give thanks for thanksgiving

1. I'm thankful for quiet mornings.

2. I'm thankful that I managed to stay calm today. Even when the turkey and rolls weren't done on time despite my careful planning.

3. I'm thankful for pretty tables.


4. I'm thankful for bountiful food.

5. I'm thankful that I had thought to buy a gravy packet because my gravy turned out to be one big, globby, disgusting mess.


6. I'm thankful for time spent with family.

7. I'm thankful for even more fabulous family in other places and cell phones that allow me to talk with them.

8. I'm thankful for the small things and the really big things that make my life full and wonderful.

9. I'm thankful for Thanksgiving.

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1. I'm thankful for days with nothing on the calendar.

2. I'm thankful for being able to get my errands accomplished. I took the kids with me and we were gone for three hours.

3. I'm thankful that the cashier at Bed Bed and Beyond beyond took pity on me. This was the last errand and apparently it was one too many. The boys were out of control. Anne was crying. The lady in front of me was taking forever. He gave me an extra 20% off. Then I rushed out of there, so embarrassed.

4. I'm thankful for Dave coming home before six o'clock.

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1.I'm thankful that I was able to organize a homeschool group buy of tickets to Christmas Around the World. It is great that so many people (148) will be able to go at a discounted price.

2. I'm thankful that when I was putting all the tickets into groups, it worked out perfectly with each group's seats together on the same row.

3. I'm thankful that I was able to work on a Thanksgiving centerpiece today. Even though, nobody but me may appreciate it, I will love it and be glad I was able to beautify my home and table. And I'm glad I could find the inspiration from a Pottery Barn catalog.

4. I'm thankful that when I had enough of the children screaming and crying, I could put myself in time out. Even though I somehow ended up on my bed in time out with Anne and Sawyer, I was still able to take a deep breath and get myself back together. I'm thankful that I was able to choose to turn off the TV (even though SYTYCD was on!) and instead read books to my children.

5. I'm thankful to know that I have the power to change the energy and feeling in my home.

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1. I'm thankful that I remembered that the tickets that someone was coming to my house to pick up were actually in the van which was at the shop. I'm thankful I remembered before she showed up at my house and that I was able to retrieve the tickets without any problem.

2. I'm thankful that our van brakes are now fixed and that we have the money to pay for the repair.

3. I'm thankful that when Dave walked in the door from work, I could say, "I'm running away" and then walk out the door without any explanation.

4. I'm thankful that a half hour trip to the grocery store by myself was enough to help me get things back in perspective and myself in control. That I could return home to a house which had been cleaned up just for me. That I was able to enjoy dinner and Family Home Evening with my family.

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1. I'm thankful for how well Singing Time went in Jr. Primary. We had a turkey shoot where they shot a rubberband at a turkey drawing with a song on the back. We made gobble-gobble noises and they loved it. Unfortunately, the same activity was a bust in Sr. Primary.

2. I'm thankful for my singing voice especially when I get to sing with other talented people. Today I particularly enjoyed singing I Wonder When He Comes Again with three part women and Baby, What You Goin' To Be with a quartet. Loved it.

3. I'm thankful for a good talk in Sacrament Meeting about this talk from General Conference. I felt uplifted. The speaker shared this quote from an unknown author:

What I Want My Children to Remember About Home

That their father and mother loved each other.
That our home was a happy one because we all worked to keep it so.
That the books in the house were to be read if handled rightly, and there were no shelves under lock and key because of questionable contents.
That absolute truth abided there: no earnest questioner, however young, was put off with subterfuge or evasion.
That we believed in hospitality, in spite of any extra labor involved and that our friends loved to come visit us.
That Sunday was the happiest day of the week, and that we all looked forward to its coming because it was the day when we went to church together and then came home for an afternoon with Father in the midst.
That though Father and Mother worked hard and long at their respective jobs, they found time every day to be informed on current events, to read good books, to think through to logical conclusions and to pray.

polka dot party

I felt that a 10th birthday party should garner some extra attention so I tried to make it special for Emma. Of course, let's be honest. It's all about the blog post, right? I thought you might like to see...

THE DECORATIONS
Circles, circles, everywhere circles. I made circles from newspaper, cardstock and scrapbooking paper. I sewed circles into garland and stapled strips into paper chains. The kids helped me put up lots of cardstock circles all over the walls and doors.


