Christmas 2009

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa's house every year.  This year we were low on numbers as we were missing some family members.  Dad is in Germany, and my Aunt, Uncle and their kids stayed in St. George.

Every year the Elves come to give us little teaser gifts.  It is usually sometime after dinner and before we settle to watch A Christmas Carol (the one with George C. Scott, it's the only one worth seeing).  There is always an obnoxiously loud knock at the door (although we never know which door) and when we open it, the elves won't be there, having zipped off back to Santa's sleigh.  These little teaser-gifts are usually something small; house slippers, flashlights, manicure kits, hats, etc.  But this year, the Elves left us "big kids" with a little extra something ($100.00 taped to the back)!

Mom was very adament this year about reminding us that Santa stops bringing kids gifts once they hit 25, seeing as how us triplets turned 26 this year, this was the first year we would have to do without.  We got lucky though, because Uncle Steve stepped in as Santa and gave us the complete Rock Band set!  Take that Santa!

Every year my mom buys us matching Christmas jammies!  We always get to open them on Christmas Eve so we can sleep in them that night.  This year we got Brown & Navy blue plaid bottoms, the boys got blue t-shirts and the girls got brown!

Christmas Day

Because we didn't have "the whole family" this year, we all got to sleep in until 8:00!  We opened our "Santa" presents and then the rest of our gifts before Melanie, Wes and the kids made the drive from St. George.  In our family we don't have a "free-for-all" gift opening session.  We open one-present-at-a-time, from youngest to oldest; that way everyone can see what everyone else got.  It takes forever but helps fill up the day.  I miss having little kids around.  They would get distracted and want to play with the presents they've opened, but then get yelled at when we were ready to start another round, "Get in here and open another present!!!"  Hillarious.  We finished about 2:00 pm, just as the family arrived.

Later in the evening I went to BF's house to exchange our gifts.  His family was having a huge Christmas party, and the chaos was a nice change of pace from our relaxing evening.

This year I got BF some new cologne.  Hugo Boss is his favorite and he was out.  He also wanted some "face pampering stuff" so I got the gift set that included some aftershave.  I also got him a new pair of snowboard boots.  They have a coil lace system so all he has to do is twist a knob to tighten his laces; and push a button to loosen them.  I am really jealous, my boots take forever to tie up!  I usually get frustrated and he ties them for me.  I guess with his new boots, now he only has to worry about tying one pair!

BF went with the always reliable and got me another one of these!!!  I love my necklace to go with my ring and bracelet from last year!

Last year I got everything I asked for, this year, not so much.  My Christmas List this year was filled with a broad range of inexpensive gift ideas.  No one stuck to it.  Just like every other year, I had a ton of returns/exchanges, I literally returned everything, except for the new snowboard clothes.  I didn't mind though, it was nice to be out in the crowds and I was able to buy everything on my list with the money from the returns!!! 

I really enjoyed spending time with my family, especially my uncle who was able to fly in from Prague.  I hope everyone had as wonderful of a holiday as I did!

Rock Goddess

This year Santa told us that he doesn't come for 26 year olds....

He lied.

And thank goodness he did, because I have discovered that I am a phenomonal "All Around Band Member"

But I'm best on the Drums!

Merry Christmas

Done and Done

My shopping is done.

My gifts are all wrapped.

Wrapping tons of presents

{P.S. Do you love my beautiful paper?}
It's dark bronze with berry and burgendy colored ornaments, gold and burgendy ribbon and bows, and gold snowflake ornaments to put on too!

I also got a Christmas Manicure!

Pretty French Manicure with red and silver glitter swirls.

Do you love them?  They are Press-ons!!  I got them on sale at CVS for $4.99!

Usually I do my own nails so BF couldn't understand why I wanted fake ones, esp. when my real nails are just as long (actually longer, I had to cut them so they wouldn't stick out).  I just wanted something festive for Christmas, and I didn't want to spend more money than I already have.

These were awesome, and so easy.

Now it's time

for me to relax and enjoy

Christmas.

Dear Santa,

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

(Mom, Morg, Ev, Colb, Grif)

As one of your little elves, I'd like you to know that I've been busy in the workshop!  I hope you don't mind but I took a peak at your list and well it turns out, I've been pretty good this year!  {To see if you're on the Nice or Naught list Click Here} 

My Nice Certificate

I know it's a little late, but here is my Christmas Wish List.  I tried to make it as easy as possible for you to figure out... I included prices, where to find discounts/coupons and photos! 

