its over for me!

march madness that is!!
I am a huge basket ball freak, and play the tournament brackets every year!!
I did awesome in the first round.. beating my husband by 2 points.(he he he)
and did pretty well,in the second round too, at least because others picked some of the losting teams to go all the way.
My confidence was building.. I looked forward with my head held high.. until ..... last night!!

What a major upset with LSU pulling it off against DUKE.
Bad for me, i took Duke to the championship. good for my husband who predicted them to lose .

What is up with UCLA beating Gonzaga? another outcome, I was not predicting.
I almost did not wish Gonzago to beat IU, only because I felt loyal to a big ten school(except OSU) !!... and because Coach Davis was forced to resign at the end of the season. I was hoping he would be able to work real hard and go out with a bang.. and then make all his admin. folk, question themselves.
When Andrew told me that Coach had all ready accepted a head position at Deleware, I felt unsorry for him..
So then I rooted for the trailer park kid with Gonzaga.
I did feel so bad for them when they lost and he laid on the court crying.
I always feel so bad for the kids that lose. Guess it was because I was such an athlete and know how hard these kids work.
After dating athletes in college, you realize how sweet it is for these "big boys" to love their momma's.

Well, even though my teams are gone.. and my brackets shot.. there is nothing like hanging in a sports bar , in INdiana.. watching ball. =) it will be a good weekend!

Andrew insists that Brigham will be a football star. Almost wanted to name him Xavier Trane just so that his nickname would be "X-train".
I am pushing towards basketball...or golf..

so now that we are four days in to spring.. of course it would snow again. I was hoping to get some major yard work done this weekend. but I am sure it wont happen.

guess that just means I will have to scrap. I am getting so inspired by many of the talented peas.
I actually "feel" the mojo...(rachel, I 've got it too)!!

I bought a bunch of new stuff.. speaking of.. do any of you scrappers have more of a "buying scrapping supplies addiction" rather than an actual scrapbooking addiction.
I feel like my stash is busting at the seams, yet I am hardly going through any of it..
I hope to get five pages done this weekend, and to use some of my older stuff..
fingers crossed.

so i will leave you with some pics I just got back of Brigham. these are his 18 month old pic.
I scanned them in, and i am gonna see if Walgreens.com will upload them... shhh. don't tell.
Have an awesome weekend!!

I can't believe how big he is getting!!
such a little boy.
where did my baby go??
uh oh,you all know what that means????

little bit of this n that....

I am curious if you think that you will ever get an original thought. I guess I will just have to wait for a while. Anxiously awaiting.

SO this is what Miss/Mr. Anonymous left as a comment on my last post...
I begin to ponder.... and then rethink what i wrote.....
whoa.. this "anonymous" person is reading my mind.. and living the same life as me???

could it be??? do I have a clone out there somewhere... a twin???
How creepy that this yayhoo feels that they actually have had the same exact experiences as me... and thoughts.. etc..

and how completely lame of you NOT to have balls enough to post under a name!!!

i think that you must not have any original thoughts, if you can't even claim your words.!!

.... okay, so i move on .. away from that!!

the first day of spring... funny that it is not official until 2:37 in the afternoon.
You can't wake up and say "its spring".. you have to go half way through your day.. until you get to 2:37 pm.
Well at least that is what our (very educated) local weatherman says.. I use the term loosely, b/c they are always so WRONG in giving their forecasts.
I can't give Mr. Mike too much slack, because my husband is friends with his wife, and I don't want him to predict a tornado.. just over OUR house!!

well, in the middle of Indiana, the first day of spring was ... of course met with gray skies, cold wind, and snow!!

luckily, last weekend was nice , so we took Brigham out to the park. It was so cool because, he can now (finally) walk!!




He takes off like, he is a fearless wonder. there is nothing gonna stop in his way...
except.. MOLE HILLS!!!
this was hilarious.. the little guy would start toddling so fast, and then hit these mushy mounds.. and then just totally bite it. Hardly a second would pass, and he would hop right back up and do it again.. until the next mushy mound!

We just stood their and laughed at him.. I am sure it was a strange feeling for the ground to be sinking ... (growing up, I used to be terrified of mole hills!!).. i got over that, when I finally realized my tiny cat can kill these things... I should not be afraid of them!

So since spring is finally here.. and i have all these green things coming up in my yard.. i figured it won't be long til bathing suit weather.
so my goal.. of hitting the gym very frequently has moved to more like ever so infrequently.. but this is going to change.
i got me a cute little work out outfit..(so i am not in a frumpy t shirt and last years yoga pants). and i started tanning( so that my fat will have a nice glow instead of that dimply look). and I have gotten a trainer( so I will have a clue what to work on where)..
I now have NO excuse.
I have even found a fabulous bathing suit that is screaming my name.. but only if i lose about 30 lbs!

My girlfriends and I got together last night.. and I brought the dessert..(cuz you know when girlfriends get together, there must be food!).
I made this sinful chocolatey, candy bar, rocky road type thing.. my mouth was watering so badly!!
the women all raved over my conkoction, yet not a morsel touched my lips.
Still no chocolate for this girl until Easter.. at which time, I probably will eat an entire choco bunny!!

so i leave you with a layout of my son.. he finally began walking at 18 months!! we thought perhaps we'd have to stroll him into kindergarten.. whew!! .... he save us quite the embarrassment.

******Stay tuned for the next post, since blogger is not playing nice*******************

who is up for LOST tonight????
I am so stinking exited for this... and my husbands class is cancelled, so we can watch together...
i hate that they leave you hanging for so long.. not like they don't have the new ones done..
if they are short on epis, than why don't they produce MORE epis????
i am sure it has something to do with ratings.. and money and such... and that they are the PRODUCERS, but Man, it is so frustrating!!! i think us viewers could do such a better job of marketing this thing!!
happy Wednesday!!

Whoa... what a weekend!

Did i just say Whoa??? I sound like that Hil and her sister in that commercial.
I must confess, i don't say it with the same intensity the Joey Lawrence does.
(can you believe, his one of my first CD's ). I am really dating myself here!!

Sometimes a weekend goes by, with nothing to exciting. Or it goes by with so much crammed into it, that it is not relaxing. But last weekend was a blast.

Started on Friday with motivation to go to the gym! I have decided to strive towards 25 pounds lost in the next 3 months!! Since I have already given up chocolate, this should not be problem..
as long as I actually go to the gym every day.. and that the Lemon(lowfat) girl scout cookies find another home!
How exited was I to come home to mail.. not just any mail, like my Ck, that gets me real excited, or the new PB or WS catalogs...(they really make me nutzo!).. but A BIG package of goodies .
The super cool JILL sent me all this yummy stuff .

