My morning did not go well.
I stayed up way too late to finish a book, so I woke up really tired.
I was able to get the umph to do dishes and fold a load of clean clothes from the dryer, but the clean clothes really need to be put away in their respective closets and dressers. Realizing this I looked around to discover that on a whole, my house is a mess. It was just clean (on Thanksgiving) but now is really bad.
The only bra I can find to wear has a wire poking out of it which hurts, but it's all I can find.
My knees hurt from playing volleyball last night.
To sum up, I am feeling pretty lame.
Then, as I am looking at the boys pictures on the fridge (in a daze, mind you, while trying to think of what I am supposed to be doing, not because I am admiring them) and I notice something.
See if you can figure it out. It will be a game. First one to get it gets a prize. (sorry for the quality...I had to take pictures of the pictures, not enough time to scan them).

Another Reason to Love the Internet...

Do you remember these? I was online looking for some fairy tale videos because we are comparing fairy tales and folk tales in school. I came across these videos. These were part of the Rocky and Bullwinkle show and a time of life when I didn't have TV. Every now and again we could get one station with antennae and after school we could watch Rocky & Bullwinkle and Scooby Doo. These are so cute and the kids in my school have loved watching some of them. Again, the internet is amazing!

In the hectic-ness of the season, the little things have to bring comfort.

*I love my library. It is cozy and I am surrounded by books. It is one of my favorite places to be!

*this show. I discovered it last week and totally love it. It's hard to find on TV because it is a syndicated show, but check it out sometime. It's just such a nice diversion!

*last night Carter and I made more cinnamon rolls. It's what I am giving out as gifts for people I work with and Carter & Max's teachers.

*last year Scott bought me this candle for Christmas. I loved it, but kind of forgot about it over the summer. I rediscovered it a week ago and now I need a new one. I love the scent!

*I am almost done with the books for the cookie swap, my contribution for the cookie swap and my Christmas cards!

All in all things are moving along quickly and wonderfully!

Tis the season

This December is going to move so fast that it will be hard to catch my breath! Here's a run down of what is going on at the Warnell's and for me specifically.

*Scott is going to the funeral for the slain police officers in Washington on Tuesday. I tear up just thinking of the magnitude of that funeral. Only once have I gone to a funeral of a police officer killed while still a police officer (that was this summer, but he actually died of cancer). They are moving services, but I cannot even imagine what this one will be like.

*I am getting together with some friends next Sunday to make pans of cinnamon rolls for gifts. I am going to pass these out to all of the school people I should give gifts to as well as the boy's teachers. So I need to make 7 pans. I think I am going to have to make a batch outside of the one I do with my friends. Maybe on Sunday...

*I found this recipe and I really want to try it. I love that relish from Harry & David mixed with cream cheese, but with no Harry & David close by I wonder if this would be an acceptable substitute.

*I need to start getting us packed for the trip!! I am doing a pretty good job making the plans for when we are in California, but still need to get us packed and ready to go!

*I adore this show and am doing my best to get caught up from the first season. The guy who plays the Seeker is darling, darling I say!!

*I am planning to chill out (although it's hard to when I look at the list that needs to be done) so that when our trip comes I am ready to just enjoy!

*And I need to finish our Christmas cards and the recipe books for the annual cookie swap that I attend (and am hosting this year). Oh yeah, and the shopping ofr the food I am responsible for at the same party!!

*One step at a time!

Random

This is hysterical!

I tried this tonight. It did not turn out. I am going to try again because I have an idea for our annual cookie exchange to package four of these in a bag, and peppermint marshmallows in a bag and give them together with a cute label. DARLING!

Christmas Video of the Week!

These guys have been doing a concert on PBS that Scott and I saw a bit of yesterday morning. They are AWESOME!

Thanks!

Okay, there is soooo much I am thankful for, like all the basics, family, friends, home, food, etc...

Tonight I am thankful for TV and our Wii. I bought us Super Mario Bros. and all four of us played together for an hour tonight, it was fun and Super Mario Bros. is as much fun as I remember it!

I am thankful for this recipe. Let's just call them Idiot Proof Cinnamon Rolls. I know because I really tried to mess them up! I started out by halving the dough, but I didn't, I accidentally put the full amount of milk in, so then as I was adding the flour I had to add more vegetable oil, sugar and another packet of yeast. At this point I was quite certain that I had totally screwed them up, but low and behold, the dough did rise! Then we rolled them out and they looked horrible, all flat and floppy, but again those little buggers surprised me and baked fine and pretty! Now I am waiting for them to cool a bit so I can eat one!

I am thankful for coffee on Saturday mornings with my friend Nicole. We used to walk, but along the way we switched to just having coffee. I do think we need to go back to walking, but maybe not until spring.

I am really grateful for the fact that when I look through holiday magazines and catalogs I can smile and think I don't have to decorate or cook because we are going on vacation!! But, I am getting a lot of ideas for next year!

And, I am super thankful for all of you!

New Percy Jackson Trailer...

Okay, regardless of how much this does or does not follow the book, it looks like an awesome movie!

