I FINALLY SAW IT !!!

I've been dying to see BREAKING DAWN part one!
Last night for FHE, (lol) Tony took me to the show! It was so good!
Well, I know that it's not everyone's cup of tea but I enjoyed it and Tony said he liked it too!

The funniest part of the evening was when we were paying to get in ..... Tony says,
"I need 2 tickets for Twilight, a regular and a senior citizen" (as he motions to me!!!) I said
"Thanks Honey, nothing like taking the Ole Lady out on a date!"
It was funny but he's enjoying this
"Senior Citizen" thing way to much! (at my expense! lol)
I made him pay for his indiscretion at the concession stand! lol
(HOWEVER , I AM PAYING FOR IT NOW!! I can't win !! ) LOL

THANKSGIVING 2011

Tony and I left for Layton on Wed. the 23rd after we got off work. Left about 5PM by the time we got everything loaded and stopped by the bank to deposit his check. We ran into a bottleneck just out of Boise that brought us to a standstill several times so that slowed us down. We arrived around 10:30 PM and Jon and Rowan were asleep. We said our "Hello" to Heather and she helped us get our suitcases in and settled and then we all went to sleep.

When I got up Thursday morning, I came upstairs and Rowan saw me and yelled "GRAMMA" and came running to me with outstretched arms!! I picked him up and he turned his face away from me, as if to say ...... "Don't kiss me" but I kissed his cheek anyway! It made me feel good to have him come to me on his own!! Then he proceeded to show me his exercise skills with the rubber band! (see below) lol

We visited in the morning and Heather and I made a Pretzel Jello Salad, the Sweet Potatoes as well as a HUGE relish tray to take to Jon's parents home. Tony worked on some projects Heather needed done around the home. He started by screwing the dishwasher Heather just got, into place. He took all the measurements in the garage and started drawing out the plans for the shelving that needs to be done. (eventually)
Over the course of the weekend Tony replaced a ceiling light for her, cut a piece of plywood for a headboard, and cut a plug into the shelving above the kitchen desk so Jon can install his speakers for music. He was a busy little beaver!

We left a little early on the way to the dinner and went to a place and took pictures of Jon and Heather and Rowan for their Christmas cards.

Rowan found a bunch of leaves and had fun throwing them in the air. I didn't catch any in flight and I must have taken 7 pictures!! lol

I got a cute picture of Rowan while his dad was photographing him!!

Here we are at the Larson's home just getting seated and looking forward to a wonderful meal!

It was delicious!! EVERYONE contributed and it was fantastic!! Tony must be folding his arms to keep himself from diving into the slush in front of him! lol

And this is WHY we all came!! Ham, Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, dressing, a TOTALLY AWESOME VEGETABLE DISH of broccoli, cauliflower and almonds in a delicious white sauce of sorts! There was a wonderful slush drink, cranberries and homemade sweet crescent rolls and all the relish!!
For dessert we had a pick of 4 different pies as well as a pumpkin cake!
We weren't at a loss for food and we went home FULL and Satisfied!

Rowan, however ate part of a roll because he was too busy playing to eat!! So on the way home Heather asked if we would stop at Mickey Dee's for an order of Chicken McNuggets!! We did and he started eating them but fell asleep!! SO CUTE!!

It was a very nice day and we were grateful to be able to spend some time with Jon and Heather and the Larson's. Carol was a fantastic host and their home is beautiful and they were very gracious!!

On Friday, Tony and I decided to do a lot of our visiting with friends and family! We started with my friend Tammy Williams, who lives in Heather's neighborhood. She had never met Tony and so we spent about 45 minutes there and then headed down to Lehi to see Derek and Rachel and family! Rick, Tammy's husband was there as well so Tony went outside with him and told him what he needed to do to hook up their hot tub!!

After our visit with Rick and Tammy we drove to Lehi to see Derek and family!
We arrived at their home around noon and we rang the doorbell and we could hear the kids yell "It's Gramma and Grampa" .............. then we see someone (turns out it was Teancum) peak out the blinds and then he says "That's not Gramma and Grampa" ............ then they let us in and as we were walking to the living room, Helaman says to us ........ "You guys are soooooo old!"
WOW!! Way to deflate the two of us !! It was pretty funny!
We had lunch with the kids and then we went to Lowes and Rachel and Derek picked out some new lights and Tony replaced 4 old ones for them. We had a good visit and were with the kids about 5 hours and then decided we needed to go to Jess and Diane's. We didn't have a current phone number for them so we just dropped in and hoped they were home. We drove to Riverton and they were home!! We ate a cup of Squash soup with them and they asked us if we would go to a movie with them.

