Say'n Goodbye to 2007!!

Wow Whatta Year!! Looking back it seems like forever ago, not 12 months. My year started off by spending more time outside the state of Utah than in it (that was really fun!). Then I moved into my parents house, (house-sitting until they return in November 2008). Started up a salon in their house, thanks Mom & Dad! Its been worth it! After spending my mornings running around with 3 munchkins, I decided to spend 2 of my nights a week babysitting at a girls group home (this has been one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life!!). And now I find myself waking up to 2008. So what have I learned from this last year? I've learned that when life seems over-whelming and I just don't know where to start cleaning up the mess, someone will always show up and not only point me in the right direction but help me with the clean-up. I've learned that when the sun goes down on a day filled with bitter disappointment, a bright new morning holds a precious gift called hope. I've also learned that family can be the strongest bond I'll ever know. I also learned that I remembered how to wire an electrical outlet and that screw-drivers really shouldn't go in them. I also learned that 2-year old's should be buckled while in the car AT ALL TIMES!!
So now that 2008 has started, what do I look forward to? Well, I'm not sure.
This morning we had our New Year's Day brunch at Kari's. Every year we all pick something that we try to go throughout the new year without. (This really all started when I was addicted to M&M's). So listening to what everyone was picking, I was looking for ideas. I joked around about giving up cake, (I never eat cake). Tara joked about giving up Spam, (yeah cuz she eats so much of that!!) and Trent is giving up buffets for 3 months (he spends too much time at the Luxor). Yet, I still couldn't come up with anything. I finally decided.......I wasn't going to give up anything! That I want to try something different. That I really want to do something better! Instead of giving up a bad habit, I want to create a good habit! So here's my top pick on the 'Creating a Better Habit' list!

1- I want to be better at being healthy!

(No more thinking that DCNL is a food group that follows mint anything!! And that they both require multiple servings a day).

So here we go! On to a better year! On to making a better habit! I hope that by the time I look back on 2008, I'll be able to say "I am better!".

Cowboy Up!!

We went on the Wagon Ride at Thanksgiving Point last night. I had no idea we had so many Cowboys!! All of a sudden we were surrounded, I felt like I had just robbed a bank and they sent the town posse after me! And I have my suspicions that there were more, maybe an Oklahoma Posse! So despite the COLD weather it was a really fun time! We went throughout Thanksgiving Park to see all the lights while being pulled by two HUGE horses, I think one was named Sye. So thank you to Shadd, our driver/instigator and a special thanks to Tara for letting me drink half of her hot chocolate!! You Rock!!

Merry Christmas!!

I hope everyone has a day that is filled with big smiles and even bigger hugs!! Merry Christmas!! Thank You for making this holiday such a special one!

To: Amber, From: Amber

I just love Christmas Time! I went last minute shopping yesterday for Dahl. And as much as I think he would LOVE this purse, I just don't think he can pull it off, its really not his style. So under the tree it goes, for me!! I can't wait to see what I find for him tomorrow! I'm hoping for a really pretty silver wide-band ring.

My New Addiction!!

I am so addicted to the website The Joy of Baking. I love this website! I've tried out a couple of different cookie recipes and I can't wait to try out the fudge recipes. They have almost any cookie/treat/dessert you could ever imagine! I love it! I also love that I have the next week off of work and can start making even more fun treats! I can't wait to try these Peanut Blossoms!

Cards, Cards and More Cards!!

Remember when I said I had 25 Christmas Cards already done? Well here are a few of them. I've been having a ball doing them. We finally set up a table in the guest room to work on, yeah the kitchen table was getting over crowded.

