We have another new sponsor, Rosarita Salsa. I’m sure you’ve all seen the Mexican products in their label, but now they are adding in a few new Salsas and they are quite good!

If you want to try out these new salsas, they will only be available in a few select cities to start: LA, Dallas, Phoenix, and Denver readers, you can all try it out and let us know what you think. I prefer the mild, Chris doesn’t think the hot is quite hot enough, which means you spicy readers will probably love it (anything that doesn’t make your head explode just doesn’t do it for Chris). Awesome on chips or topping tacos, Thanks for being our new Sponsor!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Rosarita and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

And to all, a very good night!

Whoa! Who is this scary guy?

Mom? MOM? Are you aware you’ve given me to a total stranger? Where are you, Mom?!

Oh, haha, there you are!

Ok, I’ll pose cute now, but you have to get me right away. This beard is giving me the willies. . .

Our church Christmas party was a luau and so Santa showed up fresh from the tropics, sportin’ a Hawaiian shirt and a nice tat. Ho ho ho.

Just wanted to give a word from our Friendly, Life as Lou sponsor, Fed-Ex! If you have last minute Christmas gifts that need shipping, they are ready and waiting! Why Fed-Ex?

Not only does FedEx Ground cost 10% less than UPS Ground, but the new FedEx Office Print & Ship Centers offer customized calendars, cards, and stationery in addition to packing tips and assistance. Their service is friendly, personal and delivered right to your doorstep!

Also- sign up for a free Fed Ex account right now and In conjunction with this blog tour, anyone who signs up on fedex.com and records their name and confirmation number here

will be entered to win one of 5 Apple iPod Touches! This opportunity is open to EVERYONE!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of FedEx and received a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

1. Maggie is five today! Oh my sweet baby girl done gone and growed up! Five, to me, marks the line between baby and kid. Once you are five, you are no longer a newborn, a baby, a toddler or a preschooler. You’re a kid. A fully blown child. A walking talking person with needs that only sometimes include cuddling.

Oh, and they start to stink. Toddler feet are lovely. Kid feet, not so much.

(Maggie fit in her Christmas stocking when she was born! And, yes, that is her with the very dark, not blonde hair. Also pictured, my pretty mother in-law).

2. Gabe finally got healthy. . .and then developed a head to toe rash that the doctors blamed on medication (the one Gabe and I were BOTH taking), and then blamed on a virus when it got worse. We really don’t know. The only thing that three clinic appointments agree on is that it isn’t contagious. So why have I been so quiet? I’ve been living at the doctor’s office!

3. I sang at the adult session of Stake Conference and lived to tell about it. I think it went ok. If you would like to hear me sing. . .I could post the video of me singing at the Commissary Idol Contest that I won awhile back and just never got around to blogging (not likely). . . OR you could show up to a FREE Christmas Nativity Festival being held on December 19th at 2700 Camrose Ave in Fairfield, CA from 5-9pm. There will be food, gorgeous nativities displayed and live music. I’m the live music at approximately 7:20. YIKES.

4. I had a nagging thought in the back of my head that I had grossly underestimated the number of presents purchased for each child. This thought grew stronger when my in-laws dropped off gifts and Maggie had twice as many as the boys. I stayed up late one night to haul all the wrapped boxes out of the closet and WHAT WAS I THINKING? - Maggie has a whopping eight more gifts than Jonas. YOW. Now, granted, a huge Lego set costs more than a tiny fairy doll, but while I tried to hit that concept home to Jonas, I think he understood it in an intellectual way, but come Christmas morning it would be a purely emotional response while he sat and watched his sister unwrap gifts for another 20 minutes. So I bought a few more things. I didn’t go crazy, just evened it part way, and I think I’ll re-wrap a few of Maggie’s gifts together in one package. That or wrap up a few candy bars for Jonas.

I know life isn’t fair, and that is an important lesson to learn. . .but I don’t think Christmas morning is the best time to teach that lesson.

5. Have a Lovely Day, on this one week before Christmas!

Gabe went from an ear infection straight to a horrible stomach virus. For over 48 hours he was 102.5 degrees. His lethargic sleepiness was punctuated by sad, hollow cries and vomiting. Eventually, he simply stopped eating, and the vomiting turned to dry heaves and bile. It was enough to break your heart.

But through all this, holding his feverish body, seeing him hurting and so unaware of what and why this was happening to him, I felt so much peace. I felt how incredibly I was blessed.

I am blessed to stroke a sweaty head and pray that a fever will break. I was blessed with an answer to that prayer, in the form of both personal comfort and reassurance that this would pass. I rocked my listless child, and I felt nothing but gratitude for the blessing of peace and of the Spirit. I was reminded that motherhood, from the gritty, sleepless nights to the perfect carefree days is such a sacred, sacred trust. What an amazing gift from God to be able to bear and comfort and serve His tiny children.

Gabe’s fever has broken now. He is resting and is on the mend.

And despite the sleepless nights, extra laundry,and worry and frustration, I am all the more blessed.

Hey guys, Hickory Farms wanted me to be a part of a little blog program dedicated to letting you know that they can ship many of their products overseas to APO/FPOs, and they do it FREE. As many of you know, my husband was deployed last Christmas, so this one was a little close to my heart. Getting packages is a big treat for our service members, and the holidays are truly very tough. To be honest, the only time I cried on his last deployment was Christmas. Christmas apart just hurts the heart more than regular deployment days. The packages they receive that are filled with foods of the season mean a lot, as it is a tangible part of the celebration they are missing.

Now, Hickory Farms sent me some samples to enjoy and also so I could tell you what my favorites are. I am a HUGE fan of the cheeseball (C’mon, how can you not love an almond encrusted ball of cheese?) I also am very, very fond of the hot and spicy mustard. It is great on their foods and a plain old ham sandwich as well. I would definitely suggest getting a bottle.

Please remember the troops this Christmas and send something- it can be a card or something bigger- but find a service member who you can give a little service to. It will make your Christmas. If you need a service member, I knwo of several who could use a little extra love, so just drop me a line.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a Hickory Farms gift basket to facilitate my review.”