Movie Recommendation

Several months ago Shelley recommended this movie and tonight we finally had a chance to watch it. We really enjoyed it and I think you will too. Thanks Shelley.

From the movie website:
When his wealthy grandfather dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens anticipates a big inheritance. Instead his grandfather has devised a crash course on life: twelve tasks (or "gifts") designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways, sending him on a journey of self discovery and forcing him to determine what is most important in life: money or happiness.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Love,
Jared, Sydney, Gibson and Easton Condie

I found IT....on ebay



Thank you ebay for helping me find IT. During the summer Gibson received a Fantastic Four "blue man" from his kids meal at Burger King. This little man is one of his favorites (takes turns with Buzz Lightyear) and during one of our trips home to UT in November, he lost it.

He has looked for it everyday since. He grabs the flashlight and looks, he has his toys help him, he misses blue man like crazy. He uses phrases like "I gotta find him", "Oh, blue man is lost and I'm sad" and "think, think, think- where could he be"(as he taps his forehead).

Well, he has seen Santa a few times this season and the only thing he has asked for is "Blue Man." So, I found one on ebay! It came with 5 others and for $10, I'm making my 3 year olds Christmas wish come true!

sick AND tired

Easton has been sick the past few days. After waking up in the middle of the night needing his pj's, sheet and blanket changed (again) I found him like this. Too tired to lay down!

Killer Caramel Recipe

My sister-in-law Jen starting showing up to some family functions with this caramel. Every time I eat more than I should. She brought it to Chana's bridal shower back in August and we were so stingy with it we didn't even put it out for our guests.

She gave me the recipe and I just made it. I'm ready to make my second batch since the first turned out so good! Jared, who is not a caramel fan even likes it!

As you can tell from the picture, I wrapped half of it and the other half I dipped in chocolate. Good both ways.

I got the recipe for the peppermint fudge from my friend Becky. So easy to make and so delicious. Click here for the recipe.

Still on the list to make is Almond Joys. This is a Condie family favorite and this will be my first attempt to make them on my own. Hopefully we'll get those made on Sunday so Jared can deliver them to co-workers on Monday.


If you have plans to make caramel this season you should try this recipe. Just check out the ingredients and you'll KNOW why it's so good.

One Year Ago TODAY........

Easton Thomas Condie was born at 3:45 p.m. He weighed 7 lbs 1oz.

He was the best Christmas present we could have asked for.


We're told he looks exactly like his dad.....lucky kid.

A few things about Easton:

He wasn't named for 7 days after he was born. We couldn't decide between Easton and Carson. I made two Christmas cards and two baby announcements last year...one with each name. Finally after 7 days we knew it was Easton.

He has 6 teeth.

He crawls like a monkey and jumps like a frog to get to you.

He rarely cries and is a great sleeper.

He picks on his big brother and much to Gibson's dismay, copies him.

He loves to play with cars, loves his blankie and makes his own waves in the tub by crawling really fast from end to end and then stopping in the middle to let the water splash on him.

He weighs almost 25 lbs, is wearing 12-18 month clothes and size 5 diapers. My siblings call him "The Tank"

We had a small party over the weekend while we had family in town. Easton loved to play in his cake but wasn't too interested in eating it. He got some fun presents- cars, trucks, a new hammer, bathtub rings, a tent and tunnel and money for his savings account.


This past year has been a blur, it went way too quickly. Easton is a JOY in our family and we love him from the moon to the stars and back! Happy 1st Birthday Easton!!

SNOW much fun!!

6:30 p.m.- I hollered at Gibson and he didn't answer back. After a few minutes I ran upstairs and couldn't find him. I checked under his bed and there he was FAST ASLEEP. He was exhausted from this weekend and this is why.........

My parents, my sister Chana and her husband Fred and my other sister Erin came up for the weekend. Chana, Fred and Erin arrived Friday night around 10:30, Gibson whom was so excited for them to arrive, went to bed about 11:30.

We received several inches of snow during the night and what better way to play in it than to make a snow family! Jared recruited the neighbors and they made 4 snowmen in honor of our little family of four. The snowmen were complete with coal eyes and carrots for noses. Too cute!


Erin was working on making a hat.....She wasn't going fast enough so Jared decided to help....
What would a cold, snowy weekend be without a gingerbread house?? Gibson had a great time making the candy roof and I'm certainly thankful for Costco that sells Gingerbread house kits! Less work for me and still tons of fun for him!
Chana and Fred enjoying the antics of the children. We celebrated Easton's birthday while everyone was here (a post about that to come later) so the boys were filled with sugar and new toys. Oh, they were hyper!


Such a busy weekend and we LOVED every minute of it! We love when we have visitors. Thanks for enjoying the weekend with us! We love you guys!

tHriFt stOrE fiNdS

I'm not a huge thrift store shopper. However, on the AF base, we have a thrift store where we can consign our "treasures". So, I clean out closets and then head to the thrift store to consign them. This little practice has made me over $200 in the past 4 months. Not too shabby for things I no longer need (like my mom jeans.)

Usually I'm in and out of the store. I go in the back door and never look around. However last week, Gibson who watches a movie while I consign was being SO good that I decided to browse. I may not love thrift stores but I do love a few minutes of uninterrupted shopping.

Look what I found! Better yet...guess how much I spent!
$3.75 bought me 6 games and a little walker for Easton (which he LOVES.) It also bought me a Mr. Potato set. A few of the games Gibson won't be able to play for a few years but the kids in our babysitting exchange can!

This little .25 gadget has changed Easton's world. He can get around pretty fast and it's super light so when he runs into a wall, he can just pick it up and turn it and keep on going!
I must say, I was pretty excited for my finds!

a humbling sight

I had to run to Wal-mart this morning. I needed 2 items so I knew it would be a quick trip. As I turned into the parking lot I saw 4 fire trucks, a few squad cars, a few sheriff cruisers as well as ambulances, etc. All had their lights on and were parked in the fire lane directly in front of the store.

"Oh crap" were the first words that came to my head. Not for the poor individuals who were hurt or had a tragic moment inside Wal-mart but for me....I needed some things and Wal-mart is my only option.

I parked and walked in totally expecting police tape and someone signaling us to "keep moving" but instead what I saw brought tears to my eyes.

It was our local Shop with a Cop day for needy kids in my town. Everywhere I looked there were uniformed police officers, Air Force men and women and sheriff deputies armed with a shopping cart and a young child who was grinning from ear to ear. The shopping carts were filled with gifts for family members. Some kids had lists they were referring to and others were holding two items trying to compare so they could make sure and get the best present.

After they used their gift card to purchase all their gifts, they then went and had the gifts wrapped so they would be ready to put under the tree once they got home.

This really tugged at my heart strings. Jared and I are in no sense wealthy but I can say my kids have never gone without. My kids have everything they need to keep them healthy and warm. They have plenty of toys and usually are treated to a new toy every now and again "just because."

Seeing these needy kids today really made me realize how blessed I am and how blessed my children are. It made me want to do more for others in need, especially at this time of year.

So, I am going to find an angel tree and purchase something for someone else. It may be small but to the child who receives it, it might make all the difference this year.

So I'm challenging YOU to also do what you can for others. Forget those neighbor gifts and use that money to buy a kid a coat or pick up a name on your local angel tree and buy something small...if we all do something small, we'll make a BIG difference in the lives around us.