I'm Thankful To Be Me

I'm at a place in my life now, where I can look around and recognize the good that is there and have gratitude for these blessings. It's so easy to compare our lives to others and wish for bigger and better earthly treasures, most of which do not bring lasting happiness. So with tomorrow being Thanksgiving, I'd like to share what I'm thankful for this year.

*My children. They make life so much better and more interesting. They make me smile, laugh, and enjoy being a mother so much. I know I was meant to be their mother and that I am doing exactly what I should at this point in my life.

*A husband who works hard to provide for our family. This is a huge comfort and blessing.

*My friends. I have many different types of friends, and each one is special. They make my life better. Every woman needs to have at least one good friend she can rely on and I feel lucky to have more than one.

*My home. I feel safe, warm, and secure.

*My parents, siblings, and extended family. I feel like I really hit the jackpot in this category. I'm proud to be a daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, cousin, and granddaughter to those people.

*My church. It brings comfort to me, makes my life better, and makes me want to be a better person. I'm thankful I can be with my family eternally.

*My health. I've lead a healthy life and have been blessed with a strong body to carry me forward to do the things I needed to do.

*Books. I'm thankful that I love to read. I love reading to my children as well. I'm thankful that I have access to a library, bookstore, and other places where books are readily available. We can continually educate ourselves and stimulate our minds.

*The Internet. I have reconnected with old friends, stayed in touch with family members, and had access to innumerable amounts of information that has helped our family. It is truly an amazing thing.

*The access to grocery stores, hospitals, banks, schools, gas stations, clothing stores, and all other places that make my life easier.

I feel like the more I reflect on what I am thankful for, the clearer my blessings seem. I have everything I need in my life and then some.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Brrrr.......

*photo via

What a cold, frosty, foggy morning it is. I was hoping we'd get to keep our crisp nice days for Thanksgiving. I had to send Kendle to the bus with a hat, gloves, and scarf and I'm still worried she won't be warm enough. It's so foggy that I couldn't see her walking farther than a few houses before it swallowed her up. I remember when I was a kid how much I used to hate walking to the bus in the cold winter weather and stand there waiting. It really annoys me how far Kendle has to walk to her bus stop. It's not "five miles in the snow and uphill both ways" far, but to a little six year old it's quite the walk in the morning. And it's on the corner of a busy street, which always worries me because people drive way too fast on Wrigley in the morning. Anywho, I would love to say I'm going to curl up by the fire with a blanket, drink some hot cocoa, and relax today - but Thanksgiving is in two days! I've got to finish some laundry, make sure the bedrooms are clean, (it's always better to come home to a clean bedroom when you've been away right?), and make a last minute run to the store. I thought I was totally done, but alas, something inevitably is forgotten or needed. I'm the snack lady so I'm bringing my famous little smokie wraps, a cheese ball and crackers, and layered bean dip and chips.

*Extra credit: What's your favorite snack to take to family gatherings?

Twilight

*If you have not watched the movie yet you might not want to read this.

3 Things I disliked about the movie:

1.)Horrible hair and makeup.

2.)All of Kristen Stewart's gasps, breaths, and random pauses during her and Edward's conversations. The hospital scene at the end seriously had me digging my fingernails into the palms of my hand it was so hard to listen to.

3.)Not enough of a buildup of Edward and Bella's relationship (but for time's sake I guess they couldn't fit it all in).


3 1/2 Things I loved:

1.)Edward. The part in the movie where he picks Bella up for school and is wearing those groovy sunglasses basically sealed the deal for me.

2.)The baseball scene. Probably my favorite part of the whole movie. Maybe it's because I love sports, or maybe because it was fun to actually see the Cullen's interacting with each other and not being so serious. I loved when Edward and Emmett went for the same ball and tackled each other in the air. That was FUN to watch. Awesome.

3.)Bella's truck, house, school and the overall location shots of the forests and gloomy, rainy days. It was pretty much exactly how I imagined everything in the book.

3 1/2). Clean language for the most part, not including some stupid teenage banter. I don't remember any swear words. Correct me if I'm wrong.


