Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I can officially say I am SAD to see this year end. 

It came and went TOO quickly.

I still have ALL of my Christmas stuff out. Lights. Tree. Everything Jingly.

I have NO resolutions as of yet. 

So I have decided to extend this year an EXTRA week and will be sharing some pictures of my favorite events of 2008 starting Monday.

5 days, 5 events, people...

And then MAYBE I can get around to those darn resolutions.

Until then I leave with you the CHRISTMAS BEARD.

Conceived sometime before Christmas [December 21st?]

Time of Death 8:00 a.m. December 31, 2008.

How I loved thee, CHRISTMAS BEARD.

Rest in Peace.

Adam called me a "weirdy beardy"...a common saying around these parts.

Pun definitely intended.

[Happy NEW Year!!]

A Brown Papered Package Tied Up With String

Right before Christmas I received an awesome little package from a newly acquired blogging bud, Miss Anne. I had recently won one of her beautiful creations on a blog and through e-mailing we decided to upgrade my win and in return I would make her a custom Apostrophy Market Bag.
[I think I got the better end out of the deal, isn't the canvas just amazing? It will be for Pamela's nursery, as soon as we get around to putting it together!!]
Thanks again Miss Anne! You should definitely check out her stuff, she is one talented lady!

In A City, A Mile High

Lost and Now Found

I've disappeared. I would like to think that I have a good reason besides the Holidays for not posting, but I don't.

I've just been playing Tetris, what else is a girl with her own new computer supposed to do??

It's terrible I know...but I'm posting now.

Anyways some of my friends from High School got together at the Kohler's awhile ago, I almost did not go because Don was sick...but I was really glad I did! Here are some fun pictures from the party...

[the following are NOT beautified due to my new found love of Tetris]

Oh, How The Year Has Gone By

Last year I was making new friends in New York...

Tomorrow we are going to visit some old friends in Denver....

Be back next week with some Holiday pictures!

With Love, From Us To You

We didn't get around to sending out Christmas cards this year...but if we did they would have looked a little something like this....

[& Happy Holidays!]

Seriously, O So Seriously...

Still looking for a gift for the special someone in your life??

Look no further...

Snuggie "The Blanket With Sleeves!"

[I seriously kinda want one, sorry Johnny [my plush body pillow]...
I sure hope Santa is still reading!]

Best Weekend Ever!

This past weekend we:


-attended a blessing/baptism
-witnessed the upsetting Aggie Game
-ate A LOT of good meals
-spent a good chunk of money at IKEA
-attended the Christmas Devotional
-walked through Temple square


All to be ruined by:


-waking up to snow! totally kidding.
-MONDAY MORNING


This weekend was a lot of fun, I am really sad to see it end.

[Thanks to Nan & Scott for fun time!]

You're Invited

I will be selling Market Bags and Topsy Turvy Dolls...plus come and see what other fun things others will be selling!

[Thanks again, Ashley!]

Let's hear it for the Girl[s]...

Ok the winner[s] of my giveaway...

Jill ... Candy

Stacy ... Handmade thing

Everyone else ... Signed photos of me [totally kidding on this one]

I was going to post this on Friday but got side-tracked, interesting how that happens... anyways I have lots to post but I just wanted to let you know two things...

1) I am taking my shop down and going to re-open in on Friday with lots of new fun stuff! 

2) I am going to post a REAL belly picture and show you what Stacy won...

[Thanks again to everyone for participating in my poll or leaving me a comment!!]

Dear Santa, Hey Santa!

I would like these...

Just as much as these...

Thanks!!

XOXO,

Baby Pam Andersen

[P.S. Has anyone ever tried either of these? I really might buy some.]

I already bought some of these...

Stretch Arm-Strong the Belly Chronicles

Lately I have been feeling really stretched to the max, I am sure it is a pregnant thing...

So I decided it was probably as good of time as ever to finally show you [mostly those I haven't seen in awhile] just how pregnant I really am...

Fully Body Shot

Pure Bellicious Shot

[Found HERE]

I more or less feel/look something like that...

If anyone knows where I can find that barbie, I know a couple of little girls that would love it! [And one BIG one too!]

And in honor of all things trashy, here's a picture I took on Black Friday...

Arms tired? Cart full? Don't worry just throw your kids on top!

You'll find it only at Wal-mart.

A Letter To An Editor

Dear You [Furniture Store],

I am writing this letter to let you know just how much fun I had buying our new refrigerator. 

I enjoy making new friends and didn't realize you knew how much I love to play games, starting out with Hide n' Seek [bringing the wrong refrigerator] was a great way to start out our new relationship. 

Don't worry I love all types of games so the fun doesn't have to stop there, I can play Phone Tag with your sales associate, the Name Game with your appliance manager, and then Chutes and Ladders with your delivery team.

I also understand that friends like to send each other little notes now and again, but I was surprised to receive a note asking for a payment 2 weeks before we even received our refrigerator.

I was shocked to hear that I am not the only friend you have treated this way...so I am going to tell all my friends, just in case they don't enjoy games as much as I do, or enjoy receiving little notes now and again, TO AVOID YOU at all costs.

