What are you doing New Year's Eve?

Ah yes, the jackpot question - "What are you doing New Years' Eve?". One of my favorite songs, to be sure. I love this Holiday, it's so fun to celebrate! Usually Cody and I have plans...but we're not sure how to ring in the new year this time around. Any ideas? I wonder if it would be fun to just stay home with Cody and watch some movies or something...but wouldn't it be funner to hang out with some friends? Whatever the outcome, I thoroughly intend to be kissed at midnight!

Lots has been going on since Christmas - on Friday night my friends and I had a Birthday party for Kate! Her Birthday is actually today, but we got a Hotel on Friday night and went to dinner and a movie (we saw 'P.S. I Love You'....so great!). It was so much fun! *sigh*, I have so many pictures to post...maybe 2008 will bring me more time to spend blogging.

Hope you all have a festive New Years Eve! '...should all acquaintance be forgot...'

Jolley Holidays!

Did you have a nice Christmas?  Ours was great!  It's always a little crazy with both of our families living close by - we have lots of visiting to do, but somehow we make it work each year.  I talked a little before about spending Christmas Eve with Cody's family.  Here are some photos of that night - 

The village Cody's parents set up each year.  Impressive, no?

The after-dinner gift exchange and mingle

When we got home and put the kids in bed, we began getting Christmas ready.  Cody and I realized what Christmas is like for parents - crazy!  We stayed up until the wee hours (4:00 am) putting things together, setting things up, wrapping presents.  This year was a big year because Cache got a big boy bed, so Cody was setting that up while I was putting together his Big Wheel.  Let me tell you...those big wheels are surly! 

I don't know what took me more time - actually putting the thing together, or meticulously placing the stickers.  Turns out I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to that stuff.  After we got their stockings filled, I looked in to see Cache's new bed...and started to cry.  I turned to look at Cody and said, "He's a little boy now..."  I'm emotional at Christmas anyway, but I'm sure the fact that it was nearly dawn didn't help matters.

Cache slept with us that night, so Christmas morning we took him to see his new bed and he was so excited!  Well, as excited as a 2 year old can be.  We told him that the new bed came from Santa and that Santa also left some toys for him downstairs.  He was thrilled with his new toys and would play with one for 25 seconds, then move to another one, then another.  After Cache had sufficient goods to keep him busy, Cody and I started on our gifts.  We spoiled each other, which is always fun. AND GUESS WHAT!!?!?!  I won the stocking contest!  Oh yeah, I rule.  How did I win, you ask?  It was a close call, I will admit.  Cody is the master when it comes to filling a Christmas stocking, but this year I gave him something that could not be matched - a ring with our sons' names engraved on the outside, along with some space for more babies names in the future.  When he opened the box, he was quiet as his eyes got misty.  We hugged for a long time and each had tears to wipe away.

After we composed ourselves, we went up to my parents house to open presents there with my family.  It was so much fun!  Cody got the compressor he wanted and I got a custom belt buckle with my name engraved on the front and embellished with sapphires (my birthstone)!  I don't have a pic readily available, but I will post one soon.  

Half of the fun of opening presents at my parents house is admiring the wrapping job - these pics are just a sampling of the creativity.  All of us take great care in making each present look unique!  Aren't they great?  This is why it takes us so long to wrap giftys...

Later that night we built Gingerbread Houses with my family.  Dude...most of you know that my family is super creative, so you can imagine what this little craft was like.  There was actual sanding and drilling, some of the most amazing houses were created - I couldn't believe it!  Only my family, I swear.  There are far too many pictures to post, but I promise that I will devote anentire post to the genius houses.  

It was such an amazing Christmas!  It will be hard to top next year.  Being surrounded by family was by far the best part of the whole day.  There are so many things to be thankful for, we all are so blessed.  Too many things to name, but what a wonderful thing to be surrounded by love and kindness.  Priceless.  I hope you all had a marvelous Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Of all the days in all the year that I'm familiar with,

There's only one that's really fun! December the 25th!

Ask anyone called Robinson, or Brown or Jones or Smith,

Their favorite day and they will say, "December the 25th!"

December the 25th me dears, December the 25th!

The dearest day in all the year, December the 25th!

At times we're glad to see the back of all our kin and kith,

But there's one date we celebrate, December the 25th!

