Christmas Time

Well I am finally putting a few pictures up from my trip home. These are thanks to my sister in law. I was so worried about forgetting a gift or my ticket that I forgot my camera! Its hard to blog when your counting on others to give you pictures to share. Anyway my parents moved this year to the canyon basically. They have the best hills for skiing and tubing. The best part is when your cold you just walk in the house and get warm. No more trying to get in the car and get warm so you can go out for one last ride. My brother and his family came up from Salt Lake and we took advantage of the snowy hillside. We had so much fun and I was surprised at how brave the kids were to go down alone. My sister in law had never been tubing and I think she had a good time too. Even being 3 months pregnant down she went:) The other days went fast with family parties and getting things ready for them. I got a sinus infection so my energy level wasn't the best. I would have loved more time to play but next thing I knew it was time to go home. I love coming home and spending time with my family. Maybe next year I can have more time!

Well I am finally back from my Christmas adventure home. It went by really fast as it always does. It was great to see family and a couple of friends. I ended up having a horrible sinus infection that was a real downer. I will post a few pictures from the trip when I am feeling a bit better. For now I dont really have the energy. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and fun plans for the New Year! I will be back soon:)

Happy Birthday Grandma!

My sweet grandma is turning 90 today! I cant believe that she has stuck it out for so long. We all thought for sure that after my grandpa passed away 14 years ago she wouldn't last. She has had her tough times and has been dealing with a bit of alztimers. For the most part she is really with it and can tell you anything about her youth. She loves to play the ukey as she calls it. When she was about 8 her mom bought it for her and she taught herself to play. She loves to play and sing and had her own girls singing very young. She taught them all harmony so they sing in parts. We love to hear them sing along to grandma playing and I know it makes her smile. I am so glad I have stayed so close to her she means so much to me. She has never judged me when I have made wrong choices. She has always just accepted the way I am and loved me. I couldn't ask for a better grandma she is the best! I am really looking forward to going home for Christmas so I can see her. I hope I can look as great at 90! (I thought it was interesting this is my 190th post!)

This and that..

Well I haven't been blogging much cause I have been really busy. With the holidays here there is always so much to do. I have been making lots of homemade things for Christmas this year. I dont have that much money so I have had to be creative on what to make. I hope the gifts will be appreciated. I have actually had lots of fun coming up with things to make. I am getting excited to go home for Christmas. Its always nice to be around family and have some snow! I hope everyone has fun plans and are staying safe with everything!

And the winner of the giveaway is.....

Kera Jean!You won the main prize! But since its Christmas I decided everybody needs a little prize:) Leave me your addresses and I will send you a little Christmas cheer! Have a great weekend everyone!

This last weekend I heard of a really neat event in the next town. I was excited to go check it out and it was great! It was a nativity festival with over 600 different nativities on display. There were so many different ones it was amazing! I am only putting a few pictures on here there are so many more believe me:)Maybe sometime I will put more on here there were so many great ones. They had them in the cultural hall and a children's section. I tried to get pictures of both rooms.The very last picture the nativity was made out of cinnamon!They had entertainment for each night and the night I was there was a harp duet. It was so beautiful I could have listened to them forever. It was really fun for me to see some great people I knew while there. I went to elementary school here and made some great friends. I happened to run into 2 of my friends(Kim and Meta)parents and it was great to see them. They sure haven't changed since I saw them last. Their parents sure had a lot of their own nativities on display. I have started collecting but dont have near the collection some have. I was so glad to have the chance to go and enjoy this free event.I look forward to going again!

December give away!

I am in the mood to do a give away so your in luck! This time of year just always seems to make me smile more. I hope everyone has fun plans for the month. It seems like its the time of year with the most going on. Leave a comment and I will do the drawing a week from today! Good luck you wont want to miss what I am giving away:)

Thanksgiving fun

This year is probably the only year I have ever missed a Thanksgiving at home. I was feeling kind of down about this but realized it would be ok. My sister Lisa lives only 4 hours away so we decided to get together. My poor roommate had to work on Thanksgiving so I went alone. The traffic was awful and I was so glad to get there. We had a great time laughing and watching movies and of course the Macys parade. We even made cute turkeys for our places. We played 3 rounds of scrabble and she won me twice! I need to practice up for Christmas it looks like. Anyway the time always goes by way to quick and soon it was time for me to go home. I am so glad I had a little bit of the same family time I love! Thanks for a great time Lisa:) (Sorry about the poor quality of the pictures I took them on my phone and it was dark.)

Im Thankful for...

the chance to have done this for this month! Its been such a fun and sometimes challenging thing to find something each day. To end I want to say I am so grateful for selfless people. I had the sweetest act of service done to me yesterday and it still makes me cry. There are some amazing people all over and I am so glad I know them.

