A Few Photos of Christmas Past~

Playing in the snow...Lakeside Arizona.
Yes it is true, Holly and I pulled off a Christmas Story Debut. It was fabulous! There were costume changes..I was Gabriel and Joseph...and maybe even a shepherd. The best part..Holly playing Mary. The baby Jesus was our doll, of course. Who attended this great event? My mom,dad, and grandparents. That was when I knew I was made for the movies.

I used to tell Holly that Santa put those pokey things on my thumbs.(the suckers) and that is why I was crying. I loved to play with her head..I also convinced her one time that she was adopted....I know it's mean..but she was mean first!
At 3 I still wasn't a fan of Santa.

Tis the season-memories of baking..

Why oh why do we do it? I asked myself that yesterday, and the day before that, and even today...LOL..because we love those around us that is why, because it brings back our childhood? The comforts of days gone by... As I slaved over the stove making my very first batch of caramels..(which turned out great...thanks for the recipe Bec!) I reflected on my Christmas traditions over the years.

I have fond memories of Christmas baking with my mother. She truly was and is the best for doing fun stuff with us kids. I remember counting down the days of when it would be time for us to frost sugar cookies, so many colors of frosting to choose from and sprinkles everywhere..more on the floor than on the cookies themselves I am sure.
She would make glass candy..I remember her standing by the oven, vigilantly stirring and watching her concoction of goodness. Always a glass of cold water nearby to test if the candy was at the "hard ball" stage. And then at the end we would add the cinnamon oil and red food coloring. She would pour it out on a cookies sheet lined with foil and powdered sugar. And then, once cooled..(remembered by experience..you have to wait til it cools before you can touch it..ouch)we would break it up and distribute it on plates (as well as fudge, wedding cookies, and peanut brittle)...for nearby neighbors and friends. I remember how she would be busy all day long. For a moment of joy, with her girls and for those who would receive these lovely treats.

So is it tiring? Yes! And is Madison into baking..NO not at all..LOL..but I hope she will always remember coming home from school and love the smell of Christmas baking in her home. Knowing that waiting for her, is a sweet treat she can devour and she being the bearer of gifts made from her mothers kitchen.

Twilight Before Christmas!! Hilarious!

I saw this on my friends daughters blog..had to post..
Merry Christmas...LOL

Chris Weitz New Director

The NEW MOON director has been picked.
Click here for more information!

WAY TO GO MADI...our very own SPELLING BEE WINNER!!

Awesome Read!!

Meant to get this book ages ago...picked it up at Walmart..ended up reading and driving in traffic...I decided that wasn't wise..so I waited until later to finish it. Enjoy!

New Moon-Get's NEW director! Yeah!

Okay guys, I am sure you have heard, I heard it last night and forgot to post it on my blog! New Moon will NOT be directed by Catherine Hardewicke...Although I can't fault her too much, she had a very limited budget for Twilight, I just felt she tried to put her own twist on things..(the trees..and the odd special effects) so I am glad that we will have a fresh person to do the next movie. Now if we can change out the make-up hair person...(I will gladly volunteer..LOL)

Just hope they understand NOW how committed the Twi-hard fans are..and the more she/he (whoever they may be) sticks to the story, the happier we will all be..and Note to new director: Do exactly what Stephenie says...after all, it is because of her genius storytelling we are here.
Click-Here to read the article. Enjoy, have a great week, back to laundry, cleaning and life! xx

Dedication to a great man.

One of our dear Apostles, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin passed away Dec. 2. He was our oldest living prophet of 91. I am sure he is so happy to reunited with his wife. His last conference talk was, and probably will be, a favorite of mine for many years to come, he has such a great sense of humor and great attitude. I will miss him dearly.
'Come What May and Love It'.
God be with you til we meet again.

My new love..Facebook..

I had NO IDEA..it is like a mini reunion everyday..I keep finding lost friends that I wonder what, where and why they are? It is awesome! I have been having great chats with old mission friends..it is like cyber disneyland...or crack..cause I am addicted..and all I need is one more time sucker..! LOL
Anyway, have a great week..let the Christmas countdown begin..NOW..xx
Goodnight!

Thanksgiving Quote

I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.-Jon Stewart

I am grateful for EVERYTHING.

Thanks family, friends, dogs..all of you, I love you sooo much! Happy Thanksgiving..xx

I am SO grateful!

