New Years Eve..

We are back from Snowflake early. We had intended on staying through tomorrow but we had a horrible night with Elodie last night so we decided to come home a day early. What can I say? The girl has been trained to sleep in her own bed, in her own room, with the door shut, music on, and her bears.....last night at grandma Brewer's we were missing her own room, music...oh, and HEAT!! Grandma doesn't run the heater through the whole house so it was FREEZING!! Elodie was completely exhausted but tossed and turned and cried pretty much the entire night....we maybe got 3 good hours of sleep. It was not fun and as soon as the sun was up Chris and I had made up our minds that we were heading out that day. It was a tough ride home since we had just done it the morning before but it is nice to be home and we will all be grateful to go to bed in our own beds tonight!!

We don't have any fabulous New Year's Eve plans..we never do...even when we didn't have any kids. It's just not us...we enjoy getting together with friends to play games but never till midnight. Especially tonight with Elodie's little adventure last tonight. It's a given that we will be in bed before 11pm tonight...which happens to be one of our new years resolutions. With Kohl's holiday hours I haven't been getting home until close to 1am every night I work...if Chris waits up for me then it means we don't get to bed until 1:30am or so..it's been hard to wake up, especially for Chris..now that the holidays are over we are hoping to get back on a better schedule..an earlier schedule!!

More resolutions tomorrow!! Happy New Year

A little bit of change.....


turns into $53!! Christopher and I have been putting all of our change in this jar for the last year...it took us so long to build it up because we kept dipping in to it and using the change for coke runs!! :) But it finally filled up and Chris and I took the time today to sift through it all and this is what we got!! Crazy huh? And we really didn't do much to earn it! Just a little bit of patience and VOILA!!
Today I am going to take my check and my change and open a new account for our family. We've decided that we want to take Elodie to Disneyland for Christmas next year....a graduation/family vacation. We want to start saving our money now so that we can really go all out for this trip. We want to stay in a really nice Disney resort, hit the hot spot eats, shopping and souveniers, and really enjoy every minute of our trip!! Especially since we haven't had any type of family vacation since our honeymoon..this trip is way over due and we still have to wait a year!! It will be worth it though and I'm excited to be saving for it. And hopefully Elodie will be at the perfect age to enjoy Mickey and Minnie and all their friends! :) I'm excited to because I have never been to California before so this will be a first for me as well. WooHoo..I'm really excited to start saving!!
We will be spending New Years with Chris family up in Snowflake. It's not usual for us to go up to Snowflake 2 weekends in a row but Chris' dad is getting the UFC fight on PayPerView and Chris and I really want to see it....yes I like fight night too! :) We leave tomorrow sometime in the morning and will be back on New Years Day...fun fun!
Until the New Year!!

Christmas Update...

