Work?

Okay, I have two jobs these days. One I do transcription for insurance companies. I love to type so that part of it is okay, but to be honest, I see this job as work. It takes up the bulk of my day each day. Then there's this other job that I have....I work at a craft store! But how can I call it work when I LOVE it! I'm their new papercrafts and scrapbooking instructor. My good friend, Wendy, got me the job when I didn't even know that I wanted another job. She's the one in charge of getting instructors, she loves my stuff and talked me into it. It's so FUN to play with all the new items on the market and have people gush about my projects! Also, when I'm in the store and not in the back creating I love helping customers. I'll go over into the scrapbook section or whatever to get a ribbon or flowers or paper for a project I'm working on and then I'll see someone looking and I just have to ask them if I can help them. I think crafters as a whole are a happy bunch and so it's fun chatting with new people. It makes me smile from ear to ear. I also do demos on Saturdays of new products. Or the kids club on Saturday mornings. I'm beat by the time I'm done, but it is SO worth it. The fun part is Wendy lives at the top of the same cul de sac that I do so we ride in together. Such fun! We get to chat all the way to and from the store. The boys and Dan are so supportive in me doing this. It's time away from them but it's not every day so they like it when a happy, but tired mom comes home. Gotta love this job!

Our Prophet Passes...

Last night Travis, Jess and little Thomas came over just to visit and not long after that Trevor got a text message from a friend that our prophet and president of our Chuch passed. Immediately we tried to get on the internet to find out more details. This shouldn't be such a surprise because he was 97 years old. But he was so full of life, energy and the drive to share the Gospel everywhere he went. I love his voice and his sweet face. I have been amazed at how well he has used our constantly changing technology to offer information to members of the Church and those wanting answers. He was tireless in his efforts. And his laugh, he had quite a dry wit about him and it was such a delight when we would hear him make a comment during General Conference or any other time. We know that he is reunited now with his sweet wife, Marjorie and that gives me a smile to think that they are back together again. Our prayers go out to his family that they will be given the strength they need during this time. Goodbye, dear President Hinckley, we love you. For more information, I love this write up. http://www.ldsmag.com/churchupdate/080128presidenthinckleypassesaway.html

Happy Surprises

Here I was sitting at my desk this morning, a bit after 7am and in comes Travis and Thomas. I was so happy to see them! What a nice, happy way to start my work day. I even got a kiss out of Thomas. He happily played on the phone and wandered the house. He looked so cute up on Travis' shoulders before they left. He reminded me of a little Beanie Baby just leaning on Travis' neck and head. But he knows how to hold on if his daddy moves too fast. It was time for Chandler to go to violin so Travis even dropped him off for me. Nice brother that he is. What a wonderful surprise! Gotta love that they live close enough to drop in!!!

I'm Dreaming...

...of a white Christmas...and our dreams came true! Yes, I know for some of you, you've already had over a foot of the fluffy stuff this season, but in our little corner of the world it is actually snowing. Did you know it's hard to take a picture of snow? Anyway...the kids saw the snow first, yelling and screaming----again, can you believe that we LOVE snow!? it's like an extra shot to a holiday or ANY day, but especially on Christmas day.---after they were jumping up and down and hollering, I decided to see for myself. But yep, there it is, nice fluffy flakes.

Tried taking pics of the kiddos but I didn't want to go outside in my bathrobe and stood in the doorway instead. Somehow I didn't garner the wonderful pictures that I desired. If it keeps up we'll take some more. :) Yes, I will actually get dressed this time! That ought to help with a picture!

Those who know me know that I have a hard time staying on one subject at a time. Words just generally tumble out of my mouth in some unpredictable way, like yesterday when I said to Chandler about an ice cube and instead I said, "umbrella". I feel that way with all the words I would love to write, even just about today.

Dan and I stayed up late doing our appointed tasks as official helpers of Santa. We eventually crashed in bed, only to wake up my alarm clock at 5am because I hadn't wrapped a few gifts that I'd forgotten, one of them being Dan's and so I was on duty. First I got scared half to death because "Arnie" was standing guard. Somehow Trevor had a life-sized cardboard cutout of a military officer. Now, we'd all had some run ins with Arnie put in various places in the house for all of us in the family to have an opportunity to be scared, startled or whatever. We even had him waiting just inside our door to surprise Travis, Jess, Thomas and Jess's sister, Amber. Then there was getting everyone in the living room. I only took a few pictures while opening because I was just drinking it all in. Having all of us together,it was more than wonderful (dang it, where's my thesaurus when I need it?)! Thomas just ran this way and that. His favorite was the pretend cell phone razor and his new Pooh Bear jammies.

