Macy's Card Winner

I forgot to post last night about the recipient of the Macy's gift card. I was really touched to read all the comments about what you're doing to embrace the real reason for the season. Many of you mentioned the great charities you support. And several of you talked about doing things as simple as lighting advent candles, reading scripture, or baking Jesus a birthday cake which are all terrific ideas for remembering why we celebrate Christmas.

Here is the comment I chose randomly. They'll receive the $20 Macy's card and an additional $20 for their favorite charity.

AlaneM said...
We read a lot of scripture & talk up how Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, NOT about Santa & getting stuff. We tell the kids how we give each other gifts to honor Jesus birth & celebrate him. We teach the kids about the real St Nick & let them know that Santa is just a man dressed up in a costume like at haloween. But we also tell them to pretend along with the other kids to make sure we don't ruin the magic for anyone else :)I wish we could do Angel Tree &/or Christmas Child but our finances have not allowed for that for several years. I can't wait until next year when I can work & we might be able participate in these again - I have sorely missed it!

Thank you to everyone for leaving your comments! They were heartwarming to read. :)

Gingerbread

I went downtown today to meet a couple women from the National PTA (more on that later). Anyway, at the train station I met a gentleman who introduced himself as Hanukkah Harry. That's the great thing about taking the train - you always meet nuts interesting characters.



Then a group of runners in Santa gear, came jogging by, wishing everyone happy holidays and passing out candy canes. :)



When I got home, I mixed up a batch of gingerbread men. And before anyone asks, here's my recipe. It makes THE BEST gingerbread! I cut them on the thick side and try not to overbake them so they're nice and chewy. If you like crunchy gingerbread or you're using it to make houses, just roll the dough out a little more thinly and bake it a little longer. It makes it a bit sturdier for construction.

Gingerbread
5 - 5 1/2 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 t. ginger
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. cloves
1 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. unsulphured molasses
2 eggs,beaten

Preheat oven to 375. Thoroughly mix flour, soda, salt, and spices. Melt shortening in large saucepan. Cool slightly. Add sugar, molasses, and eggs; mix well. Add 4 cups dry ingredients and mix well. (Make sure shortening is cooled enough, and add the eggs slowly while stirring, or you'll have a scrambled egg mess.)

Turn mixture onto lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining dry ingredients by hand. Add a little more flour, if necessary to make a firm dough. (I always need to add a little more flour.) Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness for cut-out cookies. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake small and medium sized cookies for 6-10 minutes, and large cookies for 10-15 minutes. (Put the same sized cookies on one sheet at a time or you'll have some underdone while others burn.)

Decorate cookies with Royal Icing and/or candies after they cool. I use 3 T. meringue powder, 1 lb. powdered sugar and 5-6 T. water to make Royal Icing. Beat it for like 10 minutes on medium. This icing is super-strong and fluffy. Because it's made with meringue powder instead of egg whites, you don't have to worry about the kids getting sick when they squirt the bags of icing directly into their mouths while "decorating".

Here are our creations...










Not my M&M button!








such concentration


Mmmmmm


An easy way for kids to decorate (especially if you don't have a bunch of cake decorating supplies) is to put the icing in a zip-lock sandwich bag, seal it, and cut off a tiny bit on the corner of the bag. It's easy for kids to squirt the icing out of the little hole in the bag and the icing won't go glopping out of the top this way.


This is basically what Brooklyn did - pile M&Ms all over the cookies and then pick them off and eat them.


Having fun decorating

Savannah helped me bake the cookies, but then went to a movie with her friend and missed the decorating.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

I usually enjoy listening to Clay and Brooklyn talk to each other. Their conversations crack me up. Last night, I listened to Clay and Lexi have this conversation...

CLAY: Why did the farmer cross the road?
LEXI: Because he got hit and died?
CLAY: No, because he got eated by a bat.

much hilarious laughter

LEXI: Why did the chicken cross the road?
CLAY: Because a bat eated it?
LEXI: No, because a bat farted on it.

much hilarious laughter

CLAY: Why did the shark cross the road?
LEXI: It farted?
CLAY: A fish eated it and it died.

much hilarious laughter

MOM: OK, can you tell any jokes without the word "fart" in them? Is that possible? No more talking like that!

