Christmas is over…

I love Christmas and the month leading up to it.

I love spending time with family and friends.

I love all the decorations.

I love the music.

I love the Christmas movies on Hallmark & Lifetime channels.

I love all the treats.

I love hot cocoa with marshmallow crème and cinnamon and nutmeg.

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards.

I love all the lights on houses and the Mesa Temple.

I love when we find the “perfect” gift for each kid.

I love the big family dinner on Christmas Eve at our house.

I love the looks on the kids’ faces when they unwrap their gifts.

I love seeing the kids happily play with their new toys.

I loved the beautiful musical program at church on Christmas Day.

I love all sharing and giving.

I don’t love all the cleanup.

Christmas is OVER and now I want everything cleaned up. Who wants to come do it for me? Although, as much as I want someone else to do it, I’m a little OCD about how things are done, so ultimately, it’s up to me. UGH!! How soon do YOU put all the decorations away?

Also, I’ve completely derailed my diet and workout. I found 101 Healthy Things You Can Start TODAY! (<--click to see them)

I only skimmed thru the list but I’m pretty sure I need to do ALL of them! Starting TODAY!

What are you going to start doing in 2012? I also starting thinking about MY WORD for the new year. Have you?

A Little Post

HA! It's been almost a year since my last post! It's just so much easier to send short updates to facebook (from my phone) than post on my little blog.

Well, I'm most certain that my computer has crashed! I've been hijacking Ben's computer the last 2 weeks. Mine won't even boot up anymore. It keeps asking for a Windows boot disk, but since my CD Rom took a dump a couple years ago, I can't use a boot disk. So, now I'm ready to ditch my cute pink computer tower and clunky monitor that was around when dinosaurs were still here (ok maybe not that old, at least it's has a flat screen but still thick and clunky like the old TVs) and upgrade to a laptop! I'd say that's a pretty good Christmas and Birthday combo gift. I'm used to combos since my birthday is only a week and a half after Christmas.


If anyone has any tips or knows of a good deal on laptops or what NOT to buy, please let me know! THANKS!! Oh and I don't have a very big budget, so please don't send me links to amazing stuff I can't afford, it will just make me drool and cry. :(

Let the hunt begin...

News & Spring is almost here!

I’ll start with the shocking news…

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, my Dad met someone online, they met and immediately became engaged. They have recently set the date for May 20th to get married. It’s been kind of difficult dealing with this. My sister and I have been trying to be happy for our Dad but it’s still too fast for us. But it’s what he wants, so there’s no changing his mind. She will be visiting here March 18-26th, so that’s when we’ll get to meet her.

Good News…

I finally removed the hangers, bagged, and donated all of my Mom’s clothes. It was 2 huge trash bags plus a bag for her shoes.

Fun news…

I shopped for bunko prizes last week. Then I hosted bunko at my house on Friday. It was a blast! And I got a cute prize (I really wanted to keep all of them)!

On to sweeter news…

My darling Ashley had her 8th birthday over the weekend. I can’t believe how quickly she is growing and changing. She has been wanting secret journals, so she received a couple of those. You know the kind that has a mini key with it? She thinks they are so cool. She also got a Moxie doll (like a Barbie doll but with changeable heads) and an iCarly notebook, but I forgot to buy some batteries, so she hasn’t used it yet. I think you have to use a passcode to get it open, then you can write your notes in it. My sister also found a gift & card that my Mom had bought for Ashley before she died. So, Christy was able to give that to her. It’s a necklace with a charm and inside is a mustard seed with a quote attached that reads, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Ashley was so excited!!! I love the one I got just like it when I was 8 from my Aunt Wendy. I still have it.

Enjoying breakfast (homemade Belgian waffles) with her BFF that spent the night. Playing a little xbox.Eating lunch after the makeover her sister gave her. her bday cake (rainbow chip with rainbow chip frosting) The whole gang! blowing out 8 candles. her Moxie doll. some wall scrapbook kits Ashley with Grandma and Grandpa Stradling              Ashley & me Ashley & Ben

And because Ashley turned 8, she will be getting baptized this Saturday. She is thrilled!

Decluttering news…

Ben & I helped the kids go thru their closets & dressers to gather all the clothes that don’t fit them. We filled 7 trash bags!!! {well 2 or 3 were already filled with baby/toddler clothes just waiting to be donated}. Ben dropped off ALL the clothing for donations yesterday! It really feels good to get all that stuff OUT of the house that we weren’t using. Now, if I can just get the computer room organized. Hmmmm. That’s for another day. LOL

* NEW * March Challenges are posted.

Head on over to the DSO Challenge Blog for some inspiration, plus you earn freebies!

