We had our annual Christmas party a few days before Christmas and had a fantastic time with a bunch of really great people.  The highlight is always the white elephant exchange where there is absolutely nothing anyone actually wants. Well except this year someone brought movie tickets. Which we did NOT get. (I think the hosts should get the good gift by default).  Instead we ended up with the Poopouri, a product which makes using the loo a little classier. ; ) I started out with a stack of Cardinals plastic cups which I was able to make someone take pity on me and they were gratefully "stolen."

Other highlights included our Catch Phrase Couples Tournament, the Wests did a Christmas rap, and we had plenty of delicious food, including a burrito bar and tamales, coco, and apple cheesecake caramel bars. 

Also, that was the day I got a floor lamp and when I took the box home I realized they had given me 2 lamps for the price of 1.  Well of course I took the lamp back and had hopes that I would be rewarded for my outstanding citizenship, with like a coupon or something! But none such reward was received, except for a clear conscience which is reward enough for me. (And yes, that is supposed to sound self righteous. I wanted a coupon. ; )  )

I almost forgot...Don received a bottle of glitter labeled "Edward Cullen's Ashes."  The next morning when Chloe saw the bottle of glitter she was amazed at the wonderful treasure we had procured.

She brought the bottle of glitter to church with her, and as we were driving she said, "Mom? Who gave you this bottle of glitter?"  I said, "I don't know, it was a secret."

And she said, "Wow...it's a reaaaaaallly nice gift."

And yet another reason why I love my Chloe.

Speaking of glitter and Chloe...in the days leading up to Christmas, she asked me several times a day if Santa was going to bring her pixie dust...if pixie dust was real...if it actually can make people fly....and she knows it is real, and why don't I believe it...and if I only believed, I could fly...etc. This I blame on every single Christmas movie marketed to children on Netflix.

I hated these questions.  Because they just led to more questions that I didn't know how to answer.  And the problem being that there was no way in the world that I could come up with some creative way to give her the gift of flight.

Except on southwest.com.  

I tried several things like, well Santa can't give out Pixie dust because then kids would be flying around in the sky and that would be too dangerous, there would be all sorts of accidents.

To which she said, "Well I just want to fly around the house."

Shoot.

Then I tried the intellectual route. "Actually Chloe, we can fly! And if you think about it, the fact that someone figured out how to make a plane that can fly in the sky really is magic! Really all magic is, is really advanced science! God inspires people to be able to figure things out scientifically that let's us do really magical things! Like talk on telephones, or use computers, or fly!"

She didn't care about any of that stuff.

So then I just stuck to, "Go ask your Father."

Which he was never home when the questions arose so that wasn't helpful either.

Finally I got a good suggestion from a friend that seemed to put the discussion to rest. "Only fairies know how to make pixie dust. And it is elves that make the Christmas toys so the elves don't know how to make the pixie dust."

To which she replied, "Oh. Well Fairies aren't real!" (Which I guess I have told her in the past.)

I really can't keep track of which mythical creatures are still perpetuated among our household.

I guess I told her Fairies weren't real because minuscule humans flying around, don't fit into our Mormon Theology of the Plan of Salvation, so I just had to cut them out.  

Fairies and Mermaids.  And also the half humans, half horses.  They're all out.  Cause there is no sub-category in our theology for half humans.

But Santa is a human. So he made the cut.

And the end.

More Ward Party

Liisa made a Charlie Brown tree which I was really impressed with.

Heather spent like half her adult life making this back drop at of white streamers.

Kiddos loved the fake snow.

Cute 3 year old angels.

And choir.

And I don't know how or why, but look my computer just added snow to this picture!

 So, this holiday season has pretty much pooped me out.  I had all of these grand intentions for enjoying the small things with my family this Christmas season, and instead I burned out fast.  I even put up an advent calender and filled it with something Christmas-y to do every day, and we are about 15 days behind.  When I pull out a paper that says "Be someone's secret santa" I think to myself, man, you should have just put 'tell someone  "Merry Christmas" today,' because that is about all the energy that I have left.  Wah, wah, bah humbug, I know!  But I have a good excuse, I promise.
At any rate, I got put in charge of the Ward Christmas party.  Which I enjoyed doing and I dare say it was a smashing success.  I had A LOT of help, shout out to my peeps, (Steffanie, Liisa, Elizabeth, Heather, LaRee, and so, so, so many more people)  I hope I can get some more pictures because some of the coolest features I have no pictures of.

we had a Santa's Workshop.  I bought fake snow which was a huge hit with the kids.  They also made letters for santa and deposited them in the mailbox we had by Santa's chair.

 We had a photo booth.

 and an ugly sweater contest with a sorry number of participants.  I participated, and I didn't even have a sweater.  But these pictures do remind me how unfair skinny jeans are to women's thighs and I vote to outlaw them.

 and apparently we never learned it is rude to point.

 Since I was in charge, I forced Don to participate by buying him a mock sweater vest from Wal Mart.

 The applause o-meter won in 2nd place.

 Like I said, I sorry showing for the ugly sweater contest.  We should have just had an ugly jean contest and us women with hips could have all gotten up there in our tapered leg jeans.

 The kids put on the annual nativity and the "choir" was pretty cute.

 We hung snowflakes from wire which looks much less impressive in this picture than it did in real life.  I thought we had a real creative idea.  But with the invention of Pinterest, there is not such thing as creativity anymore.  I laughed when I saw on facebook that my friend put on an almost identical ward party.

 Chloe told me after the party that santa clause looked like Brother Morris.  Man. she is getting too smart.  must find a way to dumb her down.  Furthermore, I am sad.  She has switched to jeans over skirts and leggings.  And it makes her look way too old.  And also she puts her hair in a ponytail every day which also makes her look way too old.  I poo poo this.

 And somehow Macie got 2 lollipops, despite that she only met with Santa once.

I hope I can find some pictures with the food because it was a sight to behold. We had cranberry beef brisket (my friend's Mom made it, she used to do catering), garlic mashed potatoes and gravy (farmed out to some ladies in my ward), homemade rolls and honey butter (thanks to Steffanie and her Mom who also did the brisket), a mixed greens salad with cranberries and bacon, corn, and Texas Sheetcake (supplied by a few ladies in my ward) and ice cream. The food was amazing.  Steffani and her Mom were my life savers.

A side story:
Steffanie and I went to Restaurant Depot to buy food for the party and this crazy couple walked by:



My eyes got big and I tried to inconspicuously get my friend's attention, but I guess I was obvious because the lady turned around and said to me, "It's okay. you can look at us!!"
I was a little terrified.  If you watch the show, you will see why.

In other news, Macie told me I have a big bum.  Unfortunately I am the only one in the family with a big bum, as Don did not receive the same compliment.  He has a "Liddle" bum.

Also I found Macie yesterday, standing behind my music stand waving her arms and singing like a music conductor.  So I forgive her for the big bum comment.

Joe's Italian Ice

Our friend's italian ice shop finally opened. We have gone pretty much every day.  His shop has all these cool antiques. This car actually works and when you close the door in the telephone booth, the light and fan turns on.  And that's all I have to say.  I just fell asleep I was so bored re-reading what I wrote.  Joe's is awesome and not boring. Just my lackluster writing is.