Christmas Frenzy

Christmas Sunday! How the heck did it sneak up on me SO fast??? hehe :)

I woke up at around 8am, but didn't actually get out of bed until around 8:30am. You know, I LOVE afternoon church. hehe. I wasn't crazy about it when the kids were younger, but now that I have kids who sleep in and wake up and "fend for themselves", it's wonderful. hehe.

The kids were watching a church movie, playing with the dog. He'd already been fed, and been outside a few times. Yeah, he was gonna work out just fine! No problems during the night with him. He just slept in the living room, then upstairs outside of the boys' rooms.

We hung out most of the morning, just relaxing. Boxer got taken on a few walks, we had lunch, and eventually got ready for church. It's quite a process to get 5 kids ready for church, you know. We started at around 11am, cycling kids through the shower/bath. Eme, Tom, and Jake took shower, while Joe and Jim took baths. Everyone was clean and sparkly for church - ha!

We got to church in time to get our good row, too! I was a little nervous about leaving the dog home by himself, but I figured he'd be ok. As of yet, he hadn't gotten into anything.

So off we went :) Here's a pic of me singing "Silent Night" along with Brad Paisley.

And yes, you should be jealous - hehe. It got up to 68 today, and was sunny and beautiful. No jacket for me, even! Gotta love El Paso weather :)

Red satiny shirt from Savers - $0.99. Black skirt from Savers - $0.99. Big chunky belt from Fallas (came with a long shirt) - $2.00. All jewelry from Jewelry box - $1.00 a piece. Red fancy shoes from Goodwill - $3.99. Not too bad for my Christmas Sunday outfit, huh? hehe.

Church was very nice. After Sacrament, they did a Christmas program. Lots of Choir songs, and solos, and the Primary kids sang a few songs, and the story of the birth of Christ. I really enjoyed it. And the kids were mostly well behaved. I counted up the weeks, and there's only 3 more Sundays left with Captain America, at the most. Hmpf! Not so cool :( So I tried to make the most of the time we had today....

After Sacrament meeting, Captain America and I wanted to get some pictures of the two of us. Especially since he was leaving soon... So we had Jake take a few pictures of us before he went off to Sunday school.











Captain America and I went to the truck to eat our afternoon snack (because food timing is very important, you know...) of crackers, apples, and Diet Dr Pepper, then came back inside. As we were walking back in, we passed the bishop, and he stopped to talk to us. I thought we were gonna get in "trouble" for skipping Sunday School (hehe). But he said that the 16-17 yr old teacher hadn't showed up today, and they needed a teacher. That one of the girls in the class was leading a discussion about Luke 2, but that they needed some "guidance". So he asked if we'd sit in there and crowd control. Sounded perfect to us!

So we joined the class, and it only took about 10 minutes before Captain America had moved his chair to the front of the classroom, and was leading the discussion. The girl looked relieved, and it was a very nice class. We even finished the class by playing a game of "telephone". hehe. See, even the big kids like to play games :)

After the class, we caught up with Jacob in the hall, and he shared his M&M's from his class with us. Well, with Captain America. He offered for me, but I didn't want any. Then Captain America and Jake headed to Priesthood class, and I headed to Relief Society.

It was a WONDERFUL lesson today. All about the process of Repentance. We learned about the 6 things that you need to do to truly repent. Repentance is the way provided for us to become free from our sins and receive forgiveness from them.

1. We must recognize our sins.
2. We must feel sorrow for our sins.
3. We must forsake our sins.
4. We must confess our sins.
5. We must make restitution.
6. We must forgive others.
7. We must keep the commandments of God.

It was a very nice discussion about how the process of repentance is a very freeing and liberating process. And you know what, I can attest that it truly is :)

After church, we gathered up the kids, and headed home. Boxer was SO happy to see us. No pee or poop in the house, and everything was as we'd left it, minus the garbage can being knocked over. If that's the worse that happens, that's not too bad, huh?

Here's a picture that Captain America snapped of me before the jammies were put back on. hehe. Don't you all wear jammies on Sunday after church too? ha!


We had bought a turkey cooker not too long ago, and felt that today was the day to use it. So after we'd all changed, Captain America and I set to work assembling it. And it took about 30 minutes to get it built, then we read the part that talked about "seasoning" the pan. Nice. Well, maybe we wouldn't cook the turkey in it today - hehe. Oh well, at least it was assembled.

