Grams "Charlie Brown Tree" History Revealed

So a wonderful story was unveiled Christmas Morning....and what a wonderful piece of our Mothers childhood! Gram is famous for the wacky "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree she puts up every year. She actually considered not putting one up this year, but with considerab;eprotest from the whole family she reconsidered.

So after a wonderful breakfast of waffles with strawberries and real whipped cream, mounds of bacon and sausage, and Chocolate milk (do I have the "kool-aid mom or what?) we all gathered in Grammys living room. There was a bunch of us....I think Rod guessed we would be close to 50 people I haven't done a final count but one photo I took had 17 grandkids on one large chair.....yes I have the photo to prove it! Anyways.....Gram told the story about her Christmas tree growing up and how it never appeared until Christmas morning all decorated. She then told that the reason they never had it until Christmas Morning was that they were so poor that her parents would wait until Chistmas Eve and go find a tree lot that had a few trees that had thrown out and they would bring it home and make it as beautiful as they could. After she told this story she read a story about a tree in the forest who wanted to be a perfect tree but during a big storm it lowered and opened its bows to protect and save the animals in the forest. She had awesome props (a bird, a little deer etc) that one of the great-grandchildren would place on the tree. ful
It was such a cool thing to see some of her history shared with the little ones. I am so grateful for her and her wisdom, her love for us and our children .....and for Rod for doing most the bacon and sausage cooking that morning (thanks Rod..sorry I didn't jump in and help..)

Christmas morning just wouldn't be the same without breakfast, family, and a Charlie Brown Tree at Grammys!

Love to all....jlr

Where are all the pictures???

Guilty, Guilty, Guilty....

I have 19,432 photos stored on my hard drive. I can't imagine how many thousands are of people who posed, primped, hammed and smiled.....who have never had a chance to see their cute photos. I am terrible at getting them out to the very people that are probably the most interested in them. Come on now....don't lie to yourself....everyone wants to see what they themselves look like. Sooo.....

In an attempt to start righting the wrongs of my photo past...I have added 4 slide shows to this blog of just my cute family at Alecs and Tiffanys wedding.....they are cute and wonderful and I hope you all enjoy them as much as I have!!

Love my family!!

Peace out...
jlr

I can't find a Wii, who knew?

For a year now I have been watching with mild curiosity the Wii phenomenon. I watch the people at the Fashion Show mall swinging like Tiger Woods with imaginary clubs or swing their "numchuk" (as the wii controller is called) with precision forehands in tennis at the Wii kiosk. The kids have gathered at their friends houses for Wii Parties and I even have a friend who had to go to the emergency room last Christmas because she displaced (?) a rib while boxing against her son in a marathon.
So over the last year I have run across some Wii consoles at target or Best Buy. I think everyone I know has one in their home....so here it Christmas....time for bright ideas and optomistic shopping...
I finally decided last week that a Wii console would be fun for Alec and Tiffany. I waited until today to finally get around to buying it. WHO KNEW.......it is impossible to find. The nice young man at Best Buy told me I could meet the truck at 3am and wait around to see if there was any on the truck and then they would out my name a list and I could come back when the store opened. What?
I thought this console came out a year ago. Why is it so hard to find now? I have to wonder if Nintendo knows that if there is a super high mysterious demand then they will sell more. Seems to me that they would sell more if people like me could just walk in and buy one....I guess this is one of those side effects of not having little kids or teens at home...I am totally not the cool mom who knows everything anymore.....

oh well...I guess I could pay twice the retail price on eBay or craigslist. But I think Alec and Tiff may have to settle for nice Christmas sweaters. HOHOHO!

Peace Out...jlr :)

I have a love/hate relationship with Tivo

I love/hate Tivo. I love everything obvious about it (reality addict remember). Seriously....whats not to love...watch what you want, when you want, the whole season or just one episode. No dissappointing reruns, you can watch all 11 hours of Wimbledon in two hours sitting in bed!!! But heres the bad parts...

1. You find yourself always saying..."did you see Lost (or whatever) last nite????" or "she totally reminds me of so and so..." or "on Real Housewives of the OC the funniest thing happened..." All of a sudden you feel embarrassed because it sounds like you do nothing BUT watch TV. You are always wishing you were quoting more scriptures or old classics...but you can't....you can quote what "Lauren said to Audrina" or "is Dunbar cuter than Cahutta?" (you MTV reality junkies know exactly who I am talking about)

2. The inner "control freak" rages her mighty head when it comes to my shows. We have 4 Tivos in our house...why is it so hard for people to find a place to watch thier shows so my shows can record? There is a crazy rhyme and reason to what and where I record certain shows. It is a dilemma at the beginning of a new TV season how to prioritze MY shows. The weird ones that play about 50 times a day i.e. trading spaces, 30 minute meals...are all recorded in the laundry room. They are kind of the mindless kind of shows you don't really have to pay attention to...you can pause them in between loads and not have to try to remember where you left off. Then there is the family room.....it is reserved for just that...family shows...Wife Swap, Run's House (which is just like family videos...we are them), Amazing Race and of course Deal or no Deal. (I sneak a few of my "level two shows" in where I can get away with it) Then there is the bedroom. Here is where I become completely self-centered and single minded.....this is where the highest priority shows are sorted and saved and anticipated with excitement and glee. Survivor, ANTM (again..reality junkies will know exactly what show that is), Desparate Housewives, Real Housewives, Project Runway, Biggest Loser......see the BIG ones....no one mess with that controller and HEAVEN HELP the husband who cancels a show to watch some old Rambo or Die Hard on TBS....I need not say anymore.....

