vacation from blogging...

With all of this extra time on my hands (I love being a teacher this time of year), one would think that I might blog a bit more. Instead, I have put it off. No reason. My natural instinct is to provide an update of sorts.

Laura and I went to see 27 Dresses tonight. LOVED IT! This film is a fairy tale on camera. Since it doesn't come out until January, you'll have to wait, but I would suggest you spend the money to see it in a theatre. (P.S. James Marsden is absolutely adorable!)

On a more serious note, Bobby is back in the hospital. He and my mom (Kelli had to work) went up to Virginia Mason this morning and they are expecting that my brother will be there until Saturday or Sunday. Lame! For those of you who may remember, Bobby was in the hospital last year on Christmas. He told my mom today that he should have gone in last week sometime, but he didn't want us all to spend Christmas at the hospital again this year. Poor guy.

Wii have had a glorious Christmas season around here. Ben is enjoying his new toy and thankfully he has shared it with the rest of us. I have pictures of moms, dads, siblings, and extended family playing Guitar Hero III, bowling, tennis, and all sorts of crazy Wii games. The Mii creations are pretty accurate too. I'll be posting those pictures after I have a chance to sort through them...there are a bazillion. :)

On another random note, my sleeping schedule is all messed up (hence the late night/early morning post). I don't know what to do...

I'll be back again before the weekend is over. I'll be sure to include some great family photos and an update on Bobby's status. In the meantime, he can always use some prayers!

Merry Christmas (it's never too late)!

safeway home delivery (thanks jenny)...

After reading Jenny's post, I decided to give this a try. I had been meaning to stop by the grocery store and pick up some necessities, but I didn't want to. I often dread going and I don't know why that is. It typically takes longer than I planned and I end up spending a ton of money. How does that happen?

On Tuesday, I put my order in - all online. It was super easy. While Ben was home on Wednesday, they delivered the goodies. Ben and I were both really excited about this...it just seems like a no-brainer. So, there were a few glitches (an incorrect yogurt flavor, a box of the wrong dessert item, and a substitution that I wouldn't have chosen), but we decided that it was still worth it!

Now I'll be able to get stuff done around the house, grade papers or watch something on DVR while someone else does my shopping. I think it's a glorious concept! Thanks Jenny! :)

secret santa...

Every year at Maywood, we have the opportunity to participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange. Cute, huh? Honestly, I was super surprised my first year! Since everything has to be politically correct when discussing "winter break" it seemed a bit odd that it was okay for us to do something so festive. However, I was more than willing to embrace the tradition.

Each year I take my time picking out gifts for my person and I wrap the presents just so. I love it all! Unfortunately, I'm the one who also gets forgotten. So, I do my best to take care of my person and then whoever draws my name seems to drop the ball. Did I do something wrong?

(P.S. I don't do the Secret Santa thing to be selfish and I realize that is how it sounds when looking back over this post. It's just a little frustrating.)

guess who...

Guesses?

thanksgiving - round 3...

I loved it...and here are a few reasons why it was so much fun!

Case - I think he is absolutely adorable! I can't wait to see him again! (I'm also a fan of the lady holding him...she's pretty cool.)

How sweet is Tucker? I'm glad I finally had a chance to meet this little man!

Like Kara said, it looks like Chris is just a head and hands - his shirt blends in with the couch. He insists it's camo.

Here's Emily - a mother gracious enough to share her son with us. I was a baby hog all night (I would apologize, but I loved every minute of my time with these little guys). Thank you Emily!

Here's the hostess with the mostest! This whole thing was Kara's idea and she pulled it off with such style...check out her cute outfit! Thanks for allowing us all to invade your home! Such a great idea...perhaps this will become a tradition of sort?!?! (I'm not saying that you always have to host it.)

BFFs - Dusty and Marshall

The Campfield Family

Gunnar was all about the babies - he is so protective. Anytime one of the little guys cried, Gunnar was quick to ensure their safety. He will make a great big brother someday. :)

Thanks again Dusty and Kara! I had so much fun! (Ben did too!)

banana cream pie...

Ben loves banana cream pie! Since it is one of his most favorite desserts, I figured I should probably learn how to make it. A few weeks ago I went searching for the perfect recipe (something low in calories, sugar, fat, etc.) and easy to create. Alas, Ellie Krieger of the Food Network, proved to be my solution.

I made it yesterday for the first time and presented it at Thanksgiving #3. It went over well and I liked it too (I'm not a huge banana cream pie fan). Here's the link to the recipe. I didn't follow it exactly - I opted to use Splenda instead of sugar and I Can't Believe it's Not Butter in place of the real thing. Didn't seem to make a difference.

oh, say can you see...

The conversation that unfolded at Bobby & Kelli's tonight...