3 Things that I thought were odd:

1.)Did they have some sort of sponsorship with Rainier Beer? Every scene of Charlie had a close up of his can of beer or a six-pack.

2.)Jacob Black's whiter than white teeth.

3.)All of the Cullen's looked odd, and the other vampires - James, Laurent, and Victoria looked pretty normal (as normal as being buff and extremely good looking can be). Their skin didn't look chalky and their hair looked more natural. Is it because the Cullen's are "vegetarian" vampires? Maybe we'll never know. Give me your theories.


Overall I liked the movie and Riley liked the movie. I'm glad I went with him because he has a totally different take on the books than I do, and it was fun to compare our favorite parts of the movie and what we thought of the characters. I was actually surprised at how many guys were in the theater when we went to see it. I went into it knowing it wasn't going to be the best movie ever, I knew they had a small budget and it wasn't going to be on the same level as Batman. My little sister actually compared it too something akin to an after school special on the special effects front. But in my humble opinion, I was still pretty happy with it, and I think if they are able to make the rest of the books into movies (which it sounds like they will since Twilight had the amazing opening weekend that they needed) they should most likely keep getting better. Riley and I discussed how the first Harry Potter movie was pretty cheesy when you compare it the more recent ones that have been made, and hopefully that will be the same case with the Twilight series because I could definitely take three more movies with Edward Cullen.

Friday to do list:

*Go Grocery Shopping

*Take books back to the drop off at Walmart

*Make hair appointment

*Tidy up the house

*Make cookies

*Play with the Morgster

*Do some on-line shopping

*Wipe down the piano (can you say fingerprint central?)

*Kick back and relax

*Have pizza with friends



Have a fun Friday ya'll!!!

*And this is going to have me laughing all day! Thanks Tam.

Next time you head to the library.....

A few weeks ago my mother ( another fellow book lover ), gave me a wonderful book recommendation. The book is titled, "The Good Thief" and is written by Hannah Tinti. I just finished reading it this evening, and felt that it was worth the time to share some of my thoughts about it.

First of all, I have to say that this was an extraordinary book. It has a classic feel similar to Charles Dickens or that genre, but a bit spicier. I have not read a novel with storytelling like this one in a long time. When I am reading a book and I can imagine the characters, the scenery, and the plot line coming to life - that says something. If I finish it and think - "wow, that would make an awesome movie" I give the author even more props. So Hollywood, if you're looking for a great book to adapt into a movie anytime soon, (coincidentally there already was a movie made back in 2002 starring Nick Nolte with the same title) here's a real winner. And I say that as if any Hollywood screen writers just happen to check in on my blog every day.

Here's a short synopsis from the inside cover of the book:

"Richly imagined, gothically spooky, and replete with the ingenious storytelling ability of a born novelist, The Good Thief introduces one of the most appealing young heroes in contemporary fiction and ratifies Hannah Tinti as one of our most exciting new talents.

Twelve year-old Ren is missing his left hand. How it was lost is a mystery that Ren has been trying to solve for his entire life, as well as who his parents are, and why he was abandoned as an infant at Saint Anthony’s Orphanage for boys. He longs for a family to call his own and is terrified of the day he will be sent alone into the world.

But then a young man named Benjamin Nab appears, claiming to be Ren’s long-lost brother, and his convincing tale of how Ren lost his hand and his parents persuades the monks at the orphanage to release the boy and to give Ren some hope. But is Benjamin really who he says he is? Journeying through a New England of whaling towns and meadowed farmlands, Ren is introduced to a vibrant world of hardscrabble adventure filled with outrageous scam artists, grave robbers, and petty thieves. If he stays, Ren becomes one of them. If he goes, he’s lost once again. As Ren begins to find clues to his hidden parentage he comes to suspect that Benjamin not only holds the key to his future, but to his past as well."


As I started reading, it took me a chapter or so to really get my hooks into the story. There are so many twists and turns that I never knew what was going to happen next. The main character Ren is very conflicted about the life he leads and has a good heart despite his shady companions. After every skirmish and predicament, he silently ponders the prayers and lessons he learned in his orphanage and hopes for forgiveness for the despicable shenanigans he's been drawn into. He longs to do the right thing, although it could very well cost him his life in most situations. All he's ever really wanted was a real family and a place to call home. There was just something about the way this writer created his character that really drew me in. And although the close of the story was a few shades shy of what I would consider a "happy fairytale ending", it resolves itself in such a way that makes the time spent reading more than worthwhile.

