Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone the Merriest of Christmases tomorrow, from our HOME to yours...

The best Christmas movie ever made and a long-standing Bird Christmas Eve tradition. Enjoy!

Holiday Essentials

Makenna and I are gearing up for our cross-country plane ride tomorrow to AZ. And so it is with Christmas cheer on my mind that I divulge a list of Holiday Essentials, a few "must-dos" that will help ease the chaos that is this lovely season.

First off, go meet your husband at work/school during his lunch hour. There you can plan your list of Christmas To-Do's over a delicious meal. A personal recommendation: Acropolis at the bottom of Union Station. Get the GYRO, which is as big as a frisbee, and eat it all by yourself. You won't regret it.


Second, take off on a Tacky Light Tour, courtesy of this website. No need to dress warm; you can even wear your PJ's in the car as you witness the spectacular sights of Christmas at its tackiest. Best house by far was the one with all their lights synced with a radio station. It was like the Bellagio fountains on steroids.


Third, make an obscene amount of Rocky Road Fudge to give as small tokens of your appreciation and affection to neighbors and friends. It will soften the hearts and tummies of even the Scroogiest of souls. Be sure to make an extra batch for you and your hubby to sit and munch on in front of the fire.


Fourth, be sure to attend a fabulous Holiday party wearing festive colors at this house. An inspirational party theme: "These Are A Few of my Favorite Things." A holiday party in the middle of all the hustle and bustle will ensure a fun-filled, stress-free, gab fest occasion for all invited.



Fifth, the Reason for the Season. In order to experience some peace and serenity in the name of Christmas, make your way on up to the DC temple lights where you will enjoy a live nativity, thousands and thousands of tiny lights on every tree, and lovely carols heard from around the grounds. Don't forget to make your way into the Visitor's Center where every warm body in a 10-mile radius will assemble to get warm. It would be a true tragedy to miss the Reflections exhibit in Theatre 2 where you can sit and enjoy the beautiful music and photographs which reflect the Savior's life.



Lastly, if you are still caught up in all the stresses of the Christmas season and have tried all of my suggestions to no avail, you can always sneak off to a late night showing of this movie with some girlfriends. It does NOT matter that you've seen it three times already. If it declutters your brain, you are entitled.

Now that my Holiday Essentials list is complete, turn on some Judy Garland, settle back with your honey, grab a blanket, and enjoy this beautiful Christmas season.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Hot Spot

I didn't want to be one of those moms who posts pointless videos of their child on their blog just because she thinks they're adorable. But then I thought, "This is MY blog, and I DO have a pointless video that I think IS adorable, so I WILL post it."

The other day Makenna and I were folding laundry down in the basement. When we were done, I picked up the basket, plopped her in as well, and carried them both upstairs. As I looked down at my daughter on the way up the stairs, a look of coolness was smeared across her face. As I set the basket down in the living room, she remained inside, perfectly content. I tried to pull her up out of the basket, but her little self resisted and she instead reached for her blanket and cuddled up to it like a cat. Since that day the $8 Walmart laundry basket has become the Mann residence's hottest hot spot to hang out. BTW, cartoons are becoming increasingly cooler in the morning (only while being watched from inside the basket).

It's a good thing Santa lives with her; he's getting a very good idea of what should be under the tree Christmas morning.

A Few Words of Thanksgiving Wisdom

We got back last night from a majorly fun Thanksgiving vacation in NYC with our friends, the Olsens, from Richmond. We learned a lot from our experience, in case we ever dare make this trek again during the same insane weekend.

