Merry Christmas to US

Christmas morning at our house was very fun. Since we don't have any little kids, we buy for each other. I must have been a good girl this year because Santa and Jon gave me the Cuisinart Blender/Food Processor that I have been drooling over for the last several months. I was so excited to get it out. I also received a new rice cooker that is also a steamer. It was also nice to receive a new cook book and a subscription to a cooking magazine. I especially love the I Love Lucy salt and pepper shaker set. My sister sure knows me well. Jon received clothes, a football game, Groundhog Day, and a math calculator which he will get alot of use out of next semester. We also got the 4th season of Lost and Guitar Hero World Tour. Plus gift cards. We were very blessed. It was a good morning for us. We also went to breakfast with Dean, Jay, and Daniele before Jay and Dean had to catch their flight to Virginia. Then Daniele, Jon, and I went to see Marley and Me. It was a very fun filled day.

Christmas With the Williams

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Dinner With the Eppich's

On Tuesday, December 23rd, we went to dinner with Jon's missionary companion Chris Eppich and his wife Lori. They are in Utah for Christmas and we get to see them at least once a year and go to dinner. Jon and Chris served their mission in the Carlsbad, California mission and they love to retell missionary stories. We always enjoy spending time with them and look forward to it every year. For dinner we went to the Market Street Grille. I had crab cakes, salad, sourdough bread, and a very yummy dessert. I stuffed myself, but it was definately worth. Food is always better in the company of people you love.

Chris and Jon

Sally, Lori, Chris, and Jon

Merry Grinchmas!!!

Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mt. Crumpit, He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it! “Pooh-Pooh to the Whos!” he was grinch-ish-ly humming. “They’re finding out now that no Christmas is coming! “They’re just waking up! I know just what they’ll do! “Their mouths will hang open a minute or two “Then the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry Boo-Hoo!
“That’s a noise, “grinned the Grinch, “That I simply MUST hear!”So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low. Then it started to grow …
But the sound wasn’t sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn’t be so! But it WAS merry! VERY!
He stared down at Who-ville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise!
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents at all! He HADN‘T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?” “It came without ribbons! It came without tags! “It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! “Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more!” (Dr. Suess, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, New York: Random House, 1957.)

Dixie's Christmas

This will be our second Christmas with Dixie. We got her last year about 6 days before Christmas. I was trying to get her to sit by the tree, but she was being difficult. So, I did the best I could. She has changed so much in the last year.

Christmas Decor

These ornaments are hand painted by my mom and she sent them to me this year for Christmas. I put pictures of our niece's and nephew's and our little dog Dixie in them. They look so cute on my tree.

Our tree is 7'5 ft and prelit. I think prelit is the best way to go. Our ornaments consist of, homemade Precious Moment's ornaments that I cross stitched our first year of marriage. Gone With the Wind ornaments. Ornaments that I made when I was in school and some homemade ornaments that my mom made when I was little. We also have a few football ornaments on there.

These are some of our Nativity scene's. I think the snowman one is kind of cute. My sister sent me the tall angel, and you can't see it, but on the bottom is a little Nativity scene. The one right next to it is an advent calendar. I made the sign in the back in Relief Society.

Happy Birthday, Jon!

Yesterday, Jon turned 33. He is an old man. But he still looks young. It snowed all day yesterday and because Jon has been sick all week we didn't do much. However, we did go to Chili's for dinner. Also, since we were asked to speak in church today, he worked on his talk all day. But, I think Jon did have a good day. We also got to spend the day with our beautiful niece, Britney and that was alot of fun. She is such a teenager. Anyway. Since everyone had plans the day of Jons birthday, we decided to have a little get together tonight with all of Jon's family. Everyone came. We had George, Ashley, Dean, Jay and Daniele and her crew. We had pie, ice cream, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Jon received socks (which he desperately needed), a trivia boardgame of The Office, a Louise Armstrong CD, and a National Geographic DVD. I think he did very well. And I'm glad that everyone could come and celebrate wth us. It was a blast!!

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Christmas List Blessing's

A friend at work emailed this to me and I thought it was really nice and touching. So, I thought I would share it with all of you.



My
Christmas List
of Blessings

My Christmas list is more
than just a way to keep track of

The special people God has brought
into my life to love.

It's like a treasured scrapbook
filled with pleasant memories

Of all the times God's answered prayer
through friends and family.


Every name's a touchstone
that leads to a place and time,

Where God has used another's heart
to reach out and touch mine.