CLAY: Why did the paper cross the road?
CLAY: Because it flew into a sandwich.

CLAY: Why did the pig cross the road?
LEXI: He got runned over?
LEXI: A bat eated him?
CLAY: No, he got lost.

LEXI: Why did the turkey cross the road?
CLAY: A bat eated it?
CLAY: A camera fell on it?
CLAY: A milk cup fell on it?
CLAY: A napkin fell on it?
LEXI: A snowman ate it!
CLAY: That was lame.

LEXI: And then it farted.

Much hilarious laughter

I give up.

I've got another giveaway for Matisse & Jack's natural snack mixes HERE. And soon I'll write about my lunch with a group of wonderful women and the project I'm so honored to be a part of. The proceeds from this project will be going to help Wings (Women In Need Growing Stronger), a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

An Interview on Betty Confidential

Check out my interview by Michelle Brownlow on Betty Confidential!



And I'm giving away 2 sets of Groovy Girls HERE, The Children's Place gift card HERE, and 3 sets of Pokemon cards HERE.

Bloopers

A lot of you said that it must have been fun to make the 12 Days of Christmas video. It was! If you mean "fun" as in frustrating and crazy, that is...

Here are the bloopers from that video. Enjoy!



Oh and today is the last day for the SpongeBob DVD giveaway HERE.
The giveaway for the beautiful bow holder from I Wanted to Wonder is HERE.
Another chance to win a set of Groovy Girls is HERE.
And last call for the winner of the Poingo set. If I don't hear from you by midnight tonight (Wednesday), I'll draw another winner.

Believe in CHRISTmas!

This holiday season, Macy's wants everyone - from the most enthusiastic to the most cynical- to believe in and embrace the holiday spirit of love and charity. To this end, Macy's is collecting letters written to Santa Claus in special boxes located at all Macy's stores. For every letter received, Macy's will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. (If you aren't familiar, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes and brings a little joy to children with life-threatening illnesses.)

They offered me a $20 Macy's gift certificate (that I'm going to pass on to you) to help spread the word. If you're shopping at Macy's, drop off a letter to Santa and help raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation.

I'd like to take it one step further though. Because money is tight for so many people this season, I've seen a lot more families cutting back on spending and the whole commercialism of Christmas, and instead embracing the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's what it's all about.

I propose, in the true spirit of Christmas, we try to be more Christ-like this season. I'm asking that everyone take a minute and leave me a comment here telling me what you're doing this year to help make Christmas more special; more meaningful, for your family. Perhaps you're spending time each Sunday of Advent reading from the Bible. Maybe you're "adopting" a less fortunate family to buy gifts for. Or maybe you're volunteering at a soup kitchen or donating money to Nothing but Nets. I want to hear about it.

My family is participating in the Samaritan's Purse project again this year. The kids have fun doing Operation Christmas Child and packing shoeboxes with small toys, games, candy & toiletries. The boxes are then distributed to needy children around the world. The mission of Samaritan's Purse is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

I should have written about this before because they collect these boxes for Christmas delivery during the week of November 17-24. However, you can send boxes anytime, year-round to their headquarters in NC.

Every day I have people write me asking me to talk about their favorite charities. Although I believe they're all worthwhile causes, I just don't have the time to research and write about a dozen different charities each week. This would be a great time for you to talk about what you're doing to help your charity! And if there are any readers looking for ways to make the holidays more meaningful, but you're not sure what to do, read my comments! There is sure to be a wealth of wonderful ideas!

On Friday, December 10, I'll choose a random winner and give them the $20 Macy's gift card. In addition, I'll donate $20 to the charity of their choice.

Thank you for participating!

*****Oops, I meant to write Friday, December 12th. I told you I'm not good with numbers! Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Carla!*****

The 12 Days of Christmas

Because you guys suggested I put my Twelve Days of Christmas post to music, I obliged. Now, here's your fair warning. I can't sing. I mean, I really can't sing. I'm aware of the fact that I can't sing which makes me different than the losers who audition for American Idol thinking that they're really good when in reality, they sound like they're dying. I know I sound like a cat being tortured when I try to sing, especially if I try to sing without any music! If you choose to watch this video, I will not be held responsible for any hearing loss, nausea, or uncontrollable twitching that may occur. Consider yourselves warned.



