the constants of today...

a full day of rain...hanging with the girls...missing Blake while on a mini tour with A&A...cuddling with a blankie...diarrhea (yes that's a constant...all day... I'm human what can I say. Yes, in case you didn't know- girls poop too). Shocker, I know.

I love little things...

When I was first introduced to the Kimball family back in 2002- I was able to see a spectacle that is rare...a full on miniature Christmas Snow Village- I'm not just talking a few little houses...I'm talking about 30+ houses including people, cars, trees, lights...a kids absolute dream to look at (which of course includes me too).

I absolutely LOVE little things so my mom-in-law has started a tradition to give me a new Snow Village piece every Christmas. I bought a few extras for Christmas the first year, so now I've got 11 big pieces.

Introducing: Long Haul Truck Stop

Jonathan's Bear Carving Studio
Gus's Drive In (ironically that was my grandpa's name and my 1st piece!)
The Frozen Swirl- everybody loves a good cone!
The Dr. of Snow Village

Habitat for Humanity- yes, even a service project made it to my village!
A lovely victorian home...love the brick, stained glass and Santa's sleigh!
Even the Snow Village needs a pet store...they don't have a Humane Society quite yet!
Even the WT get involved in decorating! Love it!
The camping, hiking and fishing crew! Love those pop-up campers!
Timberlake Outfitters- for all of your canoeing pleasures!
My newest piece- Mighty Fine BBQ Pit. Man I love BBQ!

Here's the big picture...I am going to start needing more tables!
Hope you enjoyed the tour around Snow Village...come back again now, ya hear? (That was in my southern accent...not sure why, because Snow Village really more reminds me of Colorado or Utah...but I guess it could be Texas or something too right?!!)

Tagged...again...

I know Jaime came into blogging a bit later than me (or I, I should say)...but I've been tagged again...and I'm trying to branch out more so here goes...

the rules of tag...
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

Some (not so) interesting facts about me...

1. I have never thrown up in my life. Weird, I know...I wish my steel stomach was as such on the outside.

2. I have a vein in the shape of a heart on my right bicep, my name means "to be loved" and I was conceived on Valentine's Day. LOVE sweet Love.

3. I still laugh when people toot. pass gas. fart. cut the cheese...whatever you want to call it...it still makes me laugh and crinkle my nose. And I am 29. Did I mention I am still childlike?

4. I... like Jaime...love the elipsis...(the 3 dots). They are beautiful as three and break up words better than a space...or a period...punctuation that takes a short runner up...the EX!CLAM!A!TION! M!A!R!K!!!!!!!!!!

5. I love finding new things online through blogs...many times I will have clicked through so many websites I can't remember how I got there in the first place. I have to admit I like getting lost in the WWW sometimes. It's funny when I buy stuff online and couldn't even begin to remember where I got it. I need to be better at bookmarking!

People I'm tagging: Cicily, Jill, Ashley, Natalie, & Cami!

Disneyland day 2- Friday...

Friday I wasn't obsessed with getting to the park right when it opened since I knew lines would be much longer since it was a Friday...so we got there at about 1pm...and ate at TB BEFORE we got there so we didn't go broke from Disneyland prices.

My new hat...don't worry- I won't be wearing it out in public (or probably even the privacy of my own bedroom), but I really liked the blinky lights on the ears...And the fact that they embroidered my name on it for **FREE** (a real treat at Disneyland since everything else costs an arm/leg/first born)...Why didn't someone tell me my part was so crooked?? ...and that adults shouldn't wear pigtails.

My hat and the poster matched so I had to be lame and document that.

When Blake acts like a "goof" he really creates my favorite photos. This is what you call a hard guy that doesn't act like he's the hardest...or the most indie.
Typical Disney pic...I've still never ridden the train in the background...to save my little feetsies!
Jells and Jaxman sporting Pluto and Goofy.



