Outfit Of The Week......Week 1

In our house, we LOVE Jeff and Jer of STAR 96.5; we listen to them religiously and look forward to their humor and optimistic view of the world.  We love their side-kicks too....Laura, Randy and Little Tommy.  One of the things we always look foward to is Laura's $72.00 outfit of the week. 

However, recently "P", "B" and I were talking about how $72.00 isn't really a practical amount to spend for anybody who doesn't have a career....like high school and college students.  So, we decided to do something fun for this last month of summer....get ready for it.....

We decided we could put together a cute outfit for $25.00 a week.  Yes, it's true - we're sure we can do it.  So, for the next four weeks every Friday, we're going to post our own $25.00 outfit of the week.  We'll tell you exactly how much we spend; even if we go over our allotted $25.00, we'll swallow our pride and tell the gospel truth. And if we happen to have accessories from home, we'll tell that too....

Sound legit??  Okay....

"P" is going to be our first model. 

Okay, this cute summer dress came from Forever 21.  If you don't already know, they're having a killer sale right now - buy one get one free.  This dress was $10.00.  (We also got a skirt that technically was free.  You might be seeing that one of these days.)  See the adorable black shoes - well, they were on sale at a little specialty shop for....$2.00!!!!!  Yes, it's true.  They add the perfect "sass" to this outfit....and almost every other outfit I can think of.  I'm a fan of these shoes.

Here's a close up of them so you can see how truly fun they are. 
Okay, she already had the black belt - but if she didn't, I saw one just like it recently for $5.00 at Forever 21.  The necklace she borrowed from yours truly (what are mother's for) and she had the earrings as well.  If you don't already have earrings to go with it, Forever 21 sells fabulous earrings for around $4.50-$5.00. 

The grand purchase price of this outfit was $12.00!!! Whoot, whoot....but even if you bought a new belt and earrings and added them into the price you're still at $22.00.  Yay!  I love a great bargain...but remember: it's only a bargain if it doesn't look like a bargain!!

That's it for this week, love cats.  Have a nice, cool weekend!!

Slacker, slacker, slacker

Well, what can I say....I'm not going to get into the million excuses I have for being such a "blog slacker", but I am going to swear that I will turn over a new leaf!  That's right - you heard it here first.  Before I go any farther, I have to give a shout out about some of the amazing milestones that have taken place in our Hall-A-Mania world. 

First of all, HIP HIP HOORAY for "P"!  She is offically a high school graduate. It was a wonderful day filled with happiness - a day that she will remember forever.  After graduation, we had a few friends come back to the house for her favorite foods....very fun.....and then she headed out with "D" and friends for a fun-filled evening.  I'm excited for this new chapter in her life: college, roommates - all good things, and at the same time, I realize how much I'm going to miss her!!

Another great Hall moment came at the Hall Family Reunion, when "S" told us that he and "E" are expecting an "itty bitty".  Yippee....let the spoiling begin!!!! 

Everyone in the house is determined to be this baby's "favorite", so bring it on!!!! Come early 2013, we'll be welcoming a new little Hall to the gang.  Get ready for endless posts and pictures....I'm warning you now, so don't be surprised. 

Other summer fun: Stake Girl's Camp with "B"; an afternoon of waterskiing and evening ball game with good friends and Miss "B"; lots of fun family time. 

Swim Fan.....and my picture of the day....

I have to admit that I never fully appreciated swimming. Maybe because my idea of swimming has always included me flailing around in the water, but after attending numerous swim meets this year I have decided there is a real grace and art to swimming. I LOVE watching truly talented swimmers as they take their mark and at the appointed time, launch themselves into the air - back arched, toes pointed...without intending to sound overly dramatic, it's really breathtaking. Today as I sat in the burning hot sun, I couldn't even make myself move to a spot in the shade because I'd lose my prime spot and the opportunity to see these gifted kids glide at record speed as though they were on top of the water.


I was very proud of my little "B"; both her relay teams took first and the one particular event that she was DREADING completing in and was sure she was the worst person in the whole, entire world to participate in this race...she individually took 3rd. She was neck and neck with the 2nd place swimmer until the bitter end. Way to go, my little polly wog!

I know swimming takes an extraordinary amount of effort and some of the team members (who shall remain nameless) will be thrilled when the season is over, but I for one am loving it! By the way, my picture of the day is this lady who has to be close to my age and is still proclaiming her love for Edward Cullen via umbrella. :) Gotta love it!

Water Polo Comes To An End For This Year.....

Just Around The Corner.....

Photo Card

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One More Birthday....The Perfect Way To Welcome Spring

We are down to our last March birthday; as it happens, she was born on the first day of spring which is so appropriate because she is and always has been a breath of fresh air. She has a way of always looking at the bright side of things and always giving people the benefit of the doubt. As stunning as she is to look at on the outside, her inside is even more beautiful. She thinks of others much more frequently than she ever thinks of herself. She is wiser than her years - and we're excited for her as she begins this new chapter of adulthood and begins to spread her wings and fly. I'm grateful to have played a small role in her life; she has taught me many more things than I have ever taught her and I find myself wondering what I will do without hearing her happy voice and seeing the glimmer in her eyes every day. When I close my eyes, I will always see you in the largest dress up hat and most sparkly dress you could find, dancing and singing your heart out and twirling around the living room. Here's to you, my adorable "P"...your future is brighter than the stars and I am so excited for you. Never forget that you are loved and adored. Happy, happy 18th birthday!!!!