Here's what you get FREE if you play along:

{remember my posting bonuses are coordinating}

FONT Challenge

QUOTE Challenge

HAPPY SPRING and HAPPY SCRAPPING!

New Makeup

My Mom and I went to Ulta last night to get a little bit of new makeup. PLUS, they are having an awesome promotion. Check this out!!! {each pic is linked if you want to go see them}
So, I bought this Quad eyeshadow in browns called "Good Girl"

AND this mineral eyeshadow in Amethyst.

Then I qualified for the freebie above.

But, I couldn't resist this HOT PINK case full of awesome makeup!

Oh and the cashier gave us each one of these....

WOOHOOO!!!! Who doesn't love some free makeup?!!!!!

When I got home, Felicia couldn't wait to see what was in my big bag (it was only BIG because that HOT PINK case is good size). She kept asking if the makeup was for her, especially when I showed her the big PINK case. Her eyes lit up. hahaha Oh I had to let her down and tell her it was for ME. But being the nice Mom that I try to be, I put some of my new amethyst eyeshadow on her, blush, lip liner, lipstick, and bronzer (all but the eyeshadow were from the PINK case). She was tickled PINK that I had put *grown up* makeup on her!!!!

I took her picture & she showed Ben (he thinks she looks too grown up with makeup on).

She did her own poses, she likes doing this one like she's surprised or something. She's so cute!

Ok, she took a couple pictures of herself with her own camera and asked me to upload them on the computer so she could see them. Well, her camera has video too. And as we were looking at all her pictures together, we came across this video. She had taken this after I took her picture. She held the camera herself and taped herself in her room (probably looking in the mirror while she was doing it). If there is a mirror nearby, all my kids seem to talk to the mirror instead of me while still talking TO ME. LOL We were all laughing so hard. She was a little embarrassed but I told her it was so cute & SO HER!!! I asked her nicely if I could post it on my blog. She agreed. So, if any of you have a 10 year old girl, you may recognize this behavior, then again this was taped privately. Apparently this is how she behaves when NO ONE is looking! HAHAHA

**You definitely want to PAUSE my playlist - -> over to the right, so you can hear her!!!

Webkinz

Do your kids have Webkinz? My kids have 3 each. They have been getting them for their report cards at the end of the school year & for Christmas {in their stocking}. Sometimes I play on their account to earn them kinzcash (points for buying stuff in their virtual world). Sometimes I play just because I like some of the games {and they get addicting - like Tile Towers, Goober's Lab, Cash Cow & Solitaire}.

Anyway, LOOK what I got today!
Zebras have ALWAYS been my fave animal and when I saw it advertised on Webkinz, I just had to have it. So, today I ventured to the Hallmark store and got one for myself. I made my own Webkinz account & named her Olivia.

See the fun things I got...errr I mean Olivia got! tee hee That stripey sports car is too cute!!! And how delicious does that stripey dessert look? Mmmm making me hungry :)

Ok, so it's offical, I'm a total dork! But I don't care! LOL

I'm off to play another game before it shuts down for the night (it closes for a few hours at Midnight EST).

Fun & Busy + GIVEAWAY

Nathaniel & Felicia had their last orchestra concert last Thursday. They both did GREAT!!!
I'm so excited that they have both decided to continue playing the violin next year too! YAY!!!
{following in my footsteps ☺}
I also ran into an old friend from high school. We had orchestra & Japanese together (her mom was our Japanese teacher - one of my fave teachers).

Friday night, I went with Tangie & Molly to the Bohemian Bliss Soiree at Ms Alber's home. It was FUN! We all tried to dress up in Bohemian attire, but no one brought a camera, so you don't get to see our attempt. :( There were amazing booths of wonderful treasures! I wasn't able to purchase anything that night, plus how do you make up your mind with soooo many to choose from? I got their cards & will definitely be checking their sites & put a few things on my wish list! What's the next gift-receiving holiday? teee heee {just found some pics of the event HERE}

Oh, we also got a tour of her two homes (one I guess was remodeled to be a showroom/house). Holy WOW!! They are BOTH totally GORGEOUS!!! I wanted to park my behind in the showroom/house and not leave. Everytime I see some fabulous rooms/homes I want to totally redecorate my whole house. Decorating shows don't help either. I see those and again, I want to RUN to the nearest decorating store and buy all new things to dress up my rooms! Too bad I have NO BUDGET for that :( Oh well it was fun to see the beautiful homes and get some ideas!

Saturday morning came quickly. We got up early went to The Park of the Canals to let the kids put their handprint on a tile - Kaboom! is going to be building a new play area at the end of the month. These tiles are going to be included in the design.

