Yea!!! It's Christmas TIME!

My lights are up, the decorations are coming out....not done yet....the air is chilly (ok, so it is in the 60s, but that is chilly for here.  And in a few hours it just might drop down to the 50s!!!!).  Oh how I love this time of year.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE CHRISTMAS!
p.s. I will post some pictures from our Thanksgiving on the BEACH later.....

My Top 26

So this year I wanted to write down each day in my blog my top 26 (one for each day) things I am thankful for. Well, I kind of forgot until today. So I am writing them all today since we are leaving for the beach tomorrow away from all technology--no computers, no satellite, no phone....just me, my babes and the beach. So here goes....my top 26.....




1. I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. Because of Him I am all that I am and all that I ever will be. I am thankful for a loving Father in Heaven who gave His only Begotten Son to come to this Earth and die for me. All that I have I owe to Him. I am thankful for the Church—and most importantly that it is a worldwide Church…no matter where you are, it is always the same. Washington, Idaho, Minnesota, Ecuador, Utah, Florida…in every place I have lived, it has been the one thing that has remained the same.



2. I am thankful for my sweetheart, my eternal companion, my Joseph. He is the jelly in my PBJ, the frosting on my cake, and the scum between my toes. You make it all worth it. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for giving me the dream life of being a wife and mother. You are my everything. I am thankful for the temple—the place that made it possible for me to be with you FOREVER.



3. I am thankful for my parents. To my mother who taught me all of the things I have taken for granted over the years...liking knowing how to cook, take care of a big family, be committed to a Church calling, etc. Thank you for being a stay at home mommy even though it wasn't easy. Thank you Dad for making that possible...even though it wasn't easy. Thank you both for not only teaching me the Gospel, but for living it. You are the greatest examples in my life. I love you both so dearly.



4. I am thankful for my four beautiful daughters. I am thankful that they are each unique and bring such a greater dimension to our family. I am thankful that the Lord has blessed me with such sweet spirits. They are so talented, beautiful, and amazing. They bring me the greatest joy to my life.



5. I am thankful for sisters. There is nothing like a sister. No, nothing. ‘nuf said.



6. I am thankful for my brothers. You are pretty marvelous as well. I hope someday my girls will have brothers as fantastic as mine.



7. I am thankful for my hometown of Connell--the perfect place to raise a family. The people, the culture, and yes, even the scenery, helped to shape me into who I am. It is where I discovered the meaning of life and where life discovered me. I had the dream childhood in that perfect place that I still claim as "home." Even though my parents have left, I still long for that place I left behind to start this new life. Thank you to all who are part of that place. Every experience that taught me so many lessons about life I am proud they are connected to such a wonderful place. And even though it was home to my firstborn for only a few months, I am glad it is the birthplace and first home to my Kiya.





8. I am thankful for good friends. Through the years I have had dear friends who have been like family…that have touched my life in a way that only sisters do. Then there are the friends who may have not been as close but have still been an example, a mentor, a visiting teacher, a presidency member, a childhood friend, a teacher, even just an acquaintance…but many have touched my life and have been there for me when I needed them. Thank you for being there for me.



9. I am thankful for my home. My physical house I open and close the door to every day. There is nothing like coming home.



10. I am thankful for the beach. It really is my most favorite place in the world. The place where each of my senses is in heaven. It is a place of memories from my own childhood and I hope that my own children will make memories there.



11. I am thankful for good grub. YES, FOOD makes the cut. Not quite the top 10, but the next closest thing. Oh how I do love FOOD.



12. I am thankful for my van. It is one of my top loves right now.



13. I am thankful for my calling. Even though I spend a lot of time away from home and at home working on my Young Womens “stuff”, I really really really do love it. Not so sure my husband loves it as much, but I am thankful for a husband who supports me in my calling and is willing to give me up so that I can be a part in building God’s kingdom.



