country...hallelujah it will all be done with in a month!! all right...peace out my friends!

finally! something creative :)

well, i finally had the chance to sit down and scrap last night! yah!! keith was super tired and went to bed early, and so i decided to stay up and use this fabulous new stampin' up paper that i just got! it came on thursday, and it's been calling my name ever since!! it's from the new spring/summer collection, that will be available in january...i'm not kidding when i say this has to be my favorite designer paper i've ever seen/used! it's absolutely beautiful! this is a lay-out that will go in our family album...i realized that after i did the title, that it looked more like hadley and i are sisters, rather than hadley being the "big sister" to the baby in my belly, but it goes really well with the other page that i made (which i will show tomorrow)...so when they are together, it looks better. anyways, did i mention that i LOVE this paper yet???
today i am finally receiving my birthday present from my husband (yes, my birthday was 6 months ago, but who's counting??) he made me a coupon for a "day of relaxation"...so, i woke up and it's an ice storm outside, and since i can't go anywhere anyways, i decided to take my day. i have been in my craft dungeon working hard on orders and our christmas cards, but decided to take a break to blog...hey, it's my day...i can do whatever i want! how fun! the only time i'm seeing my family is when milo needs to eat. not bad, huh? i just plugged my i-pod in and have been jamming away to tunes all morning!
so, i will post the page that goes with this one tomorrow...it's so cute!!! and again...get this paper when it comes out...you will not be disapointed! have a great day!!

the natos

my best friend, jami, and her precious family needed a few pictures for their christmas card this year...and not to mention, i've been wanting to practice my photography skills, so we went out this morning and snapped a few shots of their family! are they not the cutest family ever?? little layne is so adorable...we always joke that him and hadley are going to be married one day...hadley and him could pass for brother and sister, so that makes it even funnier! i would LOVE it if they married...ahhh, i can dream...and pray :)
so, in other news...you can probably tell that it snowed here!!! this was the first time in my life that i was actually excited about it snowing...i so badly wanted to see the snow again before we move, and now my wish has been fufilled...the kids were so excited about it too! today it's all melting away, but they (meaning, the well knowledgeable weather men) say it's going to snow a little more tonight...i love when the snow is falling...it's just beauty.
well, short post today...not a lot on my mind! that's a first :)

6 x 6 page

here is the page that i created for the MOPS "favorite things" give-a-way. it's a 6 x 6 size, and i copied it from another one of my pages that i did last year, that actually won a stampin' up contest! i won last december, so if you're a demonstrator, you can look in the onstage for that time period, and see my page in there! i changed the colors around a bit, but i love how this turned out. it matches the family wreath that we made earlier this year, so hopefully people can frame it and hang it next to that!
anyways, the kids went to school today, from 9-3, but it never fails that thursdays are the hardest days with them. they come home at 3 and are cranky cause they haven't napped, and are needy cause they are cranky...it sucks. i quickly lose it with them...i just CAN'T handle whining and fighting with each other...it never fails that they are in their rooms, very shortly after they come home, cause i just don't want to listen to them anymore. caedmon chooses to bang on the walls, kick the door and do everything else completely loud when he gets sent to his room...i'm surprised our neighbor (we live in a townhome) hasn't called the police on us yet. just waiting for the day when they show up at my door :) and in other news...is it possible to have a 3 year old vegetarian??? cause i think i've got one. well, actually not, cause in order to be a vegetarian, you have to like veggies, and this kid doesn't like them...nor does he like meat. he is major drama at dinner time cause i make him eat 3 tiny pieces of chicken, or hamburger...or whatever the meat of choice is that night. it takes the child hours to swallow 3 pieces of meat (he better enjoy the 3 pieces, cause when he turns 4, he has to start eating 4 bites :) ). he tells me that he does not like meat...that it's gross to him. he says that the only meat he likes are the chicken mcnuggets from old macdonalds, as he likes to call it. sorry to say kid, i'm not quite sure what that meat is...turtle maybe? anyways, i don't like him eating that food very often, so, here we are stuck...trying to get the kid to eat some protein. why is it so hard? dinner time is always a battle. isn't dinner supposed to be fun, family time. not in the anderson house...around 4:00, i start getting knots in my stomach cause i know the drama i'm going to have to deal with. i'm not one of those moms who feeds the kids mac and cheese every night cause they don't like what's for dinner. i'm sorry if you don't like it...i worked hard on it, and you're going to eat it. those are the rules in our house. when do they start to understand that there are starving kids out there who would love to eat his chicken enchilada?? one day...we can only hope...one day.
well, i've got to run and pull my hair out....the fighting and screaming...please make it stop!!!!!!

MOPS

today was my last MOPS meeting before we make the big move! the theme of this morning's meeting was "our favorite things"...we got the idea from oprah and how she has her favorite things show every year (you know the one that we all so desperately want to be on...i mean come on...free stuff that oprah picks out?? i can't stand that woman, but she sure has great taste). anywho, the steering team (pictured above) each picks out their favorite thing and we make/buy enough for all 30 or so ladies in the group. we stand up and explain why it's our favorite thing and then we get to give one to each of the ladies...but it's all exciting and loud and we try to get the ladies excited about getting candles and socks, just like on oprah, you know, when they are excited about getting cars :) but it's such a fun meeting, and i made a 6 x 6 scrapbook page (which i will post tomorrow) i hope that the moms in the group felt so loved (cause we LOVE them so much!) and that they had a lot of fun! allison surprised me with a scrapbook that she put together, that included notes from some of the moms, to me...basically a going away gift. i have yet to read all of it, cause i keep getting interrupted, but once the kids go down for bed, i will sit with my box of kleenex and read away! i love those ladies so much and will miss them dearly! the other picture is of me and melissa...this lady is such a sweetheart, and i am so thankful that god put her in my life...she just recently moved here, and so i know i will be calling on her often, after i move...as i'm sure i'll be needing some advice on how to deal with moving!!

and this is a picture of my bestest friend in the whole world, jami...or james, as i like to call her :) she has been my best friend since high school...we met at her locker...she said something funny...i told her she was funny...and we've been best buds ever since. i love this girl with every bone in my body, and will miss her tremendously!!! i finally got her to come to MOPS this year (after months and months of harassment) and it's been fun to have her in the group. i'm sure it's annoying to everyone else cause when we get together, it's all about jami and emily and the ridiculous high school and college stories, that nobody knows anything about, but that we think are completely funny. you could put jami and i in a corner and we could entertain each other for hours. she is such a woman of god (totally takes after her mother) and has encouraged and inspired me to be the same. ummm...can her and her precious little filipino family please move with us???
anyways, gotta run and put the bambinos to bed...have a great night!

advent calendar that i like

okay, no, i wish i could say that this beautiful advent calendar was hanging in my house, but instead, i was blog-surfing and found it on the making memories blog. i mean, i love this...and so wish i didn't already make the crappy other one. this is made with a cookie sheet that was spray-painted white...and the numbers and stuff are magnets! how clever??? i'm saving this, and going to make this next year, cause i'm sure my other one won't hold up once it's packed away in the christmas tubs anyways...boo. you can view other pictures and the "how to" for this calendar on their blog. i just love this. okay, i've got to run...will write more later!!!