Sunday Sound Out

First of all, do you leave the cluttered branches that way?[all the ornaments hung on the same branch]

I spread them out a little bit so the tree didn't tip over, but I don't really care how the kids hang the ornaments (if they're facing in, bunched up, all crazy-like). I don't stress over silly stuff like that. I think I was traumatized too much as a kid by my mom and sister. See, they were the "hang ONE strand of tinsel at a time and make sure the tree looks perfect" kind of people. I was the "take a handful of tinsel, toss it into the air, and have it land in globs on the tree" kind of person.

is it just MY kids that like to perch all of their GIJoes in the tree's branches the second its up?
LOL! I'm not sure about that, but we do have some interesting things in our tree...

Here's an ornament Austin made. It's a cute little Santa, see?

Here's the back of the ornament.

And this is a beaded keychain that, for some reason, gets hung on the tree every year. (I think Austin made this one also). We call it the Christmas amoeba.

Sorry-I'm confused about the Chicago olympics SSO queston...do you live in Chicago? I thought you lived in TX-I thought I remembered flooding during a hurricane? Am I completely off my rocker?
Yep, you're off your rocker, Cheryl. I'm in Chicago. We did have flooding late this summer, however, so maybe that's what you're thinking of.

Saw on your Twitter feed that you do drama at church also - just wondering if your church uses scripts from Willow Creek.

Nope. We have a subscription to Drama Ministry. We get most of our scripts from there. Can you believe I'm auditioning for a part in an upcoming play on Tuesday? Someone slap me. Did I ever show you this picture of me from when I was Aunt Abby in Arsenic and Old Lace?

btw, how do you get invited to these types of events!?!?!? [Ride Makerz, Adventures by Disney, etc.]

I have no idea.

Are those potholders on everyone's heads?! I just know there's a good story behind these pics!

They're dish cloths. You'd think there would be a good story behind it, wouldn't you? The truth is, I just flung them on everyone's head and took a picture. What good is family if you can't get goofy pictures of them with dish cloths on their heads?

Who made the dish clothes your family is wearing?

My grandma knit those for us. :)

Is snow really that awful? I'll be 33 in February and I've never seen the white stuff. Only in pictures.

In a word - YES!

I`m curious, you mentioned before that he draws from one side to the other, does he do that with a picture like this? I mean, most artists would HAVE to start in the center to get the perspective right so I`m curious as to how he did that. [Austin's drawing]

He said in that particular drawing, he drew the objects first, then he drew in the floor and ceiling.

Has Austin taken any art classes? Do you possess the same amazing artistic skills as Austin?

He's in his third quarter of art in junior high. That's it. He's naturally talented. I don't totally stink at art, but my sister's the really talented, creative one. She's a graphic artist. She's awesome (even if she did just call me a Goober!)

So, with all that snow, who gets the privilege of shoveling it off your walkway, your driveway, your porch, your car....?

We're supposed to shovel it?

Is Jackson at the age where he would have eaten it anyways?? Or does that stage only hit with the teenage years? [the disgusting egg left out in his room for a couple days]

I sure hope not, but it's hard telling with that one. :)

And what is his blog address? This boy needs some media attention! [about Austin's essay]

I had Austin read your comments. He said, "No way am I starting a blog. I hate writing!"

I have to ask you, Dawn, did he really spell those words correctly?

I think there were 2 spelling errors that I corrected.

Did you have to edit it at all?

Nope, but I wanted to!

Go Austin!!!Altho i kinda didn't get the 'letter T and number 6 part'.Do enlighten

It was a reference to Sesame Street. This comment has been brought to you by the letter C and the number 7.

Do you send out Christmas cards?

Yep, although I'm thinking about skipping it this year. Of course, I consider it almost every year and then, at the last minute, I decide I can't not send them so I scramble to get cards out before the end of January!

HOW do you keep up with your blog, your house, your Facebook, your book, YOUR LIFE?

I don't. I don't have time to sit and polish blog posts until they're awesome. I just slap something together most days. I'm pouring all my creative funnyness into my second book right now. It's hard to keep up a blog and write a book at the same time.

My house? Well, I really do try to keep it somewhat neat and clean, but I don't obsess over it. With Facebook, I just try to read people's status updates once or twice a day. I ignore most requests because I get a couple hundred a week and I don't have time for snowballs fights and such.

My life - it's a constant struggle to balance everything. I really try to remember to put first things first and let the little stuff slide. I mess up often, but I keep at it. I'd rather be crazy-busy than to have nothing to do at all so it's all good. :)

How many hours of sleep do you get?

Are there any moms out there who ever get enough sleep? I don't know of any.

What miracle VITAMINS do you take to not get sick and have so much energy?

Maybe I should start taking miracle vitamins because I've been sick since Thanksgiving and I don't believe I've had energy since I was 5 years old.

