TO THE LADY IN THE TRUCK AT THE BANK DRIVE THROUGH. . .

Okay here is a little tip for ya. Ready?



Windows are see-through. Really. So when your digging for gold and plucking your chin and neck hairs while you wait for the teller to give you your cash, people can see you. Rather, I can see you. And the teller can see you, and the people inside the bank can see you. You see glass goes both ways. Out and in. And really, I would normally just have looked the other way, but since you were in between me and the teller, I had to look your way. And I had to see you straining to pluck those hairs out of your neck, and digging deeper than any adult should. Ever. Especially in public. And it was gross. Really gross. And I threw up in my mouth a little bit.



And the worst part? When you did finally notice that other people could see you and looked my way. I realized that I knew you. And really? Not one of my favorite people. And frankly, because I'm a nice person, I won't call you out in public by name because I'm sure 90% of my readers know you. So, I will keep this little post anonymous. But please. For the love of all that is holy: KEEP THE TWEEZERS AT HOME!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

TUESDAY'S TIP: O TANNENBAUM!

So last year after Christmas my in-laws decided to give away their tree and get a pre-lit tree, so lucky us, we inherited their old one! Score! The only problem is, it's HUGE! Which is great, but since we've only been a family for about 7 years, we don't really have all that many ornaments. And since I didn't have a whole lot of money to spend on decorations this year, (I bought a few strands of garland from target, a couple boxes of jingle bell ornaments and lights) so I decided to improvise. And improvise I did. I decided to fill in the gaps with some Christmas cards from last year. And then as they have been arriving all month, we've been replacing them.

And I absolutely love it. Not only do they fill in the gaps well, but every time I look at the tree I am reminded of what Christmas is really all about. The birth of Christ, love, families, and all our wonderful blessings (friends & family). We are truly are seriously so blessed (ha, ha, I know).

Hope you are all having a fabulous Christmas Eve Eve!

TRAGIC NEWS FROM UP NORTH. . .

Got this in an e-mail forward today and actually laughed out loud. Merry Christmas!

NEIL FRIGGIN DIAMOND

Okay, so Friday night.

I wasn't the least bit excited to go see this concert. Partly cause it was Neil, and partly cause it was a work thing for Hubs, and honestly, I don't do the corporate wife thing very well. Makes me nervous cause I have a slight problem with diarrhea of the mouth. I say, seriously, the stupidest things ever sometimes. Needless to say, we went and ended up having a total blast.

So, a few hours before the concert started they had a dinner, games, and mingling. The dinner wasn't all that great, but I will tell you what was. PLINKO! Yep, walked away with twenty bucks. Hubs only got a key chain. Ha! Next a little Wii Mario Kart. Which I totally smoked Hubs in again. And it got me really excited for our Wii we got for Christmas. I'm sure there is already a re-match scheduled somewhere in Hub's super-competitive head of his. And the best part? At all of these little game stations if you won you got raffle tickets where they drew for a bunch of different prizes. And I seriously, I bet had 100 raffle tickets in that big thing. Then they finally drew for all the prizes except for the last two items, which ended up being the prize of all prizes. And who's name did they call? Hubs. Seriously. He maybe had 20 tickets in there and he ends up winning. Who in the heck is that lucky? But what did he win? Upgraded ninth row on the floor tickets to tonight's concert! The price on the tickets said $122 each, but I heard they were going for like $300 a piece. Score! (The other tickets were up in a suite).

And in all honesty, Hubs and I were going to sneak out after the first few songs of the concert since they had pushed back the start time due to the snow and we didn't want to have our sitter out too late. But then, we won the tickets on the floor, and well, we had to rock those. And they were AWESOME. And Neil? The guy can rock. It was amazing. I have no idea how he travels all over the country performing at 67. It's incredible. But to be honest, I've never in my life seen so many oxygen tanks at a concert. Hubs and I were just laughing cause we were the youngest people there by at least 20 years. Seriously. The entire row behind us were these white haired ladies all screaming for Neil. How fun.

And Hubs especially liked it, cause he's never been to a concert on the floor. EVER. And it's true, pretty much any concert on the floor is a totally different experience. It seriously makes it so much better. I mean, really, I saw Janet Jackson 2nd row floor when I was 15 and that my friends, THAT was a show. To be honest, not a lot going on with the Neil Diamond show (alot of walking, and winking), but it was still great live music. And you can bet I was dancing my ace off during Forever in Blue Jeans, and Sweet Caroline. Made me think back on all the great concerts I've been to in that arena. Paula Abdul, Salt N Peppa, Janet Jackson, Counting Crows, and a bunch of others that I can't think of at the moment. But yeah. So here are some pictures from our fun night out.

