Joy from the hands of the giver...

It is almost 12 years old and very few of the stitches are left, evidence of daily use and much love. The red blanket, hand-stitched on tricot by my mother for Micah when he was born in 1997.

Each of my children received one of her beautiful blankets at birth. I begged her to continue the tradition my paternal grandmother had started. 51 out of 52 grandchildren had a handmade tricot baby blanket, stitched lovingly by Grandma Stott. Only the youngest, born a few years after her death, did not have one made by her hand. The blankets were amazing evidence of a grandma's love. I still have and sleep with mine - softened even further with age, missing many stitches, but much loved.

Handmade gifts are some of my favorite holiday presents. I love to give them. Every year, I spend weeks coming up with just the perfect handmade gifts for my sisters/sister-in-law and my mom and mother-in-law. Crafting little gifts for friends is such a joy. And I treasure things that are given to me that the giver thought enough to make for me.

Target amore...

Is it really bad that this store brings me joy?? I miss it!

I have moved to the land of no Target. Walmart is 3 minutes away, but really, I just don't like that place. Hate that I have to shop there now. Every time I make the hour drive to the Tri-Cities, I must stop by Target...just because. It makes me happy.

Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus...

Santa brings me great joy. Not for what he leaves in my stocking, but for his spirit of giving. Not for the gifts under the tree, but for the joy that fills my children's faces during the Christmas season. Not for the North Pole, the reindeer or his jingling sleigh, but for his shining example of the true meaning of Christmas.

(Red) Sprinkles make everything better!

I use sprinkles all year. Orange and black for Halloween. Green for leprechaun cookies. White, yellow, pink, blue.

But red...red is used only for Christmas. Red sprinkles for the shortbread. Red sprinkles for the sugar cookies cut in Christmas shapes. I buy red sprinkles in bulk - little hands tend to leave a bit on the counter, the floor, the pan and pretty heavy piles on the cookies, so having extra is always a good thing.

Joy in the true meaning of Christmas

I am so grateful for reminders of the reason for the season. I do find myself getting a little caught up in the commercialism of Christmas on occasion (I love to shop for people!) The gentle reminders come from many places - my scripture reading, the Nativity sets in our home, a sweet conversation with a child.

I took the boys to a wonderful event on Friday that helped us all focus on our Savior. Our church had an amazing display of creches throughout the building. Individual members allowed the church to borrow their Nativities for the weekend and there were hundreds of them on display. Beautiful olive wood from the Holy Land, little childrens' favorites like the Veggie Tales Nativity and every sort you can think of in between. There was also a beautiful program with lovely Christmas music and a Nativity play.

The focus last week for the month of Choosing Joy was love. This week, the focus is red. I struggled a bit with how to include that in my posts, but inspiration hit for a perfect choice for today. My absolute favorite picture of the Savior is this one -

Music is well said to be the speech of angels.

Quoting Thomas Carlyle.

I cannot imagine life without music. I know for sure that there is music in heaven - so much of music is heavenly in nature.

My taste in music is all over the place. I love a good song from the Cure. The haunting sounds of Adagio for Strings sends shivers throughout my soul. I like blues and rock. Broadway and big band. The Beatles and Maroon 5. Yo Yo Ma's cello is one of the most beautiful sounds on earth. Classical, Celtic, alternative, Christmas, even country. There are songs in almost every genre that reach the very depths of my being. Music can touch me and move me like nothing else. My heart practically beats right out of my chest listening to the sound track from The Mission.

I love that my children are musical. I am sad that Matthew chose to end his violin playing, but I keep encouraging McKelle with her flute and Micah with his percussion/drums. I hope one of the younger children chooses to play the cello. That would definitely make my day!

"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." Victor Hugo

Cookie Monster!

I love cookies! And I love Christmas cookies even more. I own (and use!) probably 50 different cookie-only cook books. More than half of those are dedicated to Christmas cookies. I buy the little Pillsbury mini-magazines in the checkout aisle when they feature holiday cookies. I'm addicted! I collect recipes from friends and family. I have a huge box of cookie cutters and all sorts of cookie presses and fun decorating tools.