Trauma Kit VS. First Aid Kit

Yesterday I had to re-certify for my CPR/First Aid. This class was so much faster than my first class, thank goodness!! I was only there 2 hours, instead of the original 8. And it really helped that the hottee instructor was funny. So after learning that the original 1 to 5 and 2 to 15 cycles were changed to 2 to 30 cycles I got to practice on the "dummy", and then finished up our class. But our hottee instructor finished up with this really interesting side note. He is currently in the Air Force Med Something, Something, Something and has been around the world 7 times. He is working at UMed when he isn't being pulled into different countries to do whatever it is he does there and thinks that Utah is one of the biggest "Good Samaratian" states he has ever been in. However, he said for as many people that are here to help in trauma situations, no one really carries a Trauma Kit. He said everyone has a First Aid Kit, but no one ever has Trauma Kits. So what is the difference? Good question! That's what I asked! Here's the break down..........First Aid Kit: usually holds band-aids, anti-septic, blanket, alcohol swabs, q-tips and some guaze squares. Trauma Kit: will hold 10 to 12 feminine product pads, 7 to 8 tampons, a roll of vet tape (or duct tape, but it isn't as forgiving, but will do), blankets and an anti-histamine (benadryl, liquid form). Toby said you could go to Walmart, Cabella's or any type of Medical Supply store and pick up a pre-packaged Trauma Kit, but that he's found the most useful and less expensive kit was put together on your own. He liked a homemade kit for one really big reason, YOU know what is in it and where to find what you're looking for. So after learning this, I looked at the kit I have in my Jeep and sure enough! I have a First Aid Kit. He said the best thing I could do with the q-tips in my trauma situation was calm the person down and then clean out their ears! And he was right, there wasn't anything in my kit that would help me in a trauma situation. So for Christmas this year, I've decided that for every gift I give to Friends and Family, they will also get their very own Trauma Kit! I know its tacky, but hey! Its also useful! So Merry Christmas Everyone!!

And just my own little side note, I got to play with the Defibulator and learned that under the "Good Samaratian" Law I can actually shock you 2 to 3 times without "realizing" that you are breathing on your own and still get away with it. So just to all of those who called me a "Tacky Little Whore!!" just know, if I defibulate you, you're going to get it!!

Such Sad Farewell.....

So after many tears, loads of heart aches, and tons of restless nights, I have to say Good Bye to my BFF, DCNL (Diet Coke With Lime). I can't believe it has actually come to this, this sad, sad, farewell. Why?!? Why you ask? Why would I turn my back on my BFF??? Well, it's really hard to say. Some might tell you that its because of my fear of commitment, and that DCNL just got too close. Others might say its because I'm only getting 4 to 6 hours of sleep and its making me loopy. But that's just crazy talk!! What I think is going on is this........Zona won't stop drinking out of my bottle!! And he gives back more than what he takes and I can't TAKE it anymore!! One of them just has to go!! And since Tara seems to be "attached" to the little guy, he has to stay! So now I must say Good Bye to my BFF, my funky little lime, my happiness in a 12 oz can, my makin' it through the day only because of you, Sweetness!! I will miss you the most my little pick-me-up! You've been there for me through the good and bad, through the laughter, through the tears, through the never ending years! I'll always love you My DCNL!!

Christmas Shopping....

Remember how I'm supposed to do Christmas Shopping for people other than myself? Yeah, sometimes I forget. So Merry Christmas to ME!! I can't wait to open these up on Christmas Morning!

Thanksgiving...Thanksgiving...Thanksgiving!!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Thank You to everyone that showed up and helped out! It was a really great time. The food was amazing and the people were even better. Thanks to Brooke for traveling the furthest to come visit (see ya at Christmas!!). And thanks for making your yummy garlic potatoes. Thanks to Trent and Lisa for dropping off their drinks and that yummy razzleberry pie (yep, I ate half of it!). Thanks to Drew & Kari for bringing the yummy brownie pie (yep, I ate half of that too!). Thanks to Aaron for showing up. Thanks to Tara for cooking the turkey, stuffing and yummy pumpkin turtle pie (I only had one slice, I promise!). And thanks to that one girl with the Sweet Rockin' Hair that made the pumpkin pies (yep, started my day off with pumpkin pie and then finished my day off with pumpkin pie). Thanks to all the little kids that played all the fun games! And a special thanks to Hunter who started his list of "Thankfuls" with, "Thanks for letting me play your game cube, you should really get a Wii". And to Eathen who was thankful for "This charming little fella next to me, J.T.". You guys are awesome! And a special THANK YOU to Kim!! Thanks for letting everyone else invade your home and being kind enough to still feed them. I hope your nerves and patience come back for Christmas. THANKS EVERYONE!!