Seriously, I could not believe, how much stuff she sent.. and so many fun papers, and boyish stuff.. lots of ribbons... HS stuff.. embellies!
I can not wait to start scrappin with it!
thanks so much Jill! You rock!


Friday night, my dad came over to watch Brigham, cuz andrew and i both had plans. They always have so much fun. My dad is always half way asleep on the couch after an evening of keeping up with Brig!!
Love FREE babysitting. WE are so lucky to live in the same town..actually just a few miles away from both my parents. So we get to go out a lot!
So on Friday, Andrew was working late and heading to the gym, so I went out with a friend.
We had so much fun ! We spent over an hour in Hobby Lobby. Gosh, it was so nice to be able to take my time, and neither of us had our little boys to deal with!
Of course, I had to get me some scrap stuff.. and I got tons of ideas for outdoor decorating!!
Every time I go out.. is an adventure.. this time was not exception.
We had to deal with smelly guy following us . This guy literally smelled like the Dan Pablo's kitchen. Although, since his wife did not , we realized, that they had not just come from dinner.
The smell lingered for about five minutes, after he vacated our aisle.
And of course 20 minutes later, we run into him again.. we had to be real quick with our selections, so we would not pass out!
When we got to the checkout.. we actually chose a much longer line, just so we would not have to breathe behind him!
Moral to this.. if you smell, you should be aware of it.. and if you are with someone who smells.. you should make them aware of it!!

We went to the mall, and indulged in a rich and thick coffee drink!! and ohhhed and awed over lot s of baby clothes. We did pretty much shop til we dropped..
and then relaxed in a cozy little downtown bar.. as we gabbed.. and drank.. and laughed.. and drank.!!
It was so good to have a girls night out !
Saturday, I was able to sleep in.. and do a little work around the yard. Then I met my mom for dinner at my fave Mexican restaurant. (the smells of hobby lobby had gotten me in the mood for this!!)
Then my mom and I shopped for new spring clothes for Brigham. I picked out a bathing suit, that I swear, I will get into by June!!

Came home that evening, and watched a good movie with my hubby. Very cute.. kinda sappy, very predictable.. but Sandra and Hugh.. were easy on the eyes.. for both of us!
check out Two weeks notice.

Sunday we had a great church service.. always love when it just speaks to me.. so fun to start the week out that way! After lunch , the three of us just played and played. Brigham is getting to be such a character. He is always on the move. and there are always sounds coming out of him!
It is so much fun to be just plain silly with him.
Andrew went to work, and Brigham and I both took naps.
Don't know what my deal is.. but the last few weeks.. i am always soo tired! Love it when I can take a nap.. and not feel guilty!

I got all domestic, and made a yummy pasta dish for dinner. and then I got to curl up on the couch and watch my hottie Matthew in How to lose a guy in 10 days.
He is sooo cute.. just amazing that a guy can be that perfect.. (i dated a guy in college that looked a close second to him).. man, what could have been?!!!!

So that was pretty much it lots of fun and relaxation.. and quality family time!
and woke up to 70 degrees and sunshine today!!
Whoo hooo!

have a marvelous monday.=)
.....and nobody puts baby in the corner.

the good and the bad..

so the bad first...
actually it is not so bad, as much as that I have have been in a BAD mood lately.. Why??
because I am becoming thoroughly annoyed by the littlest things..
1) people who claim to be the almighty Christian, yet do all the unspoken and unseen, constant sinning.(gossip, cheating, lying, basically foregoing the fruit of the spirit)
(come on we all do this, of course) but don't claim to be all self righteous and stuff, and think that you are so much "better" than non Christians. It bugs me to no end to hear all this GOD talk, and then see all the "fakeness" right along with it.
How are we ever supposed to draw people to Christianity.. who would want to be part of all that!
2). along those lines, I can't stand people who need to know information under the pretense that they are praying for you!. Again, so fake.. Luckily God is the only one who truly knows whether they pray or not. But so often, people (these righteous Christians) feel they need to be "in the know" of everyone and everything. Seriously, they must not have enough in their own lives to deal with!!
** Don't get me wrong.. I will pray long and hard for those who ask for specific prayer requests. But just to pry into someone's business, under the cover of a prayerful spirit... I think not!
4) I can not stand it when people constantly use people's names when talking to them.
Now, I am not referring to when you address someone in person or on the phone. By using their name, in a greeting, (as to make certain to whom you are speaking) but, it bugs me so bad, when people feel the need to make blatent reference to individuals, whom they are not friends with by constantly spouting out the person's name.. As if this gives the speaker, more credibility, because, it sounds like they are good friends??
For all you 2peas addicts out there.. thats another place where I see it so often.
Just because I leave my name on my post, does not give you the right to call me by it.. Unless we have at least had a conversation, or by email.
or like when you go to a restaurant, and the server gives their name.. and then (my mom) and others feel the need to use their name everytime they ask for something.
I was in retail management for 4 1/2 years, and as a store manager, I purposely never wore my nametag.. there is no need for customers to know my name, unless I tell them. We are not friends or aquantences.. You don't need to be calling me by my name!!
Silly I am sure this sounds. but, It drives me crazy!

for the good...
1) my new fave artist is going to be on Oprah! in fact I just got his debut album over the weekend.
I am such a dork, that I did not even know who sang this song.. Luckily, on Friday night, my husband and I were just pulling into Barnes and Noble, when by some strange coincidence, the car radio was on.. and this song was playing.. I had to practice the chorus so I could go in and sing it to the poor guy behind the counter.
Luckily, after the first bar, I sang, he knew right who it was!
so if you have not heard of James Blunt.. watch Oprah.. and then go buy his CD.. back to bedlam!
amazing lyrics. Incredible voice.

2)and another good, is that my girlfriends and I got together last night for a cooking class!
we learned to cook and amazing meal and tantalizing desserts. it was so much fun, and we ate so much, and laughed and laughed. A very fun evening, except that I could not partake in the decadent desserts!
I am currently on my 7th day of NO Chocolate!! I am completely insane, I know.. but this is my weakness. and I am giving it up for lent.
3) american idol tonight.. .

okay so have a fab Wednesday.. 1/2 way to the weekend!

happy National bloggin recipe DAY!!!

okay this one is a tribute to my grandma.. down on the farm!
she has lived in the same house for over 50 years!! has raised 5 kids, and been a saint to a very hardworking husband til he died a few years ago.
she litterly has an ice house, a cellar house, and no dishwasher, til two years ago!!
and the stories she tells(she's 86) of life surrounded with cows, sheep, hogs, chickens, and all the dogs and barn cats running around..
so meals are always awesome.. when we eat at the farm... some real down home cooking!
these are some of my faves:
(beware they are all fattening!)

