The BOY that hates the camera...

I got that Dan-0 boy (left) to smile...yay!!!

Big feat for this ole' mom...he cringes when I

get out the camera...but I told him that his

sis, Anna, wanted to see the new shirt she

sent him...so why not get ALL the kids!

This was Sunday morning before meeting.

Way to go Bro...love the smile...a real one!

I heard Daniel say to Derek..."Now watch,

Mom is going put these on her Blog"...

ha ha, sorry boys!

Derek headed out to gas up the new RZR. Has the new
doors on it now with the new AZ flag. It's so much
fun and a real SMOOTH ride...grandpa even went out
in it today and had a ball! :-)

Hugs are the Best! (Or so they say)...

Facts:
Stimulation by touch is absolutely necessary for physical and emotional well-being.

Touch is used to relieve pain, depression, and anxiety; to enhance a child's development and IQ; and to nurture premature babies.

Hugging strengthens the immune system, reduces stress, assists sleep, lowers blood pressure, and is an antidote to depression.

Hugging bolsters a patient's will to live, dispels loneliness, eases fear, opens doors to buried feelings, builds self-esteem, fosters altruism, and imparts feelings of belonging.

Hugging offers a wholesome alternative to promiscuity, alcohol, and drugs.

People need four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance, and 12 for growth.

So take action. Hug the people you care about today. Hug them in the morning, hug them to say hello, hug them because they bring you happiness, hug them to say good-bye, bug them to say "I love you," hug them to show compassion, hug them if they are sad, hug them if they are hurting, hug them because they did something incredible, or hug them just because.

Challenge yourself and your friends to keep track of how many hugs you gave or received today.

Notice how you feel at the end of your day of hugging.

Malia This and That...

The above two pictures are Malia modeling

the new sweater that Anna got for her at

Christmas Time from Banana Republic.

Its a nice color on her too.

And Yes...the obligatory WORK OUTFIT

pictures that mother's think they need to

take of their "young uns" as they set out

to work...Malia began working at

Papa Murphy's a couple week ago.

Smile and Eat-up!

Papa Murphy's makes great pizza!

BOYS WILL BE BOYS!!!

The boys were not happy campers when I went out

to take their picture...they said: "Now watch, mom

is going to go and post it on her BLOG"...

Yuppers Boys...you know me..ha ha

Found Derek and Daniel just sitting in the NEW

Razr we traded in on the Prowler that was giving

us so many problems. They think it is just the

coolest and so they were just in the garage

sitting and talking in it! Silly Boys!

Came home recently to find Daniel slupring up

the meal he had just made and was so "proud"

of...French Toast, Country Fried Potatoes and

a microwave egg. Notice the 'healthy' can of

Mountain Dew sitting with it!!! Ugh. Like I

say..."boys will be boys!" ha ha

Some of these tickled my "funny bone"

"Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is"

"I wonder if cops ever get ticked-off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit"

"They really should put warning labels on asparagus. It took me 30 years to figure out that asparagus was the reason why I would nearly faint at the smell of my own pee on rare occasion. Now I eat 3 bundles of the stuff the night before I go in for my annual pee test with my doctor."

"I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes".

"I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring in my groceries".

"I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger".

"I wish Google Maps, MapQuest and Car Navigations had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option."

"Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong".

"How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?"

"LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say."

"Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you're supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk".

"MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood."

"Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my music/movie collection again."

"I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger."

"The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish typing a text message."

"I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my vaten page research paper that I swear I did NOT make any changes to".

"Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in ...(10 seconds lapse)...ummmm... Goonies."

"Is it just me or do high school girls dress more provocative every year?"

"There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to fall after leaning your chair back a little too far."

"I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water."

"Why is it that while driving, if you see a banana peel in the road you instinctively swerve to avoid it?"

"Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died."

"Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem."

"I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring... (Hello? Hello? darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Throw the phone as far as you could and ran away?"

"The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a gluttonous cow before dinner."

"Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what to do with it."

"Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, and pinning the tail on the donkey...but I'd bet my last dollar that everyone can find and push the SNOOZE button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!"

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT...

