“I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day”

For whatever reason I have had a hard time completely getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I love Christmas music so I thought it might help me get in the mood if I shared and listened to some of my favorite songs.

1. “Candlelight Carol” (The arrangement by John Rutter.)

2. “Angel’s Carol” (The arrangement by John Rutter.)

3. “Mary Did You Know”

4. “O Holy Night”

5. “What Child Is This”

6. “Jesu Bambino” (This is a beautiful violin rendition done by none other than our Lei of My Many Colored Days.)

7. “Do You Hear What I Hear”

8. “Away In A Manger”

9. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”

10. “Heirlooms” (The version by Amy Grant.)

11. “The First Noel”

The following two are my current all time favorite Christmas songs, mostly because of the beautifully penned lyrics:

12. “In The Bleak Midwinter”

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Last year while visiting my family in California in December, my father told me the following was his absolute favorite Christmas song. For whatever reason, finding out that my Dad and I have this in common made me feel special. I just can’t believe it took me 31 years to realize this.

13. “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day”

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.

What are some of your favorite Christmas carols?

My Passion For All Things Pumpkin

Right now I seem to have a myriad of different post ideas flittering around in my head, all of which I would like to eventually write about. The topics are vast and varied. They range from discussing the over scheduling of young kids and the sometimes insane expectations placed upon them by parents, to the current disastrous economic and political state of our country, to immature drivers who always have to get the last honk in … seriously.

However, since my brain is tired and it feels like it is about to shut down, I am going to go with a much lighter post subject – pumpkin and the food you can make from it.

Not only do I positively love the Autumn season, but I adore nearly every food item that has to do with pumpkin. And of course these are healthy items … pumpkin is a vegetable, right ?

1. Pumpkin Roll Cake – If you have not experienced this heavenly dessert, pumpkin cake rolled around a to-die-for cream cheese frosting, then you are definitely missing out on life.

2. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins - This recipe is delicious.

3. Pumpkin Cupcakes – Cream cheese frosting is a must.

4. Pumpkin Squares

5. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

6. Pumpkin Milkshakes

7. Pumpkin Cheesecake – I am in love with this seasonal dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. Maybe I should send my husband to go get some.

8. Pumpkin Pie – It needs to have real whipped cream on it.

And here are some other delicacies I would like to try:

9. Pumpkin Soup

10. Pumpkin Waffles or Pancakes

11. Pumpkin Coffee Cake

12. Pumpkin Mousse

13. Pumpkin Pudding

What are some of your favorite holiday desserts? Please share so I can have even more of a reason to indulge in scrumptious tasting food .

Meanderings For A Target Gift Card

As I wandered into Target today to purchase that $12 gift card I am going to give away in just a few moments, I also snagged a few other items that went immediately on sale after October 31st came and went.

1. A Halloween costume for Keri next year which I will give to her for Christmas this year as dress-up … I love being frugal and killing multiple birds with one stone.

2. A Halloween shirt for Keri next year.

3. A spider shirt for Cory. He adores arachnids right now, although he will also get this for Christmas and it should still fit him next Fall.

4. Two orange 18 gallon storage bins with black lids. When they are sitting in a shed or garage, who cares what color they are?

5. Another clearance shirt for Keri for Christmas. Can you tell we are into practical gift giving? If my kids need new clothes, I might as well wrap them up and give it to them for a holiday or birthday present.

However, I did manage to pass up splurging on a few other clearance items:

6. Some darling Fall, not Halloween, decorations. Apparently once Halloween has come and gone stores pull out all their Christmas merchandise and get rid of their Autumn things even though there are still two months left to go.

7. Cute Halloween socks – Keri loves to wear themed socks.

8. A Halloween costume for Cory. None of the boy costumes stood out to me, so why buy something just because it is a good deal?

9. Clearance clothes for the kids. I am getting tired of storing things for future use in our teeny apartment.

10. Kit-Kat Halloween candy

11. Butterfinger Halloween candy

12. Dark chocolate Halloween candy

13. Miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

I know chocolate can make excellent food storage, but I think the amount Keri and Cory got this Halloween should last us for several months.

Now, without further ado, I will randomly choose the winner of the Target gift card … although I do want to say thank you to all the thoughtful people who left me such kind comments on my blogiversary post. You really know how to make a girl feel happy and special . Thanks for giving me some legitimate reasons to feed my blogging addiction. In fact, this post by The Great Mommy Diaries left me feeling rather flattered.

And the winner is ….

… the extremely talented writer and author, Candace Salima of Dream Just a Little More.

Congratulations!

Candy and Chocolate Galore

October is already in full swing which means nearly every store you enter you are going to be bombarded by Halloween paraphernalia. Costumes, decorations, pumpkins, and candy galore.

