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.