Chicken Tetrazini

1 ) 1 pkg 7oz spaghetti.. cook and drain and put back in pot
2) 2 c. cubed , cooked chicken.. add to spaghetti
3.) make a rue with 1/4 c margarine and 1/4 c flour
4) add to rue, 1/2 salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 tbls. water
5) add mixture to spaghetti, and add one can drained mushrooms

put all in 13 x 9 pan top with shredded mozzeralla or cheddar cheese(or both!)

bake at 350 degrees for 30 min..

so YUMMMMY!!! and makes a lot..

Corn Pudding

2 cans whole kernel corn
1 can cream style corn
1 egg beaten
1 box jiffy corncake mix
8 oz sour cream
1 stick margarine

mix all above together and put into greased 9x13 pan. bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.
DELISH!!!!


Candied apples
4-6 med. size apples
1 c sugar
1/4 c corn starch
1/2 cup red hot candies

peel and slice apples in a qurt baking dish. combine sugar and corn syrup sprinkle evenlly over apple slices. sprinkle red hots on top.
add enough water just to the place where you can see the water under the apples.
bake at 350 degrees to apples are soft .. approx 30 minutes.. stir frequently.

this one is an all time fave. all family gatherings.. the grandkids fight over who gets the most of this!!
YUMMMO!!

can't wait to see what everybody shares!
have a super Wednesday..
so stinkin excited for a NEW lost!!

all rolled into one!

okay.. today will be a whole bunch of random stuff all rolled into one post!
to recap..
my 2 truths and a lie..
drumbroll.. please.... I have NOT been across the ocean three times! this my friends, is false, oh, how I wish it were true.. but I guess I have things to aspire to..(i have only been twice!)
so this means that...
1. Yes, I do in fact have a tat and 9 piercings. My tattoo is small and on my back, and often I forget that I even have it.. The piercings.. well, most are in my ears.. (although I don't wear earings in all of them.. that would be SO eighties!).. though, it probably will make a come back.. along with the ear wrap??? anyone know what I am talking about?? Oh, I was the coolest.. with a dangly earwrap!!
2. Yes, I did in fact spend the night with Zack Morris, aka Mark Paul Gosselaar, from saved by the bell!! Please don't hate me... it was a crazy night in my senior year of high school.. Would you believe two friends of mine.. actually stood in line at a monster truck show.. just to get his autograph.. well, one thing led to another.. ( probably his excitement with girls over the age of 11, and not with their mothers!).. yada, yada, yada.. .Yeah, he was not that impressive..
However, he has matured after his stint on NYPD blue..etc. etc.

Okay,, and my lil song about my house in the middle of the street.. well, that was from the group Madness.
The quote about the pale moon light.. of course.. BATMAN, you sillies.

So before I continue with my house tour let tell you how the infamous website twopeasinabucket.. can , well, cause some frightening issues to occur.

Yesterday morning, I woke my son up, and sat him out in front of the ever so fumourous Lazy town, with his cereal and milk. This is usually a morning routine, and Brigham is quite content.. to just be mezmorized by Stephanie and the funky pink hair of hers...
So, I started his bath water running, and I went into the office to Pea.... well, I kinda know about how long it takes for the water to fill up,... so , I keep looking through the gallery...
of course this would be a monday,, and it would be so full of amazing talent, that I just have to keep posting praise..
I soon realized that it has been a bit longer, and I should go turn the water off. As I go into the bathroom, I yell out to Brigham to come get his bath..

I walked into this: Yep. He had climbed into the bathtub, with his jammies on!! I could not believe it!! He just sat their giggling and playing with the bubbles.. of course, I had to run and get my camera!
That little stinker.. I can't believe I did not hear him.. (the office is only like 2o ft away from the bathroom).. He must have known he had to be careful, cuz he did not splash, or worse.. fall in!
I have never even let him climb in by himself. We always lift him into the tub. Well, I guess they never cease to amaze us!




So here is the last bit of the tour.. Brigham's room. Two walls are yellow and the other two are green.. when we first painted.. we thought there would be no way he could sleep.. he'd be 'blinded by the light'.... luckily, he does just fine.
I have such a hard time taking pictures of a room in its entirety.. oh well, you get the idea.. only thing you cant see his his cute lil toybox and the fun animal knobs from PB that I put on his closet doors. How fun was it to decorate this room. I am now getting the itch for a new theme for him as he will be two this summer, and hopefully be moving to a bigboy bed soon. I still have one more cycle that I can pick the decor for his room!! I usually look at PB or Posh Tots for decorating ideas.








so this is the master bed and bath.. although I am in the process of changing it up .. it is pretty much a shabby chic look.. with a mixture of soft colors and textures..
unfortunately you can't see much in the pic.. and I did not have all my stuff on the walls yet..


yeah, that is me in the mirror.. trying to take the pic..!!
..and the last room here is the scraproom/office..
gosh, did not realize the photo was that dark..
but it hides my mess, i guess!!
there are really tall bookshelfs on the other side that have tons of reference books and frames and sports stuff.. of course I had to let that come into the decor..(but only classy stuff w/ similar color scheme!)

so that is it for the tour of my humble abode..
and its (finally) the end of my post..

get your tastebuds ready for the scrumptious recipe post tomorrow!!

have a super day!

my house.. in the middle of the street

okay love that song.. and it just seemed fitting here.
does anyone know who sings this??? just a little quiz question for you all... to let me know who is a rockgoddess!


so here is my little cozy place of residence... don't blink or you may miss it!! We actaully just moved here about six months ago. In the first two weeks, we completely changed the look of everything!! Outside, we painted the shutters from white to like a dark charcoal. Painted the front door a softer shade. That window to the side used to be white..(imagine next to a bright red door.. ick!). The front of the house had 6 huge shrubs in the front that covered up the brick and a good portion of the front bedroom windows.
My poor dad, was out there every day for many hours not only digging these mega things out.. but then sweetly transplanting them to our backyard!!
there was no landscape at all, so my fabulous papa helped..well, did it all.. of digging away the sod and cutting away flower beds. We moved in the middle of July, so I had slimpickings as to what to plant... not to mention the heat of August to contend with. I found out I actually have a green thumb! In October, I started planting about 400 bulbs, so I am so excited to see what comes up this spring!
okay so here is the entry way!.. When we moved in all the walls were white and the baseboards were all like a fake wood color. All the doors and door frames were the same "fake wood " that all builders put in new homes, that are NOT custom built!
So in the first week, we primed and
painted all the baseboards and door trim. Andrew(my husband) tackled his first home improvement project by ripping all 12 interior doors off. This was quite the project. We then installed six panel doors on all the frames and had to prime and paint them, along with the frames.


