On the thirty-first of December...

It's the last day of 2008! It is also my nephew's birthday. The boys had fun bowling with him today. I will post pictures tomorrow. Happy New Year everyone!

On the thirtieth day of December...

We made it Mom and Dad Zaugg's after a long 3 hour drive last night. Traffic going through Portland was CRAZY! We had some snow at the Wilson River Summit but other than that - it was a good drive. We helped my sister move today and are now relaxing the rest of the day.

On the twenty-nineth day of December...

The river has gone down some. At least we can get in and out now. I think I will call and see if help is still needed for the funeral today. Now that I know I can get into town.

Since we can get out now - we are going over the mountain to Sandy for the next few days. So...Happy New Year everyone!

On the twenty-eighth day of December...

We are finding out we can't go to church. :( Tillamook River Road is flooding and water is starting to fill the field in front of our house. This means I will have to call and back out of making rolls for a funeral tomorrow.

On the twenty-seventh day of December...

It rains and howls outside. I didn't sleep well because it was so windy. :( We are also under a high wind watch still and a new development of a flood watch. The rivers are already high. I have to go to town this morning so will stock up on more milk. Just in case!

On the twenty-sixth day of December...

I had to take back the slippers Russell bought me. They didn't feel good on my feet. I am one of those people that has to try the shoes on first. So...I was so happy to find a pair of slip on slippers that were only $8.80 instead of $22 the original price! I also bought me some pretty bead necklaces. I haven't worn necklaces in years. I have decided I need to be more girly with my boys starting to grow up. :) lol
Now...I am off to work on Christmas dinner. We wanted to not do anything big yesterday and decided today for our yummy dinner. Need to make pies, rolls, get potatoes ready, etc. The stuffing I made the other day. It has had lots of time for the flavors to blend. Mmmmmmm.

2008 family Christmas photos...

L-R Nephi (6), Michael (7), Christopher (11) and Donovan (13 in 1 1/2 weeks)

All the family. It was a bit cold. And the snow melted. But the grass is really green!

Candace and Russell.

On the twenty-fifth day of December...

We tried to take a picture of the tree with the really cool treasure boxes Russell made for each of the boys. The picture turned out kind of dark.

So....

Up closer and after the boys found their treasure boxes...Russell made one for each of the boys. They are so excited. Mostly because it was made by dad. Russell is really creative when it comes to wood. Last year he made a headboard and footboard for our bed. The first Christmas we were married he made me a chest. Because I always wanted one. I store our Christmas things in it now.

The boys discovering their stockings and the boxes Russell made for them.

Christmas breakfast! L-R is Christopher, Michael, Russell, Nephi and Donovan. We had tasty pancakes and hot cocoa.

My mom and her husband sent the boys Star Wars The Clone Wars Monopoly. I love Monopoly so I am playing with Donovan and Christopher. Chris won.

Merry Christmas!

Away in a manger no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head...
This is the reason my family and I celebrate Christmas. The birth of our Saviour. May each of you who read our family blog have a safe and Merry Christmas!

We even have a white Christmas! Not as white as some of yours....but white nevertheless. I haven't checked yet though to see if it is actual snow or lots of hail. lol

Thanks Becky!

My sister Becky sent these really awesome Christmas cookies. They arrived today! In one piece. Aren't they beautiful? Almost too beautiful to eat. But - I live in a house full of men. One big and four little. They were just anxious to eat them. But they can't have them all at once. Mom's rules. :)

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Michael and Nephi wrote notes for Santa and even drew him pictures.

In the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. That's what our boys are thinking anyway. :)

On the twenty-fourth day of December...

It's Christmas Eve! Can you believe it finally arrived? I can't. I was going to be super productive today and get up at 5:30 a.m. to start bread. Well....my alarm went off. I turned it off and promptly went back to sleep until 7 a.m. No one else was up so I got up and started my bread. Now I am off to herd the boys into doing their chores so they can play the rest of the day. They are a funny lot. If you mess with their play time they get all uptight. Michael our 7 yr old thinks school is a waste of time because it interrupts his play time. I get the biggest kick out of that one. So...he better enjoy his two week school break! Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

On the twenty-third day of December...

It is the Eve of Christmas Eve! I love saying that. Michael fell asleep on our bed last night. Russell's side. He accidently wet the bed on Russell's side. So....Russell had to sleep on the couch. :( Today we have many blankets to wash. Today I am going to make stuffing for our Christmas dinner. The leftover stuffing makes a great addition to meatloaf. Now I just need a really good ground beef sale! Not much else is happening. Our extended family is snowed in. We are enjoying a very sunshiny day. I hear tomorrow there is another storm coming. As usual - it will probably rain here.

On the twenty-second day of December...

