Thursday, December 24, 2015

Cookie Decorating!

Every year the boys go over to my mom's house to decorate cookies with her. She is awesome! She has everything ready to go because once the boys get there...
 ...it is time to decorate EVERYTHING!!
 This year, the cookies had a theme to them. I don't know if you know this, but Star Wars released a new movie. (if you haven't seen it, go, it's amazing!!) So, most of the cookies were decorated as Star Wars characters!
 Hans Solo

 Storm Trooper

 Chewie

 Luke Skywalker

 Yoda

 Princess Leia.
 I think that she was made at the end, when the boys were high with sugar and really couldn't focus any longer! She has pretzels in her hair and no braided buns. 

I eventually had to ask my mom to bring over some other Christmas cookies the boys decorated due to a strict "no eating the Star Wars cookie characters" band, that has been strongly enFORCEd!!


Wednesday, December 23, 2015

The Anticipation!

Someone is getting a little anxious!!

Friday, December 18, 2015

A Helpful Hat

What do you buy a guy for his birthday that says he doesn't really need anything? A hard hat!!
What?  you ask.
Well, you know there's always a story! 

Unfortunately, my dad took a fall and hit his head on the corner of a wall (thank goodness that was all!) Well, my mom ran out to the living room and dad said he was fine. (Phew!) Then mom noticed blood running down the side of his head and around the back of his ear. After further inspection, off to Urgent Care they headed (no pun intended..well, maybe a little.) Dad ended up getting 7 staples!! Ouch! He needs to protect that head!

A couple of days later, it was his birthday and after much deliberation (like, should we and yea, we should) they boys headed out (oh! not again!!) and got a hard hat for my dad to wear while at the house! 

I had to add our own little touch and labeled the hat. (In case neighbors would come over and think if was their hard hat.)
He wears it well!!

 Why is it when you put on a hard hat that everyone around you thinks it needs to be knocked on? Here, you can see Sam's hand in a knocking motion. Looks as if my dad is trying the knocking out, too!

Here's Jack's little hand knocking on the other side!
 
 It was a successful gift...as well as useful!

What I've Been Reading...

I recently read and finished my first zombie book!
Code Zero
by Jonathan Maberry
(the cover bothered me)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512M2bgSZOL._SX336_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

As you can see it is a sequel to the first book Patient Zero, which I have not read.  Jason then informed me that there are several "Joe Ledger" novels between Patient Zero and Code Zero...but I thought I would still give it a whirl.

The story that is told in the first book, and I am guessing the in-between books, is pretty well touched on and updated in this Coed Zero, but I definitely got the feeling that I should have read the first book to be more aware of some details, but it was stressed that the details came from the fist book, which were spoken about in this book to catch up readers.  I am not going to go back and read the first book - I am going to trust Jason that it was a good read,  just don't think I am up for anther Joe Ledger novel.  

While this book was exciting in parts, most of it was just a build up to the end event...a slow burn with lots of interruptions. I didn't feel as if you really got to know any of the characters. The big zombie fights were had to follow, because I didn't realize they were super-zombies and could survive everything.  I liked the villain in this book, she was interesting, and would have liked to know more about her (which may or may not have happened in the previous books.)  

But, once again, it amazes me how a main character, this one being Joe Ledger, can get out of any type of gun battle, zombie battle and super zombie battle...alive and without a scratch for the most part...or he can shake it off and take off to the next zombie battle...no problem. He also has a dog with him all the time-that's all you know. I thought we would find out more about the dog, which may or may not have been covered in the previous books.  I know it's science fiction/fantasy and that is what happens in many of theses books. It just isn't a genre I enjoy as much.

From Amazon:
Faithful readers of the Joe Ledger series, of which this is the sixth volume, might be confused by the cover blurb calling this “the sequel to Patient Zero,” since that was the first book in the series. But the blurb is correct: although the novel takes place in its proper sequence—there are references to events that took place in earlier books—the story involves elements introduced in the series debut, which means Joe and his team from the ultra-elite Department of Military Sciences (DMS) are going to be battling more zombies, but tougher and more dangerous than anything they’ve seen before. The person responsible for these new-breed walking dead, and for various other technological and biological attacks on the U.S., appears to be a woman who calls herself Mother Night. And when the DMS figures out who Mother Night really is, they realize they’re in for their deadliest fight yet. Sure, the series follows a pretty strict formula—Joe and his DMS team encounter a seemingly supernatural threat that has a twisted scientific explanation; they go up against a fiendishly clever supervillain; they save the world; and they do it all in about 450 pages—but when a formula is this entertaining, is anyone going to complain about it?  

Oops...I guess I am complaining about the book, but I do get the feeling, after reading reviews, that I wasn't the only one. It's not a bad read, but it's not a great read...no twists and I love a good twist! If you like zombie books, you may want to read the first one in the series, Patient Zero and then try Code Zero. 

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Balloon Game

I recently had my Memory Bound work party and as always, it was a night a fun and laughter...especially when we played Reindeer Games!! The staff was divided up in groups and had to plan a short game for all to play. One game that was a big hit, was the balloon game!
Each couple got a pair of nylons! (remember those!)  I blew up balloons while Jason stuffed them into the pantyhose !