We had a great Christmas...this year was really fun for Elodie because she is getting to the age where she likes certain things and kinda has the idea behind Santa. We didn't push the Santa too hard..she didn't want to sit on his lap and I was okay with that...it would have been a crying picture and we already have one of those.
Here is our weekend leading up to Christmas....
Thursday I worked so we didn't do much
Friday I was off, Christopher got off around 2pm and we headed out to do some last minute shopping. We certainly didn't want to be out shopping on Saturday. We met up with Chris' parents later that night..they were in town for Marshall's knee so we had dinner together. We went and saw the Temple lights which were gorgeous and enjoyed our quiet time with Grama and PaPa Yarn. The rest of the night was spent hopping from Wal-Mart to Wal-Mart looking for a papasan chair for Elodie....we knew for a while that we wanted to get her one and knew we would get it at Wal-Mart but for some reason kept putting it off.....we of course waited too long to get it and now it seemed like every store was out. We hit 4 Wal-Marts before we found the 1 and only Little Mermaid chair. Thank Heavens....we definitely got a taste of what it's like for parents around these holidays....we learned our lesson...next year, shop early!! And we did for the most part but that one chair got us!!
Saturday morning I worked then Chris picked me up and we headed out to a flea market to meet up with Chris' parents for a little more until they headed back up to Snowflake.
Saturday night we went to the Despain's for a Christmas party and enjoyed hanging out with that part of our family.
Sunday was Christmas eve...Elodie looked so cute in her dress...see slide show below....came home, made some goodies, did some bucket drop off's and relaxed the rest of the day...We wrapped presents and I finished up Amanda's scrapbook.
Monday morning was so much fun...Elodie came out of her room and saw her pink bike and said" Yeah, pink bike, you did it mommy!!" It was really cute...you could tell she was a little overwhelmed with all the presents but we really enjoyed her reactions!
After presents we headed out for Snowflake and spent the rest of the day with Chris' family...we had a great time and everyone really enjoyed themselves. We are planning to head back up there for New Years so it should make for another enjoyable weekend. We came back from Snowflake late Monday night...well early Tuesday morning...1am...BLAH! We were all beat and were happy to be home after such a long day. Tuesday morning when Elodie woke up it was like Christmas all over again...her bike was left under the tree from the day before and we she came into the living room she said "yeah, pink bike, you did it mommy!!" How sweet to be surprised over the same thing all over again! She is so fun!
Christopher was back to work Tuesday morning and I worked Tuesday night...my shifts have slowed down alot...only 2 days this week and next week. Kohl's called to see if I wanted some hours but I'm actually looking forward to the time off..I was working about 25 or 26 hours a week up until Christmas so this is definitely needed! Hopefully with all the time off I'll actually look forward to going back. My paychecks on the other hand I won't look forward to!
Christopher put in his notice at Schneider and he starts his new job on the 15th of January...same day that school starts.
Lots to look forward to in the new year!!

My thoughts on the day after Christmas...

For the past couple of holidays I have had an attitude about the day after Christmas...especially working in retail. It's frustrating and it really boggles my mind!! I worked last night at Kohl's and it was so surprising how many people were out buying stupid stuff...towels, table runners....TOYS!! Were these things such a priority that you just had to get out the day after everyone is suppose to have gotten all the things they wanted and you just have to go shopping? Obviously to you these things are a priority but to me I just see it as a lack of gratitude and appreciation. Clearly the things that you got the day before don't mean a thing to you because you are already out the very next day looking for something new. This is obviously a problem for some people who just need to be out shopping!

I am always shocked by the number of people who are out shopping the day after Christmas....you would think that the day after Christmas would be the one day that people wouldn't be out shopping. That this day would be a good exuse not to get out of the house. By this point you would think that people would be sick of shopping!! But no...not in our society!

The day after Christmas has really been a good reflection for me. I like to see the day after Christmas as a day to reflect on all the things I've been blessed with. I like to see it is one of the one days out of the year that I don't need anything and I can just be content with the things that I have. If you really think about it, the average family probably spends over $1000 per christmas...even a family as small as ours....between presents for everyone, christmas baking, christmas cards, candy, stockings..etc. Enough is enough....I think the day after Christmas all the stores in America should be closed. Because if you can't enjoy the things that you got on Christmas day then why did you get them in the first place!!! Enough said!!

P.S- This is not to say that I am against Christmas (obviously) I will always make this time of year enjoyable and memorable for my family but in the process teach them the importance of being content and happy with the things we have. It's a person problem in general! We should all take the challenge!
And I will be posting pictures of our fabulous Christmas later!! :)

It's official!!

News of the day....Christopher got a job offer today from Carter/Burgess...the first engineering firm he applied with. He hadn't heard back from them since the interview on Thursday and it was seriously driving him nuts..and me nuts for him! Since we had never done the whole interview with a big company before we didn't know what the time frame was like. Chris was assuming they would get back to him fairly quick because of how quickly they wanted to interview him. This morning he just couldn't take it anymore, He decided to send them an email this morning just to touch base....here is my availability date, if you need any more information type email. Well, about 20 minutes after sending the email "the boss" gave him a call and made him an offer. "The Boss" said Chris beat him by about an hour...isn't that funny, had Chris waited he would have gotten the phone call anyway..figures....it's like when I don't call Chris to see when he is coming home, it feels like forever. But when I do call he is in the subdivision..had I just waited a few more minutes he would have been home.

