'Oh you better watch out. You better not cry...'

Because you never know when Santa is REALLY watching.

Princess M got the mail yesterday and came screaming to the house that we had a package. Princess E looked at it and she said, "Mom, it says it is for us, AND it says it is from S.A.N.T.A! Oh my gosh Princess M, Santa sent us a package! I bet it has toys inside!" We took it inside and opened it up. I wish I could have videoed their faces as I read the letter that was all rolled up inside with this little elf. Especially the part about Spotty and Boots.

'Princess E and Princess M

This is Felix. He is one of my favorite elves. I have noticed that you have been pretty good this year and thought that you might enjoy having an elf come to stay with you. I will pick him up on Christmas Eve but will consider sending him back to your family next year if you are good again.

Please do not play with him. he is not a toy. he likes to eat fruit snacks and crackers and only likes milk to drink. He doesn't need as much sleep as you do. But he will pretend to be asleep while he is watching you. I'll bet he would love to snuggle up with Boots and Spotty. I have packed some of his magic glitter with him. use a tiny bit each day to sprinkle on him. This will keep him healthy.

One word of caution: Felix is a prankster. he likes to play tricks on people. I am sorry to say that you may wake to find that crazy things have happened in the night. But he is watching you and will let me know if you need to be put on the naughty list. You need to be better at listening to your mom and dad and not being so grumpy. But other than that, I think you will be just fine!

Keep being good and I'll come by your house on Christmas Eve!

Love, Santa Claus'



A little while later I overheard the girls in the front room. I heard Princess E talking to him. She said, "Hi Felix. I am Princess E and this is Princess M. I don't know how far you can see, but if you can, will you look far at my grandma's house where we are going with our cousins to see if they are being good or bad too? And I don't know if you can help us all not get sick like we did last year for Christmas. It wasn't fun at all and I know you are magical so please help us to all not be sick. I am SO excited, but a little bit nervous that you are a prankster. Please don't mess up our house tonight." Then I heard her hug and kiss him.


They are eating this up! They were pretty worried last night as they went to bed that Felix was going to come alive and trash the place. But were pretty giggly this morning when we woke up to this,

I had left the laundry on the couch to fold in the morning and Felix decided to hang some on the tree. Then I guess he was missing Santa so he curled up in the Santa helper hat for a snooze. But that was after he had a fruit snack. Needless to say, I don't think the girls are very afraid of what kinds of pranks he will pull anymore.

So look each day until Christmas to see the trouble Felix has caused.

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

We are very big on family traditions at our house. Especially at Christmas time. My mom and dad did a wonderful job at creating such wonderful memories for us as kids and it made Christmas time that much more magical.
There are a few things that we have carried over from my family and King J's. But we also have created some of our own.

One of the traditions the girls and I do each year is make cinnamon applesauce ornaments for the tree. It started because we were too poor to buy ornaments so I had t0 come up with some great home made things.

The recipe is simple.

Equal parts cinnamon and apple sauce. I find the dollar store carries the medium size containers of cinnamon and then I just use whatever apple sauce I have on hand. (Sometimes I have to add a little more cinnamon if it is too wet.)

Mix it together until it is dough like. (usually have to kneed it by hand as it is really thick.)

Roll out like you would a cookie dough and go to town with the cookie cutters. Remember to use a straw to poke a hole near the top for a ribbon.

Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and either leave alone for a few days or bake in a 200 degree oven for 3 hours. Flipping half way through.



Hands will be ultra messy. Your nose will be on over load. But you will have a ball.

Once they are completely dry, string a ribbon through and hang on your tree, or wreath, or give to friends.

The heat from your tree lights will warm up the cinnamon and your house will smell great. (but not overpowering)

You can keep them for a few years. But we just toss them at the end of the season since they are very brittle and we enjoy making them each year.

Food?

To read a hilarious post about a gift exchange we did with some great friends and the princess' reaction to their gifts look here at my friend Yvettes blog. They don't appreciate it yet, but come Christmas morning they are gonna LOVE it! Thanks for the thoughtful gifts guys!

Last of the Thanksgiving pics

Figured I should get these posted. Since it is almost Christmas. In my defense though, I have been running around like a chicken w/o a head and haven't had much time to blog. :)

Sixth Sense?

We were driving home from the ward party last night and Princess M shouts, "I see dead people!" King J and I look at each other, "What?"
Princess M, "right there, where they are in the ground."
Me, "Oh, the cemetery."

Crazy Cooley's

For part of our trip back to Utah we spent some time in Idaho with King J's brother and his family. We just hung out and enjoyed each others company for most of the time. The girls sure loved the new dog, Sam and of course the friendly cats. Can't wait to see you guys again next week!

These are a few of my favorite things...

There are a few things in this world that bring my dad much joy. Two of them are his grand kids and his John Deer. Here is just a short video showing him in his element. They went on a tour of the neighborhood and checked out the cows, ducks, sheep and whatever other animals they could find along the way. The grand kids look forward to their rides in the "tractor" as much as he does.

More of Uncle Nate

While we were visiting Utah for Thanksgiving we had the opportunity to see Uncle Nate perform in the lip sync competition. He was great! The other video is of another of the acts. He was a guest performer, and the Pepsi delivery guy for their school. He was amazing.