1. LIFE ISN'T FAIR, BUT IT'S STILL GOOD.
2. WHEN IN DOUBT, JUST TAKE THE NEXT SMALL STEP.
3. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WASTE TIME HATING ANYONE...
4.YOUR JOB WON'T TAKE CARE OF YOU WHEN YOU ARE SICK. YOUR FRIENDS AND
PARENTS WILL, STAY IN TOUCH.
5. PAY OFF YOUR CREDIT CARDS EVERY MONTH.
6. YOU DON'T HAVE TO WIN EVERY ARGUMENT. AGREE TO DISAGREE...
7. CRY WITH SOMEONE. IT'S MORE HEALING THAN CRYING ALONE.
8. IT'S O.K. TO GET ANGRY WITH GOD. HE CAN TAKE IT.
9. SAVE FOR RETIREMENT STARTING WITH YOUR FIRST PAYCHECK.
10. WHEN IT COMES TO CHOCOLATE, RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.
11. MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR PAST SO IT WON'T SCREW UP THE PRESENT.
12. IT'S O.K. TO LET YOUR CHILDREN SEE YOU CRY.
13. DON'T COMPARE YOUR LIFE TO OTHERS. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEIR
JOURNEY IS ALL ABOUT.
14. IF A RELATIONSHIP HAS TO BE A SECRET, YOU SHOULDN'T BE IN IT.
15. EVERYTHING CAN CHANGE IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. BUT DON'T WORRY; GOD
NEVER BLINKS.
16. TAKE A DEEP BREATH, IT CALMS THE MIND.
17. GET RID OF ANYTHING THAT ISN'T USEFUL, BEAUTIFUL OR JOYFUL.
18. WHATEVER DOESN'T KILL YOU REALLY DOES MAKE YOU STRONGER...
19. IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO HAVE A HAPPY CHILDHOOD. BUT THE SECOND ONE IS
UP TO YOU AND NO ONE ELSE.
20. WHEN IT COMES TO GOING AFTER WHAT YOU LOVE IN LIFE, DON'T TAKE NO FOR
AN ANSWER.
21. BURN THE CANDLES, USE THE NICE SHEETS, WEAR THE FANCY LINGERIE. DON'T
SAVE IT FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION. TODAY IS SPECIAL.
22. OVER PREPARE, THEN GO WITH THE FLOW.
23. BE ECCENTRIC NOW...DON'T WAIT FOR OLD AGE TO WEAR PURPLE.
24. THE MOST IMPORTANT SEX ORGAN IS THE BRAIN.
25. NO ONE IS IN CHARGE OF YOUR HAPPINESS BUT YOU.
26. FRAME EVERY SO-CALLED DISASTER WITH THESE WORDS. "IN FIVE YEARS, WILL
THIS MATTER?"
27. ALWAYS CHOOSE LIFE.
28. FORGIVE EVERYONE EVERYTHING.
29. WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF YOU IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
30. TIME HEALS ALMOST EVERYTHING. GIVE TIME TIME.
31. HOWEVER GOOD OR BAD A SITUATION IS, IT WILL CHANGE.
32. DON'T TAKE YOURSELF SO SERIOUSLY, NO ONE ELSE DOES.
33. BELIEVE IN MIRACLES.
34. GOD LOVES YOU BECAUSE OF WHO GOD IS, NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING YOU
DID OR DIDN'T DO.
35. DON'T AUDIT LIFE. SHOW UP AND MAKE THE MOST OF IT NOW.
36. GROWING OLD BEATS THE ALTERNATIVE---DYING YOUNG.
37. YOUR CHILDREN GET ONLY ONE CHILDHOOD.
38. ALL THAT TRULY MATTERS IN THE END IS THAT YOU LOVED.
39. GET OUTSIDE EVERY DAY. MIRACLES ARE WAITING EVERYWHERE...
40. IF WE ALL THREW OUR PROBLEMS IN A PILE AND SAW EVERYONE ELSE'S, WE'D
GRAB OURS BACK IN A MINUTE.
41. ENVY IS A WASTE OF TIME. YOU ALREADY HAVE ALL YOU NEED.
42. THE BEST IS YET TO COME.
43. NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL, GET UP, DRESS UP AND SHOW UP.
44. YIELD.
45. "LIFE ISN'T TIED WITH A BOW, BUT IT IS STILL A GIFT."

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!

Tom & I hiked at Sara Park today. We love this hike.

Today we went about 5 1/2 miles. It was an absolutely

beautiful day. We hiked out to "Balanced Rock" point.

You can see by the picture below why it's called balanced

rock.

Self-Portrait out at the point. Set the camera on a boat

tie-up. Tom thought it was kinda dumb and we had to

squint in the sun...anyway, I love to squint in the sun

on December 17th and nearly 70 degrees!!!

Balanced Rock @ Lake Havasu


My knee brace pulled me through and I was happy as I
was a bit apprehensive since my knees have been giving
me grief lately. But just recently they've felt a little better
so thought I'd give it a try. Yay!!! It worked real fine!!!

Cookie Time

Malia pressed and frosted Spritz Cookies.

She had this great idea of making cookies to give out to
friends...I've done it plenty of times in past years and so
I seconded the motion and away we went...spent two
afternoons (evenings too) making, cooking, baking,
packaging, cleaning, etc. etc. Finished this evening
and so now we can start giving them away tomorrow.
(That's the fun part...well, yes, it's fun making them too)
but have to admit, I have an "achy, breaky" back at the
moment...too much kitchen time today, I guess!
I also made a new recipe this afternoon called:
"Mushroom, Beef, Lasagne"
(sounded interesting as I was trying to stay away
from a tomato sauce for mom's diverticulitis). We
will try it out tomorrow as we are having guests
over for lunch!

No-Bake cookies
(Tom & Daniel's favorite)

Almond Bark, Peanut Butter Blossoms

and Chocolate Haystacks...

Cookie Time - The finished Products!

They're finally finished...Yay!!! Lots of fun, but lots of work!

