The Annual Neighborhood Talent Show and Sing-In

Well, we did it - last night we hosted the first annual Neighborhood Talent Show and Sing-In in the Larsen Family Party Barn. Gary went to town decorating the barn with twinkle lights, garlands and stage lighting (while keeping one eye on the BYU bowl game as well, of course! Go Cougs!) It looked amazing! Wish I'd had my head on me and thought to take some pictures - d'oh!

We had about 60 people show up, which is pretty good for a first time thing, and the talent acts ranged from clogging numbers (of course, since half the local kids take from us) to a Scout lip synch to the 12 Days of Christmas to a bagpipe solo. Maggie, Sophie and Gary sang the song Maggie and Gary made up together, Waltzing with my Daddy, and Sophie got up and tapped her way (along with her BFF Charlotte) through Holly Jolly Christmas. Lots of piano solos and caroling, too. Afterwards, of course, we turned on music and the disco lights, pushed the chairs back, and the whole crowd boogied down to Christmas music. Even the teenagers, which we think was quite a feat.

Now it's all cleaned up and we're recuperating. I'm still in my pajamas and it's noon, but it's Christmas break, right? And aren't showers overrated anyway?

Signing off to wrap some presents and drink hot cocoa with the kids...I love Christmas!

Not A Very Festive Rant... Don't Read this if You Approve of the Governement taking over our Healthcare...

To the insanely corrupt, power-grasping creeps currently "representing" the people in Washington:

The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775 - you've had 234 years to get it right; it's broke. Social Security was established in 1935 - you've had 74 years to get it right; it's broke. Fannie Mae was established in 1938 - you've had 71 years to get it right; it's broke. The "War on Poverty" started in 1964 - you've had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor"; it hasn't worked and our entire country is broke. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965 - you've had 44 years to get it right; they're both broke. Freddie Mac was established in 1970 - you've had 39 years to get it right; it's broke. Trillions of dollars were spent in the massive political payoffs called TARP, the "Stimulus", the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009.... none show any signs of working, although ACORN appears to have found a new resource: the American taxpayer. And finally, to set a new record: "Cash for Clunkers" was established in 2009 and went broke in 2009! It took cars (that were the best some people could afford) and replaced them with high-priced and less-affordable cars, mostly Japanese. A good percentage of the profits went out of the country. And the American taxpayers take the hit for Congress' generosity in burning three billion more of our dollars on failed experiments like Ms. Clinton's $100 billion annual pledge to third world countries to help them cut their greenhouse gasses (like that will work - take the money and run, boys!) So with a perfect 100% failure rate and a record that proves that "services" you shove down our throats are failing faster and faster, you want Americans to believe you can be trusted with a government-run health care system? 20% of our entire economy? With all due respect, Are you crazy?

More lies from the democrats. Reid says it going to "save" $750B. What the lying weasel forgets to mention is that the 10 year CBO report is based on 10 years of collecting the taxes but only 6-7 years of paying out the benefit. Once the full benefit kicks in, this bill will be massively in the red every year after that point. Its the worst fiscal scam foisted on the American people since the invention of Medicare which is 30 Trillion dollars in the hole.

There are effective, important ways to help the health care situation. I know it needs an overhaul - I know the system needs help. Allow insurance companies to compete with each other by crossing state lines, that's a starter! And a co-pay for Medicaid treatments would bolster both its finances and its users' personal responsibility. But these nutjobs in Washington want CONTROL (and securing up a dependant voter base doesn't hurt, either!). They want to cover illegal aliens and infant murder/abortion with taxpayer money. And legislate the habits, health treatments and life value of the American people. Our taxes will skyrocket, our doctors quit (who wants to be told what they can make, where they have to live and what they can own, for pete's sake, by the government?) and our access to care will shrivel up. What sane, intelligent, THINKING kind of person supports this insanity? If you do, go right ahead and try to defend it - I dare you. Actually, this is killing my holiday spirit. Wait until after the holidays, and then bring it on.

I need a drink.. oh wait, I don't drink. Rats. Time to go do some yoga I guess and calm myself down...

