Bella Tres Chic: What's On My Happy List?

I’m a 51 year old mother of five amazing daughters and wife to a caring, sensitive AND sexy husband. I adore my family. I’m dedicated to my faith. I enjoy a good laugh. I'm nostalgic and love to reminisce. "Remember" is my favorite word in the English language. I love life! I’m passionate about music, food and {dreams of} traveling the world. I wanna be a castle and waterfall chaser. I’m fascinated with anything European. {PARIS! Hello!} I love celebrating anything and everything! I love to read, especially a good biography, mystery, Regency Era Romance or Historical fiction novel. I love thoughtful gift giving. To me the gift wrap is almost as important as the gift itself. I have a bit of an obsession with gift boxes and gift bags. As well as old world maps & globes, apothecary bottles and jars! I love being creative…bolts of ribbon, coordinating scrapbook papers, producing a table scape, or planning décor for a themed party puts a smile on my face. I love the details! I’m a freak for anything theme oriented. I enjoy event planning, but oddly enough do not like to host or entertain. I enjoy fashion, but have to really be in the mood to clothes shop. I love purses and funky costume jewelry. Especially big rings! I’d rather wear wedges or heels any day than flats. I enjoy decorating and searching for the perfect decorative pillow or picture. However, you’ll never see me frequent high-end stores. I'm more of a Ross, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning kind of gal. My favorite decor style is an old world rustic Italian chateau/Spanish Villa look with a hint of bohemian! OR a vintage shabby chic French country cottage/English cobblestone farmhouse. My #1 cookie-Molasses! Autumn is my favorite season. I’d go through childbirth a million times. I enjoy biking with my man, Pilates, and power walking. You’ll never find me in a gym working out. I love movies, whether watching them in the theatre or cuddled up on the couch with my family. I enjoy a good chick flick or real life drama! I'm a sucker for movies on the Hallmark & Great American Family Channel. I have a tender heart for the elderly. I adore Disneyland. I enjoy being in the canyon on a summer or fall evening at dusk. I love my friends. While I have some extroverted characteristics. I’m a self proclaimed introvert. I’m generally quiet, calm, reserved and pretty darn private. Why in the heck do I blog? It’s a creative way to record family history. I enjoy photography. I really don’t like to write, although I write in my journal often. My journals, patriarchal blessing, scriptures, quote book, and beloved Christmas tree filled with ornaments of family memories are among my prized possessions. I love the beach. I enjoy WWII history. I love a clean, orderly house, but ours usually looks lived in. ;) PBS Masterpiece is my friend. I adore Jane Austen films. They transport me to another time and place. If I had to choose another time period in which to live, early 19th Century England would be my pick. "Sense and Sensibility" is my all time favorite movie. My 3 favorite TV series are...BBC's Larkrise to Candleford, the 1950's Spanish Drama "Velvet," and the travel/food show "Somebody Feed Phil." My biggest pet peeve is people who blow their noses in public. So gross! {Take it to the bathroom people.} I’d go on a wine tasting vacation if it wasn’t against my religion. I’ve always wanted to adopt a baby from a foreign country. I’m an avid BYU football fan. I'm a Educational Support Professional. I tutor elementary kids in phonemic awareness, phonics, reading, fluency and comprehension. I love our campfires at Scofield Lake. I have a 'thing' for fairy gardens, Gallic French roosters, fresh flowers in a vase, pretty bowls & plates, and yummy smelling candles & soap. I love summer rainstorms and warm baths. I'm a scripture podcast fanatic. I'm also a fan of several Fox News shows; Hannity and Dave Ramsey Talk Radio. I very much miss Rush Limbaugh! I hate when my kids have homework. I'd rather clean 20 toilets than give a talk or prayer in church. I have quite a collection of Madame Alexander Dolls, children's books, Disney pins, and quotes. My favorite quote is "Don't underestimate me. I know more than I say, think more than I speak & notice more than you realize." True True LOL! I always prefer sitting in a back row versus the front. {I'm sort of a seat snob..yikes} I also have high expectations for my lemonade, salsa, and french fries too. HA! I work well behind the scenes. I love a good Dateline, 20/20 or 48 Hour Mystery. I’m a night owl. I'd rather be cold than hot. I love to budget our finances! I enjoy being a chauffeur to my children. I'm not a huge fan of social media. I don't snap, pin or tweet. All I want for Christmas every year is a ticket to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. It's my FAVORITE. I’m an Anglophile…a royal watcher who loves anything English! Especially tea parties! I would like to serve a church mission to England with Jaren someday. I'm queen of paper towel, used kitchen dishrags and sponges kinda make me squirm. You’ll rarely find me out of the house not ready for the day, except when driving the kids to school on the days I don't work. I feel naked without lipstick or lip gloss. Mismatched socks, chipped fingernail polish, chapped lips and brownie crumbs on the floor drive me nuts! I like to organize and BE organized..but not saying I always am. ;) I enjoy hiking to waterfalls, ATV’ing with my family and snowshoeing with the hubs. Although I enjoy collecting recipes and occasionally watch cooking shows... (Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, Paula Deen, Jamie Oliver, and the Pioneer Woman are my favorites) I’d rather not cook. Eating out is so much more fun. I'm a foodie. I live to EAT! LOL Trying new foods and restaurants is a favorite past-time, and believe it or not so is intermittent fasting. I'm not good at a lot of things... but gosh, if you need help with a themed celebration or someone to enjoy good food with, I'm your girl. I love the joy of anticipation and the celebration of holidays. Family traditions are important to me. I'm a memory preserver. I'm a pathological picture taker ;) a visual storyteller, and a lover of happy lists!