I do realize it is 4 pages long, so just do your best!  There isn't much I need this year, so most of this is just "play stuff." Thanks so much, and I'll  err, write to you again next year.

Sincerely,

Morgan

{PS. If you need to write a last minute to Santa Clause, click here!}

What did you ask Santa for this year?

see you in a few days

+ Christmas Bokeh +

So I was a little bored last night and not in a very Christmas-y mood.  I decided to take some Christmas Bokeh's.  This was my frist time practicing with bokeh indoors so I had a very difficult time with exposure, my house stinks for photos.  I am going to take some others where I have more room to maneuver and better lighting.  I have  a 50mm lens and I have to be pretty far away to get everything in the frame.  Oh well.

This is our tree.  It's fake, and skinny.  While this isn't the best bokeh, I'm glad I got it.  Something happened with our lights and they all went out, except the star!  I bet just one tiny bulb died and ruined it for everyone!  I guess I'm going to have to spend the rest of the week at my grandparent's house and enjoy their tree!

This is the little 4' tree in our entry way.  Normally we have a beautiful, huge, burgendy, gold, cream and mauve decorated tree; but no one felt like setting it up this year.  We put up this one in it's place because it came lit, and all we had to do was fluff the branches.   I love the way white lights show up on bokeh!  They are blinking lights so it was tough to get a shot when most of them were lit.  I wish I could get the exposure to show the tree and ornaments in focus but the lights blurry.... Hmm.  I'm going to practice practice practice.

Our mantle.  You can't see the last stocking because the monstrous TV is blocking it.  Lame.

Anyway if you're interested in trying bokeh, here's how. Amanda posted some great pics with a fool proof how-to! I love the #2 where she used the bokeh with a fisheye lens. Awesome!

Winners!

Happy Holidays!  Do you all have your Christmas Shopping done?  I don't, in fact, I haven't even started... that's what I'm doing today!  Anyway, here's how I set up the drawing for the giveaway.

1.  First I made a numbered list of the objects I'm giving away (6 total)

2. Next I put these into Randomizer.org so I would know what order I would be giving them away in.

3.  Next I created an EXCEL spreadsheet with the names of the people that entered.  Since I only received 4 entries, I wanted a little more variety with the numbers.  So I entered each person 25 times (A total of 100 possible winners).  I simply listed the names in the order they commented over and over again.  For the full list click the photo.

4. Next, I put those numbers into Randomizer.org.

5.  Lastly I matched up the order of the objects with the order of the names drawn.  Tada, we have our winners!

Congratulations, I hope to put your stuff in the mail this morning and hopefully you'll have them before Christmas!

The Waiting Place

Do you ever feel stuck in a rut? Lately I feel like everything I do to move forward with my life brings on another setback. Today I just had to ask, “Seriously?!? What else?!?!”

{Sigh}

I woke up early to just have time to think, to sort out my thoughts and try to come up with another game plan. While drinking hot chocolate and watching the sun come up I read Dr. Seuss’s “Oh the Places You’ll Go.” I definitely feel like I’m in The Waiting Place.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

I absolutely love this book!  While it describes exactly how I'm feeling, at the same time it is so motivating.  I know I'll get over this hill, "life is a great balancing act," and there's a "98 and 3/4 chance I'll succeed."

Give Away update!

They did it!  I was sent an extra item in my Eyes Lips Face Studio order...

I received an extra ELF Studio Contour Blusher/Bronzing Powder Duo ($3.00)

This is really similar to Nars Blusher/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm & Lugana ($37.00 at Sephora). (Apparently Orgasm is the most-popular-have-to-have blush on the planet.)

Yes, I could keep it (& I'm very tempted to). 

Yes I could sell it.  

But I'm feeling generous, given the Holidays.

So, if you want it, GO HERE and leave a comment and follow the blog!  There will now be 5 seperate drawings on Saturday 12/19.

Thanks!

Toe-may-toe Toe-mah-toe

Lately, on TV and on the radio,

I've been hearing people pronounce this word "Poin-set-ee-ah"... 

Since when did this begin? 

I've always said/heard Point-setta. 