THE FOOD
While some of it may have been lost on the party-attenders, I tried to continue the circle theme in the food. Round rolls for sandwiches, cantaloupe balls, berry salad, cucumber slices, potato chips and water with lemon slices. Later in the evening, the girls were treated with dessert in the round--a candy cake, donuts, donut holes, candy, sugar cookies and pumpkin roll. Everything was served on my adorable red polka dot plates.


CRAFT AND GAMES
Our craft didn't really fit the theme but I thought the girls would really enjoy it. I credit my mother with the idea because I remember doing this way back in the day when I was a girl. We decorated winter gloves with fabric paint. After the craft, the girls played a couple of games and were loud and CRAZY the whole time.

In the end, the girls had fun and everyone went home with a party favor bag.

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1. I'm thankful for my most wonderful husband. He came home from the football game this evening and I immediately left to go run errands. Four hours and four stores later, I came home to kids in bed and the dishwasher running. Plus, he didn't even take a second glance at the huge amount of stuff I brought home.

2. I'm thankful for Tai-Pan Trading. I love that store. I could (and did) spend lots of time and money there.

3. I'm thankful that our Thanksgiving grocery shopping is done. Our 22 pound turkey is thawing in the fridge. I bought it for only $0.38/pound thanks to Macey's turkey vouchers.

in the spirit of thanksgiving

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1. I'm thankful for impromptu field trips. I had to go down to Provo to buy tickets today. Emma asked if we could go to the Bean Museum while we were there. So we did.

2. I'm thankful that I get to laugh with my children. Frankly, I'm not funny very often but Emma, Slade and I were all busting up with these pictures. I'm thankful my children don't actually have wings or horns....

3. I'm thankful we got to go to two museums today. We also stopped by Thanksgiving Point on the way home. Slade wanted to go back in to the magnet exhibit and play with the magnetic sand they had last time. Disappointment abounded when we got there only to find it wasn't in the exhibit anymore. I'm thankful I didn't have to pay anything to get in and find that out.

4. I'm thankful for four kid cones that only cost 75 cents.

5. I'm thankful that even though they make me CRAZY with all the fussing, fighting, whining, not peeing in the toilet, making messes, etc., etc., etc., that they are mine. While we were eating ice cream, the two ladies behind us actually complimented me. They said I had very well-behaved children. HA! I laughed. Seriously? They are not well-behaved but they are smart, energetic, active, curious, and incredibly cute. They give me hugs and tell me they love me several times a day. I'm so glad they're mine!

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1. I'm thankful that I actually remembered to take Slade to karate both nights this week. Sadly, that was not the case last week.

2. I'm thankful for good homeschooling curriculum. Here we are in our sixth year and I feel like I've finally found curriculum for every subject that I really like using. This year we started using a new Spelling program. It has made a huge difference for both Emma and Slade. I am thrilled.

3. I'm thankful for an occasional dinner out with my family.

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1. I'm thankful that we are all feeling better today. I'm thinking it was food poisoning.

2. I'm thankful that my persistent, dedicated, sometimes obsessive husband was able to fix the computer downstairs. All by himself. Of course, he is quite proud of himself. His current obsession is solar cells. He is most definitely an engineer/data-collector at heart. He and the kids are taking hourly readings of our meter and graphing our energy usage in Excel.

3. I'm thankful for my homeschooling friends. I went to a Mom's Night Out tonight and was able to eat lots of delicious food and come home home with some great new recipes to try. These women always astound me. Being in a group with women who are better than me at so many things is both humbling and inspiring.

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1. I'm thankful that I have children old enough to be able to make it to the toilet to throw up.

2. I'm thankful that I have a comfortable couch and bed to lie on all day long.

3. I'm thankful that Dave was able to take the day off so he could lie on the couch too.

4. I'm thankful that technology allowed him to participate in three critical meetings from home.

5. I'm thankful that most days are not like this.

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1. I'm thankful that I got to hear Emma playing such wonderful music at her violin lesson today. Her teacher just formed a "group class" of two with Emma and another ten year old girl. Today they played "For Health and Strength" in a round and sight read another three part piece. I love music!

2. I'm thankful that I have a neighbor who was willing to watch my boys during the group class. She is my go-to person when I'm stuck for childcare. I'm so grateful she is willing to help me out.

3. I'm thankful for my freezer that it is stocked with food. Some nights (many nights) making dinner can be such a drag. Freezers, stocked with meatballs, pizza, soup and of course treats, come in very handy!