I hope we can still be friends, you know in case I need to order something from you that I CANNOT get anywhere else in the valley [like my refrigerator].

For Mom On Our Birthday

20ish years later, we still got it...

Other awesome pictures from the day...


Thanks to everyone for their warm wishes + gifts on my day, for filling out the poll and entering the giveaway...I'll announce winners early this week!!

[Sorry for the lack of photoshop, I gots me a new computer and am still in the process of getting things transfered over!]

There'll Be Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun

...throughout this whole weekend, can't you wait?

[And because of that I have decided to avoid blogging the rest of the week]

Well if you don't enjoy Thanksgiving as much as I do, let me give you a few things to get excited about for instance A POLL, A GIVEAWAY, SHOPPING, and MY BIRTHDAY...

Fun #1 [mainly for MY enjoyment]:
Last year I did a poll on my blog to see who was out there and thought it might be fun to check my stats and do it again...so for all you Google Readers out there take a minute to visit my blog and tell me who you are!
Fun #2 [mostly for YOUR enjoyment]:
I recently made my 200th post and was planning on doing a GIVEAWAY or something of a fun-like nature...so LEAVE ME A COMMENT now and I will mail you a secret surprise that may or may not encompass the following: candy, something handmade by me, and a signed photo of me.

Fun #3 [mostly for CRAZY PEOPLE enjoyment]:
Enjoy Black Friday...I know I will! If you aren't into department store shopping and prefer online shopping check out the blog m.writes on Friday for a list of some fun online artisians offering goodies not to be missed! [I will be participating, thanks Marta, it's such a fabulous idea!]

Fun #4 [enjoyment for ALL]:
It's my shared-birthday this weekend [Happy Birthday T-Rizz!]Wahoo...also another great reason to do the GIVEAWAY...and all I will ask from you for my birthday is that you...

[Seriously I have a lot of pictures of me from younger times with sweet bangs and peace signs, that may have to be another post all in itself...]

Confession #5, In My Place

I received an e-mail a couple weeks ago informing me that Pamela/Tamula** would start to be able to hear sounds outside of my belly.

I found this exciting, but nerve racking...all of my swearing would have to stop immediately, plus I didn't know if it would be ok to jokingly name our baby anymore. What if she grew to like the fake name we have given her? Pamela, ugh!

While most people choose to talk and sing to their babies or play them classical music, we've decided to take a different approach... NOTHING BUT ROCK N' ROLL CONCERTS and so we took Pamela along with us to the Coldplay concert last Saturday.

Now before you call child services...

Yes we were close at the concert, close to the very back wall in the nose bleed section...

But I'm glad we weren't too close, because at one point during Politik, Pamela was head banging so hard I thought she might burst out...but I think she's really into rock n' roll.

Think it's too much to ask that she'll come into this word singing Lovers in Japan instead of crying? ...I'll have to keep working on that, but in the mean time anyone know where I find/buy/rent a confetti machine?

[**Neice Hailey's version of Pamela=Tamula]

You Can Do Side Bends or Sit-Ups

But let's face it, I can't...

I also failed miserably at trying to take a decent side shot of my belly, I may need to call in a professional?

On the bright side...

[24 weeks]

A. Don's Birthday [Revisited]

I have been going to post these pictures for a week now, but we are still recovering from this...

I will post more before and afters as soon as the afters get looking a little less scary. In the mean time here are some shots from Don's Birthday...

Last year we had the candle fiasco...

This year we had the frosting mishap [apparently frosting does not like to stick to cheesecake?] so instead of writing out everything on the cake, I managed to simply write ADAM and draw lips a duck [Thank goodness for Photoshop].

All-in-all it was a good birthday with lots of support all around!!

[Thanks Nan&Scott for letting us use your furnished house for

Birthday celebrations!]

Though My Dreams...

In high school most people had big dreams...They'd go out with so&so to such&such a place. They also had nicknames such as cool&cool, hot&hot and so&so.

Not me.

There was nothing I'd like to do more on a Friday night than crochet. Things got bad enough my nickname became Grandma Tori, not anything remotely great like cool&cool.

You may feel sorry for me at anytime during this post. As a matter of fact, why don't we have a moment of silence?

[silence.]

I even sacrificed many Friday nights making this per the request of one of my friends for her birthday...

Since then my dreams have changed, I've grown up and therefore decided to aim a little higher in life and will spend Friday nights pursuing something more along these lines...

It will be for Baby Pamela Andersen, Christmas 2010 [that's a lot of Fridays].

He's My Boy...

and today he's 29!!

He's the best, I love him, and you know that already because I married him.

But he really is great!

He is one of the only guys I know who would take off work on their special day to rip up carpet...I would be partying or eating cake!

[We'll do both later...]

On A Day Like Today

A very sweet lady passed away early this morning, she was not related to me directly [through 2 marriages] but I'd happily claim her as my own Grandmother. She was a perfect example of being loving, kind, and friendly to all, words cannot express how GREAT she truly was.

So on a day like today,

I am sad.

