Amy

homemade cookie ornaments

I've been wanting to make some sugar cookie looking ornaments for the past few years. Lily's old enough now that I thought I should try.

I found a baking soda play dough recipe that I really like. It didn't smell good cooking and cooling, but I liked the end result.

Lily rolled out the dough, cut it, and put it on the pan all by herself.

And I didn't even care that she was making a mess.

They took about 3 days to dry and 4 days to paint, (we came back to work on them every other day).

license to carry an ugly stick

I just got my driver's license renewed.

I was a little late...only 8 months.

The bank teller had to remind me.

I was still thinking I had till 2039--AZ's way of doing things.

But here, they make you do it every 5 years.

And I have a few tips for you...

One: Whether you regularly wear make-up or not, wear it for this special occasion. Trust me. It wasn't pretty. My eyes blended into my face which blended into my hair. It was a sea of beige, blonde, and freckles. I just figured, I don't wear make-up, so it would really be a lie. Next time, I will commit such a lie for Beauty's sake.

Two: Smile. Say cheese. Show those pearly whites. Let them shine! True, the guy taking the picture probably won't tell you to smile cuz he doesn't care and you may feel stupid...but you're never fully dressed without a smile.

Three: Posture! Posture! Posture! Sit up straight. Don't slouch. Make your mamma proud. Otherwise, you will, in fact, end up looking like a linebacker.

I thought about taking a picture of my license so you could see the horribleness that is my face. But nobody should have that image burned into their brains.

Let me just say two words: Mug shot.

holiday awesomeness

HoliDew magic.

No doubt the work of 20-something-year-old males.

Some people go the extra mile.

Nothing says "Christmas" like a tank.

From the makers of Beavis and Butthead...

Some followed the star on the back of a camel. Others...

People will see flamingoes pulling Santa's sleigh on your lawn and KNOW you're classy.

Venison anyone? It's a nice 'light" meat.

All pictures courtesy of uglychristmaslights.com.

me want cookie

I just came across these Chocolate Dipped Soft Peanut Butter Cookies. they look so stinkin' good. Thought I'd share them.

And if you haven't signed up for the Food Network's 12 Days of Cookies newsletter. You should. They have some really good lookin' cookies this time of year.

Like these Chocolate Peppemint Cookies from last year's 12 Days of Cookies.

Enjoy.

10 minute christmas cheer

Since I'm being a Scroogette when it comes to Christmas decor this year, I decided that anything I put up, will be made by Lily and me. Then it'll all go up gradually and I will find more sentiment in the decorations...Just not into the generic, purposelessful decor this year.

We added some holiday cheer to our family silhouettes.

I think they're funny.

Steve thinks I'm "a geek...with a lotta nerd mixed in." (He's so eloquent.)

Which makes them even more funny to me.

They were a cinch. Especially for four-year-old hands.

(See, this is the great part about having green walls. All I have to do is add some red construction paper around the room and I'm festive!)

hot chocolate on a stick

I am so gonna make these.

Recipe and photos here.

If anyone else makes these before I do, tell me if they are as delicious as they look.

Hey, Arizona people...this will actually give you a reason to enjoy hot chocolate!

all that jazz

I'm really in the mood for Christmas today.

I put up some decorations...only about half of my normal ones, cuz I'm just not feeling chotchky-ish right now.

It's festive enough.

I also broke out the Christmas music...

The Carpenters' Christmas Portrait--will always be THE best Christmas album on the planet. I will listen to this any time. It's like White Christmas. Doesn't ever get old.

George Strait's Merry Christmas Strait to You--I don't need to say much. He's just him. And that's enough.

Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas--I can't say I'm a fan of hers, but for some reason I really love that old Christmas tape. I can even tolerate her weird runs and the googly voice thing she does that everyone does now that drives me up the wall.

Brad Paisley Christmas--This is one of our favorites to listen to while we're traveling. We probably listen to it 3 or 4 times on a round trip to the city. There's this one song that everyong should know. It's called Born on Christmas Day. Go find it on a website and listen.

