Last Christmas post....I think

Here is the other stocking I was telling you all about. I posted pics of my Dad's stocking, but not Nancy's. It was so much fun to do and took a lot less time than Dad's. It was just over 30 hours. the longest piece was the gingerbread men. Each one of those curly q frosting swirls is by hand. The swirling alone was 1 1/2 hours per gingerbread man. Nancy is a great baker, so it suits her perfectly!

Santa

I forgot that the kids visited Santa this year. Ross's company hosted a kid party and Santa came to give all the children presents. Kenady & Cyra liked him. Campbell didn't make eye contact.

Sewing

I have been such a slacker when it comes to sewing.

I have an amazing machine that is great for clothes, but even better for quilting. I don't love making clothes, but I do for the girl sometimes. I do love making quilt tops, but I HATE finishing them. Because the machine is on a table top, it's hard to quilt without the materials bunching.

I do pin, gallop stitch.....anything to make it secure, but it never fails to bunch.

For:

Allen - who is waiting for a girl baby quilt

Aimee - who is waiting for a boy baby quilt

Wally - who is waiting for an anniversary quilt

Heather - who is waiting for an American flag quilt (there's a sneak peek)

Cyra - who is waiting on Betty boop quilts

My deepest apologies. Almost all of them have completed tops. It's the quilting that isn't finished.

A bakers dozen

Remember that I tend to retain sometimes useless knowledge? And most of you also know that I LOVE to bake. Well, a friend emailed me yesterday and asked what is a baker's dozen and how did it gets it name?

Here goes - A baker's dozen is 13 items instead of twelve. The reason? Long ago when bakers would sell loaves of bread, they were required to meet a specific weight. If they did not, they could be penalized (flogged) and/ or fined. In order to avoid a tiff they started adding an extra loaf, also known as "inbread" or "vantage loaf." This practice started with The Worshipful Company of Bakers, which dates back to at least the reign of Henry II (1154-89). This company is still in business.

They aren't sure when the phrase became common, but that it dates back to at least 1599. I'm glad they have adapted the practice to include doughnuts & cookies. Yes, I know I included a picture of my pecan pie. Bakers may include pies, but I never buy them so you tell me!

There you go - some new information is always fun!

Scrapping

I found this blog on my old myspace. I don't really use it anymore and this one was the only one worth saving (not that it's very interesting).

In 2001 I was friends w/ a girl named Katie in Oregon (we are still friends). She decided to sign up as a Creative Memories consultant. Her sister was really into scrap booking, as well as her Mom and a bunch of friends. I was not one of them.

Her first month or so in business, her sister invited me to a workshop. It was only $10 and included a night w/ some ladies.....I was game. I showed up w/ my 10 pictures and started working. It was actually fun. I scrapped Cyra's first birthday. Awwww..... That first night I bought a $200+ package of supplies. But, over the next year I bought nearly $1500 worth of stuff. I used most of it, but had lots of duplicates. I think I really ordered just to get the "free" and "exclusive" items. I'm such a sucker.

Well, now that we only use a digital.......I have no actual photos. I don't have time to put them on a disc and then take them to get developed. What makes me think I'm going to have time to add pretty papers, stickers and other embellishments? I'm going to sell it all on ebay. It's taken me almost a year to finally make that decision. Sheesh.....I think I have stuffitis.

Don't get me wrong. I love the look of scrapbooks. My sister in law Jennifer has her own scrapping company. Check it out! But, I don't have time and frankly......I ain't that great!

A promise is a promise

I know, I know, I promised I would one day share with you a bit of my OCD behaviors. Here goes:

I count my steps. When I'm walking on the side walk, I MUST take 3 steps within every concrete break. I'll adjust my stride depending on the size of the square. I also count steps. While walking up or down. I thought it started off as a routine for kids. Going to bed, we count 14 steps up etc. (see above pic) But a few months ago I remembered that I used to count my parent's stairs as well. I also used to count the ceiling beams in my room, tiles on the floor. Sometimes I still count backwards from 100 to go to sleep. I heart numbers.

The hardest part of my OCD to control is the typing. As someone talks to me or writes me, I type what they say. Not literally, but in my head. Although sometimes I catch my fingers moving. Can you say carpal tunnel? I do my best to make sure that the key strokes are equal on each side. If you were to say "My dog has fleas." I would type 5 letters on the right hand and 9 on the left hand (the M is capitalized & I don't do punctuation) Of course that would frustrate me because they aren't even. In a matter of seconds I can figure out a way to even it up. Don't ask my how, it would take too long to explain. Nevertheless, it has served me well. When I meet someone and they tell me their name....I do not forget. They can tell me their phone number and I won't forget. I mean for YEARS! My friends still call me and ask "Remember in the 2nd grade?" All of it is imprinted in my brain.

