Merry Christmas Card

Just in case yours hasn't come in the mail yet. :o)

Cambryn is laughing because my husband was standing behind me doing something funny. I'm better off not knowing what it was. Let's just say the end justified the means.

I hope your Christmas was very, very merry.

p.s. I have a new camera.

Cousins

One of my mom's passions is genealogy. She spends a lot of time researching our family tree and often calls me all excited about filling in a missing piece of our heritage or meeting another long-lost relative online. I'm fascinated by our direct lineage but when she starts in on distant cousins or in-laws I can't help but get lost. Tonight she caught my attention, though. I'd like you to meet my 10th cousin...

George

And my other 10th cousin...

Barack

My husband, ever hard to impress, has always said if you go back far enough, we're ALL cousins. This probably proves his point.

Christmas Rejects

I'll admit, even I've checked my blog to see if I've updated it yet. And been disappointed. I'm finally here to fix that, thank goodness.

Do you have one of those perfect families that turns up the Christmas music, pours the eggnog, and snaps a photo of your beautifully dressed, well-behaved children in the blink of an eye? Oh, maybe you'll take TWO photos, just so you can choose the better one? Well, that's not our family.

Here are a few photos from one of three different sittings on different days. One constant you will see is Collin's ever ready, sweet smile. Another constant you'll see is Cambryn's inability to sit still. Throw in the puppy, and it's a real party.

"Cambryn, you'll need to stop talking while I take the picture. And could you get Angel to sit up and look at me?"

"OK, don't choke her. Whoops, caught you blinking!"

"Nope, I blurred it. Cambryn, you need to raise your head up, please, and I think you're still choking Angel."

"No, Angel! Don't bite Cambryn!"

"Collin, why don't you try holding Angel this time. And Cambryn, quit making goofy faces, please."

"Ummm, Collin's in focus; Cambryn, you're not. Why don't we just take a break. Maybe we can do better next time."

Yes, it's gotten a little easier as they've gotten older. When they were toddler and infant, I actually cried! Thankfully no tears were shed in the making of this year's card, which I will now address and mail. Some might actually arrive before Christmas. There's always (Christmas) hope!

New Plan

Woohoo! I'm thankful to announce that my cell phone plan has been upgraded to include:

• 1500 anytime minutes (shared with husband)
• unlimited nights and weekend minutes, with nights starting at 7PM
• unlimited text messaging
• unlimited internet access

That might not seem like a big deal to you, but this is what I've been dealing with:

• not enough anytime minutes
• nights starting at 9PM
• no text messaging
• no internet access

I was so excited, I took a picture of myself on my cell phone enjoying my new minutes. At least one friend, one sister and one parent will appreciate this news. And remember the post about my broken camera? It's still broken.

So I didn't really take a picture of myself on my cell phone. I borrowed someone else's phone.

And someone else's hand.

Hers, to be exact. Maybe she won't mind.My fingers aren't nearly that bony, no offense. I'd take a picture and show you, except my camera's broken.

Happy Birthday, Tim!

Today is my little brother's birthday. He's seventeen months younger than I am and we'll just leave it at that. He's a very good brother. I highly recommend him. And I hope he gets all his wishes today.

Happy Birthday, Tim!

Broken Camera

This is a picture of my camera that no longer works. Until a replacement falls in my lap or I buy a new one, I won't be posting any new photos.

In other news, I find it hard to add posts without photos.

Still in other news, a small creative urge hit me. It didn't knock me over but it forced me to revamp my blog. It made me add those stripey legs.

And stay up way past my bedtime.

Obviously.

Everything Princess

I'm still sharing old Halloween pics here because nobody asked me to stop. Hopefully I'll be done with Halloween by Christmas so I can start in on Thanksgiving before New Year's. Because that's how I roll.

2002
Little Ballerina Princess

The pink costume included a tiara and tutu which she could easily remove. And did.

2003
Bride Princess, age 3
Here she is, practicing her dreamy look for the future groom. Oh, wait. Now I remember. Her memaw wanted to take a picture but Cambryn couldn't take her eyes off the TV long enough to look at the camera so she's killing two birds with one stone, posing and watching TV all at once.

2004 (maybe)
Rapunzel Princess
Are you detecting a theme yet? No matter what she was, she was a princess. You don't think this sweet girl would ever be a scary ole zombie, do you? Of course not!

Next post:
Zombie Bride Princess

Old Navy Animals

If I concentrate really, really hard I can remember Halloween 2000. I had a 2-year-old and a 9-month-old and my life was a little blurry from lack of energy.

A lot blurry, actually. Words cannot describe just how energy-lacking I was. In fact, I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

Long story short, I ran into Old Navy and grabbed the costumes closest to the check-out line. Collin liked being a frog. Cambryn couldn't care less. We trick-or-treated at the zoo. The End.

It's a good thing they were so cute at this age. And if you think for one second that those manicured hands are mine, go back and read this again.

Queen o' the Nile

Let's stick with 2007 and check out the costume my daughter chose that year. But first, let me tell you that the girl has always been fascinated by Egypt.

By the tender age of three she could tell you that mummy brains were removed from the skull through the nose and I'm pretty sure if she'd had access to a mummy and a hook, she could've removed a brain all by herself.

She knows about pyramids. She constantly checks out Egyptian Cinderella from the school library. She loves the movie Scooby Doo in Where's Your Mummy? And of course she's all about pretending she's Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile.

You're looking at one happy trick-or-treating queen. In fact, so happy, she almost decided to wear it again this year.

