A Christmas Quiz, To Get Me Blogging...Again!

Time to jump on the blogging bandwagon again. My friend Abby had this cute Christmas quiz on her blog and so I borrowed it from her. Enjoy...and you should totally post it on your blog too!!

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? I love me a good hot chocolate. Not too sweet and not too rich. I like it creamy with marshmallows.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? When I was younger and Santa came to my house he only wrapped a few things and we would find them on the couch. Now that I have a family of my own, Santa wraps everything and puts it on the couch with our stocking.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I love white lights. In my house and on my house. There is just something peaceful and calming about their glow.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. My parents used to have a mistletoe decoration that they would hang up, but no mistletoe in this house.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Thanksgiving night. I always feel like a little kid setting up the tree!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Only one?! Let's see...I love a good ham and potato dinner. I know that's not one dish, but whatever.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Sleeping in sleeping bags with my siblings in one of our rooms. We would stay up all night talking about what we thought Santa was going to bring us.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was in 5th grade. Too old you think? My friends started telling me there was no Santa and so I remember asking my mom and told her to tell me the truth. Sad day...I still sort of believe though. I love that magical feeling!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We did when I was younger and still do now. We get to open Christmas jammies and sometimes a movie or game to watch or play that night.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? White lights, red and gold ornaments with a handful of others. We buy an ornament every year and we have started buying our boys one too.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I love it! I don't like being cold or driving in it, but I still love it!

12. Can you ice skate? Yep. Haven't been in forever but I can.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My favorite was from Santa one year. It was my first porcelain doll and her name was Amanda. Still have it and cherish it to this day.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Definitely eating good food with no guilt and spending time with friends and family.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I love a warm piece of apple pie with lots of cool whip on top.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Buying the boys a new Christmas book each year. Having Christmas Eve dinner, just the 4 of us. Going out to Justin's grandparents house in Eureka on Christmas Day. His grandpa is the funniest guy I know and we always have a great time with them.

17. What tops your tree? The past 5 years it has been a gold star. But it crapped out this year so while we were out Black Friday shopping we picked up a red and gold Santa that lights up.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving- It is so fun to figure out what to buy for everyone, then to wait for their reaction when they open it. I have a hard time keeping it a secret though. Like I said, I turn into a little kid this time of year! It has also been neat this year to explain to Jaxon about giving to those less fortunate.

19. Candy canes: yuck or yummy? I like them in almost all flavors.

20. Favorite Christmas show? The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Elf, A Christmas Story, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. I remember watching most of these growing up. I do love the classics too. Rudolph, Frosty, Santa is Coming to Town, etc.

21. Saddest Christmas song? Is there one? Strange...

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Again, only one?! I will admit that I love Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. I also like listening to Kenny G (don't judge me). I listened to those growing up. I have recently come to love Michael Buble and Josh Groban. I like the Trans Siberian Orchestra too. (I don't know if I even spelled that right, and sorry, but I am too lazy to look it up.)
Leave me a comment if you post it to your blog so I can check it out!

Finally...

I finally got blogger figured out...thank goodness! I was getting a tad frustrated. Anyway, I am back and that's all that matters. We have had a busy summer playing at the pool, going to a Bees baseball game, eating lots of yummy summer food, and playing in the sun! I have so much I need to blog about, all in good time I guess. This weekend is the 24th of July, always a good time! We are lighting fireworks on Sunday, and going to the parade on Monday. Should be a fun weekend! Hope you all have a great weekend as well!

What Is Going On?

Ok I am having some serious blogger issues! I want to change around the colors and fonts but when I go to the template designer it says that an error occured. Not sure if I am doing something wrong or if I need to report this to blogger. Any ideas?

