whatever

Thanksgiving 2011-

I thought I would share a little before everyone gets here- the table is set and all is well. {I always set the table the night before Thanksgiving- I love waking up to a pretty table....it's kind of like waking up to a beautiful Christmas Tree on Christmas day to me.}

I found these divine little felted acorns on Pinterest.....just had to order some.  {Learning to felt is one of my 2012 goals.}  They came from "Fairyfolk"

Made these for the Kids table-

I got the idea from One Charming party-

A little look at the "grown-up" Table-

Most everything came from my yard- Using vintage green glasses and other things I had in the kitchen.

The green/blue vase is from 1930's it was Danny's Mothers.

Couldn't fine the napkins I wanted at the stores....so I made these using flannel- I got the material for $2 a yard= 8 napkins for $4.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day- I'm off to start the cooking.

 

 

Quiet Monday-

 

I have a great deal of company in the house, especially in the morning when nobody calls.

-Henry David Thoreau

 

We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly. . . spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order. – Susan L. Taylor

 

We live in a very tense society. We are pulled apart… and we all need to learn how to pull ourselves together…. I think that at least part of the answer lies in solitude. – Helen Hayes

 

"In quiet moments when you think about it, you recognize what is critically important in life and what isn't.  Be wise and don't let things crowd out those that are essential."

- Elder Richard G. Scott

 

Pink Morning

 
                                                                              -Pink June Morning-

 

 
                                                                                  -Hydrangeas in June-

 

 

 

 

 
                                                                                                -Pink morning light-

 
 

                                                                     when thou risest in the morning let they heart be full of thanks, Alma 37:37

Garden in May-

"The world's favorite season is the spring. 
All things seem possible in May."
-   Edwin Way Teale

 

 

 
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row. 

The little things, the little moments, They aren't little.

 Birds nest in the most interesting places....this one greets us each morning.

 
 
 
I marveled at the sight, two small children, one small bird and four blue eggs.

Spring isn't spring until you have stood on your tip toes to see the surprise inside.  

A centerpiece from the May Garden-
 

  

When do you know?

When do you know if what you have done as a parent were the right things?   I heard it said that you can tell if you were a good parent by how your Grandchildren turn out.....or when your children are better parents than you were.

I can definitely say "Dido" to that.

I am musing about this today, because, I have had a few Tender Sweet moments in the last few days.

I was sitting with Sam at the computer desk as he was teaching me a few  new "tech" thing and being very patience with me I might add, when......

  I had a thought just rushed over me, that this moment seemed  somehow familiar. Only the "teacher" was now Sam and not me. That was tender sweet for me. When did that happen?.....the student is now the teacher in more ways than one.

When in Texas I marveled at how sweet Kent was with NIcholas. He truly is a sweet little Dad.  Plus watching Kent work side by side with his Dad and enjoying being "the Do it yourself-er" {Growing up Kent never enjoyed those Moments....his comment when Dad would try and teach him some handyman skills were.."I'm just going to pay someone to do this for me when I'm on my own"  =}

More musing:

  I was remembering all those times as a parent that I played the part of a "Cheerleader" With lots of "You can do it", "Your the cutest and the smartest" , "I'm your biggest fan" , etc.

Well this week has been filled with "Cheerleader" moments but I wasn't the "Cheerleader" this time; another one of those role reversal moments when Shannon said this to me-

 

You will do great! Soon the people at Blissful will be saying, "what did we ever do before Teresa came along!" Congratulations!

an Email Shannon sent to Dad-

I told Anna that I wanted to take a picture of her in her "beautiful sweater" and she immediately grabbed this framed photo to hold in the shot.  I thought it was so cute.  :)  Thanks again for treating her like a princess!

Another Tender Sweet moment-

I thought of Denver trying new things; looking for jobs and yet still being positive when things aren't turning out like he had wished . He is having many "growing" Moments.    Happy Birthday on the 13th Denver! Love ya

 

Watching my children grow and become amazing adults is like.....well like something amazing. =)

 

 

Mason turns 20 today....yes 20. When did that happen?

 from Mason-

" This past week has been really great for us. We found 5 new investigators and got 23 lessons in. The cool thing about the investigators is that on Friday we found 3 out of the 5 on that day. So the lord has blessed us for sure."

This past couple days, I have been thinking about my life. I feel that the Lord has something he needs me to do here on the earth but I don't know what. It is hard to explain, but I was praying and got the feeling that he has saved me from all my close calls of death because he needs me to do something here. But I wish I knew. But in his own time he will tell me. 

 And I have realized on my mission that God works simple and in simple ways comes great things. Also that the things the Lord has commanded are simple, if you look at all the commandments they are all easy to follow, So that is why I have made myself that I will do whatever the Lord commands, like in  1 Nephi 3:7 "I will go and do the things the lord has commanded" for I know that the lord will give us the way to do them. For this I am always going to obey whatever the Lord wants , not my will but his will.

Happy Birthday Mason-

Like I said it's been a week of Tender Sweet Moments- I feel blessed.

Thanksgiving-

 

"A thankful Heart is a Happy heart."