So I put he turkey in the oven (just because turkey is good), and I decided it was time for a nap. I was SUPER sleepy. I left the kids watching a movie, and Captain America and I took a nap.

I woke up around 5:30pm, and came out and made dinner. Yeah, the turkey wasn't gonna be done in time to eat it for dinner, but it would be around for leftovers for the next few day :) Anyway, I made spaghetti for the kids and a turkey burger with veggies for myself. And I must admit, I did eat WAY to much of Jake's popcorn. See, his teacher at church had brought gifts for each of the kids. And Jake got one of those big tins of popcorn. And the caramel corn was DIVINE. I eventually made him hide it form me - LOL!

At around 8:30pm, Captain America started working on the shelves again. Kids were watching something or another on TV, dog was being played with inside and outside and taken for walks and generally entertaining the kids, and I was doing laundry. Yeah, it's non stop in our house. But I hadn't done any in a while, so it was SUPER backed up. I only had about 8 more loads to go until it was ALL done :)

Here's a few pics of Captain America and Tom working on the shelves in the garage. Boxer and I came to check it out.






At one point, Jim had given Boxer a stuffed animal to play with, and it was the cutest thing. He was licking it and giving it loves. hehe. Too cute :) Wasn't that nice of Jimmy to share his toys with the dog? hehe.

It was a late night for everyone. Eme wasn't feeling good, so after getting some cold medicine, she went to bed around 9pm. Joe and Jim fell asleep on the couch by 10pm, and Jake and Tom are still helping their dad in the garage, and it's almost midnight. I'm trying to get this blog tied up so I can go to bed. I'm feeling sleepy. Not as sleepy as if I hadn't napped, though :) hehe. Oh yeah, and I don't think I'm gonna let Joe and Jim fall asleep on the couch anymore. Joe was SO heavy when I carried him to his room. But I managed ok. Jim? Yeah, I looped one arm under a leg, and the other under his armpit, and kinda carried/dragged him to his room. I only weigh 135lbs, and Jim is 70 lbs. Yeah, he was WAY to heavy for me to carry him at a dead weight. hehe.

I'm not sure what the day holds for us tomorrow. I know that Captain America wanted to go to the West side to the Outlet malls and get new running shoes. And if we're going that direction on a Monday, it IS Savers sale day.... hehe.

We still need to talk to Santa about stocking stuffers, but I think that's all we still have to do. Oh wait, we drew names, and have to get presents for each other..... Maybe we'll go and do that tomorrow. One of these days, we're gonna just sit home and do nothing. Well, maybe not. I think we'd all just fall asleep if we did that - hehe :)

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Sharon, my dear, I don't know how you do it! You're fantastic :)

O Holy Night

Wow, another Whirlwind of a day! But a fun day :) I really enjoyed it! It started off at 7:15am, when my alarm went off. I knew that if I wanted to get a workout in before all of our planned activities, I needed to get up early. Only problem was that we went to bed around 1pm. *yawn*

Anyway, we got ready, and Captain America finished off the project that he started on last night (it needed another coat of paint), and he and I went out for a short walk. We had a brisk 30 minute walk. It was good :) Yesterday, my plan was to swim, but I didn't feel like it when I woke up. Walking was good.

We headed back home, and the final coat of paint was dried. What do you think? Looks JUST like the one in the photo from yesterday, huh? Good job, honey!

We changed clothes real fast (well, Captain America did - I kept on my workout clothes) and left Jake in charge, and headed out to the church. We had our Ward Christmas Party tonight, and I had volunteered to help decorate.

But first, it was off to Howdys. Because I needed a Diet Dr Pepper :) It makes me happy :)

Captain America dropped me off at the church, and he continued on to the YMCA (several, actually) to see about registering the little boys for the Ice Hockey League. I stayed and helped decorate. I had 4 garbage bags FULL of fabric to offer. Because everyone has spare fabric laying around, right? hehe.

Well, I had PLANNED to help, but everyone seemed to have it under control, so I just ended up drinking my Howdys drink with my buddy Charlotte. You know, it funny. Last Sunday, she and I were chatting in the hall, and someone came up to us and wanted to know where we'd met before. Huh? We didn't know each other before we came here. hehe. We just instantly clicked. Ever do that with a friend before?