I wanted to go to Sandy to visit my little sister so we told them we would meet them at the theater. We went to Lorie and Dave's and Amy was home from BYU for the Thanksgiving weekend so we saw her too! We had a good hour visit with them and then left as they were going to the temple to do initiatory work. We drove to the theater and met up with Jess and Diane again.

We saw "THE HELP". It was excellent. I had read the book and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie!
We visited in the lobby after the movie was over for quite sometime and then decided to head back to Layton. It's funny that so many live there but each one is quite a distance apart so it's still hard (well at least it takes some planning) to see everyone.

We were going to stop at Debbie and Robins but it was too late by the time we finished visiting with Jess and Diane so we went back to Layton.
Saturday, we watched the BSU/WOMING game at Heather & Jon's and I helped Heather make a doll for one of the little girls in her family. After the game we headed back to Bountiful to visit with Diane and Robin. We ended up having Pizza with them and watching a movie at their house. We watched "UNSTOPPABLE" and had a great visit with them and enjoyed the evening.
We got back to Layton around 9PM so Heather and I made some cookies and got ready for Sunday.

Their church wasn't till 11AM so we had plenty of time to sleep in and then I played with Rowan after I was ready. He had a rubber snake and he would throw it down to me from the upper level of the house. I'd throw it back to him and he would say "Scary" and laugh . He had a blast! And I did too! It's so fun to see him smile & laugh so much!

Eventually, it was time to put his shoes on and go to church. He is going to school 2 days a week and it is helping him tremendously! He can count to 10 and he says his letters. His speech has improved 100%. He loves his school and when he gets up he's says "School ?" And his mommy will say "yes today" or "not today". Then he says "School fun". He sings JINGLE BELLS but it sound more like "Twinkle Toes" to me but he can carry a tune really well and you can pick up a lot of words that are correct.
At bedtime he sings "I AM A CHILD OF GOD" and it just melts my heart! He makes his mommy sing it over and over but he sings right along with her and you can definitely tell what he is singing.

I took a picture of the family by their Christmas tree before we went to church.

And again a closeup! It was so fun to be with them for Thanksgiving. Heather said it had been over 7 years since we've spent a Thanksgiving together, so it was time!
We hope all of our family had a great day and we just want you all to know how thankful we are for all our blessing ...... and that means YOU!!

NAMPA'S CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING !

Last night, Tony and I went with Deedra and the grand kids to see the
"Lighting of the Tree" in downtown Nampa!
Deedra took a picture of Tony and me with the kiddies before the festivities began!
There were Carolers singing and lots and lots of people milling around!!

Santa came on the Fire truck and he was handing out Candy Canes to the little ones!

AND THEN!!!!

10...9...8...7...6....5....4.....3....2....1..................
FROM this ..................

TA DA!!! .................to this!!



It was a 42 year old tree that a man donated to the city
and it was BIG!!


We then got some pictures by the tree!

Deedra, Jack , Garrett and Nikki nestled under the tree!

Me and Tony, all warm and toasty in our BSU jackets!!

There were several businesses downtown that were open so we walked around and got free hot chocolate and cookies and then we went to the Historical Museum. I got a picture of the Butterfield's hitching a ride on the Polar Express! lol

Tony and me by the light pole outside the Museum!

Another shot of the tree before we left. It was a fun evening!
We then went back to our house and watched
"Shrek the Halls" and ate Deedra's zucchini bread. We were going to have hot chocolate too but we'd had enough liquids downtown with the free hot cocoa and hot cider at the museum! Thanks for the invite Deedra!
It was fun and neither Tony or myself have ever been to a tree lighting so that was a 1st!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Today was my Wonderful father's 91st Birthday!!

These pictures were taken last summer at the Berezay Family Reunion! I called Dad this evening to wish him a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and mom had just finished making him his "Birthday Dinner" and they were just getting ready to eat. He sounds good and Happy as usual! Happiness is my dad's trademark!! I NEVER see or hear him in any other way!

He's always wearing a smile. He takes life one day at a time and enjoys everyday to it's fullest!
I've learned a lot from these two wonderful people! I love them with all my heart and I hope dad has a WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY! Just wish we were there with him to celebrate!

DAD, YOU ROCK!! I love you and am grateful to be your daughter! I feel so blessed!

I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF !~

OK, OK, I know I'm early BUT
..... I didn't really decorate for two years while Tony was overseas so I told my dear husband on the 5th of November that I wanted to start early and his reply was
"If it makes you happy it makes me happy!!
WHAT A MAN!!
So I started on Saturday the 5th and finished on Friday night the 11th! I love my Christmas decorations BECAUSE there are so many wonderful memories in them of people I love and things I've done at various times in my life! For instance ...............