At times our friends may seem to be devoid of wit and pith,

But all of us are humorous December the 25th!

If there's a day in history that's more than any myth,

Beyond a doubt one day stands out, December the 25th!

I don't hear any arguments, so may I say forthwith-

I wish that every day could be December the 25th!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Oh the Magic...

There is such a sparkle in the air on Christmas Eve!  I must say I enjoyed myself today.  This morning I was able to pick up some last minute gifts with my sister and my Mom - I always have so much fun with them, they are my favorites.  We braved the busy stores and endured a few holiday tunes by The Carpenters, but it was great and we survived!  Once I got home, I wrapped some giftys and started to make some little smokies for the annual Jolley Christmas Dinner tonight.  We ate a D. Licious dinner (with some traditional red punch...aka Fruit Punch Kool-Aid.  It's my favorite!!) and hung out with the fam.  I look forward to that dinner every year - it's so comfortable and laid back.  The food is always so good and I absolutely love Cody's family.  We left with full bellies and a full car of pressies.  

As the evening winds down, we still have lots to do!  Cody and I are watching 'A Christmas Story' and we're still wrapping presents and getting things ready for tomorrow.  This is the first year that I have NO idea what is waiting under the tree for me - and I love it!  Being surprised is the best part of Christmas.  Although this season has been crazy, I am a bit sad that it will all be over tomorrow.  I think I will mostly miss the feeling of the season - it's unlike anything else. I feel very blessed to have such an amazing man in my life who is my best friend in every way.  Two little boys who are beautiful and I just adore them.  A warm home, wonderful families that we live close to and incredible people we have as friends.  

I hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow!  Much love to you and yours, 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Jingle! Jingle! Time to Mingle!

Goodness, Christmas is almost here!  This month has flown by, I almost can't get in all my Christmas frivolity.  So many songs to listen to, so many cookies to bake, so many gifts yet to wrap.  I apologize for my blogging absent-ness.  This week has been super crazy (however, no 'code 3' calls since Monday...blast), but I finally feel like I have my feet under me once again and am all geared up for the weekend. 

One reason that I have been away from blogging is because we got a new computer!  Merry Christmas to us!!  Each year Cody and I get a family gift and this year we opted for a new comp.  

My, she is sassy - we've been wanting an iMac for ages and I'm so stoked to learn how to use everything.  Exercise patience while I try to master all this baby has to offer... 

Festive news - my sister and her family are coming to town for Christmas!!  I'm so excited to see them and spend Christmas with them, Cache will love to play with his cousins. The whole Patch family will be together this year - sweet!  I'm sure the day will be filled with much merriment...until we begin the Gingerbread House Contest.  The gloves are coming off!  Who will win all the Gingerbread Glory and who will be stuck with their Ginger Ghetto shack? Stay tuned!

I must dash - I need to get the kids ready to go see Cody at the Fire Station for a little Holiday Party with his crew.  Tonight?  I'm hoping to go to dinner with Hannah and Kate (who just got to town today!!) - nothing like an evening with the girls.  After dinner I think we will come back here and eat cookie dough and wrap presents.  Seriously, there will be dough.  And lots of it.  Anyone want to join us?  Better bring your stretchy pants!

Code 3

I'm a geek. A big one. But I don't care! Guess what I did yesterday?? Whilst running errands, I stopped by the Fire Station to see Cody. I didn't have the kids with me, so we decided to go look at a few homes for sale (since we'll be moving to PG someday). We had to take his Captain's Emergency Vehicle just in case he got a call. We went to look at this super cute house that I really like...we'll see. But on the way back to the station, he got a call! A gas leak at a Condo development. Cody writes down the address, give the ol' "10-4" to the dispatcher and we're off! The best part? We got to go there 'Code 3', which basically means that all lights and sirens are on and all bets are off! What speed limit? We're here to serve and protect! Called to duty! We shall rescue those in need! As we are racing to the scene, I am beYOND giddy. There was actual clapping - not gonna lie. I was smiling so big and just kept saying to Cody, "This is so rad!". He just laughed and shook his head, he had no idea that his wife was such a dork (well...maybe).
We get to the scene and had to block the road with the car. Cody donned his turn-outs and went to check the details. I was uber helpful in informing your average citizen about what was going on - I had such a blast - I even got to drive the car! Oh yeah, I rock.
I found this florescent orange vest in the car and I asked Cody, "Did you want me to put this on?" which was followed by more head shaking on his part.

