This Is The Year

Wow...I've been away from FMM hosted by the adorable Amber for way. too. long. I've missed it so much! It's such a fabulous way to make new bloggy friends, and in fact is how I've met some of my favorite people in blog land! Today Amber has a fun survey for us. We're to answer the following questions: 1. Favorite Website: Why Ribbon Blossoms Chic Boutique of course! Make sure to go here to enter our giveaway...it ends today! 2. Favorite Color: It depends on the day! I love pretty much anything bright! 3. Facebook? Yes...but reluctantly - and each day I'm on the verge of deleting it. I really prefer blogging. 4. Favorite Christmas Song? O Holy Night. The best versions by far are Josh Groban, David Archuleta, and Clay Aiken. 5. Christmas Tree: Real or Fake? Fake...and it's beautiful! 6. Hottest Celebrity? You mean I'm supposed to pick just one? Yeah. Like that's gonna happen! Currently I'm diggin': Hottest Athlete: Christ Wingert Hot...

Did everyone else have a fabulous day yesterday? Here's a small sampling of the goodies at our table yesterday. Seriously, my mom made pies, my brother brought more pies and a pumkin roll, and my cousin' J's mom who came down with her family from Idaho brought dozens of cookies, and 3 different kinds of Amish sweet bread. Talk about calories! This is on top of the fantastic FEAST that we had before we sat down to play games! For 27 days of Thankful #26 and #27, I can't even narrow my thankfuls down...so I'm just gonna ramble! I'm thankful for a new game J's family brought called funnybone. You have a partner, and the card tells you 2 bones you have to "join" to hold the card between. Then you have to hold the card there like that and choose another one. So for example, J and Pixie have "hand bone to shoulder bone", "thumb bone to nose bone", etc. If you drop your cards, you're out. In the background is J's almost fianc...

I know I'm really late posting...but I couldn't go to bed without getting my thankfuls in! Tonight I'm thankful that Donny Osmond won Dancing With The Stars! I love that guy! Also, I'm VERY thankful that Thanksgiving Dinner is not at my house this year! I only have to bring stuffing, and green bean casserole! I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving. Thanks Amanda , for hosting 27 Days of Thankful...I love it!

Wanna win some fabulous Christmas goodies from Ribbon Blossoms ? Well now's your chance! We're so excited to show you some of the adorable Christmas creations we've been working on! Here's what you could win: Christmas combo clippie set includes 2 sets of Christmas Bitty Baby Bows, as well as 2 sets of embellished lined Christmas clippies. 1 Christmas Holly Clippie Set 1 Beautiful Christmas Ponytail Single 1 Peppermint Stripe Tutu! What little girl wouldn't love this? Here's the deal: 1 entry for commenting 1 entry for visiting our website and letting us know what you think! 1 entry for heading over to my partner's blog and leaving her some comment love 1 entry for following 1 entry for blogging about our giveaway! A total of 5 chances to win! Well? What are you waiting for? Giveaway ends Monday November 30 at 11:59 p.m. MST!

Today for 27 Days of Thankful day #23 I am thankful for a Major League Soccer Championship! Woo Hoo! Yup my ReAL boys pulled off a 5-4 victory in a shoot-out following a 1-1 tie after overtime. If you're new here...I love me some ReAL soccer. I love going to the games, and I am so proud of our team! This victory was over the star-studded Los Angeles Galaxy - yeah those guys who boast David Beckham on their team. We were not expected to take the championship...doesn't that make it all the more sweet? I'll keep it brief since I know not everyone adores soccer as I do...just thought I'd leave you with a little eye-candy. And one parting thought...Chris Wingert is way hotter than David Beckham!

Boy do I have a lot to be thankful for today. First for old friends and new. I recently got back in touch with "M" - he was my best friend for 3 years of Hell High School. Before now I hadn't seen him for almost 11 years...he came to my wedding, then he went on his mission. I saw him one more time after he returned home, he stopped by to visit and see our new baby. And then we sorta lost touch. Until now....AND I got a new friend out of it. We went to M's home for dinner last night...and I got to meet his fabulous wife...she's "M" too! They're M&M...I can't believe I didn't say that to them last night! Anyway...M (her) and I really hit it off. We're kinda the same person. We have very similar views on so many things from how High School was stupid and people who want to go back are crazy...to our slightly psycho/paranoid approach to motherhood! Their 2 children are the same ages as our 2 youngest and they absolutely had a ball togeth...

