What's Wrong With These Pictures?

For those of you who knows our family, it's obvious, right?

Was it my longer hair or that my daughter's almost as tall as me at 11? (ok, something's wrong with that, too, but that's not it...)

Is it the change in the outfits and hairstyles? Nope!
Or the big smiles being displayed (after much begging?) Not quite...
Or how about this ultra rare, almost impossible, can't believe it happened, great smile on my face right next to my husband's gorgeous one? Close... Nah!

What's amiss is that our eldest, who is now a college gal is not due to be home until mid-December. So until then, you'll only see the four of us in group pictures.

2010 has been a whirlwind for us, for sure!

Enjoy the cold!

December Desserts...

Today, my hubby and I walked. Walked together to the store to get some fresh air. To him it was just a walk, to me, it was so romantic! Just the two us, in public, holding hands. (giggling like a teenage girl)

Anyway to make it sweeter than chocolate cake, we came across a great lunch deal at Kroger's-- Buy 2 Buitoni tortellini packages for $7, get a 2-liter Sprite, a package of sweet Italian sausage, and a package of caesar salad for FREE!!! (Total of $8) Talk about a great lunch!

Oh, also, have you heard of the Food Network's "12 Days of Cookies"? Well, I'm finally on board! So yesterday...
Since a combination of busy and quiet filled the last two days, these two were a nice treat. Chocolate chip cookies last night and Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie bars tonight. Yum! No story tonight, just family time...


Do you think we already have chocolate for blood? LOL

Just Chillin'...

Errands and nap took most of the day for Mr. Man and I today. After the kiddos got home and made our usual weekend drop-offs(Kila to Target for work) and pick-ups (L from Choir Tech Rehearsal), we treated the kids to our new favorite bbq joint, The Cobb Switch and relaxed a little.

Then, we headed home and just enjoyed some decor tweaking and getting cozy.

I-Dude with Cece... while L-Infinity waited to open one of our family gifts (a gingerbread house kit), and...
J-Pony finished up the tree while I tried to finish up the mantle and Mr. Man strung up some more lights inside.
Shutterfly thru Target wasn't cooperating so I guess we'll have to wait for our pictures of Christmas past to adorn the mantle (you'll see...)

Mr. Man and I read the story, "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. It was long and written oddly I think, but at least the kids stayed awake.

How was your Friday?

Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas

Tonight, we discussed what Hanukkah and Kwanzaa meant and what it means to the people who celebrate them. It wasn't the reverent and respectful result I was expecting and I had to end it with this:

Each holiday, is a time to reflect on what each of us should be grateful for, what's important to us. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, our ultimate benefactor of what we enjoy now. Hannukah is a remembrance of a miraculous event for the Jewish people and Kwanzaa is a holiday reflecting on the importance of the African culture and its people.

No matter who we are and how we celebrate our holidays, it is a time that should be treated with respect and reverence, love and peace, gratitude and kindness, to ALL people. Why? Because for the most part of the year, we're too busy trying to see who did us wrong.

Happy Holidays to all...

Whoa, it's December!

Clipart Guide dot com

Man, where did the year go? I was barely exhaling from an exhausting semester of Sociology and Advanced Excel,then Thanksgiving dinner and now it's time to "deck the halls"? I'm late already!

The storage is still being swapped out. The rooms are still being reduced and organized. Pantry stock is dwindling from lack of time to go grocery shopping lately. But one thing I knew I couldn't compromise on is our whole month tribute to the Lord's birthday during this month.

It starts like this...

We light candles or one big candle and we turn down all the lights. We choose to either be in complete silence or have a reverent Christmas song in the background, barely audible... Then we choose a story, any story; as long as it reminds us to be better people because Jesus Christ wants us to be better people.

Tonight, we started with "A Brother Like That", a tale of unselfish love of one brother for his crippled sibling. All he wanted was to give his little brother all that he couldn't because he is crippled, starting with a great car that can show him all the wonderful things he's missed out on.

I then asked the kids what they "shared" today. A cue that sometimes, the act of sharing is what's important, not what was shared...

This is Kila's first exposure to our Christmas traditions. It was a great feeling to see her willing to participate and share in our special efforts to show our Redeemer the honor HE deserves during this time of year.

December Miracles...

To most of you, these may not mean much, but to me and my family, December is such a sweet time of the year that every little good thing is a true miracle for us. Of course, the recording of such discoveries are left up to me. So, I hope you find ones that you and yours may have experienced.

-Receiving an 11-piece Nativity set for free after declaring my interest in collecting Nativities, on the same day.

-Finding cute red and white snowflake square plates for Christmas, for 60% off. So, so cute!

-Seeing that Las Vegas was clear and warm when we landed from Austin, Texas.

-Getting on the flight to SLC that we wanted despite other passengers who got diverted to Las Vegas, heading to Seattle, because Portland, Oregon had to close down due to snow storm.

-Finding all the gifts we wanted to give in two stores, in one day.

-Meeting an adorable Japanese elderly woman who taught me that who and how I am, there are lots of us out there. We are just misunderstood for our friendliness and kindness and for our love of all people. I needed to meet her, that’s why we got on the flight that we thought we would have to miss out on.

