Wow ~ What A Week!!!

Finally, it's Sunday night ... I've been dreaming about putting everyone to bed just so I can wake them all up in the morning for school!!!
Thanksgiving was wonderful ... sad because we had no "family" around to share the day with us, but the weather was great and we got a lot done in the garage (cleaning) and had an awesome meal ... our turkey was so big, it wouldn't even fit in the giant roaster (the biggest one that would fit in my oven!!!) We may not have had any of our east coast family, but we did get a few special visits from our very important midwest family ~ our "old" nanny, Katie, Susan's niece Jessica, and Susan's mom & dad (who we absolutely adore)!!!

On Friday morning, Bahar & I left at 4 am to go out for Black Friday ... we really didn't have a particular item we were trying to get, but we had so much fun! I did copy this idea for a tree topper from the Kohl's flyer (but I made it with stuff from Hobby Lobby & Big Lots because the candy canes at Kohl's were like 10 bucks a piece!) Rob couldn't stand being at home and left shortly after 6 to hit the stores we hadn't gotten to and then we met up at Home Depot (for a gorilla ladder ~ which will be great when Rob starts painting ... shhhhh! don't tell him ... I haven't told him yet!!!) and then we got some breakfast. Believe it or not, Bahar & I beat him back home. He had to stop for bathrobes ... the newest "thing" here at our house. Both big boys had to have one ... you can see Brad's in one of the pictures below. The good news is ~ I think the robes are taking the place of the night-night strings and our long, lost Pebo HOORAY!!!


Old Katie" came for a weekend visit, before she leaves this Sunday for Colorado ... working & training for a few months before trying out for the big league!!! Go Katie/Kaney ;) She, Brad, & Stephen went to see Madagascar II & loved it ... they ate so much popcorn that they didn't even want dinner!!!







Another super-fun thing about this weekend was decorating for Christmas ... the little boys were so totally into it this year & of course, Bradley & Stephen were "in charge"! We got a very, very special treat this morning when we got up to finish our work ~ it was snowing!!! Huge, wonderful flakes fell for hours & hours and gave everything a truly Christmas-y feel!!! We are so in the mood for Santa!!! Everything looks so good & we are really proud of our work ... especially because ...


We are expecting very special visitors tomorrow ~ Bryn, Baby Colton & Trey are coming to visit until Friday ... we are so totally excited!!! They won't get here until late tomorrow night, but I'm counting down the minutes until they arrive. This will be our very first chance to see the baby & we haven't seen Bryn since the summer. We are looking forward to seeing Trey, too ... and we haven't seen him since his visit here in August.

Kayla has been busy babysitting all weekend ... saving up for that iPod touch ... she's more than half way!!! I don't know who's more proud ... Kayla or her dad (for her steadfast thriftyness as of late!) ... although they did get into a large disagreement about Webkinz at the hardware store ... she thought she needed one and he thought she didn't. Funny, he asked her what her angle was when she suggested she'd go to the store with him ... dad's always seem to know, huh??? Mine always did ... that's for sure!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!!!

Much Love to You All!!!

Congratulations Austin & Laura!!!

My dear, sweet Austin got engaged this weekend to his girlfriend of many years, Laura.

We wish them a lifetime of love and happiness!!!

Kayla, Austin & I ~ 2004

The Sunday Funnies ~ All Four of Them!!!

Couldn't resist letting you in on our little Sunday morning secret ... the funnies, sale papers ... and Nachos!!! (Kayla missed out on the fun ~ she was at a sleepover.)

T G I F !!!

Thank goodness it's Friday, but where did the week go??? Not only can't I believe we've blown through a whole week ... but it's the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving already!!! WOW!!! There's so much to do ... now ... to get ready for Christmas. Maybe we'll get started this weekend ... I think the Lands Dad is feeling the spirit ... he picked up some new deocrations last night and he even hinted at getting out all the FaLaLaLaLa. It's certainly cold enough here!!!

The kids had to bundle up this morning ... of course Bradley refused to wear a coat, but I was able to force him into a sweatshirt ... since his favorite was in the wash (Jacob's hand-me-down, Red Sox Champs) he agreed to wear one of Grandpa's "cool" sweatshirts, but refused to smile even a little ... imagine that.

Kayla and the little boys played and goofed off until her ride came ... right now they are coloring pictures with their new crayons (gotta love that discount bin at Big Lots) and I thought I'd knock out a quick update! Don't you love those footie pajamas!!! I will be so, so sad when these little boys outgrow them. Also ~ Kayla has updated her "do" ... a little more curl & swirl!!! She's the best!!!

