A wild night at my house...

 After bath time...Blakey had fun combing his hair like a little, proper, business man...
and everyone was snuggly in their jammies...Blakey and baby had so much fun playing together. He is so sweet...he talks to her so cute and nice..."come on baby, yets (let's) play with your house"....

We hunted for Alani's perfect jammies...First her hello kitty gown-like pajamas, then her footie pajamas...
Then Jordan came and played a youtube video for me- "Tip Toe Through The Tulips" by Tiny Tim for me...he thinks it's hilarious. And he put a Santa hat on my head, told me he loved me then went to his room (AKA Man Cave)...and told me that the thing I worked on for my new video is upside down...

After I finally got little lady (AKA Elyse, AKA the baby) to sleep...I edited my new video, and it's now 3:08am and I am typing this blog because the repair man is coming in the morning and I don't know how I'll write a blog while dealing with the repair man here.

I ate chocolate chips today...watched cooking shows that made me hungry...
...hugged each one of my babies and my heart just shoots fireworks of love....
burned my finger with my hot glue gun making a project (you'll see soon)...
and  did my hair and make-up for a video and didn't even go anywhere (that always seems weird-got all dressed up with no where to go)....
and now I hope I can fall asleep...

love and bags of chocolate chips (oh those Guittard chocolate chips are danger in a bag)...
your kandee

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Cups of Cozy and Love...

our little gingerbread men cups are ready and waiting with their candy canes...they may not be full of hot chocolate (yet), but they are ready and waiting full of love...

As a mama, and as all mama's...we make a house a home...

with love and care we wash little clothes...put clean, yummy smelling sheets on beds, scrub bath tubs so they are sparkling clean for bath time.

The reason I was so excited to decorate for Christmas...was to make our house feel like a wonderland for Christmas..for my little ones (well and my big Jordan)...

I want all my little family to know that once they are inside our house...they are in our little wonderland of a home. Where I make sure they are showered in love, patience, hugs, and cuddles.

Mistakes are ok, we learn from them. Their little hearts mean more to me than making sure they're rooms and everything is perfect all the time- it isn't a sign of child being there if there isn't a mess somewhere sometime.

*

If something gets broken, it's ok....it means more that their heart is one piece.

If someone wants all my attention - it's a joy because some day they won't.

If someone only wants to be in my arms - I rejoice, because some day I wont' be able to hold them.

If someone is being naughty- it is the greatest opportunity, not to get mad because they're not acting how we want, but a chance to teach them and explain how we should act and tell them the kind of way we should talk to each other.

Sometimes, we should learn that saying, "Let's say this instead" OR "Let's play with this instead", OR "Let's not do that"...is far better than saying a million "NO's" all day long.

And sometimes the greatest thing that your little person can hear, is you telling someone else how great they are....

Don't just live life and let each day pass by....make life a treasure...make your house, room , apartment......a home. A home is any place you fill with love, care and a little cozy all around.

Mugs full of hot chocolate and love...and smiling faces....
your kandee

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Cute As A Cupcake

3 Things:

I love Cupcakes.

*If you don't believe me- you can watch and/or eat my "famous" cupcake recipe here. CLICK HERE, BUT BE WARNED THESE ARE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE and I'VE BEEN KNOWN TO MAKE A BATCH A DAY, FOR MULTIPLE DAYS IN A ROW!

When I was pregnant, Elyse got nicknamed, Cupcake.

I had to buy this Cupcake costume from Old Navy.

And I had to show you the cupcake outfit from behind.
(If anyone is curious, her little striped leggings are from Target, more affectionately called by Target lovers, as Tar-jay.)

What's cuter than a baby in a cupcake suit? A baby in a cupcake suit holding a basket full of cupcakes?!?! I don't know...

hoping to bring you a smile...one blog at a time...
huge hugs, little cupcakes...and one dangerously delicious cupcake recipe... your kandee

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Oh Christmas Shopping and Fun Strangers

This is the face I make when I'm very seriously, (look at the serious-ness on my face! I mean business!ha ha ha) trying to read, what the hay bales, this stocking stuffer toy is supposed to be (and as you can see, baby loved it)....
It turned out to be some weird bug. Not a fan of creepy bug toys. It stayed at Target where it belonged.

