We put up the Christmas decorations this week. Mass CHAOS!

Loved hearing all of the "I remember whens" and the excitement. And a whole bunch of fighting also!

Below the kids are wanting to help put up the Christmas village which is really an excuse to sit on the "landing". Which, whenever I sit up there I have this bizzaro temptation to jump. And Nathan actually has. FREAKS me out!

Aunt Debbie sent us this cute book a few years ago. It has envelopes with letters from the north pole and little doors that open and the kids love it so much.

Can you believe it is Christmas time already? I mean I only just took my decorations down a month ago. I seriously am not in the mood already. I never had time to even get excited for it because...IT. WAS. JUST. HERE. Also, I don't like the clutter of all the decorations. Am I bad?

Life has truly sped up. Time is flying by. Even the kids notice it. When I was a kid it was FOREVER until Christmas. Now, even the kids can't believe Christmas is here ALREADY again.

For some reason....Something demented, crazy, nutso, freakoness, came over me and I bought a NON...you read correctly... NON prelit tree. And it sucks. Which is a word I don't let my kids say. But it does.

So last year I spent like 4 hours weaving every light onto each branch and covering every section. It was beeautiful and totally over the top sparkly. But not worth the time! So this year I was already dreading it. But I have a little OCD and I still wanted the tree very twinkly and very bright and very....evenly strung.

So Nathan is working on a merit badge for scouts and he chose on his own free will, without me even suggesting it, to string the Christmas lights "so I can have more time".

Which thrilled me so I wouldn't have to do it...but didn't thrill me because I want them to look the way I want them to look....but thrilled me because if Nathan is trying to do something sweet for me....how can I argue with that!

I had to give him some basic decorating directions. And I began to turn into freaky monstrous mom and I just had to leave (have you all see that funny youtube clip about this lady who wants her tree perfect? So classic). And just let him go for it. And he did.

And it's a bit heineous. But I don't care. That much. Okay maybe only a little. But I ain't TOUCHING it.

He didn't understand that you string the lights end to end. So instead

we have a very cordy situation going on.

Let the decorating begin!

We have pictures of Christ as our decorations.

Last year, I didn't follow through on teaching the kids about Christ everyday for Christmas. The year before, I did pretty dang good. And I have some good plans for this Dec. Starting tomorrow. I'll keep you posted!

P.S. It will begin with making papers to slip inside our folders with collages of pictures of Christ, that I cut out from all our church magazine. That took a few hours!

I decided maybe the most important thing I need to give my kids before they leave my home as grown ups, is a testimony of Christ. That is what we are working for in Dec. Can I just pull them out of school for the whole month? I really need them home so I can teach them the very most important things. Who needs math?

Justine has been taking a 4-H class on quiet books. That, and glorious pinterest, made me want to make one! I don't even know why. my chickies are probably getting to old for them. But I have been receiving SUCH joy from working on them. They have been fun and creative and....did I say fun? I don't know what it is lately about me but I have been feeling creative!

Is it still creative if I totally copied the exact page off of this blog? I think her pages are dar-ling! But then I did invent the volcano page all by myself and I think it is cute and I had so much fun.

So look for future posts of my completed pages. You know, unless it ends up in my closet with the rock people I was painting. What? I am still going to finish those! I swear!

Dear Santa, I want Brenda Breyer Horses.

When I was a kid I remember the COMPLETE JOY of scouring the JC Penny toy catalog. I L.O.V.E.D. it.

My top toys were ALWAYS the Brenda Breyer Horse Stables and those creepy big ventriloquist dolls. (Thank you mom for ignoring that on my wish list.)

Anyways, These pictures reminded me of something I heard once that was just like BAM! SO TRUE. I thought it came from the famous Paul Harvey poem which I love but it didn't. So I don't know where I heard it but it is this....

The majority of the joy of Christmas (concerning the gift department concerning the kid department) is the DREAMING of what they might get. Kids love to scour the toy catalog and dream. At my house they circle everything they want so I know. It is a joy. The actual getting of the gifts is not near as fun as the dreaming. That is also why one shouldn't give them everything they want or things before they are ready for them. Because then they never had the chance to wish for it. Which is the fun part.

Just sayin'.

We kept this catalog around for a month and it became shredded from wishing kids loving on it. Then I chucked it and my oldest son dragged it back out of the trash and kept it. Funny.

Since I mentioned it...

Paul Harvey’s Wishes for Children:

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meatloaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy/girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what Ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove, and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandma/grandpa and go fishing with your uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hanukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you — tough times and disappointment, hard work, and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

I prefer chocolate pie, thanks.

You all know of my one sided love affair with Glenny Beck...

Well, in all honesty, raw unadulterated honesty....He freaks the holy crud out of me.

