More Snow Fun!

Madison likes to kick back and relax.

Then there is Tyler, once again out looking for a fight.

Show him how it's done Grandma, send him running for the hills....

Or the trees  :)

And of course there MUST be a snowman

Words from Mr. Snowman: HEY!  Will someone tell that boy to stop eating my nose!

Will someone please help that poor girl with that cake of hers!  It just keeps on growing and growing.  Grab a fork and a knife and dig in, her arms are getting really tired!

Grandpa's know how to fight!

So after years of practice, not to mention a slightly larger bank account than children,  my Grandpa was more than ready for a snowball fight this morning!  Although Ty did look quite menacing, he was no match for Grandpa's know how.....or his snowblower!

You do have to give Ty credit....he sure is a stubborn boy, or maybe he is just determined to win.

A bit of Christmas at my house.

Here is a peek into my house at Christmastime........Of course there's more, much, much more, but hey, you have to start somewhere.

Welcome to my Holiday Haven!

Look at those amazing wreaths! I just had to make them last year, since I only had one lonely wreath that I had made for our last house's single front door, but when you have French doors you have to take advantage, right?

Watch out for that Mistletoe hanging in the entry way, Just to the left of the doors and the Mistletoe, my bedroom, I know, perfect placement.

And then there is my precious Rudolph! My grandma painted him FOREVER ago. He hung in her house for years while I was growing up. There is a music box behind him, you turn his nose to wind the box and then he plays.....you guessed it~ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! I know too cute! Well she passed him on to me a few years ago and I display him proudly every year! I'm not sure why I got him out of the 26 other grand kids, maybe it's because I was the first to give her great-grand babies!

This year she painted this cute little advent count down! I know I'm spoiled and I love it. This year she gave me that as well as a handful of hand painted ornaments I'll post later.

Now I have to hurry home and get more snapshots of my Christmas world to share with all of you......

Can you imagine stockings hung by the fireplace with care, well, I guess you can see those if you squint past my mistletoe. How about newly created Christmas art projects fresh from a First grader's backpack! And My grandma will surely be making a repeat performance, most likely a few times over......

I can see it now, that eager gleam in your eyes, for now I'll let you dream of sugar cookies with frosting and sleigh bells ringing, and children singing......

My love affair with a tree!

I have this tree at my house, it's right in the middle of my view of the water and the mountains. At first when we built our house we thought about cutting down the tree, but I've found that I've developed a love for the darn thing. I don't know how many pictures I've taken of it but here is a sampling. No matter what time of year it is, I always seem enchanted, and just can't resist taking a picture, or two, or 500.

How can you not love that tree? It never ceases to amaze me at the beauty that we have here all around us! I even found a way to get my kids and my tree in the same shot! I'm thinking we might be keeping that tree around for a while, if I were to ever get rid of it I'm sure that I would instantly miss it!

Fudge Anyone?

Every year at Christmas time I make fudge. It's what I do. My mom taught me, her mom taught her. Us Heywood women, we make people fat! It a science, I don't even time the sugar and milk anymore, I'm pretty sure I've done it in my sleep. Here's the picture process, if only you could feel the burn through the pictures of the boiling sugar/milk/chocolate combo...My one secret, the further it flies and the more it burns when you turn on the mixer, the better it tastes!!!

In all fairness, every year when I make my fudge I usually end up throwing out the first batch, it ends up as a big ball of really thick frosting like substance.....one of the guys at work today suggested that I make brownies and spread the opps batch on top. Last night I went through ten pounds of sugar and ten pounds of chips, when you do the math and figure in some of the other ingredients I had 20-25 pounds of fudge in my house last night. Today, not a single piece, I get it out of my house as fast as possible, that way I don't eat all of it! Hmmm, maybe I see my first blog giveaway coming on, I'll keep you posted <-- he, he, posted! I'm too funny!

First Snow of the Year! (And Gingerbread Houses!)

Here it is the first snow we've seen this season, and of course it's Saturday night and we have early church but you have to let the kids play right?



And of course Sunday morning they want to play again. being the mean mommy that I am, I told them this was breakfast time and they could choose, to eat or to play, that was the question. They chose playing, and I packed a snack for church :) this is what we were lucky enough to wake up to.....
After we got home from church it was time to make Gingerbread Houses! The kids had a blast. Note Ty's lack of clothing, first thing he does when he gets home: strip. The boy loves to be (nearly) naked!

Andy with a baby!?!

I saw this picture over on Mia's blog. It's her little brother. I instantly thought of Andy! Wierd!

