Thanksgiving - A Look Back

"Thankfulness creates gratitude which generates contentment that causes peace." -Todd Stocker

Dang it! There is just no time. I realize that Thanksgiving was two weeks ago, but I love these pictures so much, so I'm sharing them a little late. This is such a lovely holiday full of gratitude and family togetherness and feasting. Mostly pictures with a few words today.

Thanksgiving arrived just a few days after Mom's new kitchen was complete. It's very much a Swedish kitchen complete with art from Mom's favorite Swedish artist, Karl Larsson.

  Bustling about the kitchen.

Now that is one delicious looking bird. And it was delicious! So tender!

The Parker House Rolls, quite possibly my favorite part of Thanksgiving.

Mor Mor. She pulls off miracles every Thanksgiving.

One cutie patootie looking so darling with the light coming through the window next to her. She stopped her play to pose for her aunt Steph.

Another cutie patootie,  matching her sister so well.

 Yep, your eyes do not deceive you. There are four different gravies simmering on that stove. Gluten free gravy, vegetarian gravy, regular gravy, and canned gravy for the little ones. One of Mor Mor's Thanksgiving miracles. She tries so hard to make delicious food for everyone.

Grandpa Tony. The official turkey carver.

One of things we were grateful for this Thanksgiving is that Rich could be here with us only two weeks after falling off a 15 foot ladder at work and breaking his ankle and wrist as well as cutting open his chin and head. We are grateful that the injuries weren't worse. We are grateful that he is healing.

We were also thankful for summer-like weather. The children played gleefully outside while the adults prepared dinner. We could have moved dinner outside and probably been comfortable. 

The "kid table". 

The "adult table".

These three are proud to be sitting at the adult table. 

Midway through the gorging. 

  

Another thing we are grateful for is that this little bundle of preciousness came into the world all safe and sound.

The two newest grand babies. Lexie seemed so tiny until Margot came along.

Food Coma. Or is that a College Freshman Coma? It's hard to tell.

Time for pie!

As each adult came into the kitchen Mr. Eli would kindly ask for another piece of pie. It wasn't until the end of the night that we adults added up that this cute little buster had probably consumed four slices of his mom's banana cream pie.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving! There were some health challenges in our family this month that reminded everyone that it is the people in these photos that matter most. It is this time together that is precious. Everything else in life is of little consequence. 

Ahhh...Christmas!

"...freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin - inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night..." -John Geddes

Christmas...ahhh...the very word makes me feel all warm and cheese fonduey inside. This is what Jonah and I have been doing all day. I will devote another post to this precious tradition of ours.

This post is all about our Christmas tree. We were frightened that our favorite Christmas Tree stand wouldn't come into town this year, but much to our delight, we spotted them setting up shop the night before Thanksgiving. Christmas tree shopping happens the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The children have dubbed this the official day to set up Christmas. I have little choice in the matter.

So off to Robinson Tree Farm it was. It seemed only right that we at least bundle up into a light jacket for tree shopping even though it was a balmy 60 degrees outside. Nature is being just plain freaky this Christmas, but with a child commuting to and from Logan every other week, I'm not complaining. One must stop for a "Bigfoot Sighting" photograph whilst tromping through rows of pine trees.

This one was a winner. One of the first trees we looked at. Sepia seemed appropriate for this photo as this tradition is as old as our family is. I can see that Jonah decided to forego the jacket.

The rack on our van gets used for little more than the transporting of our yearly Christmas tree. Held on by no more than a piece of twine, I'm sure every year that Neil will stop fast at a light and launch our pricey tree across the road, causing a ten car pile up. But every year the twine holds and the tree makes it home safe and sound.

Somehow all of our Christmas decorations made the move. All except Christoph, the nutcracker we bought in Koln Germany last year. After a two hour panic attack, we found him in Grandpa's basement storage room. The one irreplaceable item of our Christmas decor would end up missing. Don't ever do that again Christoph!

There is something about a family's first Christmas in a new house. It's almost like it's not our house until we've had Christmas in it.

The kids get to buy a new ornament for the tree each year. We usually try to get an ornament when we're traveling, so the kids have a whole box of reminders of the many adventures we've been on and the many beautiful places we've seen. We're going for a record for just how shaggy Jonah's hair can get before we finally cut it.

