Monarch Post

almost there

Monday I finished up twenty stockings for a family shopping night at church.

The local food pantry teamed up with our church to provide low income families a shopping night for their kids.

Stuff at the church has been hopping this week...

The place was filled with toys,

stuffed animals,

goodies, hats, blankets...

you name it.

Really well-organized and the volunteers even served the shoppers cookies and cocoa.

HAPPINESS :)

DOG HAPPINESS at home...

Winston discovered the bag of stuffed animals I'd left in the kitchen,

they were his, Greta's, and Frank's Christmas presents.

He went CRAZY for the bunny.

I gave in and gave it to him.

I bought more stuffed animals yesterday....

He ran around the house with it

non-stop for twenty minutes...

and then he played with it on his back

for another ten minutes...

And this is how you look after all that exercise- haha!

I wish I could make everyone that happy

for one whole $1.00!

Sophey made a kiln-fired clay candle holder at school.

She gave it to us.

That was happy too...

And the kids are now out of school till after New Year's.

Happy X's three people.

I helped Sophey make some melted crayon hearts.

They are fun to make... (if you're not the one peeling the crayons :0)

Just put the crayon pieces in the oven at 350 for about fifteen minutes,

and then you have new psychedelic crayons when they've cooled.

I seem to keep decorating (and shopping ) right up to Christmas.

Santa cups make good candle holders too.

I added glass votive candles to them this year...

and again to the glasses.

All thrift store specials last year.

Score!

I found this pair of old windows at an estate sale a year ago

for fifteen dollars.

(I KNOW ?!)

They are hung on a wall going into the living room.

 

I decided to hang the Xmas cards on it this year.

Added a sign to the mirror

 

and few more ornaments

 

stars

art : )

bows.

 

The poinsettias are not looking too good though...

they may barely make it to Christmas.

 

I am a trained professional poinsettia killer ;)

You didn't know that about me did you?

(But the poinsettias do).

 

 

Well, that's it for me.

Today I'm cooking and baking.

Tomorrow we're skiing in the afternoon.

Not any snow in the valley

but enough in the mountains.

I think I'll stop here until New Year's.

 

SO:

***** MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!*****

               XOXOXOXOXOX!!!   

 

 

 

 

sweet sunday

Wow, it's Wednesday night already...

this Christmas week is moving TOO fast!

I meant to post on Monday.

I teach Sunday school once a month to the grade-school kids at church.

I create a lesson and a craft.

(I know, perfect for me... kids and a craft!)

Every month we study a different virtue or topic.

For December, the topic has been LIGHT.

I planned a lesson based on Matthew 5:16 and shining your light

and not hiding it under a bowl...

I used the candle and the bowl above to show the kids the story.

They were into it...

I discovered that fire is a great attention-getting teaching tool ;)

We read THE FIRST CHRISTMAS while we worked.

The Amazon reviews are right:

It's message is not preachy

and the illustrations are just stunningly beautiful...

The kids did such a good job making the craft.

I gathered up a bunch of old jars I'd saved

and they made "stained glass" candle holders

with Modge Podge, tissue paper, and another Bible verse.

They went in the living room when we got home...

(We still need to make a new baby Jesus

for the little nativity the kids made

years ago...

Winston stole him last year, and he is still MIA...

Bad dog, really bad dog).

But anyway,

before we went home, we participated in a cookie walk.

Two really long tables loaded with all sorts of cookies.

(I had never done this before).

Everyone brings their favorite cookies

and then you go home with a really great assortment of cookies.

There are cookie artists here... delish.

**********************

 

I think this will have to be my post for today... 

I wanted to get to bed early tonight- haha.

But I'll post one more time before Christmas.

I think (?!)

 

Are you getting there...? I'm almost done.

I still need to grocery shop and buy a couple of things

and bake on Friday...

I'm trying really hard not to stress out and have my usual Christmas freak-out moment.

So far, so good.

But I still have three more days to go ;)

+++++++++++++++++

So tonight we went carolling with our church to a hospital pediatric wing...

that put everything I could stress over in sharp perspective for me.

I wish I could always keep my perspective,

about what's really important... and what's not... 

It's so easy to get caught up in the trivial stuff, isn't it?

XOK

 

 

this amazing internet community

I almost finished my Christmas shopping today.

My first day of "store" Christmas shopping.

(And school plays and ballet chauffering)

Running all day long... I am pooped...

And tired of hearing cheesy Christmas music in the stores.

(Sorry Elvis, but you should never have sung Christmas songs.)

 

I LOVE shopping on the internet for Christmas now.

It is sooooo much easier for me...

And Etsy... I luv it too.