Remember way back here when I had my best 80's rock band poll? And who won by a landslide? That's right ladies....BON JOVI! I. love. Bon. Jovi. Like, love love LOVE Bon Jovi. I have every single album. Including the new one, Circle. Just downloaded it today. Now I'm listenin' to it. Now I'm lovin' it. Today I'm thankful that Bon Jovi is still making music. Love me some Jon Bon Jovi! Head over to Amanda's for 27 Days of Thankful! Today is day #20!

I got some news last night that has really weighed heavily on my heart. You see, there's this boy I've known since I was little. We'll call him "K". He was in my ward most of my life growing up, and was really good friends with my brother. He was my friend as well. Well I still consider him a friend. Our families were close. His parents and my parents were friends, we (the kids) were all friends, and although we've all gone different directions over the years since graduation, we're still in touch through FB, or my brother, who is still close with K. K married a girl who also grew up with us. We'll call her "S". I didn't know her really, but I knew who she was because my brother had the biggest crush on her in elementary school! I have gotten to know her more since she married K and think she is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. Last night I learned that S is in the ICU. The doctors believe she has Guillian Barres Syndrome cau...

Ack! I missed yesterday! And today is almost over! Today for 27 days of Thankful #17 and #18, I am thankful for first graders and dance. Today I had the great pleasure of chaperoning Pixie's 1st grade class as they went downtown to watch the Reportory Dance Theater (RDT). RDT was founded in 1966 as a fully professional modern dance company. "It is the oldest and most successful company of it's kind, a living museum representing 100 years of dance history, preserving the largest and most significant collection of American Dance in the world." (rdtutah.org) I remember RDT coming to perform at my high school when I was a sophomore! Needless to say, it was such a treat to take the kids. I arrived at the school, got my group of students assigned to me, and as they all gathered around me, one of them said to me "You look pretty". It totally made my day! Then off to the theater we headed. The show was fabulous, and was created for children, so it was very...

Hubby and I spent the evening attending the school musical. It was Bookworm's musical theatre debut! The production was Bah, Humbug! Scrooge's Christmas Carol. It was fabulous. It was a modern take on the story...Scrooge was a girl...a modern day working woman! It takes place in Salt Lake City....when the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge back to her younger days - it's the 80's! It is too cute. I seriously got choked up multiple times during the performance. Not just with pride over my boy, but really the whole cast. These are kids from 11-14 years old...just babies! Yet here they were, in a professional theatre downtown (yeah this was NOT in any school gymnasium baby!), singing, and dancing, and acting their little hearts out in front of a theatre full of people. Today, day #16 of 27 Days of Thankful, I am so thankful for for the director (also our school's Discovery co-coordinator), her sister the co-director (and former music teacher at our schoo...

And we hang at the Disco In. For 27 days of thankful, #14 I am thankful for the Self Employed Wives' Club. Oh, what? You haven't heard of us? Well then boy are you missing out! The Self Employed Wives' Club was born when Nancy and Heidi and I really started getting to know one another (we've known each other for years, but just recently became close). We really "get" each other. Nancy and Heidi live just up the street from me...they too are married to men who own and operate their own businesses, and we have really bonded over sharing our woeful tales of the stress of self-employment. Plus they're totally hilarious. Kristy is also one of the gang, though she is not a self-employed wife...we just love her! And she has our kind of sense of humor! So we have adopted her into our club. Left to right: Nancy, yours truly, Heidi, Kristy. Last night we had a little "outing on the cheap". We headed to McDonalds for a cheap dinner (when we went outside to...

