December at our House

Well December is almost over and it was a busy month at our house. Enjoy the slide show to summarize the many events for our family. We hope everyone felt love and happiness at this glorious time of year! 2008 here we come....

Those Holiday Commercials

These are two of my favorite holiday commercials - I get a good laugh everytime they are on tv. Best parts of each ; Man driving,-no teeth guy with pointy ears, Woman driving - unibrow. Hilarious. Turn off the music player and enjoy a quick laugh. And give a Garmin (or get one, or even a Magellan, or Tom Tom, Navigon, whatever -- you'll never be sorry!!!)

Griswolds or Gebski's?

After our trip to SC we decided to stop and pick up our Christmas tree since the month is diddling away so quickly. It was pretty cold that evening and Lester forgot to grab a jacket, so he did his best looking and then retreated to the barrel fire the lot had by the entrance. It reminded me a lot of Forgotten Carols and the We Are Not Homeless song.....kind of funny. I grabbed this quick picture of Maddie racing through the trees:We found our tree, and of course it was pretty much one of the first ones we examined-kind of skinny and on the tall side, just how we like them. We brought it in the house on Thursday and I didn't get to putting on the lights until today. I have this thing with the lights, I guess I could have put this on my 6 things post, but I'm kind of OC with lights on the tree. I have to stand back, squint and look for holes where no lights are. Anyway, on with the story already....well half way down the tree I almost had one of these moments...(make sure to pause the Christmas music)

...when I came upon this deep in our tree:
Thankfully for our sakes, it is empty. Corben thought it was extremely cool that a bird lived in this particular tree. No squirrels though, wheewwww!

A Germany Reunion

This past Wednesday we had the opportunity to venture down to Columbia, South Carolina and visit with some friends we hadn't seen since we left Germany 1 1/2 years ago. David and "Paticia" (as Corben fondly calls her) invited us down so Lester could re-enlist David into the Army. We jumped at the chance especially since we were able to meet their darling son Reed who was born after we parted company in Germany. Another great friend Shannon and her precious little girl Savannah came up from Georgia and it was an all out reunion! We had a blast and so did the children and we can't wait to get together again soon.

Everyone together!
The three babies playing in Reed's new toy box.

This is what happens when Corben sneaks away with my camera! He's a little sneaker, but he sure is a cute one. :)

Piano Update

For your viewing pleasure:



Although this is not my piano, it very well should be. I had a professional take a peek at it and he basically said, if you're handy it would make a nice desk. Enough said. Anyone want a desk? It will be on craigslist this week! ;) I've been hunting for another good find, and this time I know what to look for. :)

Tag, I'm It

I've been tagged by my friend Emily (tyvm) and I have seen this going around and knew it was only a matter of time before it found my blog. Most of you I'm sure are familiar with this, but just in case - I'll post 6 things about myself that most others may not know, then tag 6 friends and post on their blogs that they do the same. So here it goes:


1. I am without a doubt addicted to collecting recipes. I cut them out of the newspaper, find recipes in magazines, online, off food products themselves, from friends -- pretty much anywhere I can get them. Do I make the recipes I find you ask? Most of the time, no -- it's just the having I think I love. My recipe file is bulging at the seams and in need of a bigger folder. This addiction also includes recipe books. My recipe library grows every year. Now you know when I ask you for a recipe, it's feeding my addiction! :) One of my current favorite sources? Allrecipes -- you know they're good when 456 people rate it ***** :)

2. I have always wanted to work as a grocery store checker. Something about scanning the barcodes has always appealed to me. It started when I was younger and played store. I'll try not to age myself, but when I played store back then, I used a calculator with the paper tape to punch in the prices (yes, pre-barcode scanning, yikes!). If you ever visit my parents house, check the big brown dictionary and you'll find my "grocery store" receipts stuck randomly in the pages-they're still there. Also if you ever go to Walmart with me and I use the self-check out, now you'll know why.

3. I love to garden and get my hands dirty. I had a great garden this year, one that I've been dreaming of for quite some time. I borrowed a roto-tiller last spring and started my 45'x6' plot. I had sunflowers, green beans, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, herbs, and tons of tomatoes and had started everything from seed. I had seeds for a whole lot more, but my summer went too fast and I didn't get it planted in time. My garden next spring will be bigger and have a better variety and I'm also planning to landscape the planters at the front of the house.

4. Here's a random one -- I took Anatomy at BYU just because I wanted to. Who in their right mind takes a 4 credit class with a lab for kicks? It was really hard, but I loved it and got an 'A.' I even got to study on real cadavers for the labs. Really cool and highly recommended!! ;) On the same note, I almost took ASL my last semester (also 4 credits) but the time slots didn't work -- oh well.