So, we have a new job now and Christopher is excited. I know this is best for him..to give him the experience he needs and the training he deserves. He plans to start the same day that school starts again..January 15th..so about 4 weeks. I'm nervous for him and the reaction he will get from the Schneiders...they knew he was planning on switching but thought he wouldn't get a new job until the summer. This just all happened so fast and it certainly wasn't something we could
have predicted! I think he is going to try and tell them today so when I see him tonight hopefully all went well.

Christopher had 2 more job interviews scheduled after Carter/Burgess...he had one of them on Monday and although he liked them, they were going to pay less and he didn't like them as much as Carter/Burgess.....and the other interview he went ahead and cancelled. I'm so proud of him. I know it's a boost to put yourself out there and get so many responses in such a short perioud. Even a company who wasn't hiring sent him an email telling him that they were going to keep his resume on file for when they do start hiring.

Our only concern now is insurance..we are covered fully through the Schneiders and don't know who we will afford it otherwise...we don't qualify for State help so we will just have to pray about and see what happens. Thankfully we have all been healthy but insurance is definitely something you need "just in case". Things to worry about after the holiday!!

5 days till Christmas...got Emilee's gift from Elodie shipped today...only need to get my stockings filled and something for Justin.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Cake Anyone?

I think this is my favorite cake so far..I've done 22 cakes so far and I love the way this one turned out. I'm a little behind in posting, I did this cake 2 Sunday's ago for a friends 4 year olds birthday. With anything, I love when you can picture it in your mind and when it all comes together, it looks exactly like what you had invisioned. -

This was the first time I painted a cake...used this stuff called luster dust...very messy but the outcome is FABULOUS! All shimmery and sparkley....loved it! All the shells are white chocolate painted in luster dust and the sand is graham cracker crust.

The cake made it to its destination safely and the reaction was very good!! I can breathe a sigh of relief once the cake has been delivered. Until that point I'm a nervous wreck! But all went well and hopefully more cake orders to come!

In other news..Christmas just 6 days away...only a handful of presents to buy and stockings to stuff. My favorite day is coming tomorrow...baking holiday stuff tomorrow for the Schneiders and other friends! Love that part! Christopher's parents will be here Thursday through Saturday...making plans to go see the Temple lights Friday night....they are so pretty and I know Elodie will really enjoy them this time!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

New Job, New Camera, New Brakes...



We have had a great weekend so far...nothing like wrapping up the weekend with a relaxing Sunday afternoon.
I mentioned a couple of post ago that Christopher decided to start looking for a new engineering firm to work for...remember, the whole reason we decided to give up our house! Anyway, his resume was finally ready to post Thursday. There was this guy who had been helping him update his resume...this particular guy works at Carter/Burgess..an engineering firm in downtown Phoenix. Christopher had been working with this guy for the last couple of weeks and throughout the whole resume process was hoping that in the end this guy would pass Chris' resume on to his boss. Well, guess what happened! Just that. Christopher got an email from this guy Wednesday afternoon saying that he wanted to pass Chris' resume on to his boss and wanted to know if that would be okay with Chris...uh YEAH! And then about 20 minutes later Chris' gets a call from "the boss" and sets up an interview to meet with him Thursday morning! Interview went great, now Christopher gets to sit back and stress until a hopeful offer is made! The other crazy thing is Chris got to work mid Thursday and had 2 other firms waiting to set up job interviews with him!! From what they all say, Chris' resume is very impressive and they all want to meet with him! Definitely a testament to paying our tithing and Chris being dedicated to his schooling. Did I mention he made the deans list again this semester..4th time in a row!
Christopher really likes Carter/Burgess and the great thing is that they are putting an office in the east valley...where we live now. The commute would stink for the time being but I would love to stay in this area!