Took a ride on Storybook Land...never been on that before...it was the perfect interim for "my feet hurt so effin bad I need to sit for a good 10 minutes"! Plus we got there right when the afternoon parade ended (while they had it shut down) so we got right on when it reopened!
It was like pulling teeth getting Blake into this sleigh. Wish I woulda taken the ears off. I could photoshop it right?
This is Blake's attempt to make fun of me for taking so many pictures...ha, I showed him. See that hand pose...trying to be SO condescending!
Went on the canoe ride...actually paddled...it wasn't really a ride- we did all the work. Now my arms, feet AND butt hurt. Is Disneyland supposed to be this painful? Oh wait, I forgot...it is supposed to help you burn off the Churro and orange Fanta you just had...and that ice cream cone you ate 2 hours ago.
Blake getting physical. He really did want to punch me in the face for making him take so many pics and go on lame rides of my choice.
The Haunted Mansion was all decked out as the "Nightmare Before Christmas". Still haven't seen that movie (this Christmas I will for sure), but the decor looked awesome!
You can also see how soaked Blake got when we went on Splash Mountain...He thought he'd keep from getting wet by standing up after going down that big hill...you can see his theory to stay dry failed...lucky for me I was sitting right behind him and stayed pretty dry.

Blake was freezing by about 6 pm so I made him buy a California Adventure sweatshirt. He was so mad at me for making him buy it. He is such a shirt nazi since he can get most items wholesale through work...dropping 45 bones really hacked him. But he looked cute and I can wear it when he decides he's too indie or too hard for it. Blake had had enough of Disneyland so left with Jaime and the boys at 7pm.

Chels and I decided to stay late into the evening to ride some other rides we liked or hadn't gotten to go on...so first we hit up Big Thunder Mountain Railroad...crazy enough my camera fell out of my pocket sometime on the ride- I didn't realize until a few minutes after we got off the ride that it fell out so we went back to where you exit the ride to see if it had gotten turned in. The worker said we'd wait until the train came back in...crazy enough when the train pulled in Chelsea saw a guy hold up my camera and was about to put it in his bag (what a chump) when I exclaimed "THANK YOU FOR FINDING MY CAMERA!!" I think I caught him off guard when I grabbed the camera out of his hands. I want to give this guy the benefit of the doubt that he was just going to go turn it in to Lost & Found like a saint...but I really think he was thinking how awesome a new digital camera was sounding. Whatever...glad I got my camera back. I got kinda paranoid so left it in my bag the rest of the night!

We then headed back to California Adventure to fast pass California Screamin' and go over to see the rest of the park we'd never explored before. We had some time to chew so we rode the Maliboomer and Mulholland Madness. Not for the light hearted...they took our breath away... you know how you get when you're so scared you can't even scream...you kinda let out this breathy sort of laugh? My throat was killing by the end of the night... but I love the thrill. Of course we had to get in one more ride on the Tower of Terror... you know you are getting chucked when your necklace that gently rests in between your boosoms hits you in the forehead when the "elevator" drops. SHEESH.

We wanted to catch two of our favorite rides before we left for the night so went back over to Disneyland and rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds (my favorite). That abominable snowman scares me EVERY time! It was cool because the fireworks display was going as we were on the ride so we caught some glimpses of some great fireworks!

We saved the best ride for last... Space Mountain (Chels and my other favorite). We also figured out they stopped doing Fast Passes so we had to wait a whole 40 minutes...even with sore knees, legs and feet...it was totally worth the wait. I love the rush! Man, I love Disneyland!!

The happiest place on earth...

All clad in Christmas stuff! Beautiful!

So...the good thing is that I still love being a kid, even though I am now 29. So here's the rundown on Disneyland yesterday... first we hit up California Adventure...

First we rode Soarin' over California (man, this ride is legit) The smells...the air. WOW! Then we actually got Blake to ride the Tower of Terror (even through his fear of elevators)...ran into Sully on the way over...then went to California Screamin' roller coaster- loved it. It was pretty hot out and Blake begged to go on Grizzly Rapids- Chelsea, Nate and I were smart and decided to skip that ride while Blake and Pops went...they got soaked. Glad we skipped it. I hate being wet in jeans.

Hopping over to Disneyland was a blast. We hit up the Mad Hatter's hat shop- posed for some pics..

Then joined Jax, Jaime, Parker and the parents in Toon Town to run around the little "big" things...

Mickey's garden was quite impressive...

then we split off from the kiddos and Nate (my bro), Chelsea, Blake and I rode the Matterhorn- love that Abominable Snowman (scares me every time)! We also hit up Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (Nate smoked us all in points), we could even email pics of ourselves after the ride for free!then went on the improved Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Jungle Tours, Big Thunder Railroad, then hit up Space Mountain one more time before leaving!

