O CHRISTMAS TREE

Here it is-- our tree for Christmas 2009! Isn't it a great one? We were out of the car for all of 5 minutes when S yelled, "I found one, Mom!" And there it was, perfect for our living room.

We are so happy to have a skinny tree this year.

The snow was good packing snow, so the kids made a few snowmen and we had quite a few snowball fights break out.

Then we drank hot chocolate and ate muddy buddies (thanks, Jessi) and had fun just being together. What a great tradition!

TURKEY DAY AT THE FARM

Our traditional Gordon Thanksgiving Dinner was very yummy and very fun.

What would the holiday be without lots of cousins?

The weather was beautiful, so after dinner we all went outside to enjoy the sunshine. The girls watched the boys ride motorcycles.

The adults shot a full box of clay pigeons. (I did not participate in this activity. I hate shooting shotguns).

At the end of the day we were tired of eating and playing (so exhausting) and ended up inside visiting, checking the ads for shopping next day, and playing games.

Today was the big shopping day, and it was a blast. Got lots accomplished, and had a great time with my sister-in-law doing it!!

CHRISTMAS LIST

These are the things I am in need of or want for Christmas this year. There is no way I am going to get them all, but I thought I would list everything, so that my honey has a place to look for ideas. I haven't really started shopping yet and need to get busy. I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!!

CHRISTMAS CARDS

Here are some Christmas cards I am working on. I just can't decide which one to use. Will you (all 3 of you that read my blog) give me some input?

Thanks!

JOURNAL KEEPING

I am a strong believer in keeping a journal. I have chronicled my life since I was in 6th grade. Sometimes I was better at it than others, but it has been an on-going dialogue since then. During my teen years it was a great way to vent and now that I am older it has been a great way to keep track of my feelings and emotions about being a mother. At times I was writing for me and at times for my posterity. Would I want my children to sit down and read them? Well, that is still in debate-- it hasn't happened yet, but will some day, I am sure.

This is my newest journal! I am pretty consistent at blogging, so I decided to publish it. I would like to be able to do it once a year, but we'll see how that goes. I am very happy with my book. It ended up costing me around $57 with shipping and the more expensive cover (I hate dust jackets). I figure that is a small price to pay for family history. I am very excited! Here is link if you are interested. There are a lot of different companies that will print a blog, but I had positive feedback about this one. It is very user friendly and easy to do (just takes time). Good luck!

COMBATING LAZINESS

Some people are so clever!

WEEKEND WARRIORS

We went down and hiked the Little Wild Horse/ Bell Canyon loop today with some friends. It was such great weather and we had so much fun. The canyon is beautiful, but not technical at all. Very touristy [there were lots of people there] but still an adventure.

My boys climbing the walls as usual...

The guys built an arch to leave as a marker that we had been there. Turned out cool. Helps to have an engineer and a contractor along.

We were so close to Goblin Valley and had never been, so we drove the 5 miles down the road and paid the $7 to get in for an hour. It was worth it! This is a very fun place! Here are my husband and I with our three boys on a goblin. I was very worried it was going to fall, but I made it off alive.

These are my men.

This is my favorite photo of the day. My husband: the Karate Kid. Who knew?

CINNAMON BREADSTICKS

I tried a new recipe for Family Night. It was so good and so easy I had to share.

CINNAMON BREADSTICKS

Use my pizza dough recipe or make your own and roll out onto jelly roll/cookie sheet pan. Spread with butter and sprinkle with lots of cinnamon sugar. Bake for 7- 10 minutes at 425 f. Cut into strips and fight your kids for 'em! SERIOUS YUM!!

Pizza Dough

1 Tbsp. Yeast

1 Tbsp. Honey

1 1/2 Cup Warm Water

1 tsp. Salt

2 Cups Sifted Flour

1 Tbsp. Powdered Milk

I AM THANKFUL FOR FAMILY HOME EVENING

We have a fun November Family Night tradition. I started a Thankful book 5 years ago and we have been adding to it ever since. Every year each of us makes a collage of things we are thankful for. I punch holes in the pages and add them to the book rings. It is very fun and the kids really look forward to it. After we are done, they end up looking at it for weeks afterward. It is a great way to remind us to be thankful for what we've got! Here are a couple of pages from years past.

This is one of my pages from 2007. I save all my old church magazines and all the other magazines we get for a year or two and then feel fine cutting them up.

This is my oldest daughter's page from tonight.

Here is one of my husband's pages from 2005. They are all different and end up having personalities. I love them! It has been a fun thing to do.

EAT, DRINK & BE SCARY

Another successful Halloween under my belt. Not nearly as stressful this year and I think the reason is that it was spread out over two days. Worked out very nicely, so much so that I think that is the way it should be every year. Here's some photos from the trunk or treat at our church. I have very mixed feelings about it. We live in a small town and should not have to do this for safety and yet I don't have to take the kids around the neighborhood for candy, it is right there in one spot. So torn, so torn...

Some of my nieces and nephews and kids. Very fun to live in the same town with cousins!

My husband and I at the trunk or treat (I'm the one on the right). He wasn't fond of his Han Solo costume, so I painted his face. Yuck, huh.

This is our tragedy of the holiday- My oldest daughter spent over 6 weeks working on this wind up doll costume. She made up the pattern, and sewed and slaved over it for hours. Then she got really sick this weekend and didn't end up getting to go to her party, so no one saw it! So sad! It turned out beautiful- just like her!