Just in Time for Christmas

Why oh why did we buy a car in November oh so many years ago? We weren't thinking of the horror of having to register it every year this close to Christmas obviously. I went to register my car today feeling pretty pleased that I could do so but didn't realize I was going to have to have the safety and emissions testing done, so that was blow number one. Then blow number 2 came almost immediately when they told me my front outer tire rods need to be replaced (a $200 repair)...I almost cried, but then I reminded myself that it will all work out and that at least this was discovered before I was flying down the freeway right? Blow number 3 came when they handed me this unmistakable message on the paperwork. Sheesh. In fact, Randy just brought the paper into the office as I'm writing this and said, "How is this supposed to help me feel good about myself?" Good Hell.

Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men. Fa la la la la.

Comment Window Tidbit: I'm working 12 hours tomorrow because it's Parent/Teacher Conference night. I will be accepting food, beverages, chocolate and messages of good will as offered.

Creative Friday--Thanksgiving Break Edition

Landon and I went to Michelle's house on Friday for a glorious Thanksgiving Break Edition of Creative Friday!

I had such bad cramps that I feared death was imminent, but knew Michelle would have the medicinal mixture I needed to feel better. Sure enough, she hooked me up with a combination of these two items and within a half hour I was feeling good.

Max practiced the piano for awhile and Marc regaled Landon and Lucas with news of the next big innovation coming to the Wii.

I got down to business writing some long overdue thank you notes. I have been very frustrated with how behind I've gotten on my good mail ways.

I like this shot Michelle took of my supplies including the medicinal Coke I had that day. (I fear I'm cultivating a new addiction and am trying hard not to give in to it, but that day it really helped.)

Michelle worked on some cool Christmas ornaments that proved to be more time consuming than she'd anticipated.

Michelle was quite smitten (as am I) with these darling thank you notes I found a couple months ago at TJ Maxx. When I bought them I hadn't even noticed that the envelopes were cute too.

Marc was kind enough to offer me a piece of his birthday cake! I would have completely understood if he had wanted to save it all for himself.

My phone beeped at 5:00 to notify me that it was Creative Friday!

Cute Michelle.

She made progress on her sparkly ornaments.

I wrote 16 thank you notes!

My hand hurt and felt like a hideous claw by the end of the day.

We didn't see much of the boys until the end of the day when they played chess in the family room. Landon's broken elbow busted their groove a bit so they weren't able to play basketball or jump on the trampoline.

It was a really great, restorative and productive day and one that I definitely need to help me regroup and relax.

**Have you written any thank you notes lately?

Do you love TJ Maxx for stationery?

Ever made your own ornaments?

What do you take for cramps?**

Comment Window Tidbit: As much as I love to be home, I must say that I manage my time far more effectively now that I'm working. Apparently I really need a set wake-up time and early bedtime and didn't need to be watching so much TV all these years!

November Bookclub

One thing I've noticed about using my Kindle is that I don't have an accurate feel for how long the book is, so I don't end up knowing how to manage my time in order to finish in time for book club. I was in a total panic the day of book club because I was only 70% done with the book (how does that number help me?). I spent all afternoon frantically reading, then had Randy read to me while I was getting ready to go.

Then Michelle read to me while I drove us to Collette's house and we sat in the driveway for 5 minutes finishing the book! As you can see, Michelle saved my bacon once again!

We brought our own dinners to enjoy at Collette's house (I enjoy this) and I had my usual.

Jana showed up even though she was coming off 3 weeks of pneumonia and couldn't hear well because her ears were plugged (this ended up being funny). She freaked us out by how skinny she is! Apparently the combination of running and being sick agrees with her, but now she's wasting away! I told Michelle I'd like to show up to book club looking shockingly skinny one of these days.

We talked at the table for a long time before moving into the cozy family room because we knew Jana would be leaving soon (she had to get home to her sick kids).

We drew names for our Christmas book exchange.

I got Jenn! Michelle got me!

I was lamenting that I didn't have a good feel for the book because I read it on my Kindle and found out the cover of the book was at the very end of the Kindle edition...what the?

We got cozy to discuss the book and ended up spending more time talking about the previous week's RS lesson on The Millennium.

**Have you read this book?

Ever read to someone by headlight?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I went to bed early with a headache, then took medicine at midnight, but still have a headache! It's just too cruel to have to start the day not feeling great.

Sunday Thoughts

I recently started reading No One Can Take Your Place by Sheri Dew and think it's wonderful. I mark so many passages on every page that I'm ending up with only small bits actually unmarked! I love it when that happens.

"Now, the Lord doesn't ask us to be more than who we are. The reality of mortality is that our work never stops--not if we're serious about immortality. So I ask you, Will you join me in identifying one thing you can do to increase your faith and knowledge? If you will, your obedience and purity, integrity and sense of identity will also increase--with unflinching moral courage being the result. Latter-day men and women of God must have this courage if we are to be a light and a standard, if we are to open our mouths, if we are to be disturbers and annoyers of the adversary's kingdom, and if we are to build up the kingdom of God. We can do it. I know we can!" page 26

I've been thinking lately that I need to make a more conscious effort to be more spiritual. I have gotten into a routine of personal prayer and scripture reading, but am not feeling the results I'd like to be feeling. These changes take effort and need to infiltrate my life more completely. So what will I do to change this???

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: I'm actually ready to go back to work tomorrow!

Thanksgiving

I woke up with wicked cramps and a headache on Thanksgiving and felt a wave of dread. It was just too cruel to feel so awful on a day I really wanted to have fun, so I mentally rallied as best I could, took some Excedrin and then stopped at McDonald's for a medicinal Coke (Landon said he needed "medicinal fries" and Whitney said she needed a "medicinal sundae" Ha.)

