Wow, 2 posts in one day?! You lucky kids!

As I was searching iTunes for some new Christmas tunage, I found this:

and this...



I couldn't help myself...I had to buy the album.
These guys are amazing....and hilarious!

Conversations around here frequently begin, "In our next house..." as frustrations mount with the size, location, layout, and cosmetic features of our current home.

Wish-listing for the next house we choose began several years ago, when the growing pains started. Come next spring, we will celebrate our 8th anniversary in this house, 3 years longer than we anticipated living here when the house was built. What began as a simple starter home, is now feeling cramped and inadequate and while we are sincerely grateful to have a home, I think we're ready to move out and move up.

We've put an obscure date of next summer on the adventurous undertaking of selling our house and moving elsewhere in the valley. In that time, we are going to work hard to trim our debt so that we'll be in stellar shape as we approach the necessary people who can help make this happen. This time will also enable us to make improvements to our current home (like replacing all the carpet-->When it comes to carpet, people, you get what you pay for and it's been a difficult lesson full of permenant rootbeer and punch stains to prove it!) and ready it for selling, provided that the economy doesn't continue to nose-dive south.

So, each week, I'm going to focus one blog post on the "In Our Next House..." wish list. I'll throw out my ideas and maybe you have some suggestions of your own that you'd like to contribute. And because, I'm big on pictures, I'm going to include some of my favorite designs and layouts with you too. Some people like boats and snowmobiles, some go nuts over shoes and purses; me, I get my *high* on kitchen desgin and wall colors. I'm what you might call a HGTV junkie. So you can rest assured, when it comes to our "next house wish list," I have some big ideas!  

And because no post is complete without a picture...

Hello, coziness!

Doesn't this room make you want to curl up with a great novel and a cup of cocoa???

This is dreaming too big, I think...

 

I know you have been biting your nails and refreshing the blog page over and over in uncontainable anticipation at the prospect of my Black Friday play-by-play.

(Or, you're so busy indulging your waistline with turkey and pie leftovers and sacrificing your day over to football to give much thought to Christmas shopping.)

Here is how Black Friday is done:


Black Friday always begins on Thursday when I read and reread the newspaper inserts and advertisements, meticulously mapping out my route and crafty plan of attack for the following morning's retail mayhem.

Once full on Thanksgiving feast and pie drunk, I settle in for an uncharacteristically early slumber (and consequently toss and turn, because hello...who goes to bed that early ever??? And besides, I'm like a 5-year old trying to sleep on Christmas Eve--sleep just doesn't happen.).

My alarm goes off at 2:45 a.m.,
But I've been laying awake staring at the darn thing for almost 5 solid minutes as if waiting for the dismissal bell at school. Only, this time, I'm being given the green light to get up, slip into my jeans and hoodie, brush my pearly whites, run a comb through my tangles and grab a Diet Coke on my way out to the car.

3:00 a.m.
 I'm driving to my mom's house. Shivering slightly because it's friggin cold and I'm still trying to focus as my eyes are still a bit blurry from sleep.

(Kohls is open now and since we tried Kohls the year before and it was the stuff nightmares are made of, we opted out of it this year.)

3:15 a.m.
I arrive at my mom's to find her waiting outside, cinnamon rolls in hand
(did I ever tell you that I have the best mom ever????).

3:40 a.m.
We arrive at JC Penney to find a line forming outside the doors. Crazy fools. When those doors are unlocked, we won't conform to the orderliness of the line and just cut in line at the chaos of the store entrance. And we won't be stiff from the biting cold, therefore allowing our unfrozen limbs to move faster as we dash through the store.

4:00 a.m.
IT BEGINS!!!
First stop: luggage. 5 piece. $38. Made it there just in time to snag a set before all that is left of the pile is the trampled sign advertising the sale.

Second stop: 50% off kid's jeans, Star Wars jammies and Star Wars tees.

Third stop....
Oooh, wait, detour, sweater sale. 70% off!!! Gotta stop.
Okay, third stop: jewelry (just to browse).