NYSYNC's Home for Chistmas--I just love 'em. I'm glad they never made a second Christmas one though. It would have sullied the gloriousness of this album. It takes me back to my early days in Utah...roommates, college, little sisters, living on my own for the first time in AZ. This one brings a lot of nostalgia for me...so take care before you mock.

Josh Groban's Noel--I don't really need to say much about him either. He's just him. I think his version of O Holy Night is my favorite.

Of course, I can't leave out some soundtracks.

P.S. I was just perusing and found this deal.

10 different magazines you can get subscriptions to for only $5.00. No catch...it's through Amazon. Not some dumb magazine company that will hound you for years to come. They actually have some good ones: Real Simple, Southern Living, and Food & Wine are well worth it. Good gift idea. But the deal only lasts until December 1st.

thanks

ow we're nearing the end of the Thanksgiving season.

I know...not for two more days. But this week is busy. So I'm finishing this up now.

Here are my final thanks.

1. The Gospel. Always the Gospel. For me, there's no point without it.

2. My family. All of them. Especially Steve and Lily. But definitely all of them. It's big. It's all over the place. But it's a pretty good one. Problems and all. I'm grateful for the dysfunction that has been. I feel like if a person hasn't ever had first-hand family dysfunction, there's a reality they'll never know. I feel like it has a way of giving you a heart...giving you compassion. I'm grateful that no matter what I've done, my parents have never made me feel inadequate. I'm grateful that I've never felt that if I screwed up, I would be shunned by them. I hope that as Lily is growing up, I never make her feel like she can't screw up too.

3. Prayers. Specifically, answered prayers. Each answered prayer is a testimony to me that Heavenly Father cares. Even insignificant things I want/need/want to know. There's always an answer. Sometimes it takes a very long time to get the answers. But they always come. And there's always a lesson in the waiting.

4. Friends. Friends here...friends not here.

5. My home. It's not big, nor fancy. My yard is still dirt. But it fits us. And I feel peace here. I've never lived anywhere this long. "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."

6. My able body. There may be an excess of it, but it can do whatever I want it to. I'm grateful for that energy and health that I enjoy. I'm grateful for my fingers and toes and tastebuds. Everything. What our bodies can do is miraculous.

7. Disney Channel, Nick Jr., PBS. Seriously. Oh, the sanity that has been saved because these channels exist.

8. Skills. Everything I've learned this year. It's been awesome. I've learned more practical life skills this year than all 15+ years of schooling. Kudos to the blogosphere.

9. Fire detectors. I mean, really. Have you thanked your fire detector today?

10. Music. I'm grateful I can play the piano. I'm grateful my mom made me. I'm grateful that in these fingers, I can make a song come out.

11. Pillows. I love pillows. They make every stationary moment glorious.

12. Mornings. Okay, so I hate mornings...but I'm grateful that there's always a morning. I always get to wake up again. I always get to try again. I always get a break from the crappy-yesterday and get to start over. I always get another chance to not mess up. I always get another chance to do whatever I want. I always get another chance to enjoy all of the above.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

beginning to look a lot like Christmas

ily and I spent the morning at the Enchanted Forest in town.

It was a great morning. Perfect mommy-daughter outing.

I love times like those. She was cooperative, even-tempered, and well-mannered.

First, we saw the trees...the "forest." They had THE most awesome Dr. Suess tree. Friggin' upside-down.

The picture does not do it justice. Kudos to whoever it was who made it.

My favorite, other than the Dr. Suess tree, was this one.

It was perfectly Christmas.

I'm very grateful for this woman who read story after Christmas story for the kids. She is patient. Oh, so patient. No matter how much noise there was, she just kept on reading. And she seemed to genuinely enjoy it. I wish I could be more like that.

Lily was in heaven. She loves reading...sat there for an entire hour.

Until...