He's beautiful to look at, and when he's funny he's dang funny, and when he's hugging me in Driggs, Idaho...well not more to say there, but when he is talking about the government and the decline of the economy...

I get beyond terrified. Cause I am already sort of a nut case to begin with.

He makes me do things like bottle FIFTY quarts of apple pie filling. And we don't like apple pie.

But it sure was a fun family day doing it.

Seriously, I don't have pictures of all the kids helping (how did that happen????) but the kids were FIGHTING over whose turn it was to work the apple corer.

And Kate had a great time stirring the apples in the bowl of water to keep them in the fruit fresh stuff...

And I let Bo use a knife the whole time and he sliced the apples after the kids peeled them and he did an awesome job.

And having all of those bottles of apple pie mix that were practically free made me oh so happy and reminded me why I love to can so much. Did you know there are people who aren't aware that canning is still done in the world? Weird.

Anyways, thanks to my friend Terri for helping me learn how to do apple pie filling and thanks to my parents who got me two free boxes of apples. And thanks to my MIL who taught me how to can in the first place, and the neighbors can thank me that I will be keeping these all to our selves since they were prepared with lots of kid help. I was thinking they could be Christmas gifts but after all the help... maybe not so much. I know the germs will cook away but what can I do about all the peels that accidentaly got thrown in!

Owls Rock!

I love owls.

I loved them before they became trendy. Just like Glenny and Hugh Jackman.

When my mother in law moved from her beloved farm home, that her husband's family hometeaded, to a smaller condo, she had to get rid of many things.

The only thing I requested were these little stone owls, which the rest of the siblings thought were ugly anyhow. I love them.

So you can imagine my delight when I was cleaning out my boy's backpack and I saw this little gem. Love it! I hung it in my bathroom.

After a few years of being toothless, Bo's top tooth is coming through! I think my heart might break. Big teeth? Big boy. Not ready for this luvkins to get any older. He is too darling just the age he is. So glad I got this picture of him before it happened!

DARLIN?, right?

(photo taken by my friend who is a great photographer. Let me know if you need one!)

I learned how to make photos coolish!

The other night was a joy.

Our church went roller skating. I took all the kids.

I spent my time not in skates because I couldn't keep them up and myself. Everyone kept saying, "why are you not in skates?"

I'm thinking...does that really need to be explained?

#1) Its a hard fall for me these days.

#2) How can I keep two little people up and myself?

SO for the record....I CAN roller skate.

Ha ha...That reminded me last night I went downstairs to start the fire and Kate yelled at me

Her: "What are you doing?"

Me: "Starting the fire."

Her: "You can't do that! Only boys do that!"

Me: "Uh...no girls can do it."

Argue...argue.... argue....girls can do it too...no, only boys.

Her: "Well, I'm asking dad!"

Me: "You do that."

Silly girl!

Anyways,

Back to skating... it was such a sweet joy to spend some time with the little people in my family and to help them learn and try to skate.

And Kate was seriously in heaven.

She has been awfully bratty lately. Demanding, frustrated and more frustrating. Repeating the same questions 4000 times and not liking my answers.

Mainly...

Her: "Is grandma coming over?"

Me: (ha ha, I love this her, me, stuff) "Nope, not today"

Her: "YES SHE ISSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (only way louder than that.)

And we go through that truly no less then 25 times a day. Maybe even more.

Not sure what the deal is but we have been struggling a bit. I read a blog the other day and the lady said three year olds were not her cup of tea. Because her's was bossy and demanding, etc.... And I thought, I can relate. This little stage has not been my cup of tea.

So to be able to spend time with her doing something fun reminded me how super cute she was and we had a good night. And she really loved it.

Bo!

I just need to slow down with her. Do some projects with her. Read to her. Life is just so busy.

And you know that whole stupid guilt ridden poem about cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow.... Well, what if you like a clean house? Just to keep a little less chaos from swallowing your life? Or what if you want to watch some people's court? To have some quiet time? It's hard to do it all. But I love my girl and hope for less bossier, demanding times.

And some more times playing! In between commercials... Oh, I joke.

Phew! The last of Halloween.

Before I share the final Halloween pictures I just wanted to say... I recently heard about some study about depression in women....caused by....READING BLOGS!!!!!! Isn't that sad...and crazy.....and true??!!!!!

I know that happens to me sometimes. Where you read some fabulous blog and you think everyone is doing better than you. I hope you all have seen that is not true in my case. I don't want to ever share things and make anyone else think I am doing so much better than they are.

Because the truth is I am just struggling to get along the best I can, just as I am going to assume you are also. Even if your blog is glorious.