We couldn't set up Christmas without our favorite college student who took a break from mad cello practicing to put a few ornaments on the tree. She took her two favorite cello ornaments to hang in her car then rushed out the door to trek back up to Logan. Too hard to practice when your mother keeps forgetting that you're not five and insists you stop practicing to participate in warm family traditions. No time for traditions when sheer and imminent juries loom in the near future.

That night Sabrina and Spencer did their debut performance of Scrooge. I can't wait to see them perform in this my favorite Christmas story.

These days, this is all any of us want to do on cold, okay somewhat cool, December evenings. We just want to sit in front of the warm fire and take in deep smells of that fresh-off-the-mountain pine, and watch the lights dance across our tree's branches and think about Him who gave us everlasting life. 

If you need me, I'll be right here:)

Mom Guilt

"Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness."

I know that I should be blogging all about the lovely holiday festivities going on in my life right now. And I will. But today I just have to get a few thoughts out of my mind and onto "paper" so that I can get on with my day. 

Do you notice anything interesting about the above photo? Surely anyone who knows anything about health and diet sees the irony in the fact that such food cohabitates peacefully side by side in my pantry. Certainly the fact that that Agave and dark Karo syrup reside together on the same shelf is akin to a member of the Gestapo sharing an apartment with Ghandi. And yet so it is. Thus my constant internal conflict and torment as a mother.

Let me explain. Auto-immune disorders abound in my family. They run through the genes of my family as prevalently as do the blue eyes and distinct Swedish brow. Diseases like Celiac, Crohns, ulcerative colitis, and idiopathic thrombocytopenia are commonplace in these parts. We discuss the latest break throughs in auto-immune research at the dinner table with as much fervor and enthusiasm as other families might discuss the latest draft picks or trends on Pinterest. Though there is much about these disorders that remains a mystery, two things are becoming very clear. One, that auto-immune disorders are highly genetic. Two, research is pointing to diet being a strong contributor to the onslaught of such diseases.

So here I sit, as a mother, trying to feed these children of mine, terrified that they are walking genetic time bombs just waiting to go off the minute one too many Oreos hits the digestive tract. I try to feed them my delicious healthy oatmeal. They simply turn up their noses at such "slop" they call it, and ask me to please pass the Cocoa Puffs or the more healthy option, the Frosted Mini Spooners. I know that I should be making my own tortillas, my own refried beans, my own mayonnaise, my own bread, my own dairy and sugar free ice cream, but these kids have play practice, and violin lessons, and scouts to get too. I can't start dinner prep at 3:00 in the afternoon. The kids have homework, and viola to practice, and the laundry needs to get done, and aren't we supposed to be doing family scripture study? 

Sometimes, I'm good at sneaking Chia seeds or Agave sweetener into my kids' food, hoping that these latest trendy food items are as good for us as the health magazines profess. Sometimes I can get them to eat clementines or apples as a snack, over say, a piece of white bread slathered with Nutella. "But Mom, Nutella is healthy." Uh huh, right. And sometimes, as I'm dropping my son off to viola lessons before heading to the store, he begs me to please please please pick up his favorite Salsa Verde Doritos and maybe some smore flavored Pop-Tarts if I feel so inclined. 

And I walk through the store, dropping Doritos into the cart...poison, as well as pop tarts...disease catalysts. The box does say that Pop Tarts are a good source of 7 vitamins and minerals. See, it's all good. And don't forget the devil himself...corn syrup for all of my holiday baking needs. I walk through the door, grocery sacks in hand. The children begin to rummage through the food and look at me as if I were Mother Teresa, and softly utter, "Bless you, mother." Then they begin to consume the Pop Tarts like a pack of ravenous wolves while reminding me that I'm the best mom ever. I offer a sad smile and remind myself that I'm the worst mom ever. That these kids should be pigging out on an avocado fresh from our November-in-Utah garden or at least something not rich in dextrose or soybean oil. I hope they get a move on with this Celiac and Crohns research. Those Pop Tarts are flying out of the box!

The Sabbath Day - A Day of Rest?

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." -Exodus 20:8

I got up Sunday morning and immediately began assembling my funeral potatoes for dinner. I was hosting dinner for Neil's family that night. Because I was teaching primary, there was no option to sneak out of church a little early to make dinner. We had to eat at 5:00 because we had Young Women's In Excellence at 7:00. So I had to try to pre-prepare as much dinner as possible. I called to Sabrina to hop in the shower. We had to get to a rehearsal for a musical number both Sabrina and I were somehow coerced into playing in. It's hard when you visit teach the ward choir director. I pulled my violin out from under the bed and quite literally wiped off two inches of dust. Sabrina and I tried to play through the piece. What a mess! I can't count. This is not a good thing when you are playing with another violinist, a cellist, a pianist, and a choir. Did I mention I haven't even touched my instrument in maybe two years? Perhaps I should have started practicing a little earlier than 20 minutes before our first rehearsal. 