#1 DO make sure you know all the details of your hotel room before you decide to share with your good friends. (Luckily, they remain our good friends after this shared-room experience.)
#2 DON'T think that just because your husbands got to the parade at 5 am to stake out the best spots on West Central Park Ave., that anyone will accommodate you finding them at 8:30... with two strollers in tow. (We were the targets of a few choice words from more than a few people.)
#3 DO come to grips beforehand that you will pay up the wazoo for parking, no matter what kind of "good deal" you find.
#4 DON'T assume your child has the uncanny ability to keep her shoes and mittens on in the subway. They WILL come off and you WILL lose them.
#5 DO take advantage of the amazing fare from street vendors in order to save a few bucks.
#6 DO take part in a Broadway show lottery- $25 for really great seats if you win. If you don't, standing room tickets are not that terrible for an extremely good price.
#7 DON'T be late to the Today show if you really want to see Barry Manilow sing "Mandy."
#8 DON'T be afraid to buy a pirated DVD of Twilight from a lady on Canal Street... it may actually work.
#9 DON'T be afraid to call up an old college roommate who lives in the city and see if you can use his apartment to make a homemade Thanksgiving Dinner, complete with Stovetop stuffing and Costco pumpkin pie (thanks Peter).
#10 DO make really bright signs to hang on the street barricades during the parade that say "BABIES' FIRST THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE." Miley Cyrus, James Taylor, Miss America, and every clown and photographer as far as the eye can see will give your baby their attention. I am convinced that David Aruchuleta just didn't see our signs, otherwise he would have cooed at our babies as well.

Finally- The New House

So this is it- a work in progress. But nevertheless, OUR work in progress. We've had a busy last two months, but they've been tremendously worth it and we're beginning to feel more and more comfortable in our own home. So, without further ado...


The new kitchen. Completely gutted. New cabinets, countertops, tile, and paint. Only things that remain are the gross fridge, dishwasher, and oven. Maybe in a little while we'll be giving GE a call. FYI, Drew did EVERYTHING himself (minus actually laying the countertops)- who knew I had such a handy husband?
Other side of the kitchen. We added some extra cabinet space on the left that wasn't there previously, so it takes away a bit of space from the eat-in area, but I finally have a handy place to store my cookbooks.
There's a step-down from the now-vacant dining room into the living room. Drew refinished the hardwood floors and it only took them 3 weeks to dry... yes, you read right. Three weeks of tip-toeing around in socks, upside-down carpet runners everywhere and misplaced furniture. I think it was worth it, though. We have yet to burn anything in the fireplace, but I'm excited "get our burn on" this winter.
Other side of the living room.

Upstairs bath. We gutted everything but the bathtub; it wasn't nearly as bad as the master was. This was the first major project when we moved in. As soon as the vanity was set up and there was a new toilet, I felt nothing but relief as I could now get ready in OUR bathroom, and not some gross Peruvian's bathroom.

Makenna's room.

Master bedroom. You can't see the paint color very well, but just compare it to a bright orange piece of fruit and you have your before and after (don't forget the maroon carpet).

Master bath. This Drew did not do, but a very nice Columbian did. I seriously LOVE how it turned out and feel extremely spoiled. I can't wait until we get a door on it so that I can actually use it.

The basement (I'm not sure if you really call it a basement since it's on the same level as the garage). A little drafty, but it houses my favorite bonus of our new home....

MY CRAFT SET-UP, complete with authentic Dominican paraphernalia, my treasured sombrero, a plethora of supply drawers, a work lamp, and a sewing cupboard (not pictured). Is this not awesome?

Alright folks, the long-awaited renovation post has come to an end. Now you can picture us in our new house. If you ever come to Northern VA, you've got a place to stay (depending on who exactly is reading this blog). We love it up here, although are missing Richmond terribly. We like our ward (1 ward for the whole town) and even got our introductory talks out of the way yesterday... sigh. Drew is truly enjoying his job at the FTC and even has his very own office, which I've yet to actually see. Makenna is walking up a storm and makes me laugh because she looks a bit drunk whenever she's on the go. And I am getting us ready for a fun Thanksgiving trip up to New York City to witness the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with our friends from Richmond. Delicious street vendors- here we come.

Words you never want to hear from your dentist:

"How does this one work? Hold on, Kara, while I figure out a couple of these tools."