Tonight I'll keep it short and sweet. I am thankful for my car. It was a pretty chilly day today. About 40 degrees. Now for sure it gets a LOT colder here than 40 degrees, but still this is below the temperature that I would consider comfortable to be walking around outside. Today as we were coming home from Bookworm's dress rehearsal for the school musical, it was a little after 5 p.m. We were driving down the road, and I noticed a couple walking along the side of the road in the opposite direction. They were both weighed down with several plastic bags of groceries hanging off their arms and hands, including a couple of gallons of milk. I can't imagine doing my grocery shopping without a car, and carrying my groceries home on foot. You know how when you get home and you want to make as few trips as possible to carry your groceries in, so you hang as many bags as you can possibly carry from your hands and arms, and then you grab the milk too? And it's so cold and ...

I've been in a blog funk the past 2 days...not because I didn't have my thankfuls...because I do! But because I just didn't put forth the effort to sit down and blog about it! For 27 Days of Thankful with my friend Amanda , days 11 and 12, I am thankful for my friend Tanielle . TWICE! FIRST...on Tuesday night I had a Young Women's activity, so of course I wasn't able to watch my show. (you know...SYTYCD). I was going to Tanielle's after YW, because my family would all be going to bed early...the kids because of school and Hubby because he had to do an all night job the night before, THEN work during the day as well, so he was seriously sleep deprived. Since Tanielle's husband is working out of town, I sometimes go keep her company after Young Women's. I digress. You should be used to it by now. I said to Tanielle "you HAVE to watch the show for me and give me a full report when I get to your house." The girl TOOK NOTES y'all! I get there an...

Sorry I'm a little late again today...I've been getting ready for a Young Women's Program that we have going on tonight. But I couldn't leave without filling you in on the Fabulousness that was Saturday Night! It. Was. AMAZING! In person, they were more fantastic, more sharp, had more amazing bodies! Everything was spectacular! We had so much fun. Even if we did stand in line at Chili's for an hour, even though they had told us the wait would be 20 minutes, and after an hour they told us they still weren't sure how soon we'd be seated and we were afraid we wouldn't get there in time, so we ended up leaving and going through the Wendy's drive thru, ordering off the dollar menu, with plans to have dinner AFTER the show! How's that for the longest run on sentence ever? So we had our little Wendy's to tide us over until after the show, and we headed to the E Center. We got there in plenty of time, and had fun just people watching, and hanging out...

Sorry I missed you guys yesterday...I had a wonderful weekend and have been basking in it...and sleeping! I don't know what my deal is but I am SO SLEEPY! Wanna hear my thankfuls? Well, I missed Sunday. So here it is. I am so thankful for the experience I had on Saturday of taking my Young Women along with the Young Men to the temple to perform baptisms on behalf of those who have died . 2 of the girls, and 2 of the guys were going to the temple for their first time. There is nowhere on earth like it. It was wonderful to experience with them. I love my calling...I love my Young Women, and I love watching them make righteous choices. I want so much for them. It was also neat that while we were there, another group came in. They were from a special needs branch in the area, and it was so neat to see them so excited to have this experience. I loved Saturday! Today I am thankful that my husband put up with me sleeping most of the morning...and he just hung out with Monkey until I decid...

Betcha can't guess what I'm thankful for today? Okay! Betcha can! That's right my friends...tonight is the night I get to go see SYTYCD LIVE!!!I am so excited. I loved dancing when I was younger...and now I love watching uber talented young people dance...wishing the whole time that it was me! Today I can't decide what to show...so I decided to show my absolute favorite dance from last season...the one number I am most looking forward to seeing, then a couple of solos (only 30 seconds long) from some of my absolute favorit dancers over the years! First up...last season's top 2 again, Brandon and Jeanine with "Battlefield". Cue video to 0:49. Fabulous...right? Now for Nick. Nick was the winner the very first season of SYTYCD - to this day I think he's one of the most amazing dancers ever to be on the show. His turns are incredible. Check out his solo: Next up we have Travis. Travis took 2nd place in season 2, but I do think he was the stronger dancer. H...

