It Must Be the Season!

The day after Thanksgiving and the Christmas songs can commence playing. I can dig out my Christmas socks. I could wear my Christmas sweaters, but it is WAY too warm. And I can start on my annual Christmas Pajama pants frenzy. Every year I vow that I am going to start this project early but it just doesn't happen. I guess that is part of the tradition to start the day after Thanksgiving and resist the urge to participate in the "Black Friday" madness.

I Got Tagged and here are 50 Things About Me!

1. I love working at the Temple and would love to go somewhere fun on a mission to serve in a Temple or maybe even a church history site.
2. I am not organized and wish I was.
3. I love wrestling-not the hokey TV wrestling--but the real kind.
4. It was hard for me to watch my sons wrestle, especially the one who spent most of his time 10 pounds lighter than the weight class he was in.
5. I was a crazy lady when I did watch my sons wrestle.
6. I miss going to high school sports events to watch my children.
7. I am usually mild mannered but sometime my alter ego gets loose and I yell things that I wish I hadn't after the fact.
8. I LOVE baseball and think catchers are really HOT!
9. I am an Olympics nut and would watch it 24/7 if I could.
10. My idea of a perfect vacation is to go somewhere restful and read most of the time.
11. I love to go to Disneyland, especially with family.
12. I would love to live on the beach.
13. I am afraid of heights and absolutely hated going to the Grand Canyon with my children.
14. I would love to have slender nice feet so I could wear knock-out shoes.
15. I love LOVE fabric and love to go to fabric stores and just look and feel.
16. I am vain about my fingernails and sorely miss the acrylics!
17. I am a sap for a good romantic movie or book.
18. I love to read especially historical fiction.
19. I admit that I am a "Twilight" saga fan and I like Edward over Jacob. I also admit that I'm a Harry Potter fan and have read them all twice.
20. I love reality shows on TV but not all of them.
21. I would love to be able to draw and paint.
22. I love the French language.
23. I have always wanted to travel to Japan and Australia, but after being in England and Scotland I would love to go back there.
24. I don't have a phobia about riding elevators, however I do worry a bit about getting stuck on one. I used to have a fear of having the door close on me until I realized that it would just open up again.
25. I am very particular about my pencils--I will not write with a dull one and I prefer long ones over short little stubby things.
26. I was an orchestra geek for one year when my high school orchestra needed another body to play the cello (and that is pretty much what I was).
27. I love pickled beets and fried okra!
28. I have been called a "Salsa Snob" when I go without salsa when all that is available is Pace.
29. At one time I wanted to become an interior designer, until I found I had no talent in that area.
30. I tend to be a perfectionist at times.
31. I would love to go white water rafting if I didn't have to camp out.
32. I love the music of the "Big Band" era.
33. I am an official "sweetaholic". Give me any kind of sweet stuff to eat and I'm in heaven. When people say a dessert is so rich and they can't eat it I just look at them like they are from another planet.
34. I am not one who likes the limelight--let me be in the background and I'm happy as a clam.
(How can clams be happy, they get eaten?)
35. I hate to exercise.
36. I love finding a really good bargin.
37. I don't like to have my face covered up.
38. I was a pommie in high school--I know that one is a shocker!
39. At my 40 year class reunion I didn't recognize most of the people there including an old boyfriend.
40. I love to eat green apples (the unripe kind of green) with salt on them.
41. I am very picky about eating corn on the cob -- it has to be very young and tender (I hate getting corn kernals stuck in my teeth).
42. I hate being wrong or being told I made a mistake.
43. I hate saying I'm sorry.
44. I would like to be able to sing.
45. I would like to be better at cleaning my house and keeping it in order.
46. I wish I was better at seeing needs and then meeting them.
47. I wish I was not such a big procrastinator.
48. I would like to do a Cookie Day with my grandchildren before Christmas some time.
49. I wish I liked getting up early.
50. I worry about being a funny old lady who forgets what her name is.

This was really hard to do and now I tag Aubrey and anyone else who reads my blog and has a desire to do some in depth thinking about themselves.

Happy Halloweekend!

What a weekend we had! It all started on Friday when Wayne and I went to the Employment Center to say good-bye to Scott Farmer, who has been over the employment centers in the southwest. He is a great guy, lots of fun and down to earth, and will be missed. He is going to be the recorder at the Mesa Temple. He has a tender spot in my heart because he is my nephew's brother-in-law and calls me "Aunt Paula".