THANKS FOR THE GREAT NIGHT INSIDEOUT OFFICE INTERIORS. NEIL DIAMOND FRIGGIN ROCKS!

SINGLE LADIES? THIS IS FOR YOU

Funniest Single Ladies mock I've seen yet. Enjoy!

I AM TOTALLY SERIOUS ABOUT EVERY SINGLE WORD IN THIS POST

Okay, so this is just a little glimpse into my oh so very near future.

Just look at him rockin' it out his glitter shirt! But the thing that gets me about this little performance, is that well, it was TEN YEARS AGO!!! Um, what? The guy has some pretty sweet moves. I might have to steal some of them, for the next time I'm at a disco party. Honestly, I wasn't even a bit excited to go to this thing, except for the fact that it's a night out with Hubs without our precious offspring, but now, after watching this beauty of a clip, I am TOTALLY STOKED. I hope he rocks it tonight! Actually, I hope he doesn't rock it too hard and have a stroke or a heart attack or something.

Tonight is gonna be so sweet. At the very least, it should provide some good old people watching. And you better believe I'm gonna be rockin' my blue jeans.

MY DAILY LIFESAVER

Thanks to my friend Kris and her brilliant post, this little guy, aptly named Prince Noah The Elf, sits high on our shelf, as a constant reminder to Thing 1 and Thing 2 that they better be nice and obey their mother, clean up their rooms, keep their hands to themselves, or else! Seriously, best bribing tool EVER! You are supposed to bring this out during the holidays so Santa's elf can watch and report. Do you think the 4th of July is too soon to break him out next year?
Thanks Kris!

NEIGHBORHOOD GIFTS. . .

CHECK!

So, I can't tell you how much fun I had doing neighborhood gifts this year. And again, keeping with my cheap theme, I did them all for under $10. Wahoo!

Okay, so I needed something fun and a little nicer for some ladies I serve with in the Relief Society and so the first thing I did is check my gift card stash. And it just so happens that I had two Cactus & Tropical gift cards that I'd gotten from my mother for Valentines day and my birthday or anniversary or something. Which is so nice of her, but really, me and Plants (ironically) don't really mix very well. I usually end up killing them. And quickly. And then I feel all guilty and bad, so I don't usually do live flowers and plants. Unless they come already cut and you can put them in a vase and then they are supposed to die within a week or so. Just too much guilt. So anyhoo, I had about $85 on the cards, and I went in, and they had the cutest mini poinsettias. Ever. So I snagged up a bunch for gifts. And the cost to me in all this? $0.00, actually I was over by like .32 cents or something. Awesome, right? Thank you Momma!

Don't they look so cute? I love mini things. Just so charming.

Then, for my other neighbors and friends, I decided to make this awesome fudge I found via the Short Stop blog while I was perusing recipes using sweetened condensed milk. I was at Costco last week and picked up sweetened condensed instead of evaporated. Drat! Just what I needed. A Costco size load of sweetened condensed milk. But, luckily I found this little recipe. And lets be honest here folks, not only do I not have a green thumb, I also can't really cook. At all. Seriously. But I went searching for something simple And I found it. And it was soooooooo easy. Soooooo inexpensive. And sooooooo good. If you need an easy (and I mean easy. 5 ingredients people), yummy, cheap idea for neighborhood gifts, then please by all means, indulge yourself and your friends.

Chocolate Fudge

adapted from several others...

12 ounces (1 bag) milk chocolate chips

2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, optional (cuts the sweetness, which I prefer)

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

dash salt

Combine chocolate chips, unsweetened chocolate, and sweetened condensed milk into medium saucepan. Heat at lowest setting possible until chocolate has melted.Stir in vanilla and salt. Thoroughly combine.Spread mixture into foil-lined 8x8-inch baking dish. Refrigerate for at least two hours.Remove fudge by lifting foil out of pan. Peel away foil, and cut fudge into squares, or with cookie cutter.

And if you happen to be super crafty and have a mini star cookie cutter you could make your fudge like this, instead of just in boring old squares.

Aren't these adorable? Again with the mini. Too fun!