Santa's part-time job

Did you know that Santa in the off season lives in a little town called Irrigon, OR and takes care of the beautiful park that's right on the river?

You didn't? Me neither. Let me explain.

While my parents had our kids this last weekend, they took them down to the marina and ran into the caretaker, a.k.a. Mr. Claus. Santa and his wife live in the big, neat old house there that I've always admired, and take care of the park while they are having a break from making millions and billions of toys and checking off who's naughty or nice at the North Pole. He even carries around pictures for just such occasions that he might run into a good little boy or girl and encourage them to keep up the good work.

He gave Kendle and Morgan their own picture with a message written on the back. Those pictures are now hanging on our fridge and hopefully will serve as a very good reminder to be good - if needed. Kendle said to me "Out of all the places he could stay mom, he wanted to come to Irrigon!"

HA! That's one memory with grandpa and grandma I don't think she'll forget.

Quick Update

Riley's surgery on Friday morning went pretty well as far as we can tell. He was really sick Friday, we think it was a combination of the anesthesia wearing off and the pain pills. So Friday was not good, but by Saturday afternoon he was feeling a bit better and able to relax a little. He is getting used to using crutches and I'm trying to put some padding around the tops so he doesn't get so sore. Those things are painful! Yow, I tried them out for a bit and my armpits still hurt. During surgery they drilled some holes in his ankle around where the bone had become dead to improve circulation and repaired and cleaned up some scar tissue and cartilage. We will find out more at his appointment in two weeks how things are coming along. His doctor did not give him an air cast or anything, they just bandaged it up and then wrapped it. She did not want to give Riley any temptation to try and put pressure on that foot I think. :) No pressure on that foot for six weeks - I told Riley his ankle is going to be worth it's weight in gold after this so he better not do anything to jeopardize it. HA!
*Thursday after work, he brought me home a dozen gorgeous red roses. Maybe he thought it was some extra insurance he would be recieving some good care post-surgery. He's been very appreciative of my help, I know it's hard to rely on other people.

My mom was great enough to come pick up the children Saturday afternoon and kept them until last night for us. My parents brought the kids home just in time for bed last night. It was so nice, having the house quiet so Riley could rest and not having to worry about Morgan jumping on him or whacking him with a toy. And the kids always have fun with grandma and grandpa. Morgan was so excited to leave on Saturday, he climbed in my mom's car while we were putting car seats and bags in and would not get out. He barely noticed me waving goodbye. They had some adventures down at the park - playing in the leaves, throwing rocks in the water,they saw a beaver, they even got to meet Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Yep, that's right. They met Santa Claus and his wife. I'll write more about that tomorrow.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us the last few days with watching kids, food, and called or emailed to check on Riley. I feel so blessed to have so many people in our lives who care.

Something to laugh about today

Do you ever see something and think it would be the perfect gift for someone? I was looking at some funny tee-shirts and saw the perfect shirt for Riley and his friends:













Those trades can be pretty harsh! Ha. You ladies who's husbands are in a fantasy football league can appreciate that I hope.


*This next shirt I thought would be perfect for someone you know that likes to work out and brag about it. I know some guys in my family that like to compare biceps and such. Buy it in a smaller size for added comedy:
















*This next tee-shirt is my personal favorite. It cracks me up every time. See if you can figure it out, and when you do, I think you're going to laugh too.















*This tee-shirt could have been made specifically for my little brother:

*If you've seen the movie "There Will Be Blood" starring Daniel Day-Lewis , you'll get this one. The milkshake speech made the whole movie for me.
















*If you're a myspacer this one's for you. Sorry Tom, you're not going to make the cut on my top friends list.

*If I saw someone wearing this shirt, I would probably have to stop them and tell them it is one of the coolest shirts I've ever seen. Genius.

