It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

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We spent most of the day yesterday listening to Christmas CD’s and getting the Christmas decorations out!  I love decorating for Christmas!  Here are a few photos of our Christmas decorating efforts.  A photo of my kitchen window box, a photo of the bay window in the dining area, a shelf in the dining area, and one of the kid’s Christmas tree in the family room.  We give the kids an ornament every Christmas for ‘their’ tree.  Oh, and one more photo of Carl putting up THE BEAST!  This is our huge tree for the living room.  Each branch has to be put in individually.  It usually takes Carl all day to get the tree up and then put the lights on.  It is BEAUTIFUL once it is up, b ut a pain in the butt to put up and take down each year!  Ü

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Ali

Thanksgiving Blessings…

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Happy Thanksgiving!  It is a beautiful fall day here in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Absolutely gorgeous!  In fact we could probably eat dinner outside on the deck it is so nice!  Love it!  I hope you are all having a wonderful day today!  I just wanted to take a minute and type out a few of my blessings and things I am thankful for.

  • My Faith in God
  • My Family.  Carl and the kids!  Love them to pieces.  They make everyday worth living.
  • My Parents.  They have done so much for me and I am eternally grateful to them.  I am thankful for their health.  We had a scare with my dad earlier this year, and I am very thankful that he is here with us today.
  • My brothers.  The best you could ask for.  They would do anything for me and more. 
  • My niece Erin.  The love I have for her is unexplainable.  She is my second daughter and I would do absolutely anything for her.
  • My health.  I hope I never take it for granted.
  • My Life.  It has been awesome.  I have made so many friends and experienced so much.  I hope the next 40 years bring as much!
  • YOU!  If you read this blog, I am thankful for YOU!  Your comments inspire me and make my day.   I have met some new friends through this blog (Melissa, Denise, Rhonna & Christina to name a few)…. thanks so much!  You have all inspired me through your blogs!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  Much love and hugs!

Ali

Busy, busy, busy….

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This week has been a busy one!  Basketball season officially opened yesterday!  Tyson made both the Soph. and JV teams, so he gets to play two games in a row on game night!  Crazy!  I spent almost 6 hours in the gym on a hard bleacher watching the games (varsity also).  The Soph’s and JV both lost, but Tyson played well in both games.  He was pretty pumped with his effort.  The varsity team rocked!  They beat Cyprus by 15 points!  This should be a fun season!  We are picked to win 3A this year, and right now we are ranked 7th in the state (the highest ranked 3A team). Go BULLDOGS!

This morning we spent 2.5 hours unloading over 4000 turkey’s!  I work for an ad agency and one of our client’s, Harmons Grocery Store has a program called "Gift for a Gift".  For every turkey that is donated by one of their shoppers, Harmons will also donate one.  So all of our employees and family members help unload the turkey’s that will be added to a sack full of thanksgiving day fixin’s.  They will feed over 4000+ families this Thanksgiving.  Madi had to be at school today, but Tyson and Carl were there to help out as well.  I am so sore and tired!  Every muscle in my arms, shoulders and back ache right now. BUT, it is a small price to pay for the feeling of helping others.  I am so blessed to have a wonderful family and food on our table!  It is nice to be able to help others!

Ali

Just Because!

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I’m posting this picture…. just……because!

  • BECAUSE ~ I love this picture of Carl and I
  • BECAUSE ~ I am standing in front of Tavern On The Green in Central Park
  • BECAUSE ~ I’m carrying a "little blue bag" (My first every purchase from here)
  • BECAUSE ~ This was my virst and only visit to NYC (so far!)
  • BECAUSE ~ The memories I have of this trip make me HAPPY!
  • BECAUSE ~ Because I want to, and because I can! How’s that! Ü

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Ali

I’ve been Tagged!

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by Christina

2  Names you go by:
1. Ali/Allison

2. Hon (dh) Mom (kids)

2 parts of your heritage:
1. Danish

2. Scottish

2 Things that scare you:
1. Something bad happening to my loved ones

2. Snakes!  Ewwww!  I have chills just thinking about them!

2 of your everyday essentials:
1. email/internet access (same as everyone else)!

2. Diet Coke (can’t start the day without it)

2 Things that you are wearing right now:
1. Jeans

2. black sweater/turtleneck

2 of your favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment)
I don’t really have a favorite!  I love so many different types of music!  It’s too hard to narrow it down!

2 Favorite Songs at the Moment:
1. Sugar by Fall Out Boy (Makes me happy!)

2. Good is Good by Sheryl Crow

2 Things you want in a relationship (other than true love)
1. Security

2. Laughter

2 Truths:
1. I LOVE my family

2. I am NOT looking forward to winter/snow/cold! BRRRR!

2 Physical Things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex)
1. Sense of Humor

2. Strong Hands

2 of your Favorite Hobbies:
1. Scrapbooking

2. Reading

2 Things you want really badly
1. Financial Security

2. For my kids to grow up and be okay

2 places you want to go on vacation:
1. Anywhere tropical.  Maybe Belize….