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

What's On My Happy List?

"Murray" Christmas!

Our Christmas Eve Festivities...

In the morning Kate and I read a few of our

favorite Christmas books...

We went to gma C's that afternoon for our

traditional Christmas Eve

Seafood feast.

Yummy as always!

{Out of the 16 of us there is only

one, a nephew, that doesn't like seafood.

He eats a peanut butter sandwich instead. haha}

Brie and I whipped up this

tomato and mozzarella cheese

candy cane.

I'm not kidding when I tell you

this balsamic glaze makes everything better.

the cousins exchanged gifts...

The girls got spoiled by their Aunt.

She lost her mind at Bath & Body Works...

😂

Emmsie was gma's elf this year and made THIS

on the table all possible.

It's a production.

We masked up and played the 7-11 dice game.

Kate spent practically the rest of the night

putting together her

Nintendo Labo.

It always fascinates me that she likes

to put stuff together like this. I'd rather

do anything but...😂

The girls opened up their pj's...

Kate bought all her sisters robes

for their Christmas gift. She just

loves giving gifts.

We STILL read the Night Before Christmas

AND leave a treat out for Santa.

This year it was Ho Ho's.

It's tradish for the girls to have a sleepover

together on Christmas Eve so

that went down in the Family Room...

with the two dogs.

My nephew graciously slept

over at gma C's so all my girls

could be together over here.

Sweet kid.

Fun find in the garage and nope

we didn't peek.

8:00 AM on Christmas Morn!

Gift time!

I'm telling ya the expressions on Christmas morn

are the best!

All the way from Russia...with love.

What is?
Have you heard of Magic Candle Co.?

{They have Disneyland scents!}

THIS portrait of Mr. Darcy

{done by Crown n Paw}

made me 😭

Can u even...

Mr. Bingley...

in all his handsome aristocrat glory.

More priceless reactions...

Brie was stoked about the decor items

she got for her Adventureland inspired room.

They were just excited as dad!

Sister gift time...

Kyleigh was a tad excited about the gift

Emma gave her.

Emma always gives really personalized,

thoughtful gifts.

Their relationship to a T...

captured on camera. LOL

Hannah gave a Birchbox to all of her sisters,

and Kyleigh gives out coupons for sister dates....

I can count on Kate to always give

me aplets and cotlets.

She knows I love them so much...

and I'm the only one who does.

Except grandma's.

What does that say about me? haha

{I must be getting old.}

To me and the hubs from the girls...

LOVED IT!

Boxed soooo cute too.

{Compliments of Emmsie}

My gift from Kyleigh {stole of gratitude}

brought me to more tears.

I can't even talk about it without crying.

After presents we had Christmas morning brunch

at Gma C's..

I've declared it my #1 favorite

meal of the year!

Emmsie put this spread together for us

on Christmas afternoon.

Some epic family time!

😂

Then Kyleigh was off to spend some time with

her guy...exchanging gifts.

She did a really creative 12 Days of

Christmas for him.

*****

Over Winter Break...

The hubs and I had dinner group virtual style...

Thai Massaman curry is one of my favorite dishes.

Brie drew on her i-pad and read like 6 books...

she practiced driving...

and goofed off with Kate.

Kate knitted...

worked on diamond art kits...

and baked...by scratch.

The girls and I watched a lot of

Jane Austen and Jane Eyre.

And I binged the last season of my Big Fat Fabulous Life,

my favorite TLC show.

*****

New Year's Eve photo shoot minus 2

{Kyleigh was on a 8 day road trip with

her boyfriend's family and Kate was

the photographer in pj's.}

😜

BYE BYE 2020...

The hubs and I had a great time

at Trader Joe's and Harmons finding

new cheeses and sauces to try

for our New Year's Eve Feast...

The Dutch Stroopwaffle cookie

with chocolate hummus

is my favorite new find of the season.

We ended 2020

with full bellies

And began the new year

with MORE good food.

{One thing this family can do well....is EAT!}

😂

New Years Day we had our traditional

Pizzeria Limone...

The Pera is my fav..

it has pears, prosciutto and pistachios on it.

However, their dessert pizza the Divino...

You just gotta try if you haven't.

It's one of the best desserts out there.

Well... I think that's a wrap on our holiday.

It really was a lovely time...

wish I could bottle it up!

It came and went WAY too fast... as always.

I will post my favorite things of

2020 in the next post. In the meantime....

This pretty much sums up how I feel about

January. haha

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