Almost.

Soldier

In honor of Friday and in an attempt to blog several times this week just to prove to myself that I can, I'll be plastering some older Halloween photos on my blog. The first goes all the way back to 2007.

My then-9-year-old told me he wanted to be a soldier. Hmmm. Except that he used an odd accent and stuck "boy" on the end of it.

After visions of my baby dressed in camouflage carrying a toy M-16 flashed before my eyes, he pulled up this image on the internet:

Well, okay. And what did that have to do with G. I. Joes, I wondered.

It seems I was due for a pop culture lesson. That, dear reader(s) over the age of 20, is DeAndre Cortez Way, an American rapper better known as Soulja Boy.

What's a mother to do? I made a trip to Hobby Lobby and bought some fabric paint, that's what. Check my soulja boy out!

Please keep in mind that this was a Halloween costume and he doesn't normally dress like a rapper. He normally dresses like a basketball player. Well, except for church.

For church he dresses like a golfer.

State Fair

Uncle Jay doesn't have kids and Aunt Em doesn't do fairs, so when the state fair came to town earlier this month, Uncle Jay decided some uncle/nephew bonding time was in order. This was very welcome news for Collin, the one and only nephew.

The dastardly duo spent about six hours riding scary rides, checking out weird sideshows, and testing their skills on the midway. Surprisingly, the only food Collin consumed was a corn dog. No funnel cake. No cotton candy. No Indian taco. I guess he was just too busy to eat.

The Natural

Don't you want to run your fingers through that hair?!

(I do it all the time.)

His Favorite

Free Fall

Oklahoma star and Heisman trophy winner Billy Sims

Happy Fan

See that giant wolf dog in the right corner?

Mission Accomplished.

I think Collin would remember this uncle/nephew day for a long, long time even without the giant wolf dog to remind him. We thank you, Uncle Jay. We're sure Papa was smiling.

Puppy Property Laws

1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my mouth, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I'm chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks like mine, it's mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it's broken, it's yours.

(funnydog.net)

Do Unto Others

On the way home from church today I asked Cambryn if she knew what the Golden Rule is.

She said, "Yes."

I said, "What is it?"

She said, "Always tell the truth and never pick your nose in public."

I am Plain Joe

I love coffee. I like personality quizzes. I'm so glad to finally know what kind of coffee I am. All the wondering had been keeping me awake at night.

Or maybe that's just the coffee.

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead, think uncomplicated. You're a low maintenance kind of girl who can hang with the guys You're down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And you're dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Blueberry Peach Pie

It is my very good fortune that Tara, my BFF, loves to cook and entertain. Often on Monday nights after dinner she hosts "Dessert Night" at her house. We, the lucky friends, know that whatever Tara has decided to make will be spectacular. Not only will it be spectacular, it will look spectacular on our plates.

I finally got the grand idea to document one of her desserts so I took my camera along to snap some pics. Tara seemed truly flattered. The rest of the crowd (OK, just my husband) was slightly embarrassed when I insisted on taking pictures of the individual plates around the table. I didn't care. I was on a mission. So here, I present Tara's Blueberry Peach Pie. Feast your eyes. Imagine the goodness. Yes, it was...spectacular.

Books

Hi. My name is Leslie. I'm a reader. These are the books I've read so far in 2008:

1. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
2. Gentlemen of the Road: A Tale of Adventure by Michael Chabon
3. Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson
4. Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland
5. A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle
6. A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey
7. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
8. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
9. The Innocent by Ian McEwan
10. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
11. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
12. If I Told You Once by Judy Budnitz
13. Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland
    
14. A Boy of Good Breeding by Miriam Toews
15. Womenfolks: Growing Up Down South by Shirley Abbott
16. Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland
17. Gilead: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson
18. A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 by James Shapiro
19. A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor
20. The Deal by Dwayne Smither
21. The Way the Crow Flies: A Novel by Ann-Marie MacDonald
22. Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

I'll Remember It Well

This post is for my friend, AJ. She was appalled that I didn't get any vacation pics of myself so I photoshopped one just for her. That means I didn't really stand by this Indian and take a picture.
The sad thing is, someday I will look at this and fondly remember standing by this Indian and taking a picture.

Friends and a Gorge

Here are some more Taos photos. We synchronize our NM trips with another family we met there. They're originally from Texas, living in Maryland, and they have a cabin near "ours." They also have a boy Collin's age and a girl Cambryn's age.

The photos were taken at the plaza, at Out Back Pizza, and at the Rio Grande Gorge.

New Mexico Cabin

Several days ago I tried to post these vacation photos along with witty captions and after 45 minutes of work, I ended up with a bunch of error codes and no post. I'm uploading them again but I'm just not feeling the wit at this moment.

Let me just say that we have a dear friend, Howard, who has a cabin outside of Taos, NM and he lets us use it whenever we want. And well, we've "wanted" to pretty much every year since 1992 so it feels like a home away from home.

Some notes:
1) The landscape photo with the bridge is a view from the back deck. Carson National Forest is on the other side of that fence.

2) Howard has toys at the cabin: mini-bike, four-wheeler, hot tub, satellite TV.

3) He also has mom toys (dishwasher, microwave, washer and dryer) but I didn't take photos of those. It's a log cabin but we don't exactly rough it.

4) There was a brown bear hanging out in the neighborhood all week but we didn't get a photo of him.

5) An analogy: Cambryn : creek as other kids : Disneyworld.