Christmas Tagging

(Natalie & I in front of the stuffed Christmas tree we used one year)

A tag from my friend Emily, that I thought was fun and festive for this week:

1. Do you like Eggnog or Hot Chocolate? Oh, hot chocolate, hands down. I find egg nog to be a little bit slimy, which I really can't abide. I have serious texture issues when it comes to food.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just put them under the tree? Growing up, Santa just laid them all out. I don't think we really ever unwrapped Santa presents. As we got older, my mom wrapped more and more of our gifts, though. We each had a pile on one of the couches or chairs, and you could tell which was yours by your stocking at the top of the pile.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White White White on the tree.
I prefer no lights on the house, just candles in the windows like the do in Williamsburg. . . but if you're going to do it, I like nice STRAIGHT lines of white lights. Of course, that's boring for kids. . . but also not tacky.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? I did for a long time. The real stuff, even. Last year I got a plastic mistletoe, and right now, it's sitting on the counter. I'm such a romantic.

5. When do you put up your decorations? I am adamantly opposed to putting them prior to Dec. 1st. This year, it took us a little longer. I was very afraid of what Nolan would do to them. . .

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Yeah, I can't pick one. . . probably ham and mashed potatoes. . . But there are always so many good things to eat!

7. What is your favorite Holiday memory as a child? Staying up all night with Natalie because we couldn't sleep from the excitement. . . we weren't allowed to get up until 7 am, so we would count down the hours.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We always opened one gift on Christmas Eve. It was usually the swap gift from the swap we did with our cousins. We sometimes to the PJ thing now. . . but we're not consistent.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? White lights and a big bunch of non-matching ornaments from over the years. I have ornaments that my great grandmother made me when I was a kid, and some that I bought at Thai Pan this year. . . Plus, we have Ben's big set of Disney ornaments that his parents bought him when he was way too young to decide what he wanted in a set of ornaments. Some of them are amazing, some of them are tacky. Either way, Nolan loves to remove them and carry them around the living room.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love to look at it, especially when it's fresh and new. LOATHE driving in it. One of my least favorite things on earth. Probably owing to the lack of control it entails.

(Holding our homemade Care Bears and our Strawberry Shortcake dolls that blew kisses)

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I have to agree with Emily on this one, though I got lots of gifts over the years that I loved. My favorite childhood Christmas gifts were the handmade Cabbage Patch and Care Bear dolls my mom made us (two different years, it turns out). I'm still amazed that she was able to do such a good job. And I still have mine! I am constantly amazed at the lengths my mom went to to make sure we had a wonderful Christmas, even when there wasn't a lot of money for such things.

(with our cousin Karissa, who got a REAL Cabbage Patch doll)

14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you? The joy and the festivity of it all. . . leading up to that wonderful feeling of peace when you truly settle down and remember the Savior's birth and why we're celebrating in the first place.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Peppermint bark & toffee. But also. . . peppermint stick ice cream. YUM.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Making a CD of new and old Christmas music to listen to. . . and making Christmas treats. . . As a kid, we had Pop Tarts and Lucky Charms on Christmas morning, and I thought that was an amazing treat. We don't really do it any more, but I am always tempted to buy those things to have around Christmas morning, just out of nostalgia.

17. What tops your tree? A star. It started out as a kraft paper star that I spray painted silver. Some day I'll probably get something fancier, but I like it. . . You can't tell it's made of cardboard.

18. Which do you prefer, giving gifts or receiving them? Oh, GIVING! I mean, everyone likes to get presents, but at this point in my life, finding fun things for family and friends is so much fun. Even better, are the years we adopt a family that is struggling and find wonderful gifts for them to surprise them. There is no better shopping than that. . .

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Seriously? That's like asking me to pick a favorite movie! I don't have one particular song that I love no matter who is singing it. The one I play OVER and OVER is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by the Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan

20. Candy Canes? LOVE them.

21. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized? Yeah, it really is. I get that companies have to make money. . . but I feel like there are far too many people that go into massive debt every year in order to give their kids WAY too many presents. Kids just don't need $2000 worth of gifts. My parents were always very frugal about gift giving, and I don't think it hurt us one bit.