2. Italy

2 things you want to do before you die:
1. Watch my kids become parents

2. Retire young enough and healthy enough to enjoy life!

2 ways that you are stereotypically a chick
1. I don’t like bugs, snakes, spiders, etc.

2. I have tons of products ‘just’ for my hair

2 Things that you are thinking about now:
1. Why am I eating a Fire Ball, when I don’t really even like them?

2. I gotta get out of this place, and get a new job!

2 Stores you Shop at:
1. TARGET

2. Ann Taylor Loft

2 People I would like to see take this quiz:

1.  Christina

2.  Denise

Ali

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

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St The UTAH STING won the 12 & under divison of the Desert Fall Classic over the weekend.  They went undefeated and won the championship!  What a great way to end the season!  And a great way to end their run in the 12 & under division.  Starting in January, they move up to the 14 & under division.  It will be much harder for them, being the babies of the group.  Madi had a great tournament as well.  Her pitching arm has been giving her a bit of trouble and her pitching coach thinks she may have a bit of tendonitis.  We were waiting until after this tournament to get her in to the dr.  The coaches decided not to risk further injury, so they told her that they wouldn’t pitch her unless absolutely necessary.  They didn’t need to.  The other pitcher totally stepped up and got the job done!  A relief for Madi!  Madi also got out of her hitting slump this weekend.  It seemed like every game, she was the one that got things started!  She had 2 triples, 2 ground rule doubles and several more singles!  She did awesome and we are so proud of her!  She gets to take the month of December off, except for pitching, which depends on what the dr. says.  And then we begin indoor practice in January.  Fun times! Ü

In other news…. not only did Tyson make the sophomore team, but he met with the coach one-on-one and was told that he will be playing a majority of the time on the JV team.  BONUS! 

Happy Monday everyone! 

Ali

Basketball & Softball News…

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Madi and I are heading down to St. George for the weekend.  The last softball tournament of the season. Phew!  Long season.  She has December off, and then she starts right back up in January with indoor practices.  Hopefully the weather will hold out during the weekend for us.  Should be in the mid to upper 60’s and early 70’s.  This will also be the team’s last tournament in the 12 and under division.  A division they have spent the last three years in.  They are ready to move up!  Their birthday’s are such that all of the girls but 1 have turned 13 already, so it works out pretty good!  They can all move up together as a team.

In other news….. I received a text message from Tyson around noon saying "I made it".  Referring to the basketball team.  Cool beans!  We were pretty sure that he would make it, but you really just never know!  I hope everyone has a great weekend!  Enjoy!

Tbball  Madi_and_megan_1

Ali

Are ya jealous?

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You should be!  I received this in the mail yesterday! Dwdcover AND, it came directly from Rhonna Farrer herself!  There is even a personal message written on the cover!  AND the envelope even had some cool swirls and flowers drawn on it!  Yep, I’m one lucky girl!  The book is awesome!  It was a RAK from Rhonna.  She had a contest on her blog.  She picked 3 random #’s and whoever left a comment on her blog corresponding to one of the numbers… won a RAK!  So cool!  I am just starting to digi scrap, so this came at the pefect time.  The layouts are GORGEOUS!  The whole book is GORGEOUS!  Love it! Love it!  Love it!  And Rhonna and I are neighbors even!  Who knew!  She lives 40 minutes away from me, but in this big world of scrapping and blogging, it feels like we live next store to each other, we live so close! Ü  Big thanks to Rhonna!  You made my day!  Now, if I can only figure out my Adobe Elements program!  Happy Wednesday!

Ali

Miss Madi

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Madi’s school pictures arrived today.  Yea! The retakes came out great!  We weren’t thrilled with the fact that the principal made the kids wear their school uniforms for pictures this year.  The high school has always done this, but the grade school and middle schools always got ‘free dress’ for picture day.  Kind of a bummer this year.  I think the kicker was the fact that they had to wear a tie.  The tie is reserved for Friday’s only.  When they attend Mass.  The picture turned out cute anyway.  Wish that girl o’ mine would smile bigger!  Cutie pie!

Tyson did not make the varsity basketball team.  Which we knew (and he knew) he wouldn’t.  This year’s varsity tryout was more of a "I know I’m not gonna make the varsity team this year, but take a look at me and remember me for next year"….. Ü Ü  He was back at the sophomore tryouts today.  They should have the team finalized tomorrow. 

Carl called and I HAVE MAIL!  Rhonna RAK’d me her new Designing with Digital book!  I can’t wait to play tonight!  Can’t wait to see it!

Happy Tuesday night everyone!  Oh, and here’s Madi!

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Ali