Just got some vintage SHINY BRITE ornaments in the mail yesterday.

From ETSY seller GLAMOURAMA.

She did such a great job packaging them.

None of them were broken...

until they got to our house...

and a (will remain nameless) child had to inspect them.

Whoops...

We are one less SHINY BRITE ornie here.

The clay pottery was my first ETSY purchase a few years ago...

From FARMER JULIE.

She is so talented.

Her designs make me happy.

And this made me happy when I spotted it today...

www.PROJECT320.blogspot.com

Not enough time for me to enter to do a giveaway,

but I wanted to share the link

so that you can enter the giveaways going on

through the weekend.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I'm marking all the great Christmas charity projects in blogland,

so that next year I'll be ready to participate too!

 XOK!

 

happy merry birthday christmas season...

We did my "official" birthday celebrating Saturday night.

It was sooo much fun.

The whole fam went to see the Muppet movie at the new theatre in our town.

HILARIOUS-

that's if you think dancing chickens in sequined bikinis singing "forget you"

is hilarious...

Ainsley and I do.

Laughing/crying funny.

 

We want to go see it again next weekend. 

It was like meeting long-lost childhood friends again...

Oh ya, I remember YOU!

 

And Kemit hasn't aged a bit...

(What a hunk).

 

And I totally scored on the birthday goods...

Mike spoiled me with a Kindle and an iphone.

Ainsley and Jeff gave me a cool iphone cover.

Corbyn bought me a RED Kindle case.

 

Yes, I finally got an iphone.

Technology and I are not the best of friends.

I am always scared of new gadgets.

I wait along time before jumping in...

But I LOVE it!

And this sweet girl made me a homemade cake.

She made her first icing roses

and "drop lines".

I didn't know what those were.

But she does... those are the swag lines on the bottom.

(She's the serious cake-boss-watching-future-professional-baker around here now).

Jesse gave me the best smelling candle ever: CYPRESS SAGE.

It smells like a really clean Christmas tree.

I give it five stars. * * * * *

(He told me Target.)

Sophey made cute art for my studio.

Cupcake liner petals.

Ta Da!

And Mike gave me a Santa from his trip to Germany last week.

Isn't he a gorgeous guy?

Mr. German Gandolph wizard Santa ;)

 

See, I told you I scored...

I have such the sweet fam.

The kids bought their 'friend gifts' and wrapped them this weekend.

And we bought a real tree for the family room. 

I did the lights.

(While Mike recovered/snoozed away jet lag).

The kids did the rest.

I left them to it...

(I have finally learned it doesn't have to be perfect to be perfect, you know?)

Pizza for the Saturday birthday dinner

and turkey meatballs

with veggies

And Mr. Newman's sauce for Sunday dinner.

(I miss Paul...)

 I decorated some more...

And got my husband off for another week away today.

Boo.

 

It's been a long month of business trips

I miss him...

 

How about YOU?

What did YOU do last weekend?

 

(ps. and um... just in case you wondered... I messed up my blog... trying to change things a little and now it's really messed up and I can't fix it myself... will have to wait for the I.T. guy er, husband to get back in town :) 

random thursday

Yesterday, I got flowers twice.

It's a good day if you get flowers twice.

In the morning, an interior design company that Mike worked with through the year remodeling and redecorating his company building sent the most artsy bouquet to us.

How did they know I like branchy things?

 

(our bedroom dresser^)

I have branches all around the house, in front of mirrors.

In the bedroom, bathroom, entry...

 

And red branches and flowers for this house!

I'm guessing they are psychic interior designers ;)

Hydrangeas are favorites too.

And pears (?!) Cool.

In the afternoon this bouquet came from my in-laws. So pretty and kind.

We decided as a family we wanted to organize a neighboorhood food drive every so often. 

We distributed flyers that Mike and the kids made.

And Saturday we picked up food from our neighbors front porches.

The kids had a ball riding in the back of Mike's truck.

Then we put the food in the back of my car, and it filled it.

This is our haul... not bad for a first time!

It felt  sooo good to be able to do this.

The sign at our old church after I dropped off the food there.

Warm fuzzies all over me... :)

I went shopping after...

I bought groceries for eleven meals and this CD.

Had to have it.

 

And I listened to it tonight while decorating the living room tree.

Christmas music has been hard for me the last two years since my mom passed on.

Too many memories from those old songs.

But this CD is new, and Susan has the voice of an angel.

I think her voice is healing AND gorgeous.

 I stopped at Just A Bed of Roses... and talked with Brenda.

Brenda is great and so is her store, if you're ever in Davis county Utah, go see her!

I bought a tinsel wreath and hung it in the dining room.

It has fallen three times.

