Thursday, December 31, 2009

Sepia Scenes: Christmas Was A Hit!



Every year a bowl is quietly passed around my ever growing family.  As each member of the family reaches into the bowl they swirl around all the little folded pieces of paper until they feel that they have mixed them efficiently enough to get the person that they want.
When the small papers are opened and their secret person is revealed all the fun begins.  For an entire month we scheme and plot and plan what to give our secret person.  We also have a month to see if we can trick anyone into revealing who they drew out of the bowl.  My kids didn't quite get this concept.  Everyone knew who they had. ^shrug^ maybe next year.
This year my husband drew out my nephew TIG's name.  I watched and waited until something was slipped to see what we should get for him.  One afternoon he went on and on about how much he loved "The Christmas Story" and how he would stay up for the full 24 hour marathon that was on TV at Christmas time.  Well the wheels started turning, and a gift idea was born.
I was going to get him that leg lamp.
But it proved to be more difficult than I had hoped for.  So, after talking to Kevin about the idea of a BB gun he jumped right on board.  We started looking online and then at the store trying to find something that we thought would work.  That's when we stumbled across this beauty!  It couldn't have been more perfect!
So Christmas Eve arrived and the presents were sprawled under the tree with their pretty papers and shinning festive bows.
When it was my nephews turn to open his gift, Kevin handed him a small cylinder shaped gift and told him that we had heard a rumor about how much he like the "Christmas Story" so we decided that it would be fun to give him a few things from the movie.
As my nephew tore into the package he found to his surprise a bottle of BB's.  My husband continued, "Now we didn't want you to shoot your eye out with the actual gun so we thought you could just throw these at things and no one would get hurt."
His parents laughed and said that he used his grandpa's BB gun all the time.
TIG tore into his next gift and exclaimed with excitement.  It was the movie "A Christmas Story".
"Alright, now I can watch it all the time."
After a few seconds he started to sit down and Kevin interrupted him mid sit.
"Oh, wait, what's that behind the tree?"  He teased him.  TIG ran to the tree and circled as best he could until he found the package in question.  Waisting no time on the pretty paper he tore into it with the energy that only a ten year old boy can possess. 
"Whoa, it's a Red Ryder BB Gun!!!"  He exclaimed with a huge grin spreading across his face.

For More  Visit Mary T at Sepia Scenes.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Sunday Funnies: All I Want For Christmas

I know I'm a day late.  Sorry, I've had a hard time getting to the computer this last week with the holiday and all. 
Anyway, back to the story...

A few weeks before Christmas when the idea of receiving a gift had reached a fever point with my three year old, she wandered into the room where I was folding laundry and sat down with that gleam in her eye that told me I was going to hear a continuation of that ever growing gift list.
She sat beside me and took my hand in hers, and looked up through her soft brown eyelashes and batted her eyes at me once or twice as a smile formed on her cherry red lips.
"Mommy," she said.  "I know what I want for Christmas."
"You mean besides the Pooh Bear Computer, Leapster, horses, and a new puzzle?"  I asked in mock curiosity.
"Yes, I want a Purple iPot.  And Crystal (her imaginary friend) wants one too."
"A 'Purple iPot', huh."
"Yes, I REALLY, REALLY want it.  Do you think Santa will bring me one?"
"Well 'Purple iPots' may be hard to find."  I said sarcastically.
"But I really want one, and it would be sooooo fun to have one."
"What exactly is a 'Purple iPot?"
"Oh, it's a sculpture."  She replied in a very buisness like tone.
"Oh," I said as I tried to hold back the giggles that were trying to erupt.
So later that night just out of pure amusement I decided to google Purple iPot.   This is what I found...


I had no idea they started this young.  Am I in trouble?


Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. You can leave your story in the comments box if you would like. Or if you decide to do a post on your own site just mention it in your comment and I'll be sure to come check it out!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: Jolly Old St. Nippolas



Here's Wishing You The "Breast" Christmas Ever!
Check out more Wordless Wednesday Fun at wordlesswednesday.com!




Since December has started I have found that I have had less and less time to post anything on my blog. And I am going through withdrawals. So I have decided to post a wintry or Christmas picture every day this week. I hope that I will be able to come back to this wonderful community when the hustle and bustle of the Holiday's is over.


Thanks to everyone for being such great friends and neighbors! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Heidi

Monday, December 21, 2009

Angels Among Us





Since December has started I have found that I have had less and less time to post anything on my blog. And I am going through withdrawals. So I have decided to post a wintry or Christmas picture every day this week. I hope that I will be able to come back to this wonderful community when the hustle and bustle of the Holiday's is over.