Friday we celebrated our 5 year anniversary. We decided it was time to purchase a new camera and we did just that. A little pricey but definitely worth it. We got a canon Powershot S3.....fabulous camera, takes pictures immediately, and the quality is perfect. I think I will be really happy with this camera. I liked my little Sony Powershot, but the screen blacked out on us about 2 or 3 months ago and when we called Sony to see if could be fixed, 1. it was going to cost about the same as the camera was worth and 2. they had a recall for a certain model of their powershots but of course our model wasn't included in that recall, even though the symptoms were exactly the same, Sony said they couldn't do anything because they hadn't tested our model and it could be something we did to the camera!! Chris told Sony he was going to throw the camera in the trash and buy a canon...we didn't throw our sony away but we did buy a canon! :) It isn't hard to believe that we have been married 5 years..it actually feels longer than that..in a good way, mostly because we have been togther since I was 16...10 years...now thats a long time! We went to dinner with Audrey and Derek to this steakhouse out in Queen Creek....really fun atmosphere with big fire pits you can roast marshmellows in and a live band. We had a great time with them and came home smelling like a campfire. What else could you ask for on your anniversary! We have really gotten to be good friends with Audrey and Derek and really enjoy their company. Elodie and Ryanna get along so well and thats fun too.

Saturday we took our car in to get the brakes looked at. We knew they needed some help..Chris had changed the brake pads twice and they still squeeked...recently they started grinding...serious problems...which we knew since we just paid our car off in October! So around 10am Chris dropped me and Elodie off at the mall and he took the car in and walked to the mall. We did some shopping, ate lunch at BJ's, and went to see "Happy Feet"..finally used that gift card we got last Christmas from the Schneiders. 6 hours later, a 1 mile walk back to the brake place (we didn't know it was THAT far-but the walk was nice,good thing we had the stroller) and $650 our car has new brake everything and is as good as new. We knew it was bad and was in need of a good makeover. Thankfully we had the money in savings. Although, I tdon't know which is worse..having the money and having to dip into savings (BLAH!) or not having the money and stressing out about how you are going to pay off that huge credit card debt. I will take option A....even though it stinks that we had to dip into savings.

This next week is going to be crazy...can you believe the last week before Christmas! Only a few more things to get for Elodie and Christopher....a few books and a chair for Elodie and stocking stuffers for Christopher.
All of my christmas cards and newsletters have been mailed. Making all my holiday treats this week and we will be heading up to Snowflake Christmas day!!

Long Time No Cake....

I haven't made a cake since October's wedding cake so I was really excited when I was asked to make the bridal shower cake for Chris' cousin Randa. I think it turned out really cute and everyone loved the way it looked and tasted....what more could you ask for...a few more cake orders would be nice since I'm asking! I'm not doing the wedding cake but I was happy to help out with the bridal shower.

In other news, I can't believe it is December! Christopher's last day of school is tomorrow and his last final is next Tuesday!!! This semester has gone by super fast...no complaints on this end that is for sure! This will be a much needed break from school and he won't go back until the end of January...VERY NICE!!
We are slowly getting ready for the holidays, we put our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving and it's been so fun to see Elodie's reaction to the Christmas season...hopefully this year she won't scream bloody murder when she gets her picture taken with Santa. We've done some christmas shopping..I love our method because even though nothing is a surprise, it's so fun to shop together.

Chris is getting me a sewing machine and some Stampin' Up markers I've had my eye on forever! Really excited about that....since both of my gifts are pretty expensive my shopping is pretty much done.

Chris on the other hand is alittle harder to shop for! He really wants a $1500 laptop but since that is way out of our budget we took the more practical route: new shoes, clothes, a dvd burner, and I'll surprise him with a few other things under the tree and in his stocking! The stockings are the funnest part because those end up being our only real surprises!
Elodie has been so fun to shop for this year. She LOVES Strawberry Shortcake and anything Princess and it's been really hard not to buy everything of both of those things. She has been asking for a pink bike forever so as soon as we got our Christmas Bonus we went and got it for her....it's hiding in the storage closet as I type. I also got her some christmas pj's, clothes, a couple of books and a Strawberry Shortcake DVD and MEGA coloring book. Good Christmas!! We are super excited to see her face Christmas morning when the bike is under the tree with a huge bow on it!
It's going to be really fun and will only get more fun as the years pass. I see how parents can go overboard for their kids! It's the season!!