*Being the E.T. fan that I am I had to add this one on here. Sorry Elliot, it looks like your bike got jacked and your little friend is making a break for it!

*And last but not least, the perfect shirt for any guy who is a fan of facial hair. Best pun ever!

(all tee-shirts products of bustedtees.com)

Ok, I have to stop laughing at funny tee-shirts now and go do something important.

Veteran's Day

Last night I read this post my brother Jeremy wrote on his blog about our dad. My father is a Vietnam War veteran and one of the bravest men I know. If you ever wonder why I am so passionate about the country we live in - my dad has had a lot to do with that.


Vietnam was a very different kind of war to fight in. My dad was drafted while taking some time off from college to work and make some money. Everyone knew someone who had died over there. People protested in the streets and held riots. It was a bad war with many lives left in ruins and families left with devastating loss. My mother remembers them having a parade in Blackfoot, ID where she grew up and people marched holding pictures for all of the boys who had died from their town; there were so many. The young men who had served and returned home were many times not treated well by the public.

My dad has not shared much about his experiences during the war, but the few things he has told me are pretty amazing and heart wrenching. Growing up I always wondered how he could go out at night by himself to the farm and check circles and climb down at the pump stations in the dark to check everything. But I guess after you've gone through some of the scariest things a person has to experience, little every days things like driving out to the farm at night pale in comparison.

I'm so proud to have a father who is a true Patriot to his country and has instilled so many great values in me, which I in turn can pass on to my children. There are a lot of people out there who can talk the talk (politicians especially), but can't walk the walk. I'm so thankful for those men and women of every part of the country and background who have proudly served our nation and the sacrifices they and their families have made. There is no payback great enough we can give them, except our utmost respect and appreciation.

Morning Ramble

It's the start of another week and I woke up with a scratchy sore throat and a runny nose. I could feel it coming on last night after we got home from church. The first thing that always tips me off that I'm coming down with something is that my eyes start to feel funny. They get kind of sore and feel kind of like they're burning. Does that happen to anyone else? Then my throat starts to feel itchy. Those are the two big signs for me to start downing some vitamin C and drink lots of water. I was so stuffed up this morning that I got up really early, wrapped myself in a blanket, and laid on the couch watching old re-runs on TV until Kendle woke up. Now Morgan is about ready to wake up, and I'm ready to go back to bed. But despite feeling less than great, I must press on (totally lacking enthusiasm and drenched in sarcasm). I have much that I need to get done this week before Riley's surgery on Friday. I wish I had a washing machine that could wash five loads at a time. I'm the only one in my family that wears one outfit a day and my threats of throwing clothes away have fallen on deaf ears. The laundry piles just grow and grow, I'm afraid one day they are going to come to life and take over our house. And on days like today, I would gladly hang the white flag of surrender and go take a nap.

Thanksgiving Learning and Fun

We all know about the first Thanksgiving in 1621 and how the Native Americans and the Pilgrims shared a feast. But do you know how it actually became a national holiday?

After 1621, future Thanksgiving celebrations occurred at various times throughout the year. George Washington declared a feast of Thanksgiving in 1789, and presidents issued similar yearly proclamations after that. During the Civil War, poet Sarah Hale started a campaign to celebrate the holiday on the same day throughout the country.

President Abraham Lincoln saw it as a way to unite the country, and in 1863 he proclaimed a national Thanksgiving celebration on the last Thursday in November. It was changed from the last Thursday to the third Thursday by Franklin Roosevelt in 1939 as a way to lengthen the Christmas shopping holiday. In 1941, Roosevelt finally changed the date to the fourth Thursday in November, proclaiming it a Federal holiday in 1941.

I thought that was pretty interesting. I did not know it had been changed that many times. Throughout the month our family is going to be talking about what we are thankful for and learning more about the Thanksgiving holiday. We're making a trip to the library in the next few days and will be picking up some books related to the holiday and the history of it.

There are so many resources and ideas on the web for cute crafts and activities. I thought I'd share some that I found:

*If you're looking for some cute coloring pages, clip art, and other activities for you children to keep them busy on afternoons after school check out this link:
http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanks-color.html
There are lots of cute printables.