Well Lindsay, now you know what it'll look like when he's lounging around with your guy's many, many little ones...... ;)

New Atomic Bond Discovered!

Why is it that if you are using Super Glue to put two pieces of plastic back together you, at best, have a fifty-fifty chance of it working, BUT, if you happen to rinse out a bowl of not entirely eaten Cream of Wheat in the sink and possibly forget to rinse down every dish that was in the sink (Yes, there are always dishes in my sink when Ben is gone.) the is a 100% chance of discovering a new atomic bond?

Last weekend I made that proud discovery! Who new that there could be a transfer of electrons between a single grain of Cream of Wheat and ANYTHING it happened to land on. Most elements aren't so care free. If I remember right an element will only bond with another element if they BOTH have free valence electrons. Seems to me that Cream of Wheat is completely indiscriminate. Stainless Steel, Copper, Plastic, Glass, Wood, Enamel, and Melamine. All of these seem readily available for sharing precious electrons with Cream of Wheat. Even with out some sort of Catalyst like heat, cold, or chemicals. Don't worry, I have also discovered the way to un-bond the seemingly loving connection that Cream of Wheat has with EVERYTHING! Are you ready? HOT, soapy water and time. Oh and you still have to do a fair share of scrubbing. Make sure however, that you get all grains removed before putting dishes that have been bonded to into the dishwasher. If you don't the bond will be permanent and irreversible!

Consider yourself warned.

Can you tell I enjoyed Chemistry in high school?

Who remembers Mole Boats? Where did that nail go? And how come Mr. Birkenfeld never saw our amazing (should be) prize winning boat? Has anyone else been immediately disqualified like us?

My Second Job as an English Teacher

So Tiffany and I were at work yesterday, and I have to say I LOVE the fact that I can have conversations by email. We can sit there and chat and our bosses actually think we are working...silly boys and girls. Well Ben has just discovered that he can also talk with me by email from his Supervisor's desk too!

Which comes in handy since he's in San Diego right now. I have to type this part small because he doesn't like people knowing he's out of town.

Having said that, I have a 12 gauge shotgun, that I bought, with an 18 1/2 inch barrel and OO shells to load it with, made just for protecting my home. AND, I KNOW HOW TO USE IT! Don't mess with a Mom and her babies, you'll lose everytime!

Back to my story..... Ben and I had been having email conversations, which are nice because I miss him desperately. Tiffany and I had been talking as well and I had sent her the following....

Ben and I are talking more, I miss him more, I love him more. I can't wait to get to SD to spend fun family time together with him. Watching our kids play together while I sit by him on the beach and hold his hand. Or dig in the sand with him, or just walk by his side. Everything I imagine down there has him right by my side.

And she replied:

How romantic. Makes me want to write Chris a love letter.

Well I forwarded it on to Ben but I added this part to the start:

I really do feel this way.......I can't wait to see you!

And he replied back:

Your weird

Which prompted the following email to Tiffany this morning:

So when I sent him the little snippet of our email, he replied with a "You're weird." Except it was "your weird" Does that mean he's "my weird" or is just grammatically retarded? I think it's the second one but I won't be correcting him this time :)

Now for a couple disclaimers:

I am not claiming to be perfect with my English, though it's always been one of my peeves. I often find myself reflexively correcting my loving, patient husband when we are together, alone and sometimes in public.......I'm working on that.

Although I may be out of state, I have two killer dogs and a rabid bunny who will remain at my house. I also have a 24 year old, single, little brother (and when I say little, I mean younger because he towers over me now) who will be at my house and probably throwing a party daily that will be sure to attract not only my neighbor's attention but probably that of the local Sheriff Department as well. Needless to say there will be no room at my house for uninvited visitors. Not like you could find it if you tried...... Oh and did I mention that since my lil' bro. has moved to Idaho to attend BYU he has officially gone gung-ho gun crazy?!? He is a proud owner of an assault rifle (which he loves to keep near by) as well as a few other guns, so invaders beware! It would be so silly to even think about it!

Real Men Take Midol!

SAY WHAT!?! Yes ladies it's true. Today I found out one of the guys that I work with lives by the means of Midol. He's not the first that I've heard of the swear by it.... I've heard of others as well, some that I might even be technically related to. It just goes to show you that those men have to go and get their paws into every good thing we've got. Or maybe it just shows we're the smarter sex and know the good drugs to take. The guy at work sits next to me and I happened to be waking by his desk as he was reaching in to his drawer to pull out his baggie of pills when I saw "the bottle". I said, with a smile on my face, "You're one of those!" He said what, and I told him that I had heard of other guys taking Midol. He told me that nothing else works like it. He also said that one of the other guys at work was complaining about a migraine and he gave him two pills and said "Take these." The other guys asked what they were and he said "Just take it." Twenty minutes later, no more migraine. Then he told him that it was Midol. Ladies our secret is out. What my Mom and Dad referred to as my Mom's "Happy Pills" are no longer just for Mom. Sooner or later these guys will just figure we know what's best and just roll with it. Why fight it any more guys?

