Smattering

Here is a smattering of pictures of what we've been doing for the last few weeks - besides having the flu. They're pretty self explanatory and let's face it, most of you don't really read what I write, you're all about the pictures right? So enjoy!

Chard Country Christmas Boutique!!!

For over 20 years the Chard family has shared the Christmas spirit with friends and neighbors at their annual Christmas Boutique.

This Saturday, November 28, take advantage of this one-stop Christmas shopping extravaganza!

At the boutique you'll find pictures, jewelry, headbands, wreaths, Christmas trees, flower arrangements, baked goods, dolls, bows, and much much more!

It's always a fun place to shop, visit, and share the Christmas spirit with your loved ones.

Spread the word and come enjoy the experience!

Free refreshments served all day.

Date:	Saturday, November 28, 2009
Time:	10:00am - 8:00pm
Location:	Whitear Recreation Center-- Peterson, Utah

~~That's the official ad, go if you can cause it's AWESOME!!! I'm sad and nostalgic as I think about missing out on the party that is the Chard Boutique. You won't regret it - just go.

Sodor - Mordor?

You know your life is sad when you you see the word "soder" on something and instantly you're drawn into the "Island of Sodor" from the magical Thomas the Train series. I like to think that "Sodor" is in the "Land of Make believe" and is a sweet little island our family visits far too often. Sad.

Little flu.

We've all had the flu. I would go into detail but no one wants to hear about the flu. I wrote some very "interesting" posts while under the influence of influenza (clever right?) but I thankfully didn't post them. One included being a turtle...I really don't know. Anyway, we're all feeling better - for the most part, so I thought I would give you all a taste of our little Don Juan. Check out that awesome hair. Both grandpa's should be very proud, very proud indeed.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and your Thanksgiving preparations are going swimmingly.

Kreativ Blogger

My cute friend Kim awarded me with a Kreativ Blogger award. She's so sweet - thanks Kim. I don't know how creative my blog is but it's fun and I appreciate the shout out. It's an award that you pass on so I'm passing it around to my lovely friends out there who are much more creative than I am. So here goes...

Here are the rules:
1) Copy the pretty picture and post it on your blog.
2) Thank the person that gave it to you and link to their blog.
3) Write 7 things about yourself we don't know.

Kim, you're amazing and I miss you so much! I'm really hoping that our husbands end up at the same school soon and we can be neighbors and go to the farmers market together and eat cheese and steamers every day for lunch! I wish you the best of luck with your book! And I love that you were in a pink shirt doting choir named Voxology, that's fabulous! Everyone check out her blog - she's amazing and an incredibly talented writer! You're the best!

OK...

a) My very favorite book of all time is Enders Game. I know - somewhat typical (well, I guess typical in teen males right) oh well, I love it and it's great and if you haven't read it -read it!

b) I love artichokes - they're my favorite food in the world and I could eat them all day every day. Dipped in butter with lemon juice and garlic sauce...ahhh. So yummy.

c) Because I'm the youngest of 9 kids when I was younger I would hide a lot so I wouldn't get bossed around and told to clean something or do something or sometimes just to get out of answering the phone that never stopped ringing. My favorite hiding place was in the storage room in our attic. It was always full of stuff so I would wiggle my little self through a path I had created. I would take a book and a flash light and just hide out for awhile. I still kind of do that but I just take baths now when I need to escape.

d) I am a huge America's Next Top Model junkie but I try not to tell too many people because it's totally a guilty pleasure and I should be watching something intellectual or something. I can't help it though - it's so dramatic and great and I love it.

e) M. and I met in high school and had a thing for each other all through school but neither of us did anything about it. For my birthday after I graduated he was "my present" from my friends because they invited him to my party. We've been together ever since.

f) I have a ratty old "Roy Redskins" red hoodie that I purchased 10 or 11 years ago and it's my favorite piece of clothing ever. It's threadbare and ugly and has holes I can stick my thumbs through. I love it and I wear it all the time. My mom tried to burn it once but I've managed to hang onto it. It really is very ugly.

g) My first "rock" concert was a Peter, Paul and Mary concert surrounded by hundreds of 60-ish year old drunk men. It was monumental and fabulous.

Alright, here are the rest of the rules.

4) Choose 7 other bloggers to pass the award to.
5) Link to those 7 other bloggers.

a) Mia - bring it girl, I expect some fabulous thoughts about yourself!
b) Danielle - I'm looking forward to this...
c) Marcos - tell the truth, I don't want no lyin' here MR.!
d) Hillari - I know you don't have a lot of time but you know you want to!
e) Jessica - You need to do this before your baby comes and you don't have the time or the energy!
f) Elly - You always have the cutest posts, I expect to be amazed!
g) Kendra - dear, You inspire me.

Marcela and Gabriel I am awarding you too but since your blogs are private I can't link them - but I completely expect this to be done for the two of you as well!

6) Notify your 7 bloggers.

Suggestions anyone?