Anyway, it was the highlight of my day! In the grand scheme of things, the call was pretty lame (says Cody, but what does he know) but I'm down to go on a call with him any day!!

Lucky, indeed

Quite the weekend! Big news - Cody's last day at the Orem Fire Department was on Friday. The parting is bittersweet, a lot of memories there, but we are so excited that he doesn't have to work 3 or 5 days at a time and can give all he's got to Pleasant Grove! It's strange to drive by the stations in Orem knowing that Cody won't be there anymore. He was working there when we met and as I said, just a lot of memories there. But hey! New station, new opportunity, new memories.
Saturday was sheer madness, lets just put it that way. We were running around all day! We spent the morning running some Christmas errands and then decided that we could drive up to PG to look at some homes for sale (we're going to move up there eventually, I think), but then realized that we had to get home to get ready for the Jolley family Christmas party. We got all ready, headed over to Grandma Kae's around 4:30 and had a yummy meal and a gift exchange. It was so fun! The whole family was there and Cache had a blast. We left a smidge early so we could get to the Patch family Christmas party. My extended family is huge, so there were about 100 people there...and that might only be about half of the relatives! We visited and played 'white elephants'. It was so great to see some of my favorite cousins and Aunts! When we finally loaded our kids in the car to head home, it was only 8:30 but it felt so much later. I do love getting together with our families, it was a blast!

Last night I went up to my parents house for dinner and a movie (we do that every Sunday evening). We opted to watch "It's A Wonderful Life". I'm sure you're all familiar, yes? Such a fantastic show. Truly. We watch it almost every year, but last night it really hit me how great the message is. My eyes were getting misty at the end and I came to realize how blessed my life is. It was one of those moments where all of a sudden you feel inspired to be a better person, a better friend and fill your life with good people. I won't get too sappy, but I really do feel so lucky to have an amazing family and incredible husband. That's really all you need!

Still many things to do today - baking, mailing of Christmas cards and more embellishment of the house. Cody and I are making our famous caramel on Wednesday and I can't wait! We make it every Christmas and I'm pretty sure we'll be making about 6 batches of it. Mmm, homemade caramel...can life get better?

Snow and such...

Just as I sat down to post this afternoon, I looked outside and it's snowing!! So fantastic, I'm loving this weather. It's like living in a snow globe. Here are some snowy pictures I took last weekend during (and after) a big storm we had.

Perfect weather conditions for a Merry Christmas, indeed!

This post is going to be a long one, so buckle up BC fans. Today the Jolley family went to the Dentist and Cache was a total champion! He especially loved the cinnamon floss..a little too much, it would seem. Some of you may know that I've been having problems with my jaw for a few years. I have TMJ and the pain from that comes and goes, but recently is has really been bothering me. It's difficult to eat and it aches almost all the time. The Dr. told me a few things I can try to help ease the inflamation and hopefully that will help! We'll see how it goes.

My Visiting Teachers were over this afternoon and they noticed my little organization method that helps me decorate each year. They suggested that I blog about it and hey, I was up to the challenge of passing along some Holiday tippage. I have TONS of garlands in my house right now - on the banister, railings, on top of the cabinets, etc. So I labeled each garland to help me remember where it goes and it have been a life saver! Also, label your strings of lights...

Also, I attach each garland with a green pipe cleaner and it works like a charm.

Another thing I do each year is right after the Holidays, I take pictures of my house all decorated so I can remember where I put things for the next year.

And finally (is this post long enough?), I have finished a plethora of onesies and here they are in all their glory. I still need to iron them and make the tags for them, but what do you think?

These were made for a store...

Glamour Girl

Pink Ruffle

Yellow Blossoms

Shark

Tree Boy

These are for Rhonda who's friend just had triplets!! 2 boys and a girl...

I'm off to spend the evening with Cody (who is home for the first time in 3 days!) and maybe work on getting our Christmas village up. I'll post pictures of my festive home when it's all said and done!

Pink!