The Hotter Tucker

Okay, so after watching John Tucker Must Die, I decided that I need to bond with my saucy little niece. And what better way than by getting my own Soul Mate? So this week's Soul Mate is "The Hotter Tucker", Penn Badgley. I know nothing about the Hotter Tucker, other than he's on a new series called Gossip Girl. I haven't a clue what that is all about. But I really think that the Hotter Tucker should move right on over to Prison Break! This way I will go out of my way to watch him! And just a side note, PB isn't on again until January. Now what am I going to do on Monday nights?

Sawyer's Soul Mate

Zack Efron! Who on the planet Earth has NOT heard this name?? My saucy little niece Sawyer has decided that this is her one and only Soul Mate!! She has him on a shirt, on her books, on cd and even on her socks! I think she might even have him on her pillow!! She just might be his biggest fan EVER!! I've seen High School Musical 2 more times than I care to admit, and I've seen Hairspray even more! And if I ever meet him on the street I hope he'll come home for dinner! That way, Sawyer can let him know how devoted she truely is to her one and only Soul Mate!! Ahhhh, to be that young and crushing again!

Ellie

I finally gave her a hair cut yesterday. I forget how small she is after you take away all the hair! I bought her a little red coat for the winter. Its way cute with a hood with fur on the collar. She also just picked up her first pair of sunglasses this week, They're really cute!

It's Almost Over!!!!

This week has been one of the roughest I have ever been through. I'm so glad it all ends tonight! Sunday will bring a whole new week and let's hope it won't be anywhere near what we survived this week. I'm hoping for clear, calm skies all week long! Good Luck to everyone on their pre-thanksgiving week!

I LOVE Target!!

I went to Target yesterday and they had the funnest sale going on! All the Halloween Costumes were 90% off. So I picked up a few for the kids to play with. I also picked up a few fuzzy warm socks for the winter! I had so much fun! But for as much fun as I had, I think Broc had more fun running around as Shrek.

Life Can Go On.....

I have now finished all 3 books in the Twilight series. For all those that encouraged me to read them, well, let's just say Um, Thanks? I was really hoping for a better ending. Well actually, I was hoping for just an ending! I had so many unanswered questions that I had to text Erin at 1 in the morning and grumble to her, then I hadn't quite gotten it all out so I had to call Kim this morning to let it ALL out! Thanks Kim for letting me spout off! And just for the record, I'm a total Jacob fan. And I can't remember how many times I wished I could put a bow on Bella and give her to Jane for Christmas!! And with that said! Let's get on with life!!

Eclipse

Okay, after MUCH encouragement, I started the series. And here we are half way through the most recent book, Eclipse. I don't want to say too much until I've finished the book, which hopefully will be tomorrow. But I had to put something on my blog since life has been non-existant for the last week!

My New Toy!!

I have been wanting this for MONTHS!! I know I'm a geek, but I keep going back to Roberts picking it up and putting it back and thinking to myself "Self, I can't keep buying card making stuff, there has to be a line somewhere". And that's when it hit me! I have to draw the line somewhere! And what better way to draw the line than with this little baby!! I'm really excited to break it out! Oh, and it was the last one.

Twilight

I started reading this book about a month ago and made it about 24 pages. I finally picked it back up and have now made it about 200 pages. But I have to tell you, my dreams are full of weirdness! Am I the only one that has an over active imagination that spills into my sleep time?

Great Minds Think A-Like!!

Tracey, Tara and I went to the Battlecreek Boutique yesterday, and after looking at all the fun crafts and getting new ideas, Tracey said she'd like to catch a movie. And to be specific she'd like to see Becoming Jane. So we decided that we should wait until this afternoon to go see the movie. (Tracey is rather limited to how many hours she can be out of her bed.) So we called Kari and Shay to see if they would like to come along to the movie. Kari said yes and Shay had plans with her sister-in-law. So here we come Becoming Jane at 4:40!! We get to the dollar theatre and the parking lot is packed! This was rather confusing! Its only a 4:40 showing. I knew there was a BYU Football game going on as well as Deer Hunt. But we go on to get our tickets. I walk up to check the board for the time and that's when I saw the big white glarring sign saying SOLD OUT!!! It is the only movie that is SOLD OUT!! So I think I was right about the whole BYU Football game and Deer Hunt. After all, I was with one woman whose husband was deer hunting and another whose husband was at the BYU Football game. So what do women in the Valley do when their husbands are out? They get together with their girlfriends to see a chick-flick!