Come to think of it
I've never actually noticed the spelling,
so maybe I am saying it wrong...
However,
I find the alternative pronounciation annoying.
So I am going to continue to say "point-setta."

According to Mark & Mercedes,

"it turns out there ISN'T a correct pronunciation . . . not really.

The word itself comes from the name of the guy who introduced the plant to the U.S. in 1825, Joel Poinsett. But the rest of the word . . . meaning the "ia" part . . . is a mystery.

So if you look up the pronunciation at online dictionaries, they give you both "poin-set-ee-ah" and "poin-set-ah."

Holiday Kickoff!!!

Better late than never... Just a few pics from the Thanksgiving-Birthday Weekend celebrations!

We spent Thanksgiving at my aunt's new house in St. George.  We had so much delicious food and as usual I ate way too much.  Then Grandpa {the OG photographer} decided we needed a family picture.  All the ladies were upset because their hair was flat and their makeup gone after cooking all day.  And the boys were upset because they had to be torn away from football... However we managed to get everyone together.  I put my remote on Grandpa's camera, and this is what we managed to get...

We're trying again at Christmas.

Friday night we celebrated our {Evan, Me, and Colby= Triplets} 25+1 Birthday.  First, we opened presents, and I got some really cute stuff!  Make up, boots, OPI polishes, and a few dresses from Shabby Apple!  Then the boys decided on dinner at Olive Garden.  I hate that place, but being a triplet, I lost by a majority vote... Lame.  I actually enjoyed what I ordered, Chicken Manacotti {I guess it's new}.  Afterwards we decided to go see 2012.  Then we came home for cake.  This year was the first year my mom didn't make 3 seperate birthday cakes!  We all decided that no one eats it and rather than throwing away all of that food/money, we'd be ok with sharing.  We still blew out our candles seperately and each got our own Happy Birthday song.  All in all it was a little low key, but I was fine with that, because I was not happy about turning 25+1.

When did I become so short?

We always have to make "good" faces for mom's pictures

Brothers were jealous they didn't get birthday girl crowns

Ev & Morg

Griff and Colb (they almost look like twins!)

Colb and Mom

This was good but really tense!

"Happy Birthday to Morg"

Saturday my Grandparents and Uncle Steve {in town from Prague} took us out.  We went to a family favorite, Outback Steakhouse, and then went to see A Christmas Carol in 3D.  This movie was a little scary, I can't imagine little kids liking it... 

Morg, Steve and Colby

Colby, Grandpa, Evan

Grandma, Griff, Mom, Me

In our AWESOME 3D glasses

Monday, BF was able to take me out since the Holiday weekend left free time scarce.  I wasn't expecting to do much because he already got me a birthday present in October.  I have had the original iPhone for over a year, and I hated it!  Everytime I used it I got a sudden urge to scream and throw it out the window!  BF decided he'd heard enough complaining and was tired of dropped phone calls, so he bought me be the new 3GS, with a hot pink cover!!!  I tell him everyday how much I love it.  plus it's SO cute because it's pink!

When he came over Monday afternoon, he showed up at my house with a present...  I was a little upset, because I told him he had already spent too much money... "Too bad, you have to have something to open on your Birthday."  So I opened it.  It was probably the best gift he could have given me... Man this kid knows me well!

6 Giant Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

So, because my phone was a little pricey and he got me the strawberries, I told him we could go to dinner as long as I could pay for half of the bill.  He did not agree, and we went anyway.  We went to a little Tapas restaurant {my new favorite thing} called Fireflys.  It was so good.  We ordered a few things: Artichoke toast, lamb skewers, BF ordered Tuna Carpachio {Gross, I did not eat any of that}, and then I got some Banana Nutella pastry thing for dessert.  It was amazing and I've been craving it ever since.  Plus it was super affordable ($7-8 per dish)!

We left the restaurant and as I pointed out to BF that he was driving the wrong direction from my house, he informed me that my night was not over... We went to the Luxor, and he took me to see Carrot Top.  I've seen him once before, and I love him!  He is so funny and BF got us FRONT ROW CENTER SEATS.  It was awesome.  Afterwards we got to go backstage and hang out with "Scott" for a while, apparently his mom and BF's mom are old friends so they'd met a few times.

I had a really great Birthday Weekend and am so grateful for the time I got to spend with those I'm closest too.  I was not happy about "my second 25th" birthday, but I think it turned out really well!