MY CRAFTY GENE EMERGES

So, for Christmas this year for Thing 2, I decided to go with a kitchen theme. I got this little set for her from Costco. I love that it's red, cause it will go perfectly along a wall in my own kitchen. And I also loved that it wasn't a butt load of money like some other sets I've seen. So, to go with the kitchen, I've bought her a bunch of wooden food and cookie sets, a metal pan set from Ikea, and a cute little tea set. I'm hoping she enjoys it. So, I wanted to get her a little RED apron to go with it, but after scouring Etsy and a half dozen traveling boutique shows, and being able to only find pink and blue and green aprons I decided to go ahead and make her one. Gutsy I know. I do have a sewing machine and thanks to Sue Hess sewing classes, I can actually sew pretty well. As long as there aren't zippers or buttons involved, I'm all set. So, I found this cute red cherry fabric and went to work. This is the finished product:

I'm pretty impressed with myself, actually. The neck has a Velcro closure, two huge pockets for cooking utensils, white ruffle edge, and a polka dot bow for a tie. I hope she likes it! Merry Christmas Thing 2!

TUESDAY'S TIP wrapping papper chargers

Hi y'all!

Today's tip comes courtesy of the crappy economy and upcoming tithing settlements. Last weekend we had a little dinner party and I needed a fun and inexpensive way to dress up our table. And where most people would use fancy shmancy things, I decided to use stuff I had, dollar store items, and wrapping paper. Here is how it turned out:


And the great thing about all of these items is the only this that is even slightly Christmasy is the wrapping paper. So I could use all of this again, swap out the paper and use different salad plates, and I have a whole new theme. Yay!

For the place settings I used basic white dinner plates. Dressed it up with a red salad plate I already had, and made the chargers out of some fun wrapping paper I found at the Basket loft. Add dollar store ribbon for the napkin holder, and dollar store party glasses and walla: The inexpensive party solution.

Plates, stemware and napkins: free.

Wrapping paper chargers: $6.99

10 fun party glasses: $10

Decorating for under $17: PRICELESS

ITSY, BITSY, TEENIE, WEENIE, METALIC, SILVER. . .

This, just might be the funniest thing I've read. Ever. Well, at least today. Check it out here.

YOU KNOW YOUR SICK WHEN. . .

• the house looks like a tornado hit, but you could care less.
• Thing 2 has painted an entire tube of pink glittery lip gloss all over her body (and now is paining a dish towel), and again, you could care less.
• Thing 1 is so bored that he is literally running around the house practicing his sliding moves on the wood floor, and even though it may look he is asking for a trip to the ER soon, you just can't quite seem to move off the couch.
• all you want to eat is tea, Tylenol, and thera flu.
• you were so desperate to feel even the least bit better, that you actually took some one's advice (against your better judgement) and rubbed Vick's on the bottom of your feet. Now you feel like crap and have gooey feet. yay.
• Never mind the wii and wii fit you asked for for Christmas. All you want this year is this:

Yes I feel like I might die any minute. Either from this evil cold, or from the fact that I've watched about 10 hours of the same Harry Potter movie (Did you know that before Edward was a vampire he was a wizard?) today. So why am I telling you all this? No, not for your pity, but rather to save you from the virus from Hell that has taken over my body. Here is your warning. It's out there. On shopping carts, doorknobs and little preschoolers boogie-nosed hands. And don't even for a minute start lecturing me about flu shots and such, cause I had one friends. I did. And this little beauty of a cold, is something else entirely. No little prick or sniff can save you from this torture. So. . .

I suggest you keep an extra-large tub of disinfectant on your back and start popping those airbornes/zicam/vitamin C's like they are candy. Seriously. You might look like Bob from What about Bob, but it will be worth it. Cause you won't feel this hellish pain. Consider yourself warned.


P.S. Thing2 is currently stuck in the toy cabinet. Is it bad that I'm considering not getting up? I sure hope Hubs gets home soon. Just kidding. I'm not that sick. But I did consider it.

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY. . .

VOTE FOR ED!!!!!!!

Seriously, all you have to do is call this number:

1-866-613-0002

If you love me you will do this. Heck, even if you just tolerate me, and this silly blog, will you pretty please with a cherry on top, take 15 seconds and call that number. That is all. I swear. No one to talk too, nothing to say, just dial and hang up.

Okay, now let me tell you why this is of utmost importance.

