What I have Been Reading...

Needed a quick, no brainer read for the month of December and so I picked up one of Jason's (that sounds bad!) He likes those spy, espionage type books and this one caught my attention.  It was fine...it's about terrorists that take over the white house while the main character (oops - can't remember his name) gets into the white house in attempt to save the president that is in the safe (which really isn't safe) bunker. 

Then I received this little white lady for Christmas and i just had to download a book onto it.

I don't know if I have ever shared how difficult it is for me to choose a new book after finishing another...I may start to read three different books before I finally settle on one...not good when you have to purchase a book for your ebook! 

So, I knew I could count on good 'ole Stephen King..

So, Full Dark, No Stars, was my first Nook download. 

There are four short stories in it and I have really enjoyed all the of them...each one is creepy in its own manner.  If you like Stephen King, then you would definitely like this book - would pass it on to you, but can't do that with ebooks...one draw back! 

Before I got my Nook, I was the 12th one on the waiting list at the library for this book!!

No waiting in the Nook line...dangerous and fabulous all at the same time!

Behind the Scenes...

All right...you know you have been waiting for the "real" Belding Xmas photos...enough of the sappy happy sugar ones...this is what it was really like...


"Can I have some fava beans and a nice Chianti?"

I'll wrestle you for the present that contains the patch for your jeans or maybe for some socks!

Practicing our best Brett Favre imitation...from when he was a Packer, because I sure wouldn't want the boys to be imitating him from this year as a Viking!

While Jack picked out a gift to open, Sam thought he could figure out what was in his package through meditation...

And so this wraps up the review of The Belding Christmas of 2010...(about a week late - great start to the new year!)

A Techno Christmas...

I told you I have a lot of pictures from Christmas!

This Christmas was a bit of a technology type Christmas...

Sam watched a movie on an i-pad on xmas day...

Jack played on his new leapster while wearing his new monkey pjs...he didn't take them off for another two days...oops!

Of course all the boys had to try out some new wii games...

and I read my new Nook. Yep, I made the switch...I LOVE books and wasn't sure if i would ever get an ebook device, but jas got me one for Christmas and I do really like it. I will not give up my "real" books, but this is a nice to have around! :)

So, my kids are techno happy, but according to society studies, they won't be able to read, socialize properly, write complete word,s let alone complete sentences and have will crossed eyes...BUT, they may get the highest score EVER on Donkey Kong, Return of the Original...unless they get beat out by their dad.

Sam and Christmas...

Needless to say, Sam has a really good Christmas this year, too...

He drew this Minnesota Vikings picture for Jason to take to work...he DID NOT trace it - it is all free hand!!

He got the Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle...the largest Lego set he has EVER gotten. he hasn't tackled it yet, but has worked on the other many Lego sets he received...I guess they are a bit of a warm up before the big show!

Here he is putting together the Harry Potter Quiditch Match...right in the middle of opening presents
!

And some MORE Lego sets....Sam loves his Legos!! (and his white t-shirts!)

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Web Class...

I am taking an online class to learn Photoshop and experiment a bit with digital scrapbooking. Thought this was a good page to finish on the last day of the year..shows how time sure does fly! The last part of my assignment was to "put it out there" for viewing...so here it is...

(I know I would ever go full digital...I like paper too much and the layer of embellishments and the shopping and the buying!)

It is a picture of Sam the week Jack was born...he had just turned three.  The picture on the right was taken this Christmas eve...i can't believe how fast he has grown up!  I am really enjoying the class and will share further successes and unsuccesses!!

Oh - Happy New Year's Eve!!

More Photoshop Assignments...

Finished my other assignment from my photohsop class...we turned color photos to black and white!

Used the same template for Sam's photo and Jack's....

Now I just have to print them off!

Christmas Review Day 1

Of course I took tons of pictures during Xmas, so I thought I would share them during the week. Too many to share at one time...:)


Jack's Christmas was mostly monkeys....He made ME a ceramic monkey!! It's the cutest thing I am am surprised that he actually gave it up!  I am thinking of enrolling him into a 70s ceramic class after this little master piece!

He loves the movie Despicable Me and Santa brought it for him. He got some minion goggles in his movie pack.
He thought about wearing them as snow goggles when he went sledding, but I thought they would probably freeze and explode!

Here is Jack watching Despicable Me and wearing the goggles and sitting with his new monkey pillow pet...which later wore the minion goggles. He still has his long socks on from sledding.

And some monkey slippers to keep his feet warm....which are now little beds for his little monkeys!
A successful Christmas for Jack.

Merry Christmas!!

A traditional view of the Christmas tree...

and one after a few beverages!!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!!

Why Not?

This is seriously some of the best advice I have gotten and one should really take this into consideration with young kids:
A very wise woman told me today that she and her husband (they now have gown kids) talked about what was the big deal about waiting to open every Christmas present on Christmas (or in our case, Christmas Eve.) Their kids got so much, that they were overwhelmed and didn't seem to be able to appreciate their gifts (or even remember or consider who they were from.)

So, after some thought (about 10 minutes) Jason and I decided to let the boys open a Christmas gift last night. They were about beside themselves and finally (about three seconds of thinking) decided on opening a "small' package - because as Sam stated, "Sometimes good things come in small packages."

Jack opened a little Lego set - which he played with all night. And Sam opened up a Wii game...which was definitely played all night (don't worry, we had family dinner together and read before bed, so the TV didn't babysit the kids ALL night.) But, I must say, that the evening was pretty quiet and opening a gift took the edge of the boys' anxiousness. So, they will also be opening one tomorrow morning, tomorrow at snack time, tomorrow at lunch.....

(The boys were actually playing the new Wii game in the dark ~ which you cannot tell because I used my flash to drown out and ambiance)