I got after Donovan for leaving a dishwasher half full of dirty dishes. He didn't bother rinsing them off before putting them in the dishwasher. Therefore the dishwasher ran - but only half of the load came clean. Grrrrrr. Everyone got to sleep in today since it's Christmas break! The boys are eagerly counting down the days to Christmas. I love the excitement they bring to the holidays!

On the twentyfirst day of December...

Our internet, phone and cell phone usage was cut off this morning. It just came back on within the past 30 minutes or so. We don't know the cause except it was pretty widespread. Our snow is all melted now. We are watching it pour lots of water. :(

On the twentieth day of December...

I got up really early this morning to make rolls for a funeral. Russell and Donovan went to the church early to shovel the parking lot and sidewalks. I called to see if he made it but he didn't answer his phone. We still have lots of snow but I did hear the sander out this morning.

The day the car slid off the driveway...

Okay. The pictures downloaded backwards. So....

Before Russell could drive down the road....

And clean up the mess he created...

Like trying chains by the tires and digging the snow out from under them...

And pushing the car out of the fence by himself...

He slid off our driveway into the fence that keeps the cows in their pasture.

On the ninteenth day of December...

Donovan, Christopher, Michael and Nephi out on this cold snowy morning. We have about 4 inches of snow!

Donovan.

Christopher

Michael

Snowball fight!

Nephi

Russell and the boys don't have school! We have SNOW! Hooray - Christmas break has begun! :)

On the eighteenth day of December...

Russell gets to go to work today! He is really happy about that as school has been closed all week up north. The boys have school as usual. On time. Yesterday it was a 2 hour late start. We waited and waited for the bus to come. It never did. We found out later it tried turning onto our road and slid into the bridge. Fortunately the bus, driver and people were not hurt. It is supposed to snow today. I will believe it when I see it. Now that all the boys will be gone this morning...I can work on one last minute Christmas surprise.

Oh! We also got some snow today! Some of it is still sticking. It feels very Christmasy! :) Christopher has a concert tonight as well. I am looking forward to seeing what his class has been working on.

On the seventeenth day of December...

Russell turns 38! Happy birthday dear hubbie!

On the sixteenth day of December...

Russell gets to stay home once again. It must be really bad up north. Darn. Now he will be home when I start working on his birthday stuff for tomorrow! And all Michael wants for Christmas is his two front teeth. He lost his second tooth on the top last night. He looks so cute! We also have a concert tonight for Donovan. I am excited to see what he's been working on with the Jr. High band.
And it's official. We have more nasty storms coming our way. Supposedly with snow. Russell and I made a decision this morning to not drive through Portland and see parents and extended family this year. The roads are just too bad. But that's okay. The weather will eventually clear up and we will be able to see everyone and all will be well.
Now - I am off to do more laundry. And make a German Chocolate Cheese Cake for Russell's birthday tomorrow.

On the fifteenth of December...

All the areas around us must have been hit pretty hard with bad roads, snow, ice, etc. Tillamook is still on schedule for a regular school day. I hope the boys have fun freezing outside. The current temperature is 27 degrees F but feels like 5 F. The wind is from the ENE at 25 mph. Brrrrrrrrrr. Russell's school district called last night about their cancellation. It was nice for him to sleep in this morning. Plus he has a vacation week from chores. What a lucky guy! :) AND he has a birthday this week too. Some guys have all the luck.

On the fourteenth day of December....

I was hoping to wake up to snow. Nope. Nada. Nothing of the sort outside. Just a smidgen and that doesn't count. Maybe today? If it must be cold - let there be snow! :) I think it's a good day for French bread and Lasagna soup for dinner!

On the thirteenth day of December...

I braved Fred Meyers parking lot to find Russell a Christmas present. I succeeded in finding a parking spot and scored on his present. Let's just say I got $52 of stuff for $20.85! Whoohoo! I am making Cheese Enchiladas for dinner with black beans on the side. I don't know where the cold weather went to...but it's not here like predicted. Which my back thanks me for. I was feeling very achy this morning. The colder it gets - the worse it feels.

On the twelveth day of December....

We are preparing to freeze our buns off! We are under a coastal flooding watch, high wind warning starting around 10 am today and special weather advisory for the very chilly air coming our way.

On the eleventh day of December...

I made a very yummy stir fry that I will post in the "Is Dinner Ready?" blog. Russell even had seconds! A rarity. I promise. I took Nephi to the library after we mailed a package today. We read lots of stories until I had to sleep for a bit. I told Nephi to look at 3 books then wake me up. That took about 10-15 minutes. Just perfect for a very quick nap - which was all I wanted.

On the 10th day of December...

I went grocery shopping. I showed up for cub scouts but my cub scout was sick. :( Now I am going to bed.

On the ninth day of December...