• First of all, Ed has the coolest voice ever, and we have too darn much fun impersonating Ed to have him not be a part of the finale. It really would be tragic. Please vote for him, for his lazy southern drawl if for nothing else.
• He is better than Heba. Way better. That silly plea Heba put up on the screen was ridiculous. Heck, Ed already got kicked off the show, and then worked his butt of (literally) to get back onto the show, and you don't think he deserves to be there? Oh, and p.s. Heba, since you were actually the HEAVIEST women on campus, then it actually would have been EASIER for you to pull the same numbers and percentages that the other women were. Yes indeedy. A vote for Ed, is in fact, a vote against Heba. And just remember Heba is friends with Vicky. Eww.
• I know the only reason Ed gained those two pounds was cause the devil, oops, I mean Vicky talked him into it. And this just pisses me off. Cause if Ed would have just lost weight like everyone else than Vicky and Heba would have been below the yellow line, and everyone knows there is no way in the sam heck American would have let the devil in the finale. Then both Heba and Ed would have been in the finale. Which would have sucked, but would have been better than Vicky having a shot at it.
• Vote for Ed because I think that he won't bust his butt and lose as much weight, because he knows he is in competition with Heba, and he wants Heba to win. And if Ed gets in via votes, then Michelle will have a better chance at winning. And really, I'm not really so thrilled with Michelle, I just can't stand the other three, so yeah, I hope she wins.
• Did I mention Ed's sweet accent?

JUST VOTE FOR ED ALREADY!!!

And yes, I realize this is just a show. But it is a REALITY show, so it's kinda like real. Right? Yes, I know I need to get a life.

TUESDAY'S TIP teach your child to read

Today's tip comes courtesy of my cousin Laurie. I was telling her that Thing 1 is getting really excited about his letters and is eager to learn to read, but since he is my first, I had no idea how to teach him to read. I really felt like there was a window of opportunity and if I didn't fill it soon, it would go away. She suggested this book. It's Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann. And let me just state for the record: THIS BOOK ROCKS!

We are only on lesson 10, but Thing 1 is reading! I'm serious. Only after 10 lessons, he gets it. Every letter has a sound, and he just sounds out the letters and he is reading. Even when we are driving in the car he will tell me what signs say, and stuff. It's way cool, and I love it! One thing that this book does that I really like, is at the end of each 10 minute lesson there is a writing portion. I got Thing 1 his own pad of learning-how-to-write lined paper (the one that looks like roads), and each day he does his writing on a new page. I don't let him write or color in this notebook except for our lessons. That way it can be his special reading/writing book. It's fun to see his progress from lesson one. I hope to keep it and put it in his scrapbook one day. And the best thing? He loves to write! And read! And being that I read about a two books a week, and therefore have a serious love of reading, I'm ecstatic to be passing on the joy that can be found in reading.

Seriously, it's my new bribe. Do you want to do your reading lesson? Then you must be nice to your sister. He literally cheers every time I tell him it's time for his lesson. I got him a few writing notebooks, and I keep one in my purse for trips in the car, doctors offices, and yesterday in church he literally sat and wrote his letters and numbers for 30 minutes straight!

So, if you are in the market to teach a youngster how to read, then I highly recommend this book. Ba-dum-dum.

OVER AT THE FAMILY BLOG. . .

Just wanted to let friends and family know that the rest of the Christmas photo shoot pictures are up over on the family blog. As well as Thing 2's dance performance video. Which is definitely good for a laugh. Hope you are all having a good one!

DEAR VICKY:

YOU SUCK!!!!

I am so friggin sick of Vicky. It's ridic. Just jump off the platform you frickin baby. Amy should have voted you off when she got the chance. I don't think I've ever hated someone on this show as much as I hate you. And hate is a very strong word. The only thing making me feel even a little bit better is the fact that she looked horrible after her "makeover". Yes, that is so vain and rude, but oh so true. I hope to Betsy that you retain fierce amounts of water this next week so that you will NOT be in the finals. Cause you suck!

I feel so much better now. Thankyou.

ETSY LOVE: JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Okay, so my new favorite addictive substance is Etsy. Seriously. So. Addictive.

Don't you just LOVE it? I mean, I could literally shop and search for hours. And have done so. But now, I don't need to feel even the least bit guilty. Why? Because with Christmas just around the corner I've decided to do the bulk of my gift shopping at Etsy and other boutiques with home/mom made items. The reason is two-fold.

First, I absolutely love to shop. Love. And I really love finding unique one of a kind items. It just gives me a thrill every time I find that perfect gift for that difficult-to-shop-for-someone. It's nice to know that the people I'm giving to won't be getting the same scarf and hat set from Old Navy that every other person alive is. It's the thrill of the hunt ya know. Finding the perfect one-of-a-kind gift that no one else will have. It sparks the artistic creative side in me. (And ignites my hunter-gather gene) And yes, I realize it would be much better if I myself made said gifts, but lets be real people. I'm the education counselor in the R.S; not the enrichment one. And really my problem mostly is that I have these great ideas, but then I'm not very crafty so that doesn't help. Apparently, when God was handing out gifts he snubbed me in the crafty department. Oh well. I'm over it.