5. When I am tired, I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime. When I was little, my Mom used to make wedding cakes and occasionally I would go with her to the reception while she set-up and helped with all things cake. One time, she couldn't find me towards the end of the evening and finally someone thought to look under the serving table (with the long floor length table skirts) and there I was, sound asleep on the floor. Another story a little more recent -- while we were living at my Parents house, I would more often than not fall asleep on the couch watching tv. One night, I fell asleep before I prepared Lester's lunch for the next day. I woke up, made his lunch and grabbed a couple dollars for him to get a snack with and a cookie for me to eat before heading to bed. I was so tired, I sat down on a cedar chest in the family room and ended up laying down. I woke up a few hours later when Lester was passing through on his way out and gave him the money in my hand and then ate the cookie on my way to bed finally at 5:30am. Just don't let me drive when I'm tired! :)

and finally 6. I love to play games. Board games, cards, video games, any kind of game. I think that might be why there are so many games in our upstairs closet. Even though I don't get to play them very often, I have them just in case. Maybe that's why I wanted to major in Recreation Management at the Y, it was pretty much all about fun. If you ever need a game, I still have my notebook from my Social Recreation class. 3 credits for playing games, singing songs and throwing parties for a whole semester. It was GREAT!!!! Dr. Palmer was the best Professor! **Well there's a food goin' round that's an icky, sticky g-o-o-o-o peanut, peanut butter** RM majors will know that particular song :) Favorite game at the moment? Apples to Apples, definitely great for parties.

Okay so now the tagging begins. Unfortunately, most of my blog buddies have already been tagged somewhat recently, so those that have not, consider yourself tagged (sorry :) Sherrie, Laurie, Rachelle (when you can), and the Kinneys (even though their blog has spider webs....)

Our Happy Thanksgiving and My (almost) Brush With Fame

We spent our Thanksgiving enjoying the beauty of Northern Virginia (just outside D.C.) this year with Lester's brother and sister-in-law and their family. We had a great time, great food and did some fun things. We braved BLACK FRIDAY and went to IKEA and the Potomac Mills Outlet Mall in Woodbridge, Virginia. Oh how I love the IKEA and the wonders found within the walls of that store! I did find out that IKEA will find it's way to our neck of the woods but not until late next year (and in Charlotte--oh well, 2 hours is closer than 5). The outlet mall was as crowded as you can imagine. One of the stores I had intended to visit was the Gap, but there were so many people trying to get in/out of the store I chose to keep my sanity. The lines were like conga lines--crazy, crazy people searching for anything they could get their hands on I guess. I didn't even buy anything at the mall if you can imagine! Anyway, here are some TG day pictures:
Corben enjoying our Thanksgiving morning walk -- it was a beautiful morning!
Taking a break after playing at the park along the walking path.

So on to my so called brush with "fame." The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we decided to drive up to Baltimore, MD and visit a neat children's museum called Port Discovery. What a neat museum -- it had a 3 story climb-through playhouse that Corben and Lester exhausted themselves on (okay, well maybe just Lester) and all kinds of hands on exhibits -- a kid's diner with menus, food, everything (Madison loved it), ball pits....too much fun! Well since I knew we were planning to go to Baltimore, I had in my mind that one of our favorite shows from The Food Network is based there! Yup, Duff Goldberg and his Ace of Cakes Crew!!!
The windows of the shop are all darkened and probably with good reason. After we stopped and snapped a few pictures, two more cars drove up to do the same thing. I was hoping that by change they'd open the door or something, but not this time. I would have loved to meet anyone from the show, especially Duff, Geof or Mary Alice! A couple more shots of the shop:

Oh how we wanted to be scheduled visitors....and taste some cake! ;)
I did get to see the famous delivery van -- it was parked across the street! It has been in many episodes.
Love the fine details! These cakes are on the awning over the front door! Clever.

Christmas is coming to the Gebski blog! Can't wait! :) At least the music is here now for your listening pleasure.

New Words

So today while we were out running errands, Madison shared with me two new words she knows. How she learned them I haven't the slightest, since I think she's been there only once before. We passed this store while out and about, and I know that it will be a familiar place to most, if not all of you --the words......"Toyz Russ." YIKES!

