So much to be THANKFUL for!!!

Last year in November I found and participated in the http://nablopomo.ning.com/main/embeddable/list blog post every day to give thanks, this year life has been crazy and I realized it has been over a month since I've posted anything!!!

I do have soooo very much to be thankful for. I'm thankful that when Liam got sick we had Dr's who figured out what was wrong and that now all we have to do is go in every so often to check on things and band off any new veins that may have become enlarged since the last procedure. I'm thankful that after the one at the beginning of Nov, we don't have to go back for another 6 months.

I'm thankful for a husband who has a job, even when it keeps him very busy, and the kids don't always understand why he works such long hours... I'm thankful for a husband who seeks learning and as a bonus after all his years in the service that he is able to take advantage of the G.I. bill, and Though it means more hours 'working' on homework, he is able to have his Doctorate Degree paid for.

I'm thankful for wonderful children who are learning and growing. Who are over all compassionate towards others (even if it isn't as often shown toward their own family members), and who often go out of their way to help others. I'm thankful for children who are growing in the Gospel, and willing and unembarrassed to share it with their friends.

I'm thankful for the opportunities we have had to travel this past year. I'm especially thankful for a wonderful extended family who is able to put up 8+ people over a long Holiday weekend, who are so welcoming and willing to share with us. I'm also especially thankful for all the friends who have helped us out over the past year in particular when we have traveled, and for when we've been in the hospital with Liam. It is so wonderful to know that I don't have to worry too much about my family back at home, as others are so kind and willing to jump in and help in whatever ways we need.

I'm Thankful for my health - for limbs that work, since when you sprain an ankle or hurt your hand, thumb, wrist, etc. you realize how lost you would be without them on a regular basis! I'm thankful for insurance that covers (most) of the medical care and attention we need.

I'm also very Thankful for the opportunity I have to witness Miracles! The see the Miracle of Birth unfold. To help women find their strength, and to see that little life as it comes forth from it's mother, fresh from Heaven! I am always in awe at the miracle of life! I wonder how anyone can see that sweet new little baby, and not know that God has created this amazing process! How from two little cells, a whole little person develops and grows under his/her mothers heart, and all the intricacies of the human body, and all the processes from breathing to circulation, to reproduction again that can create a whole nother person...

And as we approach this Christmas Season, I have so much more to be thankful for... I'm Thankful that God has a plan for me, even if I'm a bit impatient or don't always ask for the help to know what that plan is, and how to implement it in my life. I'm thankful for the Birth of My Savior Jesus Christ, and for the season we have to remember it. I'm thankful for the opportunities I have to share my love of the Gospel and Jesus Christ at the Christmas Festival that we hold each year.

Thanksgivng

I'm thankful for the help I had preparing Thanksgiving dinner, and I'm thankful for my family.

I had help making rolls... They didn't turn out quite like mom's, but were fun to make. Liam kept eating his dough...

On Bill's way home from Football he stopped and bought a couple of things I forgot to get, and he brought me home flowers. I loved them! So bright and harvest colored. I love when he surprises me and brings me home flowers. I don't NEED Roses, or anything fancy. I just love that he thinks of me and will bring me flowers (even if it's just from the grocery store). :-)

Bill is the Apple Pie man at our house usually. He makes what he calls a Frumpy Apple Pie - he stuff's as manyapples as he can in the pie. After Playing football with the guys from church that morning, He was laying on the couch watching football... and we were having fun in the kitchen, so Hannah did most of the apple pie this year. Mom helped with the apples (since the apple slicer was a little unwieldy for Hannah alone), and Amanda helped by making the pie dough. Liam helped out by eating the apples...dad came and helped with putting the top crust on. We ended up with a lattice top since we were running out of dough. It turned out quite Lovely and tasted very good.

And of course there are a couple of other Thanksgiving traditions - Amanda donned the Olives on her fingers...







We were cooking several things at once, and we had JUST looked in the oven and the marshmallows were barely getting a slight color to them, and in no time at all they had burned to a crisp... Rebekah peeled them off the top of the sweet potato cassarole and we topped it with fresh marshmallows, and cooked them till they were lovely toasted brown and yummy.

Something I have wanted to do for a long time, but I've had a somewhat small table and a lot of young children for a lot of years, and so we normally eat on our regular dishes (plastic) or paper plates. This year I just really wanted to have a special dinner, and I got out the China.

Years ago I got my china - very basic, white with silver rims around it. When my mother died, I got her china. I packed it up and took it to my friend (and Bishop)'s house and Sister C let me store my mom's china at her house. It spent 20 years in her basement underneath the pool table. I finally had her send it to me a year or two ago, when I felt like we were somewhat stable, and It needed to get out of her way. My mothers china is grey with white flowers, and it has a silver rim around the outside.

