Human teeter tooter!

Try this at all of your New Years Eve gatherings. IT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY!

Grandma Peggie's Christmas Party.

My Mom always has the funnest party's. This year was no different. We went to the club house, played bingo and had a great time. The only family missing was my brother, Mikes family.
Left is me, and my two sisters and my Mom. We don't see Jill (far right) very often she lives in Austin and only comes home about once a year. The other picture is the sisters with our Daddy!!! (nice expression Dad)
Sarah, Taylor and Sam's sister Jenny went to the party with us (Sam, CassidI, Brock and I). Oh and Cassidi's boyfriend, Brian.

Love this family picture. *missing. Josh, and Jordan!

LUKE I AM YOUR FATHER!

Santa found us!!!

I feel so blessed this Christmas Season surrounded by family and loved ones.. Here are a few of our "HOLIDAY MOMENTS".

Sam and Jenny (his sister) on Front Runner train into Salt Lake.Cassidi and Brian and friends at the Christmas dance!Brock was SO EXCITED to go on the train. It was fun, it brought more to the experience and we didn't have to worry about parking in Salt Lake City!!

Santa found us!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and spent it with the ones you love!

bed time..

A lot of weekend mornings Sam and I end up with Brock, Cassidi, Winnie and George curled up in bed with us. Well now that Christmas is rolling around and we are all together we end up with EVERYONE in bed with us at night also.

I love these times lauging, giggling, squirming to fit in and Sam and I trying to kick them out so we can go to bed... PRICELESS!

The Shack!

Sam and I read this book aloud to each other. I cannot say enough good about it. We cried some, laugh some and it made us think A LOT. GO GET this book, It has changed our way of thinking!!!

just a letter.. left for Brock.

Brock found this letter on his bed when he got home the other day it is from SANTA!..

I hope EVERYONE "believes".

Dear Brock,
I know you’re going through a time right now when you’re not sure if I am real or not. I know most of your friends no longer believe in me. But I know you want to believe for yourself, and for the sister's you have. Well, I hope I can help work out some of the confusion you might have.
I am Santa. I may not exist like the story goes. I am not a single man who makes millions of toys each year, and gives them all out in one long night on a sled pulled by 8 (or 9) magical reindeer. I am not in thousands of malls and Wal-Marts all at once throughout the season. But, make no mistake, I am real.
I am as real as the love in your heart. It is love that has kept my story alive all these many centuries. I am as true as the spirit in your soul. Santa’s spirit is the giving spirit of all of those who care for others. My magic is the miracle of reaching out to someone else and bringing joy to their hearts.
I do not see every thing you do. But someone does. I do not know when you’re not asleep at night. But my friend, I hate to break it to you, your mom and dad do. I do not know if you’ve been bad or good, but you know. So for goodness sake, be good to yourself and others. It shows. And how you treat yourself and others and YOUR MOM is so important. I will not reward you for good, but your mom, dad, and Sam will. And you will soon find that internal reward of your own conscience. You know, that feeling you get when you’ve made someone else feel better, or done something nice for your Mom or your sister?
As you grow older, I hope you’ll learn to more appreciate the real gift of Christmas – The gift of Jesus. For without his love, spirit and miracles, I would not exist at all. It is time now for you to realize the magic of Christmas and Santa is nothing more than the miracle and gift from God. This is the message I want you to carry with you.
You can teach your friends and family about God’s love through me. Showing him kindness and love throughout the year, and helping him find the magic in Christmas is how you keep me ‘real.’ Teaching him and others, by example, about God’s love for each one of us, and demonstrating kindness and giving to all in need will be how you share the spirit of Santa.
You’ll always find gifts under the tree from me as long as you believe in what I represent. You’ll always see my magic and feel my spirit at Christmas time when you make that miracle of selflessness and giving. And may you know the blessings and Peace of God now, and forever.
Sincerely,
Santa Claus

My favorite!!

Remember I have a little redneck in me. I grew up in Preston, ID..

THIS IS FOR YOU SAMMY!

from 1924~ My Grandma Millie!

All the years growing up my Mom had a cedar chest at our house. In the cedar chest was my Mom's Wedding dress, a couple of afghans that my Grandma Millie had done when she was alive, ya know just keep sakes that you don't look at a lot.
When my Mom sold the house I grew up in the cedar chest needed a home and I said to my Mom that I would take it. So the cedar chest has sat in my bedroom, pretty much untouched, it is covered and has family pictures on it.
Well tonight I got in the cedar chest looking for some sewing items. I could have DIED when I found this certificate. It is kinda hard to read but it is my Grandma Millie's (she died when I was 4) and it is dated the Second day of May, 1924. It's a certificate for
Neither Absent Nor Tardy during the entire term.. (if you click on the certificate you can read it better)
WHAT A FIND.....
I have to tell you that I don't remember much of my Grandma Millie but I do remember my brother and sisters talking the first Christmas after she died. They had made a "deal" with Grandma that if she ever died that the first Christmas eve she should hang out at the top of the Christmas Tree so that they still got to spend Christmas together. I don't know if Grandma ever met at the top of the Christmas tree but this certificate has brought her into our home this Christmas Season!!!