So, retaining massive amounts of information is what I love to do. I just wish there were a high paying job that utilized my "Heroes" abilities while staying in my pjs all day.

YES!!!

My new score on Goober's Lab is 44874. Oh yeah!

For those of you who don't know what that is, click here. There's a lot of info on that main page.

Anyone out there have any good Webkinz scores they'd like to brag about?

Dumpster Diver

My child had a McD happy meal today for lunch. It sat there for over an hour so I threw it away. She cried and asked where her chickens were. I pointed to the trash. She dug them out and said Mmmmm.........

Christmas Eve Service

Warning - for those who don't want to hear my opinion about Christmas Eve service at GCC, click the back arrow now.

It's not a secret that I was pumped for the Let It Be Christmas series that GCC did this December. They did a great job tying in Beatles songs to their message. But I have to say that parts of the Christmas Eve service disappointed me.

First, the good things. The Culps rock! They did a great job explaining how to hold / blow out the candle. Yes, these things can be difficult when you consider the ages / intelligence in a room of 2000. It was very funny.

Hey Jude started off rock, but ended up being good. The back up singers on the sides of the room were a little quiet, but a nice touch.

They were also able to slide in Blackbird! The kite thing was cool, a little artsy, but cool. Angie & Kim have the most amazing voices EVER!

The best thing all night was Let It Be. I was ruined 30 seconds into the song. Tears streaming down my face. My shoulders started to do that thing.....you know that thing that shoulders do when you cry really hard. I think Kenady was a little worried about me.

Decided to erase the parts I didn't like - it's not important enough to cause hurt feelings.

I saw Dustin & Allsion Brown at Wal-mart today and asked them what they thought. I really like Dustin's idea. "What if next Christmas, they put Mark Beeson on stage... it's totally dark with a bright lamp shining over him and he reads the Christmas story?" Any of you who have heard him speak, you know THAT would be inspirational.

Santa Tracker

Track Santa every 5 minutes with this website. It's also full of fun stories and games. You can also see if you are on the nice list.

http://www.northpole.com/NoradSanta.asp

Thanks Hannah Montana

Yesterday at Wal-mart, Kenady hopped up on an empty pallet in the holiday food section. I look over and she's "G-ing" it up saying "chicka, chicka, chicka, chicka....WORD." She had cute arm motions to go along with her "rap".

Of course Campbell sees her and jumps up there too. She says "chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken....BIRD." =)

Kenady said she learned it from Hannah, Oliver & Lilly.

Movies

This is my all time favorite Christmas movie. The first time I saw it........I hated it. It must have been a bad day or something.

The girls have been re-enacting this scene several times a day. It never fails to make me laugh.

Christmas Letter

I did my best to send a Christmas letter to all of my close family & friends. If I missed you....I apologize. Here is a Conforth family update:

Hip hip hooray! It's Christmas! It's here!
It's our family's favorite time of the year.
Our tree is up and stockings are hung,
We are all ready for more Holiday fun.

But first let me tell you of 2007,
We went to Disneyworld. It's just like heaven.
The girls loved all the shows and the rides,
An egg hunt at Epcot topped it off right!

Our clan also went back home in July.
It was nice to see everyone, but time sure flies!
Flying home just in time for school to start,
Cyra's in 3rd grade.....she's really smart.
Cyra also loves singing & Scouts.
Enjoying herself, that's what she's about!

Now Kenady is loving music, all kinds.
Dancing, singing it's her time to shine.
Her little tiny fingers are learning to write.
They're even quickly learning to type!

Campbell still has her super curly hair,
It's always in her eyes, she doesn't care.
Her favorite toys are Mickey Mouse.
I find them stashed all over the house.
In shoes, in socks, all over the place,
You should see her sweet little face.

The family had an addition as well.
A Pomeranian we named Cora Estelle.
Ross picked her out as a gift for us all,
She's only 5 pounds and 8 inches tall.

Ross is still working hard each day,
But at least he doesn't travel far away.
He's home each night for the girls to love,
Handing out tickles, kisses and hugs.

What about me? Not much has changed.
I do my best to keep things arranged.
Juggling things between church, school & Scouts,
All the while making sure I don't get burned out.

Hope you have enjoyed hearing the scoop,
We do our best to keep you all in the loop.
May this Christmas bring you joy and love,
And a year of peace that's sent from above.

