Typical Post for This Time Of Year

Yes.  That's right.

The kids in front of the Christmas tree.

See if you can guess who is pinching whose butt here...

I love this one.  Typical behavior and typical reactions for a typical pose for a typical post for this time of year.

(Plzthanks note: The boys are re-wearing their Christmas duds from the year before.  By the time I even thought about it all stores were out of Christmas attire for boys.  Beebs, however,  not only got a new dress, but will be getting a MATCHING dress for her Bitty Baby for Christmas.  This is also typical behavior from me and will most likely continue throughout their entire lives. Thank you.)

I've Turned The Christmas Corner

As I described here I suffer from a yearly holiday phenomenon in which I dread the holidays.  To someone who enjoys exactly 0.00 things on her To Do list on any given day it seems daunting, over-whelming and unappealing.  Now, WHY do I want to have to go shopping?  Tell me again how all this ::waving around at plastic Santa Clauses, flashing Christmas lights and a stack of catalogs that have recently come in the mail:: relates to my life in general and Christ's birth?  Why do I want to drag a bunch of stuff out of the basement only to have to put it all away again in a month?

Yes.  I was that person.

But, alas, as described HERE the other part of this phenomenon is that eventually I do come around.  And I come around hard.  This year is no exception.  I'm almost to the point where I never want it to end.  Everyday I'm thinking of a new goodie to make/bake.  I became giddy as I packaged up presents and dropped them in the mail OR carefully chose them from a website and clicked the "Make Purchase" button (which was 90% of my shopping, btw). 

I also loved decorating the house & seeing my kids get more and more excited as I finished each area.  Here are some pictures of The Holidays Around the Landersons:

(Local peeps: Do any of you know anyone with an embroider machine that can do Beebs' name on that stocking up there?  Yeah, I got these before she was born.  I neeeeeeed to fix this before I forget about it until next year.  Again.)

And some of my FAVORITE Christmas sites around the house?

Finished, addressed and stamped Christmas cards!

Oodles of festive Pretzel Hugs!

  Seeing those oodles of Pretzel Hugs packaged up & ready to deliver to friends & neighbors!

 

My new favorite thing I started doing this year was putting up my Christmas cards around my entry way mirror.  Before I'd just get them, read them, love them & then stick them in a basket by the door.  But NOW??  A friggin' work of art. Srsly.

(Note: several more have been added since I took this photo a few days ago.  It's now filled & I'm having to stick them on the mirror itself.  It brings a tear to my eye.  I'm not kidding.)

I also love putting up the ornaments on the Christmas tree.  So many memories are in these ornaments.  Sentimental value up the yin-yang, people.  Growing up, my mom would give us all an ornament every year.  She labeled it with our name and they year we got it.  When I got married, she gave me all my ornaments from over the years so Gty & I would have some ornaments for the tree.

This one is the oldest one I could find.  It was given to me by my Grandpa Jeppson in 1978.  I love that it's his handwriting on the tag too:

I love this one from 1983.  My mom made it, of course.

And I have many others spanning the years from 1978 to 1996 when I married Gty and "got off the payroll" as my Dad liked to call it.  I love getting them out each year and figuring out how old I was when I got them.

Then there are some more recent ones which melt my heart each time I get them out of the ornament box.  They are, of course, the ones made by the boys in preschool and have their pictures on them.

Wook at dat 4 year old!!  Cutest senior-pictures-chin-rest-pose ever.

And....be still my heart...

A two year old TBone.

I stare this little squirt for at least 10 minutes every Christmas ::staring at this picture of a picture cuz I can't help it::

Beebs is bugged there are not ornaments with her picture on them.  I'll have to fix that this year.

And, since last year, no Christmas will ever be complete again until this bad boy gets put in the tree.

I hope you all are enjoying the holidays. Coming up on my baking/cooking/making list.... Magic Cookie Bars, Anita's Famous Orange Rolls (I had to go to a class to learn how to make those puffs from heaven), wassail, Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies, my Best Sugar Cookies, Peppermint Bark (Costco is all out now--booooo) and probably a banana cream pie (just cuz I'm in the mood).

So, if you see a person on the street who looks kinda like me but is a good 20-30 lbs. heavier just wave and act like nothing's changed.  It's just easier.

Must...document...for posterity...

I have a son named Tbone.  Maybe you've heard of him.  Maybe not.  Most likely you have. 

