The aftermath

The white blinking lights on our Christmas tree
the one I begged Darrel to put up for Thanksgiving



Auntie and baby Valorie



Uncle Jane - as the kids called him! Darrel looks on.



I didn't do it...



enjoying the last rays of sunshine



Grandma said it was the most relaxed Thanksgiving ever



Humor me guys!



The "spread"



The goodies


Possibly, this was the best Thanksgiving ever.

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house and it was a great success. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly thankful for all that we have been given and the blessings we enjoy every single day.

I had a prayer in my heart that lasted all day for those who did not have family, who were alone, for those that had little or no food to eat... for those who might never experience the real meaning of Thanksgiving... for those that can't get along with their families and weren't together.

It was just an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for what I have. My family. My extended family. The "In Laws". The food. Leftovers. Warm Home. Nice weather. The feeling of missing my family that weren't there.... I could go on forever.

We cooked all morning. My husband took the kids to McDonald's for a pancake breakfast. The house smelt wonderful. The food was delicious and perfect. The setting was peaceful and friendly. There was such a feeling of love that come in the door when the relatives walked in....I cannot describe the feelings with words. Except Gratitude. Thankfulness. Appreciation. Instead of feeling depressed for those who were going without I just soaked it all in and stayed in the moment. It will be a fond memory for sure.

I love being in this stage of my life. I've always wanted to be "here". All the years I spent taking care of other peoples families... this is what I really wanted. I just wanted to fast forward my life to this point and now I'm here. A wonderful loving forgiving husband. Beautiful precious children of my own. A home to live in and call my own. Friends and Family. I am trying to live in the moment. Enjoy this time and put into detail all the wonderful moments. It is going by too quickly. The fast forward button is stuck and life is turning the pages faster than I would like it to.

I would like to thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me to see and appreciate the blessings that he has given me. To feel compassion for others and to share my home with friends, family and the daycare children that "live" with us.

It truly has been a Thanks-giving this year.

bubble wrap

To catch a fox....

love ya! Messy Jess

A new game!

It's the new game of slide it down the banister!



How fast will it go?



What will they think of next?

3 little girls

The guys had gone to see the monster trucks



The girls were left to fend for themselves



So a night out on the town was in order!



We stayed up all night - at least until 10:30



Thank you Grandma for the accessories!

And so this is Christmas

This is so totally a journal entry and may be completely boring.
We are busy putting up Christmas decorations while the weather is cooperating.













Darrel has put candy canes all along the house and lit the edges of the house with big bulbs, little bulbs and everything in between.

Baby Jesus needs a new light bulb and then we are all done - outside.....

Cleaned the girls room AGAIN! I think I'm going to put all of their clothes in the closet and put a lock on it. No more going through 10 different changes of clothes everyday. I bet that will win me the worst mother of the year award! I'm getting good at this.

Christmas isn't even here yet and I'm dreading the passing of it. It's too bad we can't keep this good feeling of Christmas all through the year. So bahumbug to all of you out there! Tonight we are going to watch Christmas Vacation. Or maybe Polar Express?











The Polar Express Photos
Copyright © Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.

Un-traditional Traditions!

My Grandmother made these delicious crescent rolls and of course the recipe got handed down to my mother who makes them for church functions and THANKSGIVING!

We have them every year and it is looked forward to more than turkey or dessert!

They are so delictable....delightful....delicious.....down right melt in your mouth goodness.....


There is a tender story to tell.

When we lived in Colburn Colorado my mother would only grocery shop once a month. It cost $5 to make the trip down the hill to the only store where even stale bread was considered a blessing.

On an especially poor month my mother brought her precious items of food home and set them on the table where she would ask a blessing that the food would last until the next trip down the hill.

As she stood there deciding what to make with the ingredients she was prompted strongly to make the rolls. Not a sensible choice but still the spirit spoke to her strongly to make the rolls. And she did.

No sooner had she begun to make them she received a phone call from a neighbor's wife.

My mother was known to be a lady who could do anything. She often had people pay her to make pretty bows or flower arrangements. I remember someone once asked her to make a hot air balloon out of paper mac he and she did it! It was on a large scale too! I've never seen a balloon so huge!

This phone call was for fresh bread. Could she do it? Tears streamed down my mothers face as she told the neighbor that she was making rolls just then. The neighbor offered to pay her dearly for them.

The trade was made and my mother took the $50 and went back down to the little store. She bought enough groceries that lasted clear past the next trip down the hill.

My mother calls them the miracle rolls. Everyone started calling her the Roll Lady.

My mom was asked to make them for the church Christmas party in Pleasant Grove Utah. It was an overwhelming amount and she asked the sisters in the ward to help out by making the dough and meeting her at the church. They then met the next morning after the dough had risen to roll them out and to let them rise again. That evening they came back and baked them and they served them fresh. There was a man who owned several restaurants and praised her up and down for the perfect pastry. She humbly said that it wasn't her credit - everyone had helped.

We had moved away and a friend sent us a newspaper clipping stating something close to the following:

"So and So" from the Pleasant Grove Ward # "such and such" has won the $350.00 contest for the best roll recipe!

Our friend told us that she referred to herself as "the roll Lady"

We laughed and laughed until our sides hurt.