Dan made our traditional Swedish pancakes for breakfast. So yummy!! They are also called pletters and are thin little cakes almost like crepes. We sprinkle them with powdered sugar or sometimes homemade jam.

By then it was time for Thomas' nap and so Travis, Jess & Amber left. I was tired too. So Dan put on the newest "Pirates" movie and promptly fell asleep. We're watching it for the second time now.

OH! I would have to say that one of my very best gifts was the black wooden rocking chair that my mother had rocked us in as kids and that I had also rocked my boys in. I knew Trevor had a project going on for me but had no idea. What with the tree up and everything I hadn't noticed that the rocking chair was missing from the room. He's not quite done but he stripped it and is staining it a golden oak to go with the floor. I can hardly believe it! Once, a long time ago I had mentioned that I wanted to restore the rocker. He remembered this. It is very thoughtful and I can hardly wait to bring it back into the house!

So we will spend the rest of this blessed day together, loving and laughing and enjoying the fact that we can be together. I hope you all can find the same for you.

Thanksgiving

Dan did a fabulous job as chief chef for Thanksgiving! He is truly amazing. I'm a lucky girl! We had a wonderful and relaxing time. Jess, Thomas and Jess' sister, Amber came over to spend part of the day and Thanksgiving dinner with us. Thomas was asleep during most of it. But he woke up right as we were finishing. He seemed to like the sweet potatoes pretty well. Travis worked until 7pm so we made him a plate of food when he got here that night. He wanted double helpings of dark turkey meat. Dan made sure that we had saved some for him. But it was really neat that Travis' work (Horizon Airlines) had catered in a Thanksgiving dinner for the employees. When he called he said he still had plenty of room. After pie all the kids played Apples to Apples. Thomas was a happy little guy sliding down the stairs to play with his toys. Chandler also beat me at a game of War. But I won at Go Fish-Hatch family edition. :) Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family & friends.

Fall Leaves

Ooh, I love this picture! The boys and friends were playing in the massive quantities of leaves that fall in our yard. Most of those are from the sugar maple tree just above Chandler. I love his smile here, relaxed and happy! Couldn't resist taking tons of pictures!

Trunk R Treat '07

This year we ended up having all three wards that met in our building combine for the annual Trunt R Treat in the parking lot. I wasn't very creative this year and forgot to bring the jack o'lanterns to sit beside the van. Sweet Aabbee brought me over a chair since I forgot that too. It was just me and the boys since Dan wasn't feeling well.

I had Chandler who decided all on his own that he wanted to be the Monopoly Man. These pictures don't do it justice. He has a top hat on that I brought straight from Massachussetts. We sprayed his hair white, painted on a white mustasche, made him a cane from a dowel and painted it. He also had the idea to make Monopoly money out of green cardstock. I told him that we could use a few of the regular Monopoly pieces but he didn't want to take anything away from the game.

Ransom decided to be a geek. Thanks to Dan who found a geek kit on clearance he even had goofy teeth to wear and nerdy glasses. You can't tell but yes, he hitched up his pants and wore the bowtie. Funny thing is, his football sweatshirt is a treasured possession and he decided that he would say he was the ball boy or soemthing. Couldn't get it off of him.

Aaron, our friend and neighbor down the street really had a costume of an evil jester, but took off the evil mask for the church trunk r treat and I like how he looks like a happy jester anyway! His mom, Wendy, and little sister, Jazzlyn, came with us too. Wendy was busy walking her around since she didn't want to go with the boys.

I wasn't feeling the most festive this Halloween but the boys got a haul of candy and so much fun! It made me happy watching them. Wendy took them later to some neat, decorated houses around town and then they came home. They loved it!

When I got home Jess and little Thomas came over. They had run late and didn't do the trunk r treat. But she had gone to all the trouble of dressing in her p.j.'s and put freckles on herself. She dressed Thomas in little bear ears and painted his nose so he could be her teddy bear. Travis was at work and so it was just the two of them. It tickled me that they came by to show us. I put a little bit of candy in a lunch sack and handed it to them before they left. They looked so cute!!