So recently E. has been oober obsessed with music. We showed a few clips and I've mentioned it before but I think he's destined to be a rock star because he constantly wants to have music on and mostly knows who is singing at any given time. We recently made him a mix of some of his favorite songs and a few new ones that he has grown to love. Well, after a couple weeks of listening to this mix over and over and over and over and over (he has learned to start it over again so he doesn't need me to do it for him anymore, he can do it himself) we need another mix. Though he likes his share of kid songs he's much more into John Mayer, Mika, Paul Simon, Ben Folds and She & Him. I know it's a bit unconventional and judge away but I like that he can sing a long to some of my favorites and I don't have to endure show tunes sung by crazy old women in sequined top hats and throwing little anecdotes about dinosaurs in the songs just for fun. I just don't roll that way and apparently neither does E.
I first noticed this crazy in him when he was about 10 months and would rush to the TV in the mornings (I would usually have VH1 playing in the background) every time a Pink or John Legend song would come on. He didn't so much care about most of the other junk on there but when something great would come on he would crawl his little diapered bum in there and zone out bobbing his head.
So...if you have suggestions for songs that would go nicely on a kid-friendly but fabulous mix (I know, no play list because we're poor and don't have an ipod so we're still making mix's that we carry around with us in one of those big old CD cases from the '90's OK) please let me know.

Here is the current play list if you're interested, which you probably aren't but what the heck, I've also listed next to them E.'s name for each song:
Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams Come True ("Great Song Mama!")
Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining (Hooray)
Feist - Mushaboom (no name yet, still not so interested in this one)
Melanie Safka - Animal Crackers (thanks Kelse!) (Animal Cracker song)
She & Him - Change is Hard (Never no song)
Mika - Lollipop (Lolli-up song, "It's Mika Momma!")
Dragonette - Get Lucky (Sunshine song)
The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (something completely non-coherent, the he says "The Beatles Momma.")
Zooey Deshanel - Sugartown (Shoo shoo song)
Guster - Two at a Time (boring...Two at a Time)
Ben Folds - Gracie (Gracie)
Jack Johnson - Banana Pancakes (Pancake song, sometimes he throws in other random fruit at the beginning, Apple Pancake song, Orange Pancake song etc.)
Dave Matthews - Oh (Candy song)
Paul Simon - St. Judy's Comet (Paul Simon, all Paul Simon songs are just Paul Simon)
Mika - Stuck in the Middle (Stuck song)
The Beatles - Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Hammer Beatles)
Lenka - The Show (Want Money Back)
KT Tunstall - Black Horse and Cherry Tree (Still no name on this one either)
Guster - Keep It Together (KEEP IT TOGETHER - his favorite)

All suggestions are welcome!

My heart hurts.

Some days, especially days after you get sad news, do you ever feel like your heart hurts? Mine does. Not in a heart attack, I might die any minute kind of way but in a "My heart is broken for you" kind of way.
I'm aching today for a few people that I love and that are going through some hard times. Say a little prayer, wave your magic wand, or send some positive energy their way, whatever your mojo is they could use a little. And if you're reading this - you all know who you are - I love you and I'm thinking of you. I wish I did have a magic wand because I would wave your pain away.

Hopefully this shot of E. chillin' on our bed reading The Wizard of Oz gives you a little perk to your day.

Spooktacular Halloween

So here is the Halloween skinny. I think I've gotten pretty boring in the world of blogging as of late but here are some fun pictures of our Halloween festivities! Enjoy!

I had to put up this picture of M. cleaning out the pumpkin, you'd think he was cleaning out a garbage dump or something - he's so disgusted!Can you guess who's is who? Hmmm...any takers out there?

Are you ready for the cutest Thomas the Train you have ever seen? We went to the mall and he charmed all the cute female mall workers into giving him extra candy because he would bat his long eyelashes and say "Happy Halloween, thank you" to everyone and they would say "Aren't you the cutest Thomas in the whole world - you can have two but don't tell anyone". OK, that really only happened about twice that they gave him extra but they did all tell him he was cute, as a mom I just ate it up and kept walking - I'm sure he was the only one they said that to right?

We took E. to Barnes and Noble to play with the train table there - hours of entertainment for this kid. He loved it. He got to play with Thomas while dressed like Thomas - he was so happy!

We went to a little trunk or treat/ Halloween party that night and got our groove on - well not really, we were pretty much party poopers and just hung out by the door but E. had a blast and it was a really cute party. E. was definitely enthused and high on suckers so it made for a good night.

I hope all of you had a lovely Halloween! I love Halloween, it's such a fun holiday and it brings the feeling of winter and the coming holidays. Growing up we pulled out our billions of fake trees the day after Halloween - EVERY YEAR! I hated it growing up, I dreaded all the work. Now I'm just holding myself back from pulling out my big old fake tree and setting it up (thanks again mom and dad)! I love this time of year, cold or not I love the feeling in the air and the excitement and energy. I hope you're all enjoying it as well.