Im Thankful for...

Mormon Tabernacle Choir! I love the spirit that they bring with the music they sing. I love the powerful messages that can be sung in a song. So glad that I have had the chance to see them perform. What amazing dedicated people they are!

Im Thankful for...

Rainbows, holidays, blankets, hot chocolate! I have been out of town the last few days so I didn't get a chance to catch this up. I am so thankful for the chance to do this thankful blog this month.

Im Thankful for..

the fact that my sister only lives 4 hours away and I get to go there for Thanksgiving!

Im Thankful for..

learning how to cook from a young age. I love the opportunity to make new things with fun recipes. I also am thankful to cook for others.

Im Thankful for..

2 things today since I missed yesterday. I am thankful for this blog that I have to write out my feelings and thoughts. Its been a nice journal for me. I am also grateful for pictures! What would it be like if we didn't have any pictures to remind us of fun times and good people!

Im Thankful for...

the rain and good thing since I live in Oregon! I love falling asleep listening to it pound on the window. The best is staying inside and cooking watching it come down.

Im Thankful for...

priesthood blessings and the comfort they bring when life gets to hard to bare. For the miracles they bring before my eyes, and the love that the person giving them shows towards another.

Im Thankful for...

the chance to exercise and the way it energizes me. I love to walk and could do it for hours. I am not a runner sometimes I wish I could but asthma slows me down. I think aerobics are so fun and someday I want to attend a zumba class!

Im Thankful for...

the opportunity to serve others. I love the feeling of being able to serve someone else. One of my favorite memories growing up is all of our family piling into the van, and taking treats to neighbors secretly. I decided last night that this should be done again and so I made sugar cookies. Little did I know that my perfectionist roommate would frost 1 cookie in the same amount of time that I did 5:)Hers looked amazing and mine well lets just say they were lacking a bit. We decided on 4 families and we were off. We had a great time and I hope they enjoyed the little bit of service we gave them. Its such a great feeling to do something for someone else! Here is a picture of her amazing cookies!

Im Thankful for..

a warm house to feel cozy in especially on cold days.

Im Thankful for...

a day of rest each week! I love Sundays and to be able to relax and enjoy church.

Im Thankful for...

food and water!Its amazing how many people go without food and clean water.It makes me sad how wasteful we are of these things. I am so glad that I have always had food and water. I am trying to be better about turning the water off when brushing my teeth. I am also donating more to the food bank too. You never know with each can how many smiles you can bring to someone. Maybe you could do this too:)

Im Thankful for....

Music and the amazing things it does for my soul. I love to listen to the Mormon Tabernacle choir it brings peace to me. I am also grateful for the voice I was given for the ability to sing and find harmony. One of my favorite things to do is sing with my siblings.

Im thankful for...

good books that uplift me and also make me cry. I love how they suck you in and fill you when your empty. Even better is a good book on a rainy day nothing better:)

Im Thankful for...

the different seasons we experience. For the beauty that comes with each one and the chance to enjoy them in different ways.

Im thankful for....

the temple and the chance I have to go and feel Heavenly Father's love for me. I love the peace inside and the chance to do other peoples work.

Im thankful for...

family vacations and the fun memories we had. I know not many people get the opportunity to go as much as we did. So many fun places so much learned at each one!

Im Thankful for...

gardens and the many good things to eat from them. So grateful for parents that spent many hours teaching us the importance of gardening.

Im Thankful for.....

this beautiful earth we have to live on. For the amazing places I have gone and the beauty that surrounds me.

Im Thankful for...

the pioneers who came before us and sacrificed so much so we could have what we do. For their never ending faith and dedication.

Im thankful for....

amazing and supportive friends that have helped me through some of the darkest hours. Their love towards me is such a wonderful gift.

Gratitude Month

I always feel like November is dedicated to feeling extra grateful for things. I am very blessed and thought that for this month I would blog something I am grateful for each day. I am kind of behind since its already the 4th so here are 4 things I am grateful for.......

1.The freedoms I enjoy thanks to others that put their own lives on the line.

2.My religion that gives me comfort when I need it so often. Also the joy of knowing what is to come after this life.

3.My family that is a huge support system and some of my best friends. People that know all about you and love you anyway.

4.My grandparents that are amazing examples to me of what hardship is all about. The people I have learned from and loved all my life.

On my mind....

Do you ever feel yourself in a rut and cant get out? Well I seem to be there and I dont like it. I have always had issues with weight and I have lost and gained weight so many times! I think its time to buckle down and lose it for good. My friend and I are starting up a new so called diet(I like to call it a lifestyle change)and I think it will be good. I haven't decided if I want to have another blog to talk about my ups and downs or just do it on here.What do you think? Either way I am hitting a milestone birthday next year and I want to feel good about myself. I want to take pictures and not hide when someone brings the camera out. I am sure for some of you this has never been an issue but for me it has and its hard. I would love to love myself again and I am going to give it my best this time around. Hopefully I wont be talking about doing this again a year from now. Wish me luck!