I walked in and complimented our cellist who almost majored in cello performance until he realized there was no money in such a career. He said, "Well, I was good seven years ago." I told him, "Well, I was mediocre twenty years ago." The room was overflowing with confidence as we washed up instrumentalists muddled through an arrangement obviously not written by a string player. What a mess!

I had no more time to practice. I had to get home and finish preparing my lesson on Esther. I couldn't be late because it was the day of the primary program, and I had to sit on the stand with the kiddos. I drove to church. Mind you, you can see our church from my front window. I could throw a baseball into the parking lot from our driveway. Well, I couldn't throw a baseball, but someone with a modicum of athletic skill could. That's lame to drive to church, I know, but I was late! You guessed it. Not a single open parking stall in the entire parking lot. Dang these over-supportive grandparents! My parents didn't even get an invite. It's a good thing too, because Jonah was home with a nasty soar throat. He got my gomboo. And this would have been his last primary program:( He was not heart-broken. So I parked my car in front of the model home in our neighborhood, which is exactly fifty feet from my own driveway, but I was late! I didn't make it into sacrament meeting before Neil started conducting. So I had to go sit on the stand after the sacrament was passed.

The program went well. My primary lesson went well. While I was teaching, Neil ran a ham to his dad's house to warm then put the potatoes in our oven. I got home with exactly 45 minutes to finish preparing dinner and make my house somewhat presentable. Store-bought rolls this day, no time to make homemade. The ham came from Al's house. It was cold. Yeah, I don't know what happened there. Neil walked in the door from bishopric stuff just in time to cut the cold ham and throw it in the microwave. I sat down to eat but had no appetite after such a stressful day. Besides, who likes cold ham and store-bought rolls?

The Howells thanked us for dinner and went home while we got ready for YW in Excellence. I had to hurry and print a picture of Sabrina because I didn't get the memo that we were supposed to bring a framed picture of our daughter. Yes, there is not a single framed photo of my children anywhere in this house, except for maybe in a box in the basement. YW in Excellence was lovely, mostly because I got to sit. Neil and I were trying to keep ourselves awake. Neil, because he was still getting over jet lag and had been up since his 6:00 am bishopric meeting. And me, because...please read the above paragraphs.

We got home at 8:30. I had been going strong for 12 hours. Neil for 14. We left the kids home, then left for Mom's for a quiet visit. We climbed into bed at 11:00.

A wise man once said that we often get confused at what kind of rest to expect on the Sabbath day. On the Sabbath we rest from our own labors so that we can do the Lord's labors. We set aside our regular work so that we can do the Lord's work. Some Sabbath days, I go to bed more tired than I do on a weekday. But the Lord's work is the best kind of work. Sometimes I just have to remind myself of that fact. This is the work that counts. This is the best work.

Single Moms - How Do They Do It?!

" A single mother has a backbone made of steel and a heart of gold." 

I am anxiously waiting for Neil to call me and inform me that he has landed safely in Seattle. I hate when Neil goes to China. It's been a good two years since he's had to go, so I'm out of practice. I'm really hating it this time around. 

The worst thing about when Neil goes to China is that he is 15 hours ahead of me. So when something comes to mind at 11:00 in the morning that I just really need to discuss with him, I have to stop and do the math before I call him. Without fail, calling him that very second would mean waking him up at 2:00 a.m., which is disastrous for someone suffering from jet lag. But when he calls me upon waking up in the morning, it is 4:00 in the afternoon for me, which every mom knows is witching hour. I'm in the middle of getting kids to lessons and assessing the homework situation. No time to talk. Then when I finally get to call him before going to bed, I'm exhausted after failing at single-motherhood all day, and Neil is busy at the factory. Let's just say that communication while Neil is in China is spotty at best.