Early Monday Morning

Sometimes your eyes pop open and you just can't get them to shut again.

So, while I am awake I will entertain you with my review of New Moon. I saw it twice this weekend. It was so much better than Twilight. Better directed, better acted, more money spent on effects, all around much better. I also felt it was very true to the books. Still don't love Kristen Stewart as Bella, but I am not sure I could like any actress as Bella because I just dislike that character so much. And Jacob was great. Jacob and Bella have such a good friendship that I actually had to wonder why she would pick Edward. Don't get me wrong, I love Edward, but seeing it played out on the screen gave me pause. There is almost no "joy" to Edward and Bella's relationship. It just seems like such a bother to them to have this love. It bogs them down rather than lifts them up and that's how it is in the books until the fourth one. But, I took a friend who hasn't read the books and she said she'd was more attracted to Edward by far.

So, well done. I know I will, but there is part of me that thinks I won't go to Eclipse because that was the least favorite of the books for me because it was when I really started to dislike Bella. I am not sure I want to go watch that dislike manifest itself on the screen.

I am not sure I will be able to get to sleep yet...

My Library Problem

I read a lot of websites and blogs about books. My "to-read" shelf on Good Reads has over 100 books on it. My Amazon wish list has 48 and my holds list at my public library has 14. I also have 28 books checked out from my public library (and a bunch from my own library). There is overlap on all of these but the point I am getting at is there is too much out there. Sometimes I put books on hold from my library and then cannot even recall what the book was supposed to be about when I go to pick it up. But then, there are days like today. Four of the books I got are ones I am so excited to read:

Peter and the Sword of Mercy by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Z-Rex by Stephen Cole
The Doom Machine by Mark Teague
School of Fear by Gitty Daneshavri

I hope I get them through Christmas vacation because I barely have time for most of them with all I have already checked out, but that is the beauty of a library--you can renew and turn in and re-check out. And you can read what you feel like reading!

Wanna See Her?

Click here to see pictures of Carter's like. She's the one with the long hair and braces.

This weekend I became hooked on the TV show Sons of Anarchy. It's on FX and is about a motorcycle gang. Sometimes I like really inappropriate shows, but all I can say is that because I live my life a certain way I am fascinated by shows about things that I would never do or just wrong. (Weeds, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, etc...) Anyway, I am very much into Sons of Anarchy. It rocks!

On Saturday as I was packing Scott and Carter up for their jaunt to Missoula Carter did or said something that caused me to say, very loudly, "Ohhhh..." and from the kitchen I heard Max add "MG." (as in OMG). I giggled all weekend over that.

Weekend Goals

This is going to be big....

1) finish All The Lovely Bad Ones (a book I am reading). done!
2) finish typing all recipes for cookie swap cook book. done!
3) finish the covers for said books. done!
4) finish my Christmas cards.--mostly done, a few left.

Carter starts his traveling basketball season by going to Florence for a tournament tomorrow. Max will be at a friend's for a birthday party and I have to work at the Summit at 10pm on Saturday, so, I will not be going to to the basketball tournament. But, I will have a few hours to myself while Max is at his birthday party!

I Love....

the smell of bubble gum on scratch and sniff stuff, like bookmarks and stickers. It reminds me of being a kid.

I think a kid came into my library yesterday while I was out and stole my cookies!

Also, I started working on my Christmas cards yesterday. I am not super excited about them, but they will do.

Really?

I know this sounds kind of lame, but I actually like it when I wake up and my hair is standing up all over the place. It means I slept really good.

So, someone told me I wasn't updating as much. It is true, I could give you all the basics excuses, but mostly it's because I do not have as much inspiration lately. I am thinking that as things get closer to Christmas that will change. The funny thing is I am spending as much time as ever on the computer! But today I will show you these SUPER cool cards I made. Now that I have done a couple (and wrote down all the measurements) I am going to sit down and just make a bunch without the sayings so I can throw them together at the last minute. This one is a condolence card for a friend of my mom's whose mom died.

This is the outside--made with colored vellum so you can see the hint of patterned paper on the inside. The front can say anything ...I also made a birthday one that just said happy birthday. The inside is a white card with a piece of patterned paper glued to the front. The saying is on the inside of the white card. Aren't the awesome?

It's Waxing

Yesterday I emailed a friend about coming to New Moon with a group of us. She went to Twilight with me (almost against her will because she hasn't read any of the books and when I told her it was a movie about vampires I had to do some fancy talking to get her to come along) and I told her she'd have to come to the sequel. So the email I sent her said this, "mark it down…New Moon, November 22, 2pm." This was her response, "Why do I care about the new moon?" That totally cracked me up! So for anyone that wants to come along, New Moon on Nov. 22 at 2pm.

Remember the 80's

I am going to read Andre Agassi's memoir Open. It sounds really good and I loved Andre in the 80's (remember?).

Creative Me

My very good friends Kwyn and Danika play varsity volleyball for Flathead. This week they had an intense play off game versus Helena Capital. I made them these for good luck! It must of worked because they won and are going to state! Now what should I make them for state?