Diane Keaton = LOVE

No mystery, I love Diane Keaton. My all time favorite movie is Something's Gotta Give, followed by It's Complicated (which is not a Diane movie), and then every other Diane Keaton movie ever made :)

She has been laying low for several years and now it seems like there is a resurgence in her activity...making a new housewares line K by Keaton for Bed, Bath, and Beyond...filming 2 new movies that will both be coming out next year, being a spokesmodel for L'Oreal and Chico's, and writing her memoir, Then Again. Happiness!

I downloaded Then Again on my kindle and finished it in a few short hours partly because I am a fast reader and partly because I am not sleeping very well.

So in honor of all her newest ventures, I am posting a blog about California...before I became a blogger. Take a trip with me, back in time...

Picture it, California, 2008. I got a google update that Diane Keaton

was going to be signing copies of her book, California Romantica MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

at Barnes and Noble at the Grove in Los Angeles. I immediately called up my friend, Kara, and asked if she was down for a weekend trip to sunny LA and she was on board. We bought our plane tickets, the books, packed our suitcases and headed to Beverly. Hills that is...swimming pools, movie stars....

I was ready to pass out! We wristbands that morning and then shopped until it was time to get in line, and we were 2nd in line!

I started getting really sweaty the closer it got to time, and then once I saw her come down the escalator in typical Diane-wear (leggings, long brown coat, high heels, hat, glasses, gloves, and a wine glass in hand) I no longer felt my legs. They told us we were not allowed to take any pictures, but I snapped a few before I got chewed out.

As she signed my book, I mentioned that my friend and I flew in from Texas just do to this for my birthday, to which she told me happy birthday and we began to chat about Texas. She mentioned that she had always wanted to visit San Antonio but had never been able to. San Antonio would have been a perfect addition to her collection of Spanish architecture photos etc. For what it is worth, I am so glad I didn't vomit on her as the nausea was killing me. After we chatted, she thanked me for showing up, and I walked over to my friend who was talking to a tall brunette women, we later found out was Diane's personal assistant.

We chatted like old friends for almost 10 minutes before Tom Bezucha, the writer/director of The Family Stone joined in our conversation. I was truly having an out of body experience.

When we left, we headed to eat fries and milkshakes at Johnny Rockets and headed back to the hotel. Giddy, I kept looking at my autographed book

and marveled that Diane Keaton had actually written my name on a piece of paper. I was bummed that there were no pictures of both Diane and myself in the same photo...until the promo pictures came out online.

So here is what we found. Granted we are in the background, so we are fuzzy, but over Diane's right shoulder you will see a girl in a red shirt (Kara) and a girl in a black shirt (me!!!!).

In one picture I am actually on the phone with my husband letting him know that I thought I might vomit.

For the rest of the weekend as we ate at Spago,

drove up and down the Pacific Coast Highway,

ate at the Santa Monica Pier,

shopped on Rodeo Drive,

drove through the twisty Hollywood Hills,

visited the Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame...

and just soaked in the California sun....

I was elated. Diane Keaton makes me happy :)

Christmas mantle....

We found this beautiful wreath at a craft show last weekend and I totally fell in love with it.

Perfect compliment to our stocking holders we have had for several years.

Our stockings make me smile every year when I take them out of the storage box. I bought them about 5 years ago, along with the matching tree skirt when my friend and I were vacationing in New York.

So this year, I thought about adding a garland with some colored light, but now that I have been looking at it for a couple of days, I have decided to keep it simple....no garland this year.

Next up, outdoor decor!

Red and Gold Christmas tree

We got our tree up last night. This year I am still learning to love our slim tree. My husband bought it without my input last year since I was still recovering from my surgery. But, he really likes it, and so I am learning to love it.

If anyone knows my husband, he is a "go big or go home" type of person. Most of the time I love that about him! He has the joy of child on Christmas morning :) And when he came home with this thin tree, I was shocked. I was sure he was coming home with the fullest fir tree Lowes had. I love big trees...

But here is how I am looking at it. The smaller tree gives us more room in our formal dining room where the tree stands. And the other positive???? A smaller tree makes it look like there are more presents under the tree! I like that!!!!

So here is our slim tree...

Evidently Tatum beat the presents for the first thing under the tree....

Joy!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today, I am thankful for the moments like this....sitting on our couch, snuggled with my kiddos, eating cinnamon sugar crescent rolls, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The only thing that would make it better is my hubby being with us. But he is on graveyards so he is peacefully sleeping in the other room.

Happy Thanksgiving fellow bloggers. I hope your day is filled with family, love, and a little bit of peaceful rest!

Christmas garland

We have this wonky shaped bar that bridges the gap between our kitchen and our living room. It needed a little Christmas love this year!

So the garland and Christmas ball was a gift from my mother :)

Once I got these up, I thought it just needed a little bit of height. After a quick trip to Dollar Tree and $6 later, these little hurricane vases finished off our bar.

These are dollar hurricanes with little white candles in them. The filler is about half of a bag of mock-cranberries also found at Dollar Tree.

Love the way it turned out! Just another little section of the house Christma-fied!

Santa collection

Slowly putting out Christmas decorations over here....starting with my Santa collection.

This makes me happy :)

And so it begins...Christmas is coming!