Viewer discretion is advised. View at own risk.

Check HERE for my Poingo, Lands' End, SpongeBob, and I Wanted to Wonder reviews/giveaways.

I Need Some Mousie Cheese

Clay was standing at the fridge with the door wide open on Saturday. Joe asked him, "What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for something."
"What do you want? Don't just stand there with the door open."
Clay looked up at him and said, "I want some cheese."
"OK, what kind of cheese do you want."
"I want the mousie kind. The kind that mousies eat," Clay told Joe.
"Swiss cheese? OK, you just want some Swiss cheese for a snack?"
"No, I want to catch a mouse in my room," came Clay's obvious explanation.

Overhearing this, I leapt on a chair with lightning-quick speed and shrieked calmly asked, "Did you see a mouse in your room?!"
When he stopped laughing at me, he said, "No. I want to catch one though."
I wasn't getting off that chair until I was absolutely certain he had not actually seen a mouse in the house.
"Clay, did you actually SEE a mouse in your room?"
"No," he confirmed. I just want some mousie cheese so I can catch one.

So fast forward to last night when Joe said, "You know those tiny black bugs you noticed the other day?"
I had seen a couple tiny bugs (like fruit flies) the other day. It's winter here, so it's just not a common site these days. I thought maybe they'd come with some fruit I had recently bought.
"Yeah," I said slowly, dreading what he was going to say.
"Well, I saw one in the boys' room. I think they may have a science experiment going in there." "Fabulous. Maybe Clay finally got himself a mouse," I replied sarcastically.

Fast forward to today, when I suited up in my level A hazmat gear and bravely entered the boys' room.

It actually wasn't too bad. I straightened up, pulled some things out from under the bed and behind the dresser and put a couple toys away. I didn't find any disgusting science experiments that had taken on a life of their own and were ready to take over the city. Kinda anticlimactic, huh? I know that probably wasn't what you were expecting. Me either. I did find this, however...

It's a pile of wrappers. There were also several dried up orange peels. Maybe Jackson was trying to make potpourri with those. I also found this...

An empty wrapper from some chips stashed in a closed box. But that's not all, oh no...

It's a goody bag of candy stashed in his sock drawer. And next to this was...

My old film camera in his underwear drawer.

Now, I know what you're thinking and I swear I DO clean in there more often than once a year. I make the boys pick up a little every day before bed and I usually clean it once a week (sometimes I skip a week). And I DO feed Jackson, but that kid likes to get up in the middle of the night and grab a snack. I don't think he does it in his sleep; he just gets hungry at night. I don't really care that he grabs a snack because he's so darn skinny. He probably needs it. I just wish he'd eat at the kitchen table and throw his garbage away! On the bright side, I didn't see any bugs (or mice) in there. Maybe one or two just came in with the oranges.

Anyway, since it wasn't too bad today, it only took me a few minutes to straighten up. Just long enough for Brooklyn to do this...

Toilet art - it's all the rage in these modern times. She also had time to do this...

I think it's a pretty good bubble letter "C". I just wish it wasn't on my door in permanent marker! The only reason I have a permanent marker is so Lexi's friends could sign her cast. It's going in the garbage now. Speaking of, here's a pic of her with her new waterproof, glow-in-the-dark cast. She goes back December 23 and will probably get it off then.

Back to my story about cleaning the boys' room. I'm starting to think Joe is onto something with his idea of putting them in a cement enclosure with a drain on the floor...

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.....

There's a First Time for Everything

I was tagged for this meme like 8 months ago. I can't even remember who tagged me. I'm just now getting around to it. Procrastinator? Who, me? Noooo. Why do you ask?


1. Who was your FIRST prom date?

Don

2. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?

Ever? I have no idea! Today? A lovely Pinot Grigio

3. What was your FIRST job?

I worked at K-Mart. Gotta go to K-Mart.