I placed a lot of my Santa's and all of my Nutcrackers on a table ........... Santa's on top ! I have 3 very special Santa's that my sister Donna carved and painted for me!! One is a necklace, one is an ornament and one is a large full Santa and he stands on this table. The other two hang on the mirror above this table. There at two egg Santa's that I painted one year with my friend Sherryl Likes. I was going through my divorce and she and I would get together and make Christmas decorations and it was GREAT THERAPY!!

And the Nutcrackers on the bottom! I had been collecting them (one a year) Haven't got any for a while but I love them none the less!

This picture is blurry but I placed greenery around them with lights and lit them up!
TA DA! Not quite as pretty in this picture as it really is! lol

This is ONE of the many wreath's I own and I hung it on the wreath stand!
I made this one in Relief Society when I lived in Boise.

The closet door holds my Eskimo wreath! (Oh! and Woodland Santa hangs on the door) I have Sooooooooooooooo many ornaments so one year, my friend Sherryl Likes inspired me. She had hung a lot of her ornaments on wreaths and I loved it! So I did it too!

I have my miniature Family tree on an end table with ALL the kids and grand kids and parents and grandparents names on an ornament! (along with my snowball candle) This tree has been growing year by year as you can imagine! I made the Snowball candle at RS in Boise!

On the other end table I have my Department 56 Nativity!
I love Dept. 56 and one year when Tony and I were in Salt Lake around Christmas, he bought me this nativity. I LOVE IT!

And on the Entertainment Center I have my Hallmark Nativity. (Wise Men Still Seek Him) These are actually ornaments but really too heavy to hang and they look good in a Creche.

This is my whimsical nativity. I got this one 18 years ago in a store in Boise ! I couldn't resist the reverent manner in which the cute little animals worship the Baby Jesus!

I got this one in the Karcher Mall 4 years ago. It is plain white and gold ceramic but I love it and it was being sold in a kiosk for only $20!! A steal in my book!

And of course my favorite" Coke a Cola" tree on the island in the kitchen! I've always loved the nostalgic Christmas Santa with his bottle of Coke and then the Polar Bears later. I starting collecting for this tree 30 years ago! (Man these ornaments date me)

I have my Santa Cookie jar along with my Christmas Cookie plate, My Dept. 56 Santa Tea Set, my Holly tea set and my snowman measuring cups! My sister Lorie made me the Cookie jar with the cookies in it last year for Christmas! It's up year round and is used frequently!

I have the Holy Family (twice) in the back room along with the Resurrected Savior !
MY ALL TIME FAVORITES! The one on the left is one I made in Relief Society at least 25 years ago! My hubby bought me the Savior about 4 years ago and the Holy Family on the right I bought last year while Tony was in Iraq.

On the closet doors in the back room I have my Santa Wreath ........... And my Santa letters above the door (my friend Sherryl made the letters) and my tin punch was made by my friend Kaye and it reads
"This House Believes in Santa". She was selling them at The Ginger Bread House, which was a Christmas Bazaar held every year for a long time. (Sherryl was the founder and owner) I use to make things to sell at it myself! Great Memories and fun times!!

OK, now I'm jumping around but under my clock in the main living room I placed my Snow Angel light! I made this one in Relief Society in Boise as well. (We use to have some great Super Saturdays!)

And on the door going down the hall to the back room is ONE of my Disney wreaths!

In the back room there are two Santa's . The one on the right is from my son Chris (several years ago) and the woodsy one is from Debbie, my dear sister in law!

Here is my backroom is my Italian Fontanini Nativity! I like this one cuz the grand kids can't break it! I've had it for 20 plus year and whala ..... never been broken! lol

Another Christmas throw and a snowman we made in Relief Society when I was single and RS President in Boise!

My Boyd's Bears School Nativity sits atop the entertainment center in the back room.

And my sock snowman (on top of the speaker on the right) that my sister Donna made me several years ago! He is adorable!


And a cute snowman I inherited from my dear hubby when I married him! Don't really know it's age but he is darling with his little shovel and I love him!

In the bathroom downstairs, I have a snowman with lights that I got from my sister Lorie one year and the Snowman family I made in Relief Society years ago! I swear, my things are getting up there!!

The Snowman NOEL above the door to the backroom was made by my friend Sherryl as well as .....................................

the word PEACE. It actually has a Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus under the star on the letter A!
These two wreaths are both Disney! The one on the left is all Mickey and Minnie and the one on the right is All Grolier Disney Ornaments! I use to belong to a club and I would get a new ornament about every two months or so! I finally had to quit or I'd have ornaments out the wazoo!! (Oh wait.......I do!)