Always an Adventure

We decided a few weeks ago that for the Veterans Day Holiday, we'd like to venture outside our fine city and see the sights a little. Since the fall color here is gorgeous, we picked our destination as Asheville, NC. I must say, the color was spectacular (as you can see) and no we didn't fork over the $145 it would have cost to tour the Biltmore Estate...We saved that chunk of money and we'll just look at pictures of it :)

We found a company that rents cabins in and around Asheville, and found a little one that would fit the four of us comfortably. The Chestnut Cabinwas as close to a little mountain cabin as you can get. It was adorable! The only thing missing was the wood burning fireplace (it had a gas fireplace), but there were others burning in the area and you could catch that wonderful aroma the moment you stepped outside. A tour of the cabin:

The main living area, very cozy indeed (it even had wireless internet!)
Our bedroom - even had a down comforter...toasty, toasty!
The loft for the kids (watch your head)
The kitchen...all we had to bring was food.
The front porch...too cold this time, but if it were summer....ahhhh serenity!
A different view of the cabin, but shows the back gazebo with an outside fireplace, bbq and a fish pond.


So on to our adventures...... The first day, we got there in the afternoon and Maddie took a little nap. Lester and Corben went out for a walk up the "road" and were gone for over an hour I'd guess. Well, when they returned, Corben was soaked almost up to his knees, and his shoes were indistinguishable as shoes! Yes, that was the only pair I had brought for him. The "road" they travelled, was the creek behind the cabin. They had a rock-hopping, splish-splashing good time. Moral of the story, I should have brought another pair of shoes. We left to go take a tour of the city and had to stop first at the local Sears and pick up a new pair of shoes! I guess that's one way to get new shoes. ;)

Saturday we ventured to Chimney Rock park and had fun going up and down more stairs than can be imagined. The views were worth it, and we definitely got our excercise! We took the elevator to the top, and the stairs down. We took a little side hike to a water fall and another little hike for Corben and Madison. They both loved it!Wherever we go, adventure always finds us one way or another, this time, it was walking into Sears with a boy wearing only socks on his feet. Oh well, we'll never forget that! :)

A 6 (almost 7) Year Old's Faith in Prayer

This is something I just had to post about.... Let me preface the prayer part with what transpired before we read scriptures and prepared for family prayer. I know this is totally unheard of, but Corben's room has become-shall we say-a little cluttered. I told him that before we left the house tomorrow morning, his room needed to be picked up. That statement was met with the standard groans and grumbles, as yes, sadly that is the norm. Somehow in his years upon this earth so far, it hasn't sunk in that he can't leave his room messy for very long--at some point things need to be put in their proper place. So now to his prayer -- "please bless that when I get up and go in my room, all my toys and things will be put away and it will be clean." Now THAT is faith! It was extremely hard for Lester and I to maintain reverence and not bust out laughing..... When the prayer was done, I said to Corben, let's see if a mighty miracle was wrought in your room. It was quite a moment! I had to explain that some things, Heavenly Father can't do for us and we have to take responsibility for -- I'm sure he'll learn that in life. Oh the faith and innocence of the young. :)

Corben's Dream Come True

This is a dream come true for this boy, let me tell you!!! He has wished for a dirt bike of his own as long as I can remember, at every opportunity for wishes, even at the Chinese restaurant with the coin fountain in the lobby. Our new neighbors across the street bought this little electric bike for their son (who is 11 and can barely ride it). Corben was lucky enough to be invited to ride it, and boy oh boy, did he show that family how to properly ride a motorcycle. I can say in all honesty that his desire for a bike of his own is now more than ever at the top of his list. Someday I suppose..... :) [Make sure to pause the music player to hear the commentary!]

FREEEEEE!

I made a great find on craigslist, and it was FREE! I've always loved to play the piano, and wanted to have one. A friend had told me how she found one cheap and rented a trailer and picked it up, so I checked every so often and hit paydirt! It's pretty old, around the early 1900's, and it really smells like it too. :) Once I hit it with a little wood soap and vacuum it out, it should be fine. I have to get it tuned, and fix a couple white keys where the ivory is missing but other than that, I'm thrilled to have it. You just never know what you're going to find on the LIST....