Bobby: You should have heard Kelli singing while she put up Christmas decorations the other day.
Anne: What was she singing?
Bobby: I can't even remember, but I finally had to ask her to stop. I think she was making up her own Christmas carols.
Ben: You know what I like to sing when I'm in the car by myself (brief pause)...the Star Spangled Banner.
Bobby, Kelli & Anne: What?!!? (and lots of laughter)

Anyone else sing the Star Spangled Banner when they're stuck in traffic?

last night with j-dub...

Jordan came over to hang out with Ben last night. I was at school late - working on grades, my masters class, and curriculum stuff. When I arrived home, the fellas suggested we play a round of Settlers. How could I say no?

Jordan posing for the camera...

Ben's turn...

This is how I felt near the beginning of the game...

Jordan & Ben demonstrating how the game is played...

Another fake action shot...are you sold on the game yet?

This is how Jordan & Ben destroyed the game board once I pulled out the victory!

Despite my win, the boys drove me nuts. This is how I felt by the time we finished up.

The losers! (Jordan, bitter much?)

christmas time...

I'm celebrating with a Christmas-colored blog layout. :) (I'm obviously avoiding the pile of papers sitting here in front of me...they need to be graded.)

Oh, and I'm glad I finally figured out how to stretch the blog a bit - no more large margins. I'm proud of myself.

wonderful winter weekend...

I knew things were off to a great start when we found a new car! Hooray! I will have to take some pictures tonight so I can show you the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Ben was convinced he didn't want to go with a Jeep, but after test driving one on Wednesday, he was willing to change his mind. Now we're back to owning something that can handle in the snow...which means we might get to test its all-wheel drive skills tomorrow.

Wednesday night we headed over to my mom and dad's - Mike came home from Japan for Thanksgiving so we spent quite a bit of time with him. We had an informal family gathering complete with a round of Settler of Catan (amazing game). Again, no pictures...I have some work to do.

Thursday we went back over to my parents for some time with John, Cheryle, Max, Jessica, Mike, Scotty Keen, and Uncle Ted. After our yummy dinner, we went out to Bobby and Kelli's new place. Jordan and Jamie met us out there and then we played a few games - including another round of Settlers.

Friday was Thanksgiving, Round 2. I have pictures to prove it! Don & Suzy took pictures and they were gracious enough to send them to us. :)

Here is a picture of our host and hostess - Ryan & Emily

Ben & I - just being silly...like always!

Here we have Grandma Nancy (Suzy's mom) & Suzy. Grandma Nancy makes a mean jello salad that continues to be Ben's favorite. I might have to beg her for the recipe. :)

Hero is Emily & Ryan's child. He was a bit unhappy that we kept his mom and dad occupied for so long. This must have been taken as we were playing our card game - Class Struggle.

Don & Suzy - so cute! (I guess I should start referring to them as mom and dad, but it's tough to make that jump.)

After Friday's fun, we were ready for some down-time. Ben went with Bobby, Kelli, and Mike to the Apple Cup. My husband was sad to see his Huskies lose. While the crew was out freezing their butts off in Seattle, Laura and I did a circuit training class at the gym and then made some more cards...big surprise. (I'm still sore!)

Sunday morning we went to church (unlike some Seahawk prayer warriors), watched the 2nd half of the game, and then pulled out all of the Christmas decorations. As soon as my grades are finished (the trimester ends on Friday), we'll begin unpacking the red and green boxes.

I enjoyed my time away from work. There were far too many things I had planned for this 4-day-weekend. However, my time was monopolized by family and friends...and I LOVED IT ALL!

lost cause...

The insurance company finally took a look at Ben's car...it's totaled! Anyone know of a great car for sale?

bff...

Since I have some wonderful shots of Laura, I figured I should share them with the world. I told her I wanted to post them, so I'm hoping that frees me of any blame. Enjoy the crazy antics of my oldest and dearest friend! All of these pictures were taken at our most recent Game Night...

Laura made these really cool drinks that tasted like birthday cake...they even had sprinkles in 'em. Here she is posing with her beverage (Hillary ran out of martini glasses and that's why Laura is sporting the wine glass...classy).

Below is a picture of Laura & I laughing at one of the nouns used in Bag of Nouns (if you haven't tried playing, you're missing out). I wish I could read (or remember) what it says.

This might look strange at first glance, but this is a photo of Laura's clay creation. We were playing Pop 5 (another great game) and she was trying to get Hillary to guess the show...think you know it? American Gladiators! Apparently this is the jousting portion of the old show.

These are my favorite...we were playing Guesstures and Laura was trying to get Hillary to guess what she was. Any ideas? Yeah, she's a branch. The picture on the left is the tree and the one of the right is a branch. LOVE IT!