Fourth stop: Coats. Stop the presses people! we have found a the perfect puffer vest with fur-lined hood in jewel-toned eggplant. Price: $100. Discount: $64. Final prices: $36. Merry Christmas to me!!!

Fifth stop: Registers. Estimated wait time: 20 minutes.
Unplanned purchase: 4 Boise State nutcracker ornaments. Can't live without!!!

5:13 a.m.
COLD, WINDY, FRIGID, SUBZERO TEMPS, ICE.
We dash from the store and flat out run to the car before we look like a grown up version of freeze tag.

5:17 a.m.
Sonic. What do you mean you don't open until 6 a.m.???
We need a caffeine fix like now, people! Groan, U-turn, head to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

5:28 a.m.
AWESOME parking spot. ZERO crowd. Such a crazy contrast to the year before.

5:31
It smells like Yankee Candles in here...

Ooh, there's the pastry cutter I spent copious amounts of time searching for a day or two before thanksgiving. It lands in my cart.

Mindless browsing: Hmmm...that's nice. That's soft. Look how cute.
Yawn. Crap...I've got to pee.

And then, jackpot: The clock radio with nature sounds that projects the time onto the ceiling. Clarke will love this (but since we only exchange stockings, he'll have to get this today.).

ADORABLE: space ship alarm clock that projects time and space onto the ceiling. This will be perfect with our Star Wars Christmas theme for Brock this year.

Aha. The Boise State stuff. Car decals! I have to buy two of these because each package only includes one dog. But we have two dogs, so I snag a second package and drop into my cart.

We browse for a bit longer and then call it quits with that store.

To the registers!!! Wait time: 2 1/2 minutes.
20% off entire purchase! Woot!

Still have to pee...
6:01 a.m.
Sonic revisited.
Yes, we'd like 2 route 44 Diet cokes and 2 breakfast burritos. Thanks.
(and why the heck weren't you open at 5, hmmmmm????)

6:09 a.m.
Driving to our favorite Fred Meyer (and yes, we have a favorite and no, it's not near home).

6:26 a.m.
Fred Meyer. AWESOME parking spot! It looks kind of crowded....
*slurp, slurp, slurp* Ahhhhhhhhhh....caffeine, how I love thee on Black Friday.
1/2 price socks. 50% Christmas decor, buy one get one free games!!! And hello, stocking stuffer heaven!
We look at everything. Browse through the books. I price out the Legos. Still not on sale. Boo! My mom grabs some hot cocoa, and we check out. Wait time: 4 minutes.

My bladder is still reminding me that it needs a restroom...

8:09 a.m.
Drop mom off to work. Late. Woops. Sorry mom. But hey, her boss understands b/c he made her work on Black Friday (ahem, you don't just do that to a die hard shopper, sir!) and she also brought some Poinsettia's as a peace offering. All is merry and bright.

8:40 a.m.
Pick up Brock from my brother's house--he spent the night. Take nephew with us as a return favor.
Forget to use the bathroom while I'm there...

9:00 a.m.
Home. Run wildly to the bathroom. Ahhhh...
Send boys to Brock's room to play b/c momma is not done shopping yet.

9:06 a.m.
Diet Coke in hand, I settle into my squeaky computer chair and go online.

9:40 a.m.
Perusing three online sales at the same time. Loading my carts, comparing prices...
Many retailers will extend their Black Friday sales online. Places like Target. Walmart. Old Navy, Toys r Us and even Amazon.com. On the years that mom doesn't work on Black Friday, we might stop at these stores in person, but this year is different.

10:00 a.m.
Taking a break to do a task that has been calling out my name since we walked in the door: the dishes. Ew. Seriously, Thanksgiving clean-up is a pain! I scrub down my counters, entertain a chorus of "Is it snack time yet?" from the kids, text a friend, rub my aching eyes who want nothing more than 4 more hours of sleep, shake off the fatigue and switch out a load of laundry.

10:30 a.m.
Back to the computer. I stare at the items littering my online shopping carts and carefully consider if I should press the "submit" button on my orders. I drum my fingers, do a little more comparison shopping, mentally negotiate with my rational side that tells me to scrap Christmas shopping and pay off debt instead and then casually ignore that voice of reason and submit my orders.