Great Way to Change Your Thinking

The following I found on wishing and discovering. I wanted to post it here because it really has helped me alot this week. Go visit their blog. Very insightful.


"The last group we attended we were given a sheet of the Top Ten Stinkin' Thinkin' from Marsha Linehan's skills. I thought they were really helpful and want to share them with you:

1. ALL OR NOTHING THINKING: If you're not perfect, you're a total loser. If you don't get everything you want, it feels like you got nothing. If you're having a good day, the rest of your life is perfect and you don't need therapy anymore.

2. OVER GENERALIZATION: One thing goes wrong and your whole life suddenly becomes one lousy thing after another.

3. MENTAL FILTER: You develop selective hearing and only hear the one tiny negative thing surrounded by all the huge positive stuff.

4. DISQUALIFYING THE POSITIVE : The good stuff doesn't count because the rest of your life is miserable.

5. MAGNIFICATION OR MINIMIZATION: The screw-ups or losses are HUGE and the good stuff or your positive qualities are small.

6. EMOTIONAL REASONING: You start thinking that your emotions are fact. "I feel, therefore it is." "I feel like she hates me, therefore she does."

7. JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS: You suddenly become a psychic mind reader. You know without even asking that people have it in for you and that everything you try is going to come out miserably.

8. SHOULD STATEMENTS: You should on yourself. You start beating yourself up with the "shoulds." "I should be able to deal with this better." "I should be able to deal with this better." "I should be able to handle this." "I should have said this/done that."

9.LABELING AND MISLABELING: Over generalization taken a step further. Your use extreme language to describe things.

10. PERSONALIZATION: You see yourself as the cause for things you have absolutely no control over or the target of stuff that may have absolutely nothing to do with you. "It's all about me"-but not in a good way."

Wednesday November 12, 2008

My husband and I are going through another difficult "hard to communicate with each other" phase. We will be doing just fine and then wham - it's like we strangers and the only way we can get through to each other is by yelling.

We don't like to yell at each other but we do it anyways. We are so wrapped up in our own individual responsibilities and stress that I think we are forgetting to find compassion with each other. So we take it out on each other.

To be the one that just gives in and lets the other cry on your shoulder is so hard when all you want is that shoulder to cry on. We both have to be strong at the same time.

I worry all the time what he is going through. Why he is so discouraged and fustrated? I have no idea and so I do the worst which is to assume it's me.

And then I get mad and start listing all the things that I do and how grateful he should be - for all that I do to make our lives easier and better. And I'm sure he probably feels unappreciated too - when we are so wrapped up in what needs to be accomplished.

It's a circle that needs to be broken. I must get back to the basics:
Personal prayer. Personal scripture study. Me time. I need to put me first so that I'm strong enough to take care of everything on my plate.

blogger vacation

I so need to get off this writers block and stop posting video clips.
It's back to the grind. Business as usual. Get my focus back. Post a post a day...

It's been busy but I think I just needed time to recuperate and put things back into perspective. I think God knew that too - my computer got a virus. My washing machine died. The kids tore the t.v. cable out of the wall..... Thank goodness I recognized the message before God threw a brick at my head. No, just kidding. God wouldn't do that.

I did set some boundaries and rules for myself for playing on the computer. So far I've broken every one....

Things I did while on vacation from blogging....

1. Helped my husband paint the house.
Front room and Kitchen got a "pumpkin pie orange" color - very much like a fall leaf color - I told my husband I wanted a fall leaf color so he went and found the most pretty leaf and took it into the store to color match it. Love HIM!



The daycare got a Nantucket blue


The girls room got a cotton candy pink


and Jon has to wait for another weekend to paint his room :(

2. I received my "Michael Mclean The Forgotten Carols on CD". He reads the story and I love it - love it - love it. If I close my eyes and imagine the play I can almost feel like I'm there. I also found his "Evening with Michael McLean" on video and got that in the mail. Along with "Gipp Forester's It feels like Christmas"

I am so ready for the holidays now. Cross your fingers for me - I hope to get a bunny hop to Salt Lake City to see Michael McLean perform his concert . If my husband is good I will take him with me. (a bunny hop is a small commuter airplane ride from where I live to Salt Lake City.)

3. Geared up for Thanksgiving by spending way too much at the local Walmart. Bought some pretty dishes to display all that food!

Including but not posting everything.... punch bowl with itsy little cups to drink from, matching relish tray with bowl. (All white glass) Porcelain baking dishes for mashed potatoes, green been casserole.....

Red table cloth with white satin runner. Red place mats with white satin napkins. Matching dishes in red and white. Red stained glasses with new silver, silver wear! Big red tin tub for stashing icy cold pop in.....

I have to stop now. I'm getting too exited just thinking about it!!

4. I got the laundry completely caught up and then the darn thing DIED!

5. Cleaned my office and organized that mountain of paper work. Yay.
Holy Cow, I actually have an office?

6. Died my hair very dark brown/black. Holy Cow, the gray-grey is gone!!

7. "Looked at" exercise bicycle and stair climber at local Walmart- my friend lost 95 pounds in 6 months by eating healthy and riding her bike. If she can do it - I can do it! I'm starting to change my mentality on losing weight. I may have this ugly skin hanging down but at least the weight will be gone. Here's to that 100 pds that I won't miss!

8. Cleaned and organized the kitchen. Dang I really miss my house keeper!