Happy birthday! Brielle is 10!

This post is dedicated to my amazing little Brielle. She came into the world with a perfect, full head of dark hair, perfect ruby red lips, and those big blue eyes (with a darker blue ring circling 'round the iris). I could only stop and stare at her beauty as that toddler would ask endless questions. She couldn't make the 'L' sound. One evening she fell in the tub, but her front tooth cushioned the blow. The tooth died. We watched as that little tooth went black and then crumbled away over the next 3 years. Brielle loves pandas and the game 'Four Square' at school. She is an easy friend to make, and has a quick laugh. Her sisters love her and depend on her to get the family out the door on time (not an easy task).

A Christmas tag!

Here's a Christmas list to make up for all the tags I've missed.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper
2. Tree-- Real or Artificial? Prefer real...but we have a fake one. *sigh* I can't even remember how much a pretty, 9' tree was at Home Depot, but it scared James and me silly.
3. When do you put the Christmas tree up? Around the first part of December. I applaud those who get to work on it right after Thanksgiving. I'm sure any home I've lived in never got a tree up in November.
4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever. And those who know me---you know I'm not kidding. Whats the rush? Its pretty to look at.........lol.
5. Like eggnog? I love the fattening stuff. I prefer to call my "milked-down' version an Eggnog Latte.
6. Do you have a nativity scene? Many...and I'm always on the lookout for nativity scenes that kids can play with. Remember the old church-distributed cardboard stand-up nativity? I wish I had one of those.
7. Hardest person to buy for? James. He either wants tshirts and ties OR really expensive stuff that I'm too uneducated to understand how top-of-the-line it needs to be. He'll settle for ties and tshirts.
8. Easiest person to buy for? My sweet 6 year old, Jenna! Her last birthday she asked for a ragdoll and a stick pony. Is she from 1955?
9. Worst Christmas gift? I remember one lousy gift to my newlywed hubby. His birthday is Christmas Day. We were pretty much penniless, I mistakenly forgot to wrap one of my few gifts to him in BIRTHDAY wrap. His family was in the room...we celebrated Christmas earlier...it was now time for birthday...I quickly grabbed a part of one gift and changed it to BIRTHDAY wrapping. Turns out I thought new socks were a nice idea.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I love that people are more generous than me and actually send cards in the mail.
11. Favorite Christmas movie? It's a Wonderful Life. It throws everything into perspective for me.
12. Favorite Christmas song? Anything Donny Osmond or ANY Osmond sings. My family even had an 8-track of their Christmas album.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I pretty much procrastinate shopping so I can hang out with the crowds of other procrastinators. ...And long lines at checkout.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yup!
15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? Wassail (the hot drink) is my favorite ANYTHING at Christmastime. But is it a food?
16. Clear or colored tree lights? White...twinkling. We are envious of the Wilson's pre-lighted tree. I'll take that baby with any colored lights as long as it saves our marriage while putting up the tree!
17. Travel during Christmas or stay home? Travel, travel, travel. Oh wait. I'm married. I rarely get to travel. It would seem that James has a job that keeps him grounded.
18. Can you name Santa's reindeer? Yes---and out of order from the song even!
19. Angel or Star on tree top? It varies.
20. Open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We only open the 'Pajama Elf' gifts on Christmas Eve so we look totally cute despite our bedheads and sleepy faces.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Having to pick out the presents within my budget. Why can't I buy everything? I'll give it away!
22. Best Christmas present? Way too hard to remember. But hands down is my favorite memory--my baby Brielle was born at 1:00 Christmas Eve (day). The hospital was extremely quiet those days, and I had no desire for anything else but to hold my new 'gift'!
23. Favorite Christmas tradition? Baking Christmas cookies and making candies together. My own tradition is the Gingerbread Boys that my mom made so beautifully. I insist that each Boy be as beautiful as Mom's. James' tradition is Christmas morning breakfast. It has to begin and end before the opening of presents. Oh--and it has to be lavish.

I'm a Great Aunt...who knew?

What better news to share than the birth of my nephew's gorgeous baby? Congrats Kurt and Kelli! They will be wonderful parents.


<--Gorgeous Kelli (why did I never look that cute as a prego mom?)









Felicity Kaye Radmall---such a poser! (The knuckle in the dimple of the chin---who writes that script?)




Kurt and Kelli and baby Felicity. What a stunning name!






Kurt (middle) and his siblings Christie and Aaron 10/87

I sang in a choir!

Although this isn't the most amazing news to any of you, I must admit it is the best feeling to be included in a Christmas choir of 91 singers. The conductor is top-rate and he also directs the Southern California Mormon Choir. Need I mention how intense he is? The concert was performed in two locations this evening. I am a little sad to see it end. I will post the link as soon as it is up on the website. In the meantime you can hear one of my favorite songs, Angels We Have Heard on High from a past Christmas concert with a smaller group.

I confess, I'm not a strong singer...nor do I hit the right notes as often as I should. I think that is why I just love being in a choir with a brilliant conductor. It is possible to bring out a pretty sound--if even for one evening!

Oh...and you can tell I'm never going pro with my singing career because I'm the one who is crying during the songs. The sweet spirit just tugs at my heart.

