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.. :-)

Thanksgiving Memories '09!

• a ham.


• a turkey (named Fred).


• Debbie had a back ache.


• Taylor's giggles.


• Sam being the FIRST out in 31.


• "Mom, Where is the stuffing?"


• Our "outdoor" fridge.


• Eggnog.


• A HELL OF A LONG ROAD TRIP FROM KENTUCKY


• Breakfast Casseroles.


• 26 people for Thanksgiving dinner.


• First time EVER eating on paper plates.


• DID I MENTION I HAD A BACK ACHE?


• Our parents met for the first time.


• all our kids together for the first time.


• We went through more cream cheese than humanly possible.


• ELECTRICAL KNIFE.. (in love w/it)


• George taking over the house.


• Church


• Boondocks (and laser tag)


• Shower schedule


• Air mattress'


• Refrigerated olive oil.


• Dunken Dounut Coffee.


• Dexter Marathon


• Yep, I still had a back ache.


• Iggie's, BYU, UTE game.


• Coyeann singing.

WHAT A GREAT START TO THE HOLIDAY SEASON. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!

Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving went well. I am not going to post a lot today but just wanted to let everyone know that Sam's parents made it from Kentucky. They arrived last Sunday Morning about 1:30 a.m. We had a great week with them and they left Friday morning at 6:30ish.
Thanksgiving was kinda a mad house around the Campbell house, we had 26 people, but it worked out better than I thought it would.
All of Sam and I's kids had never been together ALL at once, we finally got a family picture with us all in it.. YEAH..
Sam and I will post more pictures of Thanksgiving. Everyone made it and Thanks to my Mom for helping with the food..

Christmas decorating continues.

I am going to be done with my Christmas decorating by tomorrow. Why?? Sam's parents are coming from Kentucky and we be here on Saturday and none of us will be together for Christmas so I wanted to have kinda a "double" Holiday. I am almost done. I have the very basement left to do and even though the kids have NO IDEA, they will be helping me finish everything when they get home in about 1/2 hour.

Table center piece. This is not done yet but getting there!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these little elf shoes!

Penguin teapot and friends!

This is the hardest thing for me. Our Christmas stockings do not match. We let all the kids pick their own, I had a TERRIBLE time with it last year but it is growing on me this year.

Front Living room. I love snowmen. I also started watering my Christmas plant about 3 weeks ago so it will be ready by Christmas.

This is one of every one's favorites. This Santa runs by batteries and that propeller whirls around and it goes in circles.. WE LOVE IT.

Around my lamps I put little wreaths and ribbons.

Front room banister.

More of my "gang" of Snowmen.

A fun Christmas tradition for us is we put baby Jesus up till Christmas morning. HE IS NOT BORN YET. When I go over to my friends and families houses over the Holidays I will always hide their baby Jesus and call them Christmas morning and tell them where Jesus is!

This is our front living room Christmas tree. This one is my favorite. Sam's favorite is the one in the blog post below..

Christmas Decorations So Far

Those of you that have known Debbie for a while know exactly how she feels about Christmas and decorating. It is so fun to watch her excitement as she pulls boxes out of the basement.
I LOVE what she is doing with the house.....it is coming together so well and is getting me in the Christmas spirit.
She is about half done and does a little each day. I will post the other half later on when its all done. I will let the pics speak for themselves. Awesome!!!

HOME SWEET HOME!

Since my accident I like to be at home. I like to be at home to the point that it's probably not real healthy. I feel safe, secure, and my best when I am in these 4 walls I call home. I DON'T KNOW WHY, don't have a guess in hell why, but here is my best shot.

• That is has nothing to do with the "accident" and has everything to do with I am just getting older!
• That I was single for years and left my kids a lot while I was single, I had to work a lot, I also played A LOT. I was dating (usual some nightmare of a man) and I know I spent a lot of time away from my kids and I think I have Mother guilt. (NOW I DRIVE THEM NUTS, AROUND ALL THE TIME, trying to make up for anything I did wrong because I was a single mom) and trying to make everything "perfect" for them in case something happens to me!
• That I was not doing anything dangerous in the accident. I tell Sam all the time it would be easier for me emotionally if we would have been sky diving or doing something "dangerous". So now I have a small fear of leaving my house.
• I don't drive from the accident yet. It is scary. I have a black spot in my eye, I get dizzy when I look over my shoulder, so that kinda puts a damper on going places.. DUH!

The other thing that has changed is probably a good thing. Everyone that knows Sam and I, knows we are not shy about saying we are going to have a beer, or open a bottle of wine, and we have been known to party. That has changed for me in LEAPS AND BOUNDS. I don't drink very often any more. I might have a beer every couple of weeks but I don't drink nearly like I use to. I think the reasoning for that is because I am still a little dizzy, and I feel very very full all the time, so I don't want to drink because I am to full and I don't want to feel "tipsy" AT ALL. I think I am boring Sam to death.. TO DEATH!! :-) The honest truth about the alcohol is that I DON'T MISS IT, I feel great, have lost 12 pounds and I don't miss the alcohol AT ALL.

So to all my friends, my husband, and family. I know I am at home A LOT, and I know that baby steps are what I am taking to move on and get over this. Until then I am at home and get your asses over here and visit me!!!

or I may be at Bear River Mental Health because they just might come take me away because I am crazy!! Who knows!

:-)..

Lee?

I was thinking about this story that Sam's Mom told me and thought I would share it.

When Sam was born his parents named him Lee Samuel Campbell and expected him to be known as Lee. In the hospital he was in the nursery with a lot of little baby girls and the nurses started to call him "BIG SAM", and it stuck. So Sam's parents legally changed his name.

I just can't see my Sammy as a Lee.. Can you?

It has begun!!

Phase one of Thirty

Our Christmas decorating season has now begun. Debbie gets this happy, crazy look in her eye about this time every year. Yesterday she gets a little smile on her face and down she goes into the storage room and brings up a couple of boxes. She started decorating our TV family room. I love this.... last year I wanted her to leave up the lights because I love it so much. Her response is "If I left it up all year we wouldn't appreciate it so much during Christmas" She has a point.

So this two week decorating process is quite fun for me. I come home from work and she has something new unpacked and decorated. This year she wants more Christmas trees... one in our bedroom and one in our basement family room. This is asside from the two we already have.

Last year was my first experience I had with Debbie and her Christmas. She has the most incredible taste and when the house if fully decorated with all the trees and the Christmas Village it looks incredible. I know this attached picture is a little blurry but I will take more pics and post them as she decorates. I was in awe last year.......

I love you Debbie and SOOO love your Christmas spirit.