I have struggled for years to try to do scripture study in the morning with my kids before school. I. can. never. ever. never. get. out. of. bed. Even when the night before I say to myself, "Do you love the Lord or sleep more?" And then I still sleep in.

I was grumpy to BOTH my cute sons the other morning because I still have to get them out of bed in the morning. And we were late to our six o'clock appointment to put out flags for Veterans day. And the man whom was waiting for us to be on time was a military Navy man and it was humiliating because promptness is something I care so much about and I am assuming he, being a military guy, does also.

I have 45 boards and 500 pins and I have only made one idea thus far. But the plans I have. Which let's face it. I won't ever do.


I never even had a shower yesterday.


My house is messy and I am fat. (Although I swear I am just not changing that on purpose so I won't intimidate anyone else.)


I told Bo the other morning it was quiet time even. though. he. just. woke. up.


So no matter what things you might read on my blog that might make you think I am doing better than you....NOT TRUE! I am muddling through just like the rest of most of us are! You read my horrible basketball blunder yesterday!


Anyways...on to Halloween costumes and then I am officially OVER Halloween. I am sick of it myself at this point!!!

Bo started out as a dinosaur but was a little uncomfortable with the resemblance to Barney.


He changes into Pikachu.... Kate was a Snow White Princess... And Rhett was a were Wolf! I spent no money on costumes this year. It was great.

Nathan was a giant which was super fitting since he is growing so MUCH!

Bo LOVES Pikachu right now!

Snow White ready to go!

We have a great neighbor hood for trick or treating. I appreciate the neighbors making things fun!

Kate went to one of the scariest houses which happens to belong to her church nursery teachers. Her teacher was showing her his face so she wouldn't be scared and dropped his sickle (?) on her head. Bonked her a bit but kisses from his spouse (her other teacher) made it all better. I was amused. "Don't be scared..."...Bonk!

In other exciting news....

Kate won a Halloween coloring contest at the dentist office! When I saw her picture I thought it was pretty cute!

So when she won and it literally broke Bo's heart. He couldn't understand why his picture wasn't good enough. It killed me. Sad.

And Kate..... could have cared less! She wasn't even nice and cute when she went to the dentist office to pick up her prize. She didn't even acknowledge them or the prize or anything. She just wanted to play with the stupid electric toothbrushes!!!

So, because the dentist office threw away her prize winning picture.....

(uh...may we pause on that for a moment? WHO DOES THAT?????.....)

...I only have this bratty moment of her winning because I had to haul her to the car crying and the picture was long gone in the trash. Oh well!

FUNNY!

It's hard to be the mother of a super star.

Ugh! Broken heart today.

I don't know why I have to get so devastated by stuff.

Today Corey and I drove Rhett to his 11 o'clock basketball game which really started at 10.

So.... we. missed. the. whole. thing.

And we played a hard team, (well, not us, because we were late and missed it) and we (well again, not us) were creamed.

And all of Rhett's team saw him arrive and were so disappointed saying to him things like, "Where were you? We needed you". And they were sad. The coach's son was so cute though, telling me that they only lost by 16 points and that they were able to keep the other team from getting 30 points when they usually got more than that.

And Rhett was trying to act like no big deal but I could see him take a drink of his bottle and he was trying hard not to cry. And I could tell his sweetest coach known to all mankind was disappointed and frustrated too.

And so on the drive home I cried the whole way. And I cried the whole time Rhett and Corey and Justine when in a fast food place for a corn dog. I sat in the car and cried. And wrote this blog on a piece of McDonald's bag that was trash in my car. Because that is my release. Writing. Sort of. Because I could still cry now over it.

I cried because I hated so much disappointing my boy. And missing his game and watching him play because he is a joy to watch. Because he is pretty good, as in.... (can I say this humbly?).....he is the lead player. And that is why his team was sad he was gone. All because I wrote it down wrong on my stupid calendar.

After crying and driving, and driving and crying, which is totally humiliating in front of the whole fam, Rhett finally said, sweetly and perplexed over the girly emotions, "it's only a game..." and for the rest of the day he could have cared less and I could have started crying about it at any point throughout the day.

I even called one of my friends who is a parent to ask her to tell me I was okay. (I am words of affirmation, you know) and she was napping so I even cried a minute over the phone to her sweet husband who was also there, and he had to tell me I was a good mom and that it was okay. Basically because I told him I needed someone to tell me I was okay. And he did. And although he probably thinks I am mental now I felt loads better. And what a nice guy. He said he would contact Rhett in twenty years and make sure he knew how much I cared.

