HNY and all that!

{2012}

Sitting sick on a couch last week was not much fun.  We are in the middle of moving and I was just overwhelmed, exhausted, feeling crappy, and done with just about everything.  Since our flatscreen was broken in the move, I was lucky that we still had the TV that Travis and Tanya had given us at least 6 years ago.  Its not digital so I was happy have a DVD player that wasn't buried in boxes...but where in the world were the DVD's? 

You know its bad when I was thrilled to find Lord of the Rings in the bottom of a tote. 

And as it turns out, I was actully very grateful.  It seemed to fit the changes and timing going on around our little family right now. 

I won't go into details about the story, you'll have to pull out your own movie night for that, but I could really relate to sweet Froto.  He was completely overwhelmed, wishing he had not been given the ring and all of its responsibility, and hated all the destruction and doom going on around him.

'I wish it need not have happened in my time,' said Frodo.

'So do I,' said Gandalf, 'and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.'

Ah yes, wise and thought provoking words to start off the new year.

{I know this isn't Gandolf, but I'm sure Yoda has some good quotes we could cherish too. Oh, and he was the final prize in our Star Wars advent calendar.:)}





{Holiday Fun}



Aidan was one lucky little guy this year! Some of you may remember my sister-in-law Tanya talking on her blog about how she made this cute little car tote.  I was giddy when Aidan got one of these sweet gems she had made!

There's nothing but "comfort and joy" going on in these next pictures.  Watch the faces on these little guys...you may just have to laugh out loud.

Yeah, we tried.  The last picture is the best one...

Yes...my personal favorite...

{Sisters}

Coming straight from a funeral into the holidays is never easy.  Especially when its your dear sister you've lost.

Here's my mom with her younger sister Lori.  Both were mourning for the loss of my Aunt Carol this Christmas.  She passed away suddenly and unexpectedly leaving 6 kids and ALOT of grandkids who will miss her more than words can say.

It really made me think about and appreciate my family this year...

especially my two younger sisters--Margo {Margie} and Stephanie {Stooph}.

 

I also cherished every mintute with my 95 year old Grandpa Johnson and my sweet Grandpa Peggy.  We were so blessed to be with them both this year!

Oh, and my parents too...

yes, dad that is a nose.:)

Who did you cherish these past few weeks?

{Back into it}
And before we knew it we went back into the swing of "regular" life.  Ethan entered a photo competition through the PTA Reflections.  (You probably have kids that did too!)  The theme was diversity...can you guess which photo he took?

I did not help him one bit, except for giving him stern warnings about being careful with my camera.;)

And if you have made it this far in the post, bless you. :)  Here's my latest creation...



http://www.cameracoats.com/

And some of you will be happy to know that I will be sewing to get through the winter!  So there will be more fun tutorials coming very soon!:)

Happy 2012! 

Emily

TY Printables & Christmas Besties

{Thank-you Printables}

Let us 1st give thanks.

I can't stop.  I love printables. Quick, simple, easy. 

These little notes saved us from a very painful evening of writing thank-you letters.  {Not painful to say thanks, but painful for our 6 year old to sit and write! Although being the mean parents that we are we told him if he didn't send thank-you notes he had to give back the gifts.:)}

I mean, how could we not say THANK-YOU!  Look at this face!

Want some? Here you go! You know I love you.

Click Here for this sheet:

These ones you'll have to write yourself, but I'm sure you can do it.:)

Click here for these:

{Best of Christmas 2010}

We were very blessed with many wonderful memories and thoughtful gifts this year. 

Here are a few highlights:

"Coming in at the top of my favorite gifts of 2010"...

Mr. Snowman with a lightsabor.  However, not far behind was a hair elastic that Ethan found and wrapped up for me.  He also wrapped up some old train books and gave them to Aidan.  Big hit.

"My favorite neighbor gift"...

I'd actually been wanting to do this for a while, and finally did it!  So far the feedback was great, although next time I may stick to a less-healthy version of the scones...once they cooled off they were not quite so appetizing...if you know what i mean.:)

{If you'd like the label in printable form {the round "Made With Love"} let me know in the comments.  I'll post it if anyone wants it.}

"Most excited for Christmas"...Ethan! 

He was up at 5:30 and ready to go...but unfortunately for him...we don't open presents until the sun comes up.;) 

Shopping for donuts and fun "eats" for Christmas couldn't be any more fun with this kid.  If he could have hopped into Santa's sleigh he would have. 

Star Wars.  What more can I say.

"Most Happy with 1 Toy"...Aidan.
This will come as no surprise to those of you who know this little man.  Trains rule his little world.

He played with this all morning and into the afternoon...

"My favorite Christmas Story"... Grandpa's Re-gift
I love this man.  I think of the world of him.  And he is one of the funniest guys I know! 

I talked to my sister Margo yesterday and she told me the best story.  My grandpa LOVES peanut M&M's. So on Christmas Eve my sister wrapped up a bag and gave them to grandpa.  On Christmas Day she noticed there was a present for her under the tree.  She opened it and guess what it was....a bag of peanut M&M's.  She looked at my grandpa and asked him if it was the same bag that she gave him.  He got my favorite little grin on his face and started chuckling. 

Oh man I love this guy.:)

{This picture was taken last year with my mom, dad, Ethan, and grandpa in the middle.}

"My favorite thing about Christmas"...Being with my boys.