It is that time of year where you stock up on sweets for those trick-or-treaters who are bound to come knocking on your door, but often times you find by the time October 31st rolls around you and your family have already consumed all that is to be handed out.

Oops.

Perhaps that is the reason why we are supposed to buy the candy we know we won’t eat.  If that is the case, then I better stay away from the following … although, I wouldn’t object too loudly if you sent some of these goodies my way:

1. Butterfinger
2. Symphony Almond and Toffee Bar
3. Twix
4. Kit-Kat
5. Whatchamacallit
6. Gummy Bears
7. Good Salt Water Taffy
8. 100 Grand
9. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
10. Reese’s Peanut Butter Sticks
11. Peanut M&M’s
12. Hershey’s Special Dark
13. See’s Dark Chocolate Chip Truffles – This is probably my biggest weakness.

    

What candy do you fancy?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Should this word end in -ant or -ent? Is there a silent “e” in this one? Should there be a double “r” or a double “s” in this particular word?

Back in the day I used to consider myself a pretty decent speller. After all, I grew up in the day and age where spell checkers were a novelty … at least until I got to college … so I had to learn how to spell things correctly because I didn’t like always having to look up words in the dictionary. Since then, though, I have become lazy and often times I rely on the computer to fix my quick flying typing mistakes.

To hone up on my spelling powers, I decided to research some of the most commonly misspelled words. Here is a list of what I found. And please kindly inform me if I have any of these words spelled incorrectly:

1. minuscule

2. millennium

3. embarrassment

4. occurrence

5. accommodate

6. perseverance

7. supersede

8. noticeable

9. harass

10. inoculate

11. mischievous

12. pastime

13. separate

And just for fun, here are a few more: preceding, indispensable, definitely, privilege, gauge, questionnaire, existence, withhold, misspell and weird.

If you feel like taking a quiz to see how your spelling abilities compare to others, then check out this site. You will find even more tests on this page.

How did you score? What words do you normally have the most trouble with?

How To Successfully Manage the Holiday Season

Jacket weather has arrived. Pull out the rain boots and bring on the simmering cups of hot cocoa laced with caramel and hazelnut and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Give me a good book, some quiet time and a blanket to cover up with and I will be in heaven … sort of.

With the arrival of Autumn also comes the arrival of craziness. New schedules are being hammered out as kids begin school and other activities. Throw into the mix Fall carnivals, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Festival of Lights and Christmas. Don’t blink, you very well might miss them all.

Although Autumn is my absolute favorite season, one of the things I detest the most about this time of year is being so harried, frazzled and over booked that I always feel rushed. As a result, I find I don’t get to truly appreciate the spirit of the season unless I plan ahead, stay organized and learn to simplify my life.

Since Christmas will be here in a mere 13 weeks, give or take a few days, I thought I would share some tips I have picked up over the years that have helped me to dispel some of the franticness of the season. These things definitely help me feel more relaxed and not quite as rushed.

1. Write on the calendar. Rule #1 – you don’t have to say yes to every, single invitation … do I need to repeat that? In fact, hold a family council and decide together which activities to attend and which ones can be skipped. Plan ahead for annual events you know always happen and try now to figure out the dates of those things. The Christmas dinner your husband’s boss always throws? I am sure it is planned more in advance than the night before it occurs, which is sometimes when your significant other first tells you about it.

Furthermore, make sure to literally write on the calendar, in pen, some days where you will “Stay Home.” Plan nothing these nights, or use these days to bake those sugar cookies with the kids you have been saying you are going to make for the last three years.

2. Christmas letters/emails. Start those letters soon. Since we are on tight budget while my husband is in grad school, we send out a Christmas/Holiday email to save money on stamps, cards and address labels. Emails also save a lot of time.

3. Convenient family photo. I always like to send out a current family photo with our email, but trying to find a time to get a nice picture taken sometimes seems impossible. Since we get dressed up to attend church every Sunday, I just take our digital camera to Church, arrive a few minutes early, and have a family friend who is handy with a camera snap a few shots. The kids behave remarkably well because they are excited to go to their respective kids’ classes.

4. Finish your gift shopping before Thanksgiving. Some people might argue with me on this one saying you will miss all the good sales, but frankly, I don’t mind spending a few extra dollars when my time and sanity are on the line. And this is coming from a very frugal minded person who is extremely budget oriented. To wreak less havoc on our budget, I also purchase things throughout the entire year and keep a birthday and Christmas stash hidden in my house.

Once you have the gifts, don’t forget to mail them off early. Remember any overseas packages need to be mailed by mid November. If you want to save money on shipping costs, give any gifts to family you might see at Thanksgiving time.

5. Keep a list of the gifts you have purchased. This helps ensure that equal money is spent on all the kids. It also helps to prevent overspending.