Day 14 of 30

Day 14: Someone who fascinates you and why

This is Sandra Lee. She is an author and host of a Food Network show, Semi Homemade. It is one of my favorites on the Food network. She fascinates me because of what she has been through and what she has become because of it. Here is the condensed version of her story. She is the oldest of I think 4 siblings. Her mom raised them alone and also suffered from depression. This made it hard for her to function as a 'normal' mom, taking care of her kids and house and keeping a job. There were a lot of days that she would just lay on the couch and watch tv. So Sandra had to step up to take care of herself and siblings, as well as pay the bills, do laundry, prepare meals, etc. She was only about 7 or 8 when this all started. In her book she said there were times when she didn't know where her next meal would come from. So, fast forward to her college years and she developed the idea of cooking the semi homemade way. "70% store bought ingredients and 30% fresh ingredients give you easy, fast, delicious meals that you can make in minutes." There were a lot of publishers that told her this idea of cookbook would never sell...they were wrong! She now has many, many cookbooks, a memoir that she wrote, and her tv show that has been on air for about 6 years.
I just think she is amazing because there were many times in her life that she could have just thrown her hands in the air and said "forget it!" Instead she chose to persevere and look at what her hard work and dedication has made of her! She is such an inspiration to me!

Day 13 of 30

Day 13: Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous and you find attractive

Brad Paisley

Tony Stewart

Gordon Ramsay

Trace Atkins

Blake Shelton





Quite the list right? We have 3 country music artists, a world famous chef, and a Nascar champion driver. Apparently I like guys with accents, deep voices, and kind of have a cocky, 'bad ass' (pardon the language) attitude.

It's kind of funny, cause even though my hubby can't sing (at least professionally), he is very similar to these guys. He wants to be a Nascar driver when he grows up and he definitely has the cocky attitude. Interesting...

I'm Bored, Already

So here we are, the first day of summer vacation, and I am pretty sure Jaxon has told me "I'm bored" about a thousand times today. If this is the way the next 3 months are going to be...oh man!! Never mind the fact that he has a playroom full of toys, or a closet full of movies, or his own personal library full of books. Nope, none of that is any fun cause he is bored. So to fix this problem we decided to plan out our summer with 5 different themed days for the week. Here is what we came up with:*Movie Monday
*Crafty Tuesday
*Where can we go Wednesday
*Treat time Thursday
*Fun Fact Friday
So every Monday we will watch a movie together. Every Tuesday we will make a craft. I have every Wednesday off so we will go on some type of adventure. Every Thursday we will make some type of treat, and every Friday we will learn about something. We are also going to work on learning to read and know our sight words, continue practicing our writing, and do some worksheet pages out of his workbook each day. Our library does a summer reading program and we are going to be participating in that as well. We also have 9 days of swimming lessons at the beginning of June too. I think after reading this list of activities this kid isn't going to be saying "I'm bored". I am going to try my best to blog about our fun filled summer. What do you all have planned for the summer?

Day 12 of 30

Day 12: Your highs and lows of the past year

The highs:
*Giving birth to a perfect, healthy little boy
*Paid off quite a bit of debt
*Pretty healthy family for the most part (more on that later)

The lows:
*My kids getting bigger and bigger every day (it's a good thing but makes this mama sad!)
*I really can't think of much else, I can honestly say that this last year has been one of our best yet!

Day 11 of 30

Day 11: Somewhere you would like to move or visit

This is on my 'bucket list', to visit Hawaii. I want to go and spend about 10-12 days of sight seeing and laying in the sun on the beach. Aaaahhh!

ABC of Me

I totally copied this from my friend Abby's blog. I thought it looked like fun, enjoy!
Age: 28
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the bathrooms (especially the toilets), washing dishes
D. Dogs: My Chihuahua, Harley (he is the cutest thing ever and makes me laugh every day!)
E. Essential start to your day: A few minutes of quiet
F. Favorite color: Pink
G. Gold or Silver: Gold when it comes to diamonds, silver for most anything else
H. Height: 5'0
I. Instruments you play: None  :(
J. Job title: Mom, Office Manager
K. Kids: One 4.5 year old and a 1 year old
L. Live: Payson (West Mountain), Utah
M. Mother's name: Brenda
N. Nicknames: Sometimes my mom calls me Mandy, and my dad used to call me Mandy Pandy

O. Overnight hospital stays: 3 - One for heart surgery in 7th grade, one for giving birth to Jaxon and one for giving birth to Anthony (the last 2 were the best!)

