Poop, there it is!

Porter has discovered a new way to get out of going to sleep at night. He has done this for the past week--no matter what time he goes to bed. He will come and tell me he has to poop. So, of course, I let him go to the bathroom. Last night, he sat on the toilet for at least 20 minutes pooping intermittently. I think it was so he could continue talking to me and keeping up his comedic antics. Every time he would poop just a little, he would say, "Poop, there it is!" Then he would ramble, and ramble about whatever things were going through his mind. Other than the fact that I am very tired and want to go to bed, it is quite entertaining to listen to him.

Quote for the Day

"Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential." - John Maxwell

Donations for Christmas Gift

I had an old friend (who hardly looks old) from my hometown contact me yesterday to donate. She said she is already doing a lot of other Christmas projects, but still wanted to help out. Thank you! She was always a very nice person and still is. I know people have a lot going on. I have been fortunate to be surrounded by good people in my life and it is likely that those good people are already doing something this year. So thanks for going the extra mile. With her pledge of $50 we have a total of $135 with 6 days to go. It's going to be a wonderful gift. Thanks as always to those givers out there. And, if you thinking about doing it, remember even a small donation would mean something. I've had several people give $5 dollars and when you add up all of the five dollar donations they have make a nice contribution. Merry Christmas, hope you are enjoying the holidays.

Holiday Recipe Exchange

Have a great family recipe you make for the holidays? I would love to share it. Please email your recipes to: lizlane717@gmail.com

I am starting with this recipe:

Angel Kisses
http://mommydazerecipes.blogspot.com/2008/12/angel-kisses.html

Thank You For Your Donations

To date--I've received $85. Thanks so much. I know times are tough and everyone has a lot of their own service projects they are involved with. I just want everyone to know that I do appreciate those who have so willingly donated. It will be to a beneficial cause and used well. Merry Christmas to everyone.

Play Dough Cookies

We made Play Dough cookies on Saturday. The twins had a lot of fun making them. The colors looked cool, but the cookies weren't too tasty. I'd use a different recipe next time. It's fun for kids.

By the way, if you blow this picture up you can see Madison's cut and bruised eye from her encounter with the stocking holder. She is careful to warn all who come near how dangerous it is. She even took Grandpa into her room to warn him. (Even though he stands taller than the dresser and is unlikely to be below the holder.)

You can see the recipe for Playdough Cookies and better pics at mommydazerecipes.blogspot.com

Ward Dinner

These pictures are from the Ward Christmas Dinner. Brant and I stayed home and Grandma and Grandpa took the twins. Brant worked so much all week he just wanted to rest. We kept Lane. Grandpa said Porter was singing with him on the way home and had perfect pitch. He doesn't get that from me.

They were so excited when they came home. It's amazing how much they can grasp about the Christmas story already. Apparently there was a live Baby Jesus and real angels. They were so excited to tell us about it. I asked Porter to sing for me and he sang, "Ooh, La...La, La."

Random Pics from Thanksgiving

These are some of the pictures from a few weeks ago. I did a horrible job of taking pictures while we were in Utah for Thanksgiving.
So I only have a few.

The top is of me and Jaymi. We were all sitting around in Mom's room talking. Kimberly was having mild, occasional contractions. We were hoping she would go into labor before we left, but that didn't happen. The middle is Lane in bed. He would wake up so happy. He slept really well even though he didn't have his usual bed. I was so glad.

And the bottom is Bobbi's third daughter, Brianna, and Jaymi's only child, Krew. The twins had so much fun with their cousins. I wish we could see everyone more often.

Thank You For Today's Donations

I received a $5 donation for the Christmas donation today. Thank you. Every little bit will count. I sincerely appreciate all those who are trying to help. I know most people are struggling or trying to get by or are already donating to projects.

Thank you for today's donations

Today, we received $55 dollars and a pledge for another $5 for the donations and one anonymous angry email. I was really excited that people are participating and cannot wait to anonymously deliver the cash. I know it will mean so much to her family and will help her out. She is a good woman and will be on her way up.
Please forward the link to anyone you know may want to have an opportunity to give this Christmas. Or, post the link on your blog. The more people that know, the more money we can give her. Thanks a ton everyone. I know she will be very grateful. Here's the link:
http://lizlanehibbard.blogspot.com/2008/12/do-you-have-christmas-spirit.html

Madison "Rocky" is back

I never fully appreciated the design of our skull as it pertains to protecting our eyes. Madison gave me a very good lesson in Biology today. She pulled at one of the stockings. As she did so, the stocking holder came tumbling down on her. It was a very heavy piece and banged her up in three places around her eye. She has a red mark and bruise on her brow; outer eye; and a cut underneath her eye. We're very lucky her bone part of her skull protected her eye.

Would You Like to Give This Christmas?