Speaking of freezers...I was so in love with this picture in Better Homes and Gardens October issue. I seriously want my freezer to look like that. Right now its a bit of a mess.

double digits

From this:

To this:


To this:

Ten Things I Love About Emma:

1. She is so helpful. She will do whatever is asked. Usually without a second thought. She is especially great with Anne and Sawyer.

2. She wants to go places, see things, be involved. Emma is definitely not a homebody like her mother.

3. She loves people and thrives on interacting with them.

4. She is a great violinist and all-around musician.

5. She is a great model and as you can see is rather photogenic. I love taking her picture.

6. She has a strong testimony and deep love of the Gospel. She always wants to get up and share her testimony. I think she also genuinely loves Primary and learning more. She always tries to remember the assignments that her teachers give her.

7. She loves food and is willing to eat just about anything we give her. Her few dislikes include nuts and onions.

8. She is full of life. Enthusiastic. Energetic. Vivacious.

9. She is interested in so many things. She wants to cook, to sew, to draw, to play soccer, to watch movies, to talk with people, to sing, to dance, to laugh, to keep learning.

10. She has a lot of confidence. She seems to know and like who she is. She is willing to just be herself and is not overly concerned with what anyone thinks of her.

Of course, there are so many more things I love about her. I'm so glad she started me on this grand adventure called motherhood. Happy Birthday, Emma!

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1. Yet again, I'm thankful for the internet. Last night, when I was absolutely too tired to do anything but go to sleep, I failed to do anything to prepare for Primary. This morning, I was able to find a great singing time already planned out for me.

2. I'm so thankful for my Emma who turned 10 today. Heavenly Father knew we needed her and sent her first. She is really such a joy. Most of the time.

3. I'm thankful for siblings who live close enough to come over and celebrate with us. We enjoyed Mongolian Dinner, Jello, marshmellow salad, and most importantly cheesecake. I attempted to make an angel food cake from scratch for my nephew. I was out of a mix. I didn't want to use an entire dozen eggs on it so I decided to use powdered egg whites. I don't know what happened but it was a disaster. The cheesecake was really good though.

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1. I'm thankful that Emma's birthday party was a success. Blog post coming soon.

2. I'm thankful that Emma's party is over.

3. I'm thankful that I can go to bed. I'm too tired to even think.

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1. I'm thankful for breakfast in bed. The kids were so excited to bring it in to me.

2. I'm thankful that Dave took the day off work.

3. I'm thankful for lunch dates with my sister.

4. I'm thankful for Cheesecake Factory.

5. I'm thankful for See's candy.

6. I'm thankful for time alone to get errands done.

7. I'm thankful for a husband who arranged a babysitter and met me for dinner.

8. I'm thankful for Olive Garden.

9. I'm thankful for new toile dishes from my mom.

10. I'm thankful for a new purse and coat from my sister.

11. I'm thankful for presents from my husband coming in the mail on Monday.

12. I'm thankful for late nights watching TV and cutting out party decorations for Emma's party.

13. I'm thankful for lots of birthday wishes from friends.

14. I'm thankful for 33 years.

Happy Birthday to me.

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1. I'm thankful for our ward's "Souper Swap". It's like one big garage sale except everything is free. Plus you get to eat delicious soup and talk with friends and neighbors.

2. I'm thankful for decluttering. Because of the swap, I spent much of the afternoon sorting through clothes, finally get the boxes of too big or too small clothes put away, and cleaning out the linen closet. The guest room is finally clean. My room finally doesn't have piles of summer clothes stacked in the corner. Of course, the piano room now has all the piles but it is ready to go to DI tomorrow.

2. I'm thankful fresh homemade bread on a chilly fall day.

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1. I'm thankful for those who serve our country. Not just those in the military, but their families often left behind. Thank you for all you do.

2. I'm thankful for my stash of candy that I bought on sale after Halloween. I really should be leaving it alone (and not buying it in the first place) but its been a yummy pick me up today.

3. I'm thankful for being able to check things off my to do list. Right now my list is way longer than I can possibly accomplish in a day. Still there is such satisfaction in getting some items crossed off.

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1. I'm thankful for schedules. I thrive on them. My children thrive on them. They make our mornings so much better.

2. I'm thankful for Jello pudding pops. The ones you can buy now are definitely not as good as the ones I had as a child but they will suffice.