I just take things like that so seriously. I wish I didn't. but I do. Like thirteen years ago I still remember and feel sick over forgetting to send Kassidy to preschool in pajamas on pajama day when I had just had a new baby. I was so crushed that I did that. I cried then too. And like the time I bit Bo trying to teach him to quit biting his little vampire fangs into Kate, only I bit too hard, and then felt terrible and cried ALL day over that. Or the time I forgot to sign up Justine to show her rabbit at the fair and we went there and she wasn't able to show and it was all my fault. I went to plead with the people in charge but it was in vain and I cried my head off walking through the fair. Sometimes it just hurts to be the mom.

I mean the One Thousand and One appointments and scheduling I DO get right and I should recognize that I am doing pretty good but instead I just have a broken heart over the one I screwed up on. Cause I just remember the sad face when we realized we had missed the whole game. And it was mine!

:( It was very sad, but I take comfort that Rhett doesn't even care anymore. So why do I still?

It was a spooktacular night. Yea, I know. everyone has moved on to Thanksgiving. But I wasn't done yet!

Our family has held a "Spooky Dinner" for probably over twelve years now. It's just fun. Here are the different foods we had this time. (In the past we have had more but I am getting old and food is getting too expensive! I seriously want to cry about it.)

Shrek sludge shrimp dip...See the green cream cheese on the bottom? Thanks Sherri!

Bread stick bones in bloody dip! Thanks Jessi!

Mummy meat ball eye balls!

Pumpkin pizza! Thanks mom!

Vampire Blood punch!

Goblin Guts! Thanks Carolyn!

Of course, Black Witch Chips! Thanks, Mom!

Bloody Monster eyeball! Thanks Carolyn! (These were little calazones inside!)

Spider Deviled eggs!

Spooky Sprinkled cupcakes! Thanks, Mom!

A huge favorite! Hoot Owl cookies! Thanks, Carolyn!

Candy corn cookies! Turned out super cute! Thank you Jessi and of course, pinterest!!!

The food was all spooky, which is a requirement, and yummy, which is optional.

I have tried for years to buy dry ice. It never makes it home. I open the bag and the ice is gone! So this year, since my dad lives close to the grocery store, I ask my dad to get dry ice.

Here is the gist of how the conversation goes. (And this is how most of my conversations go with my dad...)

Me-"Dad, I thought of something cool and I want you help."

Him-"You know Susan, I don't know why you think I have nothing else to do but follow through on all your ideas."

Me- "Because I want life to be fun and I need help!"

Him- "Well then maybe you just can't do all these things you want to do"

Me- "Well, I can if you will help me. It's called delegation."

And then we argue a bit more about it.

And then of course he buys the dry ice.

And then of course they have major excitement with it.

And he is glad he did it. Even though he never admits it to me. And the next time I call him in need, he will complain at me like crazy. And then follow through.

I finally told him this time, "You know you're going to do it so can we just skip all this conversation in the middle?"

See? Cool!

Thinking about putting some in their mouths...

I enjoy bantering with my dad. I don't take him too seriously. It drives my mom nutso. But it is part of our routine. He usually gets into my ideas.

Like this! The cute little guy decorated the living room with a spider web.

I was telling Justine how cute it was and she turns to me and softly mumbles...."yea, there is a squirrel tail in it."

Hello little pet shop of horrors!!!!

"and bones."

Sure enough....in proper Kent style....there was. And other natural things he found out side.

Including a random pumpkin he found in the road that looks like it is barfing bead parafanila.

I loved it!

That is just my dad. I would have not expected less from him. And I am glad to be a bit like him.

Wanna see our costumes?

Justine was Face Book

And her sister was "poking" her. LOL



The Princesses...Lily (my great niece?) was Aurora, and Kate was Snow White.

And Bo was feeling lazy today. So he decided to just stay in his church clothes and he told me he "was a boy going to church." Cute.

My dad... Just a cool shirt.
My creepola mom! It was classic!

Corey's "costume", a Steeler's fan. Don't let him fool you. He was home watching the football game in this exact outfit.

Uncle Frank and Sherri...The tourist!

Princess Kassidy

Me! I told the kids I was Halloween's mother. Corey digged my wig! He said how cute I was all the time I was wearing it.

My beautiful fun niece! Just her cool self in Autumn colors. She's a hippie girl. Not her costume. In real life.

Pregnant with my 2ND little great Niece(?)Saige.

And Jessie sewed this cute skirt.

New Grandpa Dale....An Indian!

Snow White again...

Nathan the Giant!

More Face book!

More creepy mom....

More Princess Kassidy...

Grandma Nielsen as a tigeress! This picture was taken about a week after a strange amneisa strokish issue and one week before a heart attack. But she is home and well and funny as ever! Love you!!!!

Meow! Rawr! Ha Ha!

Hanging out fun....

You can see Rhett on the left in his were wolf costume...

Anyway, thanks for looking. Love me some spooky halloween!