Anyway, we chatted for about an hour, commenting the whole time that we SHOULD be helping, but not. ha! Captain America came back around 11:30, and she headed home, and I helped out with the Program rehersal. Cause I was in charge. hehe. We showed everyone where to go for their parts, and practiced through it once, and were good to go.

Captain America and I headed out to grab a bit to eat real fast (Taco Cabana), then headed to the Humane Society. Jake had asked for a pet for Christmas. And Captain America and I talked about all of the possible pets, and the pros and cons of each. Sure, a turtle or a fish or a hampster would be SUPER easy, but is it really interactive?

Jake is home all day long, every day. He needs more exercise. He needs more companionship. He would get those from a dog. He's slightly autistic, and I KNOW that pets help with that. So we thought we'd go give it a look.

And we found the SWEETEST 9 month old Pitbull Terrier mix. SUCH a sweet tempered female dog. But yeah, after we decided we wanted her and started on the paperwork, they found out we lived on Fort Bliss, and that her breed of dog was banned. Whaaaat? Crap.

So we went back out to look some more. We didn't like any of the little dogs, and most of the medium sized dogs didn't do anything for us either. But there was one in the large dog section, called Chucky, that was a boxer. Boxers are good dogs.

Come to find out, Chucky had been here previously, gotten adopted out, and they found him back at Animal Control a few weeks ago. Hmmmm. BUT, when he was here the first time, his name was Boxer. Yeah, Boxer is a MUCH better name than Chucky. That just reminds me of an Evil doll....

Anyway, Captain America TOTALLY fell in love with Boxer, and he didn't scare me (ha!), and seemed to like me too. So we decided to go with Boxer. AND, he was ready to go today. Our house wasn't ready, but Boxer was - hehe.

Here's some pics of me trying to hold him on his leash. He was SO excited to get out of there! He had a microchip and all of his shots and was already neutered. Sweet :) They were having a Christmas Special of $60 for the complete adoption process. Nice :)

There was a cage of cats right around the corner that he just REALLY wanted to get at - hehe
And then we were done, and off we went to home! I sat in the back seat, and Boxer sat with me. He was SUPER calm the whole way home. You know, I still haven't heard him bark... He seemed pretty at ease in a car.

We got home, and immediately took him into the backyard. And got him used to it a bit before we released the kids on him. hehe. He marked his territory in the backyard (hehe), and we let the kids out. And they were SOOOOOOO excited. Jake especially, since it's primarily his dog.




Jimmy seems to be a little timid around the dog, but I think he'll be ok. He seemed very pleased with Boxer licked him tonight :) Boxer just seemed SO happy when all the kids gathered around him. He laid on his back, and let the kids rub his belly. You could almost see him smiling. Saying THANK YOU for saving me :) Awe, so sweet!

We kept him in the backyard for about the first hour, and the kids played with him, and I worked fast and furiously to get the house cleaned. When it was somewhat "dog proof", or what I thought was dog proof, we let him inside.

And I don't know what dogs normally do in new areas, but he just walked around, smelling things, and if we said "No Boxer" because he stared to go into an area that he wasn't supposed to go in, he just stopped, turned around, and went and sniffed out something else. Yeah, that's my kind of dog. Honestly, he listens better than the kids. hehe. We thought we were gonna have to buy a baby gate, but he hasn't even attempted to go upstairs yet.

Jake took him on a walk, and when he got back, Jake said he was feeling sick. Poor thing. I think he caught what the other kids had. So we let him lay on the couch and take it easy. Captain America hung up the clothes rods in the "clothes closet", and I got the kids ready for the ward party. Jake decided he didn't feel well enough to go, so he was gonna stay home with Boxer.

We headed to the party around 6pm (yeah, it STARTED at 6pm, so we were a bit late), but it didn't really get started until 6:30pm, so we were fashionably late - hehe. Captain America followed behind in a separate car, because he was still finishing up his project. But he made it in time for us to get our "food tickets", and go to the Market place.

It was a SUPER fun evening. We bought food at the "bakery" and "dairy" and all the other fun little stations. We got chocolates, and sweet breads, and deviled eggs, and cheeses, and dredels. Yeah, it was a good time :) Here's some pics from the evening.






