trying to be important

I posted this a little while ago, but not with the updated zip file you can download.

After seeing a few ideas posted on other sites, I decided to take the time to make my own church ABC quiet book for David — one that was a little more my style. It includes all the letters of the alphabet with a corresponding picture and scripture or primary song.

All of the pictures and content were found in the LDS Image Libraries which are available for personal and home use.

When you download the zip file, you can either burn the jpgs to a CD or upload them to your favorite photo printing site and print them as 4×6 photos. They fit perfectly in the cheap, clear photo albums sold at most Walmarts, Targets, Walgreens, etc.

For David’s book, next to the F is for Family page, I put a picture of our family; I did the same for P is for Parents and G is for Grandparents to make it more personal to our family. David LOVES his book. More than I could have ever thought for how young he is. First he just liked to look at all the pictures and turn the pages over and over, but now that he’s just a tad older he likes to point to the people he recognizes (Dad, Nana, and Papa are his favorites) and say their names.

Download the compete alphabet and cover HERE.

This took a lot of personal time and uses images and content intended for home use, so please respect that and do not download to sell. Thanks.

(Oops, I thought I published this post about a week ago … And I apologize for some of the weird formatting; my blog has ideas of its own.)

Some of my favorite things about Christmas this year (basically our Christmas in a nutshell):

• Seeing a lot of Matt’s family in southern California; his sister and her family, his parents, his grandparents, and his aunt and uncle were all there in person. We were able to video chat with the other families, so we pretty much got to see and talk to everyone (thank you modern technology). It was seriously so much fun, and David was overloaded with spoilage and attention.

• Watching David perform for his cousins and other admirers; this kid is such a ham!
• THE WEATHER: We left Rexburg at a brisk 12 degrees and spent a week in the 70s. No coats! No hats! No gloves! David played on green grass in the warm sunshine.
• Visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and walking through Air Force One.

• Taking an exclusive tour of the Disney Studios backlot and learning about the behind-the-scenes and going-ons of Disney. Rob, our brother-in-law, is an attorney for a division of Disney and could therefore take us on an employee-only tour of the Disney backlot; we walked through some of the buildings, saw some original sketches and illustrations from several Disney-favorites, saw a few costumes worn by the actors in their live-action movies (like Pirates of the Caribbean and Alice in Wonderland, for example), and so many other really neat things. David unfortunately hated the tour and was pretty much a pill the whole time (until we found the Lady and the Tramp plush dog display at the on-site store which David walked around and squealed at for 10 minutes at which time Papa picked him up and took him), but Matt and I are glad we went. Papa bought David one of the plush puppies from the display, he’s cuddling with it in his crib as I type.

• Visiting my great-aunt Lillian (Aunt Lil as she calls herself). I don’t even know how to describe this woman. She’s old, but full of fire. She’s hil-arious; all comedy in my genes came from her. When I was a child, she and my great-grandmother traveled the world and would send us knick knacks and sweaters and dolls from their adventures. Whenever we’d see her she’d take us out to Pizza Hut and then get us cherry-dipped Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen, every single time. I have so many wonderful memories of her and I am so happy that we got to take an afternoon to see her and show off David.
• Oh, and getting a SEWING MACHINE. Almost forgot that one. Almost. The sewing machine was my big gift and because most everyone knew that’s what I was getting (thanks to a not-so-sneaky elf), almost all of my other presents were sewing related. I now have pretty much everything I need to start sewing; 26 spools of thread, fancy scissors, cutting mat and ruler, pins, pin cushion, and on and on. I couldn’t be happier. My domesticity is going to a whole new level. Prepare yourselves for all of the sewing posts in your future.

Our trip home deserves a post all its own, I’ll save that for later.

What should I make for dinner tonight?

This is what I have:

Nothing.

Okay, okay we have milk, cheese (I think), turkey lunch meat, two eggs, bread, a scrape of sour cream, and various canned and frozen goods. And a ton of peanut butter, can’t forget that.

I made spaghetti last night, so we can’t do that again (mostly because I used all the pasta). Pancakes are out too, we’ve made those a lot since we’ve been home (by “we” I really mean Matt, thanks for breakfast Matt).

I went to the store yesterday, but left after an hour with only milk, bread, toilet paper, and toothpaste (what I needed to survive) because 10,000 students, parents, and siblings were clearing the store after moving in for a new semester.

I do have one dinner in the freezer that I made for a “rainy day.” I can’t decide if my situation is dire enough to use it or if I should continue to save it; there might be a really bad day yet to come and I’ll wish I had dinner in the freezer.

I tried to look up a recipe on the Martha Stewart website, but spent a half hour browsing sewing projects instead (darn it, domestic Martha). And why do her recipes call for ingredients I’v never heard of?

Fine, I’ll do it myself.

It finally snowed in these parts this week, and to me it now officially feels like Christmas is coming. I realize that there are vast parts of the world that celebrate Christmas without snow and Santa still comes and all that jazz, but for me it’s not Christmas until it snows.

We’ll be spending the blessed holiday in Los Angeles this year, and I’ll forgive them for not having snow. We are greatly looking forward to 60+ weather (only wearing jackets, if that) and seeing family (it may not have snowed until this week, but it sure has been COLD).

In true end-of-year fashion, we took a family picture.

May all your Christmases be merry and bright.

Oh, and pssst. Check out the “Forever Lazy” on YouTube and the internet. They’re so ridiculous that I feel like I have to have one. They have bum hatches!