We also saw a few people from our ward there. Look! Ashley was helped by our favorite babysitter!

Nathaniel getting his hand painted.

Felicia also got to spend a couple minutes with our babysitter!

Anson was also very excited to do his handprint with his fave color.

They all wrote their name & age on the tile & they're baking them so they will last a very long time.

The rest of our Saturday was full of running errands, dropping off/picking up Ashley from 2 birthday parties, shopping for teacher gifts, picking up Christy from her walk so she could hop in our pool to cool off for a few minutes before we were out the door again. Oh my goodness! It was a HOT day! I think my back was sweaty all day. {ok sorry maybe that was TMI}

Sunday we went to church, then relaxed in the afternoon. After dinner, we took one of our famous walks with the dogs to my parents' house. The kids LOVE walking to their house, hang out for a little bit {look around for any treats that could be shared with them}, then walk home! It's a great end to our weekend.

Now, on to something special....

Since this is the LAST WEEK of SCHOOL for my kids,

I'm having a GIVEAWAY!!!

Bath & Body Works has a new scent, which I absolutely LOVE!

So here's what I'm giving away:

Antibacterial hand soap, Body cream & Shower Gel all in the new White Citrus scent.

{my beautiful hydrangeas not included}

Ok so HOW DO YOU WIN??

Here's whatcha gotta do:

Leave a comment on this post.

If you want an extra entry, post about my giveaway on your blog, then come back here & leave another comment.

I will pick ONE random WINNER Friday morning (May 22nd).

GOOD LUCK!!!

Been Busy

Just popping in to say Hello!!! I have been a very bad blogger lately. My poor sad neglected blog is calling out to me to post. Something. Anything.

I went to Jen's house yesterday and she helped me make a CUTE Spring Garland. Picture coming soon. No time to upload my camera at the moment.

I have been prepping my house for Bunko tonight. Yes I'm the hostess and it's my FIRST time hosting. Trying to squeeze in some spring cleaning & a little project I've been wanting to do for a little while. Nothing really fun or fancy, just touching up some of the stain on our concrete floors. Apparently in the 'heavy traffic' areas, the stain may need retouching. So, we finally did a spot that has been an eye sore (esp cuz it's right after you walk into the house). YAY!! Got the stain fixed, sealed and applied 3 coats of polish to the whole house. No more ghetto-looking living room!

The kids were afraid to leave their rooms this morning because the floor still looked wet. Nope, that's how it's supposed to look. Super shiny & glossy! I haven't polished the floor in a while, it desperately needed it plus I LOVE the glossy sheen!

I'm so excited for bunko but was also kind of nervous about making all the plans. Thank goodness for my super friend, Alicia, who helped me shop for all the prizes (which I want them all because they're so CUTE - got some smokin' deals at Real Deals), helped me plan the menu and is making some delicious punch. She's AMAZING!!! Thanks Alicia!!!

Oh and TONIGHT is the beginning of SPRING BREAK for the kids!!! WOOHOOOOO!!!!!

Ok gotta go finish getting things ready (including me). I will have to post pictures of all the prizes tomorrow! I hope I win one, even if I don't, the door prizes are darling too!!

Gym, Conference & Project 365

Went to the gym today! YAY ME!!! Didn't go all December and probably most of November. I can totally tell. UGH! Must work off holiday treats that are stuck to my hips & waist, plus more. Even though I was tired and wanted to go home right after we got there, I feel better knowing I got something done that's good for me.

Parent-Teacher conferences today. I actually enjoy going to these. The kids are doing GREAT and I LOVE hearing wonderful things from the teachers, plus seeing what projects the kids are working on.

Speaking of projects...I finally have my album put together for my Project 365. WOOHOOO!!! I signed up for Hobby Lobby's online newsletter & received a 40% off coupon {for ONE regular priced item - one coupon per customer per day - don't you just love those special rules?}. So, I printed several and told my Mom about it too. She printed more than me. LOL

We went to Hobby Lobby together Friday after the kids got home from school and again on Saturday to make an exchange plus get a few extras. We decided to take advantage of our fabulous coupons and regular priced items and get a good deal on them. We each went thru different cashiers, then switched and also sent Felicia thru the lines to get each of our items using our coupons. It took forever (as Hobby Lobby usually does) but it was WORTH it!

Look what I finally have completed (well organized so I can begin)!
It's my album for all my photos for my Project 365 that I'm doing this year. I even started printing my pictures & put them in my album! I'm so EXCITED!!!! You can see my photos HERE.

Well, gotta go. Kids getting out of school and have conferences soon!