L. to R.

Oatmeal Cluster Cookies (No-Bake),

Soda Cracker Bars (like almond roca), Almond Bark,

Chocolate Haystacks, Peanut-Butter Blossoms

and Spritz (Butter Cookies).

The finished products!

Tom Got a Sweet Ride

Kirk & Mary are in town a few days, and

Kirk came this afternoon for a little visit.

You can hear his little "rumbler" coming

down the road from a long way...It's got

a ton of power and is one of his "fun" cars.

Tom was happy to get a little ride in it.

Tootle Lou!!!

It's Winter-Time...

December always sneaks up on me before

I'm really ready for it...and it happened again!

But, I pulled out all my winter stuff...(I'm

partial to snowmen!)

On the entry table at the front door entrance.

The framed snowmen is a card that Lori painted.


I did a "new" effect on this picture just for fun...

On the dining room table...

Very festive and fun!

"Let it Snow" seems like an oxymoron here in Lake

Havasu...as you know, it never snows here, but just

the thought of it sounds cozy! :-)

Another little tea-light holder.

Received this card the other day from Karen.

It's just sooo cute...guess cuz it's a snowman!

I love the little pom pom on his hat!

Mesmerizing Morning Sky

The other morning I went out to get the newspaper

out of the driveway and was greeted by this awesome

morning sky...I just stood there and stared, then I woke

up enough to decide I needed to go get my camera.

Caught it just in time...

Our Neighbors New Fiberglass Pool

Pools are very common in Lake Havasu, however, like ours

its NOT fiberglass and is "poured/built on sight", but

our neighbors got a new pool "installed" on Friday and

it comes in one piece. I've seen them IN the ground

but never being put in, thought it was interesting, so

took pictures of them unloading it from the truck

then the crane lifting it off and over to the huge hole

that was dug last week. They seemed to dig enough dirt

out of the ground to build a whole basement UNDER the

house, (good thing theres an empty lot next door)

but it was just enough to add

this pool and a hot tub!

Of course, just because it's IN the ground, there's still LOTS

of work to be done before it actually becomes useable as a

pool and hot tub.

Crane lifting it off the semi.


Swinging it around to get to the back yard. It was a
super windy day. Thought that might cause some issues,
just made it cold is all.



Look out, comin' through...







Its getting closer...

Down it comes...

It's fitting just fine into the big hole...

It's in...

Then the Hot Tub came...it was much easier and

quicker since it's much smaller...

Oh, the things that excite us "country bumpkins"...

Our Annual Christmas Parade of Lights

The Dixie Belle Led the Parade

This one's my favorite...they have it every year.

Theres many more boats but I'm only posting a

handfull!

The Lighthouse Club

Snoopy and the gang...

Classic car and trailer....

Zane...this one's for you...

Malia and I went down to the channel to watch

the annual boat parade of lights this year. We

go every year, but it was extremely cold...we

even dressed warm, with gloves, hats, boots, etc.

but we left with numb toes and fingers.

Since I Ranted in my ealier blog, this

is a blog to RAVE about the beautiful job

all these people did on their boats.

My camera really doesn't take very good

MOVING night photos but I did

get what I could, and the Starbucks

in hand helped to keep the chills at bay!

This was also at the Parade of Lights,

however, it was on LAND and not on

the water!

Can I RANT for a minute???

O.K. my rant is about parents that name their new baby a name that is incredibly dumb or just NOT FAIR? Why is this...a poor innocent, sweet little baby with a name given that they have no say over and it's pretty much forever (unless the child hates it so much that they go to all the effort to have it changed on their own) but in the meantime, for how many years they have to put up with kids (or even adults) making fun of their names...

Every Sunday our Arizona newspaper puts the "NEW ARRIVALS" listing them by first, all the girls, their parents names, the newborns' name and their weight. Yay! I always have fun reading this and seeing what people name their children. Today just seemed so unfair for some of these sweet little newborns...

There is listed under 'daughters' normal names like: (First and middle names included):
Grace Kathleen, Mia Lourdes, Sage Marie Spence, Rylee Jane, Peyton Leigh, Chrissa Sueann, Aliviah Nicole, Romina Elizabeth, Paige Brooklynne,
And 'sons' like: Garrett Edward, Garrett Dale, Brent Hamilton, James Johnathan, Franco Santiago Castanedo, Kaden Michael, and William Edward...

Then there's poor little Summer Julie Escobar (born in the Fall)...but Summer isn't t-h-a-t bad, but what about poor Romina Mu, or Monica Nevaeh Unique Lee and poor little Skye Raye Light. How many people are going to say, uh what....Oh, Skye, you give such a beautiful Light or Sky Light, you're much cuter than the sky light in my bathroom, or say she decided to go with her middle name instead so there won't be so many jokes and that doesn't even work, Raye of Light....why didn't the parents put "OF" in there as a middle name? And Son, Xander Ryder Comer (actually Xander is kind of cute) but the name doesn't exactly flow, he might be in 6th grade before he can say his name, and poor "Jose Guadalupe Maldonado" may learn to spell his name by 6th grade!

OK, enough of the ranting...I feel better now that I got that off my chest!