Sad Times.......

Ask me where my week has gone? I have no idea!! It all went by in a blur! And sadly today, Billy is flying back to Iraq. I'm not sure who it hit the hardest. Zona wants to know if his Dada is at Costco, Ireland wants to call everyone to tell them that her Dad is gone and that she loves everyone and Broc just wants to keep wearing his Batman costume, (he actually missed school due to the house sleeping in until 9:00). And Tara, well it's been a blessing in disguise, but the phone has been ringing off the hook. Her family and friends have been so good to call and keep her mind off of his departure. But I think it was Billy that suffered the most. Hopefully the next 8 months will go by just as fast as my week has. We're very grateful to Billy for the love and sacrifice he shows this world every day. And thank our Father in Heaven for the many brave, courageous men and women that serve to protect our freedoms and strive for peace. Thank You Billy!


And on a side note, Tara and I went to the Day Spa yesterday. I love Tara!! We each had hour long massages, facials and pedicures. Sara, the massage therapist worked me over pretty hard. I am really sore today! But it was totally worth it!!

Wives and Daughters

I started watching this last night about 8:30. I finally went to bed at 3:23. Lindi and Nate came over to say Hi around 11:00 so I had about an hour break in there. I really liked this story. Did it ever say what Osbourne died of? And am I the only one that thought the step-mother should have died and her ashes left in an urn on the mantle? Talk about annoying!! All my thanks to Kim for recommending North and South, and Wives and Daughters, feel free to pass along anymore little goodies!!

Hottee of the Month.....

Does this Hottee look familiar? He's on the BBC TV series Robin Hood. I haven't actually seen the series, but I hear its quite the eye candy. The second season is just finishing up shooting and I think it will begin showing in March on BBCA.

Its That Time Again!!

I love decorating for Halloween! Its soooooo much fun!! I did this late last night while my home was invaded for left over meatball subs. That little girl dancing in the mirror is Ireland. I'm also adding some other fun decor's that we did. I really like how the lawn looks!!

Happy Birthday Kim!!

Happy Birthday Kim!! I hope you have a wonderful day! And I hope you get a new pair of Sexy New Shoes!

I'm A Monster.......??

Your Monster Profile

Psychotic Demon You Feast On: Grass You Lurk Around In: Nude Beaches You Especially Like to Torment: Crybabies

What's Your Monster Name?

Shoes.....I love them!

I love summer clearance sales on shoes! I picked these up at Payless for $5.00.

Eve's Birthday Dress

My Mom sent Eve a new dress on her first birthday. Everyone wanted one for themselves. It really is a beautiful dress (and headband and bloomers and jacket).

Happy Birthday Eve!!

Happy Birthday Eve!!

Make-Up Junkies

I got mail!! I never get mail!! So you can imagine how excited I was to get some! The mailman delivered it while I was visiting with my V.T.'s. They finally left and I went to go open my package and you'll never guess what I found! My package was already opened! Apparently Tara thought it was for her, from her Billy. She was more than confused and a little irritated that he would send her make-up since she doesn't wear any, really, what was he thinking??

He was pulled over for carrying these guns without a permit.

Halloween Countdown

So Zona (the smart little monster that he is), is learning his numbers. So I put together a counting book. And well since its almost Halloween we went with the theme. I actually got this idea from a book we picked up at the library. It used Ghosts, I used all the fun little creatures from Tara's Stampin' Up Stamps. Which as a side note I would like to say, Shay hated. But I think they're way cute! Some people just have no taste I guess!

Bones

Okay, Bones Season 3 starts Tuesday September 25 @ 7 pm. I'm currently catching up on Season 2. Brooke gave Season 1 to Tara a couple of months ago. Aaron and I borrowed it and have been hooked ever since.

Check out my Slide Show!

Prison Break Season 3

So tonight Prison Break Season 3 starts!! You can find it on Fox @ 7pm. If you need an update on the previous 2 seasons, just let me know, I'll get you caught up.