Sherryl made the SNOW word too. She was one talented woman! (well still is but now she's into quilts) The wreath on the left is all my Barbie ornaments and the one on the right is my miniatures! The Heart in the center of the closet doors is a countdown to Christmas that I made in Missoula Montana when the kids were little! I'm suppose to glue Hershey Kisses on the ribbon and pull one off each day of December but haven't done that for a long time!

In this little nook, I have two of the Santa's I made for Sherryl's Ginger Bread Boutique sitting on the couch. I sold several of them and kept the Black Santa cuz I just had to have him and I also wanted the White Santa to sit beside him. I had two more but I gave them to Deedra this year. (You can have too much) lol
I made the wooden snowmen and trees (on the right) at Relief Society (again) in Boise. I have a miniature living room on the table on the left which is Hallmark!

My daughter Traci made me the hanging blue
"Let it Snow" and my niece Caulene Piippo made me the red one! I made the little reindeer that sits between the two! You can see (kinda) the two carved Santa's that my sister Donna made me hanging on the far side of the mirror!

FINALLY............. a snowman that I made at a Super Saturday here in Nampa 4 years ago!

Stillman and Michelle gave Tony and me these pillows one Christmas about 5 years ago! I love them and the red one that says NICE has NAUGHTY on the back! SO CUTE!!

This is a wreath that I put together with all my homemade ornaments most of which were made by Sherryl, some by myself and some were gifts.
I TOTALLY LOVE THIS WREATH!!

This is my Willow Tree Nativity which I purchased from the Hallmark Store while our office was still located in the Karcher Mall. All I know is it's a good thing we moved locations because that Hallmark Store was a real downfall for me around the Holiday Season! The Snowman boxes beneath the Nativity was given to me by my sister Donna. I love him and each box goes inside the other! The SUBWAY ART was given to me this year for my Birthday by my sister Lorie~ It is awesome and it has art for several seasons behind the Christmas Words so it will stay out ALL year!

I made these BIG Santa's and Snowmen for the Ginger Bread Boutique and sold several of them as well. But Again .... I kept one of each for myself! I was pleased to see one at my sister in laws home when we were in Oregon this past October! I'd forgotten that I'd given one to her! The little snowman on the floor in front of the BIG one was from a mail order catalog!

This Santa was made by Darlene Miller. She is Sherryl's sister and we grew up together in Missoula Montana! She always made items for Sherryl's boutique too and I was a sucker for any and all things either one of them made!

This is my Dept 56 Christmas Village! It fits perfectly above my entertainment center in the back room and my dear hubby used his Mad Electrical Skills and wired things so all the cords are hidden on the top and I have a remote to turn it off and on! So cool!

I threw up a bunch of Santa's on the Generations Pictures and the tall angel doll was made by my friend Kaye from Boise! She is at least 12 years old and her legs have been broken several times but my dear husband repairs her for me every time!! LOVE THAT MAN!

My tree is decorated with all the rest of my ornaments, most of which are Hallmark. Some are not but I love them all! Tony got me Snowball lights about 4 years ago and the manger holding the Baby Jesus doll was made by Rod Likes. (Sherryl's husband)

This homely ole Santa was one I made for the boutique years ago and I titled him
"THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS" ...... I put him in a night shirt and I put a hole in his sock and his big toe is coming out and I made a "North Pole Gazette" that he is reading. I'm sure that is how Santa feels after a LONG NIGHT of delivering gifts all over the world! lol

My friend JoAnn Hoffman gave me this cute little snowman on ice skates! She was my 1st Counselor when I was the Relief Society President in Boise.

Traci made me this little snowman and he holds scented pine cones! I've had him for about 5 years! Love him!

I made this Nativity picture in Missoula Montana out of gold leaf! This a no doubt around 35 years old!

Under my Noel Letters is my "Precious Moments" wreath! ADORABLE!

A close up cuz it's so cute! lol

My sister Lori gave me this crow with a Santa hat one year. I hang him on the pantry door!

My friend Sherryl gave me this Santa timer and he sits on my stove! He doesn't work any more but he is too cute to get rid of and besides ..... memories!!

This is a lighted Gingerbread girl that I made in Boise at R.S. and she sits on the island in the kitchen.

I have a door hanger that I put on my front door. Sherryl made this as well. She was one talented woman!!

My front porch is decorated with my tin snow shovel that Kaye made. It's missing some bells that use to be hanging from the ribbon but is still in pretty good shape considering it's age!

As well as my "SNOW BUDDIES" that I made in Boise at least 10 years ago!

And this HORN wreath I made in Missoula! It not shiny and bright anymore but I love it and it brings back a lot of memories from Kasota Court!!

This is a Snowman stake that I put in a planter outside. I made him in Boise as well.
Lots of memories in all this Christmas decor! I love this time of year and reflecting back on good times!