They just happened to be taping a live session of Dancing With The Stars at Disneyland- but I haven't really been watching it- and didn't want to try to beat the crowds, so we lost interest pretty fast. The greatest part about going to Disneyland on a Thursday in the winter is the fact that the longest we had to wait to get on a ride was about 15 minutes. It was great! I highly recommend going in the middle of the week when there aren't any holidays- it made the experience so much better. And also, my feet really hurt last night, but are feeling pretty good today- we will be dealing with bigger crowds today- but at least we got in all the big rides we really wanted to go on yesterday!

My birthday was lovely...Thanks all for your lovely wishes, emails, blog comments, and phone messages!

Right now I can hear a heartbeat in my feet... they are throbbing...let's just start from the beginning....

Blake and I drove out to California (Newport Beach) to celebrate my birthday and to give thanks for the condo (timeshare) Blake's grandpa let us use while we are here. We left on Wednesday (my bday) and got to our condo in the afternoon. We enjoyed a lovely game of chess down by the pools...then had a lovely (yet VERY noisy) dinner at 9:30 pm at Yardhouse- yes I was so tired by the time we got back from dinner that I could barely eat any cake. It was a delicious chocolate cake, and was so nice of my nephew to help me blow out ALL of the candles...yes there were many...I received a beautiful array of gifts from the family- my wish list proved to be successful (Thank you Sarah for the recommendation to do that) My Christmas & indie music collection is growing, my perfume collection is growing, and my cute book collection is growing. Thank you so much. My brother Nate lives in North Hollywood and came down for dinner and hung out with us all day today doing what anyone on the planet who is really a natural "child" would love to do....Disneyland, baby.

I will blog tomorrow(land) about today (adventureland). I am so tired that my eyes are seeing Mickey ears, stars from Space Mountain, and the giant Sully (Monsters, Inc.). Plus I've had a cold the last few days and between screaming and laughing from all of the rides, my throat is burning and getting quite hoarse. I LOVE the happiest place on earth!

New Laptop...

So for my bday present Blake was kind enough to let me get a new laptop since my other one died...I love my new one...new keys...shiny screen...no baggage- it's all for me.

Yes...it's a Toshiba and it's lovely. It's got all the bells and whistles...but some neat things include: Label Flash, 200 GB hard drive, DVD SuperMulti optical drive AMD Turion 64x2 Dual-Core Processor, etc. I know... they aren't as cool as iEverything for Macs, but I had a long think and decided having a Mac wasn't worth my sanity this year...it's already been hard enough as it is. Many of you would say "but Macs are the simplest and easiest things to use on the planet!" however I beg to differ... I (somehow) find ways to break Macs or click something I shouldn't be clicking...then BAM....it doesn't work=hours on the phone with tech support or sitting at the Apple store at the genius bar for WAY too long. This is the beginning of a lovely relationship.

these nails....

In my attempt to be the girliest I've ever been in my life and in the new revival of my fingernails I have done this...

I know...don't I look like a whole new person? Ha. I realize these nails look really short still, but I've never had nails this long in my entire life- underneath that polish there is probably 2-3 mm of whites on the end of the nail. A little miracle in my life. Plus I am lapping up the satisfaction of being able to tap my fingernails on any hard service- yes, I pretty much tap it on any and every hard surface... it no longer makes the "thud" sound of my nubbins...it makes a perfectly chipper "clickity click click". I know...it doesn't take much to impress or entertain me.

I'd like to publicly thank "Stop the Bite" for helping me achieve my lifelong goal of no longer biting my fingernails. Quite an accomplishment. My next feat will be "Stop the Binging". Maybe I'll start that in January. sheesh.

Breaking points...

Last night in class (Special Ed and Behavior Issues) we discussed some important points regarding our ideal classroom behavior and how to reinforce that behavior. We also discussed behaviors we detest from students and what we do as parents/teachers to reinforce negative behavior. Now since I'm not a parent and not a teacher (yet) I thought I'd share what others in the class shared as well as myself...

1) Ideal student behaviors in the classroom- respectful to others and self, honest, organized, accountable for own actions, come to class wanting and expecting to learn, positive, open-minded.

2) How to reinforce ideal behaviors- verbal praise, positive expressions and body language, rewards through stickers, extra "personal time", treasure chest, one-on-one time with teacher, contacting parents by phone/letter to give praise.