We did have a little help from our mexican friends. Man do those boys know how to work! Andrew reluctantly had to got back and put door knobs, and chisel out new forms for the locks to fit! We still have 3 doors not finished!!

here is guest bathroom.....above and below are pics of the living room.

sorry that one shot is a bit dark!
I tried my first domesticated attempt in making all the curtains for all the rooms. It was so much fun.. and I had fabric that totally coordinated. I love this place called calico corners in Indianapolis. So many beautiful fabrics!!

so here is the dining room:-------->.
and the kitchen.

okay, since this took like forever and a day to post today... this is all you get.

I was trying to get this done while taking care of two sickly babies, cleaning the house, watching my soaps, and finishing my bible study all before hubby gets home. I am not super woman.. but man, I am a close second!! Not really, just really anal about time management!

So you'll have to wait for another day to see the bedrooms..

I am going to be scrapping 3pages(yes my goal is still 2-3 a week) tonight!! I have actually surpassed my goal of scrapping, but regret to say that my work out routine is taking a hit!

I have only been going to the gym 1-2 times a week! need to get moving. also.. my addiction with chocolate must end.. I am trying to cram in as much before lent.. because.. I will be giving up 100% ALL CHOCOLATE!!

(yeah, i am insane).

have a fabulous day..and I decided to keep my bloggy kinda fun.. i will sign off with a movie quote.. have fun playing!

"ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?"

Happy Heart Day!

I have been procrasinating... on getting my heart cards out.. finally got the pics on Sunday, but have not done the actual card.. but since it is a Hallmark holiday, I am sure my friends and family won't care if I decide what day to make it a heart day!
so here is the pic:

and I am just gonna do something real simple. I'll post a peek of the completed project..(if it is before Easter!)

So hopefully you all are enjoying lots of luvins from your sweeties.(of any age,gender,or species)

My sweetman, Andrew has class tonight so we will be doing.. nothing! before you go feeling all sorry for me..( i know you are)- we celebrated over the weekend.

We got all dressed up and went to dinner at our favorite(and expensive, so we have only been there twice). but neverthe less, it is our favorite Japanese restaurant.

We ate fabulous sushi .. and I even tried a few new kinds..although I would not recommend sea urchin. It tastes like mud! But everything else was delish..

We sat at this table with like 3 other couples.. its the kind where the cook right in front of you! gotta love Jap man humor! Our cook was HILARIOUS!! all he talked about was american girl..

with it being valentines and everything. this guy ran with the "nasty" content. I felt so bad for this poor little 8yr old boy! I just prayed he could not unterstand let alone comprehend the "adult" humor.

anywhoo, we enjoyed a fab dinner and then came home to cuddle and watch a non romantic Oceans Twelve!

I am going to leave you in suspense a tad longer as to what kind of box I live in.. since I got tagged.

Sweeties Niki and Christy both tagged me on this one.. (so does that mean i can double my answers?) okay, so I won't bore you that long..

Here goes:

Three names you go by:

1. ELizabeth

2. Beth

3. Mama

Three everyday essentials:

1. Deoderant..(i could live without. but no one else could)

2. Lipstick.. or Burts Bee's

3. Diet coke

Three things I am wearing right now:

1. new jeans in a new smaller size..with BLING on the pockets

2. black turtleinmy neck sweater

3. new necklace that ANdrew got me with rhinestone,pink, pearls,sterling.. BLING!!

Three fave songs:(right now, they change weekly)

1.Behind these hazel eyes- Kelly Clarkson

2. Good is good-Sheryl Crow

3. Walk by Faith- Jeremy Camp

Two truths and a lie

1. I have flown across the ocean 3 times

2. I spent the night with Zack from saved by the bell(i know i am dating myself)

3. I have a tattoo and 9 piercings

Three fave hobbies:

1. scrapbooking.. duh

2. Photography

3.shopping.. (yes it is a hobby)

Three things I really wanna do right now:

1.go on vacation

2. have a baby

3. eat ice cream

Three places I really want to go:

1. New Zealand

2.Ireland

3.Africa

Three things I want to do before I die:

1. Open my dream of a salan/day spa

2. go on a mission trip to Romania and then adopt a child from there

3. take my grandkids on a vacation!

Three peopleI'd like to see take the quiz:

1. Jill

2. Rachel

3.Hailey

HAve a most beautiful heart day!

don't eat too much chocolate. don't inhale to many flower fumes.. and don't burn to many calories... ummm being all mushy!!

ima loser baby....

that song is in my head.. and it just fits here...
I am a total loser at blogging..(but please don't kill me) somehow i have so much time to read about the fascinating lives of others.. that i cant update my own blog..
OR is it because i have such an insanely boring life...
I think the latter.

Actually last night as I lay (lie, ly) in bed, I had a million random thoughts going thru my head. I kept thinking.. this would be great to blog about... i should probably get up and write this all down..
NO , I convinced myself I would remember.. this so did not happen.
once a baby comes out of you.. One's memory is history.
don't ask me how come a man can't remember anything...!

So i finally got around to taking pictures of my house, without Christmas decor up, so I can give ya'll (those who care) a tour of my humble abode.
That term does not mean that I am very humble about my freaking big mansion.
it means humble, as in quaint, small, little.
HOWEVER, you will all have to wait.. and (this puts me on the spot to blog again!) for the tour, until tomorrow.

For now, I can sum up the last week pretty fast!


We took Brigham (our 18 month old son) to his FIRST college basket ball game. Unfortunately the Purdue Boilers could not show him what a win looks like! Poor guys , they try so hard, but just can't pull it off.
Guess that is what happens, when the hotheads decide fighting and beating up women is more important than playing ball. We lost a ton of starters!
Anyway, Brig was in total awe.. and loved the BALL. We had fourth row seats, behind the basket, so he clapped til his little hands were raw!! We hung out in the before the game at a reception for John Purdue Club Members. Getting cookies, and gold fish crackers.. and then seeing a ball!
gosh, that is just enough to make your whole world! at least if you are 18 months old!

We got together with several couples for dinner last weekend and recreated the newlywed game, in honor of Valentines Day.
amazing how much some people get their sig nif other (i think they cheat) and also how little some know. Its a wonder some of them are together!!!
I am proud to say, that Andrew and I finished off pretty well.. Except that he didn't guess right how many pair of shoes I have..(well, because I hide some, how could he know!)
How well do you know YOUR sig nif other???

Of course we spent SUNDAY doing the whole superbowl thing.. I have to admit, I could care less about the teams playing. the commercials are always fun though..
LOVE the magic fridge!!!

