A Great and Blessed Day and a Merry Christmas to You!

It Must Be the Christmas Season. I felt Very blessed today and actually had a wonderful day! Here's Why:

Final-Ly finals! And The Beginning of Christmas Break!

Today I left the testing center, leaping in the air because the semester was finally OVER and because I did Well on my Final! I think it was all thanks to the complete stranger who said "Good Luck" to me as she was walking past me. I'm so grateful for her. ; )  Actually, now that I think about it, it's ALL thanks to my Mom and my Visiting Teacher.  My Mom, because she was willing to drop ALL of her plans to drive an hour north, in the traffic and snow, just so I could take a test! Gotta love my Ma!  My Visiting Teacher because she came to my aid just when I needed it. I had lost her number and was literally in the middle of trying to find it when she called me! Next thing I knew, she was taking care of my kids and I was sitting in the testing center.

I MET SANTA CLAUS!

I now believe in Santa Claus.  I had just left the testing center and was walking home when I saw Him. "Hey look, It's Santa." I said. I thought it was peculiar that Santa was just walking around on Campus. Not something you see everyday.  Then, as I passed by him I said "Hello!" and what Happened!? 

He handed me a 10 Dollar Bill!!! Way to finish a semester of School! Thanks Santa! 

So yeah. Now, I'm a believer. 

CHRISTMAS PARTY!

A couple of hours after I got home from school we went to our ward Christmas Party!
There's nothing quite as awesome as a Spanish Ward, Especially ours. But...I may be just a little bias since it is my ward and all.

At the party:

-we ate a delicious dinner.

-we took family pictures with santa. When Jayden saw santa enter the room his eyes lit up and it
was like nothing else existed...for a second or two. Once he got his toy/candy bag, Santa was out of the picture.

-We danced Merengue, Salsa and Whatever we wanted! All four of us had a blast
dancing.  It was no one-man dance. Everyone who was anyone was on the dance floor.

- Jayden Got New...Shorts. His pants (and underwear) got wet while we were at the party. When I checked the diaper bag there was an extra pair of underwear, a shirt for jayden, some pants and a pink T-shirt for abby. I had to get creative so... we turned a pink shirt into some cool shorts. Jayden didn't like the idea all that much. "No MOM. Those are abby's pants" he kept protesting(while I forced the sleeves of the shirt over his shoes). Finally, I couldn't help it. I just busted up laughing and said "No. They're not abby's pants buddy." worse. "It's her shirt." BWAAAAHAAA HAA!

It's a moment where you have to be there for it to be funny.  Lucky for him, Dad came back with some of JAYDEN's pants before we took our family picture.

-Last, but not least, we got to take home nicely-wrapped, empty gift-boxes that were about to be thrown away. Now we'll be able to wrap our kids gifts by doing a lot less. Just re-open the top of the empty gift-boxes and place the toys inside of them!

Summary.

To wrap things up, this day was filled with blessings and joy and I thank the people who made it so, including my Savior, Jesus Christ, And My God above who gave me this wonderful life and all the good that is in it.  I am so grateful for this Christmas Season, which inspires so many to give a little more than the usual.  I hope I, and all of us, can do the same!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!!!!!

Some Empty Gift-Boxes.



pictures of Jayden in his pink "shorts" and our Family-Santa-Picture to be posted  here soon. 

100% Healthy-Delicious Dessert! Peanut Butter Yum!

Anyone Like Apples and Peanut butter?

At our home we normally aren't big fans of sticky, pasty peanut butter but with a TWIST We LOVE it!   

We make a Delicious Peanut Butter dip that is so simple and So healthy! 

All it takes is Peanut Butter, Honey and milk!

Scoop 2/3 cup of freshly ground peanut butter into a bowl (no oils or sugars added). 

I get mine at the Local Health Food store. I fill up an old, 32 oz, glass Peanut Butter Jar for merely 3 bucks! It's a deal you can't beat! If you go to any regular store (even wal-mart) you can't get organic or Natural Peanut Butter without paying 7 or more bucks!

Mix in about 1/6 cup of honey (more or less depending on your preference). 

we get local made honey. Always tastes better and we get way better deals than what the grocery store can offer. 

begin pouring some milk into the mixture and mix. keep adding milk until it has a soft frosting or soft, caramel texture, about 1/3 cup of milk. 