Christmas Cheer...

What a busy Christmas Season. I am so lucky to have Debbie. She works so hard to make Christmas special and fun. Every night after dinner when things settle down we all gather around our living room couch by the fire and read a chapter or two out of a Christmas book. Debbie thinks I get board with this but actually its great to listen to a story, settle down for the day and relax with the family. I very much appreciate it. We finished up another book so now we need to pick another good one.
Debbie has decorated our home and done most of the Christmas shopping. I should say ALL but I have bought one or two gifts. She has done all the wrapping and planning of gifts. Speaking of wrapping, she never used to wrap gifts from Santa until she met me. She used to take the Christmas Eve gifts after the kids went to bed and put them under the tree unwrapped for the family. lol.... I had never heard of that. So now she wraps them all just for me.

We have decided to not buy each other gifts or anything for our stockings this year. Instead, we are going to Mexico in February sometime as our gift. We love it so much there and DREAM of the day we get our ass in the sand and toes in the water. (a country song right?)

Debbie thank you for taking care of all of us the way you do. I appreciate and love you very much. I should say it more.

I have to remind myself from time to time what Christmas is all about (hence the picture on this post) We all get tied up in shopping, frustrated with traffic and maybe flipping a few people off..ha.. and tend to forget why we are doing all this. So... close your eyes... take a deep breath and remember what Christmas is really all about.

Merry Christmas everyone and be safe.

mid life crisis?? Or a real need?

Sam and I are having a moment of mid life crisis. With most of our kids spreading their wings and getting on with their lives it leaves Sam, Brock and I by our little lonesome lately.
Sam and I would LOVE to have another baby. I know I know I know. We are 40ish. That would make us 60 (Sam even older) when the baby graduated from high school. Not to mention I am out of my "baby having years, not to mention I don 't have a uterus which I think is a MUST in child birth. So what do you do with a 40 something husband, and a uterus less wife???
You look into adoption. So I started to look at attorney's to adopt a baby. A private adoption. Ya know the kind you meet the birth Mom. Pay for her medical bills, living expenses etc. I had a little image of turning our guest room into the best baby room you have ever seen. I envisioned our lonely weekends being full of running our new baby around, sleepless nights, and bottles and onesies.. HOWEVER...
When I got digging really deep I realized that the chances of Sam and I getting picked by a birth Mom is a chance in a million and it probably would be a waste of money, energy and a lot of emotional bull shit. Why wouldn't we get picked.. Let me tell ya the reasoning I got.

• our combined ages would be in the 80 and above bracket..
• We have both been divorced.
• I have had medical problems.
• We are not in the desired income bracket for Adoptive Parents, (this is NOT a joke) most birth Mom's want their baby to be placed with a couple that makes more than 500,000 a year.
• and most adoption in Utah are for Morman couples.

Any way so as I read that and read the retainer amount for an attorney I decided that maybe our needs are more like mid life crisis, so we are now looking into a Chevy Camaro (a yellow one)!

Random Thoughts.

• I believe Christmas presents should be open on Christmas morning NOT Christmas eve.


• I love imitation crab meat.


• I married a man that does not fish. (Yes, he doesn't fish??? How did I do that?)


• I have never lived anywhere that palm tree's naturally grow, (yet).


• Next to Redfish lake Idaho my favorite place on earth is the Caribbean.


• I want a new fridge and stove.. BAD. (hmmm. hint)


• I have only mowed a lawn a handful of times in my life.


• I am the baby of my family (so is Sam).


• I have a big bin of unmatched socks in my laundry room. I have NO clue what happens to their mate.


• I am kinda OCD about my counter tops being cleaned, bar and kitchen chairs being "tucked" in and the lighting in my house, I hate OVERHEAD lighting, lamps only.


• I don't wear underwear.


• I have been in the hospital on St. Patricks day 5 times.


• I love Christmas eve.. LOVE Christmas eve.


• Sam does not cook AT ALL.. I mean at ALL, and I cook something almost every single day. Right now I am cooking ham hock and beans, pinto beans that is.


• Sam can put a rim of a glass completely in his mouth. GREAT PARTY TRICK.
• I hate acrylic nails and acrylic shoes. I think they are both tacky as hell.

SERIOUS?

I know I am blessed, lived a charmed life, lucky, etc. etc. etc.. I would not trade my husband and kids for ANYTHING and I rarely complain about lives little "to do's.." BUT today I am complaining. Maybe it was last weeks marathon of cleaning, cooking and entertaining, maybe its because I have a back ache and I am just a little bitchy.. Who knows but I am kinda annoyed today. Why???
Well, let me tell you!!!
I love the fact that I have a husband that works so hard that I am able to stay home. In my beautiful house and cook and clean for my family, but today I feel more like a maid, and less like a house wife. I normally don't feel this way but also feel like when I ask my kids nicely to do something such as
"Clean your room".
"hang up your towels"
"vacuum".
They don't take me serious until I get really pissed.
WELL I AM OFFICIALLY REALLY PISSED.
How about my kids come home from school, read this post and get to work....

*disclaimer.. This was a hint to the kids at the Campbell house... Tomorrow it may not be as nice.. :-)