P. Pet peeve: When people run late, when there isn't a 'plan' for something, judgemental people

Q. Quote from a movie:

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings: I'm the oldest, then a younger sister and a younger brother

T. Time you wake up: 7 a.m.

U. Underwear: Victoria's Secret

V. Vegetable you hate: Cauliflower

W. What makes you run late: Getting two boys ready 

X. X-Rays you've had: One when I broke my foot in 5th grade

Y. Yummy food that you make:

Z. Zoo animal: Hippo

Day 10 of 30

Day 10: Bullet your whole day

Ok, I'm back. We have made it through the first birthday and Easter and now life has settled down...a bit. Try to contain yourself when reading the events of my day...it's sooo exciting!! :)

*Woke up at 7:30 a.m. (wanted to sleep longer but the boys did not...they won)
*Made breakfast for the boys and myself
*Hubby got home from working a graveyard
*Ate breakfast while visiting with hubby, looked at Facebook (look at me multi task!)
*Hubby went to bed, I got ready for the day
*Opened my office at 9:00 a.m. (I work from home)
*My mom came over at 10:15 a.m. to watch Anthony
*Emptied the dishwasher
*Went to school with Jaxon from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (thank goodness for preschool teachers...those kids wear me out!)
*Came home and ate lunch with my mom and Jaxon
*Walked outside for an hour
*My mom left and I got the mail
*Looked at Facebook, e-mail and blogs
*Tried to fix our DVD player that Anthony broke
*Hubby woke up, came down and tried to fix DVD player...no success, thank you Anthony
*Visited with hubby
*Closed office
*Hubby ate dinner while I got him a lunch together
*Got the hubby out the door for another graveyard (the last one for the month, YAY!!)
*Fixed Anthony dinner, I ate with him
*Fixed Jaxon dinner
*Bathed Anthony and made a To Do list for tomorrow (I have a hard time functioning with out them)
*Got Anthony lotioned up and in jammies, mmmm he smells good!
*Played with the boys, read books
*Helped Jaxon with his preschool workbook
*Cleaned up the playroom with the boys
*Put Anthony to bed
*Hung out with Jaxon, did this post
*The rest of the night will probably be watching Sprout with Jaxon til he goes to sleep then catching up on my DVR'd shows, then head up to bed around 11:00 p.m.

In the midst of all this excitement I also changed diapers, let the dog outside, and worked in the office. Told ya it would be exciting!!

Day 9 of 30

Day 9: Put your ipod on shuffle, first 10 songs to come up

Please don't judge me...I don't own an ipod, nor do I want to. It's something I would never use and honestly I am a bit technologically challenged. They kind of scare me. So, I guess I am skipping this post since I am with out and ipod. Again, please don't judge me!!

Day 8 of 30

I am already lagging behind by 3 days on this challenge. Is that why it is called a challenge? For me I guess it is! So, because it's my blog and I can if I want, I am going to do the 3 days that I missed today. Here goes!

Day 8: Something You Miss

Lately something I miss is my sister and her family. Especially since she just had this new baby. That is the only downfall of her hubby being in the military is they move around a lot and it is hard to be able to see them. Family is really important to me and I love when all the family is together. My siblings and I are all so different, it amazes me that we all came from the same parents, but they are mine and I love them. However, on a side note, rumor has it my sis and her fam are planning a trip out here in the fall of next year, so I am looking forward to that!

A New Member To The Fam

Not to my fam, but to my sister's fam. She had their 3rd baby boy this morning at 4:16 a.m. He was 5 days over due (she doesn't like being induced...crazy!!) and weighed in at 9.5lbs and was 20.5" long. He looks just like his brothers! I wish I lived closer to them so I could go visit and snuggle that babe. They live in Hawaii right now, her hubby is in the army and that is where they are stationed for the next 2.5ish years. Anyway, just wanted to share!!