Check back over the weekend ... if we get going on the Christmas fun ~ I'll be sure to keep you all in the know!!!

Happy Friday!!!

PS ~ I just want to show off a little ... show off this precious little angel ~ Colton Elliott Hamlett, a gorgeous gift to the world from Bryn & Jon. Is he perfect or what???

Loveable Labels ~ I LOVE Them!!!

Loveable Labels are the most awesome thing I've found in a long time. They are sticky labels (no ironing) that you 'stick' onto the labels of your coats, hats, gloves, clothes ... anything you choose. They don't wash off and you can have anything printed on them ... your name, phone number, etc. They come in different sizes and there are specialty labels for the inside of shoes, for sippy cups and baby bottles (that won't wash off) ... lots of totally cool applications!!!



I just had to share ... I'm so happy with them!!! Check it out at: http://www.lovablelabels.ca/

Saturday Night Quickie

This was our first soccer-free weekend in 3 months!!! It was nice to be off-schedule, but I sure did miss the fun. The high here today was around 37 ... bbbrrrrrrr!!! ... so I'm pretty glad we didn't have to spend any time outside. One of our favorite "honorary Landsberger"s spent the night ~ the super-fun-deluxe, Katie Wiele. Our morning began at a very early 5 am because I had to make these:

Bradley also got up with me at 5!!! WHAT??? Bradley ... the kid we dress while he's asleep before school every

day and then carry down the stairs to eat ... good grief!!! He was in a great mood though ... but his happy voice aroused the little boys ... and then Stephen. Everyone but the girls was up by quarter til 6!

Rob, Stephen, & I ran to Lowe's to get a light/fan for the bathroom, but when we got home and Rob started installing it, he realized the other one wasn't even broken ... just some sort of little glitch ... he unwired & wired it back and it works fine ... a good way to save $38.98.

While we were gone, Kayla & the little boys made cookies! Bradley was asleep from noon (when he got in trouble for 'pants-ing' his sister) until after 4 o'clock!!! Again, WHAT??? He got up in a great mood though and everyone played & played until it was time for bed.

Kayla went next door to babysit Cameron & Maddy. She loves that green stuff!!! ... And she's saving up to buy an IPod Touch. She wants to sell her IPod on ebay and use that money + what she earns babysitting and gets for Christmas to get the newest & coolest IPod ever!!!

Night, night.

Updating while waiting for Sis to get home. :) Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!!

Friday! Friday! Friday!!! Thank Goodness It's Friday!!!

Showing some Bulldog Pride Today!!!

True Love!!! Kayla & Drewie

Cameron's Haircut

Cameron and Drew gave themselves a haircut this week. I had trimmed Stephen's hair over his ears because he was looking shaggy and left the clippers on a surface lower than 10 feet high ... pretty, huh?

Bradley wasn't mad ... he just wanted me to take a picture of his "Stink Eye"!!! What a stinker!

30% Off At Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic ~ 4 Day Coupon ~ Starts Today!!!

I tried to email this to everyone on my list, but here's the coupon for everyone else!!! Five percent of the order will go to The Boys and Girls Club of America giving hope and opportunity to kids who need it most. If you can't get a clear copy ... and I can't figure out how to get it any more clear ... email me or leave me a comment and I will email you a copy of the original!!! Happy Shopping!!!

Monday Morning Follow Up ~

The Panthers went on to win their first game on Sunday morning and then played the team they tied on Saturday morning in the Championship game Sunday afternoon (boy ... that sounds confusing). I was mistaken on the Yellow Card ... that was someone else ~ I thought Robbie was awfully calm when he told me that!

Anyway ... the Panthers came in second place and the family returned home around 6:00 last night. Brad & Kayla were sound asleep, but one of them managed to find a smile for me ... haha! My friend Jennifer took the team picture! She's totally terrific!!

We also had a wonderful surprise on Sunday! Katie & her mom stopped by for a little while as they were going to MSSU to the Senior Day soccer game! They boys were so excited to see her ... and me too! It's just always so sad when she has to leave. Katie (who's real name is Kaney ~ the boys just never seemed to catch on to that) has decided to turn down NC State grad school and is leaving in a few weeks to go to Colorado to work for a while before trying out for the national soccer team! We are so proud of her! Hooray!!!!!

Very cold again today ... overcast ... looks snowy even! Nothing much going on here ~ one spilled bag of Doritos and a clogged toilet ... same ol', same ol'. Have a great day!

