Did You Get the Memo?

..."We Had Christmas"

It is amazing how fast Christmas approaches us and just as fast, is *poof* Gone.

This Year's Christmas Card

Another family shot that didn't make the card.

We took those pictures up at Usery Park (northeast Mesa) on our 18th wedding anniversary! It was a nice nippy day with even a little rain! Perfect.
 
I admit to a little bit of "Post-Christmas" Blues. No, nothing major. No one may even notice if I didn't say I had them. But there is just something about the season approaching and all that fun and then...boom...it's gone. Plus, Retail-land doesn't help with how they hoist all the next "stuff" on you before the current holiday is even over. I'm in no mood for Valentine stuff just yet! Just like they were clearing out the Halloween stuff BEFORE Halloween was even over to make room for the Christmas stuff. (Poor Thanksgiving).

Anyway, there was no immediate family around for this round of Christmas celebrations. Sometimes we would see some of Chris's cousins and his aunt around Christmas, but we didn't hear from them this time around. 

Xander enamored in "The Grinch That Stole Christmas" on the TV above our table at TGI Fridays.

Christmas Eve we went to our favorite Chinese Food place, and Christmas morning we tortured Mikelle and Christian by making them wait until after 7:30am for the "big reveal".   Then, Chris, Myself and the baby had a nice long nap. By early evening, I was feeling a little stir crazy and we decided to go out to dinner. We thought Village Inn or IHOP would be open, but n o such luck. But you know what was open? TGI Fridays! I know, we didn't expect it either. 

Of course there was a long wait and they were crazy busy, but it was still fun.  And even though Alexander is usually impossible in a restaurant, this time I would give his level of difficulty a 5-6 on a scale of 1-10. Not too shabby! Yes, he got some food or something on the sleeve of his hoodie. It just sticks out in the photo.

Also, the weather has been cooperating this time and it's nice and nippy for the season. Anytime it's in the 70s for Christmastime, I say BLEH! But not this year. We've had a nice marathon of some rain, then days in 50s and 60s. Now this is what Christmas here in the desert should be like.

After TGI Fridays, we went to the temple grounds and saw the beautiful lights and inside the visitor's center we saw different Nativity displays from around the world. Here is a low-quality cell phone snapshot of Alexander, Mikelle and I in front of the tree at the Visitor Center entrance. 

And yes, Alexander has shoes. He likes to pull them off and throw them down, so while we were inside, we just held onto them.

Desert Snow
I love the old vintage Mesa Temple pictures they have on the tree. I may have included this in a past entry, but my favorite is the one from January 1937 (this is larger example, though they do have a small one hanging on the tree):

Looking at the picture, it's hard to believe that 1) there is snow down here in the desert and 2) that is can accumulate like that. However, back in 1937, the area was so much more rural and there was no sprawl of asphalt and concrete that has contribute to warmer temperatures in an already arid climate. 

If the same storm system hit now, I'm guessing the snow would either melt before it hit the ground or melt when it hits the ground.  Still, that picture is gorgeous and I would love to have one to hang in my home. 

If you think the above picture is gorgeous, check out this one:

 This picture is from the book "Latter-Day Saints in Mesa" by D.L. Turner. Regarding the snow, it read:

The January 1937 Snowstorm in Mesa was so unusual that many family albums from this period have images of snowmen in front yards and snow covered buildings – the high school, churches, homes and even the temple. The snow lasted nearly a week and local camera stores nearly ran out of film.

Here is a link to another Temple snow shot on LDS.org. 


But I digress. However, you cannot deny that the above pictures are part of the feeling at Christmas, even if the snowstorm was in the latter part of January.

And here is Christian's desert winter collage project from school! I loved it instantly! In fact, you'll see how it goes along with a fun Collage seasonal-themed project I did with my Cub Scouts (further down):

Custom Artwork 

One thing I neglected to include, was some photos of a custom order I completed in December. it was a huge one and a lot of work. However, while it was hard work, i was so delighted to have the commissioned order and the opportunity to do it!

The snapshots I'll include have certain personal details blurred or creativity covered.

There were five custom motifs/mandalas, actually, but for some reason, the file on the scan for that one is being very quirky and uncooperative. I even tried to bring up the Black and White version of it and it's being just as difficult. 