At around 7:30pm, we started the program part. Captain America was the Roman Centurion, and called the evening to order. The lights were dimmed, the narrator read, the piano played, the audience sang, I led the music, Joseph and Mary came on stage, the shepherds and angels came, then the wisemen, and then it was over. It was a SUPER sweet and short program. I really really enjoyed it :)

We gathered up our stuff, and off we went. We dropped the kids off at home, and it was bedtime. The little kids went to bed, and the big kids stayed up to watch a movie. Captain America and I had to swing by Walmart to grab some pet supplies, since we were SORELY unprepared.

And I thought kids were expensive!!!

We finally found all that we needed, and headed to the check out. Captain America and I were both pretty sleepy :) it was DEFINITELY bedtime!

Ha! I entitled this photo : You might be a redneck if.....

We got home, put away all of our stuff, and got ready for bed. I hate this couch cushion for the chair, so we decided to give it to the dog - hehe. And he just LOVED it. We turned out the lights, let Jake sleep on the couch for tonight, and off to bed we all went.

You know, I really think that the pet thing is gonna work out. If Boxer is TRULY as mellow as he seems, he's gonna be a VERY welcome addition to our family :) Wish us luck!

Wow, Sharon really outdid herself this time! LOVE the layout, hon!

Click on the link below to go to my account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

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SBG 25 Day Blog Train : Santa Brings Goodies!

Click on the links below to go to my accounts to download the zip file of the PNG files, and leave some love if you like my work.! Thanks :)

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AND, while you're here, you can ALSO pick up Lynn's Quick page!!! Two stops in one!!! Click HERE to go to her download site! See, aren't you glad you came to visit!!!



Click HERE to go to Lorie's Blog for the next stop on the train! She'll be posting the next part on the 19th of December :)

AND you should have come here (unless you just LOVE me), from Em-Ka's blog. You can find her link HERE. Choo Choo and a Merry Christmas to everyone!!!


OK, and on to my day. Because, I know you'd be SO sad if you didn't hear how I was doing. hehe :) OK, so maybe just in my head you would be sad - hehe :)

ANYWHO, it really was a great day! Migraine free, I'm pleased to report! I woke up at 7-ish am, got ready, got the kids all ready, and walked all 4 of them to the bus. It was one of those weird days when PreK got at the same time, and all the grades get out at 12:15. So I had the morning with only Jake! Sweet :)

I came back home after the bus left, and changed into my swim suit. Then put my warm clothes back on. See, I think it's time for a shower day, don't you think? hehe

I asked Jake if he wanted to go swim laps with Kari and I, and he really didn't want to. So I told him that he could walk for 30 minutes around the neighborhood. I need to get that kid exercising more! IF we end up with the Christmas Present for Jake that we're thinking of, he'll DEFINITELY get some exercise. Christmas presents of this type require regular walking.....

Anyway, I headed off to the pool (1 block away - hehe), met Kari there, and we did laps. She started on one end, and I started on the other, and we passed in the middle each lap. So we spent no time visiting, because we were on opposite sides of the pool. And every time she started a lap, I had to too, so I wouldn't get "lapped". hehe. It really worked quite well, motivation wise.

We ended up doing 24 lengths in 50 minutes. Not too bad! It's an olympic sized pool, so I don't know how long we actually swam. It felt really good, though. I count as I do my strokes. It took between 55-65 strokes (each side counts as one) to get from one end of the pool to the other. And then I'd turn and come back, and briefly rest And it was SO relaxing. Like yoga. Where you just concentrate on your breathing. But instead, I was concentrating on my counting. I really really liked it. In fact, I think I may go tomorrow morning, too :)

My legs were less wobbly than normal when I got out (ha!), and we headed for the locker rooms. Here's me, in the truck, on the way home. I"m hot, huh?

And at home. Yeah, I definitely needed a shower! I told Jake to finish up what he was working on for school, and once I was ready, he could come to Walmart with me.

And I felt SO much nicer once I showered. hehe. Jake and I hopped in the truck, and headed to the Transmountain Walmart. And we were planning on hitting the Lowe's across the street when we were done.

Here's us in the truck.

So we head of post, and start onto Hwy 54, and on the on-ramp, my truck cuts out. Twice. I started to panic. Then realized that I was OUT OF GAS! Whaaaat? Crap! So Jake and I took the first exit, and pulled into the first gas station we could find. 7 11. And filled up. Well, almost filled up. The pump stopped at $75, so we got that much, and headed for Walmart. A bit behind schedule...