She's the greatest! Can you believe that we've known each other since daycare?!?! Crazy to think that she's stuck with me this long! :)

P.S. We made more than $200 on Saturday - all we did was sell cards and journals! Nothing cost more than $5. It was so much fun, we're doing another one on December 8th at Jenkins Creek Elementary School in Covington. Hopefully we'll find success for a second time!

f.y.i...

Still hate blogger...won't let me upload pictures now. Really? I want something more reliable (and still free).

questions...

I watch MTV (hey, we all fall short) and now I have 2 quick questions...

1. What is with Justin-Bobby? L-O-S-E-R!
2. Why are they currently showing a million Alicia Keys commercials? I like her and all, but seriously?!?!

That's all for now.

not a good day...

It started with a car accident. On my way to work, a gentleman decided to hit me. He crashed into the back of my car (thankfully, I was driving the 4Runner) and hit me so hard that it pushed my vehicle into the truck in front of me. I was at a light and the traffic was slowly starting to move. The gentleman behind me said he saw us all move, put his foot on the gas and then LEANED OVER TO GRAB HIS COFFEE! That's when I felt it. The noise was crazy loud, the force was insane and I couldn't believe what was happening. The hit was so hard that it caused Ben's coin tray (ashtray) to fly open and spew forth coins. The inside cover for his sun roof hit the front frame and then started to slide back. My apple cider took flight immediately.

Thankfully...

• no one was hurt
• the gentleman who hit me was nice
• the officer who took the report was friendly
• the school was understanding of my late arrival (I was supposed to be at a training today at 8 and I showed up a little before 10)
• the insurance companies took care of us (after a bazillion phone calls)
• my husband was able to come to save me and make sure all the details were taken care of while I spent time at work and at the CovingtonUrgent Care
• I have some "happy pills" to control the pain in my neck
• my mom was ready to drop everything to help me out
• my brother called to check in on me
• Hillary drove me home
• AAA came and towed Ben's car
• We've got a rental car
• My dad was full of great advice
• Did I mention that my husband was/is amazing!?!?

However, I didn't get a picture of the damage. I wish you could see it!

riley...

Hillary's son Riley is such a sweet little guy. He is totally chill and ridiculously cute! On Saturday we got a chance to see him at Game Night.

Side note - Once a month Laura, Hillary, Ben and I try to get together for a night of good food, fun and games. Since Hillary's husband is a police officer, we try to schedule our Game Nights to coincide on the same evenings that Steve (Hill's husband) is at work. This way she doesn't have to hang out by herself! :)

I remembered to bring my camera and I've got some great shots to share...

journals anyone...

Anyone need a journal?

If these (and the million cards) don't sell on Saturday, I'll be giving these to everyone for Christmas!

Say a little prayer that we can at least make the $25 it cost for the table.

If you're bored on Saturday, come on out to Lake Sawyer Christian Church.

Instead of grading, this keeps me busy!

ah, memories...

Do you remember this? Click here and make sure you have the volume on your computer turned up a bit...you have to hear the audio!

weekend update...

Friday was complete chaos, but I wouldn't have changed a thing. I showed up to school in my costume (a referee...boring, but practical for a busy teacher). The leadership kids busted out some candy grams, decorated for a social, cleaned up after the dance and did it all with a smile (I can't remember if I was wearing one or not?!?!). I quickly changed my clothes, helped with the sweeping and then raced out to Grandma Pauline's memorial. It was beautiful! She would have been pleased to see how her life was celebrated! I then raced home to meet Hillary. Once she arrived, we were off to the Seattle Children's Theatre. Mo Brady and Kasey Neusbickle did an incredible job and it makes me so thankful that our school is fortunate enough to have them directing the musical again this year. They are so talented! We loved it all! At this point, we made a stop at the Wild Ginger. I can't wait to go back...great food, awesome environment and good company too!

Since I don't have any pictures from our evening adventure, I figure these will have to do...

Hillary is learning how to text...this is how we passed the time last Friday while most of the school's power was out.

Saturday, Stacy and I did some Christmas shopping. We also enjoyed a nice lunch together. With Ben up on Whidbey Island (he went up Friday after school to spend some time with his cousins, attend a football game and wash some windows), I had to call up Laura to see if she wouldn't mind keeping me company. She was kind enough to come over and together we made a few more cards.

Sunday, we moved Bobby, Kelli, Mac, and Jack into their new house. Tonight is their first slumber party in the mansion. We emptied the storage unit, cleared out my parents' house, and managed to fit it all in the new garage. We'll head out there later this week and I'll be sure to take some pictures.

All-in-all, it was a perfect October weekend...complete with the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series (I can't believe that Steve and Cathy Pearson were there cheering on Jon Lester! Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime experience!)