Christmas Lights Always Lift My Spirits.....

I'm taking a fun little class on Thursday nights - thank you, Amy at Memory Mixer. This week we worked on putting together a page of multiple pictures; I thought of the great trip we took in December to Temple Square when we were in Utah. It's a little crazy that I'm doing Christmas pictures while I'm sitting in sunny Southern CA in 80 degree weather with my front door open. But it was such a fun evening walking from "S and E's" place down the street and even though it was bitter cold outside (yes, I've gone wimpy), it was one of my favorite memories of that trip. I love the look of all the Christmas lights in the background. But then, I'm a sucker for Christmas lights. Happy Spring, love cats. :)

Let March Madness Begin!

I LOVE the month of March for many reasons, but for the Hall household one of the great things about March is the parade of birthdays throughout the month. Our first birthday belongs to "B" who turns 15 TODAY - yay! Last night at her birthday dinner, she got a fortune cookie that said, "Good news is coming your way. It will be here any day." That seems like a great way to start her birthday!
In honor of "Miss B", here are 15 random things about her that always make me smile:
15. She is super creative. When she was little, she could do amazing things with paper, scissors, tape and a stapler! Sometime, I'll post some pictures. :)
14. She has been looking forward to this year since she was in elementary school. The thought of she and "P" being in the same school, driving together and hanging out has been a dream for years.
13. She is a great and extraordinarily loyal friend.
12. She likes everybody in the family to always be happy.
11. She has the most random taste in music - where that came from, I'll never know. But I love that she always wants me to listen to her "favorite" song.
10. She's super athletic and equally competitive. Just try to convince her that she can't do something.
9. She misses her older brothers and talks about them all the time.
8. She won't take a lunch to school unless it has "cute" food in it.
7. She LOVES to sleep!!
6. Her sister is her best friend.
5. She would eat Orange Chicken for every meal for the rest of her life.
4. She measures time according to how many months she has until she can drive and has always been sure that her Dad bought the Mustang just for her.
3. She plans out what she's going to wear before she goes to sleep every night and she can't go to bed until she does.
2. She wants to live in Pennsylvania when she gets older - after she goes to college in Hawaii.
1. She adds a HUGE dose of fun to our family. We would be lost without her!
Happy Birthday to our favorite 15 year old!!

Aqua Chicks

I love my little waterpolo girls. I love that they play on the same team and that they have this time together. I never thought I could love watching a high school sport as much as I loved basketball, but I was wrong. I love my little aqua chicks.

Before And After......

By far the BIGGEST laugh of the day came after riding a water ride on a less than warm day....a water ride that goes straight down where you are COVERED in water....and not a little water. The picture speaks for itself.





With Grandma and counsins in town and a very special birthday (happy 18th D!!!) on a school holiday, we decided to take advantage of it and head to Knott's Berry Farm. I intended on being the official photographer - which I did. Here are a few favorite pictures from the day.

It's Christmas!!

This year Christms was on a Sunday. I LOVE Christmas on Sunday; I wish we could do it this way every year - like Easter. We had an amazing meeting with some of the best music around - thank you, Kerinda VanWagoner. We started a new tradition that I think I'm going to love. On Christmas day, we have a big brunch and the following day, we have Christmas dinner. Just our little way of making the beauty of Christmas last a little longer. This year, "K" came for dinner the day after Christmas. We had a wonderful time together.

Family Fun During The Holidays

Right before Christmas we made a mad dash to Utah for Dan's wedding. It was beautiful! We were so foruntate to be able to fit in a trip to Temple Square. Considering it had been years since I had been there at Christmas, I had forgotten just how breathtaking it is when it's all lit up and ready for Christmas. There was such a great feeling there as we all walked around, bundled up and enjoying the terrific scenery and the beautiful spirit. It was the perfect way to begin the Christmas season.






The day after Thanksgiving, I always begin putting up the Christmas decorations. This involves the dreaded Christmas tree; don't get me wrong - the tree is AMAZINGLY beautiful....once it gets up, but getting it untangled from whatever baffoon put it away the year before almost always requires a merit badge in untying knots and Judge Judy to make a ruling. It's never pretty. Fortunately, this year we had "E" who is the most calming influence any household can have. If she hadn't been around, I might have shoved the tree somewhere...and not up the chimney. Anyway, she helped from start to finish - which was more than can be said for any of our male counterparts who disappeared when they saw she had a handle on the whole thing. All I can say is, "Thank heavens for Miss E"!!!!




I LOVE Thanksgiving....it's definitely my favorite holiday of the year. To make it even more wonderful, our whole family was together this year. YAY times a million!!!!!!! We had our amazing sister missionaries join us, along with one of our great friends and former missionaries, Elder Lopez. Probably my favorite part of the day is when everyone has eaten and we're all sitting around the table, unbelievably full and we start sharing stories. It always evolves into hysterical laughter. Definitely a day I am grateful for.