3) Behaviors I detest in the classroom- interrupting others by talking or distracting movements, disrespectful/talking back, whining, tattling, swearing, name calling, jeopardizing safety.

4) What we do to reinforce negative behavior- raise voice, assume a situation without getting full detail of incident (based off of previous behavior), put our hand on our hip, slam things around, roll eyes, grunt (humf) or exhail loudly, interrupt or shush with hand.

And my final item to look at would be... What is your breaking point when kids/students push your buttons? How do you keep your cool? We all have tendencies to snap in certain situations. Kids know when they are misbehaving- why do they do this? Usually they misbehave because they aren't getting the attention they personally need or are not getting personally fulfilled. The teacher brought up the point that in order for us to be happy educators we must think about those tough situations and how we could remain under control so we didn't do something that might jeopardize our teaching career.

How can we as parents/aunts/teachers in the home keep happy and allow a positive environment in the home so that behavior issues don't happen at school?

The teacher also brought up a good point that we expect kids to sit still for much of the day, however teachers can get up and down at their leisure- but kids get punished if they aren't sitting still. Same goes for the house- we all need time to stretch, move and get our blood flowing. Why do we condemn kids for having energy? Don't we just need to give them options for movement and participation? You tell me...

My handiness...

So, on occasion when time presents itself (which isn't too often) I take the opportunity to use the sewing machine Blake got me a few years ago for my birthday. It is the most basic of machines (which is really good for my ADD-ness) and I actually am very relaxed when sewing. I had about 10 items that had been sitting in my "to fix" pile for about a year so I decided that Tuesday night was just as good as any to tackle that project. I spent about 2 hours fixing things AND even replaced a zipper in a skirt (which I had never before done). What really sucked was the fact that after I spent that long replacing the zipper I tried on the skirt and lets just say it was on the verge of being too small. Guess that Whopper Jr. put my butt over the edge. Sheesh.

After finishing 8 of my 10 "to fix" items, I wanted to work on a project since I had gotten this REALLY cool fabric (imported from Japan) about a month ago and was trying to figure out what I might make out of it... and since they cut fabric in "fat quarters" (20" x 22") and is rather expensive I wanted to make something reasonable- so I made a snuggly. That's just what I call a "mini" blanket for kids or toddlers. It's not big enough to lay on or be completely covered- just big enough to snuggle or nuzzle up to. The material on the back is SO soft- some kind of chenille, now I'm wishing I made an entire blanket just for me.

This little snuggly will go to a good home- my friend Kelly is having a baby boy in January- so I know it'll go to good use! Congrats Kelly! 

The Secret Garden...

In staying with the garden theme I decided when I planted a garden I would read a classic story that my parents used to read to my brothers and sister and I when we were little. I loved "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I am amazed at this work since it was done in 1911...that was almost 100 yrs ago- it's such a weird thought. I finished the book a few weeks ago but I just wanted to add a few excerpts that were beautiful and very real things for me at the moment...

"One of the new things people began to find out in the last century was that thoughts-just mere thoughts-are as powerful as electric batteries-as good for one as sunlight is, or as bad for one as poison. To let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body. If you let it stay there after it has got in you may never get over it as long as you live. So long as Mistress Mary's mind was full of disagreeable thoughts about her dislikes and sour opinions of people and her determination not to be pleased by or interested in
anything, she was a yellow-faced, sickly, bored and wretched child. Circumstances, however, were very kind to her, though she was not at all aware of it. They began to push her about for her
own good. When her mind gradually filled itself with robins, and moorland cottages crowded with children, with queer crabbed old gardeners and common little Yorkshire housemaids, with springtime and with secret gardens coming alive day by day, there was no more room left for the disagreeable thoughts which affected her liver and her digestion and made her yellow and
tired."

I just see so much of myself in this...mostly in my quiet moments when I have time to think and drown in self-pity. But when I see all of the miracles around me and remember that things could be much worse I am thankful to be me...thankful for every moment I have to reflect on what life is all about...the beauty of what surrounds my life...a garden that grows, friends and family who genuinely care about me, the opportunity to get an education, to be capable to hold a job and to be married to one of the most spectacular people on this earth.

Little Ms Mandy...how does your garden grow??

So, snow peas...my new favorite. It is any "trying to be a gardener but kill everything"'s best friend. My peas have grown from this on November 1st....

To this on November 10th! 