The mundane routine of the week began..ughh. and brig was sick so it made for fun battles with green slime and a fierce fist!!
I have to say, I love it when he is sick.. he is such a lover =)

I am in charge of planning a valentines couples event for tomorrow night, so I have been busy getting last minute rSVP's(do people NOT get this?) and little details done.
I also am helping with a pampering day for a mom's group I am in. I have been running around picking of donations from businesses. I am totally amazed at how giving people are!
Texas Roadhouse, gave a years supply of rolls!! (if you have ever had these things, you know how truly lucky you would be) they completely rock!

Of course I watched the bachelor. Im a Sarah from TN fan... Although I think it would be hysterical to see MOOOOAAANNA win!
I don't think T is the real thing anyway.
gosh, but it is so addicting.. and really what does that say, if you have to go on tv to find love?

gotta love my girl Kelly won a grammy! so amazing that chick.
and my new fave John Legend..
and of course J johnson.
could have done without Mariah.. that girl needs to go on what not to wear!

okay enough rambling of randomness., but that is seriously my life. living with a 1 1/2 year old!

those of you who pea... send me good scanner vibes...
I have a pile of Lo's I 've done, but can't get the freakin scanner to work...
it is sooo frustrating!!!
thanks for reading.. sorry I made you wait..

my weekend...oh did it evah....

ROCK THE FAB!!!!
Okay I know this is a patented phrase by the adorable Miss Kayla Aimee, but it just describes my weekend sooo well.. So if you read this(KA) or you know her.. plz don't hate me that I borrowed your catchphrase =)

So Last weekend was my Birthday weekend... sigh.... the day that I would officially enter into "MY Thirties"!!! I was kinda depressed about the whole thing, but was going to try and make the best of it. Early last week I started getting cards in the mail..YEAH for mail!! I love mail =)
and then by Friday it stopped.. did not even get a single one on Saturday...(the day BEFORE my bday!)
So the whole mail thing started bumming me out.
A good friend of mine had wanted to take me out for lunch..but I was not feeling up to it , so I called to cancel. She had talked about going to dinner on Saturday earlier in the week, so we decided that we would do that instead and go shopping too. so my Friday afternoon was spent sulking..
We had dinner plans Friday night to celebrate and boy did we eat!! We went to this super place called the Baja Peninsula.. It totally rocked!! I had incredible salmon and the best homemade chips and guacamole in the world...(okay maybe its better in Mexico, but this was darn close!). We totally took our time and my little angel was on his best behavior..oh, and so was my son =)
After that we went out for Ice cream, and just cuz it was my birthday I got a doubledipper!!Mm!!! I live for ice cream!!

Next day I was supposed to go out shopping with my mom and out for lunch. I slept in, worked out and was just being lazy. I was supposed to meet my friend at 4:30 later that day, but my husband decided to go into work. Okay so thanks for ruining my plans.
This is when I began the transformation into shedevil!!
I was so stinkin mad, and then my husband was giving me grief about having to watch my friend's two boys that night while we went out. He had not told me what we were going to do for celebrating my birthday on Sunday, and it clearly was not in his plans. How could I compete with the Broncho game. I do realize this game was important.. I am a fan too, however, I know how to compromise, and could have easily suggested a win for both of us.
So my husband was quickly busting my last nerve. I finally told him, don't worry about it and that I would celebrate with my friend that night, and my mom the next day. I made it clear, he did NOT have to participate. I proceeded to call him every name in the book.
It was very clear I was NOT happy with him!!
Mid Sat afternoon, I start getting ready to go out, and Andrew gets ready and says he is taking Brigham to the gym with him.. Finally, the best thing I had heard all day!!!
I had a little "me" time and then left to meet my friend at her house.

I pull up and she is not quite ready, I walk into her kitchen to find a room FULL of people!!
I about died!! All I saw was a blur of smiling faces.. Balloons... Happy birthday signs...
I was so shocked that I turned right back around and almost fell on the floor!
I have NEVER had a surprise party and was completely taken back..
My first words were, "I was gonna buy a new purse tonight".. after my friend said " I hope you don't mind, but we're not going to dinner"!!.
I could not believe she put this together.. and then the bomb dropped.
One of the girls said.. "you should talk to your husband" I was like.. "Did he know about this?"
Another one of my friends said that he had called her a month ago.
So the reality of this Surprise party was that My amazing husband whom I had just treated like total crap all day.. had planned this whole darn thing.. He called all the girls over a month before.. then sent out an evite two weeks before.
I had been around most of these girls lots in the preceding days, and they never let on to a thing!!
Oh, and I forgot to say that Friday night, when we had dinner plans, Andrew had called to say he was having to work 3 hours later.. I was steaming mad, and told him we'd go without him
( he was really at the store, buying all the food!)
So my friends and my husband had totally amazed me with tons of awesome food, a fabulous cake and I think at the end of the night, I was still in shock!!
My friends are so awesome.. I can't believe they all came to help me celebrate.. and they all had so much fun keeping it from me!!
Needless to say, I had some apologizing to do when I got home..
Oh, and my husband did not take my son to the gym.. He picked my friend's boys up and took them for pizza and ice cream, and then back to our house for a movie! Can I say I love this man!!
I did play a trick on him though, he called me on my cell, and I told him that we had just gotten to the restaurant. He sounded a little confused.. but I let him sweat until I got home..

Even walked in the house with out the food or presents!! FINALLY, I broke down..
I can not believe that they all did that for me.. I truly am blessed with fabulous friends and an amazing husband.

SO on my bday.. we all went out with my mom for lunch at my favorite brewhouse. and then my mom took me shopping all flippen day and my boys got to watch the Broncho's (lose).
I made out like a bandit:
I got FOUR new bras!! WhooHoo!! Workout gear! new chair for my scraproom! lots of smelly stuff! new shoes! gift certificate to a spa! a new journal.. fun and funky magnets..flowers... an amazing candle.....and a mega giftcard to a scrapstore!!
What a freaking awesome birthday!!!

can I brag on my scrap stuff?? ( i only used 1/2 of the card too!!) I am so psyched about my new stash=)

So thanks for letting me gloat on my fantabulous ROCKIN weekend!!

Oh you're so vain....

you probly think this blog is about you...
Okay for real, I was just practicing with HELLO, trying to figure how to get a dang URL so I can finally put my profile pic up!!!!
In the midst of this, with no such luck in posting a profile pic, I mangaged to do this.
I decided I would leave it to end the suspension of who I am since I have not posted any pics of myself!!
If you are like me then you probly feel like you can really "know" those who you at least see a profile pic or those who scrap themselves!
And I wonder if you are also like me in that if there is not a pic.. then you have created one in your mind of what the scrapper/blogger looks like, just by their scrappin/bloggin personality????
kinda random, I know!!

