Thanksgiving and Random Stuff

One of the best things about Fall is all the holidays. There are so many chances to be with family and eat good food and make memories. We stayed here and spent a good satisfying Thanksgiving with all of Tom's family. There were 32 of us. My brother Jake came to get his Thanksgiving fill with us and I was grateful to have some of my side of the family with me. I usually get really homesick around Thanksgiving because I have not spent a Thanksgiving with my parents in years and years. The past two years one of my brothers has joined me in Cedar and kept the homesickness at bay. My kids love their cousins and I barely saw them at all on Thanksgiving day. Lia was blisfully happy since she is always looking for a playmate and all of a sudden she had several. The rain was kind of a bummer but the kids and Jake got in some football. All the adults got to see a movie. I opted for the James Bond flick. And I can't say I was dissapointed. I know the plot lines are not that varied but hey I am a sucker for James Bond movies.

I made my own turkey just so I could have leftovers. I thought a small 9 pound turkey would do the trick but I am already out of leftovers. I did make turkey tettrazini tonight and it was so yummy. This is my new Thanksgiving tradition -- Turkey Tetrazzini leftovers. (I don't know how to spell tetrazzini)

RANDOM STUFF
I can say I am looking forward to school starting and I am already planning what to do for Christmas break. My kids get so stir crazy. Although, I think we wore them out the last few days.

I did brave the Wal-Mart black Friday crush and can say I got some good deals. Unfortunately, I still don't know what to buy my Becca for Christmas.

I had to put up deer netting on my trees a couple weeks ago because the deer are demolishing them. I can never seem to catch them in my yard although I am constantly having to slam on my breaks as they jump out onto the roads around where I live. Today in broad daylight I finally saw three traipse behind my yard. Let me just say they looked extremely well fed, the little fatties. They have a virtual smorgasborg in my neighborhood. Little Lia thought they were so cute. All I could think was good thing you didn't come eat and poop on my yard while I was looking. I am starting to think they are not as cute as they seem.

Leaf Fun

Every fall we spend at least one day at the park making a giant leaf pile. This year some good friends joined us and eventually it turned into an enormous leaf fight. I know that Isaac may grow out of this tradition soon. We have played in the leaves every year since he was 2 years old, so I will keep going until he gets too old for such fun fall games.



This is Lia's intended. And you would believe me if you could see the way they act around each other. It's like they are already an old married couple.


Rebecca is just kicking back in the leaf pile. Ohh to be young again. Lying in a leaf pile just doesn't sound fun to me anymore.

Lia builds the pile

Hallelujah

It took me forever, my hand keeps cramping up but I did it. I finally finished my apples and I have reclaimed my kitchen counters.

Here is what 75 pound of apples will get you:
8 apple pies
appx. 7 Quarts of applesauce
5 batches of dried apple chips
1 apple bavarian torte and one more to come for Thanksgiving.
1 batch of apple bars
15 left over apples for eating (love those fujis)
and countless apples already eaten, at least an apple or two a day for the last two weeks.

Yeah! Now for my next project, Christmas shopping. Thank Heavens its going to be an easy year since we, like many of the rest of you, are pulling in the reigns on Christmas spending.

Write A Little -- A Cynic or an Optimist?

I am a lover of words. Their emotional baggage fascinates me, their usage, their sound . . . seriously I could go on but I will get to the point (eventually) of my writing post today. Last week I read a comparison between the two words cynic and skeptic. I was intrigued because I began to wonder am I more cynical or skeptical? Then I started to think maybe I am more optimistic. So I looked up definitions (shocking, I know). And here is my challenge today. How do you find your self approaching life? Perhaps, like me you are sometimes a cynic, sometimes a skeptic, sometimes an optimist and sometimes a pessimist. Examine yourself a little and if you feel so inclined write it in a journal, blog it or comment here.

Cynical:
adjective. believing that people are motivated in all their actions only by selfishness; denying the sincerity of people's motives and actions, or the value of living; sarcastic ...

I am pretty cynical that there are any decent politicians in our country. Occasionally, when I am really tired and cranky, I believe all the carpoolers going to and from school could care less about everyone else trying to get out of the mayhem.

Skeptical
noun . 1. a person who questions the validity or authenticity of something purporting to be factual. 2. a person who maintains a doubting attitude, as toward values, plans ...