22. Favorite Christmas movie? Mr. Krueger's Christmas, with Jimmy Stewart. It's so touching. And how can you not love Jimmy Stewart? I also very much enjoy Love Actually, Little Women, & Charlie Brown's Christmas.

If you have the time, in the middle of the craziness we call Christmas, do this tag. It's fun!
Maybe while you're snowed in this weekend, as so many of us are.

Walgreens Drive Through FAIL

I think I used up my line waiting mojo earlier today at the post office. In and out in 10 minutes, thanks to the automated weigher machine and a nice postal worker man. I was feeling pretty good about it.

I felt too soon.

I got a migraine tonight. . . a nasty whopper of a headache. It's the third one I've had this week. The other 2 I woke up with. . . This one came on like a freight train courtesy of a flickering fluorescent light bulb in the Wyview Park building where Ben's work Christmas party was being held.

And after hurrying to get to Walgreens to pick up my migraine prescription. . . that had been waiting for me for 3 days. . . I got stuck. Literally stuck in a line of cars with no way out. In the end, I had to wait 35 minutes to get the stupid pills. At which point my tired hungry baby was wailing in the back seat, and I felt AWFUL. I got home and ran straight to the bathroom to throw up the wonderful ham dinner we'd eaten at the party (well, I ate it. . . Nolan refused which is why he was hungry)

And all this is to say the following.

"Dear Walgreens,

Thank you. No really, THANK YOU.

Tonight was the second time in a week I've waited a RIDICULOUS amount of time in your drive through. In these tough economic times, you obviously have plenty of customers (it being cold and flu season AND it's Utah Valley, so there are plenty of Prozac prescriptions being handed out).

What you do NOT have, is enough employees in your pharmacy. That, or the employees you do have are incapable of multi-tasking.

I used to love you.

I'm re-thinking my feelings.

Love,
Melanie"

You Wouldn't Like Me

iTunes Tag
1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

1.IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
"Tiny Vessels"

2.WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"You Are My Sister"

3.WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"Pray Your Gods"

4.HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
"He"

5.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
"Wishful Thinking"

6.WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"Man Of The Hour"

7.WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Love Is Waiting"

8.WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"Sucker"

9.WHAT IS 2+2?
"Spit It Out"

10.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"Tomorrow Morning"

11.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Painter Song"

12.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"Rings A Bell"

13.WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"Shakalaka Baby" (yeah, I do!!)

14.WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Dance Of The Robe"

15.WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Prophecy"

16.WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Here Comes The Sun Again" (love it)

17.WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"She's Got You"

18.WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Pretend"

19.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"Memory Lane"

20.WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Love, Where Is Your Fire?"

21.HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Different but the Same"

22.WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"The Humpty Dumpty Love Song"

23.WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"Spond" (because it's a funny word, possibly? I don't know)

24.WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"Follow Through"

25.WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"Deep Water"

26.WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"So You Are To Me"

27.DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"Don't Waste Your Time"

28.IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"My Sundown"

29.WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"Stupid" (OH, so true)

30.WHERE WILL YOU TRAVEL TO?
"Oh"

31.WHAT IS THE BEST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Eyes On The Prize"

32.WHAT DO YOU OFTEN FIND YOURSELF WANTING TO YELL AT PEOPLE?
"Devil Inside"

33.WHAT DO YOU CALL YOURSELF?
"When My Boy Walks Down The Street"

34. WHAT DOES THE PERSON YOU LIKE THINK OF YOU?
"The Simple Life"

35. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
"You Wouldn't Like Me"

OK, now YOU do it!! It's fun!!

Gingerbread Houses 2008

Last night for FHE, we reinstated our yearly tradition of making gingerbread houses. Several of us wimped out and bought kits rather than be creative enough to make something from scratch. . . but it was fun anyway.

Here are a few of our best moments:

Jules & Griff with their graham cracker creation.

Tamera used one of the kits I got at Target. . . needless to say, the frosting was not ideal for holding that heavy roof on. It was having some issues.