We love all of you from the bottom of our hearts,
Just thought you should know since we're so far apart.
The Conforth family
Ross, Mandy, Cyra, Kenady, Campbell & Coco

A quote by Walt Disney

Cyra came home with this yesterday. She saw it in a book at school and took the time to write it down. Check it out:

"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island and at the bottom of the Spanish Main ... and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life."

This is perfect for her since she LOVES to read (and Disney). I think I'll find an old looking map, burn the edges, have someone write this quote on it and frame it.

What a cool thing for a kid to be inspired by.

Sick kid

Campbell woke up at 3 am screaming for me. I went to get her and she said "You bonked my head!" I assumed that meant she had a headache. Her poor little forehead was burning up.

We snuggled on the couch for awhile until she asked for a cracker. I got her one, but also got some medicine to help with the fever. I always forget that the act of crying because I've just given her medicine......makes her vomit.

Poor little thing had yucko in her hair. I gave her a tepid bath which I think helped cool her off a bit. She fell asleep snuggling with Ross and woke up at 6:30 and told us "You bonked my head!"

She's currently laying in my bed watching "tb" and drinking fluids.

Weather

Yesterday we had a winter storm warning in Granger, this morning we have a flood warning.

BTW - we did wake up to a ton of snow. I couldn't open my front door. I had to go out the garage and shovel up to the front door.

I think it's time for some serious sledding!

We love you Heather

Big shout out to Heather Stevens. She's the best babysitter anyone could ask for.

Heather has been such a blessing to our family. Ross & I were able to attend our finance classes because she committed to babysitting for us each Tuesday. She's also been available last minute several times, even last night. Ross & I received a gift certificate and wanted to go out to dinner without kids.

She usually brings some sort of craft project to do with the kids. Last night she brought socks, fluff & string. The girls made cute little snowmen. Heather also fills & empties the dish washer. HALLELUJAH! Her mama taught her well. I always did that when I babysat, but not one of my sitters has except Heather. I don't feel like I pay her enough for the job she does.

Heather has been saving to buy herself a new computer. I guess it's around 1300 for all the equipment she needs. I asked her how close she was to her goal. She's at 1021! So close! I replied with "Well, you can add 30 more to your pot." Her response "Well, I can add 27." YES! This girl tithes on her babysitting money. Now you can see why I love her so much. I hope she rubs off on my girls.

Heather, if you're reading this..........we all love you so much and thank you for the blessing you have given our family. We always know our kids are in good hands when you're with them.

Friends

I've been thinking about all of my old friends lately. Not just back in Oregon, I mean OLD friends. Here are a few folks I've been thinking about:

Ernie Born - he was our neighbor in Cottage Grove. He used to let me help him polish aggots in his garage. I spent a lot of time with him and his wife Linda. She passed away when I was in 4th grade. But, he's still living in Cottage Grove. I talked to him a few weeks ago and he ended the conversation with "I love you kid." (I'm 31 now!)

Kim Bolton (Snauer) - we shared our birthday for many years. I think it was a ploy by our mothers to save money! We spent nearly every weekend together. I once ripped the head off of her cabbage patch doll by accident....sorry again Kim. One time she told me that her brothers' girlriend lived on Kenady lane and asked me if I could spell it. I spelled it like the President, I was wrong. The cool spelling stuck with me and I named my daughter after it. Kim & I even worked together at a hotel. I was able to attend her wedding as well.......she was a beautiful bride.

Patrick McDonald - his brother Christopher was a good friend to my brother Marty. We got stuck playing together quite a bit. He hated playing school, but I insisted. Once for Valentines Day, he gave me a whole box of those gross heart candies. He had picked out all of the ones that said kiss me and gave me the rest. Like I said, we were just friends. =)


Tori Bell - she was one of my best friends from 3rd - 7th grade. We lived close and spent every spare moment together. She had 1 brother and 3 sisters and they lived in a 3 bedroom house. While their quarters were cramped, they always made me feel welcome. Her Mom would feed us ramen & kool-aid and send us to the neighborhood park. Tori's room was small and she had to share, but I still think about how well she dealt with all of that. She didn't have a beautiful vanity to hold all of her Wet & Wild eye shadows and Salon Selectives hairspray. Do you know what she used? A cardboard box turned on it's side. It was perfect. She could put all the stuff down below and put a small mirror on top. Her curling iron resting next to it. Remember, we all had big bangs back then! I quit using my own vanity and instead used a box.

Katie McClure - she was my absolute BEST friend growing up. She lived in a beautiful home on Watagua. Her room had this cool playroom attached to it. Her brother Michael's room had a laundry chute. We spent a lot of time going up the stairs and sliding down that chute.