11:00 a.m.
DONE SHOPPING.
Sure, I have a few people left to shop for,
but have you ever heard of a little thing called Cyber Monday???

11:03 a.m.
I celebrate my conquer with a slice of apple pie!

Conclusion:
Overall, I saved more than I spent (over twice as much saved!!!), paid for everything in cash, went in prepared--knowing what I wanted and what I was willing to give up. I did my research, compared prices, took advantages of coupons and such and feel great about my inner shopping genius.

 Truth is folks, Black Friday is just good for the soul.

So much for sticking it to the arrogant and elitist BCS.

Breaks the heart, really.

Everyone brags about finishing their Christmas shopping long before the holiday season has even begun.

I only have one word to say about this: Unnatural!

And then I send a gigantic *yawn* your way because how boring are you?? Very!

Christmas shopping officially begins at 3 a.m. on Black Friday.

Always has. Except for those odd years when the stores opened at 4 a.m. instead of 3 a.m.
(Thank you Kohl's for revolutionizing the Christmas kickoff shopping experience!)

This year, however, I kinda fudged my resolve to hold out on the Christmas shopping.
*GASP* (insert shock, awe, heart palpitations and fainting here)

I shopped early for two lucky dogs.

The world's best pups will be receiving these beauties on Christmas morning:

Last year, we looked all over for these 2-ft bones and couldn't find them anywhere so I took advantage of a lucky break this year when I spotted them, on sale, and in stock. Whew!

Now all I have left to shop for is the humans.

But that will have to wait, as the rules dictate, for 8 more days...

As the first-time mom of a sunbeam, I was thrilled at the prospect of seeing my little towhead perform in his first ever primary program. It's kind of a rite of passage for parents in the LDS Church; to see your 3 or 4 year old earnestly belting out children's songs at the top of his or her tiny voice--melts the heart, right? So, as the time for the program approached, we worked with Brock on memorizing his one line until he would bounce around the house randomly repeating it throughout the day. It was precious!

Then it happened. 

Fever. Chills. Cold. Cough.

And just like that, my hopes of seeing my sunbeam perform in his first primary program were ultimately crushed. 

That was last year.

This year would be different, because, theoretically, lightening doesn't strike the same place twice. 

As the sunbeam teacher in our ward this year, I was as anxious to see the little children in my class perform in the primary program as much as I was looking forward to Brock's first primary program experience. We invited the grandparents. We memorized Brock's line.

Again.

Fever. Chills. Cold. Cough.

Only this time, the hapless victims in this scenario are Brock AND myself and on the day of the primary program. In fact, Brock's fever reached a whopping 103.8 last night and Clarke and I were very nearly headed to the ER with Brock in fear that he may have been seizing! If it had not been for the priesthood blessing given by daddy and papa, I have no doubt in my mind we would have ended up in the ER. Clearly, we're not talking some fleeting, weekend virus--but something that could potentially take several weeks to recover from.

So, in the spirit of true Thanksgiving
I am *thankful* for the following this week:

1. Days without Kleenex and nights without cough syrup (A girl can dream, rigth?).

2. My mom's homemade chicken noodle soup (thanks mom, you're the best!).

3.  Priesthood blessings-without which, we would have spent a night in the ER.

4. Morning naps. Afternoon Naps. And bedtime.

5. Hot cocoa. Lots and lots of hot cocoa.

Really, Mother Nature????

 When Clarke called from work this evening, with anticipatory glee in his voice, I knew something was up. Or coming down (presumabley).

"Rumor has it, it's going to snow tonight, baby!" 

I laughed politely (like you might when somebody tells a joke that isn't funny, but you courtesy laugh anyway). "Uh-huh. Right."

Logging on to the local news website confirmed Clarke's reason to crow and my reason to groan.

In theory, snowfall is lovely. Ethereal. Peaceful. Cozy.

In reality, however, snow just creates a cold and miserable mess!

Neverthless, seeing as I'm currently battling something akin to the seventh realm of misery (bronchitis, perhaps?), I'm going to STAY HOME and all the crazies who crave snow can have it on the roads tomorrow morning.