4. What was your FIRST car?

A white Ford Mustang that usually worked. Sometimes I needed to open the hood and stick a pencil in this little flap-thingy for it to start though. I killed the transmission on it. When your dad tells you to change the oil every 3 months, he has a reason. Listen to him.

5. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
Michelle Brownlow

6. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
I don't know! I think the first thing I thought of was coffee.

7. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?

Miss Heater. I adored her!

8. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?

I don't remember. Mom? Dad?

9. Who was your FIRST best friend, and are you still friends with him / her?
I don't remember for sure who my first best friend was. My best friend all through grade school though was Mary Hook. We're not really still in touch, but it was nice to see her at my reunion this fall. My best friends in high school were Julie, Erica and Jenny. I'm still best friends with Julie and Jen. Erica died in a car wreck several years ago. It still makes me really sad when I think about it.

10. Who was your FIRST kiss?

That would be Chad. I dated him the summer between 8th and 9th grades.

11. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?

The kids in general. I believe I said, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" when they woke me up.

12. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?

See number 6.

13. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
I'm embarrassed to admit it was Wham!

14. What was your FIRST tattoo or piercing?

After begging my mom to let me get my ears pierced forever, she finally relented when I was in 4th grade. When I got to the store, I threw a whiny fit and screamed and generally embarrassed my mom because everyone thought she was making me get them pierced. I got my first tattoo when I was 18 and knew everything.

15. What was the FIRST foreign country you went to?

Canada

16. What was the FIRST movie you saw in the theater?

I have no clue. Again Mom? Dad? Speaking of, why don't you guys ever leave comments on my blog??? You know, you could write stuff like, "We're so proud of Dawn! She's really our favorite daughter! We just adore her!"

17. When was your FIRST detention?

Umm, I've never had detention. Nope. Never. I never did anything against school rules. Heh heh heh, on second hand, you probably don't have to leave comments on my blog, Mom and Dad. In fact, you really don't even have to read it. Heh heh.

18. What was the FIRST state you lived in?

Illinois

19. Who was the FIRST person to really break your heart?

I don't really remember. Hmmm, maybe it was a kid Chip, who I had a crush on when I was a cheerleader for the church basketball team. He didn't know I was alive.

20. With whom was your FIRST date?

Chad. We went to see some Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvestor Stalone, Rambo something or other movie, I think.

21. What was your FIRST pet?

I had a fish I called Goldy Gold. I don't remember this. My first real pet was a dog named Corky. My sister wanted to name him Skizzy. My sister's weird. (Love ya Deb. Just checking to see if you read my blog since you never leave me comments either!)

22. Who was your FIRST roommate?
My friend Erica. We were total slobs. Oh my gosh, I'm surprised our place wasn't condemned! We used to pay her brother to clean for us. LOL!

23. Who was your FIRST love?

Hmmm, I guess that would be Don. I dated him when I was a senior in high school.

24. What was your FIRST screen name?

tuppdawn (I sold Tupperware at the time.)

25. When did you have your FIRST baby?

In 1994 when I was 24. Then I had another when I was 26. Then 28, then 31, 33, and again when I was 35.

I've got some more reviews and giveaways up HERE. Check them out!

The 12 Days of Christmas

I'm having game night with the kids, so I thought I'd take a quick second to post another rerun tonight. Enjoy!


Now, for your listening pleasure, a Christmas song ---

On the first day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
A lovely drawing of me.

On the second day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.