3. Now here comes the real reason I hate Tivo. The dissappointment and sadness that actually surrounds you when there is a technical difficulty. You invest hours and hours of the sleep you deserately need to watch the girls trot and compete on Americas Next Top Model or eat bugs on Survivor. You actually hurry up dinner or skip the gym so you can see who got voted out.....then (as it happened this week) you come home from being out of town. You get the car unloaded, the family fed and you settle in for the Season Finales of these shows. The LIVE 2 Hour shows...you get all snuggly and are ready for the marathon....turn on the TV and you get...'SEARCHING FOR SIGNAL"...WHAT!!!!!! Are you kidding me????? How long has this been happening?????? It can't be possible...but it is true...nothing has recorded since the day you left town.....oh the misery and pain...and you can't complain because then (revert to #1) people think you are a lunatic.....

am I really this shallow????

Oh well....I guess I really should be doing other things...but.........the Season Premieres for next season are only 17 days away...HORRAY!!!

Peace Out...
jlr

Temple Square, Family Foto Fashion

Jakey-Poos Temple Night

I love the lights on Temple Square

I love Christmas lights! As a family we have a longtime tradition of Christmas light rating. If a house has really been decked out and the lights are straight and all lit and really purty...they get a hearty "Ho-Ho-Ho!"..If they hung lights and they are done with a little organization and pride....then they get a "Ho-Ho!" If they wrap a few straggled lights around a bush or threw up a couple of mismatched icicles then a meager "ho!" is shouted. Now if they skipped Christmas decorations all together...then they get a big loud obnoxious 'BAH-HUMBUG!"........Now why do I go on and on about our Christmas Light rating....because I now understand why we have the Morman Tabernacle Choir....just to sing "halleluyia"! (sp) at the top of their soprano/alto/bass & tenor voices about the lights at Temple Square!!! What a beautiful site!! I love those lights and I love the cold on my nose and wrapping our heads and hands in scarfs and mittens! But..most of all I love to share it with my beautiful family.
While it has been a longtime tradition to go and see the lights...we actually haven't been for a while. I forgot how much I loved them.
We had a great time last nite with lots of laughing, too much food and some Christmas crooning in the car! I am so blessed.
So the brightest lights this year for me......the eyes and hearts of the people I love!

I love my mom!

My mom turned 80 years old today! Wow... I am so lucky she is still here and lives so close to me. We had a great family Birthday Party for her tonite at a Pizza Joint down the road (thanks Rod & Cindy for putting it all together!). I love to see how my Mom brightens when she is surrounded by family. She glows! She looked lover-ly in pink with her funky Happy Birthday hat on. She is 80 and still fun, sassy and full of the dickens! I hope I can be just like her.

Lenzi put together a book of 80 memories that everyone wrote a little bit in. I cried as I read it. I forgot so many of those wonderful things that my mom did, or said or taught us. I am so grateful to have grown up under the wise eyes of a loving giving mother. Who chose a wonderful man to be her husband and my father. I am grateful now that we kids were #1 in her life even though I haven't always appreciated it. I love her energy. I love her curiosity. I love her generosity. I pray I can be just a fraction of a wife and mother she has been.

I love you mom!

I may have found a new addiction. Is that bad?

So this blog thing is very interesting. I have figured out that when you read one it has a list of names that sound familiar and before you know it you have been gazing into other peoples lives all night...that is where the "is that bad?" question comes in.
There really isn't anything that interesting in my windows and what I have found is that most people have really cool ordinary lives. This being able to read their posts makes me feel like I am eavesdropping. I love it! I love that the people I think are the "hippest" people I know are reading the same books as me and laughing at the same shows and analyzing the same eternal questions. Does that make me hip? I like to think so.
I also love that some of the people I admire most in the world are just really a degree (or two) away. (you know that 6 degrees of separation thing) Makes me think some days that I am a little closer to them when I read their blogs. (which by the way BLOG is such an dumb word, I'm going to make up my own one of these days)

Today was a good day. One of those cool ordinary days. My boys are happy and safe. My husband is by my side (well actually laying on the couch in the family room) and I am healthy. Today I got a text message from Amanda saying she was happy I hadn't been released from my calling as a MiaMaid advisor. It made my heart warm. Those simple kind words are the ones I guide my life by. Thanks Amanda.
Peace out
jlr