Blessings

The week was filled with thanksgiving. Most of all, this week I'm so grateful for Cori, Gracie and Grant and the relaxing vacation we spent together. We decorated. We slept in. We shopped. We went to the movies. We stayed up late. We had a sleepover for the young men. And then we had more people over for a particular football game. Our house felt full all weekend long- I love that. Other particular blessings included:

eating this pie for breakfast

getting the supplies we need to complete our basement project at a great discount (we got our paint for free!)

Cori climbing the ladder to prune back our birch trees

Cori climbing the ladder again to put up some Christmas lights- I was doing useful things besides taking pictures of him working, by the way. But he really does all the heavy lifting around here.

listening to this group of men holler, cheer, whoop, and high five when the Cougars finally got it together in overtime to beat the Utes.

I'm so grateful that Christmas is under way. I am grateful that we have tickets to fly west to be with family. And I am so grateful for our Savior and the hope and joy His gospel gives me.

image diary thanksgiving 09

the saturday wardrobe

the power of grenadine

Being a mormon hostess can be tricky sometimes. We don't drink. And for most of the rest of the world, drinking is very much a part of being hosted. Over the last few years we've figured out a couple of things that help all around.

1. Manage expectations- In the invites Cori emailed to his co-workers he told them that we don't drink and that it wasn't necessary to bring anything. (i.e. the obligatory bottle of wine. Which reminds me that I still have a bottle of Pinot Noir in the pantry to make into a pot of coq au vin sometime this winter...) They were told just to come and enjoy.

2. Offer a drink when they arrive. Alcohol not required. There is a social comfort that comes with a glass in hand. For starters, you have something to do with your hands while you are standing around with people whom you may or may not know. You have something to sip on when the conversation is in transition. Then you have something to comment on when you don't know what to say. And as a hostess, it is nice to have something to offer as you wait for all the guests to arrive.

There are lots of ideas out there for virgin cocktails. Friday's selection was partly inspired by a drink we had on a date night not long ago. If I were clever I would name this drink 'sparkling pomegranate sunset' or 'rosy citrus cooler.' But I know that I will always remember it as 'that one drink I made that one night.' So with no fanfare at all, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• pulp free orange juice
• 1 cucumber - peeled, seeded and chopped
• ginger ale
• grenadine - a pomegranate syrup (non-alcoholic) usually found in the liquor isle by the drink mixes
• pomegranate seeds for garnish

Method

• In a pitcher, combine at least 1 quart of OJ with the chopped cucumber. Allow at least 1 hour - though overnight is best - for flavors to marry.
• Make sure all ingredients are chilled well.
• Fill a clear glass 1/3 or less full with the OJ mix. You can strain the cucumber chunks, or not. I did for the picture above.
• Fill glass the rest of the way with ginger ale.
• Slowly pour approx 1 tablespoon of grenadine down the side of the glass. The syrup will sink to the bottom.
• Garnish with pomegranate seeds

It is quite light and refreshing. The pomegranate gives a tart note to the citrus of the orange and the cool cucumber balances the ginger. It is important to follow the order of things mentioned. If you start with the grenadine, it will easily combine with all the other ingredients as you add them, giving you a pink drink instead of a layered one.

Here is the rest of the menu we served up:

Appetizers

Pioneer Woman's stuffed mushrooms. They are so good.

Crescent wrapped smokies

Chips and dip

Main Course

Spinach salad with thinly sliced apples, red onion, dried cranberries, glazed pecans and this dressing. (Less the parsley and when I make this dressing again I'll use less oil)

Baked Potato Soup a la Hard Rock Cafe*

Pasta e Fagioli Soup a la Olive Garden*

Dinner rolls with salted butter

Dessert

Ice cream bar

I kept the appetizers on the heavy side since dinner was of a lighter fair. The ladies asked for recipes on their way out which is a good sign, right?

* These recipes came from the book America's Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas. It has recipes from dozens of popular restaurants, and has yet to disappoint. The potato soup was especially impressive.

Blessings

With special thanks for the many stokings of my ego from all of you and my husband, I think our dinner party came off without a hitch. I cooked and cooked all Friday afternoon. By the time I got to dessert prep, I was out of steam. So I called Cori and told him to pick up stuff for banana splits on his way home. Other than that, all went as planned. It was a really fun group of people. Conversation was easy. We played Jenga and Catch Phase and were very entertained. I didn't stick my foot in my mouth (at least I don't think I did:/) and really enjoyed the evening.