On the third day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
Three snotty noses,
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
Four dirty diapers,
Three snotty noses,
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
FIVE PURPLE THINGS,
Four poopy diapers,
Three snotty noses,
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
Six whiny voices,
FIVE PURPLE THINGS,
Four poopy diapers,
Three snotty noses,
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
Seven chicken nuggets,
Six whiny voices,
FIVE PURPLE THINGS,
Four poopy diapers,
Three snotty noses,
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
Eight mismatched mittens,
Seven chicken nuggets,
Six whiny voices,
FIVE PURPLE THINGS,
Four poopy diapers,
Three snotty noses,
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
Nine giant messes,
Eight mismatched mittens,
Seven chicken nuggets,
Six whiny voices,
FIVE PURPLE THINGS,
Four poopy diapers,
Three snotty noses,
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
Ten dirty dishes,
Nine giant messes,
Eight mismatched mittens,
Seven chicken nuggets,
Six whiny voices,
FIVE PURPLE THINGS,
Four poopy diapers,
Three snotty noses,
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
Eleven loads of laundry,
Ten dirty dishes,
Nine giant messes,
Eight mismatched mittens,
Seven chicken nuggets,
Six whiny voices,
FIVE PURPLE THINGS,
Four poopy diapers,
Three snotty noses,
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my children gave to me...
Twelve muddy snow boots,
Eleven loads of laundry,
Ten dirty dishes,
Nine giant messes,
Eight mismatched mittens,
Seven chicken nuggets,
Six whiny voices,
FIVE PURPLE THINGS,
Four poopy diapers,
Three snotty noses,
Two dirty bathrooms,
and a lovely drawing of me.


And check out my Lands' End giveaway HERE!

All I Want for Christmas

Someone asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I thought that my list was too long to put in my Sunday Sound Out. It needs a post all its own. So here, without further ado, is my Christmas wish list. Feel free to send me anything on my list. Really.

Dear Santa,

10. I want my cold to go away. I'm sick of being sick. And thank you to everyone who suggested I use the neti pot, but there is no way on earth that I am going to purposely pour water up my nose thankyouverymuch. I try to avoid getting water in my nose while swimming so I'm sure not going to drown myself on purpose.

9. I thought about asking for peace on earth, but I think we can all agree that's a pretty tall order. Instead, I'm asking for peace in my house. Just one glorious day of peace, really. Just a couple hours of peace would be nice. Ok, just enough peace for me to finish this blog post.

8. I want to be a size 4. OK a 6. OK, I just want to fit my butt back into the clothes I wore before I ever got pregnant with Austin. I will accept gift cards for liposuction. I'm not above plastic surgery.

7. I want Alice. How nice would it be to have someone to cook dinner every night and to do the laundry and help fix things when your middle daughter, not wanting to look "positively goofy," refuses to wear her glasses and rides her bike into a picture.

6. I want 2 more hours in my day. Wait, that's still not enough time. I want 4, no 6, no make that 8 more hours in my day. Yes, I want an additional 8 hours of time every day. Hmmm, can the school day last an extra 8 hours too?

5. I want to be done changing diapers. I've been changing diapers for more than 14 years straight! I've had at least one, sometimes 2 and even 3, kids in diapers for more than 14 years. Enough is enough. No more diapers! Just say no to diapers!

4. I want a new set of measuring spoons because Joe keeps grinding mine up in the garbage disposal since he doesn't check to make sure nothing is in there before running it! I mean, really! Duh! He's obliterated nearly every measuring spoon (and a fair number of cake decorating tips too!) I own. And no, it is not my fault for leaving them lying around in the sink. Absolutely not.

3. A pair of Dansko or Sanita clogs in every color and pattern. Size 38 please. Thanks to my readers who got me hooked on these. I love my shoes!

2. A full 8 hours of sleep without being kicked in the butt or the face by toddler feet.

1. I'd like a do-over on my life from ages 18-22. Although if I had a do-over, I probably wouldn't be here in this same position today. Hmmm, I'd miss my kids. But if I'd never had them, then I wouldn't miss them because I wouldn't know they ever existed. But what if I had a do-over and I screwed things up even worse than I did the first time around? Then I'd be stuck and I'd have to kick myself for thinking the grass is greener. But maybe my life would be spectacularly fulfilled if I could do things over. OK, so my final answer is - I want a do-over with the option of undoing what I undid.

If that's too much for Santa to handle, then I'll just take a new manicure set because for some unknown reason, my kids have swiped every clipper, pair of scissors, file, and cuticle pusher thingy out of mine. They insist they didn't do it, so I suppose it's possible they disappeared into the mysterious "single sock" black hole, but I'm doubtful.

Thank you Santa.

Oh P.S. I'm sorry I ate the cookies the kids left out for you. But don't worry because I washed them down with a glass of wine so the milk is still here for you to drink.