Unfortunately, I find myself playing the part of a skeptic a lot, especially when it comes to sudden illnesses in my children that occur whenever they have to clean their room. I mean your arms can't hurt every day around room cleaning time, can they? Another headache, you have to be kidding me.
I am also pretty skeptical about all those fad diet miracles.

Optimist
- somebody positive: somebody who tends to feel hopeful and positive about future outcomes
- follower of optimism: a follower of a philosophical doctrine of optimism

I am happy to say I am often an optimist. I feel hopeful that spring will bring all the bulbs I planted. I am optimistic the deer and rabbits will not destroy my yard as badly as they did last year. I am optimistic that my children will make mostly good choices. I believe that happiness is a daily possibility.

Pessimist:
very negative person: somebody who always expects the worst to happen.

I am definitely a pessimist occasionally, especially when it comes to health. I really am expecting the worst when it comes to flu and cold season. I am a little pessimistic about having all my health concerns resolved.

So where do you stand. Are you a cynic, a skeptic, an optimist or a pessimist?

Funny Friday - Funny Lia

This Funny Friday post comes to you from the mouth of one 3-year-old babe. I am surrounded by funny people and even if I am not so humorous myself, I do have a sense of humor. Isn't it interesting how those funny moments with our kids sometimes turn out to be our most sane moments of the day or the week. Lia has been trying my patience this week. Her whine factor has been off the charts and she just can't seem to do anything on her own. She expects me to play with her or entertain her 24/7. And it gets ugly when I don't comply. In fact it gets ugly when any family member refuses to indulge her. But despite her 3-year-old clingy tantrums she is one funny girl and so partly out of guilt for feeling annoyed at my cute Lili and partly because I really do want to remember the funny things my children do and say, I am bringing you a few Lia funny moments. They are, after all, what kept me sane this week.

1. On Sunday we had a visit from a member of our church, he commented on how big Lia was getting and that he just could not believe it.
Her response:
"That's from the food I eat."

2. Later Sunday evening, I was playing a rousing game of Boggle with my kids. Lia plays with us by scribbling on a piece of paper and repeatedly telling us that she found the letter "T." As we discussed our points and winnings one round Lia piped up and said,
"I have the fastest pen." Apparently, if you have the fastest pen you are the victor in Boggle.

3. Now this may seem a little sacreligious, but I am going to share little Lia's first prayer she said all on her own (no one was whispering the words in her ear.) I really do believe God must love 3-year-old prayers. I like to think he gets a chuckle out of hearing the prayers of his littlest people.
The prayer:
"I love my Daddy, I love my Mommy, I love Isaac, I love Becca, I love Mommy's room, I love my room, I love Isaac's room, (pause)
OK, no more rooms. I love this table. Amen."
We were all pretty hysterical but her Dad was so proud she said it without help. I just could not stop laughing.

Gratitude Journal:
I am grateful for blankets. This may seem like such a strange thing to be thankful for but it really is what I caught myself expressing gratitude for today. I get cold a lot and tonight as I bundled myself and my temporarily hurt Becca in a big quilt, I couldn't help thinking how some people are grateful to own even one warm blanket and some people in the world have no blankets. We have a house overflowing with blankets and no matter how hard things may seem some days I truly am richly blessed. I will always be able to bundle my children in a moment of comfort. We always have a way to stay warm. I don't know why some people in the world have so little, I can only think somehow I have been allowed to have the great blessing of abundance in my life. And now I begin to wonder how can I share it with others.

Talkative Tuesday - Am I in Pennsylvania?

This morning was a little surreal for me. I could have sworn I was in Pennsylvania as I drove my kids to school through the thick fog covering our valley. Living on a hill, the dense fog had not reached my house by the time I left at 8:15 a.m. As we traveled down the hill my kids could see the misty clouds ahead and Lia gleefully asked if we could drive through them. I forgot how eery it is to drive when you can only see 30 to 50 feet in front of you. All of a sudden I was at my turn off or a stop light when a moment before I was sure I had several more yards to drive. Of course, I was ecstatic to say something like "Oh this is nothing. Sometimes the fog in PA is so bad you can only see to the end of your car." Oh it was fun to make such a statement to my disbelieving children who were amazed that they thought the sun was the moon, it was so dimmed by the fog. Of course, all my Eastern friends will think this fascination with the morning fog is a little crazy. They exoerience it almost every day. But I only get this kind of fog once or twice a year (thankfully, because it is a little scary to drive around with Utah people who don't remember to turn their headlights on in the fog). It was an adventerous morning.