Hi I'm Elizabeth !! 

TAG>>> I'm it!!

Okay since Rachel was so kind enough to tag me... I had to rack my brain to downsize my answers!!( am a horrible decision maker=)
Here goes:

four jobs i have had-
1. lifegaurd- 3 summers in college! total blast! best tan eva! taught swim lessons! and kept an eye on the pool!
2.I was working as a waitress in a country bar....(in college) where I developed my obsession with Rasberry Stoli and Sprite!
3. Worked 4 years in retail management(after college)..best was Asst. Mgr for Wally World.
got paid REALLY well for doing nothing..No, I did not wear a blue vest! No, I did not shop there
(I am obsessed with Target). Yes, I rolled back prices =)
4. Sr. Acct. Exec (glorified sales person!) for private/franchaised hotel company. Sold "rooms and space" for Purdue University conferences and sporting events. Perks were black tie events and VIP passes to NCAA championships! LOVED this and develped fantastic business and personal relationships!

****Domestic CEO and Human Napkin******=totally bestest job ever!!

Four Movies I'd watch over and over
1. When a Man loves A Woman- Andy Garcia/Meg Ryan... tear jerker.. thats why!
2. Stepmom- Susan sarandon/Julia Roberts..... tear jerker.... is there a pattern here?
( I LOVE a good cry!)
3.Primal Fear- ED NORTON and Richard..
4.Prince of Tides
( okay and anything with Adam Sandler... He's my hero!)

Fave TV shows
1.Design on a Dime..ok I'm addicted to HGTV, except Design for the sexes..hate that guy!
2.King of Queens
3 Law and Order SVU ( actually all of them, cept when Jerry died, it just became Law, now it sucks, and CI... well, there is no way that guy knows that much!)
4. MONK... that's ok, I'm not fine!

Fave Vacations
1. France- high school trip-- incredible food, scenery, shopping, bad hotels!!
2.San Jaun- trip with my mom in college.. 5star hotel.. FAB food!
3. Charleston, SC 3x.. love it, love it!!
4. Disney World etc. with my hubby for our honeymoon. Unlimited funds... partied our butts off.. relaxed... AMAZING!!

Four places I have lived
1. West Lafayette IN GO PURDUE!!
2. Columbus,OH -totally rocked.. met my husband there
3.Lafayette, IN... just over the river from W lafayette!
4. West Lafayette... yes, still here.. flatness, greyness,boring- but a great inpiration to travel=)

Four Foods I love
1. Authentic Mexican food.. fresh salsa.. big ol chips...good Margharita!
2. Thai food... love everything!
3. Sushi... most anything... my goal is to learn how to make it!!
4.white cake with butter cream icing
(of course chocolate is a given... must have daily!)

Four websites I visit daily
1. My email.. im a junky- to feel loved!
2. Two peas in a bucket- to give love!
3. friend's blogs- to laugh!!
4. Potterybarn.com - to dream!

Four places I'd rather be right now
1. On a beach
2.shopping, given an unlimited credit limit was allowed...not needed to be repaid
3.cuddeling with my boys
4. anywhere other than here

Bloggers I am tagging
1. I am a loner in the blog world. I know of noone to tag. SORRY!

I am worthy!!!

Of peapraise from the eva sofamed 2peas website!!

Okay, not really, but I am totally stoked that I had more than 2 people leave praise on my latest layout!! and that it was not even from my friend Darcy, who feels bad for me and is totally nice, and just does it to make me feel not so lame!!!

Actually, I am pretty happy with the way this one turned out:

I have been on a scrappin hiatis, so I am wanting to get back into the routine. My inspiration, my idols(oh, yeah, not supposed to have those), my talented "friends" are all rockin it up on this Fab website. So with my new years' focus (of finishing 2-3 pgs/week) and my resumed addiction ( i took some time off, and felt very unhappy) to 2peasinabucket, my hope is that I will be able to create fabtabulous layouts that express who i am and what i am about.... hopefully!!

Remember, I am just getting back into it... so please don't judge me by my Lo's.. i'm a little rusty=)... and please don't be mad if I have to copy some of your incredible talent on my way to perfecting my own!! he he he
Oh, and if you see one of my Lo's and it looks like crap.... just tell me, or fake it and say its good ... no tell me its crap, I can take it!!=)

if your'e out there, then you know it, you peas rock!

ADITL

a day in the life of ....
random Tuesday 1-10-05

8:00 wake up(had to get up early!)
shower, get ready
get Brigs breakfast of oatmeal and oj ready
pack his diaper bag
8:30 wake Brigham
get him dressed
feed Brig
feed my hyper, attention starved, dog and give her some love
feed my used to be fat, but now skinny, but still eats a ton cat
9:00 out the door for Brigham's doctor appt.
9:15 late for his dr. have to call, get stuck in traffic
9:30 get to dr. /used last check in book, no $ for copay, so they won't see him
complain......
have to go talk to financial counselor, she tries to reason with the peds desk....
no luck
9:45 frustrated, mad, total waste of trip...had to reschedule for next week..... ugh!!

10:00 meet Jop and Judith for coffee at Panera.
love Panera...cheated on my diet, had a mocha....
chatted . I love these girls.
11:30 go to bank, post office, home

12:00 feed Brig lunch
12:30 check into 2peas!
12:45 play with Brigham
1:15 Put Brig down for nap

1:15-4:00 MY time,
work on fundraising stuff for sorority, send out emails
scrap two pages!!!
empty dishwasher, throw a load of laundry in, clean kitchen floor, clean bathroom
chat on the phone with my super sassy friend Mere
4:00 Brig wakes up... give him a snack.... we play
give Brigham a bath
5:00 Husband, Andrew comes home
start getting ready to go to church
5:30 out the door to church event
6:00-9:00 dinner and fabulous speaker at church.. evening with friends
9:30 home
Get Brig into jammies, read story, have milk, put him to bed
10:00 chat with Brother in Pheonix
scrap some
watch Law and Order ( most days)
try to figure out the dang scanner, so that I can finally post all the Lo's I've been doing..
no luck..
frustrated
work on Silpada stuff
11:00 watch news
11:00 watch Letterman
midnight go to bed

... and that is as exciting as it gets, my friends!!

