Till Next Year....

Beautiful Fall Weekend.
Great company.

Wonderful Dinner enjoyed by everyone

except for Miriam who was feeling under the weather.

These two did lots of yak building, and some computer fixing.

Although Miriam wasn't in top form, she was okay when doped up on Ibuprofen and was able to create

these two books. One is a Christmas poem book, the other is more informative.

We watched lots of Noggin, and Sprout.

Miriam and I did some shopping.
Grandma sent Miriam out with $ to spend by herself, which was almost too exciting to handle.
She saw this craft set and knew instantly it was the perfect purchase...no hesitation, second thoughts.

I was looking for the game Qwirkle, which I didn't find, but I did find these cute German games at 50% off. The store clerk said they had been around since the store opened, and thought that the German names scared people away (English instructions were included).

I was thrilled by my find, and am in love with the cute wooden pieces. Unfortunately, Miriam, doesn't usually enjoy games, and being sick and all wanted nothing to do with them.

Grandma and Grandpa always have lots of chocolate pudding on hand for our visits.

Bub 18 months Thanksgiving 2008

Miriam 18 months, family reunion 2005

Thank you Mom and Dad for the hospitality, and for housing the Yak!

Tip of the Iceberg...

My heart is full.

I realized I rarely take pictures of/with my friends, which is a crying shame. One of the greatest blessings of my life, and I have no photo documentation. Crying shame indeed.

"Come what may, and Love it"
-Joseph B. Wirthlin's mother

Bring on the celebration!

Gratitude Week

Continuing with the gratitude theme, today I am thankful for Family Home Evening.

I am thankful for church leaders who continually emphasize the importance of setting aside Monday nights to teach, play, and be with family.

I am grateful I was prompted to resisted the urge to "help" Miriam make this necklace. I so wanted to interfere when I saw the pattern (or non pattern) she was creating. I now love the finished product, and so does she, and so will the little girl who is having a birthday party tomorrow.

Keepin' the Gratitude Flowing

I hear rumors that our beautiful Fall weather is ending this next week. I am grateful that our playground days have lasted so long.

I am grateful the Utes won today.

(this is G'pa B and G'ma C, it's written on the back)

Miriam is itching to visit her grandparents..... all of them. I am grateful for the wonderful grandparents my kids have. I feel lucky for the wisdom and expertise that is at our disposal between the four of them.

I am grateful I rescued these pages from the trash after punching out leaves for our Thanksgiving Tree. Fun craft for Miriam, and I am enjoying the rich colors in our kitchen. I had no idea I liked Fall colors so much.

"Like my own personal heroine"

The midnight premier of Twilight is tonight....

been there done that! I went to the PRE-premier thanks to Fiona and Craigslist.

It was so fun to be in a theater full of giddy women (and a few men), we all laughed, cheered, sighed, and screamed together.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself (except for the VERY end...I wish it would have ended with a different shot, I don't like how it was kind of TO BE CONTINUED, ya know? well, you don't know actually, but anyway). It's not easy for us to adapt to spur of the moment activities so I have to thank my hubby for holding down the fort.

SPT Self Portrait Tuesday

This is what I do......

I am a professional


( right Fiona?)

SPT's

Today....

I am grateful for Saturdays

Miriam and I are both grateful for Music, and books on tape.
I am grateful for Laura Ingles Wilder and her books (I cried today when the grasshoppers ate the wheat crop and Pa had to go East to work....and then again when Laura received the white fur shawl and muff from the church Christmas party after Nelly had flaunted hers in front of the "country girls")

I am grateful that we still have 1 pan left of pumpkin chocolate chip bread. See recipe here and obviously, I added chocolate chips in instead of on top.

I am grateful that this butternut squash soup turned out soooo well. See recipe here, and I added 2 tart apples to saute with the onions which I would recommend.

I am grateful for these two, and their dashing father.

Is it wrong to be grateful that your kids are so dang cute??

Thanks for the Meatballs

Here is our spooky Halloween tree transformed into our Gratitude tree. We keep adding leaves as we think of things to be grateful for. I love to see what Miriam comes up with....my favorite so far is doorknobs.

Last night the Young Women and Young Men put on a Thanksgiving soup dinner for the elderly in our area. The work and the worry was well worth it in the end. Both the youth and the seniors enjoyed the dinner. I was proud of how our "ever texting" Young Women and Young Men were able to carry on pleasant conversations, and how they were excited to serve those at their tables. It so true that the youth and the seniors dearly need each other.

Today at the grocery store I saw a rough looking teenager buy a single small meatball for lunch. From the time it took for me to notice him, and make my purchase a million scenerios ran through my mind of reasons a teenaged boy would only buy one meatball for lunch. Maybe he was saving his lunch money for something (I did that in high school), maybe he forgot his money, maybe he spent his money on something bad, maybe he just doesn't have any money. It came down to this...there is no way a teenaged boy can survive 3 more hours of high school on one meatball. I made my purchase and handed him a $1.50 (all the cash I had) saying "here, you should get some more meatballs". The boy thanked me heartily and as I walked away the clerk said "is that your mom?" (which devistated me...I'll be honest) the boy then said "no, she is just a really nice lady". Awww I wish I would have bought him a drink as well.

Now, to get me motivated to get back to work....
I am thankful for the laundry I need to iron because it means we have clothing.
I am thankful for the budget I need to work on because we have money to budget.

SPT-She Photographs Tuesday

SURPRISE!

It's gone, at least 8 inches of it is. I guess this is what you would call a "whim".
My neck is cold.

The Buehner's

We met the Buehner's at a book signing today! Darin and Miriam have already met them, they had a book signed last Christmas but this was my first time (& Bub's too). I had to go to this signing because Stephanie had this brilliant idea to take pictures of her son with authors to put in the books she has signed. Not only did Stephanie give me the great idea, I met her at the signing and we went out to lunch afterward.

Unfortunately, Bub wouldn't be in a picture with the Beuhner's and I didn't think to have someone else take the picture while I held him. I am not too distressed because I am fairly sure the Buehner's will come again next year and I will be poised and ready to impose on the kindness of a stranger at that time.

Don't know them? I bet you do.
Snowmen at Night
Snowmen at Christmas
Fanny's Dream
It's a Spoon Not a Shovel
Dex the Heart of a Hero
and many many more fun books!

Food Appreciation

I have a friend who is implementing a "food appreciation" day to instill some good manners in her 4 year old son. Since he has been complaining about the meals she has made she is going to feed him nothing but oatmeal for 2 whole days. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.......nothing but oatmeal. I am not sure if she will let him choose different flavors, but really, that is besides the point. She says she is determined to stick to it, and then, when her son complains in the future she will say "Is is time for another food appreciation day?"

I thought this was a bit extreme. Kind of harsh.

BUT tonight Miriam said to me "Mom, you did a really bad job with dinner. This is DIS-GUST-ING."

Hummmm maybe we need an extreme, harsh, food appreciation day. For now, I just reminded Miriam of The Long Winter by Laura Ingles Wilder. They had to eat nothing but wheat bread and tea for a whole month, and then Alonzo and Cap made that amazing trip to find more wheat for the starving town....Oh Man, I am loving those books.

and just for fun, heres a picture of our ski pirate....so dang cute!