The Primary did their Sacrament meeting presentation today. Aren't the little kids the best?You just never know what to expect. Gracie was very good. I was playing piano and didn't get to see her as she was singing. Reportedly, after one of the songs she pumped a little fist and said (a bit loudly), "I did it!" I guess she had been working hard on that one. I was happy to be behind the piano with my tissue. Listening to children sing about Jesus gets me every time.

Thanksgiving is this week. 'Nuf said.

The weather has been sunny and in the high 50's. I don't know if this is usual for November around here, but I'll take it. The leaves are all gone and the lawns are muting to the shade of hay. Though the snow generally improves the look of the landscape come this time of year, I'm not in any hurry for it to arrive.

We are currently listening to the music from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. 'Nuf said.

p.s. Sara and Thea- You nauseate me... with a nauseous super-naus. Love you.

salon grace

a series of unrelated thoughts on a tuesday evening

Life has been so even keeled lately. Though wonderful, it has not made for good blogging material. It has come to my attention that when I do not blog, my sweetest Grandma Bettie calls my mom and asks if I am pregnant or something. So I'm posting something, anything. I love you Grandma. I'm not pregnant (yet). My London mate Natalie regularly posts her random thoughts. A great idea, that. Though the days around here are becoming identical, my mind is always chewing on something new. So here is a little glimpse into the carnival of my brain lately.

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Every week, Gracie gets a packet of three books from the school library. This week's packet included Christmas books including one Berenstain Bears selection. The story unfolds as Papa Bear is so caught up in getting the perfect Christmas tree that he has a hard time understanding the needs of the woodland creatures that live in tree after tree which he desires to chop down. In the end, he catches the true meaning of the season and is happy to sacrifice his desires for the happiness of his fellow forrest friends. Pictured here is the final page of the book. Uh... please tell me I'm not the only one who finds this slightly morbid/counterproductive/unnecessary. (You can click to enlarge)

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Speaking of books, we had our first book club meeting last week. We had the kick off a month ago where we decided how and when we would meet. This meeting last week was the first official litmus test. Our book club is operating on a bit of a different format than any club I've been in before. We are doing 'reading reports' every month and we'll only do 2-3 books a year as a group. I also select a short story for us to read together and discuss. We want to sharpen our analytical skills. I thought this might make for a more inclusive group. It has been well received and everyone who came had a book to report on- which was wonderful. So far so good.

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Cori and I have been reading every night from the Conference edition of the Ensign together. I find myself frequently thumbing through just to enjoy the photography. I love the collection of candid shots, portraits, and scenery not only from Temple Square, but from around the world.

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I love Jillian Micheals. I l-o-v-e her.

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We will be hosting a dinner party for some of Cori's coworkers this weekend. I love entertaining. I love making food for people. I love having them in our home. But, I'm a little nervous around business people. I own and wear more exercise clothes than I do regular outfits-at least it feels that way. I wipe more bottoms than I answer email. The great controversial issues in my life revolve around holiday Berenstain Bears books. The adult side of my brain locks up in the company of regular functioning adults. What can I do about this? Well. I've got our appetizer/dinner/dessert menu all planned out and mostly shopped for. I need to decide on some special beverage with which to welcome our guests as they arrive. It will be a fun night. I'm looking forward to it. Still. Suggestions and encouragements are welcome.

blessings (in disguise) and week-in-review

Gracie wearing a dress my mom made for my kid sister, Thea, some 15 years ago. A little treasure I unearthed from the basement this week.

This week has been b.u.s.y. and full of blessings- though some were easier to see than others.

I finally built up the energy and desire to clean out our basement. How did we accumulate all this stuff? Moving all the time, as we do, has the built in benefit of going through one's things fairly often. But still, the piles grow. The only boxes I haven't minded toting through the many homes we have lived in are those full of all our books. One day we'll have shelves to house them in...

This is neither a before nor an after shot. It is a work in progress.

"We have, like, 19 boxes of books downstairs." Really. We do.

Cori has been on a 10% pay reduction for most of the year. All the employees in his division have been. We found out this week that the pay reduction is finally getting lifted. A welcomed development. As if on cue, all sorts of financial responsibilities came knocking. The largest and loudest solicitor being the transmission in the Accord which has to be replaced. I also got my hair done, and I got a speeding ticket. It has been an expensive week. But I'm grateful that this week didn't happen 3 weeks ago when our means to finance such events was much more questionable.

