layers. it's about layers.

so if you wear a t-shirt,

a long sleeved shirt,

pants,

socks,

your winter coat,

AND set your thermastat to 71* farenheit,

your house will actually feel warm!

sometimes a shower is just the only way to warm up.

when it snows on a saturday night

my favorite thing is when it snows on a saturday night.

because sundays are just quiet in utah.

especially if you don't have 9am church.

and your entire neighborhood slowly starts buzzing with snow blowers.

and then an atv will plow down your sidewalks.

and another neighbor might do your driveway.

and when you finally decide to surface out into the snow,

the cool air wakes you up with the freshest,

cleanest air

you've ever felt on your face.

and the snow crunches under your boots.

and if the sun comes out,

everything just glows perfectly white.

and sometimes the sparkles on top of the snow just glisten,

like someone spilled glitter all over the world while we slept.

and it's just quiet,

except for the snow blowers:)

15 shopping days left 'til christmas

{Above: My favorite new temple accessory. The "Emma" Temple Bracelet.}

...

If you're like me,

you're trying to figure out a few last minute gift items for this holiday season,

and please

let

it

be

from

an

online

store

so

I

don't

have

to

go

out

into

the

FROZEN

arctic

tundra

TO BUY IT:)

Have mercy, it's sooooo cold out there.

Well, search no more.

I have found the perfect gift for your mother in law,

your sister in law,

your best friend,

your neighbor,

your neighbor's daughter,

your soon to be cousin in law,

the young women in your ward,

or a little stocking stuffer for yourself.

No more pins sticking you in the wrist for your name card at the temple necessary.

Just slip this cute little pearled bracelet around your wrist,

clip on your name card,

and off you'll go.

I bought THREE of them last mother's day:)

It also comes in a smaller pearl style as shown below:

{Above: The "Grace" Temple Bracelet}

...

Below are the Young Women's Personal Project Packets,

that come in 4 different pattern styles.

Oh how I wish Hanna would have been making these when I was in Young Women's!

Little pockets for everything you need, including a pen.

Hanna, my neighbor, is the genius behind all of these treasures,

which you can purchase from her website:

www.attachedtome.net

Type in "EMILY" 

as your coupon code at checkout,

and receive 15% off 

your entire order.

Click HERE or on any of the pictures above to view pricing 

and buying options on the Attached to Me website.

There's still time to order for a delivery before Christmas.

You're welcome in advance;)

HAPPY SHOPPING!

caught RED handed.

caught her red handed with the advent calendar.

december 19th was all that was left.

i mean really though,

who on earth can just eat one a day anyway?

brennan.

{surprising, but soooo very true.} 

tinsel town

i can be talked into 

just about any extra amount 

of tv time right now,

as long as it's a christmas movie playing on my tube.

brennan=smurfy christmas

max=polar express

chase=smurfy christmas and polar express

emily=ELF, santa clause, and polar express

sean=santa clause

would you rather clean up puke?

sometimes when it snows,

our house looks like a gingerbread house.

magic!

...

things for you to know 

about snow and winter.

1. it's warmer when it snows. it's a scientific fact. google it. i dare you.

clouds hold in the warm air. 

i learned this living in rexburg, idaho.

but not from googling it.

just from walking to class on snowy days.

and after 6 months of doing that,

for four years in a row,

you start to realize stuff like it's warmer on snowy days.

you're welcome.

2. when you wake up on a winter morning,

it is important to start by putting on a long sleeved shirt.

then go about your dressing business as usual.

it's just part of the wardrobe,

and i promise you, it's super cool too.

also, scarves.

and gloves.

and your usual coat.

don't leave home without them,

or you'll be the whining person whining about how you're miserable in the cold.

3. snow on top of christmas lights is the warmest thing you've ever seen.

4. sometimes it's colder when the sun comes out.

confusing, i know.

see #1. no clouds.

frigid cold.

which normally only happens in january.

except this year, it's happening in december.

see #2.
5. CARPET under your kitchen table and at your back door is not always a bad thing.
who knew?

...

you're regularly scheduled program will now be continued

at its regular time.

a big thanks to our sponsor,

mother nature.

we couldn't do it without you.

would you rather clean up puke

OR

dress your kids in snow gear?

tough call.

i know.

these are the things vaccums/vacuums were made for.

note to self:

get baby popcorn BEFORE shopping at target.

i used to know this trick.

it's weird how you forget stuff that you used to do.

with your other kids.

and then remember it later,

like when you're standing in the check out line at target,

after you've spent an hour and a half walking through target with a whining,

cart escaping baby,

and you're all,

"is that popcorn i smell!!!"

"popcorn! how could i not remember the popcorn!?"

"i used to get brennan popcorn!"

because you used to stop at the food center first.

to buy popcorn.

so that your baby wouldn't whine all through target.

amateur.

that's what i was thinking about myself on thursday.

except for when i put him in his car seat to go pick up brennan and max from school,

and i handed him the bag of popcorn,

knowing that popcorn was going to end up on my floor.

KNOWING

that 

it 

was 

totally 

going 

to 

be 

worth 

it.

and it was.

it absolutely was:)

amateur?

i think not.

these are the things vaccums vacuums were made for.

i'm singing "frosty the snowman" in my head:)

they stole the show.

that's all there is to tell.

also,

it took me 2 hours to coax her out of her costume.

happiest little snowman i've ever seen.

deck the halls with flying ornaments! fa la la la la la la la laaaaaaa!

after a week of begging,

they found a pack of ornaments i was hiding in the coat closet

and took matters into their own hands.

i was just so happy they were doing it and not me.

and for once i didn't even care where they hung them on the tree.

who am i, and where is emily?

it was so cute.

the christmas music was playing,

the kids were laughing and having a ball.

i was feeling so proud of our little brood, and our happy little festive home.

until max and brennan started fighting about who got to put on the last ornament,

and it ended with max throwing it at brennan's face.

at which point i laughed a little bit inside b/c the shocked look on brennan's face was funny.

it was just plain funny.

and then was i was putting max in timeout,

and letting brennan put a sticker on his sticker chart,

chase quietly walked around the tree taking all of the ornaments

and their little hangers off of the tree.

#naughtylist

man does our tree smell amazing though:)

memoriesssssssss!

next on the list: THE TRAIN.

pray for us.

{insert crying laughing emoji face here. like 7 times.}

devastation at its finest

finding out you only get to eat one advent calendar chocolate a day.

TRAGIC.

brennan is convinced that aunt kelsey made them,

and declared that she was a "really great chocolate maker, 

and how did she know how to make them in christmas shapes?"

childhood. truly life's greatest season.