When we lived in Japan, I bought a set of china there. It is a white background, with japanese scenes on it in a grey color - Mt. Fugi, etc, with pink cherry blossoms, and it has silver rims around it, so I thought it might be cool to have the three sets that might all blend together with each other, and some day... if, after I die, my kids all want the china, they could each get a couple of each set - my old china, my mothers - their grandmother's, and the Japanese set where they all lived (except for Liam).

So I got out a tablecloth that my mother had, and washed the china, and put it on the table (with a little sparkling juice to celebrate the day). I mixed and matched the china at each place setting, and I think it looked nice. It was nice to think of my mom as I got out her china.

I brought in a little table to make more room at the table, and Hannah and Liam were very excited about sitting there, so that worked out nicely. Sariah ended up sitting at another little table (a desk from her summer classroom) to make room to set a few more things on...

Liam was getting quite fussy just before we managed to eat dinner, and I knew he was tired, but dinner was just about on the table. He started eating his dinner, but then climbed up in dad's lap, and fell asleep. At some point Bill put him up in bed, and he woke up and came back downstairs, climbed up on dad and fell back asleep, so he napped while Bill watched some t.v. Amanda is so silly some times. As she was eating, her plate was all cleaned off, except for these last three green beans, and they were in a 'smiley face' pattern. Amanda was so funny, and her face was all smiley with a big grin too, to end off our meal!

More Giving Thanks

Yesterday, we worked on cleaning up our house (so that we could have a nice thanksgiving and then the next day we can decorate for Christmas).

Amanda spent most of the day working in her own room - which didn't exactly help the family much, but desperately NEEDED the time and attention!!!!! Sariah had a sleep over the night before and wasn't going to be home so she cleaned up Liam's playroom (formerly our music room, part craft room and supposed to be dining room), before I took her to her friends house for the night. Marissa also went to a sleep over but came home early enough to help with a few things. Hannah helped out quite a bit and Rebekah came through with flying colors... she whipped the kitchen into shape!

Now, I have a confession to make -

'Hi, my name is Wendy, and I am horizontal surface challenged!' I am a packrat, and have a hard time getting rid of anything that 'might' still have a use of some kind or other! I also have a problem with 'out of site out of mind'. If I have something that I want to work on, at some point... if I put it all away, I will NEVER get to it! So... I have a hard time putting things all away.

I think I need better organizational tools (shelves, baskets and such), Bill thinks I need to get rid of more STUFF! But, that is an entire post for another day!!!

Anyway, Rebekah helped a tremendous amount.

Then we decided to put together some of the food for today's yummy dinner, so we didn't have so much to do at teh last minute.

Hannah helped me make dough for fresh, home made rolls for today. Hannah also helped put together the sweet potato casserole by opening all the cans (no I don't cook my own sweet potatoes down and make it fresh, even though I do love sweet potatoes and have a whole bag of them).

We put together the cranberry sauce (also canned cranberry's), I got this yummy recipe from our friend D many years ago (when I had Christmas with him and he invited several of his Soldiers over and we fixed a big dinner), since Bill was in Saudi Arabia and I was home alone in Germany, pregnant with Rebekah. D called his mom for this recipe and still had it a few years ago written down on the same envelope he jotted it down on. Bill and I really like this recipe.

Now, this may be a sacrilege, but I am not a huge fan of Pumpkin Pie, and quite frankly... if we don't have pumpkin pie (which I haven't made in YEARS, and probably have never made a regular old pumpkin pie), I'm fine with that. When Rebekah was in Kindergarten a little girl made a yummy pumpkin pie recipe with her mom and brought in the recipe to share for the class Thanksgiving party. I did make that recipe for a few years, but in the past several, we have been blessed to enjoy Thanksgiving day with friends and I let someone else handle the pumpkin pie. ;-) Well, this year, Rebekah decided pumpkin pie was a necessity, (I was going to do a pumpkin cheesecake), so she went on line looking for recipes. Thank you Paula Dean!!! A creamy pumpkin pie recipe with cream cheese and half & half. Rebekah made cute little individual pumpkin pie's in mini muffin cups. So cute, and yummy!!!! Somehow I think I could eat quite a few of these little bite sized pumpkin pies.

Marissa and Liam and Amanda all got involved at times. It was fun. I thought I had more pictures... but can't find them.

Another confession - I am not very patient in the kitchen. I don't particularly enjoy cooking with small children in the kitchen. We don't have 'fun' family cooking events very often. I haven't gotten around to making Christmas cookies for several years (o.k. time orgainization is also not a skill I have in great supply either). I had a fun time cooking with my kids in the kitcheon yesterday. This year I am actually thinking that making Gingerbread houses and christmas cookies might be fun.