Christmas Shopping Day Breakdown:

1. Way too many people everywhere.

2. Way to many people in line for EVERYTHING...Santa, to buy candies, to buy something at Starbucks, to buy a bottle of water....

3. Realized the trickery of the Babies R Us 20% off coupon that said, 20% one baby item....BUT, you have to read the microscopic print on the back that said, on EVERYTHING EXCEPT BABY TOYS! Found that out at the checkout stand....you tricksters at Babies R Us.

4. When it's Christmas time, and there's only 2 of something that you want to buy, don't say, "I'll come back and get it"...when you come back like I did, it will be gone, sold out, and no more shipments coming in, EVARRRR AGAIN!
 
5. After an entire day of running all over town...not being able to find most everything I was looking for...I had 15 minutes to do all my grocery shopping for all the family that will be coming for Christmas. I WAS RUNNING with my shopping cart through the store. Running...like I was on some game grocery shopping game show.

6. It's funny when the girl bagging my groceries asked: "Do you know a blogger named Kandee Johnson? You look like her..." hee hee hee To which I replied: "YES! I'm her!"...and she told me she actually heard my voice and recognized it first...ahh yess, my mysterious 5 year old, little kid sounding voice...how can anyone miss it?

BUT....my hands down best part of the day was.....
when I was standing in line to buy my grama (her favorite Christmas present), a box of chocolate from See's Candies...and the woman in front of me, a stylish, very thin lady, that looks like she'd never eat the candies from there, asked me: Do you want a chocolate?
Me: "sure..." and as a I reach for the candy...
she says: "You have to just take a bite and out of it, then put the rest back...it's a joke gift I've giving someone"...
I asked her: "are you serious?"....
she said yes....
and everyone in line behind me joined in...it was the best shopping moment I've ever had with strangers!

mugs of hot chocolate, your Kandee

PS... I'm off to get my "Holiday House tour" uploaded today! Can't wait to show you guys!

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Four Score and 3 Years ago....

okay...minus the 4 score...but this was what was happening on my blog exactly 3 years ago to the day:
as I clack out the words on my keyboard right now...my belly is dealing with all the hot chocolate

I drank....and the large amounts of whipped cream, that  probably initiated Carpel Tunnel in my wrists from all the mixing it up. Need I remind you, I no longer posess an electric mixer.

However,

my super mama is getting me one for Christmas.

I just might miss my, full-body shaking, that goes along with the hand-mixing workout.

Man, I tell you, this little lad in the picture.....melts me faster than an ice cube on the sun.

He smiles, squints his eyes, and tilts his head into his shrugged shoulders

and I'm all his.

Off I go to drink some H20 to help dilute the large quantities of hot chocolate churning in my stomach.

nice night recap: hot chocolate, christmas music...sing Wham!'s Last Christmas with J-man

ahhh.....

funny how, even exactly 3 years ago....I am still witting with a stomach, very unhappy with me for all the hot chocolate I drank tonight!

"last Christmas I gave you my heart..."...gotta love Wham!......
hugsicles.... kandee

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Best Christmas Card Ever...

(and I just throw up peace signs...cuz' the only gang I'm in, is the "nice gang")

Christmas cards can get kind of boring. And I always like to have fun...
so a few years ago I made what is now my favorite Christmas card to date.
No cards with glittery trees or a group shot of us lined up in front of a fire place with matching red sweaters...no sir.

We went back to our roots...ha ha ha ha...sure Gwen Stefani and Lady Gaga, even Selena Gomez have done videos with the Chola "latina gangster girl look"....
but unlike all of them, (well, except for Selena) I'm actually part Mexican an my grandma was born in East LA- were the Chola look began. Orale, I'm not even joking homie.

Now, ofcourse this was long before cupcake...so it's just me, Lil' Alani, Blake and Jordan...