Ultimately, though, an early snow decimates all the beauty that is autumn-time.

So, before the white stuff starts to fall, here's one last tribute to the calm before the storm.

 Literally.

Autumn.

The 2-second exercise below will ultimately confuse your mind and challenge you to outsmart your right foot!

Sounds hokey, right?

Did you see that?

Your foot changed directions on you!

Just another piece of useless, and now annoying, information that will confound you all day long!

The rumors are true, folks.

The Sees are
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already listening to Christmas music.

Oh. J-O-Y.

And to all you holiday naysayers out there: Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

The 20-30 degree windchill on Thursday morning had me frantically searching through our coats and mittens to dust off as much winter gear as I could manage so Mother Nature's icy sense of humor didn't frostbite our fingers and toes as we searched for the perfect pumpkin with Brock's preschool group.

 The rule was that the children could choose one pumpkin, but it had to be a size that they could comfortably carry. So which pumpkin does Brock choose? Yup, the biggest one he could find--and even if he could lift it, we all know who would end up carrying it--and it wouldn't be Brock.

 Fortunately, we found a Brock-sized pumpkin!

I'm not sure what's up with the pirate-eye, though.

Aaaargh, pumpkin!

Most of the children were freaked out by the bumpiness of the hay ride, but Brock was having fun with it. I kind of love that about his fearlessness. While the other children were clinging to their mother in tears, Brock was happily enjoying the blistering windchill and the bumpity-bump of the hay ride.

 The preschoolers were having the time of their lives on a barrel train that went absolutely nowhere! Stationary trains sometimes do that to 4-year olds, apparently. Brock and I struggled the whole of our pumpkin patch experience with one particular issue, though: the winter hat. I maintained that it needed to be pulled down over his ears and he insisted on wearing it "elf fashion" with his ears squashed and pointed outward. What a goofy little kid!

"Mommy, I'm stuck!" Calling out to me several times in the course of about 10 minutes, Brock kept climbing to the top of a tractor tire only to find himself a little wary of heights. The other children in his preschool group, upon seeing the irritating pleasure of this game, followed suit. Soon it was a chorus of "I'm stuck!"

 And finally, I know what you've been thinking about through this series of images. It's not "Ah, what a cute kid. It looks like the pumpkin patch was a great time for everyone, in spite of the frigidness of the morning."

or "Gosh, I wish I would have taken my child to the pumpking patch this year."

No, you were thinking, "Geez Char, can't you get a coat for Brock that actually fits?? What kind of mom are you anyway????" lol! Right?

Why does it take a surprisingly COLD morning to demonstrate how much Brock has grown since last December when we bought a too-big-you'll-grow-into-it coat??? Clearly, he grew into it during the summer and has since grown right out of it! Eek! Time to go shopping, momma!



"Hey, hon, let's host the pumpkin-carving party this year." Clarke worked it out that we had not hosted the annual See family Halloween party since Brock was crawling and it was our turn to play host and hostess. Truth is, I love hosting parties--particuarly holiday parties! So, it was easy to say "absolutely!" the day Clarke suggested we host a party.

Half the fun of parties is making the food--especially Halloween.

The not-so-fun part is trying to fit into your jeans after sampling a little bit of everything. Sigh.

Delectable Oreo Truffles:

Double-Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows with Crushed Pecans

(I understand they're rather addictive, but since I don't like marshmallows...) 

 Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows with Sprinkles!!

 Spiders! I didn't have any red-hots on hand, so I had to use Valentine's Day hearts.

Kinda takes the creepy out of them. Spiders have never looked so charming! 

Pumpkins from our own garden (they smelled like melon inside--weird--we think they

may have done a little cross-polinating hanky panky with the cucumbers!)!

Clarke and I came up with this clever concoction for our pumpkin carving.

Rather ingenious, no? But then we are talking about Clarke and myself.

I'm just saying.... ;)



Two ferocious dragons, one tough soldier and one tiny witch and two moms adventured through trunk-or-treat land for the first time ever. Two separate trunk-or-treat events, to be precise. One started at 5pm and

the second began at 7pm.