Their house backed up to some trees, so we would play war with my brother and hers. The boys always ended up tying me to a tree. I never fought back because Mom would send me in a dress and I didn't want to get dirty. I was easily defeated.

Her Mom Melinda was tall and absolutely beautiful. She always made me try new foods while I visited (I was extremely picky). One night it was beets. I LOVED them. My mom had always told me I would, but I resisited.

In high school I was having a problem with a young man harrassing me. My parents decided it wasn't safe in Cottage Grove for awhile. I went to Phoenix Oregon to stay with the McClure's. It was so nice of them to open their doors to me for over a month. I remember years later at a conference we were asked to write down someone's name whom we admired greatly. I remember writing down Melinda's name. Their family made a HUGE impression in my life.

Anyway, these were some of my best friends growing up. Some of us are still close, but all are still friends in my book.

Eleanor Rigby

For any of you back home who have been asking me to post my favorite songs from our Let It Be Christmas series....watch Eleanor Rigby here. Skip forward to about 19:10. I'm not sure if they could top this, but I'm sure they'll try. Can't wait!

Thanks.....

I was given the opportunity to plan a Christmas party for all the employee's kids that work at Ross's company. Hello? I would LOVE to. I started a few months ago and decided on a bowling party. I submitted a budget, bought individualized gifts for all of the kids, planned a menu and hired a Santa. It was a lot of fun shopping with someone else's money. =)

The party was last night and it was fun. We went to Signature Lanes in Elkhart. Casey & Heather did a great job repleshing our food and helping us throw a successful Christmas party.

The kids had a great time meeting Santa (2nd on list) and his family. Yes! He brought Mrs. Claus, Buddy, Jack Frost, Snowflake and little Twinkle (all elves). This Santa had a real beard and he assured me that it will be even longer next year!

Anyway, I had a great time planning the entire event. But much to my surprise, Ross's boss sent a $100 gift card to Casey's restaurant in Elkhart as a thank you. I've never been there! It will be nice to have a date with my husband.........now we just need a sitter.

Tiffany Jo

Check out this girl Tiffany Jo Allen. She's a country recording artist who has done some amazing renditions of pop songs! I love her version of No one by Alicia Keys!

Wii

For those of you who have asked me if I've seen a Wii while I was out shopping......Toys R Us claims they are receiving a shipment of them at 6am on Saturday. They open at 7 am. Good Luck!

Hmmm.....

Commercials are supposed to sway you towards a product right? This one sways me, but I'm not sure if it's what D&G was going for.

My fingers hurt.....

That is one of my favorite lines from Happy Gilmore. But seriously, my fingers do hurt.

I've been working on some homemade Christmas gifts since August. I make these stockings that come in large sheets of felt. You have to cut, bead, sequin, embroider, stuff & applique each piece by hand. All of the lures, bobbers & acorns are my handiwork.

I always clock my hours for each stocking. This one was the longest at 63 hours.

I told you my fingers hurt. I think he'll like it!

Krispy Kreme

We had to go the the Girl Sprout bank today. I had 45 checks to deposit...it was going to take awhile. Kenady noticed the Krispy Kreme "Hot Now" sign lit up. She cunningly asked "If we are good while you're at the bank, can we get a free doughnut?" How can I say no to doughnuts or free?

Of course, they were angels. Not a peep out of them. We get in the car and drive the 100 feet to Krispy Kreme. Kenady runs in and asks for her free doughnut. "We don't give out free doughnuts anymore honey?" What!?! When did that happen? "April" she tells us.

It's sad, one of my least / most guilty pleasures taken away. I had convinced myself that consuming the 200 calorie original glazed was somehow ok because it was free.

Power outage

We lost our power on Saturday night. We came home from church at about 9:15 and from Goodwill on......darkness. Icey roads and darkness. We pulled up to our house and no Christmas lights. We get inside and prepare girls for bed. They brushed their teeth with bottled water, went potty but did not flush and snuggled down with footie pajamas and an extra blanket. They were ready for a night without heat.

I went downstairs and emptied out the fridge into a box and put it in the garage. No need for a cooler...it's freezing outside. Ross & I lit a few candles, then sat in front of the fireplace and closed our eyes. It was so quiet. Perfect time to head up for some well deserved (and lacking) sleep.

The kids were too afraid to get out of their blankets. The phone wasn't ringing. No wash machine buzzing. About an hour later the power flashed back on! Neither of us could believe just how noisy the appliances are in the house. The fridge started going. The appliances all beeped at us. Our clean air system kicked on. The basement tv was blaring the football game that Ross had paused before we left. It was almost deafening after the silence we were enjoying.

Of course it was only 10:00 and now that the power was back on I could catch up on my Tivo.