AVATAR!

This is a warning to my dad. Dad, if you're thinking of going to see Avatar, don't you'll HATE IT! To everyone else that hasn't see this movie yet...go see it quickly! It's AWESOME! I'm not sure I would have liked it as much without the 3D. Casey and I were blown away by how well done it was. Amazingly, after a month, it's still selling out here on the weekends. (My dad hated Lord of the Rings because it wasn't based in reality. I figure if he hates LOTR, he'll despise Avatar. Really, who hates Lord of The Rings? It's only the greatest set of movies ever made! I never get tired of watching it! But I can't convince him to give them a second chance....He doesn't like Harry Potter either, for the same reason.)

Grandma Bea

On Monday night we went to visit Grandma Bea at her Nursing home in Eugene. We had a great time singing songs with her. She is such a great lady...and still hanging in there. I'm sure she's anxious to move on and meet up with her loved ones that have gone before her. (Husband and two sons) Every time we visit her, we wonder if this will be the last time we see her in this life. For now, we cherish every visit.

Taxing time

I'm officially buried in taxes! Every January I am up to my eyeballs in W2s, 1099's, and reconciling our expenses for the year. somehow, long ago, I was hired as the business's "accountant." (I shouldn't use the word hired, because I never get paid.) I hate this time of year because I know that my meeting with my real accountant is looming and I'm no where near ready. So, my house is trashed, my kids are running around doing who knows what, as I huddle in front of our computer with calculator and tax forms in hand. In happier news, Lydia is finally getting potty trained...and it's going really well! Once she's potty trained, there will officially be no need for diapers in my house! (Unless we decide to have another baby ;) Yippee!

Here's week 3 of Project 365. (Thanks mom for pointing out my date errors from last week!)

Chili cook off!!

We just returned from our Ward Chili cook off and I'm proud to say that out of 14 entries, mine was the winner!! (I was actually kind of surprised!) I thought I'd share the recipe with you all... enjoy!

Andrea's Award Winning :) chili:

1 1/2 lbs. ground Beef

1/2 t. salt

1 can French Onion soup (Campbell's)

2 t. ground cumin

1 T. chili powder

1/2 t. black pepper

2 t. cocoa powder

2 cans kidney beans (I use red beans)
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 (8 oz) can tomaot sauce

1 cup cola (Coke, Pepsi, or generic)

Brown groud beef in salt. Drain beef. Add everything else and cook in crock pot for 4-5 hours.

Well, that's it. Try it. It's not too sweet (despite the pepsi and cocoa powder) and it's really thick. Finally, I posted the comings and goings of our last week. Enjoy!

Three year old

With the beginning of the new year comes a string of birthdays in our family. I hate shopping for birthdays so soon after Christmas as I don't know what to get. Thankfully, Casey volunteered (or was he coerced?) to do the shopping for Lydia. We took our little three year old to Splash to swim for two hours. When we came home, she promptly fell asleep. We had to wake her up for her favorite dinner (cream cheese chicken rolls) and her party. Once she saw the presents and cake, she perked right up. Anyway, we had a great day celebrating Lydia's third year as a member of our family. My baby is THREE! (and there are no other babies below her...such a strange feeling!) We sure love Lydia...she brings us such joy!

A picture story for you

"This picture has a story" I've been tagged by Stephanie

1. Open your first picture folder

2. Upload the 10th picture in the folder

3. Tell us the story behind the picture

4. Tag 5 friends to do the same.

This is Charlotte when she was 6 1/2 years old. Allison was just born and our cousin Aubrey and her parents (Ryan and Katie) came up for a visit. The girls got such a kick out of playing with cousin Aubrey. I can't believe how little they both look in this picture.

Okay, I tag: Randi A , Anna W, Melissa J, Lindsay M., and Leslie S.

In other news, here's a glance at our last week's activities. Hope January is going great for you all!

Project 365 for 2009 ends!

Well, as the new year begins, I can officially say that I have completed one whole year of my project 365. That means I have at least one documented memory for each day of last year. I find that as I look back on my life, the major events are the only things that stand out and the day to day stuff is buried somewhere deep in my memory. That's why I started this project...I figure if I write down/take a picture of at least one thing per day, those memories don't fade away. It is so nice to look back on my year and remember each and every day...at least one thing. If I were a better journal writer, I suppose I could go into more detail but alas, I am terrible at keeping a journal. This counts as a journal right? I think I'll continue with this project in 2010.

Christmas recap

Hello everyone...happy new year! I spent my New Year's scrapbooking as you'll probably be able to tell! I am almost finished with my 2009 family album and hope to be able to order it by my birthday in February. It's so good to see this year come to an end. It's been really great in some ways, not so great in others. We have had great expriences such as a baptism, trip to Disneyland, two family reunions, birthdays and other special events. On the negative side, we've lost two good friends to death, lost Casey's database to a hard drive crash, and spent lots of money on business repairs that seem to just keep piling up. Our business slogged through the recession and though our gross income is significantly down, we feel blessed to have our needs met. All in all...a pretty good year. Enjoy the scrapbook pages from Christmas Eve and Christmas day! Happy New year everyone!

Grandma Walburger's production of the Nativity

Christmas Eve at Grandma Walburger's house

Christmas day...though I love it, I am always glad it's all over!!