Shortbread, sugar cookies and birds' nests (pictured) have to be made every Christmas. They are standard Wilwand fare. I treasure my recipe cards written in my mother-in-law's hand. I love to add a few new and experimental treats every year. Pfefferneuse usually makes an appearance as do some sort of soft ginger cookies. A favorite from last year was a peppermint sandy. If I can remember where I got the recipe, it will definitely be gracing our cookie plates this year.

My all-time, hands-down favorite cookie is Toffee Almond Sandies. I could eat the entire bowl of cookie dough or every baked treat on the cookie sheet.

Toffee Almond Sandies

1 cup butter
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
4-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
2 cups sliced almonds
1 package English toffee bits or almond brickle chips

In a bowl, cream butter, oil and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in almonds and toffee bits. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Makes about 9 dozen.

Enjoy!

Who doesn't love shopping??!!

Ok, well, my husband for one. And my boys. And my dad. Basically all the men in my life. And my mother-in-law!

But I LOVE to shop. Shopping for gifts for other people is one of my absolute favorite things to do. I love the brainstorming, then the hunt, that search for the perfect something. Sometimes, it requires me to take home purchased items and create something altogether new, but I love that, too!

I love to shop in stores. I truly don't mind the crowds. I love to touch and feel what I'm buying. I used to go grocery shopping when Michael was in med school (and never home) at midnight so I could really spend time selecting the things that I wanted (wasn't too bad for some rare alone time either.)

I love to shop on-line. It is a bit addicting. The man in the big brown truck is a favorite visitor!

Here's a little sneak peak of some recent fun shopping...something for my ScrapShare Secret Santa. Ooooh, is it you??

For the love of light!

Oh, how I love the sun! It does not necessarily love me (with my red-headed, freckled, fair skin) but a day full of sunshine cannot help but make me happy.

Southeastern Washington has lots of sunshine in the summer. It's nothing like Seattle, which I had to explain to almost everyone when we were living on the east coast. But late fall and winter are a different story. Fog, fog and more fog. So much fog that it doesn't even burn off throughout the whole day. Michael wondered if we had accidently moved to San Francisco!

I haven't seen the sun in what seems like weeks, so when the fog started disappearing this morning and the glorious rays of light began to show through, I grabbed my camera and went straight outside to enjoy. The sunset at the end of the day did not disappoint either!

Choosing joy...

I had to start with a tough one. Maybe that means it will just get easier the rest of the month. And maybe, I just really need a strong lesson on finding the good, every day.

I started the day sitting in the neurologist's waiting room. Waiting is definitely the key word here. Waiting and waiting and waiting. And at the end of the exam, the doc had some unusual findings behind my optic nerve and wants me to have an MRI. A scan of my brain to see what's causing the pressure on my eye and the headaches. I suppose the joy will be finding out what's wrong, so something can be done about it.

The school called and wondered why Mitchell's lunch $ balance was so far in the negative. Ummm, well, Mitchell brings a lunch from home everyday and I had no idea he HAD a lunch $ account. All of my children have brought a lunch every day of their lives. I don't buy school lunch. I have no idea why there is anything owed on a lunch account, let alone the amount the secretary told me. Holy cow! I suppose I should find joy in knowing my son is well fed. He will find joy in handing over his allowance to pay me back. For the next several months.

Mason found joy in dumping out the game closet today. All the games with hundreds of cards. Game pieces. Dice. More cards. We found joy cleaning it up together.

Mitchell dropped an entire stack of plates while unloading the dishwasher. Shattered Corel all over the counter, the floor, in the dishwasher, in the drawers. All the new plates I just bought because we had been using plates from our wedding for the last 17 years and didn't even have enough left for the whole family. I'm still working on finding the joy in that one....

