Wonderful Week

This past week was such a wonderful one for us.  We have so many things to be thankful for.  First of all I am so thankful that my husband has a job!  He was laid off for 9 days and it was so nice to have him home!  He was able to help friends in need when their female had puppies (our dog was the Stud dog).  He went hunting (not as much as he would have liked), cleaned out the storage shed (wahoo!!, that was a huge task!), mowed the lawn, cleaned out the kennels, played games with us and so forth.

We had the opportunity of seeing a great movie The Blind Side, Wednesday my family came over for Thanksgiving Dinner and we had a delicious meal then played games.  It was so nice to have them over.  Thursday we enjoyed a wonderful meal with his sister Sondra and their family in Middleton.  We were able to bring our neighbor Patty with us who is going thru some really hard times with us and Sondra had a friend there as well.  Jerry and I took a couple of plates of food over to my Dad that afternoon.  It was so nice to do that for him.  Then that evening we  were invited to friends in our Ward for dinner and games and had such a good time there!  Ross and I stayed up until 2:30 am watching The Great Escape one that I have not seen before.

Friday was a good day, lazy but good.  That evening we took Jerry and Raelene to their first BSU Football game.  A guy that Ross had trained his dog for got us 4 tickets to the Nevada game at BSU.  IT was SOOO cold and wet but we had a good time.

Saturday night we went to the Gold and Green Ball at the Stake Center.  We had a good time there.  Raelene took our picture for us just before we left.  I think she did a pretty good job.

That about sums it up.  We have so much to be thankful for.  I am thankful for my family and friends.  For my freedoms and to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Now I can retire?!

My sweet husband has been asking me to teach our daughter who is 11 years old, how to make bread.  Yesterday I finally did just that.  I shaped the first loaf while she watched me and then she did the rest.  This is how they turned out.  I thought she did such a wonderful job, especially for her first time!  Better than my first time that is for sure!  So now she can make bread whenever we need it.  How grateful I am for such wonderful children who love to learn and love to serve.

The First Thanksgiving

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING



Children do you know the story
Of the first Thanksgiving Day,
Founded by our Pilgrim fathers
In that time so far away?

They had given for religion
Wealth and comfort - yes, and more -
Left their homes and friends and kindred,
For a bleak and barren shore.

On New England's rugged headlands,
Now where peaceful Plymouth lies;
There they built their rough log cabins,
'Neath the cold forbidding skies.

And too often e'en the bravest
Felt his blood run cold with dread,
Lest the wild and savage red man
Burn the roof over his head.

Want and sickness, death and sorrow,
Met their eyes on every had;
And before the spring had reached them
They had buried half their band.

But their noble, brave endurance
Was not exercised in vain
Summer brought themn brighter prospects,
Ripening seed and waving grain.

And the patient Pilgrim mothers,
As the harvest time drew near,
Looked with happy thankful faces,
At the full corn in the ear.

So the governor, William Bradford,
In the gladness of his hear,
To praise God for all his mercies,
Set a special day apart.

That was in the autumn, children,
Sixteen hundred twenty-one;
Scarce a year from when they landed,
And the colony begun.

And now, when in late November,
Our Thanksgiving feast is spread,
'Tis the same time-honored custom
Of those Pilgrims long since dead.

We shall never know the terrors,
That they braved years, years ago;
But for all their struggles gave us,
We our gratitude can show.

And the children of New England,
If they feast or praise or pray,
Should bless God for those brave Pilgrims,
And their first Thanksgiving Day.

Can I please wash the dishes?

So over a week ago our dishwasher decided to go to appliance heaven.  It was great.. ok not really.  It is amazing how blessed we are and what we take for granted.  I have been doing dishes by hand, which I know others have done that for years.. but let's face it, it is so much nicer to do them in under an hour and have energy and physical strength to play with kids.  I am not complaining.  It has made me more appreciative of how easy we have it.  I am grateful for the food that we have to eat that causes dirty dishes.  It is also a great way to sanitize your dishes.

But I do look forward to the day when we can get a new one.  So I have struggled with getting the kids motivated about helping with that ever so mundane but necessary chore!  Well if I would have known that all it would take to get excited about washing dishes by hand would be to buy a dish brush that holds soap, I would have done it years ago!!  I love the simplemindedness of kids.  Raelene asked me tonight if she could wash dishes tonight and tomorrow night and even friday night!  I said sure, what I really wanted to say was "No, I don't want you washing dishes, you are not supposed to be that excited to do so!"  I am so grateful for such wonderful children.  I feel so blessed!  If only I would have been half that way growing up!

What's for lunch?? Am I the only one who has a hard time with this one?