And secondly, with America officially now finding itself in a recession, I feel that buying locally (somewhat) hand-made items the money goes directly to the hard-working individuals themselves, instead of some corporate Walmart-type CEO. Brills right? Cut out the middle man. Go straight to the crafty source. Fab-u-lous.

Okay, so to encourage you to shop Etsy this holiday season I've decided to link a few of my favorite etsy sites. These are some of the best-of-the-best. Truth be told there is alot of crap on Etsy. Lots of doily type toll-painted nightmares, but there is also a whole heckofalot of really super creative/talented people out there. And I think you should buy their stuff. So, here ya go. And if you are a relative, or expecting a gift from me this year, don't be bummed if you open your present come the 25th and it's no surprise, cause you saw it on here first. Fair warning, eh? Oh, and feel free to share your Etsy love knowledge with all my fabuloso Naptime readers and leave a comment with your favorite Etsy links. Come on. It's good for the economy, good for your wallet, and just plain fun. Happy Shopping!

• Silvia66 I am in la la la love with a few of these scarves and caplets. Perfect gift for that fashionista in your life. This one's got me drooling. And this one.
• Vol25 Found this etsy user via Aimee, and have bought a few of her prints. They would make a perfect gift for that certain someone who seems to have just about EVERYTHING. I have this one and absolutely love it.
• The Vintage Pearl These hand stamped necklaces would be perfect for Grammy don't you think?
• PosieandMe Okay, how about these adorable tooth pillows? Or the felt cookies and tea set?
• Retrofied These bags are just delish. Sister? Mother? New Mommy? Check.
• Knits By Knittin Mamma Have a kid? Or a neice? Or a nephew? Pretty sure these are the cutest knitted beanies for babies and kids I've ever seen. Ever. Oscar the grouch? Eyeore? Cupcake? Yes, please.
• VMJESS Know someone with a camera? Then these guys have got you covered. Cutest camera straps EVER.
• ChalkyDoodles Cutest oilcloth and chalkcloth aprons and tablecloths. So unique. So fun!
• RaimbowTree. Okay, so I have like 4 of these. And I love them. And I want this one now.
• Lucky Fiona Dog lover? Dunzo.
• A Bushel and a Peck How cute would these letters be in your best friend's house?
• Fandangled. Isn't this shirt a hoot? Your nephew is officially covered.
• The Full Spectrum. She is a local, and I have a few of her shirts. Too fun. How about this for that sister-in-law who just finished LotoJa?
• Another Local. Happy Little Artist. Love this.
• MD sparks Got a finicky teen? I bet she would love these. Or these.

Okay, I need to get back to life now. Have Fun, and please don't forget to share your fav Etsy links!

TUESDAY'S TIP Christmas Flicks

Get ready to set your Tivo's people, cause the annual Christmas TV extravaganza is about to begin. Oh, and your welcome.

Tues December 2 Santa Claus Is Coming' to Town Channel 4 7PM animated
Wed December 3 Rudolph Red Nose Reeindeer Channel 2 7PM animated
Wed December 3 Christmas in Rockafeller Sq Channel 5 7PM
Fri December 5 How the Grinch Stole Christmas Channel 4 7PM Jim Carrey
Fri December 5 Greatest Holiday Moments TV Channel 5 7PM
Mon December 8 A Charlie Brown Christmas Channel 4 7PM animated
Wed December 10 Christmas in New York Channel 5 7PM new animated
Fri December 12 Frosty the Snowman Channel 2 7PM animated
Fri December 12 Songs of the Season Channel 5 7PM
Fri December 12 Frosty Returns Channel 2 7:30 PM animated
Sat December 13 It's a Wonderful Life Channel 5 7PM
Sun December 14 Christmas w/ Tabernacle choir Channel 7 6:30 PM (2007)
Sun December 14 The Santa Clause 2 Channel 4 7PM Tim Allen
Mon December 15 Charlie Brown, want a dog Channel 4 7PM animated
Wed December 17 A Muppets Christmas Letters Channel 5 7PM animated
Thurs December 18 LA Holiday Celebration Channel 7 11PM
Sat December 20 ELF Channel 2 7PM
Tues December 23 Faith Hill, Home for Holidays Channel 2 7PM
Wed December 24 It's a Wonderful Life Channel 5 7PM