-Getting snowed in after we have safely arrived in Salt Lake City and inside the house, warm and cozy.

-Arriving safely and on time, to a relative’s wedding, despite warnings of black ice on the road.

-Not slipping once, throughout our whole Utah vacation, though I have no traction on either my dress shoes or boots.

-Purchasing not one, but two great coats, with the same money I received for Christmas, after praying that I don’t want to spend all my money on one warm coat.

-Lisa finding a coat she and I can both agree on, and she loved! It was two winters’ overdue!

-Ian being asked to participate in a school winter performance for something he loves, dancing!

-Having my in-laws ask me to make Filipino food before we came to Utah. I love making it and wanted them to enjoy some.

-Finding Black Currant sparkling juice (in Utah) after about three years of hearing it from Food Network! It was yummy!

-Ian only having a mild allergic reaction to walnut and felt immediately better without any medication. He excitedly dove into a cup of ice cream before asking what’s in it. We still took him right away to the ER, and the doctor gave him what he needed to prevent any later reactions.

-My in-law’s giving us the exact cocoa/latte machine I envisioned I can get so that I didn’t have to keep microwaving cups of unfinished hot cocoa cups the kids leave behind. It swirls it around, making it frothy and smooth while heating it up to the right temperature. Yum!

-Making my graduation goal of qualifying to be a part of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Yes!

-My brother getting to see his wife in Montreal, Canada safely despite pretty bad turbulence close to the airport.

-Getting home safely and with smooth travel adventure.

-Charlie getting almost a month's worth of time off with pay! It was a combo of trainings and holiday floaters. It felt great to wake up each day and he's right next to me!

-Getting the classy plates I wanted (remember, I collect dishes) for 50% off and 8 of them, on my birthday. It perfectly coordinates with our wedding dishes, which we still cannot afford, he, he...

-Having a cousin in-law's (Heather) sleeping baby in my arms and have her stay asleep for almost an hour despite the noise and foreign smell (I wore perfume). She was precious, a true princess… I held in my arms royalty; she was three months old.

-I missed my family so much that I was always in the verge of tears, but my prayers were answered when I had great conversations with each sibling and my mom. It all ended with me laughing so hard, my sides hurt!

-I found a great advent calendar for 50% off that goes with Lisa’s theme, completing her theme. Jasmine has hers, now I only need to look for a good Disney one for Ian.

-Finding great AZ friends' through their blogs and Facebook. What a great way to keep in touch!

-Getting all of our luggage within seconds of arriving at the Baggage Claim carousel at Dallas Love Field airport.

-All of our packages stashed in our luggage, intact!

We feel very blessed this year; Christmas, my birthday and New Year's Eve are just icing on the scrumptious cake we call December. We just love it!
Who else knows how to best give us the best things in life but our Lord Jesus Christ? And... How else can we see and appreciate them if He doesn't let us exercise our free agency? You see, it all works out!

Never the one without the other...

Ok, love you all! Happy New Year!

I'm 37? Are You Sure?

Well, ok, I am 37 today and this so far has been the greatest birthday ever!
Why you ask? Because... On the way to SLC from Las Vegas, I sat next to this cute and adorable little Japanese woman named Fusi Peck who took one look at Lisa then at me and said,
"You don't look like you have any business having a teenager, are you sure she's your daughter?"
Yes! Fountain of Youth, not needed yet! :D

(Taken right in front of my in-laws' house, Sunday; my legs sank up to the bottom of my skirt hem. I didn't want to look obviously cold, so I donned a silly pose instead.)
Taken behind and the at the left side the house, looking into the surrounding mountain range; gorgeous views!)
We started my morning leaving the "enlightened"(ha, ha, get it, because of all the snow?) state of Utah from my parent in-laws' South Jordan garage and ended it "talking" to all of my blog friends back here in "evergreen" Texas. Got tons of birthday "loves" from people and I got to have a good laugh with my family in California. Nothing better than that!

I received wonderful gifts (songs, hugs, money, phone calls, Facebook shoutout, shopping spree and a dinner out).

Naturally, Charlie's gift was the best...

In the midst of our (mostly his) packing, I decided to wash my face in the bathroom since I was starting to get really sleepy, after a brief phone chat with my mom. He suddenly came in with his cell phone but didn't look at me. He just fiddled with it for about a few seconds. When he finally did, he leans down to give me a kiss and says, "Happy Birthday, Mahal (beloved)", gave me another kiss then showed me the time on his cell- it was exactly 12:00AM!

HOW ROMANTIC IS HE?
Then again, I shouldn't be surprised; this is the same "Romeo" who flew me around San Jose, California on a beautiful night, for our 1st date! Yep, he can fly a plane and fix them, too! (Ladies, back off, he's all mine! lol)
We were also granted safety and good health throughout the day (though there was that brief time this morning in Albuquerque where I had to lie down instead of sit while waiting to be called for boarding because every muscle in my body ached... Charlie and the kids let me nap for almost an hour. That was an amazing gift (I speak to all insomniacs and nap-deprived out there; just sayin'...).

I'll post more Utah pics tomorrow and my "December Miracles" soon.

Thank you to all who remembered my birthday; it was an amazing day!