*The Family Fun website always has lots of cute things too. I especially liked these little pilgrim place cards:
http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/feature/famf117tabletop/famf117tabletop6.html

*I also thought this idea for "Harvest Blessing Snack Mix" was very cute. The link also has a free printable tag to include with it if you like:
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/thanksrecipes/a/thxblessmix.htm

*Ever wonder if your ancestors came over on the Mayflower? Take a look at this list and see if you can find any familiar names:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_passengers_on_the_Mayflower

Thanksgiving is one of those Holiday's that just quietly creep up on us.

What is one of your favorite things to do for the Thanksgiving Holiday?

Looking ahead at this month

Now that the elections are finally over, I guess it's time to move on and hope for the best.

I'm looking forward to the fun activities this month will bring.

*This weekend my mother and I will have our girls day at the Custer's Christmas Craft Show. I love this time of year when you can feel the holidays in the air and start doing some Christmas shopping. Last year at Custer's I found the perfect little black table to go with my shelf I had bought there the year before. I enjoy walking around and smelling all of the good smells while we get our wheels turning for Christmas crafts and ideas.

*Next Friday Riley will be getting surgery on his ankle. I'm not looking forward to that necessarily because he will be needing a lot of help, but I am glad he's having it done and that hopefully it will heal well and he can regain his strength and dexterity in that foot. His ankle has really bothered him for the last two years or more since he first injured it and since part of the bone is dead (which I didn't even know could happen) the surgery is a light at the end of the tunnel hopefully. We are hoping this will be a good time to get it done since things slow down for him at work in the winter, and soccer doesn't start until the end of February.

*The weekend after that Twilight opens in theaters and me and my gimp husband will be going to see it. Riley read the books, and although he didn't really care for the mushy romantic parts, he liked the vampire and wolf characters. So we're both pretty stoked to go see it. I'm really hoping that Hollywood has not turned it into a typical teen/slasher romance.

*The week after that is Thanksgiving which is one of my favorite holidays. I love the food, the smells, and the fact that it is pretty much a stress free holiday (besides cooking the feast). My mom makes a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and I try to pick up all of her great cooking methods as I've helped her the last few years. I might even love the leftovers as much as the actual meal! Nothing compares to being in a warm cozy house while a turkey is roasting in the oven and pumpkin pies are cooling on the counter. Heaven!

*I've never been much of a fan of the day after Thanksgiving sales, but this year I just might be taking advantage of some of them. I would love to get my Christmas shopping done by December so I can just enjoy the Christmas holiday without enduring the shopping purgatory that most stores become that time of year. So maybe it will be kind of fun to join the throng of crazy shoppers on Black Friday. We are simplifying our Christmas gifts this year which should make shopping easier as well.

This month is the perfect time to look back and think about all that I have to be thankful for.

Did you remember to mail in your ballots?! Today's the big day. I don't know about you, but at this point I just want to find out who won and move on. That is sad to say I know, but I can't stand to be bombarded with any more political propaganda and polls. I'm tired of the fist bumps, the lipstick jokes, and the pandering. I can honestly say that I voted for the candidate that I truly felt best represented my values and ideals. Is it also sad to say I don't feel like I can trust the election process 100%?

No matter what happens we must be steadfast and immovable.

Pictures

I know you've all been dying to see our Halloween pictures right? (pun intended, you'll see why)


Without further ado, here we are in our spooky Halloween gory, I mean glory:

So what do you think? Would we get your vote for Homecoming King and Queen? We looked so scary, I think we even freaked ourselves out a bit. I had so much fun doing our creepy makeup, it really is amazing what you can do. I think this picture has some serious Christmas card potential, don't you? We had a ghoulishly good time.

Here are some more pictures I took at the party:

Our wonderful hosts Tracy and Edna Turnblad from Hairspray

John McCain and Sarah Palin stopped by for some last minute campaigning

Super-star tennis player Bjorn Borg and his tennis cutie

It was a really fun night and I will never look at fake blood and flesh the same way again. Hope everyone had a spook-tacular Halloween! Anyone want some candy?

Now - on to Thanksgiving.