6. Keep a few extra, simple gifts on hand. Every year it seems like there is always someone you forget to buy a gift for – your daughter’s school teacher, your son’s soccer coach, the mail carrier, etc. To help you out in a pinch, always keep a few generic presents on hand – a scented candle, a mug full of treats, or a small box of stationary.

7. Purge now to make more room for new items. Before the holiday rush hits in full swing, take some time to help your kids sort through their things. Put away clothes that are too small, pack up toys that aren’t being used any longer, throw broken things in the trash and donate any unwanted items to charity. Don’t forget to purge your own things as well. If space is an issue, when out shopping, think small. It’s hard to find a new “home” in your house for large items.

8. Don’t be ashamed to buy a dessert. Many of us can bake fancy and gourmet treats, but the real question is do we have the time to do so? If you signed up to bring a sweet to the winter party at school, don’t stress yourself out about making something homemade. Costco cookies can be quite delicious.

9. Buy those black shoes now. If you know you will have a fancy holiday party to attend in the month of December, purchase those black dressy shoes and any other necessary accessories you have been meaning to get sooner rather than later. The last thing you need to be doing is picking over the leftovers on a display table in the mall the afternoon of the big event.

10. Enjoy all the Fall holidays. Sometimes all we seem to focus on is December 25th. Every other day is just a means to arrive at this date. Take some time to celebrate the beginning of Autumn, Halloween and Thanksgiving. However, remember to keep things simple.

11. Think outside the box. A successful holiday season isn’t measured by the amount of money one spends or the number of presents one purchases. Instead of buying big ticket items, get creative. Make homemade gifts if possible or write a thoughtful letter instead of spending money. If time is more the issue, utilize gift cards given with a sweet note.

12. Enjoy family time. In a few years time no one is going to remember if you cooked five different soups for the Fall potluck. However, your kids will always cherish the fun memories you created together.

13. Don’t sacrifice your alone time. It is so hard to give to and serve others when your own cup is completely empty. Take the time to adequately rest, exercise, read some good books and enjoy your hobbies.

What helps you to stay calm during the mad rush of the holiday season?

Gratitude … In Remembrance of The 11th

Since Woman to Woman falls on September 11th this time around, Morning Glory and Lei thought it would be appropriate if we all took the time to share 11 things we are grateful for.  And to further honor September 11th, I am also going to turn this into my Thursday Thirteen list, but with 11 items instead.

Gratitude is something that is constantly on my mind so limiting this list to just 11 things might be a bit of a challenge. If something obvious doesn’t get mentioned here (like friendship, blogging, technology, etc.), please know I am still grateful for it.

1. My Spouse. There’s not a day that goes by where I am not grateful I was able to marry my best friend … and I mean that literally. I can’t imagine how I would function without him around. He supports me, he loves me, he listens to me, he accepts me, he laughs with me and he inspires me to be a better person.

2. My Children. It took a lot of effort to get my two precious children here and I am so grateful the Lord sent them to our home. Motherhood is a role I have always longed to have and I have found it to be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences a woman could ever have. However, that doesn’t mean motherhood is easy, unfortunately no instruction manual comes with the territory. In fact, motherhood is definitely one of the most difficult things I have ever attempted to do. I am constantly learning how to be a better mom, and I mean being a mother, not just merely doing the things a mother or homemaker thinks she needs to do.

3. Medicine. If it weren’t for modern medicine, I most likely never would have had children. In fact, I don’t even know for sure how many of us would even be alive.

4. My Body. So I might complain a little too often about these pesky five pounds that won’t go away, but I truly am grateful for this gift God has given me. The human body is absolutely amazing.

5. Good Books. There is nothing quite like getting lost in an excellent book. You can choose one that will teach you, you can choose one that will inspire and uplift you, or you can choose one that will allow you to escape from reality for a few hours. And what’s better than reading a good book? Eating chocolate or sipping hot cocoa while you do so. (You knew I had to get chocolate on this list somehow.)

6. Good Music. Just like books can serve as a pick-me-up, so can good music. I especially love going to see live musical events. There is something to be said about the energy in these places.

7. Soap. This might be an odd one, but nevertheless I am grateful for it in every form – dish soap, laundry detergent, shower gel, even household cleaners. Even though I love to play in the sand at the beach with the kids and even though I enjoy working up a good sweat at the gym, there is just something so refreshing about being clean. And don’t even get me started with all the yummy smelling fragrances there are.

8. Sleep. Need I say more?

9. Laughter. Laughter truly is some of the best medicine. I always feel better about things after I have had a good guffaw. I also cherish the sounds of my own children giggling.

10. Forgiveness. We are all human and we all make mistakes. I am grateful that I have the ability to forgive others and I am grateful when others choose to forgive me. I also need to remember to more often forgive myself.

