Annual tamale making and spiritual/service Sunday

Ok, so, earlier tonight I actually had about 45 minutes to sit on the couch and put my feet up. I took the laptop with me and started writing in here. I saved it a couple of times, but apparently it didn't REALLY save. I came back to it just now (11pm) and it's gone. I guess I'm starting over. Here we go....

Yesterday/Saturday was our annual tamale making day. We've done it every year around Christmas time ever since I can remember. It's definitely not the same now that my Grandma and Grandpa aren't alive, but we still keep the tradition going. Hopefully one day, my kids will be doing this with their families. My mom and Uncle Niggie are still in Mexico, so they missed out on this one. I'm sure they're getting better tamales over there! Lol. 

Irma and Diana

Anyhow, we got together at my sister's house. Everything was set up outside of their pool house. They have an outdoor/covered kitchen so we got to work in there and in the patio area. It was cold and raining most of the day, but we had a blast. I love, love, love spending time with my family. We had different people putting the masa on the husks, putting the meat/sauce inside and rolling them up. We had cookers and taker-outers. Lol. We even had taste testers! Imagine that! We had pork tamales, cheese and jalapeno tamales and some sweet tamales. We chatted, laughed, watched tv, listened to music, yelled at the kids......you had to know that was coming! I'm sure they didn't mind that we showed up 2 hours after starting time. After dropping off Marquesa at volleyball practice and going to Winco with the boys, we finally arrived. I'm sure out of the 7ish hours that we were there, I spent about 2 hours making tamales.....maybe even a bit less. It's a lot of work looking after those boys. Following them, checking on them, feeding them, yelling at them, stopping arguments, making sure they weren't getting into trouble, etc. They had fun, though. They got to play with their cousins all day long. 

Me and my Nina

Calvin enjoying a snack

Maxwell grubbin on palomitas

So we had a great day. I even got out with my brother and sister for about an hour. That NEVER happens! We went to Kirkland's and Cost Plus World Market. I have to say, Kirkland's was kinda phony. I LOVE CPWM, though! They have so many cute things in there, even in my price range! Lol. In case you forgot what my brother looks and acts like, here's a perfect pic of him in action!

Here he is when I took a pic of him.

I told him that I was re-taking the picture since he flipped me off, and this is what I got! Lol. Gotta love him!

So, that was our day. I missed my mom being there and it brought back memories of having tamale day at my mom's house and having my Grandma there. It also reminded me of how lucky we are to have a family that actually loves each other and enjoys doing things together. It's a lot of work and planning, but so worth it. 

Carson getting a mani/pedi from his cousins and their friend. Look at those monster feet! He's 6!!!

Here he is after his makeover. Lol. He said that he was Nicki Minaj!! Lol.

Today/Sunday- 

We went to church this morning. The kids have a little cold and I almost kept them home, but we missed last week because one of them was sick. So, we got ready for church and went. I was so glad that we did! We heard 2 great talks. One of my bestest friends in the whole wide world gave such a beautiful talk on service and the Savior. It really touched me and I'm sure everyone felt the spirit today! We had great talks during Sunday School and Relief Society, as usual. We came home after church and rested for a bit. We then headed out to help at the Christmas basket program that the Friends of Oakley put on every year. We were able to help out for a little while. There were a lot of volunteers and we did what we could without being in the way.

The boys were excited to serve......for a little while. 

It was slow because they started around 11, I think, so by the time we arrived, they were handing out the last sets of food/gifts. After a while, the boys got bored and started messing around. I took this pic when they were waiting for a job to do.

Calvin, Maxwell, Carson and Marquesa

After I saw that they were playing too much, not listening, etc., I decided that it was time for us to go home. They had a few extra boxes of food/turkeys so we were able to take one with us and deliver it to a family that is in need. That felt good to be able to help someone out. We definitely didn't expect that, but I told the boys that when we serve others, we get blessings. 

Sunday night-

After another bit of rest, we headed out to the Interfaith Christmas Choral Festival at our Stake Center in Antioch. There were people from different local churches singing. It was really beautiful! They also had a Creche Exhibit where they displayed lots of neat nativity scenes from around the world. I took a few pics of the ones that I liked. 

Israel

Alaska

Uganda

On our way home from that, we picked up an extra turkey that someone saved for US. I told the kids again, BLESSINGS! Lol. I really love being able to serve others. After being on the receiving end so much, it feels great to do the same for others. 

So, that was our weekend. It's after midnight, the wind is HOWLING outside and I guess I need to get to bed. It's our last week of school before Christmas vacation. Since I work for the school district, I'm now home with the kids on their breaks. It's the best thing, ever! I LOVE working with the kids in my classroom (I'm a teacher's aide) and I LOVE being able to pick up my boys after school and spend more time with them. I wonder how many people really read through this whole thing????

It really helps me get things out and remember what our family has done. Hopefully it gives you something to do if you can't sleep! 

I'm going to re-heat my rice pack, check on the kids for the last time and them I'm going to bed. Night people!