SYTYCD

I just sent this email to my fam and figured I may as well post it here as well, so the whole world (or at least the three people who read this blog) can get an inside glimpse to the glory and wonder that is the Larsen Family Household:

So I meant to pass this on earlier, but I had a funny story relating to our So You Think You Can Dance experience this week. We always watch it on our downstairs tv because that's the only one with cable reception. Gary, Maggie and I usually sit on the bed while Soph and Spence bop around from the bed to the sofa to the stairs... anyway, we were watching the show on Tuesday (we loved Mollee's waltz, the weird table routine and Russell's Santa solo) when all of a sudden I noticed a trail of ... something .... leading to the other room. I turned the corner and lo and behold, it looked like it had snowed in our downstairs living room! Only instead of snow covering my carpet, sofa and chair rail - it was the extensive droppings from an exploded diaper. What joy! It was just pee, thankfully, but it definitely posed a santitation problem that took hours to remedy. I ran completely out of antibacterial wipes.

I guess I should actually change Spencer's diaper once in a while, huh?

Just thought you could all use a good holiday laugh!

Maggie cried when Mollee got dropped. She's been a Mollee fan from the beginning. I'm glad Ashleigh made it - not much personality but she really turns it on onstage and has come a long way - but I could have seen Elenore leave without a sigh.

Who's gonna win? any bets?

love, Mindy

Quote of the Day

"A home is much more than a house built of lumber, brick or stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice and respect. We are responsible for the homes we build. We must build wisely, for eternity is not a short voyage. There will be calm and wind, sunlight and shadows, joy and sorrow. But if we really try, our home can be a bit of heaven here on earth. The thoughts we think, the deeds we do, the lives we live not only influence the success of our earthly journey; they also mark the way to our eternal goals." - Thomas S. Monson

My Favorite Christmas Movies

1. Scrooge: For me, the Christmas season doesn't officially begin until I watch this movie. Beautiful staging, timeless music, brilliant acting! The opening strains of the Overture never fail to make me teary for some reason. Perhaps because they unearth happy flashbacks to the Just Kiddin' days when we performed these songs at every mall and rest home in the Greater Salt Lake area and had a ball doing it! Or maybe it's just the general themes of hope and redemption, set to catchy show tunes like "Thank You Very Much" and "December the 25th." I LOVE this movie. For me, is the harbinger of all Christmas Spirit and I don't feel that the season is complete without it.

2. It's a Wonderful Life. My mom hates this movie, and I can see why, I guess. All these terrible things happen to a guy who's just trying to live a decent life. But still, if you want to talk about hope, love, and service, this is IT. Mary Bailey is one of my heroes. Maybe I love this movie because I truly believe that it is the little things we do which makes the biggest difference in the lives of those around us, even if we don't get immediate validation of their importance.

3. Meet Me in St. Louis. Okay, technically this isn't really a Christmas movie because it takes place over a whole year in the life of a lovely turn of the cenury family, but it contains my very favorite holiday cinema moment ever. The scene featuring Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien where Judy sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is sheer magic. If you haven't seen it, RUN to the nearest Blockbuster (or Netflicks) because you don't want to miss it! The summer, Halloween and spring scenes are also simply delightful.

4. Muppet Christmas Carol: So it's the same old story, also set to music, only enacted by oversized puppets instead of Albert Finney. I don't know really why it's so, but this movie always brings a big ol' grin to my face. And my heart. "Whenever you find home, it feels like Christmas!" "We're Marley and Marley... whooooooooooo!"

5. Tie: A Christmas Story ("You'll shoot your eye out!") and Elf. I know, sick and wrong. But so, so funny. This is a family favorite. "I just like smiling, smiling's my favorite!" "Candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup!" "These toilets are ginormous!"

Runners Up: Miracle on 34th Street (the old black and white version); Holiday Inn; White Christmas; and The Nutcracker, featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov. (Can you get more beautiful lines than Gelsey Kirklands'? Do they even play this any more? Crying shame. I'd gean the newspaper for the holiday tv listings every year growing up to make sure I didn't miss this. I have it on VHS somewhere, and need to see about burning it somehow to dvd... Gary's a genius at stuff like that...)

I am thankful...

... for each day I get to spend with my family. My children are the joys of my life and my husband is a gem. He even watched "Twilight" with me last night to try to understand something I get such a kick out of.

I am so lucky. And blessed to be a part of this family.