Happy Birthday Grandma Graff!

In loving memory of Mary Ruth Willes Graff
December 13, 1927- February 23, 1999

Awww...

This post is brought to you by Sean, who wanted the chance to show off his sweet skills :-)

He bought his first Christmas gift of the year for me, but instead of using wrapping paper he decided he wanted to try and be crafty by trying to use the store bag that the gift came in. He carefully disassembled it and used it to wrap the gift, and then used the ribbon giftbag handles to fashion a homemade bow. I'd say he did a pretty good job, especially with the bow. I sure can't do bows like that!

So now the first gift of the year sits under our little tree waiting for Christmas morning. Cute, huh?

Tale of the Very Odd Christmas Tree (Part II)

2011 Beyer Productions are proud to present the "Tale of the Very Odd Christmas Tree (Part II).

We'd like to thank our sponsers All-A-Dollar and Wal-Mart for making this very humble, yet cute little tree possible. We'd like to NOT thank the Wal-Mart customers who took all of the colored light trees, and we'd especially like to not thank the Wal-Mart associate who notified us that "We're outta the colored light trees. You shoulda bought your tree in November". We'd also like to NOT thank all the All-A-Dollar customers for taking all the ornament hooks, and the All-A-Dollar manager who informed us that "Oh, too bad. We don't have any ornament hooks left. They flew off the shelves yesterday". (We ended up having to substitute paperclips for the hooks). However, we'd like to note that despite the fact we are NOT thanking these individuals, we wish them all a Merry Christmas nonetheless. :-)

I'd like to thank my sweetheart of a husband Sean, our Production Manager. It is his hard work and dedication in supporting us that makes everything possible. Plus, he picked the garland and the candy canes. And the wrapping paper :-)

I'd like to thank my Design Assistant, our cute kitty Paw. Her tangling of the lights, batting the ornaments, and playing in the empty tree box made for an enjoyable evening.

I'd like to thank the following individuals: Nat King Cole, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, VoiceMale, Bing Crosby, Susan Boyle, and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir for providing the background music of the evening. You each aided greatly in lifting my Christmas spirit. Thank You.

Special shout out to my Mama....she taught me all I know about decorating Christmas trees. Thanks Mom for always making Christmas magical. I LOVE YOU!!!

Last but certainly not least, we thank our Father in Heaven for all His blessings, and we dedicate our humble little tree to the REASON FOR THE SEASON, our Savior Jesus Christ.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

More Millie

All Things Millie

Today's post is centered around the little girl that provides sunshine and smiles to our life--- our little Amelia Grace. I hope you'll bear with us as we post a bunch of pics...the unfortunate thing for us is that we live 1000 miles away, so we LIVE for the pictures we get of her.

From the day we first heard her heartbeat, and saw her on ultrasound, we've been hooked. Both Sean and I feel such a strong, spiritual bond to and closeness to her. We know she came into our family for very specific purposes. Heavenly Father knew we each needed her in our own special way. I know Sean really struggles being the only one that hasn't been able to hold her yet, but he says that it doesn't change the feelings he has for her. He says he's MORE than stoked for the day he can finally hold and snuggle her. He LOVES watching videos of her and talking to her on the phone. He especially loves shopping for her, and admits that its probably a blessing he doesn't have more credit cards "cause we'd be up to our armpits in baby debt".

I can tell you that for me, she's been a saving grace...(her name is more than appropriate in this respect). I've been trying for 3 years to get pregnant with no such luck. I never dreamed growing up that I'd be pushing 30 and unable to conceive. This struggle has been physical and emotional and deeply spiritual. It has caused me to question my testimony, the meaning of life, my purpose for living, and even my own innate womanhood. I have felt great hatred fo myself and my body for not working the way its supposed to. I've cried more tears than I'd care to think about and felt anger and grief more deeply than I care to admit to. While the birth of Millie hasn't magically made that all disappear, she has provided me with a small bit of peace and comfort that I know comes from none other than
my Father in Heaven. I've had many prayers answered through her, and she and I have shared quiet, tender moments where the heavens were opened, and my heart was healed and my soul replenished. Our bond is eternal, and I love her more than words can say.

We are just so grateful for this little angel. Its as her Uncle Sean always says..."Millie's our favorite!" :-)

Ahhh...Memories....

It was this time 3 years ago that Sean and I were preparing for our wedding day...specifically the week of my bridals! I LOVED my photographer and had a blast getting these done at Thanksgiving Point Gardens. I would HIGHLY recommend our photographers to anyone...they are absolutely amazing! You can find a link to their website in "Our Favorites". :-)

Tale of the Very Odd Christmas Tree

Sean and I started off the 2011 Christmas countdown by opening the advent calendars from his parents. We also spent the morning going to several stores looking for Christmas gifts and cheap decoration ideas. We found a cute little tree on sale for 25 bucks...we didn't get it yet, but that's probably what we'll end up going with. Sadly, its only 4 feet tall...(our standards for Christmas trees are firm...its not a real Christmas tree unless its taller than Sean), however this years meek and lowly budget just simply will not allow for such luxury. With the help of our trusty tape measure, we brilliantly recognized that if we were to place a 4 foot tree on our 2 ft 3in wooden plant pedestal, it would bring us to 6ft 3 in tall. This would be okay for most people, but still did not pass our standards, as I have a VERY tall hubby. :-) We then remembered that we could add a tree topper, thus allowing for more height. A 10 inch one would bring the entire masterpiece to Sean's exact height, which we figured is the best we can do this year!!! It'll probably look very odd when its all put together, but it's better than having nothing! :-) Question...Do you prefer white or colored lights on your Christmas tree?????