These Past Weeks

This post has been a long time coming, so no more snoring on my blog (you know who you are.... ;) I've been trying to compile all the pictures, a heck of a task I'll say. I started writing this post last weekend, and the week just got away from me as well! When you read it, remember this is from the view point of the 29th of October. Enjoy

So this past week was pretty crazy, Lester was out in the field from Monday until Friday and so to keep myself insanely busy, I decided to hurry up and make the kids costumes. I chose a cute princess dress for Madison and Corben decided to be a cowboy. His was easy, brown felt chaps and vest -- DONE! Maddie's proved to be a little more challenging but I prevailed with my trusty sewing machine. Here is Madison's dress (mind you, it's all wrinkled because it was worn for 3 hours Saturday night at our Ward Trunk or Treat.) I was afraid she wouldn't wear it at all, but after she saw another little girl in a "pree-ee" dress, she kept in on. Whew..... almost spent my time sewing for a dress to hang in the closet. I love how it turned out, although I had to temporarily bring the hem up about 4 1/2 inches and even that wasn't quite enough. Oh well, she'll grow into it! :) Corben looked great and he had more fun with a switchblade comb that went with Lester's costume than he did with his play gun. Who would have known? This picture is actually from Halloween, and instead of a switchblade, he's got a sword--what can I say, it grew!



















Lester rocked the party with his costume and wig....everyone laughed and thought it was great! I figured I should dress the part with him (and for lack of coming up with a better costume) and went as an '80's girl. I had fun with it, my favorite part was finding the black stirrup pants! Classic!!! So many people mentioned how they dressed exactly like that too!
Here are some other cute pictures of Corben and Maddie and their adventures this past week:Madison is perusing the party city costume catalog. Both her and Corben scoured those pages for quite a while over 2-3 days until it finally came unstapled. Here are the kids before bed, Madison has started climbing into bed with Corben and pretending to go to sleep with him for about 1 minute. After that, she tries to find more books to read and toys to drag out instead of getting into her crib.










A few weeks ago, Corben had the bright idea to clear off the bottom shelf of the book shelves and make little beds for him and Maddie. I snapped these pictures a couple days ago and caught them in the act again. Maddie fits pretty good, but Corben looks a little cramped.
Here's another shot of Maddie's "flash" picture. She knows the flash is coming and prepares her eyes for the bright light. It almost looks like she's winking!
Check out those lashes!! She definitely gets those from her Daddy. On a funny note, she found this hat in her room and has been wearing it for the past 3-4 days, but she has to put it on herself. It's funny, because when you want them to wear the hat they won't.......oh well!

Corben was so excited this week, he got a package from his Meme and Poppy--and a brand new, Meme-made shirt! He looks so handsome in it, and he was so thrilled with it, he had to wear it to school the very next day. His comment was, I'm going to wear this to school tomorrow, and the to church on Sunday, and the next Sunday, and the Sunday after that too. Pretty much every Sunday!" I think he LOVES it! Thank you Meme! :)

A Forever Fan of the Beatles!!!

Two weeks ago we went to a fabulous concert and saw this Tribute Band to the Beatles. I've actually seen them four times now (twice at Ricks and once at the Y) and they are truly an awesome tribute to one of the best bands/musicians EVER. ***** A MUST SEE PERFORMANCE! Check here for concert dates and if they come your way, GO!! You won't be sorry. Here's just a taste of their performance for your viewing pleasure.

I LOVE THE BEATLES!!!

Maddie's New Dress and Chair

Madison got a new dress made by her Meme in California and it is just darling. Meme even made a cute little purse that matches. We did a little photo shoot in the front yard the other day while it was overcast.

I love the mischevious look in her eyes here..
















She just started doing this "fake" smile for pictures, and her left eye does this little squinty thing.

Love the dress, THANK-YOU Meme. We love you!! xoxoxoxo


Up until a few days ago, Madison would lounge in her old infant bouncer seat. It was one of those that had the vibrate/music options and was kind of bouncy. I can't really complain, I got it for 3$ on ebay while we were in Germany. ANYways...she loved that seat and it had been duct taped/camera taped several times but was pretty much trashworthy. So I'd been looking for a cute chair for her to replace it, and found this one in all places but an Avon catalog. Go figure---need some mascara, skin so soft, creme and an inflatable pink lounge chair. Perfect! Well, the design and inflatables could be a little more fine tuned, but Madison likes it just fine. Me? I wish the cover fit better and was more snug. But at least I was able to throw away my 3$ bouncy chair! :)Happy Lounging Maddie :)

C'est Fini!

Well project kitchen is now finished.....tah-dah! We actually finished it on Saturday, but I neglected to get the pictures downloaded and so forth. Here is the result:

It really only took the two days, the longest part was the painting. The chair rail was super easy, and I guess it does help when you're able to borrow the right tools from friends. I'm thrilled with the way it turned out!

I also included close ups of my Polish pottery. I love my plates and wish I could get back to Poland to buy soooo much more! I LOVE IT!

I've already started on the next painting project, and have one wall in the family room done. Once everything is painted, I'll give the grand tour!