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!