Everyday I ask myself the same question... what is for LUNCH???  I struggle and struggle with this very same thing day in and day out!  When we have leftovers it is sooo nice!! I love good leftovers... hated them as a kid.. but now it is different.

It is hard to fix a lunch for just you and your little guy!  I would love to fix a lunch for several people! The more the merrier!

So am I the only one that struggles with this or am I just weird??  Ok.. don't answer that last one.

My first pumpkin patch adventure!

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to Perdum's Pumpkin Patch with some pre schoolers.  Brayden had a great time.  I am thankful for the invite.

Today's message

It is said that our tongue is like a rudder on a huge ship.  Although the rudder is small, it controls the direction of the entire ship, and in a similar manner, your tongue will control the direction of your life.

Just something to ponder on!

Quote for the day

"We don't have emotional problems, we have thinking problems."  Joel Osteen

Our emotions come in direct correlation to what are thoughts are.

Unwanted guest

For over two months now I have been losing weight.  And no I have not tried to (smile).  I have tried everything I can think of.  It has now reached 12 lbs.  That is a lot for me.  I have tried increasing my calories, the healthy way, exercise..

I finally have an answer, I have an unwanted guest that is sharing my food.  Yep, that is right, a parasite.  It makes total sense.  How else can you eat more than you can possibly imagine and still lose weight each week?  I decided not to put pictures of them on here because quite frankly they are gross!  I didn't realize that we can have 100 different species that can live in our bodies... I would prefer not to share in this case!  So here goes, I have a plan and something to do to eliminate it.  I have faith.  I can't afford to lose much more.  Ross asked me today if he could have it...I said no, don't really want to share it with anyone!  I am proud of him though, he is taking good care of himself.. and will leave it at that!  He is amazing to me, and he looks awesome!! Always has, always will!  Now I want to get myself in better shape so I can keep up with him!!

Close call

On saturday my sweet husband and his close friend were able to get their first elk on the Butte here in Emmett.  It was a blessing from Heavenly Father no doubt.  I know that He knows that we need the meat this year and it was a prayer answered by His love.

Ross called me that afternoon to let me know that they had both good news and bad news.  Good news was that they both shot their elk.  Bad news was Joe almost died out there.  Ross had to finish taking care of 2 elk by himself.  Joe was cutting into the elk when his knife slipped and severed his left arm.  It was bad enough that Ross was actually scared.  He is never scared.  He said that he bled like a stuck pig.  Thankfully Joe had a piece of bailing twine in his back pocket and Ross was able to use that as a turnicate.

If Ross hadn't have been there with him, he would have literally bled to death.  Ross came home and told me that he really thought he was going to lose his friend right then and there.  I know that he was watched over that day. 

I know that Ross has had many close calls himself and has scared me nearly half to death!  I am so grateful for our guardian angels.  I know that Ross was there for a reason.  I am grateful that Joe is doing alright considering the circumstances.  I am thankful for good friends in our life.. for all of them.  Now hopefully we won't have any more close calls for a long time!

Don't wish your life away...

I remember being just a little girl when my grandmother told me one day not to wish my life away. Being the smart little girl that I was, I said"what do you mean?" She told me that I always wished I were older, wishing that I could go do this or that. I thought it was just silly what she was saying until one day I realized that she was right!

Now I find myself saying the same things to my children as my grandmother said to me..."Don't wish your life away!" Live in the now, not in the future. True, we need to hope for the future but live for the moments we have this very day.

I am now in my thirties (shh.. don't tell anyone.. I am still 21!) and I find myself with some changes coming up on me pretty quickly. My oldest will be a TEENAGER in less than 6 months... my daughter will be leaving Primary in 4 months, and my youngest will be leaving Nursery and venturing off to the big Primary in 2 months!!
WHERE OH WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE.. OH WHERE OH WHERE COULD IT BE??! I find myself singing that almost every day!!

Wasn't I just a kid in the 4th grade, enjoying my time with my friends and my grandparents, getting spoiled with licorice and ice cream, not worrying about anything else than the scrapes on my knees from falling down being clumsy?

Or spending countless hours sitting on my Grandpa's lap just enjoying the day knowing that I was special in his eyes. Or making Popcorn every friday night at my grandparents home and then watching some fun show on tv that night. Remembering my grandpa telling me that I needed to eat something for lunch before my dad came and picked me up to go fishing along the Snake River, for if I didn't the fish wouldn't bite because they would know that I would be hungry!

I am so thankful for all my wonderful memories growing up.. now I get to create new ones with my very own family and watch them go thru the things that I was able to experience. May I always live for the now and look forward to a fun filled, special future that is awaiting me!