It may have happened years ago
or even yesterday,

But every person on my list
has changed my life some way.


Through simple conversation,
a warm hug or a shared meal,

Every person on my list
has helped me grow or heal,

Or laugh or love or learn or smile. .
the blessings never end

As God allows our paths to cross
as family and friends.

So please know that this greeting
is more than a Christmas wish.

It's a "thank you" card to God
for putting on my list

Each and every one whose name
I've come to hold so dear. .

Those who've shown me Christmas joy
each day of the year.

Vicki J. Kuyper

Trees and Twilight

So, Saturday night my friend, Darcie, and I went to the Festival of Trees at the Southtowne Expo Center. It is amazing to see all the creativity and hard work that goes into these trees, especially when all the proceeds go to Primary Children's Hospital. I did have a few favorite's. There was a Missionary themed tree which reminded me of my little brother, Scott, who just returned from his mission less than a year ago. And then there were a couple of Twilight themed trees. If some of you haven't guessed already, I have a obsession with Twilight and I don't think it very healthy. But, I don't care. And yes, I have seen the movie and loved it and want to see it again. However, there were a few important parts that were left out, but because I am in love with Edward, I was able to look past those details. I can not wait for the second movie to come out. I think it will be even better.

Missionary Tree (Elder Spruce)

Twilight Large Tree

Twilight Small Tree

Thanksgiving in Las Vegas

For Thanksgiving, Jon and I took a trip to Las Vegas with Jon's family. Braden's football team was in the Pigskin Tournament for football. There were only three teams in their division, and the Grantsville Cowboy's came back with a 6' foot trophy for first place. It was pretty awesome and we are very proud of Braden and the hard work he put in to get there. We also walked the strip with George and Ashley and went to Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. It was pretty cool and we had alot of fun. It was fun spending time with our niece's and nephew who are growing up so fast. Enjoy!!!

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Four-Day Weekend Fun

Well, I decided to take another four day weekend and ended up having alot of fun. Thursday I started the morning cleaing house and working on some craft projects. I went to the salon to pamper myself and then went with Jon to a doctor's appointment. (That wasn't fun.) Then Jon and I drove out to Daniele and Troy's and grabbed Mandy for a sleepover. We had alot of fun. Of course, we had to be back in time for The Office. Couldn't miss that!! Friday, Mandy and I went to Tai Pan to do some shopping. I have never been there before, but could have easily spent a whole paycheck. We were only there for any hour, and I still didn't get through the whole store. Mandy picked out Nutcracker and, of course, Aunt Sally couldn't resist. Then we went to lunch and then to Barnese and Noble. Jon and I took her to Del Taco for dinner and she loved playing in the play land. She is so much fun and we are always grateful to Troy and Daniele for sharing their children with us.

Mandy at one of Braden's games.

On Saturday, Jon and I spent a good part of the day at the Harmon's grocery store near our house. Jon, Dean, and I took a tour of Harmon's which was very interesting. They took us on a tour of their many departments. My favorite is the cooking department where they have the neatest ccoking gadgets and appliances. There is a Cuisinart blender/food processor that I want really badly. Hopefully Santa will leave it under my Christmas tree this year. We also got to sample alot of the their produce, cheese's, deli item's, and so forth. Afterwords, we hit the gelato bar and received free sample's of gelato. Then they gave each household a bag of free groceries. It was pretty cool. I want to go again. I hope they let you do it twice.

Harmon's at Bangerter Crossing

Well, Saturday night found Jon and I at home just hanging out. Jon has been working on a research paper for his film class. The topic he chose was war films. So, we borrowed several different war movies from the library and settled in for an evening of watching war with a Hollywood touch. We watched Patton, which is a pretty graphic film even for the 1970's, when it was filmed. Since I figured I wasn't going to be doing much, I decided to work on my Primary lesson. However, Daniele called me to invite me to a movie. She wanted to go see the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, which is one I have been wanting to see. It was a toss up between James Bond and Patton, but I jumped at the chance to get out and spend some time with Daniele. It is a great movie and the company wasn't bad either. Even though there is alot of action and violence, it helps when Daniel Craig is easy on the eye's.

Go Cowboys!!!

Bradens team did it!!! They are undefeated with only 6 points scored against them the whole season. They had their last playoff game and now they are off to Las Vegas for the Pigskin Tournament.

Here are some highlights from this season.

