Sunday, November 28, 2010

Christmas Decorating



Here is my very special, always insistent helper! We setup the tree on Friday, it is now Sunday...and he has continually helped remove and replace my glass ornaments on my tree multiple times in each day! This is going to be a VERY long month!

Turkey Day Preparations

I love the holidays and reasons to cook and eat good food and visit with family and friends! I wish we lived close enough to my entire family, but we are lucky to live near my grandparents and uncle. We enjoy having them over for family meals!

It's a tradition that the boys go to play Turkey bowl at the park while we cook and get ready! Aubrey and her friend Dallas lasted as cheerleaders for 10 mins and then came home. (It was 20 deg. that am) Here they are enjoying their hot cocoa!



Here is my little helper that morning, with his very special cutting board and knife!



Here are my perfectly cooked rolls (gotta love Rhodes Frozen Roll Dough)!


Here is a sample plate of the meal that was prepared! Take special notice of the fancy plate, and silverware, but Rick wants you to notice the white trash plasticware! He is still talking about those cups! I don't have fancy pretty glasses that are a complete set, or don't have dishwasher water stains on them, so I opted to get these! He was seriously annoyed. Just yesterday, he said, "Hey, hon, on a serious note, next time you make a beautiful holiday meal with fancy dishes, use REAL glasses, we aren't camping!" I also noticed this person didn't get turkey, either, it was there, I promise!



One more photo I loved, while we were setting the food out, I asked Rick to take a picture of the boys before they got dirty. I love my boys, especially when they are CLEAN!




We feel very blessed to have a warm home, good food and family to share it with, a knowledge of the gospel and the plan of happiness, and an attitude of gratitude! It was a nice, quiet, peaceful Thanksgiving with TONS of leftovers!

There's a chill in the air

I love this time of year when the leaves fall and the chill moves in! I am not a fan of snow country, just enough to make the desert landscape look soft and cloudy! Here are a few reasons I love that we get some cold and snow...



Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Christmas Crafts

So, I have had these things on my list for months now and decided to burn the midnight oil and get them done last night! I'm so happy to check these off my list!!!! DONE!

My nephew is serving an LDS mission in the Philippines and wanted a missionary apron. I saw the ones they sell on line, but liked my idea better! Thanks to a great friend with an awesome embroidery machine I could make it happen! It only cost me $3 to make but $12 to ship! He's worth it!






Growing up I remember my mom had special Santa rugs for us. They were a little rug that told Santa where to put our specific gifts! I made some a few years ago, that weren't quite what I wanted! So thanks to Ilona, my embroidery master I was able to get the perfect look! Rick says I should sew a bow on the top of the black box to make it look like a present, I may still do that, but for now, the kids are really excited and love that they are personalized!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Grateful

I have always tried to recognize God's hand in all the blessings, joys, struggles and challenges in my life! I try not to let a day go by that I don't tell my husband how much I appreciate all the sacrifices he makes, or how hard the kids work at trying to do their best. Don't misunderstand, there are days when all I feel like I do is clean up messes, change diapers and yell! But when the house is all calm and quiet and I lay in bed exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally, I still "get it"! I am truly blessed! I have love in my life, I have an eternal perspective, I have an undeniable faith in Jesus Christ, I find joy in the journey!

I love this quote by Gordon B. Hinckley, “When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.”

I hope that those who know me and even those who don't see in me the spirit of thanksgiving, and that I always live my life as one with a grateful heart.
I hope that the outward me, shows the inward me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is the family at the local corn maze! I love these photos that really "show" their personalities. Yep, that's Hunter on the ground crying to get up on the top. I'm so mean!