Enjoy!!!!

http://rarabakes.blogspot.com/2011/05/peanut-butter-dip-for-apples.html

What I'm Thankful For!

It's Never Too Late to Give Thanks!

Thanksgiving came and left pretty quickly and, while My Family and I had a WONDERFUL thanksgiving experience, I'm going to have to save my "thanksgiving Update" for another post.

But hey, who says you can only be thankful on thanksgiving? There are so many things to be grateful for each day that I can't imagine only being able to give thanks on "Thanksgiving".


Take today for example! I am so thankful that Cam and I Were blessed to go to a work Christmas Party! Complementary from KW.  We enjoyed meeting new people, eating a wonderful meal, listening to a comedian and, last of all, we won a 32" LED TV! Wow! Don't I feel blessed. Funny thing was that, right before he drew our name out of the bowl, the man asked "who needs a tv?" Jokingly, I shouted "woooh!"  I guess my shout was heard. I am so thankful for KW for the time they put into serving their employees and consumers.

Thanks to our wonderful friends who live close by, we were able to attend this Christmas party. We forgot to find a babysitter. Called them the same day and- although Husband/dad was working, Wife/Mom said yes! They are one of the only people that my 1 year old daughter will go to without crying. She not only doesn't cry, she actually has a ton of fun! My 3 year old loves it too. He gets to play with their kid who is his same age!

The First Snow of The Year! December 03, 2013.

Yesterday was the first snow of the season! What a beautiful Day! 

My list of gratitude was endless, from the moment I looked out the window until I snuggled into my warm blankets at the end of the day.  I quite enjoyed the simple, seemingly-meaningless things that filled me with so much gratitude.

As I tended my kids, then walked to school, enjoyed family time, made mistakes and just experienced my day,

here's what I found myself feeling sincerely grateful for:

"I am so grateful for the beautiful snow."
"I am so grateful to be outside with my kids, enjoying the beautiful snow"
"I am so grateful for my boots, my snow pants, my scarf, my gloves, and my EXTREMELY WARM coat (that is so warm I'm practically sweating in it while I walk to school). I love it when I don't have to freeze!"

"I am so grateful for the man in the car, who just smiled and waved for me to cross the street, so I didn't have to wait at the crosswalk. He really didn't need to do that."
"I am so grateful for the young man who I just saw sliding across the slushy sidewalk with a huge grin on his face. What a Great Idea!"
" I am so grateful for this large paved hill covered in slush that I am practically snowboarding down (without the snowboard).  It's so much FuN! I am so grateful I'm still a kid at heart."
"I am so grateful for the delicious Hot Chocolate and my husband who so lovingly made it for all the family to enjoy! I'm also grateful for these homemade, flavored, marshmallows that taste so good in the hot chocolate. I'm also grateful for the delicious toast that goes so well with Hot Chocolate and marshmallows, if you ask me."
"I am so grateful for my family, who is all snuggled up with me on our comfy couch, watching a cute Christmas movie."
"I am so grateful for the beginning of December, which is the beginning of The christmas season, the time to reflect on The Savior Jesus Christ in OUR lives."
"I am so grateful that My sins, folly's, setbacks and imperfections can be swallowed up through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and be replaced with His Joy that He gives to us all!"
"I am so grateful to be alive today."

Being Grateful When the Sun Doesn't Shine.

As I reflected on that snowy yesterday, I realized how easy it could have been for me to be negative and upset. I realized how much one's attitude towards life affects him and those around him, for better or worse. I also noticed how much easier it was to be grateful and happy when I was turning to my Savior and God throughout the day.

Yesterday, I was blessed with a heart full of gratitude. It was such a wonderful thing to be grateful.  Of all things, I was reminded that, even on a blizzard day, when the sun isn't shining in the sky, there is still room to be grateful!  Let us all choose to make room for "gratitude" each and every day, ESPECIALLY during this Christmas Season. It is so uplifting to see a grateful person and oh so gratifying to be GRATEFUL! What greater gift could we give back to our Savior than that-the Gift of Gratitude!