Day 7 of 30

Day 7: Bible Verse

I don't think I have a favorite bible verse. I honestly haven't read enough of the bible to have one. Religion has been on my mind a lot the last year or so, and I have found myself questioning what I really believe and what I think is good for me and my family in our life right now. We have some friends that are so great when it comes to this matter and have helped us so much. They have answered a lot of questions and have given us a lot to think about. I might blog more about this later on when more things come about, but for now that is all I have to say.

Day 6 of 30

Day 6: A place you have travelled to

Beautiful picture huh? Yep, I have seen it in real life. It is no where extravagant, but it is beautiful. St. Pete Beach Florida. It's on the gulf and it is an awesome place to vacation. Justin, Jaxon & I went there to visit Justin's grandparents in the summer of 2008. We stayed for about 10 days and it was awesome. The water was warm, the weather was perfect, and the sunsets are beautiful. We had so much fun and can't wait to go back!

Day 5 of 30

Day 5: A picture of something that makes you happy

These boys seriously make me happy every day. Even on the days that are not so great. They still find some way to make me happy and smile. Having these two boys around has really taught me what life is all about. I love watching them grow and see their little personalities shine.

This cute little dog makes me happy too. He is our 'honeymoon baby' (we brought him home on our way home from our honeymoon) and seriously he is just like one of our kids. He sleeps in between Justin & I at night, hogs the couch during the day and will growl at you if you try to move him, loves to go with us in the car and likes to eat up the crumbs left in the high chair from Anthony. He is so spoiled and I don't think he knows how good he has it. I love it at night after I get the boys in bed he jumps up on my lap and snuggles with me. I love the fact that he is so loyal and protective of me and that I can do no wrong in his eyes. 

Day 4 of 30

Day 4: A song to match your mood

Right now in life I would have to pick Martina McBride's 'Blessed' song to match how I feel. I am so lucky to have the life I do, with a loving hubby and wonderful, healthy kids.

I get kissed by the sun each morning
Put my feet on a hardwood floor
I get to hear my children laughing
Down the hall through the bedroom door
Sometimes I sit on my front porch swing
Just soaking up the day
I think to myself, I think to myself
This world is a beautiful place

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

Across a crowded room
I know you know what I'm thinking
By the way I look at you
And when we're lying in the quiet
And no words have to be said
I think to myself, I think to myself
This love is a beautiful gift

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

When I'm singing my kids to sleep
When I feel you holding me
I know

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

Day 3 of 30

Day 3: Your parents

These are my parental units, Mark & Brenda. They are the people that raised me, so if I have any flaws it's their fault. :) No, really, these people are pretty cool. They raised me to be a strong, independant, smart, hard working kind of gal. These two always have my back and always have my best interest in mind. I don't think I could have asked for better parents...and they couldn't have asked for a better daughter. :)

(Just want to put it out there that I really am not a snob like this post makes me sound!) 

Day 2 of 30

So I should have done Day 2 of 30 yesterday, but it was a busy day of errand running so you get Day 2 and Day 3 today. Lucky you!
Day 2: Your first love:
Ironically my first love was a guy named Justin. Yeah that is my husbands name...only he is not the same Justin that was my first love. This Justin is from Spanish Fork and is about 4 years older than me. (My Justin is from Price and is 6 1/2 years older than me.) We thought each other was 'it' and he gave me a promise ring. This happened my Sophomore year of high school, you know, back when I knew everything about everything. So the summer after that year of school he went to boot camp for the National Guard and I 'waited' for him to get back. I flew out to Missouri with his family to watch him graduate from basic training and couldn't wait for him to come home. Then when he got home I realized that he wasn't the same person he was when he left and I broke it off. Good thing I did cause then I wouldn't have my Justin now. Young love is a funny thing. You think you are in love, but really you aren't. Looking at how I love my husband now and how I 'loved' that guy then, is two totally different things. The feelings couldn't be more opposite. However, all things happen for a reason and I feel like you have to learn from past experiences.