3. I'm thankful for the internet. Recently, I've been able to find recipes and birthday party ideas. I've posted pictures for family and friends far away. I've enjoyed reading lots and lots of blogs. Oh how I love thee, dear Internet!

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1. I'm thankful that I was the recipient of a really nice note from an old childhood friend today. I haven't heard from her since high school and it totally made my day. Thanks, Sarah!

2. I'm thankful that I got to pick the activity for Family Home Evening tonight. We listened to a chapter of Harry Potter tonight with the lights low plus cookies to eat. I think it was the only time today that the kids were quiet, calm and not fighting. It was a blissful half hour.

3. We decided we had to do something about Anne's, and consequently, our lack of sleep. Last night we began the whole "cry it out" thing. I'm thankful that it wasn't as awful as it could have been. Tonight so far is even better. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can get her on a better schedule.

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1. I am thankful for being the Primary chorister. We are singing songs of thanks in Primary all month long. Today we worked on My Blessings and My Heavenly Father Loves Me. The kids (Jr. Primary especially) all sang so loud and strong today. My heart was seriously happy with the music, the thoughts of my own blessings and the Spirit being felt.

2. I'm thankful that we have a house that can accommodate our ward choir every Sunday. We meet in our two front rooms and while it is a little cramped, it works. I like it a lot better than having to meet at 4:15. I'm thankful to be singing Christmas music. This year's selection is a little less traditional than I would probably choose myself but it is still beautiful.

3. I'm thankful that my husband is always so generous with his compliments to me. He makes me feel wonderful.

4. I'm thankful for having a cute little girl to dress up on Sunday.


5. I'm thankful for birthday party invitations which are now complete.

6. I'm thankful that I really do enjoy party planning so much. The actual events rarely turn out the way I envision them but that is okay too. I have fun getting ready. Over the years, I've managed to learn how to keep the stress level fairly low before parties too. I really like to entertain. I should do it more often.

7. I'm thankful for the possibilities that a new week provides. As Anne Shirley would say, "Tomorrow is fresh without any mistakes in it." Thank goodness for that!

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1. I'm grateful that Dave got up with Anne this morning so I could sleep an extra half hour or so. Anne's sleeping patterns (or lack thereof) are starting to make me insane!

2. I'm grateful for technology that allows for family-bonding time. We were able to watch BYU thump Wyoming at our house with Dave's siblings. Then tonight, Dave was able to go up to his brother's for a video gaming party. Certainly there are other ways to interact with family but this kind of bonding can be awfully fun.

3. I'm thankful to be able to sit on the couch after the kids are in bed and watch a good girl movie.

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1. I'm thankful for homemade chocolate chip cookies. Dave took some in to work today and his co-workers raved and declared that he should call me "Cookie".

2. I'm thankful for old movies. My kids are watching Honey, I Shrunk the Kids tonight. Funny.

3. I'm thankful for our neighbors who provide such great friends for my children. They are also totally enamored with Anne which is really cute to see.


I'm totally enamored too. Even though she wakes me up all night long!

and cousin too

Austin is over there too!

oh brother

For anyone interested, I posted pictures of Jeremy's family over HERE.

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1. We have recently declared Thursdays to be screen-free days at our house. That means no TV, no video games and no computer. The whole day. Well, I am totally cheating by coming on here to blog but I asked Dave and he gave me permission. :) Let me tell you, I am very thankful for my computer. There's nothing like spending a whole day without it to confirm how totally addicted I am.

2. Yet again, the weather was just so glorious today. I'm thankful for that on a screen-free Thursday, my children were able to spend basically the whole afternoon outside.

3. This note of gratitude is a little sad actually. Anne woke up with a fever but was acting pretty normal for her in the morning. However, she must not be feeling well because she actually took a two and a half hour nap this afternoon. I'm not grateful that she is sick but since she normally takes 20 minute naps, those two hours were beyond wonderful.

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1. I'm thankful for books and the friends who read them. Tonight, I finally went to book club. This book club is made up of mostly women in my ward but not entirely. I've been getting the reminder emails for months now but just haven't ever decided to go. I saw the email for tonight's meeting and since it was a book I've read (These is my Words, which is an excellent book by the way), I went. Not only did I enjoy a great discussion of literature but as a bonus I got apple crisp with ice cream, conversation with great women, and lots of laughter. I nearly got a new exercise buddy too. Right, Brooke? More importantly, I think I received an answer to a prayer I've been praying for a while now. I'll have to share more about that later....