Thanksgiving 2007

Its been a busy week. James' parents drove from Murrietta (2 speedy hours away) for Thanksgiving. James' oldest brother Steve and his girlfriend Kathleen also joined us for dinner. Excellent holiday! I'd do it all over again, but maybe not with two turkeys. James and I have liked to have a turkey ready before all other side dishes need to be cooked. That way it can be cooled and carved and pretty for presentation. We also like our guests to return to their homes with their own supply of meat. We overdid it this year with a 20 pounder and an 18 pounder. Nothing will be wasted, I assure you. I love, love, love turkey. Here are some highlights of our week so far.

The girls baked and painted cookies.
















The girls and I at a beach house in Ventura. Gorgeous house!!








James' parents Paul and Marian.









Have you ever used egg wash to paint cookies? I remember doing this as a little girl. My mom basically rocked in the kitchen! I scrambled to find a sugar cookie recipe, but it was not tasty. However, the (almost inedible) cookies were vibrant! I tried a recipe from the ward cookbook. Generally they are the tried and true, generations-proven recipes. I actually had to scratch a big X on this page. Oh well, we doctored up a few with cream cheese frosting....everything is good with cream cheese frosting!

Our friends from Utah, the Cranmers, visited us and invited us to play at their beach house. Leslie and Ken have been our friends for almost 15 years. They brought 2 of their sons, Kyle (15) and Luke (9), and Kyle's friend Ty (15). Kyle and Ty are extremely cute and so my girls were sure not to miss out on the beach house with the Cranmers. Monica brought her friend Anna.

Last night, 10 of us went to see the movie "Enchanted". I had the best seat between Jenna and Brielle! We giggled and laughed throughout this movie. Even James isn't holding back on how cute--and yet enjoyable this movie is. We took his parents and our friends Allison and Anna.

Sunday Catch Up

I've missed you, my friends! Wow, this blogging world is SO addictive! Most times Blogs have more cliff-hangers than a favorite novel.

My week in a jif:

Monday I started my new position as an aide in a local elementary school. I work in a classroom of autistic (and stuff lumped in with autism) children. Its just what I had expected...if you've been around autistic kids before..stop laughing at me, Aprilyn! I expected calm and chaos. I love it!

Whining pays off! After complaining that my house was under decorated for the holidays, my sweetest-sister-ever sent a gorgeous quilt to my home. I'm sure she wants me to decorate a wall with it. I just can't do that yet. I am still snuggling with it while I read scriptures in the morning.






Halloween almost didn't happen here. After all---can you really have a successful Halloween without Jack-O-Lanterns adorning your place? James and I had pumpkins lounging around the home...but without faces. He rapidly carved them with and without the girls help just in time to use as decorations that Halloween night. He also sifted thru the 'guts' of the pumpkins to salvage the seeds for toasting later. What a guy! Funny thing is...at 5:30 pm we locked up the house and sped away to the other side of the city for Trunk Or Treating with our friends on the other side of the city. That is where all of James' hard work of carving pumpkins is displayed for about 30 minutes. We then closed up the car and sped away to our friends' gated neighborhood for the serious art of Trick Or Treating. You know you get the full-sized candy bars at gated communities---right Audrey?
This is a photo of sleepy Brielle (Hillbilly) and Jenna (Minnie Mouse), Me-the Nerd, friend Anna in a vintage 20's flapper dress, Monica as the LadyBug, and Amanda as--well, we don't really know. It was supposed to be Super Preppy Girl...but evolved into Random Red Outfit.




I got a new pet. The last Betta fish croaked, and despite my family's utter distaste of the helpless little guy I hurriedly shopped for another before they noticed "The Fish" sleeping on the bottom of the fish bowl. It worked. They have another pet to despise.

Fires (again!)

Its never a surprise when the Santa Ana winds blow into town. But the force behind them this year has been mind-boggling! I have a very good idea of the power behind a hurricane now. The fires began Saturday night, and the nearby Malibu fires were believed to have started from downed power lines. I was actually clueless to what had happened until Sunday around 2:00, when the sky got that familiar orange tint. By 3:30, the inside of the house was so dark, Jenna and I ventured outside.











The top photo is from our front yard, facing East (notice the flecks of ash, caught by the flash)...the bottom photo is facing West at 3:30 pm, Sunday. It is the gas station just around the corner from our house.




What I saw at 3:30 was a tiny red blot in the dark brown sky...and then the sun disappeared! Then I noticed that the street lamps had automatically turned on. All the neighbors' light-sensitive lamps were on! Later that evening I had a choir practice at a church building across town. It was super-smoky there, and when I got home I noticed my hair was still clinging to that Bonfire smell. I have been on the edge of tears these past 4 days...and sometimes I just let them flow. What tugs at my heart the most? Small things, like the horses running scared inside their corral; the photos of firefighters taking cat-naps (sitting up, of course); the TV reporter who is covering his own house burning to the ground (Kimmell?); parents finding out their children are safe..and then they burst into tears, etc.

Its a very humbling time, and creates gratitude for even the mundane.

Like my friend Audrey, I see the crumbs on the countertops and the drips of KoolAid on the floors as a reminder that I can stop whining and start helping others less fortunate.

Sadly, the fires aren't over. I'll continue my vigilant watch.