Day 1 of 30

Day 1: A recent picture of yourself, introduction and 15 random facts about yourself

Hi! I am Amanda and this is Day 1 of my 30 Day Challenge. I am supposed to introduce myself and then list 15 random facts about myself. I have a super hot husband and two of the cutest boys around. I also have a super cute Chihuahua named Harley who is also like one of my boys. I love chocolate, mexican food and Pepsi. Is there more to life? I think not. Ok, enough about me, lets get on to the 15 facts. (I was just thinking...why do you have to introduce yourself when you are also going to list 15 facts about yourself? Just wondering.)

1. I never wanted to get married or have kids. So glad I met my hubby and decided to change my mind about that!

2. I am DEATHLY afraid of heights. I am pretty sure my 4 year old is more brave than I am.

3. I had heart surgery in 8th grade.

4. I am afraid of the dark.

5. I LOVE country music, and that's pretty much all I listen to.

6. A bubble bath and a good book is my 'go to' to unwind.

7. I am addicted to the Food Network.

8. I am a major coupon clipper/bargain shopper.

9. I have never met my father or mother inlaw.

 10. I order the same thing at each restaurant 99% of the time.

11. I am a recent Jazz basketball/Nascar fan. (Never saw that one coming!)

12. I love entertaining and having people over to my home.

13. I used to be a make up artist for a cosmetic company.

14. I have to have a plan for each day.

15. I absolutely HATE cleaning bathrooms.

I'm Jumping On The Band Wagon

So I have decided that maybe if I try this fun 30 Day Challenge that some friends of mine are doing that maybe it will help me be better about blogging more. I think it's an accountability thing. Here is how it will go:
Day 1: Introduction, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts
Day 2: Your first love
Day 3: Your parents
Day 4: A song to match your mood
Day 5: A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 6: A place you've travelled to
Day 7: Bible verse
Day 8: Something you miss
Day 9: Put your ipod on shuffle, first 10 songs that come up
Day 10: Bullet your whole day
Day 11: Somewhere you would like to move or visit
Day 12: Your highs and lows of this past year
Day 13: Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous and you find attractive
Day 14: Someone who fascinates you and why
Day 15: A photo of something you ate today
Day 16: A letter to someone who has hurt you lately
Day 17: A youtube video
Day 18: A photo of you ten years ago
Day 19: Your favorite quote
Day 20: A regret you have
Day 21: Explain how you got your scars
Day 22: Talk about the cuteness of your pet
Day 23: The last thing that made you cry
Day 24: Talk about the last random act of kindness you encountered
Day 25: Ten things you want to do before you die
Day 26: How do you think others view you
Day 27: Picture of your family
Day 28: Your favorite musician and why
Day 29: A photo of you as a child
Day 30: Something you learned (if anything) about yourself in the last 30 days
Since I am typing this from a different computer I will have to do my Day 1 later on today. I know you can't wait!

Stuff

We really are still alive. I still love looking at all of your blogs, but have a rough time keeping mine updated. Rather than bore you with playing catch up for the past 3 months, we will just start where we are now. I have to say, (knock on wood) life is pretty good right now. We are all healthy and happy, can we really ask for anything more? We are itching for Spring to get here so we can spend more time outside getting our wiggles out.
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Am I excited? No not really. This is one holiday I could care less about. Not that I don't love being loved or having my hubby or others show it, but seriously my life would be just fine with out Valentine's Day. I always tell Justin, why spend money on gifts and a date for Valentine's Day when we could save that money and spend it on our anniversary. Jaxon has had fun with Valentine's this year though. He picked out Spiderman valentine cards to give to the kids in his pre-school class, and he and I made red velvet cupcakes. P.S. I felt really old buying my son his first box of valentine cards. The only thing Justin and I usually do for each other is buy a card. This year for some reason I was totally off my game and procrastinated buying him a card. So, after he went to work tonight I sat down and wrote him a letter. I think that is much better than a store bought card anyway.
So anywho, that is the excitement at our house...I know terribly exciting right?! I am seriously going to try to be better at this blogging thing, you all are making me look bad! :)