 They are just lovely. As I've been tending to them I've realized how much I love the little curly locks that grow from the stems- as I've been training them to go up the trellis I have felt a twinge of guilt when I split the plants apart that have chosen to link their curly locks together. Don't they know I am splitting them up to help them grown skyward? I know it's for their own good... but will they revolt like my plants of the past and wither up and die? I hope not. I can't take the rejection... these are my babies for now.

My husband, the entrepreneur...

When Blake gets obsessed about something, he gets REALLY obsessed- usually in a good way. Like being the main contact with our insurance company regarding the condo toilet flooding fiasco. Bless he sweet soul. Who knows if I could really worry about ONE more thing. I am being tested...that is for effing sure.

However, in light of obsessiveness Blake in the mean time has figured out how to unlock the iphone so that people can use it, even if they don't have AT&T phone carrier. He is such a smarty. He's already sold 2 phones in 2 days- I am so proud. He says "I'm an entrepreneur!" I envy his techiness. I'm still learning how to download songs off of the internet.

My new Crocies...

So I know it's lame to be excited about plastic shoes...but my feet are in heaven. This is my 4th pair but I've branched out from the Mary Jane Croc to the Relief Croc. The reason I got the new Crocs was because we are going to Disneyland next week- which was the reason I got plantar fasciitis in the first place 2 yrs ago (partially because I gained some poundage too). My MJs are comfortable, but the Reliefs have more heel and arch support- just what I needed. Hopefully I won't be laid out like I was from 2 days of Disneyland 2 yrs ago. I'm thinking positive.

PS- I don't have those little jewel things that you put in the holes on the tops- they're so childish. ;) Not to mention lame. But seriously, whoever thought of it is a genius- and a millionaire.

NOT my hardest flick...

Ok...so I know this post may disappoint some- but really, it's all about what I think, so here goes...Blake and I saw Pan's Labyrinth (yes it was rated "R"ighteous) over the weekend and let me just say a few words...

1) Way too much gore- pretty unnecessary actually

2) Did they really say the eff word in 1945 in Spain?

3) I've already had nightmares about the guy with the hand eyes (yeah I know, I'm still a little kid)

4) Thank goodness we got it on netflix cuz I had to fastforward it about 4 times due to graphic violence and the chase scenes (I get REALLY queasy with gore, and being chased in a narrow hallway is my WORST nightmare!)

5) What was the final outcome? I don't want to spoil the ending but I don't get it! It just seemed strangely put together.



I'll give it creative and I didn't even mind it having Spanish subtitles. I especially loved the little girl- as an actress she was phenomenal... I just feel like something was missing- like they didn't finish the story or give more details on the idea of the Labyrinth. Did someone catch something I missed? Maybe I missed it in my tiny fast forwarding bouts or when I was closing my eyes...and ears!

Input jack jacked...

Well, Saturday was my niece Indianna's birthday...we had a totally fantastic time...however I am dealing with a devastating moment. All of the pics from the party were downloaded onto my computer and deleted off of the memory card.

My laptop has had some issues with the input jack and getting a full battery charge. We've had to get it re-soldered about 5 times and the last time we took it in the guy said the computer may be trash if it breaks again. Well, it broke again, and I'm trying to get the info pulled out, but still trying to get in contact with the IT guy to do it. So, in the mean time I am FLIPPING out about losing all of my school work, pictures, music, etc. I will DIE if I lose it all! So, WHEN (note- the positive vibe) I get all of my stuff restored I will be including her birthday party pics. The good thing is that I backed up my hard drive, but it was WAY back in January! So much has gone into my computer since then!

Please pray for me! Yes, prayer is appropriate in this case as my sanity could be on the line!

Carving Pumpkins...

I absolutely LOVE carving pumpkins...I decided to get creative this year!

I love scooping the goop...

making pretty toppers...

These aren't scary pumpkins!!

Carving with a pattern is hard too...I mean, look at the cat's left ear- It has elephantitis!

A cute typical Jack-O-Lantern done by Blake

And just to start the season off right, in honor of the Phx Suns...

I actually DID design and carve this one...

Hope you had a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! We actually stayed home and handed out candy for the first time since we've been married and it was so much fun! We actually ran out of candy! We loved seeing all of the costumes...the kids were so cute!

* Oh and a little shout out to my cousin Tracy- Happy Birthday!!*