14. I am thankful for rain. The smell, the effects, the sound….I just love the stuff. It is raining right now. Ahhhhh……



15. I am thankful for free long distance. I would be in severe debt without it.



16. I am thankful for the internet. It really is such a miracle. I still don’t quite understand how the darn thing works, I am just glad it does. How did we ever live without it????



17. I am thankful for holidays. I love to have excuses to eat junk, sleep in, have a day off school/work, decorate, stay up late, party, invite friends over, and just plain forget the responsibilities of everyday life. I think we should have more of them.



18. I am thankful for books. All kinds of books….but especially the kind I can read to my kids every night while lying in their bed. I know this time will end someday and they won’t want me to read them a princess story every night snuggled up to me….or maybe they will. It is just precious to have this time with them while they are little.



19. I am thankful for my desire to learn new things. Not sure who I got it from, but it seems that pretty much everyone in my family has this so it must be a strong gene on both sides. I love to create. I love to learn how to do new things. I love to finish something—anything. That is where I struggle. The finishing part. But when I do, I just love the feeling of accomplishing something new.



20. I am thankful for nature. I love to be outdoors. I love seeing new places and exploring the surroundings.



21. I am thankful for airplanes. The wondrous thing that makes my family only hours away instead of days.



22. I am thankful for coupons. I know…this may come as a surprise as an item on my top 26, but really, I am grateful for anything that saves my family a buck. Gimme a break!  My husband is in education! Whatever keeps me a stay at home mommy I am thankful for!



23. I am thankful for my education. Formal and informal. For all of the experiences that have educated me in one way or another.



24. I am thankful for music. Yet another thing I just couldn’t live without.



25. I am thankful for my health and the health of my family. The Lord has blessed us. We have experienced miracles and I am grateful for this body that is a miracle in itself.



26. And last AND actually truly the least, my trials. As much as I don’t want to be thankful for them, I am. They strengthen me and help me to learn and grow. I know they are for a reason and I am grateful they are a part of me.



So there you have it….my top 26. There are of course many more fantabulous things in my life I am thankful for, and even tomorrow this list may not be the same. But for now, this is it. My top 26 blessings in my life….I am so blessed.

 

Tastes like chicken...

Well, as the old adage says about many animals, I can now attest that even Alligator Tail TASTES LIKE CHICKEN.

And if you are looking for a good place to try it, look up

GATOR DOCKSIDE the next time you are in town visiting me.  They fry it up like like popcorn chicken and it is quite delightful.  And I am not much of a meat eater as most of you know.  But from what I hear, this is the best place around for good eats when it comes to gator.  Joseph and I both agree it was pretty tasty.... 

As much as I do not like the idea of hurting animals for their skins, I secretly pine for alligator skin boots....I suppose as long as the poor guy is dying anyway then slap the skin on a sweet pair of kickers and call it my Christmas gift.  So if Joseph contacts any of you for ideas....let him in on my secret wish.... these particular boots for go for a whopping $14,000. 

Blessed be the South

So I got pulled over yesterday.  Yes, by a cop.  Yes, for speeding.  And yes, I was doing 10 over.  But really.  That street really should be a 40mph road.  Nonetheless, I was speeding.  I deserved a ticket.  But by the grace of God, I was saved.  From a $204 ticket.  The officer looked into my van and asked,"Is that your Bible on the seat next to you?"...Me: "Yes, Sir."  Officer Sir:"If you can tell me what your favorite verse is and recite it ma'm, we'll call this a warning."  Me:"Well, at the moment it would have to be Proverbs 3:5 and 6.  'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths"  Quite fitting in this situation I felt. 

So thank you to my sweetheart for leaving the Bible on the seat.

Thank you to my parents for teaching me to memorize scriptures.

Thank you to Bro Flake and Bro Jorgensen for all of the scripture mastery stuck in my brain.

And last but not least, Thank you Heavenly Father for sending the nice Christian cop my way the day I was caught speeding.  And what were those cop's final words?