It is no secret that Pink is my favorite color (along with gold and orange), so imagine my glee when I came upon this delicious Holiday issue of Blueprint magazine! How glorious is that tree?? I so wish I had a reason to put a pink tree somewhere. I've never ventured too far from the standard red and green decor for Christmas, but recently I've mixed in a little light blue here and there and I love it!
Pink is turning up everywhere as a design staple - just the other day I saw a design show where they painted the kitchen pink. Wha?? To my surprise, it looked so pretty! Guess that designer has her own show for a reason, who knew. Does anyone out there do something different like this for their Holiday trimmings? When you see pictures like this, how could you not be tempted!

In other news, it's been snowing. A lot. And I love it!! We have about 3" or 4" at our house and I am loving the whole 'Winter Wonderland' thing. It's so festive, how can you not be in the Christmas spirit when you drive around the City? Which is something I have to do today. I have a few errands to run and lots more decorating to do. Cody is working a 72 hour shift, but great news!! His last day in Orem is on Friday, so no more crazy schedules and lots more Cody! That could possibly be the best Christmas present of all.

Much to inform

Before we go any further, how key-yute is Cole in his little winter hat?? He looks like a little Russian, I could just eat him up!


Ok, moving on. We purchased our Christmas tree on Monday Night and as I mentioned before, we did indeed get a flocked tree! So festive, I just love it. Here are some photos of Cache and I browsing our options...

And here it is all bedecked in Holiday grandeur!

This orny is quite special in that this was Cody's the year he was born.

We let our boys pick out their very own orny each Christmas - Cache was kind enough to pick out Cole's for him and he did a stellar job. Cache chose a cool blue tin car for him and a silver piggy bank for Cole. I'll have to get some pictures and post them.

Now lets talk about today. Ahh, today. Today was a. difficult. day. (I wrote this late Friday night...) See, I have been wanting to get back into acting. Ask and ye shall receive - I have 3 auditions lined up. One tonight, one tomorrow morning and one Tuesday evening. Sweet! I'm all kinds of stoked. The audition tonight was for a musical that I'm not super familiar with, but the music is cool and I can sing it, so I thought I would give it a shot. My audition was tonight, so I wake up this morning all geared up and things just weren't going my way. We've all been getting over a random cold thing, so my voice is sort of sore and scratchy, and Cole's way of recovering from said cold is to be all kinds of fussy - crying, screaming...I couldn't get a blasted thing done. I was a the end of my rope around 4:00...I thought, "I can't audition tonight...there's no way, I just can't. I'm being selfish - I need to take care of my kids and my husband and my home". You know, all those thoughts you have when you're just at your wits end. I battled with what to do ALL afternoon until I finally decided to just suck it up and give it a shot. I head over and I walk in feeling confident, focused, centered. However, the longer I wait, the more nervous I get and the drier my throat feels. Not a drinking fountain in site. It's my turn, I walk in and see about 6 people behind a table. One of
them is a dear woman who directed the play I was in last Fall. Did I mention that no one was particularly chatty with me? I honestly don't know if anyone (other than Kathryn saying 'hello' with a little hug) said anything to me. The moment the first note comes out of my mouth, I realize that I'm crashing. And burning. Badly. IT WAS AWFUL. People - I was SO embarrassed I couldn't even see straight. The minute I got in my car I just fall apart. Hands covering the face, sobbing. I'm sure my hectic day didn't help with my emotions, but I just felt so...embarrassed and disappointed and...confused. I mean, I can sing. I'm not incredible, but I can sing. Why wasn't I able to sing in there?? Dry throat, yeah yeah yeah, but that certainly isn't what made me sound so bad. I called my Mom in tears and stopped by the Fire Station to see Cody. They helped - they did make me feel better. And since it's been hours since my horrible experience, I'm doing alright. All I can do is leave it in the past and go on to the next one. I may have bombed royally, but at least I did it, right? I can say that I have done it and never wonder 'what if'. Although...in this situation, it may have been better to wonder.

Cody is taking the boys to the Fire Station in PG tomorrow for a kids Christmas party to see Santa! I bought Cache a little gifty (so Santa can pull it out of his sack for Cache to unwrap) and I know he'll have the best time. The party is during my other audition, so hopefully I'll get done in time to see Cache and the big man! We're also getting our pictures taken for our Christmas cards tomorrow afternoon. I can't believe that Christmas is 2 1/2 weeks away! Better add a few more things to my Christmas list...