[ day #23 - journal your christmas ]

Today's journal is about Christmas Stockings:

We make a big deal out of stockings. We open those first on Christmas morning - once we get our coffee, turn on the parade & music, and settle in for a fun morning.

Stockings are one of my favorite things about Christmas...plus, I love our stockings. Mom & I picked them out a few years ago and we've added ones for Grandma, Samson, Coco, and Zeke. Samson and Coco's aren't up right now...but they'll be full on Christmas morning!

Speaking of Samson - he's loving frolicking in all this snow we have! When I let him out to do his chores, he stays outside for quite a while and comes back with a mouth full of snow. The other night it was snowing and he was FULL of snow all over his body. This is this morning:

I worry about him staying out so long...he comes back with his paws full of ice and snow. I figure that he knows when he needs to come back...I hope I'm right.

[ Sunday & Monday ]

Let's just hit the highlights:

On Sunday night, Nick & Kate hosted a Wii party to celebrate Nick's 29th birthday. Everything had a "ii" theme...even our tagged shot glasses:

Here's part of the crowd partaking in the Wii:

(sorry for the bad pictures - they're from my iPhone)

I had never played a Wii before, let alone seen one in real life. I was pleasantly surprised. I really liked it. I bowled against Karen (Esarii), Katii, and Jennii and I WON! :) Whoop Whoop! Guess that Whitworth Jan Term Bowling class paid off!! We also played a fun game that was a mix between soccer and volleyball that I was actually fairly good at with my partner Daviid Viisser! :)

Today, Mom and I braved the weather to take the dogs to the groomer

(Samson & I when we picked them up)and run some last-trip-to-town errands before Christmas. We stopped and gave Jessica & Emersyn their Christmas gifts

(Todd & Jessica's cross-stitch I made...)and took the Santa dogs to see them. We also enjoyed fabulous pedicures with Jess Fife.

When we got home, I was excited to see that my green buttons had arrived! I didn't do much the rest of the night, until I finished this:


Jessica Fife and Ronan came by tonight so we could give them their Christmas presents. Ronan cracks me up. He was enthralled with my buttons!! He spent at least 30 minutes playing with them, putting them in a bowl, and pouring them into a bigger bowl. He is such a teaser and so smart. He was counting the buttons in Spanish!! "Uno...dos...seis...OCHO!"

Tonight - I'm helping my Mom order Christmas cards...and trying to get myself good and tired. I haven't been able to sleep well lately. I went to bed at 12:30 or 1am last night and woke up at 4:30am. I didn't get up until 6:00, but still... I might have to try a Tylenol PM tonight...since I can sleep in tomorrow!!

[ day #22 - journal your christmas ]

To Do:

• Make cookies, fudge, 7-Layer Bars, Almond Bark covered pretzels
• Find pretzels to make said Almond Bark covered pretzels!
• Set the table
• Clean bathroom
• Take a nap
• Watch White Christmas

Kinda...boring...

[ my early christmas present ]

Last night, Jessica & I took the football cheerleaders (well, the two that ended up being able to go) to the Elite Cheer & Dance Christmas Show in Richland. We went out to dinner at Fiesta in Pasco first and enjoyed a delicious dinner! Emersyn got to come to dinner too and it was fun to see her. I hadn't seen her in a month and she has grown so much! I love that girl!

Jessica took Emersyn back to her house and we picked up Jess to ride with us to Richland. When she got in my car, she said she had a Christmas present for me. I tried talking her into opening it for me while I was driving, but she wouldn't. When we got to Richland, I opened the coolest blanket:

(thanks for letting me steal these pics off your blog, Jess!)

She & the cheerleaders were very tricky and coordinated themselves to make this for me! Jessica gave them each a white square to decorate and then she sewed them all together into this beautiful blanket! I LOVE IT! I was so surprised and very appreciative.

Jessica says she can't really sew...I think she's not giving herself enough credit. Seriously - when (if) I get a sewing machine for Christmas, she's going to have to teach me a thing or two or ten!

Thanks so much you guys!!

Oh - and the Christmas Show was awesome! I loved it and would definitely go again! There was great dancing, super music, a fun Christmas atmosphere, and of course, time with Jessica is always a great time.

[ day #21 - journal your christmas ]

Right Now...

I'm...