Today I am SOOOOO thankful that all 3 of my school-age kids were well enough to go back to school! It is the first day they have all been back since the Thursday before Halloween. Not only was it hard to see them sick...but they were really driving me crazy! They weren't symptom -free, so I couldn't send them back - but they were feeling well enough that they were BORED and they wouldn't stop fighting! So glad they're back in school! I'm linking up to my good friend Amanda's 27 Days of Thankful - go check it out! Now....c'mon you know the drill. It's time for my SYTYCD video spotlight...my show is tomorrow! I can hardly stand it! Today I want to show you the 2 dancers I am most looking forward to seeing tomorrow night. Jeanine - who won last season, and Brandon - who should have won! Now I'm not too bitter, because I really love Jeanine too, but I do think that Brandon is a stronger dancer. Anyway, Brandon took 2nd and the 2 of them paired together ...

Dear Hacking Cough, Could you please go away already? I am so sick of you interrupting everything I do. I can't carry on a decent conversation. I can't get a good night's sleep. I can't even go running with the dog without having to stop and try not to pee my pants while you are wracking my body in the middle of the sidewalk. Just go away. NOBODY wants you around. Nobody. Sincerely, The one who is tired of coughing her guts out. Dear Ty (our dog), You are fat. And lazy. The only reason I agreed to let hubby get you was because I thought you'd be a nice running companion. It's kind of embarrassing how whenever I take you out, you're so eager to go that you're practically pulling me down the road, but by the time we make it to the skywalk (like 1/8 mile away) you're already dragging tail. How do you think that makes us look? Do you think that people look at you slinking lazily behind me and think that you could protect me if they decide to do something...

Today on day #4 of 27 Days of Thankful , I'm thankful for good music from the past. You know the music that made you think of that special someone. You'd hear it on the radio and you'd think of him, and your heart would just melt? C'mon, I'm not the only one am I? This song is part of the reason I fell in love with today's SYTYCD spotlight. This has got to be on of my all time favorite songs. Add a pair of beautiful dancers and some gorgeous choreography and you get magic. And swept back to memories of young love! This is Melissa and Ade from just last season. They weren't my FAVORITE couple...but I definitely loved watching them! Go to 1:55 to skip the intro.

Today I'm thankful that I live with my husband. I know that seems like a given...if you're married then you live with your husband. But I've just gotten back in touch with my dear friend and cousin, "A". We talked on the phone for a long time last night getting caught up on each others' lives. We haven't seen each other in probably 10 years. She was a newlywed, and my son was a baby. She is living in Idaho, and right now her husband commutes here to Utah where he is working at a charter school. When he finished school, there were no jobs where they live. He found one here. She has a good job in Idaho, and they are trying to decide what is right for their family...her looking for a job here, or him looking again for a job there. In the meantime he lives here during the week and only goes home on weekends. What a difficult situation - my heart goes out to them and I hope they are soon able to be together full time. Talking to her made me realize how blessed ...

For day #2 of 27 Days of Thankful with my friend Amanda , I would just like to say...I'm thankful for YouTube!!! Yes that's right. If you know me at all you know of my obsession with SYTYCD. You also know I am in the Young Women's Presidency in my ward. Well, Young Women's is on Tuesday nights, and alas, so is my show. That's why I'm thankful for YouTube today, and especially for "dcclegal" who posted the entire episode (in 9 separate parts!) that I was able to watch last night and see how my favorites did! AND find a couple of new favorites. Oh yes, I'm very fickle at this point in the competition, and reserve my right to change favorites at any time. So how'd they do? I'll share a few choice videos with you! Ryan and Ashleigh, the married couple from Utah did well, and both remained in the competition. I told you last week the sad news that Billie Bell had to leave the competition due to illness. Here's how another Utah favorite did. ...

One of my favorite Blogging friends Amanda is counting down the days to Thanksgiving with gratitude. She has some sad memories associated with the loss of her father as a teenager at Thanksgiving time. She wanted a way to remember all the good things in life and I've decided to join her. The idea is to post something, anything, no matter how silly or how small that you are thankful for each day. Thanks Amanda for helping me remember! For my first day I want to express my gratitude for the kindness of others. I have been the recipient of such kindness lately. You may remember my post here about my wonderful friend Heidi and her service to my family. I also have felt an outpouring of concern through the internet. From the wonderful friends I have never met in person, but developed a close connection to through blogging, to old friends I haven't seen in years, to current friends whom I see on a regular basis. All the love coming our way is truly humbling. To top it off, my true ...