GG - YOU ROCK!

My grandma / a.k.a. GG / has been here this entire week. I have LOVED having her here as she instinctively knows how to add her two hands to my two hands and we've gotten so much done! I literally had Christmas taken down by Friday at 11:00am - and my china cabinet was cleaned out too! That seriously would have taken me two days to get all that done! Not only that but GG has been a great shopping partner, mani/pedi accomplice and she gives some of the very best advice around. She should totally have an advice booth at the fair - people would walk away feeling so loved and so empowered!

GG also helped me get over my fear of the English Toffee recipe the failure of which has haunted me every Christmas since I got married (story is that my mom has made it every year since forever - it's not really Christmas without it - only when I have tried to do it myself, RUINED - an entire pound of butter scorched! Turns out I was making it far more complicated than it actually was. Who knew?!!!).

Mostly I'm just grateful that GG takes the time to sit and chat and that she uses lots of flowing adjectives (lovely, wonderful, gorgeous, exceptional, adorable, the list goes on...) that just make me feel good about myself and the little life that Eric and I have created here. She has a talent for talking to people, making them feel appreciated and leaving them better than before. My boys have LOVED having her here...she has played with them, hugged them, fed them and when needed, scolded them (she's never has much patience with an ungrateful child!). Mostly GG has just LOVED 'em and that was all they needed.

Last night, after a fun dinner and movie, Drew took one look at GG as she came around the corner and said "WHOA! You are having a bad hair day!" Eric and I couldn't stop laughing - GG had her hair done just before we left to go on our date - it was a little bigger than usual. But how does a 3 year old know what a bad hair day is??? GG just laughed and told him how cute he was.

Oh, and her favorite channel is Hallmark which means that we've been watching lots of "feel good" movies that make me grateful I'm not some washed up childhood actress - thanks mom for ignoring my pleas to go to the Barbazon School for Modeling and Acting - that totally could have been me!

If you have a GG, consider yourself lucky! I'm forever grateful for her wisdom, her energy and that she shared this great week with me! LOVE YOU GG!

Merry Christmas!

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Love,

The Daniels

Seven Days

Christmas has been pretty crazy around here. I thought that I was super prepared. But as we tore another link off the chain tonight - I counted just SEVEN days until Christmas. WHAT???!!! That means that December is nearly over and I have been so busy getting Christmas ready that I forgot to worship Christ. That sounds a little sacreligious and I certainly don't mean to be but I'm pretty sure that lots of you feel the same way I do. Every girl/lady/hot mama that I have talked to over the last few days has said that exact same thing: "My house looks like a bomb went off and I have so much to do!" or something along those lines. While I'm so glad to know that I'm not alone in my quest for perfect holiday house, treat plates and Christmas cards - we've got to do something about the chaos. And so I share this link with you - one I stole from my friend Angie (who is super good at putting things into perspective) - and I beg you to read it. Take ten minutes out of the next seven days to put Christ back in Christmas. I feel better already.

Lucky!

Feelin' sorta lucky these days. I have healthy, happy kids - three of 'em - with big blue eyes and silly-ness that is just part of them. We laugh everyday with these guys. And I can say this now as they are tucked quietly into their beds snoring away...they are pretty dang cute (says their mother.)

I have a husband who still thinks I'm cute and laughs at/with me even when I probably deserve a time-out (the ultimate punishment/reward depending on the offender).

We have a house and a job and lots of opportunities to serve and be served. And while I'm feeling a little crazy because of this....

I'm feeling extra blessed because I know that win or lose, it's what I'm supposed to be doing. So mark your calendars all you Gilbert people - March 10th is THE VOTE. To the inevitable question, why in the hec are you doing this? My pat answer is because I have lots of spare time. The real answer is because I simply don't think that we can the leave the values and morals of our communities in the hands of other people. For the long and lengthly version of this answer, just call me.

Blogging Failure

I just want to let everyone who still reads my blog know that I am actually admitting the true and undeniable: I SUCK AT BLOGGING.

I am overwhelmed and let's face it, we're understaffed around here. The cook hasn't been showing up and when she does it's just chicken nuggets and mac & cheese. The maid has thrown in her dusting rag and it looks like she hasn't washed the windows for months! The nanny spends all her time driving kids around and is always one step behind the kids messes. The groundsman, landscaper and part-time janitor have colds - the miserable kind that makes you whine and beg for breakfast in bed and hack up some stuff. As you can see, I have lots to blog about but just not enough energy to blog it.

I think the bottom line is that the people who are good at scrapbooking (i.e. my friend Amy - who is pretty much good at everything) are also good at blogging. So much for my hope that blogging would become my new scrapbook. No pressure.