Resolutions/Goals

This year I plan to....

1. Give up fast food & eatting out. We know this is a hard goal and therefore we are giving ourselves some wiggle room....1 time per week we may have "food prepared outside the home". The only other exception is traveling. If we are driving somewhere, especially long distance then we will pack a cooler, but if necessary we will stop for food. If we are on vacation then we can spoil ourselves.
2. Prepare a monthly menu and stick to it as best we can.
3. Lose weight & get fitter. I'm not setting any numbers, I'm not saying "in shape or fit" I just want to be in BETTER shape. I know perfection isn't going to happen...especially when at some point next year we'd love to get pregnant again.
4. Get a bicycle for me and Jesse. (We'd love a treadmill, but only if its practical....and in the budget.)
5. Clean the garages & keep them clean.
6. Less unnecessary purchases & more savings. (Maybe have a garage sale.)
7. Save for an take a family trip to San Diego. (October???)

Do you have any??? How long are you usually able to keep them??? Share...

100th Post....Calls for 100 of Something!!!

I have a hard time believing its only been 100 posts...but I do keep 3 blogs. So this is officially the 100th post of "random sarah". While most people would tell you 100 things about them, or their top 100 bloggable moments, or...I don't know. I instead bring you:

My TOP 100 Favorite Things About Christmas & Winter!!!
(in no particular order, but some are near where they need to be.)

1. Christ
2. Nativity Scenes/Creches
3. Christmas Carols
4. Themed Christmas Trees, which in my home are never the same 2 years in a row.
5. Anything Silver
6. Our Advent Calendar
7. Snowflake & Icicle Decor
8. Being able to view the lights of the SLC Temple Square online!!! Or go to Oakland too.
9. Christmas Lights
10. Garlands...pine, real and fake.
11. Prime Rib or Steaks
12. Chocolate
13. Lasagna
14. Rain...its is California
15. Watching The Sound of Music
16. Santa Clause
17. Santa Clause 2
18. Santa Clause 3
19. Dragging out my Christmas boxes
20. Looking at our handmade stockings and envisioning how much work my Mimi has done over the years.
21. Planning our menu.
22. Making cranberry sauce.
23. Anything sparkley
24. Anything glittery
25. Glass balls
26. Wreaths
27. Tinsle...which makes an amazing underwater addition to centerpieces.
28. Cranberries
29. Candy Canes & Candy Cane Ice Cream
30. Chargers (not the football team)
31. Pretty place settings
32. Decorations in the bathroom (hehe)
33. Crystals on my tree
34. Angels
35. FOG
36. Flannel Sheets
37. Hot Cocoa
38. Cranberry Salad
39. Green Bean Supreme
40. Dew
41. Frost
42. SNOW!!!
43. Snuggling with loved ones...such as my hubby
44. Flip flops in 40-50* weather and occasionally in the rain....trying to avoid the slippery paint in the parking lots of stores
45. Pointsettias
46. Buche de Noel
47. Egg Nog....and Chocolate Nog
48. Mint....anything!!!
49. Santa
50. Reindeer & Moose...no Elk please!
51. White Icicles
52. Laughing at overly done light displays
53. Driving around looking for good light displays
54. Soup
55. Grilled Cheese or Quesadillas
56. Clam Chowder in Bread Bowls
57. Chili
58. Fruit & Cheese Trays
59. The smell of Pine trees
60. Slippers
61. Warm Blankets
62. Cinnamon
63. Eggs Benedict with Avocado
64. Black olives on all of my kids fingers.
65. Oranges poked with cloves
66. Gingerbread
67. Neighbors who bring you cookies
68. People who actually say MERRY CHRISTMAS
69. UPS
70. FED-EX
71. USPS
72. Christmas Cards with photos
73. Snowmen
74. Yearly letter about peoples lives
75. Blow Up Decorations...mostly.
76. RED!!!
77. New PJ's
78. Sitting in my front-room late at night, with no lights on except the Christmas tree.
79. Trash and recycling cans piled high with boxes after the big day.
80. New Years celebrations with nibbles...and Chinese food!
81. Penguins & Polar Bears...or anything Arctic
82. Martinellis
83. Peach Fizzy from IKEA
84. Seeing relatives
85. My kids playing in boxes instead of with their presents
86. Watching kids playing outside Christmas afternoon
87. Making new traditions
88. Christmas Cookies
89. Pumpkin & Cranberry Bread
90. Cooking & Baking & Candy Making like crazy
91. Amazing Appliances
92. Being prepared during the inevitable power outage
93. Candles...lots of candles.
94. Tamales
95. Christmas Trees
96. Palm Trees with little white lights...I miss San Diego.
97. The 1st Presidency Christmas Devotional
98. The tree lightings on TV...like Rockefeller Center and Disney.
99. Parades...starting Thanksgiving morning and continuing to the Rose Parade....well really most parades are awesome.
100. Football Bowl Games

Terms & Conditions

After last nights discovery of snoopage in the presents....I had a revelation. Victoria is growing up. Ugh. I'm getting old. Ugh. (Yeah I said snoopage.)