FYI- Duct tape will not hold a tinsel wreath to glass...

I need a Plan B.

 

I also bought a mini tinsel tree.

And decorated it with mini pinecone ornaments... from Kmart!

And a new star topper... the tree has been topperless for three years.

Corbyn made this reindeer in 1st grade at school.

Those grade-school crafts are precious to me.

Santas have been given to me for years for my birthday.

Bought our cards online this year.

 

It was fun to design them and then just click and order.

TINYPRINTS is great-- I had the cards in five days without ordering a rush.

Now I can look like one of those "organized" people who order their cards in September- ha!

I also ordered recipe cards from an Etsy seller-- HIGH TEA WITH ALICE JOYCE.

I thought this was such a clever idea.

She mails you a handwritten recipe card for $1.00

I ordered cards for homemade pop tarts (above)

and RED VELVET BROWNIES for christmas baking.

YUMMY.

Right now the only holiday goodies are the fake ones on the kitchen sideboard.

Cute though, huh?

Well, that's my excitement for the last two days...

how about you?

I am almost on track for Christmas...

hope I stay that way.

XOK

 

sweet sparkles

Well that big ol' second storm fizzled right out last night-- and I'm very glad it did. Today was all blue sky kinda happy. It's my birthday today. I goofed off... ignored a giant pile of laundry... ran errands... took myself out to lunch... and shopped for a few Christmas decorations.

We'll officially celebrate next weekend when Mike gets home.

I think I generally like being in my forties now.

The only thing that would make the forty-decade better would be a sixteen-year olds' metabolism... and skin.

Dream on...

The weekend was hectic, getting Mike ready to go, cleaning up from the storm, and we also did a heighborhood food pantry drive.

But Saturday night we stopped and made time for the kids to make their gingerbread house

Jesse said, "how does Buddy do it and make it look so easy?".

They are big fans of  the tv show, cake boss.

And this is your expression when you think your sister is hogging the decorating...

 

 

She's serious about this stuff... she wants to be a baker when she grow up.

And a ballerina :)

Rudolph under the back eaves.

So cute... didn't they do a good job?

Sophey decorated her room this weekend too.

(Apparently, cleaning it was not on the Christmas to do list).

And decorated her cupcake tree.

She was so excited to put up her tree... sweet girl.

I've just started decorating.

The santa collection is out. 

We have an artificial tree in the living room up but not decorated

and a real tree to buy this weekend.

I'm kinda slow this year... but it will get done.

I refuse to panic :)

Tonight we are going to Frank's house for dinner ;)

It's fun to have grown-up kids (and their pets) too.

 

Have you decorated yet?

 

 

that was one helluva storm

Very early Wednesday morning I woke to the sound of a windstorm. We get windstorms here every so often, living at the mouth of a canyon our town gets the occasional high-speed windstorm, but this one was different. I have never experienced such a fierce storm in Davis county Utah in the seventeen years we've lived here.

Eighty to one-hundred mile an hour winds were recorded.

Our house shook. It was scary.

Mike was out of town.

The kids came into my bedroom.

The dogs hid under the covers.

 (Poor Winston was terrified. He alternated between hiding under Jesse's bed and the pantry).

We layed awake from 2:00 am, listening to trash and debris hit the windows.

Police and fire sirens howled non-stop along with the wind.

Our power went out.

We listened to the radio to find out what was happening everywhere.

And then the kids just decided to play Risk.

Corbyn taught them and they played all morning at the kitchen table. 

I watched neighbors trees topple and trash cans FLY down the street.

I made us sandwiches.

By noon the power was back on.

And then we all breathed a big sigh of relief.

I still can't believe the damage everywhere.

The beautiful golf course where Ainsley just got married lost over 240 trees.

Huge old pine trees are laying everywhere... our town looks like a war zone.

School was cancelled Friday.

And the kids played more Risk...

 

This morning churches cancelled services and instead their members went outside to cut up tree branches.

Because another storm is expected tonight... less strong though... only with gusts up to 60mph (!).

Clean up crews and pickup trucks with flatbeds hauling cut-up trees are everywhere...

so that the branches won't be around to be projectiles for this second storm.

Here's a KSL NEWS link to show you some of the damage in our county.

It's been declared a disaster area and damage estimates are over 20 million right now.

 

*********

Mike had to leave for a business trip to Germany today... here we are again....  praying with fingers crossed...

Let you know how the next storm went...  ASAP.

 

We were fortunate not we to have suffered much damage at all.... some fence pieces (already fixed), a broken deck step, and a bent-up grill., but we didn't lose trees. 

 

 And no one was killed in the storm, that is the AMAZING blessing.