 

 "Thankfulness is measured by the number of words; gratitude is measured by the nature of our actions."- David O. Mckay

 

 

"Hold fast to the blessings which God has provided for you. Yours is not the task to gain them, they are here; yours is the part of cherishing them- J. Reuben Clark, Jr.

 

 

 "Think to thank. In these three words are the finest capsule course for a happy marriage, a formula for enduring friendship, and a pattern for personal happiness." -President Thomas S. Monson

 

 "We should confess His hand is all things. Ingratitude is one of our great sins." -Ezra Taft Benson

 

 Thanks to my children & my brother and family for helping us to have a wonderful Thanksgiving- Everyone pitched in and helped.

From the cooking to sharing fun times- We ate, had a little gift exchange and the boys had a boxing match to see who would win $50. 

 

  

Sam won the boxing match.

Thanks to Heidi for helping with the kids table and cooking.  

 

Sam cooked the Turkeys and made the dessert-

 

 Denver and Bree helped to make the table pretty- and Bree made the place cards-

 

 
 

"Those things which we call extraordinary, remarkable, or unusual may make history, but they do not make real life.

     After all, to do well those things which God ordained to be the common lot of all mankind, is the truest greatness. To be a successful father or a successful Mother is greater than to be a successful general or a successful statesman." - Howard w. Hunter.

 

I'm thankful for my Family, home and health-  

"There isn't a word in all the English language with more magic in it than the word gratitude. Love makes fertile the soil for things to blossom and to grow, and love begins with gratitude.- Geraldine P. Anderson 

 

melancholy in the wind-

Every once in awhile I have feelings of "melancholy"- to some that may seem a bad thing....  I like to think of it as a feeling of thoughtful sadness. =)

I get to missing the grandchildren, my kids, and my Mom {this past week marked 3  years since her death}

It seems there is always something to be missing. Such is life, right?

So when I get to feeling this way, I give myself a little time to "enjoy" the sadness...then I move on.  It helps to talk with friends or plan dates to see the kids-

Okay, so the girls and I have a fun date planned- to one of our favorite places-

 

More on that later-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a fun few days planned with Carlee- she is going to be our little secretary- something that she did last year also. {this picture was taken a couple of years ago- Carlee wasn't too sure about the wig.}

 

Sam and his Family along with Denver and Bree will be sharing Thanksgiving with us- something wonderful to look forward too.

Blogs are great for families that live far from each other- Shannon's post today made me smile.

 

And Nicholas is visiting us for Christmas...how fun it that?!

So I let "Melancholy" hang around for  a moment...just long enough for me to realize how truly blessed I am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.
- Anatole France

Life/maze

Saturday I gathered up a few of my favorite people {I have more favorite people but they live much too far away to gather up at the last moment. =)

Anyway, I gathered them up and we headed to the corn maze. {John's not in the picture he is taking it} by the way Johns my brother not my son. =) I get that a lot because I am  20 year older than he is.

As we were wondering through the maze a few thoughts came to my mind....such as comparing life with a corn maze.

It's nice to have someone with experience lead you through.   Especially someone on higher ground. 

Life/corn mazes are not all fun and games, sometimes you get a little mud on you. It really helps the journey, if you have someone with you to help you laugh about it, and to help you remove the mud.

Life/corn mazes are full of scary moments....this is where it is really helpful to have a "light" with you and someone along who knows how to guide you safely to the end.

When all is said and done- it's not how fast we ran the race but that we finished & made sure our family makes it there too.

So we can have that happy ending.

Feed the Kitty-

I did a little painting today- turned a black "B" into a green "B".  Shannon's got some cute ideas for her guest bathroom. {Shannon the caulking is done.}

Rocky Mountain Cookies-

Got to this point in the mixing, then Anna and I ran to the store because we needed Rice Crispies cereal and chocolate chips- {Shannon may have had them but I couldn't find them}

Anna wanted to leave her Apron on when we went to the store-  She announced to everyone who walked by that we were making cookies and needed to buy chocolate chips, and that we were in a hurry.  =)

Needless to say we looked really cute- plus I have been teaching her to skip and so of course we had to skip- We can no longer just walk together now it's.... "Grammer you need to skip with me."- {something she needs to learn for Ballet.}










Rocky Mountain Cookies-
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups Rice Crispies cereal
1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips
IN a large bowl cream together sugars and butter. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Sift dry ingredients into a separate bowl.  Add to mixture. Fold in oats, cereal, and chocolate chips. Drop by Tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until very lightly browned.
Makes 6 dozen.

I took the kids to Fred Meyers to get a little prize { I had told they earlier last week that if they were good we would do that}  So off we go- Payton picked legos, Anna a pink horse, and Conner soft dart gun.

As we walked over to the "girl" side of the toy area- Payton says "wow, everything is pink, Anna come look everything is pink- wow." You just had to be there- it was like he just discovered a great prize.

We found a new game to play "Feed the Kitty"- fast moving and fun.
Every time anyone had to feed the Kitty- Payton would laugh- he has a very silly fun laugh- you just have to hear to understand, very unique.

Another Happy Day-

 

This inspired me today-

Check out Shannon's site-

There is good in the world today-