Hilarious! What a great essay:) Do you think he really believes what he wrote, or is he just writing what he knows is true?

I think it's a little of both.

Is that Blues Clues I see on her cute little boots?

Yup. Those boots have been handed down many, many times!

Do you like Steve or Joe better?

I used to like watching Blue's Clues with my oldest kids. That was in the days of Steve. Somewhere along the way though, I just got tired of the show so I'm not sure about Joe. Know what show is really annoying to me these days? Sid the Science Kid. Kids don't get their knock knock jokes and the jokes are lame anyway. And I just want to slap the grandma when she laughs. What kind of drugs is that woman on? I think the show is a good concept, but it somehow falls short. I change the channel immediately when it comes on.

Is it chocolate or cookie crumbs on her face? :)[in the pictures of Brooklyn sleeping]

Yes. And probably some dirt and ice cream too.

How are you all doing with the snow? Hating it yet???

I hated it before it even started falling. The only place snow should ever be is in a snow globe.

Totally unrelated to the adorable pic of Brooklyn....but what is "Go Back and Be Happy?". I see you will be attending the launch party in January.

Ahhh, it's a book written by my friend, Margaret McSweeney about another friend, Julie who was in a horrific car wreck. She was in a coma for months and has spent years recovering and relearning everything. She had a moment after the wreck where she "died". She saw her grandmothers in heaven who told her it wasn't her time yet. They told her to "go back and be happy". I'll blog more about it later.

I need to ask- are you referencing Steve Martin in The Jerk?("and this paddleball game..)

All I need is my Thermos. How sad is it that I've only seen that movie once in my life and it was over 20 years ago and yet I still remember lines from it?

I have the same camera that you use. Do you use the automatic settings or do you use some of the manual adjustments? The only one that I have used is the one for low light. Your pictures turn out great so I was curious.

I usually just keep it on automatic and shoot away.

And Dawn.. would you really want to go back having made it this far already in life?

No, I wouldn't really want to do things over because I do truly believe things happen for a reason. Both good and bad things happen, but it's all for a greater purpose. However, I sometimes wonder how things would be had I made different choices, you know? Do you ever wonder, "How would my life be different if I'd just caught that pop-up to deep center back when I was in seventh grade?"

do you have to look up exact quotes from TV shows or movies or is it just useless knowledge you easily remember?

It's just useless knowledge. I'm a regular Cliff Clavin of pointless trivia. I keep saying, "If only I could clear some of the misc. movie quotes and dumb trivia out of my brain, I'm sure I could free up enough memory space to remember important things like - where did I leave my keys? or, why did I walk into this room???"

Ok, Dawn. Where are your new sheets, comforter and other Linden Street things?[referencing the picture of Brooklyn in my bed]

That picture was taken about a month ago (right before I got the new stuff). And I just knew someone would question that! You guys don't disappoint. :D

So my question is...What is it that you would do over and why?

A lot of things. Because I was a stupid teenager/young adult.

SSO: Any suggestions for kids waterproof boots (ages 4 and 5)? We're from FL and will taking our first ski trip. Thanks for the help!

Yes, stay in Florida and enjoy the sunshine. Try water skiing and you won't need any boots.

Only 10 dirty dishes? That must have been a really good day!

Day? Those were just 2 kids' breakfast dishes!

I hope you had fun at game night. That would be a nice post to tell us HOW your kids (and adults) handle losing!
We're all ok about losing except Jackson. He doesn't take it well. I mean, he cries and throws things. And I'm losing my touch! Austin beat me and Jackson at Monopoly! I never lose Monopoly! I'm crushed. Austin and Savannah beat us all at Clue too. What the heck?

who won the fire safety products you were giving away. I looked but I couldn't find where you picked the winner!

Check my review blog for the winners of giveaways on my review blog. You can find it HERE.

Got a question for you (maybe SSO?) -- what's a typical dinner for your family? I'm getting bored again of my usuals and I'd love to know some of the meals you feed your crew. Thanks!

My kids are pretty good eaters so I can make most anything. I generally cook from scratch simply because I try to keep us (Jackson especially) off of all artificial ingredients. Staples are:

Enchiladas

Tacos

Chili

Lasagna

Stuffed Manicotti

Beef Stew

Beef Stroganoff

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Chicken Jambalaya

Shrimp Creole

Chicken and Dumplings

Stir Fry

Fajitas

Pepper Steak

Hamburgers

Roasts/whole chicken or turkey with mashed potatoes and stuff

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Chicken Saltimboca

Pot Roast

Stuffed Green Peppers

Pizza

Turkey Pot Pies

Turkey Tetrazzini

Pastichio

Eggplant Parmesan

Tonight I'm making Meatball Stew and tomorrow it's Italian Roast with pasta in my crock pot. I LOVE my crock pot! I have a taste for Bananas Foster right now, so I need to run out to the grocery store to get some more bananas now.....