"Have a blessed day, ma'm."

Either I am starting to really look old because I am a ma'm, or I live in the blessed South where the Bible will truly save your hiney.  Let's go for the the latter and pretend I don't have any wrinkles...

my craziness....

So what do you do when your house is total disaster, you have a million things on your "to do" list and it is time to start thinking about dinner but you don't have plans??? Make applesauce. I cleared the counters from the piles of other things I need to get to, cleaned them down and made applesauce. Was I prepared for this mess? No, not really. I didn't have any canning lids, so I made the sauce and put it in my freezer containers. I made applesauce and apple pie filling. I think probably around 13 or 14 quarts of stuff. The kitchen was an even bigger mess by the end, but at least that huge box of apples I had purchased for cheap were no longer on my kitchen floor. I had to make room in the freezer so we had frozen fish fillets, french fries and applesauce for dinner. Sometimes I am a wee bit on the crazy side......but every once in a while you just need to do something you enjoy on a whim and forget doing the dishes, making phone calls, planning New Beginnings, cleaning the house and planning your weekly menu....for a moment in time I was just happy to be covered in apple mess and teaching my baby girls how to make applesauce and have fun making a mess.

And here is just a cute picture I took of Callie's most recent two favorite things.....

ode to carmel

Here are the younger three girls at Andrea's Preschool Fall Festival. We decided to have them all go as Minnie Mouse since they haven't been able to use these costumes yet! They had a blast. Callie just enjoyed eating her costume....

I never knew I liked carmel so much. That is until I made it myself. I don't recall ever really liking it growing up. Like caramel syrup and stuff is kinda yucky to me unless it is really good. I don't like those square carmel candies....but homemade is delicious. And after making 75 carmel apples for Young Women in Excellence I thought for sure I would never want to see or taste carmel again....but oh was I wrong. This recipe is to die for! And who knew???? I LOVE CARMEL apples. Especially the ones with pecans and chocolate....I like to call them Turtle Apples. I made all kinds....chocolate, pecan, turtles and plain. They were delicious and adored by all. I think I will make this my new Fall tradition. And of course, the apples were from Washington....oh how I miss thee my homestate of delicious crisp apples and cool Fall days.......

Wizard of Oz Preview!

At the Pumpkin Patch

Here is Haylee prior to costume....with not much of a real nap she was more like a zombie the whole night instead of Tin Girl!

I thought it would be fun to take a picture with what my girls affectionately call "The Funny Tree." This tree is on a major road here in Ocala with ALOT of traffic---we were quite the show.... but since the apple trees come to life in the forest on Wizard of Oz it was perfect. We were going to take a picture with him when I was pregnant, but never got around to it. This was better! One of my friends even stopped as we were walking through the trees because she thought our van broke down!!! Joseph got home late from work so he ended up not being able to dress up in time--he is going to be a Munchkin the girls decided. It was much funnier than the Wizard!

TRUNK OR TREAT!

We had our Trunk or Treat at church last night on mutual/activity night so that families can do their own thing on Halloween on Saturday. There are tons of free carnivals and things here on Halloween so it makes for a crazy night to do both. As crazy as it is to dress up 4 times in one week, I am at least glad they are getting good use of their costumes! They got to wear them to dance class, church, fall festival at school and on Halloween! They are loving it!

ROAR!!! She looks like a ferocious beast, doesn't she?!

I know it doesn't look quite right to have only a green face, but I wasn't up for a full body paint job and it was 90 degrees out so NO to the full long sleeve witch costume....

My new side job....

And of course Dorothy....thanks to Joseph's mom for helping me out and making this costume! I had all of the others to make and she found a great pattern! Thank you so much! I had purchased the basket a few years ago at Wal-Mart. And I bought the shoes, socks and Toto at once again, Wal-Mart. Thank you Mr. Sam for inventing such a place.