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Neal A Maxwell

My cousin had this on her blog and I had to copy it. We are truly in the last days.

'Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.''This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.'Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened.... Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was,till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat.'Neal A. Maxwell, “A More Determined Discipleship,” Ensign, Feb 1979, 69–73. From an address delivered at Brigham Young University, 10 October 1978.

Halloween 2008

Halloween was alot of fun this year. We dressed up Dixie in a little witch's costume and she looked so cute, except she hated the hat and kept taking it off. And the cape was too long and she would keep tripping on it. So she just wore it for picture's. We had quite a few trick-or-treaters even though it rained. However, our favorite trick-or-treater's were Daniele's kids. They looked so cute and we were so happy that they stayed for a while to visit. Braden and Britney decided to hit our street and came back with loads of candy. You'll notice in the picture that Mandy isn't wearing her costume. She was an elephant but decided she didn't want to wear it anymore. We hope everyone else had a fun and safe Halloween.

Britney, Missy, Mandy, and Braden

Dixie

Cowboys Undefeated

Well, the Grantsville Cowboys have done it again. They are undefeated. They are set for the playoffs.

Braden in the huddle.

Mandy and Missy

Future football star mom, Daniele.

On Saturday, October 25th, Grantsville played Olympus and Olympus is the only team this whole season that has scored against them. All the other teams didn't have a chance to score one touchdown. . I'm glad that I got some decent pictures. We were facing the sun, so it was hard to get some good shots.

Granstville vs. Olympus

Go Cowboys!!

Sweet tackle!!!

Next stop, Las Vegas for the championship games. Awesome!!!

Dixie's Birthday

On October 23rd, our little puppy, Dixie, turned 1 year old. She is a Yorkshire Terrier, and for those who do not know what that is, think of Toto from The Wizard of OZ. It's amazing to me that we have had her for almost a year. We bought from a really good friend of mine and we were able to bring her home on December 18th. She was an early Christmas present. I had begged Jon for years to get a little dog. Since we have been unsuccessful in starting our own family, I needed a little something to love and take care of. I took matter into my own hadns and told Jon we were getting a little dog. He was reluctant at first, but as soon as he saw her, he fell in love with her. And of course, after seeing her pictures, how could you not.

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Fall is Here

On Sunday, Jon and I decided to take a trip up through Big Cottonwood Canyon to see the all the gorgeous color's and have a picnic. We had a really wonderful time. But it was kind of cold and there was some snow on the top of the mountain's. But we did get some nice pictures.

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Time Off and Fun with Missy

This past week, I only had to work 3 days which was pretty sweet. I had so much PTO left over that I had to schedule some time off. So, I decided to treat myself to a 4 day weekend. On Thursday I went to lunch with Daniele ande we went to a pub in Trolley Square. The food was really good and the company was even better. We had alot of fun visiting and eating the really yummy food. I got a sandwich that came with chips and a side of pasta salad. I couldn't even finish the food. It was way too much. I think I totally stuffed myself. After that, I kidnapped Missy for the night. She was off from school because of UEA. On Friday, we got our nails done, went shopping and went to lunch. We also had to make our traditional stop at the Dollar Store and Missy decided she needed to get some toys for Dixie. Then we came home and Dixie and Missy played for an hour. They are buddies. Here is a picture of them below.

Missy and Dixie

Thursday night, Missy and I went to the store and bought The Nightmare Before Christmas and we watched that Friday morning. That one is definately a classic.

Friday night, Jon and I went to dinner with his parents and then went to the dollar movies to watch Get Smart with Steve Carrell. I love that movie and it was funnier the second time around. However, the dollar movies has now turned into the $2 dollare movies. When I purchased our tickets, it was $4. Before we know it, will be paying full price for tickets ate the dollar movies as we do at the regular theater's, but we'll still call them the dollare movies so we can feel like we are still getting a deal for a movie that has been out for 4 or 5 months.

Now we are spending our Saturday night watching Frankenstein on tv while Jon is supposed to be doing homework. So, I guess I need to get off the laptop so he can do that. More later.

Haircuts: Careful What You Ask For

Jon's hair started getting a little long so he decided to get a haircut. Sometime's that can be a good thing and then sometime's......not so much. He got it a little short than he would have prefered. I think the stylist went a little crazy with the clipper's. I happened to be there and when I looked up from my magazine to see how close he was to getting done, I could not stop laughing. I felt bad for laughing, but I couldn't help it. Luckily, the stylist gave us the cut on the house. I think he could tell that Jon didn't exactly get the service he was expecting. The good thing is, is Jon won't have to get his hair cut for awhile.