Mission Accomplished

Our mission: to get our 1 year-old to look like a legit Trick-or-Treater
Status: Accomplished



I was a tad worried that people in our neighborhood would think that by taking our barely-walking daughter out to Trick-or-Treat, we were really just trying to score the goods for ourselves. Partly true, I admit. But more the case that I wanted her to experience her first Halloween Night (3 months old at a ward Trunk-or-Treat doesn't count).
However, we received no such awkward glances or suspicious comments. Lucky for us, she finally learned to walk 2 weeks ago, so her Trick-or-Treating was true to form without us having to carry her. We started her out easy this year, only hitting about 8-10 houses. We'll build up stamina, though, in future years so that she can attain the greatness that was her mother up until college (maybe through college).

We had the most Trick-or-Treaters of all our married years combined and I only made one child cry. Story in brief: This 7-year-old girl was our first customer of the night, happily receiving her candy into her pail. "Happy Halloween," I called as she bounced down our steps. An hour later, the same fairy princess (buck teeth and all) knocked on my door again, this time with a whole slew of other children. I passed out the candy to each one, ending on her. I put the leftover candy in my hand back into the bowl and said, "You've already been to my house and I gave you candy. You should go to houses you haven't been to." She gave me a mock confused look and replied, "But look, I don't have anything in my bucket." After realizing I was not going to budge, she turned around and cried to her mom, "That lady didn't give me anything Mom," and I shut the door. Right now you're either looking at your screen incredulously, saying, "It's only a piece of candy Kara," (like Drew did) or you're breathing a sigh of relief, saying "Yup. Another one caught. Way to go Kara." And in that case, you are probably an elementary teacher at heart who has known kids like this who try to work the system.
And to you I say, "Thank you."

A Spooktacular Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I had Makenna try on her costume yesterday to make sure it fit and couldn't resist snapping a few shots of our little bug. She got so excited when I was putting it on her. We can't wait to have her strut her stuff Trick-or-Treating tonight. I just have to teach her to hold her bucket and walk at the same time in the next few hours- no prob.

Getting settled in

We are finally getting settled in here. We love living in Burke and are having some adventures figuring out the freeway system of Northern VA. This last weeknd we headed to the town's Fall Festival and had such an awesome time forgetting about all the "to-do's" with the house and having some family time. Makenna had a ball in the huge slides there, the swings, and petting the animals. She also got to pick out her own pumpkin- it's just her size. I'll post some house pics as soon as it looks 1/2 way presentable. Last week we finished tiling the kitchen and one of the bathrooms upstairs. Drew amazes me with all that he knows how to do (or shall we say, figures out as he goes). Either way, I sure married a handyMann.

Tag: Quirky Me

Here are the rules:
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
5. Leave a comment to let them know.

So this is the last thing I should be doing with my time, however, I feel it important to take a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle that is renovating a home. After all, people need to know about your quirks, mostly for precautionary purposes, and it's always a little awkward to verbally communicate them to people. So thank you, Janica, for providing me this profound opportunity.

1. Maybe THE most awful quirk that has been life-altering for me is: I HATE THE BRUSHING OF TEETH. I don't hate brushing MY teeth, but I hate watching or listening to other people brush their teeth. It looks gross. It smells even grosser. I don't even like it when Drew does it, nor on TV or during a movie. I have to change the channel until it's over or close the door until Drew's done. Being a mother who cares about dental hygiene, though, my precious daughter is immune to fitting into this quirk. There- it's out. I feel better now.

2. I like to do my hair before I go to bed at night. Nothing fancy, just pinned up and brushed. I've done it for years. That way I feel stellar during my dreams.

3. I have a hard time eating food from other people's kitchens. I'm not saying I won't, but it takes a lot out of me to do it. There's something about knowing where the food has been prepared and by whom (preferably by me) that brings comfort to my table. This makes potlucks extremely difficult for me to find joy in.

4. I have to have a Diet Coke with my lunch every day. Not anything else, just Diet Coke. It's my little reward for getting up and going all morning. During pregnancy I was allowed 1 Diet Coke a day (I attribute my antepartum sanity to this one little allowance)- lunch was when I used it. It has to be ice cold. I prefer a can over a cup with ice and straw. Diet Coke goes well with any given lunch fare, but especially Mexican cuisine.