I did however, find joy in my mail today. My Simple Scrapbooks and Scrapbooks, Etc. magazines arrived today. I LOVE magazine mail days and I LOVE my scrapbook mags. We just won't mention the gas bill that was also in the box, with the little note saying they've raised rates 29.97% for residential customers...

I could be mad....or just find the hilarity (joy!) in him.

Even if I did decide to be mad, how could I possibly look at that face and stay that way??!!


What, you may ask, did he do? In the five minutes between sending them upstairs and arriving there myself, this darling child of only two short years managed to coat the boys' bathroom in toothpaste. What probably started out as an innocent attempt to brush his teeth "my own self" resulted in some very minty-fresh artwork on the shower, the toilet, the wall, the floor, the counter. Not sure where all the brothers were during this creative escapade, but man, that kid works quickly.

Despite his penchant for creating super-sized messes, he does add a wonderful amount of laughter and fun to our family. Case in point: we were driving to the Tri-Cities yesterday to do some serious shopping (as Walla Walla has no Michaels, no Costco, not even a Target) and the boys didn't like my choice of radio stations. So we started reciting some of their favorite bedtime stories. One Fish, Two Fish, Goodnight Moon and Dr. Seuss's Alphabet book are some of our favorites, so we have no problem remembering them word for word. Mason's absolute favorite is Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear. We started in on that one and the silliness began.

Mommy - "Brown bear, brown bear. What do you see? I see a red bird looking at me."
Mason - "I see a ped pird looking at me." Giggle, giggle.
Mommy - "A ped pird? What's a ped pird?"
Mason - "Ped pird, ped pird. What do you see? I see a pellow puck looking at me."

And so on and so forth through the entire book. Pite pog, purple pat, pack peep, poldpish, preen prog, even peacher. He did the whole thing, changing the first letter to 'P'.

Is this normal two-year old behaviour? Since most of the two year olds we know (in the nursery, at church) don't even talk much yet, I'm thinking not. But it is pretty standard fare for my Mason.

I just want it to be peaceful...really.

How do they end up making it a big wrestling match, a war of pinches and smacks, every time we try to do something as a family. Having five boys (and one slightly bossy girl) is sometimes a challenge. I want calm and peace and family togetherness and they want to rough house.

And so, the lighting of the house for the Christmas holidays turned into a pinching war. Instead of everyone participating with joy and seasonal spirit, I had to send two of them to their rooms.

But the house is mostly done and looks wonderful. Perpetrators apologized to the pinchees and the mother. All is smoothed over and for now, it is peaceful (ok, cheating a bit since they're all in bed.)

Grateful for the Sabbath...

A day of peace. A day of rest. A wonderful day to finish off this month of gratitudes with devotion to and praise for Him who is responsible for every blessing I have.

And a very special thank you to Sherry, who was the motivation behind this incredible month.

I am grateful for my faith.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have been so all of my life. I am a Christian, a follower of Christ and He is the keystone of my life. I cannot imagine life without devotion and faith in Him. His teachings are those of love and service and charity, aspects I try always to incorporate into my daily life. My life is full of joy because of my knowledge of Him and knowing that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father.

I am grateful for my faith.

Tradition...tradition!

(Sing that like Tevye!)

I love traditions and I am so grateful for what they mean to our family. Traditions cultivate connections and provide a sense of identity and belonging. When you can say "Our family always does X on Thanksgiving" or "We always do Y during the summer", these rituals give the family a feeling continuity, a warmth and closeness with other family members. Family bonds that are often weakened by busy lifestyles are strengthened immensely by maintaining the family tradition.

We have so many traditions in our family. Some are God-centered: family prayers, reading scriptures together each morning as a family, first day of school blessings for the children, presenting the newly baptized child with his/her own set of scriptures, etc. Some are holiday or seasonally centered: themed costumes for Halloween, gingerbread houses made the weekend after Thanksgiving, our all-green St. Patty's Day feast. Others are just for fun: family movie nights, picnics in the living room, Big Hugs, Secret Pals, etc.

