Today I met Jason at a local business to take him a computer fan from his supplies. He needed it in order to fix one of the pc’s he takes care of on the side. The fan ended up not being able to fit, so he disassembled it and made it so he could get the gal’s pc up and running for now.
Tonight was our salon holiday party. We met at the Club House, which used to be Driver’s Sports Bar & Grill. This is the same building where I met my husband just about 5 years ago, so I have an affinity for this place. We were missing two of our hair stylists, but those of us who showed up had a pretty good time.
Today I read my sister Suzee’s comment from day 350 in regards to not even having any nibbles out of this guy. So I figured that tonight was as good a time as any to have at him. Well, he is not as tasty as his looks would lead you to believe. In fact, he is gross. So I broke his leg off just for the heck of it and turned his smile upside down.
I know that it’s only 2 days after Christmas, but I took down the tree today. The main reason is that I have a whole house to pack up over the next 3 weeks. We are moving AGAIN. Only this move will put us right between the middle school and the high school. I really am looking forward to it.
As I was vacuuming the upstairs, I happened to notice the dust on the bottom of our banister. Actually, I noticed the footprints IN the dust.
Olivia was the first kid to wake up. She then went and woke Samantha. After that I woke Jacob & Jared. There was no sleeping in for this bunch.
“The children were nestled all snug in their beds…”
We have all our kids for Christmas morning since Jason gets the first half of Christmas this year (his divorce decree).
This is the Christmas angel that adorns the top of our tree. Only 2 more days until Christmas is here. I can’t believe how fast this year has gone by.
The kids are out of school for 2 weeks for their winter break. Tonight I hung out with my boys in Jared’s room and watched “Anchorman” on DVD. This is Jared afterward changing the laces in his new shoes.
I put together a mini scrapbook for my boys’ Grandma Fletcher. Each page inside features a grandchild. With every scrapbook I work on, I learn new skills with Photoshop.
I took the boys to the salon with me this morning so they could get haircuts. Renee was kind enough to come in and do it on her day off. While I finished working, the two of them watched a movie on Jason’s laptop.
It’s pretty rare these days to find our whole clan under one roof. This is a picture we had taken at Suzee’s house after our Christmas brunch.
Tomorrow is my family Christmas brunch and Jason wanted to have a gift to give to everyone. He went out and bought a bunch of dice and I sewed up some bags cut from a t-shirt. We put “Farkle” iron-on transfers along with the scoring on the back. This is such a fun game and we’re glad to be able to give gifts this Christmas.
Tonight was Jacob’s JAG Initiation & Installation program. JAG stands for Jobs for Arizona Graduates and it’s one of the classes he takes at Compadre High School. He looked very handsome all dressed up in his nice, new clothes.
This is the cutest gingerbread man I’ve ever seen. He was a gift to me from a client that I worked on for my co-worker who is in Australia. The Wildflower Bread Company sure knows how to make a lovely cookie!
Oh sweet Elvis, you look so cozy under the tree. You must be glad it’s the Christmas season so you can nap under our artificial tree.
This is what it looks like when you take a picture of Christmas lights while driving. There is a great section of road down Chandler Blvd where they have wrapped all the trees and cactus down the center divided lane with white lights. It’s SO pretty (but my camera phone cannot do it justice).
The boys just got back from a weekend with their dad, and Jared had his new shoes. I was going to take him before he left for the weekend, but ran out of time. I offered to pay his dad back if he would take him over the weekend. He agreed, and here they are!
Jason has been waiting a long time for this moment. He finally bought the gun that he has saved up for. Its the Kimber Crimson Carry II, 1911 .45 pistol. See how happy he is? This is a photo of him out in the river bottom in the desert where we came to shot some beer can targets. I must confess that I have the best time with my husband!
Jason and I let the kids put all the ornaments up this year. This means that there are less on the tree than we are used to having. Tonight I practiced taking close ups with my camera.
If it’s under the tree, then it must be a gift. Elvis seems to love being under our Christmas Tree. Such a sweet present….
Tis the season for giving gifts. Today at the salon Renee modeled the newest gift given to her by one of her clients. We all agreed that it was totally “her”.
Our newest hair stylist, Evani, had an open house at the salon this past weekend. She invited other ladies that have their own businesses to come and network. Monday when I came in to set up my station, I found this bottle of wine and a scented votive candle on my station. She had given one of these to each person at the salon to thank them for the use of their stations. Thanks Evani!
Tomorrow is Samantha’s 14th birthday. Since she won’t be with us, we celebrated tonight after dinner. These kids are growing up so fast!
Since all the kids are home this weekend, I set the tree up in hopes of the whole family getting it decorated.
Today Jason and I went to the gun show in Phoenix. We couldn’t believe all the people that were in line to get in. Unfortunately they didn’t allow cameras. The only tickets available to buy were for the whole 3 day event and so we got the wrist bands that will allow us to go back on the other days. We bought some ammo for my 9mm, and later this weekend, Jason wants to go get some for the gun he plans to buy.
Today I did a full set of nails on one of my regular clients. Sheena hadn’t been able to get in recently with her busy work schedule. When she finally had time, we had to start all over. Check out that great ring! Having nails makes wearing rings so much nicer.
Our microwave has been broken since early in the year (before Easter). We’ve been using our little back up microwave that sits on the counter. Last week Jason ordered a new control panel. It came in yesterday and tonight he got it installed. I’m so happy to have my counter top back!
This month’s desktop is from Weeds & Wildflowers. I cannot believe we are already in December. It’s strange to think that I only need 30 more photos to complete my Project 365.
Elvis has been spending his nights outside. It’s not the safest place for kitties in our neighborhood as we have coyotes and owls that prey on family pets that wander the night, but this animal will not shut up. He will cry VERY loudly until we let him go outside. We like sleep. And luckily Elvis is still alive every morning and is able to spend all the daylight hours sleeping.
Elvis brought this little guy home and left him to die. I know that cats think of these things as gifts. This gift is actually OK with me. That is because yesterday morning he brought one into the house and let it free on our bed while we were still in it. You’ve never seen people move as fast as we did jumping out of that bed.
This husband of mine takes such good care of me. One of the many things he does for me is to keep my computer running at it’s best. He rebuilt it for me since I’d mentioned that it wasn’t running like it did when he first put it together for me.
While Jason was at work today, I spent the day cleaning and rearranging the loft. It’s a small space but we’ve got it filled. Not only does it house the extra couch and TV, it’s also where I have all my scrapbook stuff, my computer, 2 printers, and three other computers for the kids.
I am so thankful for these kids. We got to spend the morning with them before they went to their other parent’s homes for the Thanksgiving meal.
Today I boiled a can of sweetened condensed milk to make Caramel Sauce. I boiled it for 2.5 hours in hopes it would be thin enough to pour. I just missed it, but it was perfect for dipping apples into. If you make this, make sure to check the water level every 30 minutes or so because you always want that can covered with water. When it’s cooled, open the can and add a tsp of vanilla extract and store in a container with a lid in the fridge.
Today Jason went to the shooting range while I was at work. I am thankful for our right to bear arms in this country. I am also thankful that we were in a position to be able to buy our gun.
I am thankful for a husband that smells SO good. This is his stash of wonderful smells. He knows which one of these is my favorite and he’ll often wear it when we have a day to spend together.
As we head into the week of Thanksgiving, one of the things I am thankful for is the camera that Jason picked out and bought for me. Not only does it record our family memories, but it is another reminder of my wonderful husband and all the great things he does for me.