I got pulled over on my way to meet friends at a local apple orchard. We messied ourselves with apple donuts and cider, visited the lamas, sheep and chickens and the kids got to sit on bona fide tractors. And I got to enjoy civilized adult conversation in the middle of the morning. (Thanks again Sarah!) It was pretty much worth the ticket.

Around here the days of the week are mentioned thusly: Monday-Friday, Family Day (Saturday), and Church Day (Sunday). We had a lovely family day this week. Cori got to sleep in. The kids ate their breakfast at the 'little table'- a treat indeed. We finished winterizing our yards and emptied and washed out all our patio planter stuffs. There was a Cougar football game. Cori cooked. And after the kids were in bed, Cori and I shared a hefty workout downstairs. Church days always feel more special after busy family days.

we ran with bells on

On Saturday, we competed in the Jingle Bell Run for arthritis. Participants are encouraged to dress... festively. And many did. There were a lot of Santa hats, and even a couple of elves. We simply donned the jingle bells received in our race packets.

We both had time goals. Cori wanted to get his run in under 22 minutes and I wanted it under 28. The night before, we drove the race course. I plotted out my pace and felt ready.

We both pushed hard, and with results. Cori ran it in 21:40 and I ran a 26:06. I was so surprised- and elated! Cori took second in his age group and I took first. What? I know. Again, I was completely shocked. (About my award, not Cori's) Cori's time is pretty darn great regardless of who you are. Mine merits no acclaim in the world of running- there were women in their 30's and 40's who smoked me by whole minutes. But in the world of my reality, that time means a lot.

For me, this 5K was a bookend to the reproductive roller coaster that started nearly a year ago. When we learned that we would have to wait for about a year to attempt pregnancy after our last miscarriage, I determined to make the most of it. At the time, my attitude wasn't that of turning lemons into lemonade. I think I was desperate to exert control over my body which was behaving in uncontrollable ways. At that juncture, I made two goals: I wanted to run a 5K in a 27 minute range, and I wanted to return my body to the weight it was before I had Grace. They were lofty goals. Especially considering that I hated running. But the year ahead seemed so long. And for the first time quite a while, I had my body to myself. Not being pregnant and/or nursing, and having kids that sleep through the night replenishes all kinds of energy and ambition.

A couple of weeks ago I had my final post-what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-your-body-?-! checkin with my doctor. I've been completely normal for 6 months now. And we have the green light to try again.

And I ran my 5K in 26 minutes.

And I've lost 17.5 pounds.

I don't want all of my emotional dribble to diminish the fact that Cori made a lofty race goal for himself, worked hard for it, and achieved it as well. We were so happy!

Here are some more pictures:

After the race. We had time between the race and the awards to pick up our kids who had been hanging out with friends that morning.

Waiting for the awards to start.

Me picking through the crowd on the floor to collect my award from Santa.

Cori took a hug with his plaque.

Blessings

I learned how to use the light meter on my camera this week. It makes me very happy.

The last couple of weeks have felt like the closing of one chapter and the opening of a new. I didn't really appreciate this so much until my solo drive to Stake Conference early this morning. (Cori woke to an eye swollen nearly shut, and thus opted to stay home with the kids) I spent the 45 minute trip listening to the hymns of zion and it was whispered to my soul how much my Heavenly Father had been looking after me and my family these last several months. I am so very grateful.

And Stake Conference was completely encouraging. The talks, or rather the themes that spoke loudest to me, focused on striving for excellence and the importance of preparation. These subjects have been in my heart recently, pertinent to myself and our children. It was reassuring to hear points bulleted by so many of the speakers today that have been part of recent discussions between me and Cori about our family.

And I got to sing in the choir.

Cori and I ran our last 5K for the year yesterday. The weather was perfect and it was a great race. We actually got a few pictures this time. I'll post more about it tomorrow.

gracie these days

on crazy hair day

Grace loves going to preschool. It has given her a much needed social outlet and has rekindled her interest in (age appropriate) scholarly endeavors. With no provocation from us, she has become very conscious of speaking properly. Currently, she is focussed on making her 'l' sounds- they have been rather 'w'-ish. Also, she has regained interest in completing her reading lessons and has started sounding out words. In turn, this has made her very curious about finding rhymes. Her questions make me a wee bit anxious with inadequacy. How will I ever help her with trigonometry homework in 11 years when I can't even think of a decent rhyme for zebra? or acorn?