The other bad thing is that I'm a wreck while he is en route. From the time Neil leaves our front porch until he walks into his hotel in Xiaman, is 24 hours. 24 hours and four different flights. That's a lot of opportunity for catastrophe. The 13 hour flight to Beijing is the worst. No contact for 13 hours. For a fatalist like myself, that's a lot of time to conjure up every worst case scenario multiplied by ten. By the time he finally calls me, I've already planned his funeral and the next ten years of my widowhood. Fortunately, I'm sleeping through much of that long flight. Well, sleeping in theory. I make him promise to send me a text when he lands so that I can wake up and know that all is well.

One thing is for sure. If Neil ever did die on the way to China, the children would never get another home-cooked meal, nor would they graduate high school, due to a lack of homework completion, and the house would be a mess at all times. You see, this is what life looks like while Neil is out of town. I don't know what it is. It's not like he takes care of all of those things when he's here, between work and bishopric stuff. I suppose that it is his very presence in my life that motivates me to take care of this house and children that we have together. I suppose that a simple phone call or lunch date with him is enough to keep me going. I suppose that just having him in the house, living along side me, makes me want to cook dinner, and nurture our children, and do laundry. When he's here, I do more, and I do it better. He brings out the very best in me. 

Which is why the poor kids got the dregs of me these last ten days. Bless their hearts. Jonah summed it up in a conversation with his dad last weekend, "Today has been the most boring, gloomy day ever." To my credit, I did come down with a humdinger virus this week. It was all I could do to pick up a pizza and transport the kids to and fro on a Nyquil-induced hangover. Usually I drown my sorrows in all sorts of costly entertainment, i.e. movies and shopping ventures, much to the kids' delight and Neil's chagrin. But I was no more than a lump on the couch this week.

All I can say is bless you dear single moms. How you do this day in and day out is beyond my comprehension. I salute you and offer you my greatest respect. You deserve all the pamperings that this life offers and all the blessings that the next life does!

The countdown begins until Daddy comes home. 

Ryan and Alicia's Week of Happiness - Part Two

"Two of the vital pillars that sustain Father in Heaven's plan of happiness are marriage and family. Their lofty significance is underscored by Satan's relentless efforts to splinter the family and to undermine the significance of temple ordinances, which bind the family together for eternity. The temple sealing has greater meaning as life unfolds. It will help you draw ever closer together and find greater joy and fulfillment in mortality." -Richard G. Scott

I must not neglect the last half of Ryan and Alicia's Week of Happiness. On October 16th, Ryan and Alicia received their endowments in the Ogden Utah Temple. The next day, they were sealed for time and all eternity in that same temple. This beautiful brand new temple that sits not far from Ryan and Alicia's home. This temple they watched slowly being constructed as they slowly but steadily progressed toward receiving those beautiful blessings. It was a happy chain of circumstances that the Ogden Temple was ready at the same time that Alicia and Ryan were ready.

The very eternal nature of families is felt inside the sealing room of the temple. I don't know that there is any other place on earth where the veil is so thin. 

I know Dad was there. He left Alicia's life when she was far too young. I know that he must have been allowed to witness this blessed event. His joy must have been great. As was ours.

The sealing ceremony is a brief one. The words are few, but the promised blessings are poignant and powerful. I seldom have a dry eye after watching a couple be sealed. And I certainly didn't this particular evening. As we all gathered to congratulate the beaming couple, parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, church leaders, and friends, the happiness in the room was palpable. Here are a few photos of those happy supporters.

Alicia's fellow dance teachers and dear friends.

Two sets of parents who love unconditionally.

Ryan's sweet family.

Alicia's family.

Grandma Fellows and Aunt Robyn, Tami, and Uncle Rocky. We are always so grateful to see Dad's family. It brings a little bit of him back to us.

Once the photos were done, we proceeded over to Alicia and Ryan's church and enjoyed a lovely meal of comfort food. I told you that Alicia knows how to throw a party.

There was soup of every variety. I believe I sampled every one of them. There were pies galore. I might have sampled every one of those as well.

We stayed for several hours and just chatted the night away, enjoying each other's company, reveling in this thing we call family. I believe God values families. I believe He intends for us to enjoy these relationships in this life and beyond the grave. I am grateful He has provided a way for families to be sealed, not just for this life, but for eternity, that these precious relationships might go on forever. 

Now this sweet little baby of Ryan and Alicia's who has been waiting patiently beyond the veil is welcome to join this eternal family of hers at anytime. We are anxiously awaiting her arrival. She has a loving mom and dad who have prepared themselves in every way. Anytime Margot. We can't wait to meet you!