Lots of stuff!

But no pictures yet. I have been putting off blogging because I keep leaving the camera at my mom's house but I'm just going to have to catch up on pictures later.

We had an awesome Christmas. "Practically perfect in every way" to quote a smart lady. Not too much and not too little. I already used up two of my presents from my mom. I read the second and third books in the Twilight series in 2 days. I hate that I've read them already because I'd love to KEEP reading them but I'm too busy to spend all day reading now anyway. I'm probably going to start them over for another read after all the hoopla is over and done with.

Almost all of my siblings are here now (miss you Dave and Keri!) and we are having a great time so far. The boys are all of riding bikes this morning leaving us women folk at home- unless Laura decided to go- go Laura! Dad says they won't be long but I really wonder what "long" means to him. They are always at least 3 hours. I think the problem is that I look at the time when Peter leaves and he look at the time when they actually start on the trail. So, I don't expect them back until a bit before noon. Let's see if the surprise me, lol.

I will be making more caramel today.

I MAY be getting my haircut, although I think I will still keep it long. Not sure though- suggestions would be nice.

I was in a real funk last night. Probably because my usual good natured baby would not go to sleep. I think he wasn't feeling all that well though. He was knocked over on the tile and got a bloody nose and I think swallowing some of it gave him a bit of a tummy ache. Try pinching an 8 month old baby nose. They hate it and it's not easy!

I lost at the extended family Mario Kart tournament- not too surprising and I was in good company with my soon to be sis-in-law Shea.

That's right! I met my future sil Shea the other night. She and Robert came over and we played Chicken a few times. (It's a fun dice game.) She had some great beginner's luck going on and won every game! The kids love her and so do the rest of us.

Grandma will want black-eyed peas tonight I'm sure. Blech! It's a southern New Year's Eve tradition. Good luck and all that. She doesn't even really like black-eyed peas but she has them every year. No one else likes them either. Maybe I'll get a can and she can have her own little bowl. Yuck. Now, if she LOVED them, I might find a good recipe and fix it for her, but just for good luck? I found a broken mirror yesterday so I think we're already ruined on the luck front. Guess we'll have to rely on prayer ;)

I'm going to think of some New Year's Resolutions this year. I'm sure I will finally put the weight one in there. I'm actually already losing so I just need to keep it up for another 20 pounds and then I'll be at what is probably my ideal weight now. I know better scripture reading will have to be one as well. Maybe if I make Christmas cards one, I'll actually get them out in 2008...

School starts soon! I'm a little excited. Not as much as I was. Part of my wants to scrap it because it's just one more thing to do. I think it's really important though so I won't. I'm sure I will be more excited once I start. I think it would be more fun if I were GOING to class instead of taking internet courses but that would also be more overwhelming since Joseph is still so little.

I'll be back later in the week with pictures and firm resolutions!!

A First

A few years back we bought one of those boxed gingerbread trains and put it together. It was really cute! I had never ever made a homemade, from scratch, gingerbread house- or man for that matter- until this year! I went to good ol' Martha Stewart's website and got a recipe and a template and got to work. Unfortunately I ran out of molasses but thanks to the world wide web found a way to substitute enough brown sugar and water to make it work. So on Sunday when the whole family was sick and stayed home from church we did the decorating of the houses. Peter and I did it all to the kids' specs. Not bad for a first timer eh?

Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy!

Oh my goodness- this is just too precious. If we all had the wisdom of this little boy. He is a 13 years old, in Texas. I guess this was a Christian radio station.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman!

Yes folks, that's what I am. Celebrate with me! I entered a weight loss contest before Halloween in an attempt to keep us all from gaining weight over all of these holidays. Well, I couldn't remember what I started at but I knew that I had been slowly losing weight. My pants were all baggy and I don't have a belt so it was very annoying. Someone told me my total was at 10 pounds! Not bad. So this morning, because I was tired of my pants sagging, I thought I'd try on some of my pre-Joseph jeans. I had a GREAT pair that I just loved and after he was born I couldn't even pull them up all the way, let alone get them zipped. I went for the smallest pair I have. You know what? I'm sitting in them. Right now. Yep, they are zipped and yes I am still breathing. Comfortably I might add. Yes! I was so happy and proud of myself! Then I heard a crinkle in the pocket and checked it. $20. Another wonderful surprise! It's like I paid myself for the contest, lol. Now I need to go check all of my other pre-Joseph jean pockets... So which is better, the size or the money? Hmmm, that's a tough one.

Cooties

Have you had your shot?