11. The Gospel. I am eternally grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for His gospel that is on the earth. I am grateful that He is my Comforter, my Redeemer, my Mediator and my Friend. I am grateful for the Atonement and for His selfless sacrifice He so willingly performed so that one day I might be able to return to Him and my Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother.

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Don’t forget to enter my Free Chicco Stroller giveaway!

Movies, Flicks and Films

Growing up in Los Angeles I used to see movies all the time. In fact, one time I went to four movies in a single day – “Arachnophobia,” “Presumed Innocent,” “The Freshman” and one other one which for the life of me I can’t remember.

However, the older I have gotten, the more precious and valuable my time has become and consequently I don’t frequent the theater quite so often anymore. It also doesn’t help that movie tickets have gotten so expensive, especially when you factor in the price of babysitting.

Occasionally, though, my husband and I still like to watch a good quality show together. Here are a few titles currently on our Let’s-Get-Around-To-Them-Some-Day List. Some of these films are still in the theaters, but the majority of them are already out on DVD which means we will just put them on hold at our local library.

1. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”
2. “Pirates of the Caribbean: At The World’s End”
3. “Dreamgirls”
4. “The Devil Wears Prada”
5. “Casino Royale”
6. “Miss Potter”
7. “Music and Lyrics”
8. “O Brother

Temporary Shutdown

I have a problem.

When I get sucked into reading a book I thoroughly enjoy, whether it is one with excellent literary merit or one that lets me escape into a new world, I shutdown. I ignore the gazillion things calling my name as I lazily lay on the couch while chaos from kids who have been given the freedom to mostly do what they want abounds around me.

Today’s book of choice, “Simple Genius” by David Baldacci. I love action packed suspense novels and this author never fails to deliver. Another plus with him is most of the time his stories are relatively clean, language and otherwise. This particular book captivated me from the get go. When I woke up to a dreary and rainy day here in the Pacific Northwest I knew it would be a good day to curl up and read a book.

While I was left to decipher clues in Babbage Town, here are a few things I put off or neglected to do:

1. Answer the phone.

2. Fold the laundry.

3. Make dinner. It’s a good thing leftovers were found in the fridge.

4. Call and make dentist appointments for my children.

5. Write thank you notes.

6. Bathe children.

7. Find a sitter so Rudy and I can go

Making My List and Checking It Twice

Since we are getting ready to go on a long road trip to visit family, I only have one thing on my mind – PACKING.

Of course I keep putting it off. I dread packing and having to think about it. It makes me irritable. Packing for adults is one thing, but packing for kids and toddlers just about puts me over the edge as you have to remember so many fine details.

So instead of actually packing right now, I thought I would spend my time wisely by blogging and making a list of a few things I need to remember to take with:

1. Camera

2. Camera cords – I am sure we will need to recharge our batteries at least once and I want to be able to download pictures to our computer.

3. Laptop – I don’t think I can go that long without blogging and checking my email.

4. Settlers of Catan – You never know when you might have some spare time for a fun game.

5. Earplugs – My two year old son has been incessantly whining and bellyaching lately so I want to make sure I have a way to escape the noise in the car.

6. Benadryl - The kids

Rudy As A Father

Since Father’s Day is on Sunday, I thought I would list some ways why I think my husband is a remarkable father to our two mostly cheerful and nearly always energetic children.

1. He enjoys singing songs to them. He even makes up some of his own.

2. He loves to read to them.

3. He likes taking them outside to go to the park, to go on nature walks, to go to the zoo and to go bike riding.

4. He excitedly sits and watches The

Games Galore

As far as I can remember, games have always been a part of my life. I grew up with a whole cupboard full of games and since there are 9 kids in my family I always had a willing opponent.

What games will I play? Most anything, although I tend to shy away from computer and video games. I want the real deal. Board games, card games, role play games, strategy games, athletic games … you name it and I will probably play it. I like to be challenged and of course I can get a wee bit competitive . Rudy is the same way so at times we need to be careful when we play games together because things can get a little bit tense.

Memory, Mastermind, Old Maid, Park and Shop, Life, Pollyanna and Sorry are just a few of the games I played when I was really young. While in the latter half of elementary school and during junior high, my aunt and uncle introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons. I have very fond memories of playing this game late into the night with them and my brother. My character was a dwarf named Karast and I possessed a fierce weapon, a magical dwarven hammer.

I could probably list a gazillion games in this one post, but I will try to refrain as I name a few of my favorites … in no particular order. Often times gaming depends on my mood.

1. Settlers of Catan
2. Beyond Balderdash
3. Masterpiece
4. The Great Dalmuti
5. Ticket to Ride
6. Pit
7. Canasta (also known as