Saturday Night Quickie

The Pink Panthers tied their first game 0-0 and won the second game 2-0! GO PINK!!! Kayla has Bradley & her dad in KC cheering her & the team on to victory!!! "Old Katie" (our "old" wonderful nanny) even drove over from Kansas to watch the first game! The Panthers placed well in this tournament last year! Looking for a repeat! ... sidenote: Kayla did pull a yellowcard today for dropping an elbow. Hopefully tomorrow she will stay out of trouble!

I made a lovely coconut cake & a couple dozen cheesecake pops for a local private school (fundraiser) auction ... the cake went for $90 and the pops went for $80!!! WOWZA!!!

Stephen spent the afternoon raking leaves and then jumping in them with Amanda! This picture is from Amanda's birthday party 2 years ago ... they have changed so much!!!!

The little boys & I stayed inside, where it's warm. The high today was like 38 degrees!!! bbbrrrrrr!!!!!! We spent a lot of time building lego towers and painting with watercolors. That is an everyday favorite! It's supposed to make it to 50 degrees tomorrow ... but down to 25 tonight!!!

Happy Saturday!!

Gracie Is Very Thankful and Very Bad!

Who can resist Thanksgiving food? Not me! And, it is EVERYWHERE! I couldn't wait any longer ... I had to have turkey and deli turkey would not do ... I wanted to slave over it, smell it for hours and hours, and culminate the beautiful sensory experience with my very favorite hot turkey sandwich loaded with stuffing, mashed potatos, and cranberry sauce. It's still a little early for the Thanksgiving "meal", but not too early for a small indulgence just to satisfy my holiday food addiction.

Everything was coming together right on time ... I got everything out and fixed Kayla a plate (before soccer practice). About that time, Dad got home with some groceries, so I scooted out to the garage to help him get the bags in. Are you sensing disaster?

Yes! Utter and complete disaster! It was our very own "A Christmas Story" moment. My very calm and laid back daughter walks out to the garage and asks, "Did you know Gracie has the turkey?" "WHAT????", I screamed. "I took it away from her", Kayla says, "but there's just a little left." "WHAT????", I'm screaming as I run back inside. I enter the kitchen to find the small, gnawed up remains of my succulent, delicious, little turkey breast. I could have just cried! I'm not a quitter though ... and with my ultimate turkey sandwich controlling my mind, I cut off all the sides ... sadly enough, not because the dog had eaten there, but just because there was dog hair all over it ... I considered washing the whole thing off in the sink, but decided against that. When I finally finished "cleaning" what was left of the turkey, I had enough to fit in the palm of my hand ... and I had to share it ... with Dad & Brad. Fortunately, Kayla left for soccer before she could eat hers, so the little boys split it. Bad dog, Gracie! Bad dog!!!! In case you're wondering, Gracie did not find any of it to be a very big deal ... not at all.

Today, I refuse to fix anything that takes longer or is more trouble than PopTarts. Cereal and microwave popcorn for everyone!

Something To Agree On ....

We May Not All Agree on Politics, But We All Agree On "Flat Stanley" ~ The Original Uniter

Rest Well, Toot. You Did A Fine Job. We'll take it from here ...

This was the post on one of my favorite blogs today ... margaretand helen (best friends for 60 years and counting)

My grandmother made the best cinnamon rolls. As much as I try, I cannot repeat her perfection. She never really understood why I wanted a different kind of life than the one she had, but that didn’t seem to matter. She still made me cinnamon rolls every week.
The best tribute we can give to Barack Obama right now (in addition to our vote) is to remember our Grandmothers and why we love them.
Please share your favorite Grandmother memory below.
(And if you didn’t like your Grandmother this is not the place to share. Go write those memories on that horrible Dr. Laura’s website. I read somewhere that she didn’t like her grandmother either.)
Rest well Toot. You did a fine job. We’ll take it from here. I mean it. Really.

I never thought I got along with my grandmother, but now I realize that she was a gift to me, an example of strength, and quite a bold, old broad. I have four sons ~ just like her. I love to cook ~ just like her. I can be an ornery devil ~ just like her. :) I just wanted to give Granny a "shout-out" today. Just like Obama's grandmother, Toot, I know she is busy keeping an eye on me today, too.

GO VOTE!

What Will We Do Now That Soccer is Over?

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Kayla has one more tournament in Kansas City this weekend, but the boys are done. I'm not sure what we are supposed to do with our weekends now! It's nice to know that things will slow down a bit, but I absolutely adore watching them play ... and I have to say that I'm a little sad to see the season come to a close.