Before

After

Scary Home Evening

Jon and Sally

For Family Home Evening on Monday night, we hooked up with George and Ashley and went to the Deseret Star Theater. If you have never gone to the Deseret Star Theater, they put ion plays that are parodies of movies.

We saw Scary Poppins, the nanny who is Super-Nanny-Gone-Ballistic-Expialidocious. We sat in the very front and got up close and personal with Scary. She was pretty scarey. Instead of feeding the birds, she shoots them, take's the kids on a hot air balloon ride, and drive's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Big Ben. The children run into a giant woodpecker that looks like a chicken and sings Peckin' Time instead of Step In Time. Also, her magic isn't very good and she doesn't like be compared to her sister Mary.

George and Ashley

I think it's about time we used a gift certificates. We had lots of fun and decided we shouls go again, but to a different show.

Granny Fannie

Last week I did a post about my Wednesday's with Fannie. However, I neglected to post a picture. So, here is a picture of my beautiful grandma, Granny Fannie.

Granny Fannie, Sally's mom, Gail, and Sally.

Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

1 Coffee Mug
4 tablespoons flour(that's plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
Small splash of vanilla
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well .... Add the egg and mix thoroughly.Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again.Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to share!)

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Wednesday's with Fannie

Yes, you read that title right. My grandma's name is Fannie. Every Wednesday, I go over to my grandma's and do laundry and visit. I get there around 3:00PM and we watch Who Want's to be a Millionaire, Deal or No Deal, and then KSL news at 4. Sometime's I help her with her crossword puzzle and run errands. We have a blast together and have so much fun. This past Wednesday, after I did laundry, we went through some of my grandpa's old treasure's. He sure kept alot of sentimental things. Tie tac's, pin's from Mountain Bell and the Lion's Club, his old Jordan High Beetdigger yearbook, etc. I love visiting with Granny Fannie. She hates her name though, because of the "Fanny Pack". You know, those bags you can wear around your waste to keep your money, keys, and stuff in. She hates this invention because there are some men who wear it right under their belly over they're.....well.....you know. She thinks if that's how men are going to wear fanny packs, they should make them in the shape of fig leave's. She sure has a great sense of humor.

Anyway. After my visit with Granny Fannie, I went home and Jon and I watched Iron Man. I think this has got to be the hottest role that Robert Downey Jr. has played. He my be a druggie, but is pretty cute. Then we watched episodes of The Office. That has got to be the best TV show made sense I don't know what.

O.kay.....So the city decided to change the "No Parking" sign's on our street. We used to be able to park on our side of the street so Jon had a spot right in front of our house. Well, last Thursday, the "No Parking" sign's were changed to our side of the street so we have to park extra cars on the other side, which is kind of pain. Well, anyone who was parked on the wrong side of the street Saturday morning at 7:00AM, got a citation. Not a warning! An actual ticket! Well, that set off our weekend on the wrong foot. Looking at the citation further, they also sighted Jon for not being registered, which is lame, because he is registered. So, Jon has to call Draper City and fight it out with them. No we know better. But it's still pretty lame.

So, there is nothing on TV tonight which really bum's me out because the new season of Office just started last week. Instead it's the VP Debate. That mean's no Office tonight. I'm tired anyway. So, I'm going to go put on some episode's and maybe take a nap.

I bet none of this made sense because I'm rambling. Just wanted to let you know what we are up to. And if your not reading, your just a bunch of slacker's.

Love Ya All!!

Undefeated Cowboys

O.kay.....We have missed two of Braden's games. So, we feel totally out of the loop. However, we are happy to know that they are undefeated. For a bunch of little kids, they are pretty awesome and we are very proud of our Grantsville Cowboys. Braden's team played Hunter on Saturday and gave them a butt whoopin'. At this rate, they will play in the championship's in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving. GO COWBOY'S!!!!

Jackson: "The Wrapper"

O.kay.....I had to put this on my blog. This is my cousin Brooke's little boy, Jackson. At the luncheon after our grandpa's funeral, there were some Dove chocolate's to snack on. Jackson decided to where the wrapper's on his face. We really had him going and I think my cousin was really embarrassed. Jon almost got him to poor a glass of water on top of his head. We told Brooke that he shoulod go as a "wrapper" for Halloween.