A Ginger Night

Chuckie (Jackie) had a tender idea to decorate gingerbread houses this year as a family and have a little competition. We did a pretty good job, lets just say there was a lot of diversity in styles of homes but they turned out pretty great.

 

These were some children we found on the street, they said they were raised by wolves. 

They warmed up to us by the end of the night.

Here's the Mama's cottage...

Clarke's "teepee" for the ginger native americans

My barn...or something

Chuckie's chapel for the religious ginger people

Alec's Garage...

Pappy's Bachelor Pad

 The Inspiration for the Night

Hard Workin Pappy

Such a FUN time!
 

Musical Monday

So for the past four years our family has been doing a Family Night where we invite some friends over to perform a "Christmas" musical number. There's usually one serious Christmas song and then one weird one from each family. It's a pretty entertaining night for sure and is definitely something I always look forward to. Here's some crazy pictures from the night...

 The Cute Westovers

 The Houses

 The Tender Westovers Again

 Mickey's Quote: "Over The Top"

 The Tracy's

 I don't remember this family's name

 They were a little Creepy...

 The Oldhams

 

 The Buchanons

 

 The Millers

Such a Fun Night!! We have some crazy friends but it is how we do it Oregon. It's always so fun to be home! A great way to start the Christmas season : )

Merry Christmas!

I absolutely LOVE this clip. Today was truly a wonderful Christmas and at the end of the day with family and friends, I realize even more what Christmas is really about. It's love, the love we have for family, the love we have for friends, the love we have for the Christmas season, and most importantly the love we have for a Savior. He is the reason for the season. I feel so blessed to know of him in my life. I will continue to constantly strive to be like him everyday. He is my Redeemer and my friend and I am so grateful for his example and birth into the world so many years ago.
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Home For Christmas

SOOOOO good to be HOME!!!! Finals go by SO slow but it is always so much more enjoyable to be home afterwards. To be with the family, snuggle with the dogs, dance around to christmas music in the kitchen, eat way too many christmas treats than is healthy, party around the oregon place and crust some days. Really so so great to be with the family and back at my home! Love this time of year!

Life is a VERB

So I started reading this book called "Life is a Verb"...it basically is a 37 day guide to making life more meaningful and adventurous. Obviously I immediately fell in love with the book, and started my 37 day journey yesterday. It's been pretty good so far. I just hope i can stick with it...especially with finals around the corner. I might be off and on for a couple weeks but I'll come back to it! So for today's reading, it suggested to make a list of random, everyday things that make you happy. So these are just some of the things I came up with:

APPLES...I eat at least 1 every day, sometimes 2! They are a staple in my daily life and my favorite to eat are pacific rose, pink lady's, jazz, and honeycrisp. You will be my best friend if you give me a  great apple.

EXERCISE...I love working out. It keeps me sane. If I''m stressed, this is my way of handling it. The gym could be called my second home. You'd find me running, cycling, kick-boxing, doing zumba, yoga, pump...I love it all and am willing to try just about anything!

THE OUTDOORS...I love being outside. I love hiking, boating, snowboarding, camping...everything. I again would do just about anything that requires exploring or going on an adventure! I love the smells, the views, the exercise, and just being secluded from the world.

HOT COCOA...I could have some of this any time of the year. It warms my body and my soul.

SNUGGLING IN BLANKETS...yes I do appreciate snuggies but blankets in general make me really happy. A rainy Sunday, wrapped up in a blanket, while reading a book...umm ya love it.

PEOPLE...weird picture I know but I truly love all kinds of people. I love learning from them, hearing their stories, how they live their lives, how they grew up, traditions they have, etc. I just love being around different people and realizing how different we are but yer there is still so much in common.

SPOON ME SMOOTHIES...the spoonin in the dark with dark chocolate and strawberries has changed my life. I could have one EVERY DAY and not feel bad or get sick of them. They are amazing. Try one and you won't be disappointed.

GILMORE GIRLS...I forget how much I love this show. Yes it's cheesy, yes their town is not realistic, yes the people may seem crazy, and the acting might be sketch at times but I love this show and always will. It makes me laugh, it makes me cry and just makes me happy.

 

 RINGS....I love rings, I love getting new ones any time I can and especially want to learn how to make these bad boys (spoon rings). Pretty cool stuff, and I am definitely obsessed.

So this was my random list. Short and sweet and is definitely missing a lot of other things I'm grateful for but it's a little taste of me and what I appreciate! : )