As you know, I have had a bad case of Twilight FEVER... But I have taken some penecilin and I think that I am well on my way to SOME normalcy..(yeah right).
Anyway, with Thanksgiving tomorrow, I woke up this morning "counting my MANY blessings". And I have SO much to be Thankful for. So I thought I would try and put a video together of the things I love most in my life.

Nnniiiccccceeee!!!!

BIG THANKS TO STEPHENIE MEYER!!

I was trying to figure out a way to make a HUGE thank you card to give to Stephenie for taking time to get us that lovely TWILIGHT collectors edition book. That looks like THIS except ours was SIGNED!!
But how do you go about getting 300 people to sign a card? If you have a better idea let me know? So please let all your peeps know that we are posting a thanks to her here.
Thanks for that and sharing your talents and creating a dream world life of bliss.
WE LOVE AND ADORE YOU..and will always will!! YOU ROCK!! and so does MUSE! LOL...(I get it now-I know I am sllllooooww)

Movie Discussion?? (spoiler alert!)

I want to get everyone's opinions and feedback of the movie..what was there favorite scene? Least favorite scene? If you could change one thing what would it be?
Me...(I can't pick one..LOL..) 1. Kissing, of course! 2. Restaurant tied with Baseball. Least? climbing up the tree?/spider monkey line. Change one thing...it's a hair-dresser thing...I want to re-do half of the actors hair...Alice needs to be shorter, Rosalie needs to be blonder, Jacob...? No comment. LOL
Still LOVED the MOVIE!! Can't wait for NEW MOON!!

Twilight Prizes...

Since we had so little time, I didn't get to tell you what was won in those cellophane gifts!
Anyway, I thought I would post some pics of the prizes so you know what was out there..
By the screams, I know that you SAW the Pillows...LOL. (You were all so cute and fun.)Here is one of them-It says "Edward is mine...in my dreams."
Here are the placemat purses-Made by Amy Mikos-Signed with Stitches(thanks a mil Amy) My hubby is the model.LOL..Love ya babe!
Esme Our Sweetart, has a Twilight purse to carry her matching heart necklace and bracelet-representing her strong ability to love passionately…and lipgloss to keep her loving kissing lips moist.

Shower yourself with kisses..any friend of Bella’s is a friend of Alice. A trendy purse, with a party planning calendar for all of those upcoming events. The newest fashionable nail color and lipgloss, and a trendy brush for those last minute makeover’s on Bella.

To maintain Rosalie's gorgeous looks: Blood Red lipgloss, Hard Head Hairspray and Extra Strong Mousse, and a screwdriver from her toolbox, you never know when you will need it for your car.

Carlisle is the true Life Saver in the family. He is always prepared for any accident Bella might get herself into with his handy First Aid kit and extra candy BloodAlso he hates to see anyone in pain, so he sent some Advil.

A Symphony bar for all of Edwards musical creations, Axe for that incredible scent he gives off…. and Scope for his breath that is so intoxicatingly seductive. A CD of the original soundtrack to listen to in your car as you race to your various destinations. And of course..all things SPARKLY: votive holder, and body spray..

In the book we read how BELLA is in the kitchen quite a bit, (however in the movie..they eat out..?) So she thought it would be appropriate to help you out in yours..with a new colander for those new pasta dishes, and apron (stitching from Amy AGAIN), to protect your clothing with, and a new cook-book, need we explain the mini first aid kit?

And the ones I forgot to take pics of:
We Snicker at Emmett for his joking personality..a sleeping bag for all of those camping trips with Edward and his favorite thing to eat BEARS..Gummy Bears.
A Bath kit to represent Jasper's calming effects, you will relax so much you will need this slumber mask to get some much needed rest. M & M’s” stand for Master of Mellow.
Even though he runs with a different pack..we couldn’t forget our dear friend Jacob…Just like his hugs..warm and fuzzy..we got this blanket to remember him..and Febreeze to rid yourself of those stinky dog odors…and a can of Mighty Dog food to feed the beast in him, Red Hots to remind you of his warm friendship.

Per request-A bit of Jacob.

Someone said that they can't sleep very well and that a pic of Jacob would help. Well what is a friend to do? Even though I am a devout "Team Edward". I will say I love and get Jacob too. And frankly I haven't presented him fairly. So I posted a pic of him (on the side).

Melanie-Welcome to CAMP Edward..