I had just started this book the night before and was telling Randy about it in the car and just had to read him part of it, but then we were all enjoying it so much I read to us the whole way out to freakin Eagle Mountain...good times. Oh how I love a book that makes me laugh out loud!

This was our first ever Thanksgiving with just our family! Usually we gather with my mom's side of the family for a feast at her sister's house, but this year my aunt had back surgery and couldn't host so we were left to fend for ourselves...and we did!

 Lori tried chopping onions with a matchstick in her mouth to help stop the eye irritation involved, it worked.

We received the family cookbooks my cousin's wife organized in the summer, we all contributed recipes and she took care of everything else (all my best recipes came from Michelle and Amie!).

Andrew was home!

The first item of business was to take a family photo for my parents' Christmas card. As always, we set up the tripod and put the camera on self-timer, took 4 shots and hoped for the best. My dad and Andrew both have a very small window of patience for this experience so it's a good thing we got one with everyone's eyes open! (My dad had to lift Andrew's chin so he'd look up.)

The kids' table was in the kitchen and the adults' table was in the dining room, I think everyone was happy with this set up.

My dad helped Landon cut his turkey since he's having a hard time maneuvering with his cast on.

 Amy took pictures with her awesome camera and I took over Robyn's since mine is at death's door and is practically useless. (Sob, sniff, sniff, sigh.)

Our feast at the adults' table!

Someone started reminiscing about the little pilgrim figurines we used to have when we were kids and my mom pulled them out of the hutch! These bring back memories of Thanksgivings gone by.

Whitney has love affair going on with my parents' cat.

The rest of the day wasn't documented very well (I'm lost without my camera and even though Robyn was fine to share with me it just wasn't on my radar the way it normally would be). The kids played all day so we hardly saw them. We perused the store ads (I am so NOT a Black Friday shopper), watched Elf on TV while the guys watched The Godfather, and just hung out.

I made this fabulous (if I do say so myself) vanilla cream pie with a chocolate bottom. I used a different recipe for the custard (it calls for cornstarch instead of flour) and it held it's shape better.

I ended up buying this huge pecan pie at Costco because it cost a dollar less than the bag of pecans I was going to buy!

My mom finished this year's jammie pants for the grandkids so Amy took this photo. It's a little sad that the kids are getting so huge!

Overall it was a happy, relaxing, day filled with good food and family the way Thanksgiving should be.

**How was your Thanksgiving?

Have you taken a family picture recently?

Did you shop on Black Friday?**

Comment Window Tidbit:It has been a nice few days off work, though it's messing with my head...I'm very prone to time warp issues.

Morning

This is what I saw when I stepped out of the house to go to work last Friday morning at 7:15. This picture doesn't even do it justice.

I pulled over as I passed the temple because the view was so gorgeous!

Comment Window Tidbit: I only have 2 days of work this week so I've been thinking these days would be calm and easy...they're not.

Sunday Thoughts

I feel blessed. I think about my blessings all the time, but especially at the end of the day as I say my personal prayer and mentally review my day. With every inconvenient, painful, frustrating, discouraging experience there are good things to accompany them. I have seen this over and over again this week as Landon has spent the week on the couch recovering from his surgery. We have received 2 fantastic dinners, lots of visits and phone calls, kind words, a card in the mail and so on. It has really been heart-warming and humbling.

Landon's friend Russell brought over this funny note and treats.

The Rasbands brought donut holes (a true weakness of mine) and cookies! 

James, Jackson and Dallin showed up at 7:15am Tuesday morning with a half dozen Krispy Kreme donuts! They had gone to the Provo Temple at 5:00am and stopped for donuts and to share with Landon (he usually goes to the temple with them on Tuesdays) on the way home. So nice!

Amie brought Landon and I lunch on Tuesday and also brought Landon a BYU t-shirt and a box of white cheddar Cheez-Its (both his favorite things).

Spencer, Jackson and Dallin stopped by to check on Landon on Friday after school.

Sister Bangerter brought Landon (and us) this huge tray of her delicious, homemade rolls yesterday!

 

The Wilcox family brought us a huge dish (this photo really doesn't show how big it is) of homemade macaroni and cheese, ham slices, bread, green beans and rootbeer float fixings! This meal will feed us for days! When Tracy called on Friday to offer to bring us dinner she said she wanted to wait until the dust settled a bit because it's easy to feel forgotten after that...I cried.

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: It was so weird to only be 12 minutes early for church today and to be able to easily get a soft seat! It feels like we lost half our ward to the split. Oh the pain!

Wordless Wednesday

Comment Window Tidbit: I really should change my Wordless Wednesdays into Wednesdays by Whitney since she shows up so often!

12 on the 12th--November Edition

This is the 9th month in a row that Michelle has taken pity on me and made my grid! What can I say? She's my bacon saver!

{Click to Enlarge}

1. I got up at 6:30 and did a little early morning Facebooking. I finally succumbed to the craze and have a love/hate relationship with it.
2. It was a glorious Fall morning with falling leaves and rainy streets.
3. Cathy and I went walking for an hour and a half.
4. I already had my day's step goal by the time I got home at 9:30!
5. Landon came home early from a scout camp out with a mangled elbow and some cuts and scrapes.
6. We spent a couple hours at Urgent Care before they sent us to Primary Children's Hospital.
7. Our ER co-pay was $125.
8. Landon circled by the medical team that operated on his elbow.
9. Randy and I had the family waiting room to ourselves.
10. The surgery went great and we got this little photo of the nifty pin in his elbow.
11. It's a good thing I'd brought my phone charger with me because I did a ton of texting back and forth to update friends and family...their concern was touching.
12. We came home at 1:00am to a poster, balloons and treats from Robyn and her kids.

Comment Window Tidbit: It was a memorable 12 on the 12th for sure!