Dear Friends and Family,

It has always been my hope that I would raise children who would feel compelled to give and think of others. Especially when times are tough. Brant and I have talked about this at length many times. As early as October of this year, we were brainstorming trying to think of something we could do to help someone during the holiday season. Our finances are tight and we don't have a lot ourselves. However, we both have a sincere desire to help someone in need. We both agreed to pray for an opportunity to come along.

I have recently spoken to a wonderful new friend of mine who is a single mother of four children. Recently divorced, she is struggling to make ends meet this year. She isn't worried about getting much for her children this year, she's worried about being able to pay her bills. She was near tears as she expressed to me the heartbreak she is feeling watching her children have to do with so little. Her youngest son was so sweet as he jumped into her lap. But, I noticed he was wearing no socks and his pants were a little short.

I am so glad I was able to speak with her, as I feel like this is an opportunity for me to help her and her family. I have an idea, but in order to make it work, I will need help from you. There are alot of people that read my blog. I know you may have wanted to do something to help somebody around Christmas time that may be in need. This is your chance. Talk to your family and explain how much this would be helping someone else. Your children can help too and learn how important it is to give. They can even donate a dollar.

I would like to collect donations from anyone who reads this blog. I guarantee one hundred percent of the money will go to this family. I am going to email, blog, and recruit as much as I can until December 15th. That's about 10 days from now. If I can get $50 per day, we can anonymously give her $500. That's alot of money, but not alot to pay bills and buy things for a family of five. So, here's what I need from you. Donate $1, $5, $10, or more if you have it. Because it is such short notice, Paypal is the quickest way to send it. My Paypal address is lizlane717@gmail.com. It's easy to send money. If you have a Wells Fargo you can transfer it instantly to my account. If you want to do this, please email me and I will give you the account information.

I also need help getting the word out. If your friends or family would like to help someone in need, please copy this post and send it to as many people as you can. I'll keep my blog updated to let you know how the collections are going. Remember, even $1 will help. I would love to help this family and make their holidays a little brighter.

Thanks,

Liz Hibbard

Madi has Daddy...

...wrapped around her little finger. I warned him about this BEFORE she was even born. He didn't listen to me. He thought he was going to be able to resist the mesmerizing spell a little girl can have on her Daddy. Today, he smiled so deep and so genuine I know she's got him for the rest of his life.

He was getting ready to leave for work and I was saying goodbye to him. Madi came at a full run yelling, "Daddy wait! I have to tell you something."
As she approached him, he squatted down to her level and put his hand on her back. "What honey," he said.
She said, "Come here!" She meant come closer.
He leaned in. She leaned toward his ear and held her hand up like she had a secret. Then she planted a kiss on his cheek and said, "That's what I had to tell you."
Then she ran off just as quickly as she had shown up. He melted like chocolate M&M's on the asphalt at noon.

Check out and add recipes at mommydazerecipes.blogspot.com

As a busy Mom, I am always on the lookout for meals that contain ANY of the following:1) Easy; 2) Fast; 3) Nutritious; 4) Tastes good; 5) Cheap; 6) Will feeds lots of mouths; or 7) Can save for later.I love to cook and especially like it when my family likes what I cook. As I come across great recipes I have always liked to share them. There are six girls in my family and we all like to trade and share great recipes. I wanted to use this site as an opportunity to share some of our favorites.Please contribute your recipes and comment on the ones posted. If you have a recipe to submit, email it to lizlane717@gmail.com and I will share it with everyone. Watch it at: www.mommydazerecipes.blogspot.com. It will grow!

No TV...how will we ever survive?

A couple of weeks ago we started caving under the high cost of living and decided to cut back on our expensesthat we don't need. We had the cable turned off. We were both dreading how we were going to be able to get by. I am a political/news junkie and can't go through the day without hearing from my good friends, Sean, Bill, Glenn, Greta, and Nancy. Brant watches (or used to record and watch) Sons of Anarchy. I know lots of people do not have 100 TV channels and the good news is they don't die. Now we have nothing--we haven't even one out to buy an antenna so that we can get the basic stations.

Here's what's I don't know anymore:
I have no idea how the recession is going. Is it up, down, or turning around.
I don't know what the President or President Elect are promising that probably won't happen.
I haven't heard about the latest gruesome murder, kidnapping, or traffic accident.
Worst of all, I don't know who lost the most weight on the Biggest Loser.

Here's what I have done more of:
Play with my kids.
Clean the house.
Read Books. (An ancient method of communication our ancestors used to pass on stories, self-help, non-fiction.)
Set goals.
Think, ponder, evaluate, and improve myself.
Looking up recipes.
Found something to do in bed with my husband, besides watch TV. (Backrubs and talking...you dirty minded people.)
Oh, and a little more blogging. Hence the rapid-fire, lengthy blogs the past two weeks.

I know people say this can happen, but I actually do feel happier. The world has now become my world, not the world the media is filtering into my home. It's a pleasant feeling.