I made myself a dress. I will also be participating in the Relief Society Christmas program. It's about the women in Jesus' life when he was born. We have the mother of Mary, the mother of Joseph, Elizabeth, a Shepherd's wife (that's me), the Inn Keeper's wife and Mary. It should be really neat. Please pass the kleenex. I will need a whole box just for me.

On the eighth day of December....

I went to the grocery store at 6:30 this morning. Michael was throwing up last night and I needed more crackers and some juice. I had to go before the other boys left for school. Michael has the flu I guess. He's been visiting the bathroom a lot this morning. Poor little guy. Can't keep much of anything down. It's a chicken soup for lunch day I think. Maybe for dinner too.

On the seventh day of December...

I was tagged by http://www.nottoosticky.com/ (Sticky) Thanks! I will have to come up with seven interesting things about me and post. AND seven of you lucky people who I have links to (heehee) will get tagged! I will mull over my thoughts as I go to work making something yummy in my kitchen!

Okay. I am back. Here are 7 random interesting things about me.
1. I LOVE Christmas music. I would be happy listening to it every day. Even in summertime!
2. I hate crowded supermarkets/malls, etc. Therefore when I have to go grocery shopping - I go as early in the morning as possible. Just after they open is a great time for me. lol
3. I like to be creative in what I make for meals. But it chaps my hide to hear complaints coming from certain children about how they don't like what's for dinner (or whatever the meal is.) I don't see them doing anything productive in the kitchen besides dishes.
4. I love Barry Manilow, Roger Whittaker, John Denver, ABBA and other songs from the 70's. I think I should thank my parents for that one. I've listened to these songs for forever it seems like. That's all the music they had in the house. Which could have been worse I suppose. Much worse!
5. I like to crochet. I am not good at it. The instructions aggravate me to no end. When I can decipher a pattern with help from no one - I am on top of the world. Otherwise someone has to teach me each step until I have it memorized. Therefore I only know 3 patterns. Granny square, fishermen's circle and ripple afghan.
6. I like to quilt. I love putting colors together to create something visually appealing.
7. I have my own business with Mary Kay. www.marykay.com/czaugg Of course I would love to do it more than I do but you see I am also Cub Scout den leader for our pack AND Day Camp Program Director for Tillamook County. Oh - I must have forgot - I am also wife and a mother to four busy boys.

Okay. I am tagging 7 lucky people. Are you ready?


Are you ready now?

Ready or not....
1. Leah http://michaelandleahdailey.blogspot.com/ (One of my most favorite people! Thanks for all the great memories of serving together in Texas!)

2. Ellie http://thisismydisease.com/ (A very strong, independent woman who tells us like it is. :) Hugs Ellie! )

3. Becky http://thelougheedfamily.blogspot.com/ (My sister. She has such adorable kids and I love the way she describes their escapades! Of course Becky - you know you want to be tagged....admit it! )

4.Cindy http://thefackpack.blogspot.com/ (Another really good friend I haven't seen in years! Hope all is well in St. George! Oh - we have a missionary here that knows Austin...)

5. Michelle ...private blog so I won't post her address link here. (She is my best friend since 6th grade. I haven't seen her though since 10th grade but we always keep in touch. )

6. Debbie....another private blog. (A really great family friend that I admire a lot! I want to be like her when I grow up. I love in her Christmas letter where she states that she wants to discover her children instead of just tolerate. Which I feel like I am doing most of the time. It's time for a change.)

7. Karen...http://sekiu.blogspot.com/ (My little sister! She is a great photographer as well. I couldn't tag Becky and leave you out! I wouldn't want to be responsible for a family rift! lol)

On the sixth day of December...

I was asked no less than 4 times how many days until Christmas. I love the anticipation these little guys have. Christmas is my most favorite time of year. Today the scouts picked up the bags of food for the food drive. Our little tiny pack did 540 lbs this year! We would like to top that next year. The primary children sang beautifully today as well as the retirement home here in town. There weren't very many - but they sang their hearts out and the residents really enjoyed what they had to offer.

On the fifth Day of December...

I helped in Nephi's kindergarten class. Worked on a Christmas present until I fell asleep for a little bit, put canned food in the car to drop off tomorrow for the Scouting for Food Drive and now it's time to relax! And of course just watch the lights on the Christmas tree.

On the fourth day of December...

I did some grocery shopping, mailed stuff, worked on Christmas stuff and went to Cub Scout Pack meeting. It was a good day.

On the third day of December...

Our Christmas is decorated and some presents arrived yesterday from Grandpa and Grandma Rogers. The boys will soon be banned from the tree if they can't leave them alone. :)

On the second day of December....

I exchanged the lights my true love gave to me. I finished lighting the tree so the boys can help decorate it.

On the first day of December...

My true love bought lights to finish the tree. (Unfortunately they are on a white strand and the rest of the tree is in green. Wonder if I can exchange them....)