5. And the last quirk I will divulge in this post is... a certain hotel germ phobia. I do not take my shoes/slippers off in a hotel room. You never know whose dirty feet touched that carpet before you. I never sit on the bed spread; sheets have to be turned down. If I see loose hairs in the bathtub or under the sink or anywhere in the bathroom, I am grossed out to say the very least, and sometimes plead with Drew to have us change to another room in the hotel. I used to love staying in hotels when I was younger; now I am always on the look-out for other people's hotel germs. Really, it can be exhausting.

Okay, I'm finished being quirky. It was a little self-cleansing for me. I now tag: Amanda, Amy, Kristin, Ashlee, Mindi, and Stacy.

I'm sad to say we have left the building... that is, Richmond. A little harder than I thought it would be to part from the home where Drew and I endured law school together, brought our first child into the world, and lived in longer than any other residence since we've been married.

This will be a quick post, as we are living out of a suitcase in a hotel and trying desperately to get all our renovations done. I'm realizing this was an impossible task from the very beginning and that we must have been heavily drugged to think we could :

1. install new kitchen cabinets
2. recarpet our house
3. tile the kitchen and 4 bathrooms
4. paint every wall in the house, including trim and doors
5. install all new hardware, door knobs, faucets, and light fixtures
6. buff and seal the hardwood on the main floor
7. put in new vanities/ countertops in kitchen and bathrooms
8. scrape the popcorn finish off the ceilings and sand, paint them
9. and dig a 10 foot hole for a recreational pool in the backyard

.... all in 9 days. OK, we may have been shooting for the moon with number 9, but seriously, how hard can this all be? For all those times I watched "Flip This House" and scoffed at the unsuspecting homeowners for setting a budget unrealistically low and vowing to complete everything in 4 weeks,

I now say, "Please forgive me. For I knew not what I said."

The Spirit of the Y

This past week we made the journey to the promised land and had the best time ever... no joke. We originally had planned on going out for the BYU vs UCLA game, but ended up with an extreme added bonus when my best friend in the world, Jenn, decided to have her nuptials performed that weekend as well. Pictured below is me with my favorite college roommates (minus Tiffany-Ann): Jenny and Jenn.







Makenna was our good luck charm at her first BYU game, securing a 59-0 shutout against the lowly Bruins (their worst game since 1929). Dad got us tickets on the last row of the south endzone, which were surprisingly awesome seats, (great birds' eye view and fully shaded throughout the game).


While in Utah we... feasted on Cafe Rio's pork salad AND chocolate-covered cinnamon bears (heaven in a bag), we visited both sets of Makenna's great-grandparents on Drew's side, attended the best sealing I've ever been to at the Salt Lake temple, went off-roading out to Uncle Daniel's worksite, made delicious raspberry jam in Logan, met Makenna's cousins whom she'd never met, spent time with Grandma and Grandpa visiting in Provo, and got spoiled by Grandma Karen. Got to love the Spirit of the Y. You can live a hundred places, but it always feels like home when you go back to BYU.

Sweet City of Burke...Here We Come

Well, we did it. We finally bought a home! After searching long and hard around the DC metro area, we found a winner...














Psych. I just wanted to make the home that we really found look awesome.

We have found a town home in the great town of Burke, VA, located directly south of the city of Fairfax. We fell in love immediately with our little gem of a home, not because of what the naked eye sees, but what it doesn't see. Are you following me? Have a glance at the snapshots below to get a feeling of what we have gotten ourselves into.

Can you say, "POTENTIAL"? This house has it written on every wall, in every corner, and under both layers of kitchen linoleum. Seriously.




Since we're closing at 1:00 pm Monday and moving in Saturday morning, Drew has his work cut out for him. Luckily for us, we have the honored childhood friend of Drew's, BEN BARKER, coming to share in all this man work. Boy, am I thankful I have the responsibility of bearing children, and not the burdens of home renovations.

Sit tight and wait for pictures of the "new and improved" mann-sion (slight exaggeration).