Hope you had a great Christmas too! 

"Wait For It" Printable {Inspired by Grandpa}

{No Peeking}

We have a problem in our home.  Sneaking and peeking. I've decided that this a problem that has been passed down from generation from generation for many, many years.  Why?  Because my 94 year old grandpa cannot wait to open any gift he is given.  {In fact, one year I send him a Christmas package addressed to my sister {who lived with him at the time} because I knew he wouldn't wait!}

Its been reported that he has already opened every gift mailed to him this year.  As you can imagine, its hard to fight that kind of DNA. 

Grandpa, this one's dedicated to you...;)

Here's my attempt at keeping our gifts "under wraps".

If you'd also like to encourage your loved ones to wait...good luck to you.  These tags may or may not help, but its worth a try!:)

Click here to print these tags!

{Tricked Ya'}
Yes, waiting can be SO hard.  So kudos to Ethan for figuring out a way to get around it.  He told me to open this envelope that had my name on it.  I opened it and this is what I received....

If your reading in phonetics is rusty, here's what this sweet card says:

"I will take care of Aidan." 

I know. So sweet.  I gave him the biggest hug and kiss a mother could give, and then asked him if that was my Christmas present.  He said, "Yeah! Tricked ya!"   Yes, he did.

{David+MoTab=AMAZING}
Ethan may have tricked me into opening his gift, but I was totally authorized to open this gift early.;)  My thoughtful sister-in-law Mary ordered these tickets for us for Christmas!

Today was the day.  And it was AMAZING.

I {heart} David Archuleta.  Not in a swooning sort of way, but I think he is a pretty awesome guy.  His voice, his meekness, his testimony, his sense of humor, and okay fine...he is darn cute.

If you want to check out the concert you can click here. {Thanks to a fellow blogger who sent me the link!}

I'm convinced he has been blessed with the gift of music so that he could sing his testimony and feelings about the Savior.  As he sang this morning there was a special twinkle in his eye {I saw it on the jumbo screen;)} and a feeling in the words that he sang that was unforgettable.  Truth was taught through song & I loved every minute of it.

Even President Monson {The Prophet of our Church...kindof what the Pope is for the Catholic Church} commended him and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the awesome orchestra and dancers for their incredible talent and meaningful work.  My faith was strengthened by the entire experience.

I can't wait for all of you to hear the concert.  It will be broadcast next year on PBS and other TV and radio stations just like Natalie Cole was broadcast this year.

You won't want to miss this one.

{Good luck}
I guess patience is the theme of this post.  So don't be surprised if it turns out to be harder than you think.

And may the force be with you as you try to protect your packages from early opening predators...

Love ya. Toad:)

Printable Palooza

{Little things}

When you grow up with 5 younger siblings the smallest things mean so much.  The "Happy Birthday" sign {made out paper taped together and written with crayons}, mom's german chocolate cake {mmmmm}, and $5 gifts on Christmas Eve were sure fire crowd pleasers around our place.

Now with the family growing through marriage, kids, and distance, our "new" family thing is to take turns buying for a sibling and their family {if they have one}.  This year it's our turn to get presents for my brother Peter's family.  So close your eyes Mary {but start watching your mail} and mum's the word for the rest of you!:)

Last year we had Travis and Tanya & I put together a super simple 12 days of Christmas.  We just wrapped up a few little things...Trey and Lucy got to open one each day.  From what I hear it was a hit.

*Greyson, this is your year buddy.  You may only be 2 1/2, but I think you'll appreciate this countdown until Christmas.

{Printables}
And since its only the 11th you can still run and hit the dollar isle!  Your kids/grandkids/cousins/neighbors/whoever will love your forever.  Really. 

Click here for the countdown tags.

Oh, and since I made these to match...here you go!

Click here for the Merry Christmas gift tags.

{Small Things}
And speaking of little things making a difference.  I {heart} double-sided tape.  Where have you been all my life?  It makes my tags look like stickers and it works so well. 

Do they make toddler size?  I could use some of it on our pews at church on Sunday.

Now those of you with a little fabric just sitting around.  Grab it.  Use it. I just ripeed some into strips and wrapped this box right up.

Yes, my new favorite gift accessory...

There's something about a brown paper package with a touch of fabric.  Love it.

{Little Loves}
Just a few sweet finds. 

#1 How cute is this artwork.  Just found this gal on Etsy and I super love all of her little drawings/pictures.  What a fun little gift idea!  The shop: Cinnamonink.

#2  Hot Chocolate maker.  Best gift I ever gave myself for Christmas.  Its been a wonderful year getting to know this one...I'd highly recommend it.

#3  {Below} Keep out that fabric stash.  How cute is this headband? The blog:  MaryJanes and Galoshes.  Looks like an easy tutorial...can't wait to try it.

#4 Bean Bag Chair.  Last year's big sewing project.  It was a hit.  You can a bag of insides for $13 now!

{Hmmmmm}
Just a little concerned about this.  I thought I'd get your opinion.  Should I really buy these wii lightsabers?  Will my boys/husband start look like this?  Oh dear.

{More tags}

And if you missed my last post and don't have enough tags already...

Click here for these fun ones!

Have "peekers"?  Try these tags!

Click here to print these tags!

{My littles}
I'm loving' my little ones.  I'd highly recommend for you to just drop all of your business and go spend some time with a little person too.;)

Catchya later.;)