Thanks to everyone for being such great friends and neighbors! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Heidi

Sunday, December 20, 2009

By Small Steps They Become Men




Since December has started I have found that I have had less and less time to post anything on my blog. And I am going through withdrawals. So I have decided to post a wintry or Christmas picture every day this week. I hope that I will be able to come back to this wonderful community when the hustle and bustle of the Holiday's is over.
Thanks to everyone for being such great friends and neighbors!  I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Walking In A Winter Wonderland


There is nothing so peaceful as freshly fallen snow.
All sound becomes hushed and reverent.
The crisp cool air dies down.
Allowing a moment for time to stand still.


Since December has started I have found that I have had less and less time to post anything on my blog.  And I am going through withdrawals.  So I have decided to post a wintry or Christmas picture every day this week.  I hope that I will  be able to come back to this wonderful community when the hustle and bustle of the Holiday's is over. 

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Christmas Tradition: Australia, I Need Some Help!!!!

Hello everyone out there in bloggy land.  This is a totally random post but I need some help.
You see every year for Christmas Eve my family picks a country or culture that we use as a theme for the evening.
We find out what their Christmas Traditions are and then we learn a little bit about their culture and history.  This year my oldest daughter decided that we needed to spotlight Australia.  So if any of you wonderful and lovely folks that reside way down under happen to find this little blog post (I know there are a few of you) would you please, please let me know what some of your Christmas Traditions are?  I would like to be able to play some games that are commonly played, and I would like to know what Australians like to eat.
Thank you to anyone that can help!  Until then I think that Google is going to become my best friend!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Ruby Tuesday: Tackling Mishap




Yes we are huge BYU fans here at my house so I couldn't resist posting this and getting in that jab at U of U.

But somethimes I think this is how my life is.  I try to tackle a problem head on and end up trashing myself.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Sunday Sentiments: The Nativities

I thought since this was such a sentimental time of year I would change Sunday Funnies to a kinder more gentle post.  (Plus nothing really funny happened this week, hopefully something will happen for next Sunday)

In the shadow of the Creche lies a newborn babe, swaddled in tightly wound clothes of the purest white.  A mother's angelic face looks down on her heavenly child as a strong supportive hand rests on her shoulder, it's owner letting her know that he will do all in his power to provide and protect.

Several years ago my mother-in-law started attending an event every December where a group of families would gather together and bring with them a nativity that they owned. 
There was always something new and different at each one of these wonderful evenings and my mother-in-law seemed to really enjoy attending this as a way to start off the holiday season.

A few years ago they stopped hosting this event and it has, like many traditions, gone by the wayside.  But my MIL seemed to have a new interest as she started shopping around the holiday season.  She started picking up nativities and started a collection of her very own.  Instead of going and seeing what new pieces someone else has discovered, she started picking up new and wonderful sets of her own each Christmas.

It has been so fun to watch as her collection has grown in size and number.  Her nativities are of all shapes and sizes, made of several different mediums such as wood, ceramic, porcelain, and glass.  They are beautiful and each one is unique.

I love to watch as the grandkids discover the new nativity that she has picked up.  Every time we visit and a new nativity has been added the grandkids stare and absorb all the details of the newest set, and then they have to look at all the other sets, and then they want to touch them and explore them in any way that they can.



I think that this has been a wonderful thing for me and my kids to see how much my MIL loves the setting of Christ's birth, and how she has placed it as the focal point of her Christmas.  If only all of us could let Christ be the most prolific part of our own holidays I think that all the hustle and bustle of the season would settle into a still and quiet night on which we could celebrate our Savior and all that He has done for us because He loves us.  I think that if we used that day for worshipping and a renewing of our promises to be faithful to Him, that the world would see peace and prosperity instead of war and recession.

But I also know that this is easier said than done.

Thank you for your inspiration and your example Grandma!


Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. You can leave your story in the comments box if you would like. Or if you decide to do a post on your own site just mention it in your comment and I'll be sure to come check it out!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Sepia Scenes: Pioneers, Pickles and Pies!










Every year for Thanksgiving we go to my husband's Mom and Dad's to enjoy a wonderful dinner with all the family.  My kids love to see their cousins and I really enjoy visiting with all the adults. 
Every year my daughter's also insist on dressing up as pioneers, since it was in honor of the pioneers and Indians that we have this great feast.  I only got a picture of my oldest, K, with her bonnet on, IZ wouldn't leave hers on long enough for a decent picture and we don't have a bonnet that fits EM anymore.  So she wore a BYU beanie.  It worked.
EM's favorite part of dinner was pie, more specifically, the whipped cream.  I think the kids ate half a pie with an entire bowl of whipped cream.
It was great!


*******As pointed out by my lovely mother, and then by my loving husband, yes I screwed up, I live in Utah and we have pioneers here.  Yes I do know that it was Indians and PILGRIMS that were really in attendance at the first Thanksgiving.  Thank you for looking past my blond moment.*******

Wednesday, December 2, 2009