Ben & Jeremy engaging in their ritual melting of chocolate things (this time it was fudgie frogs) with Ben's creme brule torches

(left to right) Jeremy's tree, Jules and Griff's graham cracker house, my train, Tamera's house, and Emily's Tree.
Missing is Jessica's fancy shack (she took it home before we managed to set up the picture)

The aftermath of Tamera's house after trying to move it to the front table.
Sigh.

A good time was had by all

Nolan and the Christmas Tree

I had a very strong feeling that my busy busy son and the Christmas tree in the living room were not going to be the best combination in the world. Now that it's up, I see that I was right. . .

I'm less concerned that he'll pull it over on himself, though. He seems to enjoy, instead, taking the ornaments off and depositing them in his other toys, or banging them on the table.

Joy

Product Placement

OK, it's time for a list of my current favorite things. After all, it's the time of year when I indulge my consumerism BIG time, so why not, right? (yes, more than half are food. that's just the kind of day I'm having, OK?)

First

Mint M&Ms
We bought about 10 bags of these at the end of last season, and we were just finishing them up in time for them to come out again. Good timing, eh? They are a little bit tricky to find this year, but I got several bags at Target. Head on over.

Second

Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon
Dude! I love what this does to first day hair. You know, the hair that is dry and sticks up everywhere because it's so bloody CLEAN!? Yeah, this does an amazing job of controlling the insanity wihout being all goopy and gross. SUCH a good find.

Third

Candy Cane Hershey Kisses
white/red chocolate with peppermint crunchies inside. . . need I say more?
Need I point out my intense love for min/chocolate combinations again?

Fourth

Wee little notebook
Yes, I have an iphone in which I SHOULD take lots of little notes so I have them with me all the time. . . but there's really not a great place in it for making to do lists, and sometimes it's nice to very quickly jot things down.
They come in a 3 pack. The other 2 found happy homes in the mid-West, but I kept one for myself. they can be got at Barnes & Noble, in the Jonathan Adler Kensington collection up by the registers.

Fifth (and finally)
Gerber Yogurt Melts
OK, these are for Nolan, not me, but when he literally takes them out of the bag, grabs my hand and places the package in it, and then starts signing "please". . . Probably a good sign that he likes them. They are the perfect take along, healthy snack. They're pricey, considering how quickly Nolan plows through them, but at least they aren't white flour, am I right?

Fakey Scovil Bakery

My mom is the activities committee chairperson for their ward, and the Christmas party theme this year is "Christmas in Nauvoo". They wanted to have a replica of the Scovil Bakery, a building that is actually IN Nauvoo, to serve desserts from. A great guy across the street built the flats for them, but then they needed some painting. . .

Ben and I set about using our Scenic painting skills to make it look authentic. . . And I was pretty happy with the results, even if we are a little rusty.

Here is a step by step of how it went together:

The original flats with no paint

Base coat of brick red and a texture coat sponged on in a slightly lighter shade

After spattering for texture, painting on mortar lines, and basing in the window frames and sign
(I should have taken one before this, but the camera battery had to be recharged)

The finished bakery! (with shadows, lettering and a roof line)

In the end, I felt it was the least I could do. My parents DID pay my tuition while I learned this stuff at BYU, after all. And I'm not sure they thought I'd ever get a job, studying stuff like this.

Hopefully the pies that are baked there will be wonderful.

The Many Faces of Nolan

During the course of a normal day around the Hess house, I often pull out the camera for a quick shot of something funny Nolan is doing. Most of the time, those pictures get lost in the shuffle. Today, I'm going to share a few little snapshots of our everyday dealings with a 1 year old:

He LOVES typing.
Jer & Emily donated an old keyboard to his toy box in an effort to keep him away from laptops. . .

Cookie sheets make good sleds on the kitchen floor

Dad makes a good seat on the couch for some TV watching

"smoking" his dad's chapstick.

His favorite post. He's pretty good at getting down now. . . the falls are minimal.

Dragging around the tripod

Refried Beans and godlfish at grandma and grandpa's house. (notice the fish hanging from his chin? this was a fast track to the bath tub)