• blogging
• enjoying the snow outside (from the inside)
• being lazy on a Sunday morning
• looking forward to this week
• thinking about what errands I have to run tomorrow in Tri-Cities
• loving Jessica and the Cheerleaders for my Christmas present (it deserves it's own post later)
• drinking coffee with Hazelnut creamer
• contemplating going to church
• looking forward to Nick & Kate's Wii Party this afternoon
• thankful Katelyn, April, and I made it home safely from Tri-Cities last night in the blizzard (I drove 35-40 the entire way...it's normally 70...well 73 for me)
• facinated by my lovely button trees
• thinking Coco and Samson are dang cute in their Santa coats
• considering wrapping some presents (I didn't do it yesterday)
• really enjoying just being home
• also considering skipping wrapping for another hour and finishing my scarf that I've been knifty knitting

Happy Sunday!

[ my little white christmas tree ]

I finished my white Christmas tree this afternoon...

Here's my setup:

Here it is halfway done:

And, here, the finished product next to it's friend, the red tree:

Now, just waiting on the green buttons...then we'll have a complete set! :)

[ day #20 - journal your christmas ]

The unexpected...Christmas card.

I love receiving Christmas cards - but the ones with letters and pictures are so much better! I really enjoying getting pictures of my friends' kids - they are all so adorable! - and hearing about what is going on in their lives.

It's also fun to get a card from someone you weren't expecting one from. That happened to me yesterday. When I came back from lunch, there was a card and a jar of homemade jam on my desk from the lovely Makenna Rowley! Her family along with her aunt & uncle & family own Taste-a-Treat (http://www.tasteatreat.com/) and they make the most delicious jams and jellies. I love love love the Berry Special Huckleberry Jam. Makenna wrote a nice note in the Christmas card thanking me for helping her at school and for being a good friend. Aw. So sweet! Her brother, who graduated last year, had given me jam a few times and Makenna is carrying on the tradition, I guess! Lucky me!

I also went to the CHS basketball games last night. I was thinking I wouldn't go - but then I realized it was the only home game during Winter Break and I wanted to see the college kids that are home from college. I got to see a few of the kids that graduated last year that I miss so much. That was worth it! The basketball teams beat Royal too - that's always GREAT!

After school yesterday, Mom and I went down to The Small Mall to pick something up for my Grandma. While we were there, we found a little Santa coat for Coco complete with a black sequined belt. Welcome to our photo shoot:

So glad it's break! I slept in until 8:45am! YAY! My white buttons got here yesterday, so I'm working on my little button tree today! I'm planning to wrap the rest of my presents today and then Jessica & I are taking some of our cheerleaders (and former cheerleaders) to the Elite Cheer & Dance Christmas Show tonight in Richland. I can't wait!

[ day #19 - journal your christmas ]

Dear Santa:

YAY! Today is the beginning of our Christmas break! It was a very long day at school waiting for the end of the day to come, but we found ways to amuse ourselves. (We tried playing Atari, but we couldn't get it to turn on - so Jennifer and I had Sudoku competitions. She kicked my butt.)

I'm not wishing for much this Christmas...just a sewing machine and a Vera Bradley Garmet Bag...oh...and world peace. :)

I got more buttons in the mail today, so I'll be working on my newest button tree creation tonight. Watch out. I might go to the basketball game too.

Merry Christmas!

[ day #18 - journal your christmas ]

Today it's all about food...

We have some traditions when it comes to food.

1. Treats:

We always make sugar cookies and pretzels covered in white almond bark. Sometimes we make a variety of other cookies/candies like Snickerdoodles, 7 Layer Bars, Hershey Kiss Cookies, etc.

2. Christmas Eve:

Mark & Kim make Lefse and we have dinner before the Christmas Eve service with boiled potatoes, fish, and Lefse. Yum.

3. Christmas Day:

We usually have Prime Rib (yum!) with Mashed Potatoes and other delish side dishes.

4. Desserts:
This year, I ordered two cheesecakes from one of the teachers at school's wife. I know I got a Candy Cane one and I think the other is Mocha Toffee Almond or something like that.

Hmmm...now I'm hungry!

[ day #17 - journal your christmas ]

Presents. Ah presents.

I try to start shopping in October or November to try to spread the wealth out. Remember when I bragged about being done Christmas shopping on Black Friday?! Yeah right. I'm not going to do that again. I just keep thinking of things as Christmas gets closer - so I keep buying things, thus - over-do-ing it just like I said I wouldn't do.

I do like Christmas shopping when I have a great idea for a gift for someone...but when I have no ideas....no likey. It's a lot more fun and means so much more when you find the perfect gift. That rarely happens for me. Usually, I get frustrated and just "make-do."

OH yeah - I also threaten to make all my Christmas presents each year, but each year I make a bunch of things. Then I don't really like them - and end up buying things anyway. Maybe, just maybe, if I become proficient on this sewing machine I'm wishing for - everyone will get blankets or table runners or aprons or something like that next year. Don't hold your breath.