Only Monday for a little while longer

Yay, cuz I hate Mondays!! I always have hated Mondays. It used to mean back to class or back to work. Now it just means another week is starting!
I used to love weekends. It used to mean time to relax. Time to play. Time to party. Time to do nothing!
BUT, when you are a mom.....then you really don't know when one week ends and another starts... It does not matter whether it is a Thursday or a Monday. At least that is how I feel now.
You see my day is really not that different from one day to the next. The only difference is that everyday can be a weekend!!!!
See, I can choose to shop on a Monday(and change diapers), or have a play date on Tuesday(and change diapers), and to go to lunch with friends on Wednesday(and change diapers), or to relax on Thursday(and change diapers), or to watch Movies on Friday(and change diapers). I pretty much have NO set schedule. Whooohoooo!!
Besides a few planned weekly activities, my week can change from day to day. I can fly by the seat of my pants! For now.
The thing that makes my week different from those who do not stay home day after day after day after day... is that You all get that cut and dry change to your days... and your week.
I have found that I would rather go shopping on a Tuesday morning, go out for dinner on a Wednesday night, go to a movie on a Monday night. Why?
Because this is not the norm for most people. this is like MY time, when most of the world is not doing it. Well that is except for the other moms and their kiddos. Its like OUR own private little space.. okay and we get to spend it (well, some of it with our babies!) It is also fun to be able to drop them off at MTO (moms time out) and get a little GIRL time!
Oh and the best part.... I get to sleep in everyday until 9:30am and then wake up to my human alarm clock....for now!
All this to say, that this past weekend was sooooo much FUN =)
LAST WEEKEND
It started Thursday actually, when our friends came over to teach us how to play Settlers of Catan. This game is seriously a blast to play!!! We are now part of this new craze, however, I did find out that this game has been popular on the west coast in the 90's. Shows you how long it takes to get to the midwest!!! This is like the game to play... we are now not the only ones in our growth group (bible study) that does not know how.. So after a 2 1/2 hour game of lying, and stealing, and building, and destroying, we finally ended. And I was almost the winner!!! beginners luck Im sure!
So we then got into HUGE topics of theology... so fun and full of debate, umm, some of it was slightly heated..but its all good =)
We wound up chatting til after 2am! and , Remember, we are married now, so midnight is usually pushing it. Something about saying I Do, then you become, lame and boring!! (ok, not really, just kinda)
Anyway, my wonderful husband decided that he just could not get up for work Friday morning..
Even though I love him, he just ruined my whole day. My whole routine was now out of whack!
I had to send him out on errands, just so I could feel like it was my Friday.=) I know he was very appreciative....and probably wished he was back at work!!
Okay, so then we went over to our friends house for dinner. We get together once a month with a group of like 16 couples!! We so love to hang with these guys. Some of the couples are our closest friends! We always play some crazy game.. however this time, they were really struggleing to come up with something... so they brought out the bingo machine!!
Yeah, I am going to be ONE bored old person.. I don't enjoy bingo.. just don't get the whole idea about trying to match up a number on a card, to a very LOUD voice, and to cover the number on the card with a little piece of wood!! Lots of skill involved....guess that is why its great to play when youre eighty!! Well we did play another very cool game called assasin! This you would not want to play when you're eighty!!
So Saturday, we slept in (past 11am!!) and then went shopping...yes, we went against my rules and went on a Saturday.!! Can't believe all the awesome deals!! well, if only I had money, ( oh, yeah, I quit my job to stay home>>>)
That night, I went on a date with my hubby, just out to eat and then to a movie. Except that there were'nt any movies unitl 11:20, and remember we're married and lame. SO we rented movies. After like an hour of staying in line, I swear we were in a scene from a movie!! (the typical movie rental place with the line backed up 30 ppl and a crazy worker, with bleached blonde eighties hair and bad teeth and 3' fingernails, of course in cherry red...trying to work the computer, while munching on a Kit Kat bar..) you get the picture...Oh did I mention she had a cold sore the size of a dime on her mouth... , now you really get the picture.. I we got to SEE it for about 20 minute!!
Went home, popped in the movie.... surprised by hubby by the flick I picked.. Closer...
thought it said romantic comedy, and with Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and some other guy... How could this be bad???? Julia would never do a bAD flick...
well, this was some show... the rating of R was very generous!!!
kinda funny, at least there were beautiful people, but the plot could have been left out!!
Ok, so Sunday went to church , listened to a SUPER sermon, went to lunch with friends, came home and watched a movie with my hubby.. took a nap!!
This was a GREAT weekend !

NEW year NEW focus...

2006, can hardly believe it!!

I spent the first new year's eve since I was about 12 years old doing a whole lot of nothing!!
The expectations of a crazy and wild night ending with a big hug to the porceline throne.. (that I don't miss) did not happen. The chance to hang out with friends, or to spend the evening with total strangers did not happen. Seriously, I was full of emotions..
1. I was bummed because we were not out at some party, or bar being all social(which is really my style)...
2. I did not have an excuse for finding that perfect outfit, nodoubtedly black to wear for the evening!
3. I was not at a a high class restaurant having a romantic dinner with my husband
4. Instead I was in my flannel pj's( which I had been in all day!)
5. I was playing with my son and all his new toys.
6. I was alone until after8pm because my husband was working.
Totally getting depressed here..., but then
My hubby walked in the door with take out complete with appetizers, dessert, and salads(cuz he knows I have been wanting to lose weight!). Even with my fave.. spin artichoke dip.. all for me!!
He got a movie and we put the baby to bed. We watched a movie, drank, some beer, and watched the ball drop!
I was in bed by 12:30am~~
So as I realize that the excitement of past New Year's Eves, were fun, I truly enjoy this new realization that we are in the next phase of life.. marriage and parenthood!!!
So you all don't think I am totally lame, my hubby and I do go out a couple times a month and have fun.. just classier fun with the old people, where you sit in a bar, instead of stand, and drink 3 glasses of wine instead of 8 shots! any way life has changed and as I look toward this new year i am more excited then ever!!
New Years Resolution.?
Yeah, I have always said them, and never stuck to them! As our paster said in his Jan. 1st sermon.. a resolution is really a focus. SO now that it is put like that....no pressure!!
*I am going to focus on being a good mom
*focus on being a loving wife
*focus on eating healthy
*focus on going to the gym
*focus on my scrapbooking
*focus on my friends
*focus on my spiritual life
*focus on having fun
*focus on having joy
I figure if I am putting focus inot these areas, then I may be able to attain them, but I won't get so upset if I don't hit a certain number!! I will strive everyday to achieve a little bit in these areas. All in all, I hope it makes me a better me and 2006 a fantastic year!!

January 1-2, 2006:
Spent hours taking all my Christmas decorations down , so sad, which forced me to really clean my house before putting the other decor back. When we took down the tree, my tan carpeting had turned a dark evergreen with all the pine needles from the tree. This is like the worst job ever!! thoese stinking things take forever.. they are stubborn little suckers. took me like 2 hours to get all the needles up. Lucky for me, I had a little helper, with his new dirtdevil!! this is the cutest thing ever! When he was so fascinated every time I had the vaccum out( which if anyone knows me .. is a lot!) we thought he should have his own! Although my husband says we need to counterbalance with some manly toys, I think it is so adorable that he wants to help his mama!

baby it's cold outside!