Holy Crow! (As Bella would say..in the book that is)Melanie Brower, has been converted. I told you Rob could pull it off and you didn't believe me! So time to eat it. How would you like that served? With or without feathers? One of my bestest-estest friends was still apprehensive about the choice of Edward, but I said, he was a babe as Cedric and would do GREAT, now she understands completely. (She did her Twilight party last night, 11/20 600 people!) And she called and confirmed that Rob..IS Edward!! Whew-glad we got that straightened out. How could he NOT do it...(Look at this pic.) So ladies, trust me, if you are in the land of "not sure" ..pack your things, my bet is you will be moving your emotions to CAMP Edward VERY soon!

Phoebe photo shoot.

So I think I am becoming more convinced that I need to get a baby or a life! I am buying outfits for my dog..and I used to roll my eyes at people like me..although I think she looks quite smashing and fashionable. Now if I could teach her to dance like that Beyonce' guy, (previous post) then I think we might have a money maker on our hands!

When the Cyber world bites you in the butt...

Okay..funny, true and embarrassing story happened to me this morning.
Yesterday on the View they had this "interesting" video clip of this very scantilly, gay man, dancing with Beyonce' to her video. It was like a train wreck, I wanted to look away, but couldn't, he is a very impressive dancer, but..well you know how sometimes they say.."words don't do it justice" Watch and you will see what I mean.
But BEFORE you watch you have to hear what I did..I went to send it to some friends who I knew would laugh and get a kick out of it, and instead I sent it to a sweet sister in our ward that I don't know well enough and would assume she probably wouldn't be interested in this sort of thing...she is only our dear STAKE RS Pres. I am so gonna get released now...Well what's a girl to do..? I just laughed, turned red, and shrugged my shoulders. Okay so NOW watch this..if you dare....Click Here

AAAaahhh I can speak finally...A wonderful night to remember!!

Hey Twilighters..
I am finally able to talk freely about the Premier, (we were sworn to keep a tight lid on it) I went to a special screening organized by the Meyers for their family and friends. It was a "formal encouraged" event.
Great to see the movie...can't WAIT to see it AGAIN! But more great to see Steph and Poncho and her family again, it has been quite awhile.
THANKS MEYER FAMILY for having us!
No spoilers here...all I can say...I LOVED that they kept the story of Bella and Edward pure (meaning kept to the book AND by keeping it to the book, also meaning it is a chaste film..). Rob/Edward's acting..was VERY GOOD and he pulls you in, just like the book, I could watch him all day. And don't mind if I do..if ANYONE wants to go and see it again...CALL ME!! Any "criticisms" the special effects are a bit.."unbelievable" but he's a vampire, do you believe that? I think for girls and women it will suffice, ...and for what budget they had, Catherine did a great job.
I nearly had to be gagged and tied down. Because of the "mellowed" venue, I had an urge to scream and yell and woohoo...(typical Hez) but refrained, so I wasn't known as the obnoxious screaming lady..so I hope you are ready to get absolutely NUTS Friday..cause it is going to be a blast!!

Count Down and BIG THANKS for great FRIENDS!!

Just over 3 days...Yipee...so exciting!! There has been a lot of Twilight-ing going on-more like Moonlighting...lots of late nights getting ready for Friday. And I have loved EVERY minute of it. All the while, I have had elves helping me..(Michelle..you SO rock!)
I will be passing out a flier the night of the event, but there are some key people who have inspired, planned, donated prizes or have been helping out, just wanted to give them a shout out, without revealing what we have for you. And if you aren't lucky enough to win something you coveted, here is the info to have one made/ordered for you. CLICK ON NAMES TO SEE BLOGS.
So BIG THANKS!!
Friends and their businesses:
Michelle Devine with Devine Memories, Amy Mikos with Signed with Stitches, Carla Jorgensen with Time to Blossom, Jodi Hatfield with Blossoms Boutique.
Helper/planners: Lori Villarreal... Kathy Schroeder, JoAnn Gonzales, and Tammy King-Okay you three get a blog already!! Oh and of course..LaTrenda Lawson..thanks for lending us the karaoke machine..You Rock!
CHECK BACK ON THURSDAY! I will have a special post!!

Since Edward is a Hero thought I would share..remember these Heroes?

The other night Jason and I were sharing stories of the Wondertwin Powers..and decided we could find a post on you tube to exhibit..turns out this is not an original..but it gave us a great giggle.

Way to go Steph!!

Have you heard? How cool....is this..take a look at this article. Listed as #5 from Entertainment weekly.

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20152943_20153287_20239984_20,00.html#pagecomments

I am so happy for her!

Come on guys...

I know some of you are STILL, not getting the Edward thing...Seriously?

Really?? LOL...

5 Days....Yikes!

Okay so this week-
I have been heavily involved with preparations for next Friday. I have the "fever" all over...I have been a devout fan..for years...but seeing all the hub-bub..has brought back all the obsessions again...as you can tell by my blog..it doesn't help that I am reading Twilight again..after so many years...hubba hubba..Edward..LOL!

I am very, very, excited!! About next week..and everytime I talk to any of you who are attending..you thrill me even more. It is gonna be great!!
I put a new playlist..."Twilight inspired". (I had some help from Melanie Brower and Stephenie Meyer's original list from her website)
But I need to give a few special kudos to some great friends that have been rallying around me to help me out. Tammy King..thanks for helping out on Thursday, you are such a doll. JoAnn, thanks for always being my last minute helper..we totally bombarded your house..Thursday..and Michelle Devine...well I am at a total loss without you..you literally stepped in and became my right hand...literally. THANKS!! I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends...and I am blessed in abundance...LUCKY ME!! You guys ROCK!!

Live interview in Chicago..11-12-08

Poor Quality..but he is such a good sport considering the screaming his ears have to tolerate....wish the "Rob" screamer would put a lid on it!!

This is FUNNY...

Since we have a week...I am reading Twilight one more time before the movie.
Anyone wanna join?? Ready, Set, Go...This pic inspires you right? I'm like...oh yeah, I wanna read..Bella and Edward read...so I wanna read...great marketing!!

They are thinking..."sure we will do this wee movie with this small fanatical cult following..How CRAZY can it be??" If they only KNEW!!
Ahhh to be young and naive again.

Here's another...only 7 days left!!!

Poor Rob, everyone is always focused on his hair..but it can be distracting...don't ya think? I am sure it is overwhelming having so many "Beatle fan-ish" girls after him all the time...I think he didn't understand the magnitude of craziness....

Edward..

Okay..at first..me being a hair girl...I was like..dude..your hair looks like a hat...it must be unnerving having everyone focus on your hair....poor kid.

The Lawrence Wha???? Show

Okay, you all know how we love to laugh, (obviously by the last 3 posts)...well we think this is so funny, bizarre..but funny..Madi and I just giggle and giggle.

Favorite Office clip-

This week's cute kid...

She is such a doll...Enjoy!! Such great face expressions...LOL.

Steph's interview!! Love it!!

Okay friends-A Shout out to Stephenie Meyer..You So ROCK!!
(click on my playlist...John Mayer-Say...fits this article)
I wanted to share this article, I really love it and think she did a fabulous job. Let's face it, it can't be easy having fickle fans...one day their hot, the next their not..Mean..for a better word..if any of you watch you tube or read blogs..people go beyond boundaries of "opinion" and are just flat malicious..
I can only speak for myself, that I know I would not deal well at all..nor would I admit and expose my hurt so openly as Steph has. Thanks for being REAL!! Just proves how big her heart is...which is EXACTLY why I think millions have related to her stories?? Her heart is portrayed in her characters and resonates with ours!! Way to go Steph...Love ya!!



http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20234559_20234567_20238527,00.html?iid=top25-20081106-Stephenie+Meyer+talks+%27Twilight%27

In honor of Adoption month...Cute kids!!

Maybe you have seen this clip, it is one of my favorites...I love this little girl...she is adorable..If she were ours, I don't think we would get anything done? We would just want to have her tell us stuff all the time.
..Enjoy, reflect on the important facts of Star Wars....more importantly have a laugh...(below is some transcription)

Teetser-teacher, Shiny guy-C3PO,

Cool picture...

I really liked this photo, I appreciate it's "happy" expressions. Most of the other photos are so morose.

Also: Last weeks Twilight poll, of course Alice was the favorite Cullen, and Emmett was second...which left a tie for all of the other characters.

Phoebe...photo shoot...

Madi and Phoebe...quite the match...cute huh?


Prison-inmate



She loves to chew on things...especially while she is Literally ON people..

NEW Paramore Video with Twilight clips..

Here is another Twilight taste...a NEW video from Paramore (love this song)....Soundtrack released tomorrow..Election Day.......So ROCK THE VOTE!!! Get out to vote and pick up the new Twilight Soundtrack!!

Paramore - New Music - More Music Videos

A time to be GRATEFUL...

Okay..serious Hez talking...
With the current state of our economy, I feel it fair to say that I hear a lot of people that have lost hope. It's really easy to find ourselves dwelling on all that we have don't have, or have lost or fear of what we may lose..so my challenge this month, is to be grateful for all you have. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, no time like the present to play the good ole' Pollyanna-"glad game"...when you feel the Eeyore cloud getting you down..look for the prisms in life. And if that is too difficult, then roll up your sleeves and go help someone else...and you will either forget altogether what you were so sad about, or get better perspective that it wasn't as bad as you thought.
(If you want to be uplifted by service, take 10 minutes to watch this favorite video of mine) The old lady (Zora-mae) at the end..makes me laugh and cry EVERYTIME!!
I am SO grateful for you all...Enjoy!

Training Table reunion..

We were able to visit Jason's family and meet at Training Table.
Here are a few pics..aren't my nephews so cute!!

Our trip to Utah...Aspen Groves...better late than never.

Here are some pics of our trip to Utah this past September. As always it was fun to see friends and be with our family. The weather was gorgeous and the scenary spectacular..we stayed at Snowbird and one morning it even snowed. (How coincidental) Madi had never seen falling snow and mistook it for rain, once I corrected her, she was out on the balcony with her hand out experiencing a "miracle". Poor kid, what do you expect, she lives in the desert.
Our small family...

Me and Madikins...she is getting so tall...

The Love of my life, best friend and laughing buddy.

My lovely parents...we had a lot of fun with them.

Notice Jason's eyeball in the corner, this pic made me laugh so hard.

Our Adoption Journey

As many of you know, we are still on our journey for adoption. It has been a bumpy road at times, but one that has truly helped us grow and strengthen our testimony of the miracle of adoption. Where this road will take us? We still don't know. We just hold on to hope, that "things will work out" as they always do. We want to thank so many of you, and your supportive words of encouragement, and for those of you who have made an effort to refer people to us as we continue the search for OUR birthparents and child/children. WE LOVE YOU!! For future referals, please direct potential birthparents to this blog or our adoption profile (listed with links).
Thanks.
Side note: We are members of FSA Family Support Adoption, This month, Mesa's FSA is doing a book drive for local libraries. For more information on donating adoption books please contact: Marisa Benson 480-784-7371.

Happy Halloween!!

Hope you all have a spooky, frightful, Halloween...
Watch out for Vampires and Werewolves and Bears..OH MY!
What is your favorite Halloween movie?
I love "Lady in White"..and "What lies beneath."
But that was years ago..they are probably lame now..ha ha ha..
Like Watcher in the Woods/Something Wicked this way comes.
Do you guys remember those?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARYSUE!! 10/29/08

Here's to you wonderful friend!! Since the very first day I met this woman, she has always carried this gorgeous smile. I can't believe I have known you for about 12 years...where has the time gone? I will think of you all day today, and hope you know I am celebrating, along with so many others, your life and the joy you bring to us. You are one of a kind.. loving, positive, uplifting, wise, and everytime I am with you I walk away with a gladdened heart and a bright outlook on anything. Plus I get great tips on how to save money...who doesn't need that these days?
Happy 60th!! You soooo don't look it!! Great hair cut by the way..wink wink!! xx

Let the Costume Preparations begin!!

Move over Dorothy! This is the "Poor mans" version of RUBY slippers...I decided that "I could do that"...so I made Madi's costume this year...under $10.Phoebe is going as the cowardly lion...ha ha ha..just kidding...TOTO.I didn't want to spend $15 just on shoes..so I picked up these hot pink gardening clogs and decided to dig out the crap from the closet and "improvise"..this is our result..Hey at least they shimmer!!

Phoebalicious!!!

Here is our pup...ain't she HOT!! She's our "ppprrreecious..."...(Gollum voice). We just love her to bits...which is a lot since there ain't much to love!! WE got her...in August...she will be 4 months old on the 15th of this month..My how time flies...she is growing right before our eyes...

Beginner Blogger!!

I have now joined the ranks...yes, I am still an avid victim of peer pressure...and some of you added "pure" pressure. So finally at last... here it is, my blog...I created an acct in Feb., but because it was so very sad and lame..I was too embarrassed to share my blog..
So, now that I have taken some time to "bling" it up a bit. Remember I am new, and excited to be a part of this new realm.