So what else is going on?
I finally got the apples I have been waiting for all summer and fall. I love making apple pies, but I got a little greedy and bought two boxes and then my apple peeler/corer broke the day they arrived. It is taking me a long time to get through those apples and I am really sorry if some of you get apple pies on your doorstep. There just seems to be too many apples.

Remember last week when I wished for a luandry fairy. Well, I had a visit from the laundry fairy this Saturday and he looked a lot like Tom. So now I am wondering if he read my blog or if he is just really awesome.

I have been trying to avoid illness (impossible in this town) but it came sneaking into our house this past week and we have had coughs, sore throats, headaches and this morning Lia woke up with some goopy eyes. Grrr. Why do the illnesses have to start so early? This is part of the reason I hate winter. I feel like I am in a constant state of anxiety over what sickness will strike next.

Speaking of anxiety, I got asked to substitue for Isaac's church class for the next month. I don't know why teaching primary gives me such anxiety attacks. But I was especially nervous to teach the ten-year-olds, and I love 10-year-olds. Isaac was sick which was probably better for me, since he loves to tease me and I know he is one of the more talkative kids in that class. Still, some of those boys had no qualms about taking Isaac's place and I struggled to keep their attention. Next week I am going with food and a more exciting hands-on lesson.

Well I am off to peel some apples.

Gratitude Journal:
I am grateful to have a strong foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we will recieve some persecution. Still, I am grateful to have a grounded set of beliefs.



I am grateful for my 3-year-old's grateful heart. She may be my most stubborn child but she is also my most grateful. She is always telling me thank you for things I do for her. Often I will do some daily task for her and she will unexpectedly tell me thank you.

Favorite Finds Friday

Budget friendly recipes at PrudencePennywise I already posted this link on the side of my blog but I really do love this website. All the food is yummy and the recipes are budget friendly. I just made the pumpkin biscotti and loved it. You will have to scroll down the blog if you want to make this November friendly recipe.

Also, I have been writing for Wasatch Woman magazine and I really enjoy their web site. Their November issue should be available soon on the site and I wrote a few articles for them. Even if you don't want to read what I wrote it's a great site.


Pretty little headbands from Pink Bench. I saw one of these cute headbands on my ultrastyling friend Taryn and thought it was so great I included it in the gift guide I did for Wastach Woman mag. They have around 100 different choices. It is now on my list of hair must haves.

Just Words Wednesday

What happens when you feel so muddled you can come up with no words?
Here are the words that keep replaying themselves in my head like a broken record, reminding me what is on my to do list

Bath -- wish I had taken the time for a long hot soak today.

Chicken -- Why did I buy 40 lbs of chicken, even if it was on sale? I still have 10 lbs left to cook up and freeze.

Apples -- Tomorrow I have two or three boxes of apples coming? Am I in insane?

Laundry Fairy -- This is just a wish I keep saying over and over in my head to keep myself laughing at all the laundry that is NEVER done. "I wish there was such a thing as a laundry fairy. Oh I wish, I wish."

New President -- Hmmm, maybe this big "change" is what has me so muddled in the brain.

Sorry for the random word post.

Gratitude Journal
I am so grateful for my son Isaac. He is so naturally unprejudiced. A couple days ago Rebecca got all judgemental about someone having multiple ear piercings. Isaac responded. "You shouldn't judge. They could be the nicest person in the world." Oh, I love that boy. He has always been able to see the person inside.

Gratitude Journal

I am going to share my writing challenge today instead of Monday. This month my writing group decided we would start a gratitude journal. We will then pick one of the items we are grateful for and expound a little further for our writing assignment. We had a wonderful lesson today in Relief Society on gratitude and it fit so perfectly with my goals for the month that I thought it would be fun to challenge all of you bloggers to join us in our gratitude journal assignment if you feel so inspired. You can post something every week or everyday. I am going to try and tack my thankful item on the bottom of each of my posts. We will see which of these items inspires me to write more at the end of the month. Remember to be thankful for the unexpected small things in life.

I am really, really grateful my husband shaved his beard. I can't even tell you how thankful I am.

I am also thankful for a wonderful sisterhood of friends and neighbors. Every week I learn and grow from the women around me.

I am grateful my husband changed all the clocks in the house, finished squirreling away his pumpkin seeds and changed the lightbulb in the highest part of the ceiling before he left for two days. I really did not want to do any of those projects.

I am also desperately trying to upload photos of Tom and me in our 80s getups. I will post those as soon as I can figure out the camera
glitch.