But not in these photos.. since I am trying to give a quick recap of the year, here is just a glimpse into what we did this summer. We were at the pool almost every day! Brigham loved it! We even went to the water park, where, mom enjoyed the big slide..even though the average age was 11!
So Bigs loves his innertube and the pool at Grandma's. Is he not the most hansome dude in his trunks!! They were always falling off, cuz he has no butt!.He also like to help me in the garden.. by taking all the mulch out of the flower beds.. eventually, he would put it back in!!
SO fun to see the innoncence of a child and the expressions on his little face as he experiences God's handy work!

Life moves at you pretty fast..

and so will this post.!! We spent Thanksgiving down on the farm with my Dad and the Lafuse family. Here is Brigham contemplating which food to dig into! Check out the high chair.. that was used by me, my dad, and my grandpa! Grandma had a hard time cleaning the four generations of grime!

we enjoyed a relaxing time of hanging out, watching football and stuffing ourselves with down home cookin!

The day after Thanksgiving, Brigham and I got up very early to fly out to see the Huff side of the family in Georgia. Andrew stayed home as he was offered unlimited overtime . He did enjoy living the bachelor life for a few days.. complete with a poker game...( and the house was clean and he even suprised me by having a Christmas tree up!)

We enjoyed time with aunts and uncles and GIGI and GGpa, and cousins we had not see in like 10 years!! Of course, Brigham was the life of the party and made us ache with laughter as he showed us his"mad face". It was very peaceful being at the Lake and having no schedules at all!!

OCTOBER was packed with all sorts of fall festivities. We had a fall party at our house with about 8 families . Our house was a mad house with kids from 2months -9 years old running around!. We then headed to a pumpkin patch and tried for some photo ops.. can you tell how excited Brigham was!! We got to go on a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick our own pumpkins! This was so much fun, but it got a little cold for the kiddos, and they all ended up with red cheeks and runny noses!. We had a great time as we met two other families for dinner and then went trick-or-treating downtown. Many of the stores stayed open later and handed out candy. The kids were so pumped! Things started out pretty slow, as you had to wait in line for what seemed like an hour before you could go in to a store. I think a couple of the parents were more disapointed(then the kids) in the amount of "loot" that was gotten! In the end we all had fun and ended up with about (10 pieces of candy!).. and besides this was a warm up for the real Halloween night.Here's a pict of (L-R) back row: Josh the pirate, Abby the Purdue Cheerleader, Emma as Snow White, Sophie as the princess, and Kiersten as a purdue cheerleader. front row: our little Brigham as the bumblebee , and Micha as a yellow jacket too! The high light of the night was the last booth we hit, which was the tatoo parler, handing out press on tattoos!! the kids loved it, and the adults were a little aprehensive of the dark creatures applying them to our kids!! Oh and Brigham had his first kiss from Sophie Kirk!! and then his second from Kiersten Wood!! We better watch out, he goes for older women!!

{the pictures are out of order...can't figure out how to switch them!!}
And here is a picture from our Harvest party we had on Halloween night. It was supposed to be a small gathering at our friends' house, but people kept inviting people, so in the end there were so many ghosts and gobblins, that we had to move the party to the church! It was raining, so we set up a grill outside and cooked hot dogs, and then roasted s'mores on the big church kitchen broiler!! Look at all these kids..
since the weather was not good, Andrew wanted to make sure the kids(and he) got some candy, so he went to the store and stocked up and then played a little game with the kids- pass the hot pumpkin! everyone had so much fun, and we all came together in a pinch to throw a fantastic fly by the seat of our pants mock cookout!!

That's a Wrap...

Since I am new to this whole blog world, I have to move fast..! I decided to share a bit of the past few holidays. Since it will be a brand new year in just a few short days, I will move fast through Summer, Brig's 1st Bday, 4th Of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. To keep me in check, I'll start with most recent and work backwards.. stay with me.. you don't wanna miss some of the picts. Not that are lives are that exciting, but life with a one year old, has sure kept us on our toes!!

CHRISTMAS @ our house..
Tradition with Grandpa continues, though with one glitch---- The chinese restaurant was closed!!
(this had been a tradition started five years ago, as we would try and find a place to eat after Christmas Eve Service, and Szechuan Gardens was the only one serving past 8pm) FA RA RA RA RA/, RA,RA,RA, RA!!
So we kicked it up a notch.. and made reservations at Cajun Connection. BAM!!( in honor of our son's initials!) This is one of our faves, and apparently not that of many others.. there were only two other tables in the whole place.
So we ate a fabulous meal and headed back to our house for the gift giving.
Oh, I guess I need to say that we all went to Christmas Eve Service together, and Andrew had invited a coworker of his to join us. What a special time. We went to the early service.. KIDFRIENDLY< What a joy to see all the kiddo's performing off tune to Silent Night!. Even our little Brigham chimed in, as if he knew what he was doing!
However, when our little singer wanted to continue through the prayer, I had to take him out, and enjoy the rest of the service from the hallway! It was such a meaningful time to spend together and be able to share Jesus' birth with with friends.
Christmas Morning, was slow in starting.. as our little one would not awake!! My mom joined us for Christmas breakfast. Andrew left to volunteer at a local shelter serving a Christmas meal. He was very humbled and glad to be able to serve. Meanwhile, mom and I began the cooking..
We received a very special Unexpected gift from Brigham...(several lumps of coal, which fell out of his diaper, down to the foot of his jammies!) We had to fumagate his room, wash out his clothes, and unclog the toilet! How's that for a Merry Christmas!!
The show must go on... after some delay, we got back to cooking. Andrew returned, and we had quite a spread of appetizers, etc to munch on. And it is a good thing, because we did not end up eating Christmas dinner til 8pm!
We opened gifts in shifts, as Brigham was not cooperating, and the food needed preperation.
It is a good thing Chritmas came to town, because, all Brigham wanted to do was play with the paper.. He got SO excited when he could rip off a piece. He could care less about what was inside.
He did take a few breaks from unwrapping to go play with his "old" toys. Short attention span for sure!!
So that pretty much was our holiday .. fairly low key, kinda eventful, special time with family,stuffed to the gut with food( even though we had a small group, I had to try several new recipes..I should have been cooking for 24 ppl!!), and so fun to start new traditions with our own family.
*the teddy bear tea party under the tree is a tradition from my childhood