Once you had stuffed them as full as possible, you placed the pantyhose on your head! Tah Dah!! You have just created a Caribou rack! It was measured for three different lengths and sizes and prizes were awarded. I think Jason received third place for the size of his rack. Yea!!

Well, I took the caribou rack home because I knew it would be a hit with the boys. The next morning, both boys wore them while watching TV. (Sam would not put them on his head until he was positive no one had previously worn them!)


Well, who could pass up the opportunity to experience the balloons?  We found our elf, Henry, inside the nylons one morning!
 Doesn't he look comfy!?!?!?

Sam found Henry and decided to take him for a ride!


Who knew that a pair of pantyhose full of balloons could provide so much fun!!

Monday, December 14, 2015

Just Finished

I have about four books that I have read and need to share with you!  I tried out my first zombie book (ew), a new mystery book (good!), a survivors story from the holocaust (very good) and I just finished this book:

Eeny Meeny
(A Helen Grace novel)
by M. J. Arlidge
http://www.janklowandnesbit.co.uk/sites/default/files/imagecache/large/book_covers/91aZp6tKk-L._SL1500_.jpg

It's dark, it's twisted, but it's a good read. (I had a hard time with the maggot scene.) Someone is abducting two people who know each other. They are imprisoned (one couple is trapped in an empty swimming pool) with absolutely no way out and left with a cell phone and a gun. The cell phone informs the imprisoned people that they will have NOTHING: no water, no food. The only way out is one person must shoot the other.
 
Detective Helen Grace has never encountered such a dark and twisted game. If she hadn’t spoken with the shattered survivors herself, she almost wouldn’t believe them.

Helen is familiar with the dark sides of human nature, including her own, but this case—with its seemingly random victims—has her baffled. But as more people go missing, nothing will be more terrifying than when it all starts making sense....

Just to give you the heads up, it is a dark read, but it is a good read that keeps you guessing. There were many times I thought I had it all figured out, but then it would twist...again! I honestly had no idea who was doing all of this until the book just straight out told me! Is that giving away to much? I don't think so...:)

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Smokers

We like to promote healthy habits in our household.  You know, eat right, exercise, take care of yourself, try to encourage to a little personal hygiene with the boys (brushing teeth and some deodorant, please!) Must remember everything in moderation, though!

Well, my mom use to get the boys a Nutcracker every year for Christmas, but I guess that would promote peanuts and nuts, which are good for you in small amounts, but let's be honest, loads of fat. So, the last couple of years, she has switched her focus to smokers. Not just any smokers, but Santa smokers. Forget the sweets and candy that those other Santas  offer (is there a plural form of Santa?) We are going for grown up big boy smoking Santas!
After Jack nicely asked if he could watch his Santa smoke, we didn't want Sam to feel left out, so we had Sam's Santa light up too!  And boy can these Santas smoke! Sam soon pointed out that his Santa was out smoking Jack's Santa and "Just watch the smoke pour out of him!"  At that time, we should of politely asked them to step outside, because they were filling the house with their smokey smell and it was making Sam a bit nausea! (imagine that!)
 
But, never fear, they were soon done smoking and we lit a nice cinnamon bun candle, that got us to thinking we should have cinnamon rolls for breakfast soon. 
So much for the healthy habits, but we can always start tomorrow!

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Nutracker Dr.

While unpacking our Nutcrackers this year, we noticed about 10 of them needed some sort repair. So, Jack sent up a little station with paper and a low heat glue gun and went to work.
He is proud to report that all Nutcrackers were fixed, he did not get any glue on his fingers or his fancy robe, that he was challenging himself to wear all day. We like to set high goals in our family.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, dear Grandpa and Dad!
Happy Birthday to you!

Never mind Jason. We told him he couldn't use the fork as a prop in the picture and so he was pouting. There's always one in the crowd!! (wink wink)

Monday, December 7, 2015

A National Lampoons Xmas Moment...

I must apologize if last week in the evening, you heard some loud swear words thundering through the night air. Jason plugged in our "pre-lit" Christmas tree and this happened. 

I must say that 99.9% of our friends have, at sometime, experiences this National Lampoos Christmas moment. It is such fun to watch and experience.
I am happy to report, that Jason did figure out what the issue was in about 10 minutes. (A faulty fuse?)  So our tree is up and ready for me to decorate. Though we haven't shut off the lights since that night in fear of a fuse blowing...again.  (i'm kidding.)

Friday, December 4, 2015

Making Memories...

Finally getting around to looking at Thanksgiving pictures.
And I hope your dinner was better than Jack is stating about my cooking!

 I hope a love one had a cool picture prop such as Jason and his fork. Everyone needs to have a random dirty fork in a picture!

I hope you got to nap as soundly as my father did in the middle of our living room!

I hope that you asked someone to take a picture and they gave you a happy smile and wave such as Sam did for me. Sweetie!

Hope you made some wonderful memories this Thanksgiving and that you were lucky to catch those dear memories in a photo!

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Sad...

Emily McDowell posted this on her instagram yesterday afternoon.


 It breaks my heart.