Courtesy of Wikipedia:

Midol is an over-the-counter medication indicated for menstrual cramping and other effects related to premenstrual syndrome and menstruation. Midol is distributed by Bayer.
Midol was originally sold in 1911 as a headache and toothache remedy that was considered safe because it did not use the narcotics typically used at the time. It was then promoted as a cure for hiccups claiming it controlled spasms, and finally as a remedy for menstrual cramps and bloating.

The primary formulation consists of:
Acetaminophen 500 mg (Pain Reliever)
Caffeine 60 mg (Stimulant)
Pyrilamine Maleate 15 mg (Antihistamine)

The "Cramps & Body Aches" formulation consists of:
ibuprofen 200 mg (Pain Reliever)

The "Maximum Strength" formulation also includes:
Naproxen Sodium 220 mg

Just for the record...... I LOVE my Midol, and my Midol LOVES me!!!!!

Free Christmas Stuff!!!

So we all know and love Mindi and I'm sure you've all checked this out already but here it is..... You have until the 17th of December to enter, so step to it, or not, cause I'm gonna win this one!

Food, Books, and a hot Leg Lamp! Don't you just love fishnets? I do!

And Kami also has one going too, hurry over there!

New Favorite Sandwich!

Here's to Parri for sharing with me my new favorite sandwich! It was a revelation, pure inspiration! are you ready for this?

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip!

Yeah, I told you it was good! I think we were talking about what we had had for lunch or something....She mentioned the sandwich and I knew it would be a good thing. So I went home after my soccer game that night and tried it, I'd worked up a decent appetite and figured I could spare a few calories after running around like a mad-woman for an hour, yeah right, like I really count calories, some of you have seen me eat. It was AMAZING!!!!!!! It is going to be my next staple. My fall back. My best friend, move over ladies and make some room.

Mary

I'm not sure Mary even knows I have a blog but I NEED to thank her. Mary works in the same building I do, She has been a toolbag hauling woman for a whole lot longer than I have. She's caught me crying in the bathroom when I just couldn't handle all the crapola the guys were dishing any longer. She's let me vent when I needed to. She's always been that listening ear and that wealth of knowledge and understanding that I've so desperately needed at times. Today Mary helped me and provided comfort in a way so not related to work. She's not LDS but she does go to church. Today I was walking by the coffee room on her floor and had the urge to stop and say hello. She was washing a dish and greeted me warmly. She asked me how I was doing and I told her I was fine but I hadn't been sleeping well. It's not that I've been waking up, but the past two nights I have had horribly violent, disturbing dreams. So bad that when my husband called this morning to make sure I was awake I told him that I had been having bad dreams and I was tired. He asked what the dreams were about and I told him, "You don't want to know". I didn't think that anyone should have the mental pictures that I had been having. This morning after waking up and looking in the mirror I didn't even look like myself, I was pale and my eyes just weren't mine, I don't know how to explain other than it wasn't me in the mirror. It sorta scared me to see that person in the mirror and looked as little as possible...

Mary asked me if I went to church. I said yes. Then she said to me, "You need to pray." She said it and I literally felt the truth and comfort in those words. We talked a little more and she said that there are evil spirits and Satan will get to you whatever way he can. If dreams are one way he can weaken you he'll try. I realized that she was right. I've had somethings I've been working through, everyone does right? And I hadn't thought about how these dreams might be Satan's way of getting to me. She told me I needed to pray out loud. She also said that light is energy and it radiates and spreads to fill whatever space there is and that our prayers and words are the same way. They will spread the power through out my room. I realized the truth in what she was saying. I pray for my son who has bad dreams to be comforted, why not pray for myself. I felt so much relief talking to her, I NEEDED to talk to her. She might not be LDS but prayer is universal, it doesn't know the boundaries of faith. If you have faith you can pray. You can pray to gain faith. She told me that just in talking to me for those few moments she could see the difference in me. I was standing there talking to her and had the overwhelming feeling to cry, I was so relieved, I knew that I could find relief from this plague. I told her that I had really need this talk and she had really helped. Thank you Mary. So much.