If not, here is your first glimpse into what goes on inside his head.  Don't be scared.  This is the funny part of the brain.  Not the....other.

So he has these writing assignments he has to do as homework once a week.  Usually it's something like "Tell something you did over the weekend" or "Write about a member of your family."  I usually sit and help him form coherent sentences and keep his "Ds" and "Bs" going the right directions.  Well, a couple of weeks ago he was over at the table while I was cleaning up the kitchen or something.  He was very focused on his homework (which is highly unusual, btw).  All of a sudden he said he was done with his writing.  I was shocked.  The assignment was "Plan and write a true story about something that has really happened to you." I read it and died laughing.  I decided to let him turn it in as is.  Here is the result:

The pictures at the top are apparently his "plan." Let me type this out for you verbatim:

One Day I was runing home and a girl tript me! Slash! Bang! A BIG hole was on my face! I was crying home!  of cors I was crying.  So I pickt up my Back pakc and ran as fast as I can! I was pounding on the door.  When my mom ansord she was all like "oh my gosh." She said it about 30 times.  she gave me a bandaid.
The next day eeevreeone said "what happened to your facce." and that is abot it and yes it is true.

Claaaaaaasic TBone.

Then today he came home from school with a cute little camo journal his teacher had given him for Christmas.  He made his first entry right away.

Again, allow me:

Pokemon XD

I am playing the Best game ever.  Pokemon XD. Whoo yay cool.  I won a battel!  Bathroom bracke.  Booooooooooooooooo!  I know it stincks.  Litrly. I am on battel 90. He sent out Metagrass and Regirock.  he loves rock pokemon.

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.  Oh my gosh.  I love that kid. 

Litrly.

I asked him to please write something in his journal every day as it would make me the happiest mother on the planet.  He made no promises. 

Getcher GLEE Fix Here

I know you're out there.  Those of you who are already going through withdrawls from Glee even though tonight would really be the first night you'd actually be missing it.

Some of you are so desperate, in fact, that you have subjected yourself and others to watching The Sing Off.  This is NBC's attempt to get in on the Glee frenzy while providing a bit of an American Idol twist.  There are some good groups on this show (including one cute-as-a-button-all-girl group from BYU-- quote "We don't sing anything with swear words or innuendo.").

The problem is this program continues to put one particular group through which I find highly offensive in so many ways.

That's right...Maxx Factor.

To say they are deeeesgusting would be a grievous understatement.

They make me feel all gicky, vomitous and abhorrent inside.  To watch them sing is to watch a horror movie.  And, to top it off, they attempted "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse last night.  Not good.  Not.  Good.  I think there was some pelving and body rolling involved.

But here is the point of this post.  To provide you with a bit of relief from your Glee hiatus blues.  I know it's not Finn or Mr. Shue... but there is an Asian and they ARE super nerdy. The choreography kills.

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Plz enjoy.

PS The eye is all cleared up.  It only took about 5 days.  Thanks for worrying (<---for Aunt Visor only).

Early Signs of Dying?

Look at my eye, you gize!!!!  What in the....?  Who in the....?  Why in the...?

Ugh.

Here's a closer look:

I need a diagnosis.

Here are my symptoms:

NONE

Other than the nasty red eye, of course.

I need this diagnosed & cured ASAP because the questions of "What happened to your eye???" and comments of "Ooooooh....your eye!" are becoming more & more frequent.  

I literally was putting on my makeup on Monday and noticed it was a little red.  Then it progressively got more and more red the next couple of days.  Last night when I was washing my face it hurt a bit when I was rubbing my eye (just tender from putting pressure on it).  Then today it hurts if I squeeze my eyes shut hard or look to either side too much.

I'm feeling like I need to hurry and read this month's book club selection before I go blind.  Will I see my children open their presents on Christmas morning?  Should you rethink your Christmas present to me considering it might be my last Christmas?

Some things to think about.

On The Hot Tamale Train!!!

She's a natural.  She can hopscotch & do the hokey pokey like it's going out of style.  Her lines are amazing and she holds her carriage like a professional fox trotter.  Nigel thinks she can work on really getting down into the balls of her feet but Adam loves her energy and commitment to the piece.

 

 

Look for these two on SYTYCD in 2023!

 

Oh how I love holiday dance programs.  I think the Spring Recital might kill me with cuteness.