2. Yet again, I'm thankful for our great history and science co-op. It was my turn to host today. Among other things, we played a card game called Changing Rules to remind us how France's 19th century government kept changing from kingdom to republic to empire to kingdom to republic to empire to republic (or something like that). The kids also made jellyfish out of saran wrap and I got such a kick out of their creativity. Today we were small in number. Only two other families came. While I love each and every family and am glad that we interact with so many, today I was thankful to have a smaller crowd.

3. Even though I recently posted about how we do family work instead of chores, things have changed. We are still working in the zones but I have given each child specific chores that must get done each day. For example, on Mondays Emma vacuums the family room and on Tuesdays she cleans the hall bathroom. It has been such a nice change. I felt like I needed to expect a little more from my children and they in turn have risen to the occasion. So far, they do their jobs well and without complaint. I'm definitely thankful for that.

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1. I just loved the weather today. When all our work was done this afternoon, we took a walk down the street to the store to buy milk and diapers. It was so nice to be out in the lovely fall air. There was just a touch of chill but not enough that you need a jacket.

2. We went this morning to see Stellaluna at the Orem SCERA. The field trip was planned by a mom in our homeschool support group. I am so thankful that we get to be part of such a great group. Both the kids and I have made good friends and we've been able to participate in some awesome activities.

3. I didn't have to cook tonight since there were so many leftovers in the fridge. I love leftover night. There were pancakes and waffles, chicken enchiladas, beef stew, and a new chili mac recipe I just tried. I found it here on My Kitchen Cafe. It was really simple and delicious. I will definitely be making it again.

4. I'm always thankful when people love the pictures I took for them. I recently took pictures of a past college roommate's family. You can see a few over here on my photography blog. I am currently in the midst of an editing backlog. Its not fun to be behind but I love all the photos I get to play with. And when I get done with everyone's session photos, I will get to play with my own.

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1. Tonight I was thankful for food storage. Slade chose pudding for his Family Home Evening treat and we are almost completely out of milk. No problem, we just used powdered!

2. I'm thankful for my children's Primary teachers. Slade's teachers have all been so great. They seem to get that he is a very touch-oriented child. Its cute to see him snuggled up next to them during Sharing Time. Tonight, Emma's teacher brought her over a "bag of service" with strips of paper to choose each day that tell her ways to serve. She gave Emma a big hug and told her she loved her. So sweet.

3. I'm thankul for cameras that can capture moments like this:

I'm thankful that there are always several moments that I want to capture through the day. Like when Slade was accompanying Emma on the piano while she sang Amazing Grace. Or when Anne got herself stuck on the inside of the stool rungs. I'm especially thankful when these moments are happening and someone says, "Mom, take a picture" like Nathan did tonight.

4. Most importantly I'm so grateful for the people in that picture. I love Nathan's scrunched up smile and Anne's flexed feet. I wonder if Emma will someday look at this photo and cringe at her mis-matched pajama ensemble. Frankly, any of them might wonder why I let them dress themselves like that. Oh well. I love that Slade said, "I'm actually going to look at the camera for this picture" and that he did. I love that they love their dad. Sigh. I'm just so blessed.

5. I'm very thankful that my dad is out of the hospital. I'm glad he was able to go in before something traumatic happened, that he has insurance, that the doctor's were able to help him and that he got to come happily home.

give thanks

I wanted to make a huge gratitude tree in our living room like this one. I don't really have the supplies so it didn't happen. Still, I want to do something this month to recognize all the blessings in my life so back to the blog I go. I am going to try really hard to list at least three things I'm grateful for every day.

1. We went to Mark and Angie's (Dave's younger brother and his wife who have no kids) house for dessert tonight. First of all its great to be with family but mostly I was grateful that the kids were actually really well behaved. I had been very nervous beforehand.

2. I fell asleep on the couch late this afternoon and Dave cooked dinner.

3. Nathan has a bit of a nasty cough. We waffled back and forth but in the end decided that it was better to leave him home from church. I stayed home the first hour, Dave the second and Emma came home the third hour because Dave and I both had to teach. I'm grateful we live so close to the church and that Emma is getting old enough to help us out in situations like this. She even took care of Anne for the hour. My daughter is awesome.