HOW TO MAKE A CHOLA/CHOLO CHRISTMAS CARD:
*Have everyone put in a white tank top or t-shirt, or button up flannel or plaid shirt (buttoned to the top)
*draw on tear drop tattoos with liquid eyeliner
*we drew "Orale, it's Christmas" on Jordan's arms
*colored in a mustache and goatee on Blaker
* I did my Chola make-up from THIS VIDEO
*We were going to alternate red and green bandanas, but all I had was red, so we were "Santa Gangsters" ha ha ha ha
*Use any assortment of gold necklaces, preferably with a cross on it
*And the most important part- DO NOT SMILE! A sure sign you are not a chola/cholo is if you let anyone see your smile. ha ha ha ha
*the rest of the details I did in Photoshop, the chain link fence, the gangsta font, and the bows I added in

This is so funny...the last time we were at my dad's house...he still had this up! My grandma thought this was hilarious too! My whole family is pretty fun...and we all love fun or funny things. My grandma was the queen funny things...I'm so glad I come from a long line of people who try to make the world more fun and less serious and depressing! ha ha ha

Huge hugs or abrazos (hugs in Spanish) and even bigger hoop earrings, feliz navidad and Merry Christmas for all the non-spanish speaking, ha ha ha ha
your homegirl Kandee

Santa Hugs and Scaredy-Dats...

HOW TO SURVIVE WAITING IN LINE TO SEE SANTA:
*Be prepared to wait, unless you live in a town with 10 people.
*Make sure everyone's gone to the bathroom before you enter the line.
*Remember not to get mad at the family that has 15 kids in front of you, and each one want their own picture with Santa.
*Get yummy snacks to eat while you wait...don't go with drinks, or you will have to jump out of line for a potty break, for sure.
*Have fun with your kids, play games of looking for fun decorations, talk about all the things they'd love for Christmas.
*Do not lose your cool and start yelling at your kids because you're sick of waiting in line with a bunch of kids and a free gift of poopy diaper smell, and forever scar your kids because you got mad going to see Santa. Like half of the parents I saw in line- they ruined all their kids excitement by getting mad and yelling at them....Santa should've given them a ball of coal, not a complimentary candy cane- nice way to ruin a fun time with your kids...mean dad and mom in front of us.
*Maybe let your kids take turns playing a fun app on your phone, while you hold the other one...since, most likely if they are too big to hold, they probably don't want to go sit in Santa's lap anymore.
*Remember- if you think waiting in line to see Santa is boring, try being 3 or 4, and you have even less patience.
*Make as many things in life fun, waiting in line to see Santa...waiting in line at the DMV, or like me at the Dollar Store the other day, where the lady in front of me bought about 100 christmas cards that each needed to be scanned individually and the check-out girl had to take each one out of the envelope! ha ha ha If I had gotten mad and frustrated ti just makes everything worse...instead I just laughed and said, "wow that's a lot of cards you have! What a deal- 3 cards for a dollar!"...

That was Santa (at the mall), 2 years ago....

And that was Blakey when we was 2.

He is my sweetheart.

He's scared of dogs and lions.

And he thought is was hilarious to tell Jordan this at the dinner table the other night: "I am a scare-dy dat (cat), I'm scared of snakes (nakes), lions, everything!"...we all about fell off our chairs laughing.

Blakey loved this Santa and loved giving Santa hugs...

so much so, that he ran back after our group picture to get one more Santa hug.

This was the nicest, sweetest, most caring Santa...he gave Blakey another hug and told him how wonderful he was.

I also got a better picture from one of "Santa's elves" that took a picture with my iphone, than the $20 picture we bought.

That sweet Santa had no idea how much love and compliments he filled each one of those kids with.  Some of those kids probably never heard a "your wonderful", before. It had nothing to do with him asking the kids what they wanted, but everything to do with how he told them how pretty, brave, handsome, or wonderful they were. Toys will break, but the gift of telling someone how loved and special they are will last forever.

I may not be Santa....but I can tell you, that you are wonderful, I love you, and I'm so glad you are here...you have a bright and shining future....it's waiting for you and you're the only one that it's waiting for...

The holidays may make you feel a little stressed out and maybe impatient...but remember the reason for this holiday...it's to celebrate being given the greatest gift. 

Huge love....and a huge thank you, to that man at the mall who was a true example of ol' Saint Nicholas...there to give love and make some little hearts happy....

it was worth the 45 minute wait with the lingering stench of a poopy diaper in line....

your kandee

PS... wait til you see the video I'm working on- I've never done one like it!
you guys are gonna love it- I hope!

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