A haypenny will do

Christmas is coming!!!! One of my fave Christmas songs EVAH. The Muppets version, of course. And with only 3 days left I wasn't gonna do any pics of my chrissymas decorations this year but Landee is bossy and sends me all sortsa threatening texts and stuff. So, hang on, here we go:

::huge sigh:: Warm and cozy living room. We got a new tree this year. Partly cuz of our huger ceilings and mostly because of our Charlie Brown tree from previous years. I'd tell you it was fake but you gize already know that! You can't find that kind of symmetry in nature.

Stuff.

Mud bench. (I'm currently obsessed with scarves, in case you couldn't tell)

Nothing proves your decorative skillz like pine cones in a bowl.

Self portrait!!!

This is our "Kindness Chain". We started it 3 years ago and add to it every year. I highly recommend it. ::cut to Char saying all sassy-like "kindness chain ayert mom"::
It is actually really long but you can't tell since it's all twistied around the "mawble cawlum".

Look how much self esteem I have!!

My own little advent calendar. Not as cute as Krissy's but still....my kids lurve it.

On of the company's Shed does work with sent us this FER REALZ wreath. Can't you just smell it through the computer screen?

Stockings hung with care.

I'll have you know that Aunt Visor hand stitched every single stocking in the whole AV family. As each one married in or was borned, she did this. Adorabibble.

Thingy above big window thingy decoration thingy.

My new addition and soon to be fave: This recordable book. I got this idear from a commercial and it is the BEEEST. I had my mom and dad record the story so the kids can always and forever have their gramma and papa read them a story out loud at night.

An old favorite: Cracker collected these...er...nuts one Thanksgiving up at Bass Lake and I made them into a wreath.

Bedazzled it too.

This I like to call my "Landee" corner of the kitchen. She make me this cutemous countdown as well as my SF7 ornament displayed in the background.

In all truth you gize I don't have that much decoration happening around here. Turns out when your small house is filled with Christmas deco, your big house doesn't quite look the same. Plus, I didn't have a "spot" for some of my things in this house so they aren't featured. And we didn't even do (sshhh, outside lights) this year. ::gasp!::

So to make up for my lack of spirit I would like to now post my own

Grown Up Christmas List:

1. I would like you to please make the laundry do itself
2. Give my children a "mute" button (I promise to use it only when necessary)
3. I wanna be a member of the Fresh Beat Band and specialize in the running man
4. Please let grocery stores deliver, free of charge (AND I can use my coupons)
5. I would like Cinna to be real and my BFF
6. Please give the universe a "no weight gain allowed" button for the holidays
7. That diet soda would give my body the same benefits as water
8. That someone would invent a diet coke IV drip.
9. That skinny jeans would go away
10. That the crows feet and brow creases are only a figment of my imagination

I really don't think it's too much to ask. A very reasonable list in my opinion. Now you gize have an AWES Christmas and I'll be thinking of you when I open my mute button on Christmas day!!!!

O Cracker Jack, O Cracker Jack

To the kid who's 99.999999% the happiest kid on the planet.

To the kid who's always giving up his turn, toys, tv time, desires to make someone else happy.

To the kid who will ask me "Mom, is there anything I can do for you?" when the others are oblivious.

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY CRACKER!!!

You stole my heart long ago and please don't ever give it back.

How much longer do you think I've got?

...until I can keep dressing my boys up for Christmas? (courtesy of Aunt Visor who always buys them the cutest outfits EVAH every year)

OR

....until I can fill up my Christmas card wall? Get ON IT people!! It's looking better, I must say. Each day I rush to the mailbox to check my self-esteem meter and it's working it's way up. Check out the post below for my email addy if you need my new place of residence, gize (hollah Jennifer D!!) Consider it your little Christmas gift to me.

Wasn't Thanksgiving,....like.....YESTERDAY?!

I've seen some cool posts about Thanksgiving. Beautiful turkeys. Buttery side dishes. Fun crafts. Luscious desserts. I just thought I'd give you fair warning that this one will one-up them all. Cuz you gize are gonna be JEALOUS!! (said like Amy Poehler in her SNL days).

We got to eat Thanksgiving dinner in St George at.......

I can literally feel your green with envy face glaring at me through the computer screen. I can feel it.

We even got to wait in line for 30 minutes! Who'd have thunk other people would be doing the same thing?

There were obviously plenty of little ones and big ones. Goofballs, that is. That restaurant LOVED us.

We took up like 11teen tables at least.

Some of us were filled up to our liking more than others.

There are pluses to this situation: No cooking. No dishes. No leftovers (that one can be counted as a plus OR a minus....depending on your perspective or how much you gleaned from math class....cuz math is hard)

We did some park hopping (in the NON-Disneyland way)

You know, kicking it with the littles, at the swings...

...in the car seat...etc.

But first and foremost our whole reason for being there in St George was this.

Molly and Scott went through the temple for the first time and were sealed the same day. It was awesome.

Above and below an example of a real photographer. With real equipment stuff. Check out that lens!

The cutest. Couple. Evah.

Everyone but Sam got to be there and witness this cool event.

They were glowing you gize. Look at that halo? (also cuz Scott is going to photography school and suggested we face that way onnacuzza the lighting on the hair). But, also,....halos.

I can't really explain this photo but it had to be put in here.

One of the missionaries that taught Scott the gospel got to come to the sealing.

Have I mentioned the cute couple yet? Ahhhh. To be young and happy and have naturally curly/gorgeous hair like that.

You know these ladies right? None other than the Waite sisters.

On the way home Shed wanted to stop in Mesquite/Bunkerville area and take a pic at this statue. Those are his ancestors, you gize. And they settled this place. And, and....you can see how well educated I am in genealogy.

We also got to play games in a tiny hotel room, let the kids swim in the chain link fence surrounded hot tub, see the Christmas Carol movie in 3D, and stopped to visit JennyESP and fam in LV on the way to and from. And it only took us 7 hours to drive home from LV!!!

A good Thanksgiving.

Now that we are well under way to Christmas I have a request. Since we moved to our new house in April I'm afraid a lot of peeps don't have our new address. And because I directly relate my self worth to how many Christmas cards I have up on my wall/fridge, I need you gize to send me one. Mmmmkay?

To get my new address email me at emily k w 8 at gmail dot com.

It's really up to you whether I spiral down into a deep depression come 12-25.