When we got home from the Center Carrie and her little rugrats were here. Carrie and Brendon ended up going out to eat with some friends and we had Sawyer, Abby, and Matty. Matty went to sleep so we left him with the aunt and uncle and we took Sawyer and Abby across the street to eat soup with the neighborhood. Of course Abby was more interested in going potty in a new bathroom and playing on the toys out front than eating her soup and Sawyer was more interested in the rolls than the soup (she had three). Thanks Pam for the fun and good food.
Halloween was the next day and did we have fun. I had pumpkin bread bowls, chicken tortilla soup, and Megan made a really yummy potato soup. This year I added "Mummy Dogs" to the menu.

Here is Waldo eating Chicken Tortilla Soup.

And for dessert we had Spider Cookies

Everyone had a good time and the costumes were great!

We found Waldo!

And a very sad Witch!

Abby cleans up pretty good--what a cute Cinderella!

And this is the "Boy Who Lived"

Here is Chubby Bunny

Liam McQueen

May the Force be with you!

Such a great witch!

Here are the witches together and Where's Waldo?

Imagine Payton being a princess--such a lovely Sleeping Beauty!

Kayda loved the candy!

Auntie Aubs trying out the car!

Harry Potter having some dinner!

Working off the soup and bread bowls!

It was fun being together and having Travis, Callie, Carter, and Luke over also! We also celebrated Matthew's first birthday. My how different he is this year than last. We are so proud of the progress he has made. Happy Birthday little man!

And the fun weekend just kept going. The next day Adele finally was blessed. She is officially Paula Adele Evans. Am I so excited to have a grandbaby named after me. I just did not think that would happen--after all what goes with Paula as a middle name. Marcus and Megan surprised me and put it first. Thank you and what a sweet little thing she is.

Mom and Adele

Dad and Adele

The gang who was there minus Carrie.

Isn't Adele so sweet?

The men and Adele

We all gathered at the M & M's house and had a wonderful time visiting. Later that evening the extended Evans Family got together to break the fast. It was a great weekend but boy am I tired!

Yummy!

Last night was our monthly FHE with the family. It was a fun night with Italian Beef sandwiches and chips, nice weather, lots of visiting, and of course the lesson including the "Chocolate Chip Ghost" and "Don't Eat Jack". But to top off the evening was the yummy carmel apples that Megan made for dessert. We all enjoyed the feast. Thanks Megan. We missed those who could not be with us. :(

Hooray for Carmel Apples!

Enjoying the goodies.

How can I eat this with no front teeth?

Ruthie figured out a way!

He's Baaack!

Before Trevor went on his mission his Sunday activity was to sleep on the living room couch, floor, chair, etc and do it most of the day. When he first got back he did well staying awake and vertical. Now that it has been two months since he arrived home it looks like he is back...back to his old Sunday ways. And yes, Reddin, the tease, is alive and well, helping Trevor to have a good snooze with a friend.

Last Sunday we celebrated Sawyer's birthday as the Evan's Family. We had spaghetti per her request and of course there were cousins, aunts and uncles, and presents. No cake but we did have cookies and ice cream. YUM!

Anticipation for opening the presents.

Matty having his prune milk!

What a good seat we have!

Precious little Adele.

Sweet Liam and his dad.

Kayda trying out Sawyer's new boots.

What a good time we had!

An Afternoon Out

Aubrey and I had an enjoyable afternoon with the elderly set at the matinee at Hale Center Theater in Gilbert enjoying the musical "She Loves Me!". It is based on the book "Shop Around the Corner". One of my favorite movies is based on the musical and the book. That movie would be... "You've Got Mail" with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

YouTube - You've got Mail Ending Most Memorable Sequence: If you haven't seen the movie don't watch this because it would kind of ruin it for you since it is the end. With my limited blogging skills this was the only one I was able to put on my blog!

The musical was very well done and quite entertaining. Thanks Aubs!

Bulging Disks and Scorpions. . .

. . .the latest in the continuing saga of health problems with Wayne. About the time Wayne was feeling better from his surgery and the little (suppose to be) procedure to replace his pacemaker he found that when he walked, sat, laid down, etc. he was in pain from his hip and right leg. After many visits to the orthopedic doctor he found out that he has a herniated disk. He is not in much pain now but last Friday he got stung by a scorpion and was in a great amount of pain. We went to the new ER at Banner Baywood, which by the way is very nice. They are still working out some bugs but it was a pleasant experience other than the sting which was closing up Wayne's throat and making his legs go numb and tingly. All is well and he is in good spirits.