After a discussion that snooping is not Choosing The Right and oh sooo not nice, we've moved on.
So now, Victoria is officially Mom & Dads (Santas) Helper...sorta under these following conditions:

1) She is to encourage her younger siblings to believe. (Go see Santa with them, have her picture taken with her siblings & Santa, help them make wish lists, encourage them to go to bed on Christmas Eve, be excited when opening presents even if she might already know what it is.)
2) She is not allowed to discuss Santa not being "real" with anyone, unless she knows 9REALLY KNOWS) they already know the secret. Technically this is a discussion she shouldn't be having at all anyways.
3) Any discussion of not believing is not to happen in the presence of believers...such as younger siblings. I remember finding out via a friend and wasn't a happy camper because THEY ruined it for me.
4) She may assist in Christmas shopping for her siblings, including Santa gifts for them and stocking stuffers.
5) She may assist in stuffing stockings.
6) She understands that her gifts are to remain a secret from her and she is not to reveal other siblings gifts.
7) She is to discourage snooping of any form or present hunting.
8) Once another sibling reaches the age that we determine she can assist us in teaching them the truth about Santa. That will then become their fun together.
9) She is to read Christmas stories and scriptures to her siblings...including "I Believe in Santa Claus" by Diane Adamson.

I think thats about it.

I had someone metion that it sounds like such a contract. IT IS. Christmas presents, and especially gifts from Santa are a priviledge. They are by no means a necessity. We use giving gifts to remember Christs ultimate gift to us. But receiving is still a priviledge.

For what its worth I use "contracts" as a huge tool in our home. If you can't meet the expectations you are given, which you agreed to then there are repercussions. Life isn't a cake walk people!

Crap! Really???

Whats a mom to do?

I helped Brooklyn pick out a gift for Victoria tonight. She bought her sister a movie out of the $5 bin at WalMart. It was quite endearing to watch the selection process. Upon returning home I went to put it into the stash of presents needing wrapping. Most of our stash this year is in the garage. Its not very well hidden, but the bags were all closed and in an area of the garage that the girls do not go to. We did however warn the girls that snooping in the garage or closets would not be a good idea. That ruining surprises is not nice. We've warned them every year of the following things: 1) Asking for things and whining from Halloween on is ridiculous. Christmas is too close to ask for new, when new is around the corner. & 2) No snoops.

Well GUESS WHAT??? Yep. It looks as though the stash was disturbed. As in, bags opened and gifts taken out to be looked at....and not put back in the same bag or place. It became obvious when I noticed one of the largest gifts for Victoria sitting openly on top of a box in our garage, not even put back into the bag. Ugh.

Jesse just confirmed that the large gift from Santa is hidden elsewhere. BUT things which go with Santas gift were out in the garage and thats what was found. So not only does it ruin the gift opening process....but it sorta blows the whole Santa thing. Victoria knew about Santa helping us celebrate the spirit of Christmas already...but not Brook! Not yet.

Grrr.....Both big girls (10 1/2 & 5 1/2) admitted to snooping. Victoria claims she found all of Brooklyns stuff, my moms gift & some stocking items...although she doesn't know thats what they were for. Brooklyn admitted to finding underwear for her big sister. HAHAHA. But somehow Victorias large item got taken out of the bag, stacked on a box and NOBODY did it OR saw it.

Ahhhh. I could just scream.
What would you do???

Oh PS....I'm SOOOOO glad Bella is too young to know any better. Oh and YES I snooped at Christmas before, but that was around the age of 15 and I never did it again because I realized how lame opening presents was that year. Darn this!!!

Tamale Throwdown

I'll be making an appearance on Good Day Sacramento!!!
Thats CW 31....Comcast channel 12.



I submitted my tamale recipe to Julissa and have been asked to be in the 1st Annual Tamale Throwdown!!!
I'll be off and on throughout the 9am hour on Tuesday December 22nd!!! During that hour we will be having our tamales judged. I also get to have 4 guests with me....hmm, perfect for my family right???
The winner will be announced at the end of the 9am hour or the beginning of the 10am hour.

Show your support people!!!

Traditions you EAT!!!

What are your traditional Christmas Eve & Christmas meal? Tamales, Turkey, Lasagna, Prime Rib, Steaks, Salmon??? Cranberry Salad, Jello, Sweet Potatoe Casserole....etc.



Do share your menu!

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa-

Is there an ok list? I think I might make that one. I've been naughty more often than not, but still good enough pretty often too. Ya get me? I know several other people we can add to the list with me. I won't name names, but I've got a perverbial chalkboard keeping tally in my head.

Its ok if you keep my girls and hubby on the good list. I agree. Remember we have the best cookies in Edgewater and I'll put out carrots for the furries too.

Love Sarah

PS- The Nobel Peace Prize for Obama? I really didn't realize he was that high on the good list. No more interfacing the official list with the nominations please. Since hes been given so much already, some coal may be appropriate for his stocking. Treat his girls well though.

Randomly HUGE in Draper

Headed up to the Draper Temple was interesting. Its very much in an upperscale neighborhood. I actually think there were houses nearly 1/2 the size of the temple in the area...some almost as big. Don't get me wrong, Draper has some average homes also. We spent part of Saturday afternoon at local park visiting with friends and 2 of their 3 kiddos. I'd love to live near Draper. There is an IKEA within 5 minutes of the temple. Perk!

The view of homes from the temple parking lot.


We drove out of the parking lot and down the street past our dream home....its FOR SALE!!!


OK it MAY be a little bit big....but just a bit. HAHAHA.
Here it is:

OR theres this one available too....its only 3 doors down and for sale too.

But we really wanted to see the front of this one...

YEAH thats the BACK of the house. Or to be honest its the back of PART of the house.

THIS is the front!!! Yep. I had to take TWO pictures to show the WHOLE THING.

What do you think???

Or theres this one just down the street from "the castle"...its pretty and big.

WHAT do the people do for a living that own these homes?

There was an entire neighborhood of 8000sq ft homes or larger. Most of them were more like the one above....which was 20,000sq ft or larger. YIKES!

It makes me come up with stories about people in my head. Doctors, lawyers, bankers, computer guys....like Bill Gates. Second homes for the plastic surgeons on Dr 90201. But then again we drove past several huge houses with crappy cars. Hmmm. Makes ya think.