that is Grant sleeping, no bars on his crib, and Gracie's bed juxtaposed

One of the newest developments around here is the rearrangement of the kids' rooms. The whole thing started about a month ago. Grace started waking up multiple times a night, complaining about bad dreams and refused to be left alone in her room. Sleeping became a bit of a problem for all of us. We worked hard to identify the source of the change. I took her off the bus. I revamped our night-time routine- she responds really well to military-like routines. It helped a little. When I complained to my mother about our situation, she quickly reminded me about myself, years 4-14ish. I was incurably frighted of the dark and my hyperactive imagination was an impediment to say the least. I was consoling Grace with this information when she asked me what I did when I was afraid. I truthfully replied that I would climb into Sara's bed. We shared a room until I was in High school. In this moment, Grace began plotting her way into Grant's room. A couple of weeks ago we took the bars off Grant's crib and Gracie took her cue. She pleaded with us to put her bed next to his. We acquiesced and Grace has slept through the night nearly every night since.

catching lady bugs

Her life is a musical. She sings songs all the time. This comes in handy for me when Grant makes requests. Last night he wanted a song about trucks. I was thinking about this when Grace cleared her throat. She then favored us with a moving rendition of the Grace original, I Like Big Trucks and Small Cars. Somewhere near the bridge there was a verse about pink ponies with wings, but the chorus pulled it all together. And Grant was satisfied. And I was off the hook.

singing a song about orange leaves by the river

Grace got some money for her birthday this year. She was completely excited about it and knew just what to do. We figured out the 10% amount to set aside for tithing ($0.90). That Sunday she shook the Bishop's hand and handed over her envelope. He said, "You know, you are going to get a lot of blessings from paying your tithing." She shrugged and said, "I know."

I gave her a little pep talk before we went to spend it. I just wanted to be sure Grace understood that she was working on a budget before we hit the toy isle. After reviewing the prices of every toy that was pink, and/or pony/princess/animal related, she made her choice and even picked something out for Grant, with change to "spend on something later."

Grace still obsessively fills baskets and boxes with carefully chosen and organized items. She has added lashing to her organizational repertoire. I have spent more time than I care to mention untying things from bars, table legs, and drawer pulls all over the house. When she catches me prematurely releasing her things from their bondage, she frantically tells me the very purpose that she tied them thusly. It is usually part of an intricate scheme, and I don't always have the heart to continue my interference. We had a stuffed lion lashed (about the neck, no less) to the banister of the stair case for a couple of weeks. And then, once he had served his purpose there, Grace brought him down and moved onto the next big plan.

happy halloween 2009

I started on costumes at the end of the summer. At that time the kids were on a serious 101 Dalmations kick. Gracie's original plan for Halloween included Cori dressing as Roger and myself as Cruella. I told Grace that if she could help me loose 60 pounds by the end of October, I'd do it. Cruella is quite thin. Needless to say, I was not Cruella for Halloween this year. But Grace and Grant had fun as Pongo and Perdita. Thanks are due, once again, to my mom who was in town whilst I was in the middle of all this. (I think we need to make a tradition of this mom!) She helped me finalize plans and shop for materials.

The festivities began Friday afternoon. Grant and I went to school with Grace to help with her class party. The preschool/kindergarten building is located on the community college campus. The kids had a huge costume parade and then went trick-or-treating through one of the college buildings.

Grace's class (plus Grant) with the school librarian. Seated next to Grace is her best friend, Shelby Anne.

Grant didn't mind missing his nap to join the party. He got to cover himself in cupcakes and play with lots of new toys. That night was the Church Fall Festival. They had a chili cook off, activities for the kids and, of course, a trunk or treat. There was an icy, angry wind that night. I think it was the quickest trunk-or-treat in history. The kids still made out like bandits in the candy department and loved using the trick-or-treat bags their Grandma Sandy made them.

Halloween night, the kids got their costumes back on to hand out candy. Later Cori took them around to a few of our neighbors. We ate home made pizza, had ninja fights in the kitchen, and watched Monsters vs. Aliens with the kids. After the kids were asleep Cori and I got under a blanket and watched Van Helsing.

We got to do some other fun Halloween things this month. Our friends, Sarah and Katie, brought over a haunted gingerbread house to decorate with the kids.

We also got some fun Halloween books. The kids' favorite was Can You See What I See? On a Scary Scary Night. It is a book of picture puzzles. There are dozens of hidden objects to find in each of the spooky pictures. Almost every night this last week, the kids would bunch around the book with Cori the moment he got home from work. Hope yours was a happy Halloween too!