Step Out Step Up: It's a Wrap!

Tonight my Mom and I volunteered to help wrap gifts that are being donated to United Way and given to economically challenged women. So many women showed up to help wrap 600 gifts. It was amazing how fast we got done. It was at Superstition Springs Mall in the ampitheater (right outside Borders Bookstore), and there was a band playing beautiful Christmas music. When we were done, we were all treated to a big buffet of delicious food (huge breadsticks, ziti with meatballs, pasta salad, sandwiches & brownies from Paradise Bakery, Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets, fresh-squeezed lemonade, hot apple cider & hot cocoa), mini makeovers with Micabella products, hand treatments (kind of like hot parafin wax), and back massages. My Mom & I had so much FUN! We were there to volunteer our time for others and didn't expect to be pampered in return. It was really nice.

Oh and we each got a goodie bag

Full of samples & coupons
Here's my eyeshadow makeover

Since I got the makeover, I got a coupon for a HUGE discount.

I couldn't help myself and got a few eyeshadows for myself.

I didn't pay anywhere near what is listed on their website.

{well, the top one my Mom picked as her Christmas gift from me - it looks really pretty on her}

I had never seen this makeup before. It's not just eyshadow...it's so much more!

It's a mineral powder, so it can go on dry or you can get your brush tip wet & dip into the powder and brush on wet (as eyeshadow or eyeliner). OR you can dip a q-tip (or brush) in lip gloss or chapstick and dip into the powder and mix...voila! You have tinted lip gloss! OR you can take clear nail polish and dip it into the powder, mix and yep...colored nail polish! It's FABULOUS!!! And the ones I got are all shimmery! Oooh la laa!

I told Ben that my Christmas gift from him is covered! LOL

Thanks, Mom for coming with me to this fun event! If I hear about another one, we are definitely going!

I didn't take my camera with me because I wasn't sure if I would have somewhere to put it while wrapping. Guess I should've brought it with me anyway. {Although, there were several photographers there, so our picture may be posted somewhere. And a volunteer from United Way also took our picture & said it could possibly be posted on their site soon. Kind of exciting!}

Thanksgiving & Black Friday

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We really enjoyed ours together with our family.

After trying several times, blogger has finally let me upload my photos.

Heather (my SIL) & Nancy (my MIL)

ME & Heather
Ben slicing the turkey

I cooked our turkey differently this year. Oh my gosh! It was so delicious & moist!

Here's where I got the recipe & instructions:

How to cook a Thanksgiving Turkey

Ben with his sisters, Heather & Susan

ME & Ben

The Parents

Susan, Miguel, Lorenzo & Richard

Later Joy & her daughter, Tiffany stopped by

How many of you braved Black Friday? I only did it once before and that was in Texas when Nathaniel was 2 1/2 and Felicia was 17 months old. We went to Toys'R'Us very early to wait in line while it was sprinkling & VERY cold outside. {Well COLD for us, it was probably in the 20-30s outside} Not a great experience, so we haven't done it since then.

Well, a few of my friends convinced me to go with them this year. Oh my goodness! It was a BLAST! They are super organized & very efficient. We (Alicia, Jen, Lindsey, Kim & Janie) met at Julie's house at 3:30am and arrived at WalMart at 4am. We all took our positions near a sale item (we helped each other get stuff). At 5am we quickly got what we needed and was checked out by 5:05am! WOOHOO! On to the next store. A few of us got some 1/2 price jeans at Old Navy while others waited in line at Target. It opened at 6am and again we quickly ran around getting what was on our lists (helping each other again). We were all giggling the whole time. Then we stopped at Bath & Body Works to grab some soaps & wallflowers on sale. We finished by having breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We headed home & stopped into Walgreens then were home by 8:30am.

Although, Alicia wanted to go back to Walmart, so Julie & I joined her. We made a few more stops and back to Walmart again. hahaha By the way, do NOT ever ever ever never buy a Walmart Visa/Gift card. They are TOTAL CRAP!!! You have to pay almost $9 just for the card, then $$ you want ON the card. AND there's a $4 monthly fee. As soon as I realized what a rip-off it was, I tried to return it. Walmart wouldn't do it at the customer service. So, I had to call an 800 number to get it refunded! Guess I had to learn the hard way. Oh well, it was so much FUN & I would definitely do it again next year! Thanks for the great time ladies!!

I got these darling jammies for the munchkins at Walmart for $4 each.

They LOVE them!!

I also got these CUTE gloves at Target for 50 cents each (2pack for 99cents)

Ashley & Felicia both wanted the striped pink ones, so they decided to split them!

It was a GREAT weekend! Very tiring but FUN!!