I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but traditionally for me, Thanksgiving is a holiday I am never super stoked about. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for every single blessing we have received, thankful for family, health, my salvation, my husband's job and my boys' teachers, our super cute mini-poodle Tatum (who is snuggling with me now because she is so scared of the rain), my ability to stay home with my children, a cool network of friends, the rain on my windows and the cooler weather that is to follow, an awesome group of PTO volunteers, and the Christmas spirit that is creeping up on us.

But as a holiday, I am just not that into you, Thanksgiving.

So let's just eat some food, and move on....

It begins with the children writing letters to Santa....exhibit Caleb:

and exhibit Jansen:

Yesterday I spoke with Jansen and told him I was going to be making a phone call to Santa. He was completely amazed that I could just pick up the phone and call him. "You have Santa's phone number? What is it?" Not that I would ever tell him..but I digress.

Today they will be receiving their videos, special delivery from the North Pole.....

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/mdeqYV4nODvR03RQP3yAwWw

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/mmBeCRMiIpvu9hDHn1TYSfQ

I love the holidays!!!!

My Christmas list...

Like many women out there, I think that I am really easy to buy for. The best part is, I love practical gifts. Sure, it would be great to get a diamond ring, earrings, or a brand new black Range Rover with leather interior.....but is that going to happen? No. :)

I usually give the hubs a list of things that I would like to have, with a list of stores where they are located and then he picks and chooses what he would like to get me from that list. Sometimes it is one or two things, and when I have a short list....3 or 4. One year he got me an ipod nano and a Kitchen Aid mixer!!!! Both of these things are used constantly!!!! Great investment :)

So in no particular order, no particular category, regardless of price, here is my letter to my Santa.

Dear Santa,

This year I have been exceptionally good....you know this because you have been watching. My list is simple, do what you wish and I will act completely surprised. I am thankful beyond words for the blessings our family has been given this year. We hope to share the blessings as much as we can throughout the year, not just at Christmas time. So without further ado, here is my list. I would like:

1. A GE 3-Crock Slow Cooker Buffet

2. A pair of saddle seat bar stools in walnut (29 iches)

3. Vanna slouch boots with buckles from Maurices in black-size 8

4. STriped Dolman Burnout sweater from Maurices-Large

5. Metal and Shell disc drop earrings from Maurices

Thank you very much,

-Amber

Dental work...

Well, I guess it is my turn for the dental work. I know, it is my fault because I haven't gone to the dentist in about 10 years, but geez...this is super expensive, even with insurance.

So I went in about 6 weeks ago for a new patient consultation. They took Xrays and checked out my teeth...found 3 cavities. Awesomesauce.

They scheduled me another appointment for two weeks later to have the deluxe "it's been 10 years since you have had a cleaning" cleaning.

Then two weeks later another appointment to fill the first tooth..in a totally weird side/back part of my molar. Then scheduled another appointment to bond my two front teeth that I chipped when Caleb was a baby and I was pregnant with Jansen. Caleb was running and I bent down to pick him up at the same time he jumped up and crashed his hard head into my mouth.

That appointment was this week with a final combo filling appointment the week after Thanksgiving. She also sent me to a periodontist to see about a possibly gingivectomy. That appointments was this week as well, it ended poorly, and needless to say, no gingivectomy for me. It would be major bone surgery to the tune of over $5, 000! Sure, let me get my checkbook out.

Since the front two teeth were bonded, I noticed that my bite was a little off...and just chalked it up to needing to get used to the new bite. So I sat down to breakfast of peanut butter toast, but down and felt my bottom teeth hit my top teeth in a funny way and tried to correct it and then CHIPPED THE TOOTH NEXT TO THE ONES THAT WERE FIXED ON TUESDAY!!!!

Like a totally jagged tooth...poking into the side of my mouth. UGH!

I called the dentist and she got me in this morning, filed down the bonding, and then bonded the other tooth. Even with insurance all this dental work is costing us over $500!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!

Dave Ramsey, look the other way.....I just put it all on my credit card and will pay it off with Christmas money. Bummer. At least we have dental insurance...I am super thankful for that.

The thing that chaps my hide is that when I called the insurance company to ask about why I am having to pay over 50% of each filling, she told me that I got the white fillings. I told her that they didn't give me a choice, it was just what they used and I am seeing a dentist in my insurance's network. The insurance lady nicely told me that most dentists only use the white fillings now....so if that is the case....WHY DON'T YOU ADJUST YOUR COVERAGE TO REFLECT THE TREND???? But that if I had a procedure without anesthesia, that would make a huge difference in our payment.

Um, who wants to have their teeth drilled on without any numbing medication? Are you crazy?

The official, complete ornaments

Finally got some ribbon today and finished up the ornaments. They are so cute and the boys loved making them. :)

Our Fall Festival pictures...

Our school's festival was a week ago and I am so thankful it is over. Don't get me wrong, this is one of the reasons that I want to be involved in my kids' school. I am passionate about supporting the school.

For the most part, I really enjoy the festival. I love the finished product, the kids running from game to game, the raffles, the food, the face painting....the kids seem to love it too. The planning part really stresses me out, but I just kept telling myself "You are grace under pressure" and it was all good.

So while I was super busy and didn't take any pictures of my own, our photographer Crystal got a few shots I am sharing here. :)

We have a really small school in a really small town. Polk Pandas!

All the signage was made by my friend, Angie!

Nana took my boys while the hubs and I worked the festival...

My boys rockin their Angry Birds paintings...

Every festival has to have a moonwalk.... or two :)

Fire truck train rides for all....

Dot's Darts....

And me, just slightly crazy at the end of the festival...after clean up as well!