The skys the limit ...

So if you know me you know I love cloud pictures! I think they are so pretty and can make some amazing pictures. My roommate has been taking pictures on her way home from work (which is scary since she is driving but they are pretty awesome)so I thought I would post some. The trees are amazing too right now so there are a few pictures of those. I cant believe that October is almost over! The year is flying by so fast.

Come little leaves

"Come, little leaves," said the Wind one day,
"Come o'er the meadows with me and play;
Put on your dresses of red and gold
For summer is gone and the days grow cold."

Soon as the leaves heard the Wind's loud call,
Down they came fluttering, one and all;
Over the brown fields they danced and flew,
Singing the glad little songs they knew.

Dancing and whirling the little leaves went;
Winter had called them, and they were content;
Soon, fast asleep in their earthy beds,
The snow laid a coverlet over their heads.

I just love my grandparents! I am especially close to my mom's mom grandma Braegger. She is just the sweetest thing every time I talk to her. She has gone downhill quite a bit and is dealing with dementia and partial alztimers. She has a really hard time remembering things that happen recent. She always amazes me with things she knows from years ago. Today when I was talking to her we were talking about the leaves changing and how pretty they are. Out of no where she just started singing this song. It was so sweet to listen to her and I wish i could have recorded it. She said it was a song her mother taught her and they would sing it in the fall time. I love these special moments that happen every once in awhile. I am glad to have them as memories for when she is gone.

Silver Falls

Yesterday afternoon Trish and I decided to take advantage of the last good day of the week possibly the season. It was such a beautiful day and 68 degrees. We went to a place called silver falls and it was gorgeous! The leaves were all changing colors and it was so vibrant. They have a hike called the ten falls hike that is around 9 miles but we didn't have enough daylight for that. We decided to just hike the south falls and call it good. It was so awesome because we were able to hike behind the falls. In one of the pictures you can see me down almost behind the falls I am in red. There are cabins you can stay in during the summer. I thought it looked so cozy I could live there all year! It was such a great day and we had a hot dog after the hike. I would recommend going up its amazing!The pictures kind of got out of order but you get the main idea right?! Maybe this will entice my brother and his family to come back and visit!

Do you ever smell something and you have so many memories come rushing back? Well that has happened to me alot lately with different things. I love the memories that come with certain things. There are so many different smells out there that have brought a different memory for me this week. The one that I smelled today made me tear up and I guess that is why I am writing this now. I was standing in line at the post office and all of the sudden I smelled my grandpa! I turned around and there was this cute grandpa standing there wearing the same aftershave lotion. It brought tears to my eyes to smell it. I longed for the good old days of watching him rub it on his face and neck and then put a drop on my nose. It was nice to remember him today since he is no longer with us anymore but sad too. Do you have any smells in your life that bring a smile to your face or a tear to your eye?...

A cute way to start off October!

Trix or Treat Spider Cookies

1 package Betty Crocker Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
1 can of chocolate ready-made frosting
1 can of vanilla ready-made frosting
24-48 Trix orange and green sweetened corn puffs
Toothpicks
Re-sealable plastic bags

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
* Mix ingredients for cookies as directed on the package.
* Use a small ice cream scoop to get similar sized cookies or just use a spoon and vary the amount for different size cookies.
* Place cookie dough on a parchment covered baking sheet.
* Bake for about 7-8 minutes.
* Cool completely on a wire rack.
* Makes about two dozen cookies.

To decorate:

* Spread chocolate frosting on the top of each cookie.
* Fill a re-sealable plastic bag with a couple of heaping spoonfuls of frosting and snip a tiny hole out of the bottom of one corner.
* Pipe on three circles of white frosting for each cookie. Start in the middle with the smallest circle and work your way out.
* Take a toothpick and beginning in the center, drag it lightly through each circle. Repeat all the way around the cookie.
* Take remaining frosting and separate it into two bowls. Tint one frosting with orange icing color and the other with green.
* Fill two re-sealable bags with the orange and green frosting and snip off the corner of each.
* Pipe eight small legs with each color and place a matching orange or green Trix Cereal puff on the top of each pair of legs. Add one or several spiders on each cookie.

Fun at the Aquarium

Yesterday me and Trish had a chance to go to the Oregon Coast. We
decided it would be fun to visit the Aquarium and it didn't dissapoint.
There were so many things to see and such pretty colors! I hope you enjoy the
pictures as much as I do. Can you believe the size of that crab?!