Jake forgot the house phone at home, but I told him to meet me in the Hangers section. I bought some apples ($0.52 a lb for Gala!) and some bananas and some bread and milk, and a few other things we were out of.

And then I went for the hangers, and wouldn't you know it, they were out. Sigh. I hate it when Walmart is unstocked.... I needed laundry baskets for that closet project Captain America and I are working on, so I grabbed 6.

And couldn't find Jake. Grrrr. I looked in the hanger section. No Jake. I looked in the toys. No Jake. I looked in the electronics. No Jake. I looked in the pet section. No Jake. So finally, I paid. And waited. And waited. And waited. I asked the cashier to page him, but I don't think she knew how to. Cause she acted like she did it, but I sure didn't hear an announcement over the loud speaker...

So finally, I decided to take my stuff to the truck, and come back in and page him again (different cashier, of course). And as I headed for the door, Jake found me. Thank goodness! We had to get back to pick up the kids! So we made a new rule, no splitting up UNLESS we both have phones...

We got home JUST as the bus was getting there. I picked up Joe and Eme and Jim and Tom, and we all headed home. The kids had eaten lunch at school, but not Jake and I. So we grabbed Lunch real quick, and Eme and Joe and I headed out to a DIFFERENT walmart. One that was actually stocked. ha!

Here's Eme and Joe in the truck

And me, belting out "Leroy, the Redneck Reindeer"

We went to Lowes first, and bought 3- 8 foot lengths of 1-3/8' wooden rods. For clothes rods. For the storage closet that is Jims room. Cause we're putting the 3 little ones in the downstairs bedroom, and ALL of their clothes in that closet. Should work ok :)

Anyway, we got clothes rods, and the parts to hook them to the wall. Hopefully I got the right stuff. Then we headed next door to Walmart.

I got the hangers, and some more laundry baskets, and I think that was about it. I'd already extensively shopped before lunch - hehe. Not much left to buy :)

And we headed home. And unloaded the truck, and I put kids to work doing chores. And I started hanging up ALL of Joe and Eme's clothes. Holy crap, those kids have a TON of clothes. I put the clothes rods between the hutch and the dining room table, and started to hang them.

Before long, Captain America was home from work, and wanted to go to the Ed Center on post and talk to someone about Masters School. So I left the kids doing chores, and headed up there with him.

When he's deployed, he'll have more free time than he would at home, and they have GREAT study abroad programs for the military. What perfect timing for him to get a masters, huh? He wants to get it in Military History. Something RIGHT up his alley :)

We were there filling out paperwork and such until they closed, then headed home. We cooked Chicken nuggets for the kids, set them up with a movie, and Captain America and I went to dinner at El Taco Tote. It was a fun dinner :)

And then we headed home. And we found some packages on our door! This one was from Captain America's parents. Oranges! How cool is that! We all peeled and ate one, and they were DE-LICI-OUS! Thanks, you guys! We also go a SWEET booklet of songs from Captain Americas sister, Adrienne! Can't wait to look at it closer!

And we got another package with presents from my parents. These, unfortunately (for me, anyway), were wrapped, so I have NO idea what they are. Hmmm, I wonder how long before I go and peek.... hehe.

Captain America was sleepy from his long day at work, and laid on the couch for about an hour, resting. I finished working on Joe and Eme's room. OMHeavens, it was TRASHED. But after an hour of good, hard cleaning, it was CLEAN! And all the clothes were hung up. And I'd gone through Eme's clothes, and she'd helped me pick out the ones that didn't fit or she didn't like to donate.

Captain America came in, and Joe and Jim and Captain America and Jake and I laid around on the bottom bunk of the bunkbed, and goofed off for a while. There was a TON of farting going on, and eventually Captain America went and got his Gas Mask. It was the FUNNIEST thing ever. OK, so now you know how gross we all are :)

And then we got back to work. I cleared out Jimmy's room/closet, and consolidated it with Joe/Eme's room. And swept it out real good. And put Joe and Jim and Eme to bed, sent Jake and Tom upstairs to their rooms for quiet time before bed, Captain America started measuring and cutting the wood for the shelves, and I sat down to blog. It's now 9:52pm, and I'm gonna go hang with Captain America in the garage. It's relaxing to watch him work :)

So yeah, no freebie down here for you, since it's the blog train. hehe :)