I am just very worried because I have no idea if the customer liked the artwork or how it was received by the 4 others that is also spotlighted. Chris says, "Don't worry about it - you completed an order." 

 But with this type of artwork, it is hard to separate myself in that way. I received so many details into the lives and personalities of people I never met, so I obviously felt a connection to them. Therefore, I hope to eventually find out how they felt about the artwork and if it is what the client was hoping for.

Here are some details from the first three. It certainly doesn't do the whole project justice, as so much detail was needed for all five:

Detail from the one for an 11 year old young man.

Detail from his mother's mandala

Another detailed area from his mother's.

Detail from his father's mandala.

Detail from his father's Mandala.

After that, I moved onto a smaller custom order for a customer who wanted a fun Pink theme for her business. I had a lot of fun creating this one for her!

Starry Night in Bethlehem

1889 - Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night"

 Moving along with the art theme, almost a week before Christmas, my Cub Scouts did a fun collage using the "Starry Night" theme to incorporate an image of the First Christmas. I think they enjoyed it.  Due to time, we had to cheat a little and cut out pictures of the Camels/Wisemen instead of make them out of the pieces of paper. 

Still, this turned out rather well and the boys learned a little about Van Gogh's Starry Night and we had a nice Bethlehem theme of Christmas to it. I have previously done this project with Heartland group of 2nd-5th Graders using a Halloween theme. That's what's so fun about this project, you can incorporate it to just about any theme and all the while the kids can learn about Collage and a piece of art history.

 

Other than trying to finish a new blog header, I believe this is my final entry for 2012! Happy New Year! 

Don't Blink Or You'll Miss It!

Wow...Tis' the Season for another "catch up" post! I don't like the rush of "catch up" posts, because it feels...well, rushed. 

 Oh well.

Xander-Bug Turns 2
Yesterday my X-man Turned 2! Yes, TWO. Hard to believe. I waited 6 years to get up the guts to have another lil' baby and I had that lil' baby in my arms finally just three days before Christmas in 2010. And now what happened? He's two. Nuts. Completely nuts. No, he's not nuts. It's nuts. Well, sometimes he is nuts. He is a toddler after all.  

These were all taken yesterday on his birthday:

Checking out our Nativity in the front yard.

Sorry this is blurry. Cute present photo, huh?

Good thing for this at the end. He was GOOD at being 2!

Love this Picture

I feel like it was just weeks ago that we were here:

And we took him home from the hospital on Christmas Eve in this reindeer outfit!

New Years Eve 2010; 9 Days Old

Okay, enough with the nostalgia pictures before I start to cry!

Second year of our Birthday Tree tradition!

This year we added a second cupcake ornament for the birthday theme!

The first cupcake ornament from last year to begin the tradition!

Here you can see the Letter "A" Candy Cane ornament

Here you can see the Tiger ornament, as Alexander was born the Year of the Tiger!

But We've Got the Biggest Ba-  

Oh, Never Mind...

A couple of weeks ago after church, we went over by Retail Craziness where they have these giant ornaments and took a few snapshots. Sure, it would have worked out better with clouds and overcast, but where do we live?

 

 

Seasonal Blocks

And remember my Halloween blocks? Here is a Christmas "Be Merry" set I made for a friend and a "Noel" set I made for me. I'm still not finding the right combination of colors for the letters! Grrrrr!

Someone wants me to make her a Valentines set. Let's see if I can get the letter colors right!

High Honors

Christian received High Honors (A- percentage group) at the end of this Quarter Sure, it's a step down from the Principal's List group (A to A+ percentage group) that he received from the first quarter, but I'm not complaining! lol

And afterwards, I HAD TO get a picture of him with his teacher. It was PJ Day and she just went for it. I love it! Christian is thrilled too. Can't you tell?

On, Donner! On, Blitzen! On, Chewy! On, Tavo! C'mon, Becto!

My previous post, I showed Mikelle's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Production. Here is her Christmas Production from her "Crew" group at school. She was one of the Reindeer!

Sure, I would have loved a close-up picture of her afterwards with the antlers, but we saw what happened when I tried that with the Dwarf play. Still, she was a lot more pleasant this time around. I can't say the same for Alexander during the play. Chris was standing outside in the rain with him (under an awning) watching through a window because X-Man wasn't quite feeling the cheer of the season.