I am humbled more than I thought I ever could be. As one life passes and I continue to feel the start of another inside me, I marvel at all the wonderful opportunities and experiences we are given and will yet to have.

I am thankful for a testimony of my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ and the Wonderful Plan they have laid out for us.

So on a day like today,

I am proud to be a member of the LDS Church more than anything.

Breakin' Up Is Hard To Do

I haven't had much time to blog because we've had a lot of sad times going on around here...we've had to cut ties and say goodbye to some old friends...

Don't worry too much about me, things haven't been that bad...

A Fly By

ME: the terrible grocery shopper.

EXPLANATION: every Saturday night rolls around only to find out that we are out of milk and our cereal of choice [which happens to be Captain Crunch this month] only to go to the grocery store around 11 to buy those things and other things like oreos, only to miss out on the important food items like eggs and other things that would make actual meals.

MY PROBLEM: has a name, fly-by-the-hip shopping. I'm not the ONLY one! I impulse buy the majority of my groceries and end up forgetting the important things and spending loads of money.

The Grocery Guru came and spoke to the ladies of my ward and informed us that there is a better way to shop...I usually hate things like this but I really could get into the things he was saying...

WHAT I KNOW: he mentioned Wal-mart and how he hasn't been able to get any sort of a system down with saving money at Wal-mart...price matching and all...Awhile ago I started shopping at Smith's instead of Wal-mart and have saved up to $40 dollars each time I shop.

[I also save $50 if I don't take Don with me to the store, instant savings of $90.]

MY THEORY: while I don't believe in getting preachy on my blog, I think that there is some truth in making lists and then searching for coupons for the things on our list and not vise virsa...or just trying to plan meals as we go shopping [like I do every Saturday Night].

MY GOAL: is to plan meals and make lists. This is hard because we don't have a stove...but Captain Crunch w/Berries counts as a balanced meal, right?

MY PLAN: will be to have a plan. The Grocery Guru has a website and a plan, he tells you what is on sale and which store and where to find coupons. Also, if you live in Utah he travels around and has shops [at different stores] set up where he'll take you grocery shopping in a half hour, buying enough food for a week and save you up to 70%.

[He's going to be in Cache Valley next week if anyone is interested, it's free, let me know]

BLING: with all of the money I'm going to be saving I'm going to buy these, in every color, for my baby:

[Who I am kidding, I'll be buying them anyway...]

Happy Election Day!

Get out and vote and you won't be!

[via, Word To Your Mother]

Grizzly Adams Did Have A Beard

Happy Halloween!!

Too bad we aren't as fun as we used to be...

We aren't even dressing up this year!!

Can't wait to stroll the blogs and see what everyone else ended up being...

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Can I just tell you how much I love giveaways? They are just as much fun to host them as they are to enter, well ok only if you win on that last part,

AND I WON!!

If you don't read Hostess With the Mostess, I recommend you do...I'm party-retarded but if I did throw parties I would take all of my ideas from them! They also have another fun giveaway going on right now as well as do some fun Holiday ones.

Just so you don't hate me for winning, here are some things I have entered and NOT won:

-Filled out an application for CBS's Big Brother [2005]
-Entered our Bathroom in TLC's worst Bath contest [2007]
-Entered Martha Stewart's Home Giveaway, everyday for 2 weeks [2006]

Things I'd like to pursue in the NEAR future:

-Don & I on the Amazing Race: How addicting is this show?
-Dancing with the Stars: I need to get famous or learn to dance.
-Make a video in hopes of being on Deal or No Deal.

How sad is it that everything pretty much INVOLVES reality TV, I also wouldn't mind an appearance or two on the Hills.

[Since I'm revealing so much of myself, like it's not my blog, I hope this counts towards the two tags I've received lately]

Confession #4: Did Ya Practice?

I feel that I should force every baby within reach into Don's arms,
so he can practice...

[and then document it for posterity's sake]

I'm joking, he picked him up willingly.
With those cheeks could you resist?

Don's going to be a great Dad!

we.are.family

My side of the family got pictures taken awhile back, and now that everyone has been photoshopped approved how they look, I thought I would post it so you can see just how crazy we all really are.

p align="left">Because we have grown up, grown in our waists [me], and grown in number...I thought it'd be appropriate to give you a run down of who's who in the Denning Clan.

Christmas in October

Whatsthatyousay?

You heard me.

So I attended the JJ Cole Sale last week and that's what it felt like...Christmas in October. It felt so wrong, even as I continued to grab thing after thing [most of which was just irrational shopping at it's finest in the color PINK], and then it hit me, "Why not?"

Being the Marketing Graduate that I am, we always talked about how companies are pushing the Christmas threshold each year, eventually replacing Halloween...ah, now I doubt that...but still, "Why not?"

I can't come up with any good reasons as to why you shouldn't start shopping early, so I just though I'd let you know about two early Christmas Spectaculars that I am apart of [I hope there's more!]

First, I'm a Mom-Prenuer over at the Tip Junkie and they are starting early by having a Shop-A-Thon!! Shop as early or as close to Christmas as you need with lots of help from crafty people!

Second, if you are in Northern Utah, there is a Sweet Things Boutique going on this Saturday: