Christmas Eve this year was the same family celebration but different (in a good way). Different for a number of reasons but still a great time with family. We really enjoyed our time with family this year (we do every year but even more so this year). This feels like the most relaxed Christmas we’ve ever celebrated! I’m a little bummed that we didn’t take very many pictures (I’m sure this contributed to the relaxing part)
Cousin bonding time – football, iPod sharing, running for the sake of running
Crazy times with crazy kids. Where do these kids get all their energy??
Yummy food with great entertainment 
Creme brulee was excellent! (It was my favorite yummy for the evening)
Present time! – the kids’ favorite part of the whole evening.
But most importantly – THANK YOU Jesus for coming as a baby. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Thank you Lord for breathing life into our family again.
On Saturday, Lizzie and I got break from the boys and all their noise when they went out with the cousins to watch “Avatar”. Definitely not our cup of tea. Lizzie and I spent the day lounging around the house, playing video games without being interrupted or having to take turns or share, and eating her favorite junk – Doritos, Cheetos and M&M’s!
As much as she hates playing alone, I think she’ll learn to appreciate having her own “me” time. Her and Enzo are so inseparable right now that the very few moments she has without him, she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Once she paced around the house a bit, I think she figured it wasn’t so bad. She even did a bit of what we all do when we have time to waste…her daddy is teaching her well
On another note, I can’t believe Enzo sat through Avatar, all 2 hours and 40 minutes of it. He loved it! Ethan and Enzo were so excited to come home and tell us all about it (which at this point, I think she realized how much she enjoyed her ‘me’ time)…but of course I owe Lizzie a movie date. She wants to see “The Princess and the Frog” without the brothers. So till our next ‘her time’…
Oh I’m so excited about the doll I made for Lizzie. She’s been asking for me to make her all kinds of stuff for a long while now but we have been too busy being busy! She’s been eyeing a few things that we’ve seen as we browse through blogs and Etsy.
She has been so patient and asked so sweetly for a mama-made doll. I finally braved it and tackled the doll. It really wasn’t so hard. Definitely a lot of fun to make! Well, except flipping the arms and legs, there has to be an easier way!
So check out the doll I made her (actually dolls, I was so excited about the first one I made that I had to make a smaller one but that didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped).
I decided to wait till Christmas to give her her new friends, so shhhhh! Everyday she asks me if I’m done with her doll. Poor kid probably thinks her mommy is gonna flake. =)
Lizzie is such a girly girl when it comes to certain things, that I couldn’t help but add a ric-rac trim for a necklace and mary-jane shoes to her doll. Oh and I even added dimples just like hers. Actually she wanted her doll to look like her so I made it with brown skin and made the hairstyle on both dolls to look like Lizzie’s. It makes the doll look so girly…just perfect for Lizzie.
oooh I like this one too! Lizzie’s wants one so I’ll definitely have to think this one through and make her own…
I saw these on ohdeehdoh. Actually I’ve seen several different house pillows on the internet, some with just a house and I’ve seen some that are mini-dollhouses. I love browsing through this website though, they always have the coolest inspirational ideas!
oooh I saw this online today and I love it!
This felt dollhouse by Checkout Girl would be too cool in Lizzie’s room especially since she really doesn’t have much space…ooh maybe one day I’ll brave it and make her one! Oh man I wish I would have come across this way before Christmas, this would have been a cool Christmas present!
** UPDATE: oooooh I found another one here:
It’s been a while since I’ve really taken the time to read, for reasons that are totally lame for a book nerd like me. No time is a big one, but the biggest excuse is my inability to pay attention to 1 book.
Reading ADD. ”SQUIRREL!“
I get so excited about all these book I want to read, geniunely excited not like a fleeting moment type of excitement. I usually shove a book or 2 in my truck or my purse but of course that only last so long.
Thanks to my hubby, I got a new toy for my birthday and I can carry all the books I care to read all at the same time! Oh I’m so excited and so in love with my new toy that even Ethan is excited about reading again. I’ll have to take pix of my new toy when I get around to putting it down long enough to pick up my camera!
This book, however, is really good! I’m only 35% into the book (I know that because my new toy said so) but it’s so good I can’t put it down…do they have a movie based on this book?? This would have made such an awesome movie but I can’t watch what I’ve read and can’t read what I’ve watched…I’m weird that way I know but it’s just not the same…
Posted Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:55am PST
How safe is the water that flows out of your tap? The answer very much depends on where you live.
It’s now easier than ever for consumers to find out what’s in their tap water. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) today released the results of a three-year investigation of municipal water supplies across the U.S.
The research and advocacy group looked at water quality tests performed by water utilities since 2004 and created an extensive database that contains info on the contaminants found in 48,000 communities in 45 states.
EWG also rated 100 big city (population over 250,000) water utilities. Below are the top and bottom results.
Cities with the best water:
- Arlington, TX
- Providence, RI
- Fort Worth, TX
- Charleston, SC
- Boston, MA
- Honolulu, HI
- Austin, TX
- Fairfax County, VA
- St. Louis, MO
- Minneapolis, MN
Cities with the worst water:
- Pensacola, FL
- Riverside, CA
- Las Vegas, NV
- Riverside County, CA
- Reno, NV
- Houston, TX
- Omaha, NE
- North Las Vegas, NV
- San Diego, CA
- Jacksonville, FL <==== THAT’S US! *yuck*
If you live in one of the few areas that weren’t investigated, you can get an annual report of what’s in your public drinking water. If your water comes from a well, then see the EPA’s guidelines for those who use private wells.
The results of the investigation raise some concerns about municipal water supplies in the U.S. EWG says 316 different contaminants were found in the nation’s tap water. The group also points out that more than half of those contaminants aren’t regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Establishing more effective source water protection programs and developing enforceable government standards for contaminants would go a long way toward improving the nation’s water supply, according to the EWG.
In the meantime, no one is suggesting that you go out and start drinking bottled water (although, of course, in emergency situations it can be necessary). Experts still agree that drinking tap is preferable to drinking bottled water. Bottled water is much more expensive than tap, it takes a huge toll on the planet, and it’s not necessarily any safer than tap. “Bottled water is not regulated in the same way as tap water,” says Olga Naidenko, a senior scientist at EWG. “With bottled water, consumers often do not know what they are getting, and 25 to 40 percent of bottled water on the market is simply tap poured into a bottle.”
Knowing what’s in your water is the key. Once you know which contaminants are present, you can find the best filter to get rid of them.
Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.
These cousins rocked their recital!
*Chris – vocals, Justin – lead guitar, & Ethan – drums
The guy in glasses to the left is Bill, their guitar teacher. The bass player is another student.