This is Awesome. I want it on a T-shirt!

Bye Bye 2012

We survived the 12/21/12 prediction and tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

 I admit, I'm a little sad how fast this season has approached. I wouldn't mind backing up to Halloween again and trying again! I tend to get a little sad when Christmas is over - unless I'm on a vacation and there is a lot planned before and after. However, this year, it's going to be rather hum-drum. Yes, this year is a Christmas where we don't really see any family. It happens every other year or so. But don't get me wrong - it's not like this is  a bad Christmas. I am just nostalgic for Christmas traditions of yore.  However, I love having kids and seeing them enjoying it each year. It goes by way too fast. The fact that Mikelle is 12 now is just crazy. And just tonight I had the joy of seeing Alexander watching a Christmas light show at someone's home when you park in front and turn your radio station to a posted frequency. 

And watch out...another Photo Nostalgia moment:

It's December!

There is a lot to catch up on. I had a big custom order in November and it took up most of my extra time. Therefore, I'll have to do a quick update. Most recent first.

Student of the Month

Christian was named November STUDENT OF THE MONTH for his school! At first I thought it was just for his grade level, but it was for the whole school. Last night he was presented with his award at the district office. I will post a picture, but there is an issue with the camera, the car, and a key. Don't ask. The picture will come quickly. I'll definitely follow up to this!

Follow Up: Okay, thanks to roadside assistance, I now have access again to the vehicle that the key was locked in and my camera was in. 

Here are the photos.

Christian (far right) pictured with the kids who were Student of the Month at their schools.

This is what Mrs. Conner, Christian's teacher, said in her comments that were read by one of the Board Members:

I chose Christian Henrichsen for my Student of the Month for a few different reasons. First, Christian is a hard worker.  He never complains about the amount of work I give him or how challenging it might be.

Next, Christian is very respectful. Christian always remembers to raise his hand during class discussions and waits patiently to be called on.  He is also respectful toward his classmates. He not talk over them or interrupt them when they are speaking.

Additionally, Christian is full of creative, interesting information.  I always look forward to him sharing his perspective on the various topics we are studying. 

Lastly, I am impressed with ow Christian is able to use his creative thinking skills to adapt class assignments to his own individual interests. He is the only student I've ever had that wrote a complete poetry anthology on the subject of technology. I was impressed on ow he applied his "left brain" knowledge into a such a "right brain" task. Who knew electricity could be so poetic!

Christian is a unique, multifaceted child who teaches me something new each day. I am grateful that he is in my class this year.

Santa and the Boys

The night before that, we took the kids to see Santa Claus at the mall. Mikelle said she wasn't interested, but I had her wear coordinating clothes in case she changed her mind. She didn't, but we still had fun.

Alexander wasn't upset by Santa at all, and was rather "chill". This was the best shot of the boys, but Santa appears to be "mid-sentence". Oh well.

We also chose a name off the Angel Tree for a child in need. Last year we chose a little girl, so this year we chose a little boy. It turned out, the boys' name is Alex (just a coincidence) and he's 5. He likes Batman and dinosaurs.It'll be nice picking up a few items for him and dropping them back off at the Angel Tree.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving we were all alone as usual (since the majority of our family abandoned us by 2006 and any visitors for Thanksgiving are rare). Before the Turkey feast, we went to see Wreck It Ralph. I didn't want to see it originally because I can't stand Sarah Silverman who was one of the main voices.

However, because I didn't have to see her face, I figured it would be fine and I can pretend someone more talented and respectable was doing the voice. But Alexander only lasted for about 25 minutes of the movie anyway. I left with him and we went for a drive until the movie was over and we picked up Chris and the crew.

This picture gives an idea of why Alexander only lasted a little while in the movie.

Snow White and the...Dwarfs

Let's see...Mikelle was in a play in Drama's after school program, led by my friend Theresa who is also the Drama teacher at Mikelle's school. There weren't enough kids for all Seven Dwarfs, but Mikelle played one of the dwarfs very well, though she was upset that I took so many pictures and insisted I take a picture of her backstage afterwards.

The Dwarfs Working in the Mines

Mikelle on Stage

Sorry, but every time I see this picture, I think of Shrek where he said, "No, dead broad Off the Table!"

Whole Cast

And AFTERWARDS...when I went backstage to get a picture of her...

Really, Mikelle? Really?

All the other proud parents were snapping pictures and then wanting close-ups afterwards of their kids. But for some reason, if I did it, it was a national travesty.

Young Women in Excellence: It's Not Just Black and White

The night before the play was Mikelle's first time attending Young Women in Excellence. I have to say, I was so flattered because my Young Women Values and Theme Motif was used as inspiration for the Young Women in Excellence theme! The girls were instructed to wear Black and White and then each of them spoke on one of the 8 values and were presented with a scarf for that color/value. Mikelle spoke about Knowledge and was given a Green Scarf. The theme was "It's Not Just Black and White". It was beautiful. 

Our Beautiful Young Lady

And it was a beautiful evening even with the video they showed at the end of some guys in Colorado Springs doing a video to "You Don't Know You're Beautiful" by One Direction. The video was cute, but I'm kind of a music snob. But I loved the message and Mikelle is into One Direction. 

After linking it and hearing that song again though, I have to pop on some Depeche Mode, Cure, or some Say it Isn't So by Hall and Oats to get it out of my head!

Mini Motifs Adhered to Canvas that Each of the Girls Received

I would like to add our family pictures that we took at Usery Park on our 18th Anniversary, but since I'm mostly caught up, I'll save that for the next entry. My next entry will also feature the custom motifs I just sent a wonderful customer in Ontario, Canada!

50 Ways to Say Goodbye

And while I'm on the subject of music (well, I was a second ago. Now I'm back...), it's hard to convert me to "new music". Even current songs don't really grab me until they've been around for a little while. But not this one. My hectic Aerobics schedule helped as I've heard it repeatedly there and was instantly in love after the second time it was part of the routine.  I know I would have been a hard sell under regular circumstances - especially after Train should have  de-railed after the first 500 times hearing Sweet Soul Sister.  But they've redeemed themselves with this. And yes, I also respect Train because their lead singer, Pat Monahan, is older than me. In fact, he's older than Chris too! Score! (It makes me not feel so old...)

Love this! 50 Ways to Say Goodbye by Train

(and the Guitar Player in the Mariachi Band is hot....)

Checking In...

I haven't slacked off...there just aren't enough hours in the day.  It should taper off a bit in a few days. Maybe.

So in the meantime, enjoy this hilarious line 

(though after midnight I'm a little punchy and a lot of things are funny):

Coming Up: New Custom Circle Motif/Mandalas, Thanksgiving, annual family pictures, Young Women in Excellence, and Mikelle in Snow White and the Four? Drawfs - not necessarily in that order. 

But of course I have plenty of time to bi- I mean, complain, that Halloween and Thanksgiving are over and it is STILL over 80 degrees outside! 

A Message from the Queen

What an exhausting week. First, I am delighted to have been blessed with some custom orders! That said, it's a lot of work all at once. Therefore, it's a blessing but a busy one! 

I won't give up my rigorous exercise schedule. It's a necessity now. I feel better and it's great stress relief. 

The other exhausting part of the week is all the "the sky is falling" comments from those that are panicking from the election. I just shake my head. And my head hurts. Even my Republican husband thinks all the crazy panicking is ridiculous. He's proof that you can have your political differences in the same household as long as you keep a level and sensible head. 

That all said, no matter how you vote or how you feel politically, here is something quite entertaining I saw yesterday.

I will preface it by saying what I said on Facebook:

This says to 'only share with people that have a good sense of humoUr'. Therefore anyone that makes "sour grapes" political comments OR any kind of negative comment that clearly shows your lack of humoUr does not fit into the requirement to have a sense of humoUr and therefore your comment will be deleted. 



A MESSAGE FROM THE QUEEN

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except North Dakota, which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, David Cameron, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

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1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,' 'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary').

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2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ''like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and the elimination of '-ize.'

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3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

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4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse.

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5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

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6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

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7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.

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8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

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9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

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10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialect in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

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11. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

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12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

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13.. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

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14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

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15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

God Save the Queen!

PS: Only share this with friends who have a good sense of humour (NOT humor)!