All of these have meaning and importance for our family. They strengthen the ties between us. They serve to cement our relationships for all time.

Traditions....TRADITIONS!

Food, glorious food!

What could be more appropriate than being thankful for food on Thanksgiving day?!! I love food. I love to make food. I love to bake food. I love to have food made for me. The flavors, the texture, tangy, sweet, sour, savory. I am so grateful that a loving Heavenly Father provided us with sustenance that can truly be enjoyed. I do wish that broccoli and spinach tasted more like cheesecake and chocolate (or that there weren't quite so many calories in the latter) but I am truly grateful for food.

Grateful for the digital age and my camera...

I love how going digital has enabled the world to share. Photos of families and friends far away. Scrapbook pages. Decorating ideas. Projects. All so accessible with a simple upload to the computer and the click of the mouse.

I love the instant gratification of digital. No more waiting to finish the roll. No more sending it out to a developer and hoping you got some good shots. No more paying for film and processing. It's there. As soon as you take the picture, you know if you got it...or if you need to keep trying.

Love the digital world!

Grateful for health

My family has been very, very blessed with good health.

Chronic ear infections for McKelle when she was little. The same for Max which resulted in tubes. Exercise-induced asthma for Michael and McKelle, but not severe and controlled well with their inhalers. Michael has his shoulder issue - two surgeries in the last year and a half, but it seems to be doing really well and responding to treatment and PT. Other than a few ER visits for Michael when he was playing rugby (broken ankle, broken clavicle, concussion,) that's it.

We are otherwise super healthy and so very thankful to have that good health!

Forgot one...

I am so thankful for this man. He's the love of my life. My sweet husband. My love. My best friend.

I am so very blessed to have Michael in my life. He loves me more than I ever deserve. He has stuck by me through thick and thin, literally. And never once has he ever forgotten to tell me how beautiful and sexy he thinks I am.

He gives the best back scratches, ever! Foot rubs, back rubs, head rubs...whatever I need, he's totally willing to give. He's smart and funny. He's a great dad and the kids adore him. He works so hard for our family.

For 17 1/2 years, I have been by his side, and I can't imagine a better place to be.

Last, but certainly not least...

I am grateful for my baby. My little sweets. My Mason!

Oh my, is this boy ever full of mischief. He definitely lives life OUT LOUD! He may have five older siblings, but noone ever misses the fact that Mason is around.

He is a little lover. I get hundreds of hugs and kisses every day. His little "I love you, Mommy. Thiiiiiis much!" is so wonderful to hear. Even when he's saying it because he just got in trouble. It is so hard to ever be upset with him - he just bats his big, long eyelashes and gets away with murder!

He is a ray of sunshine and full of so much energy and fun. A day with Mason is a day full of laughter!

Lovin' my Max!

How could you not be thankful for this guy?!! He is my sweet baboo, my Maxaroni. He is full of love and fun and just enough mischief to keep things interesting.

Most recently, we spend our days rhyming ("Does snart rhyme with fart, Mom?") and trying to make words ("what does oxr spell, Mom?") He is so much fun!

And such a good big brother. Mason takes advantage, for sure, but Max is always taking care of Mason and giving little brother what he wants. He loves on him (sometimes a little too much) and fills the big brother role to a tee.

I love this boy!

Grateful for Mitchell...

I do love this boy. Somedays, it might be hard to tell. He gets on my last nerve more than any of my other children. I think it comes, at least in part, from his position in the family. It is awkward. I get that. And I try to have patience with him. I'm not always successful. But when we're good, when we're really, really good, I can see his true heart and it is golden!

Middle child synrome! Matt and Micah hang out, the little boys - well, they're little. And McKelle is off doing the only girl in the family thing. Mitchell tends to get left out and acts out (not in a good way) to get attention.

But deep down, this boy has a bigger heart than anyone I know.

When our dear friend Eve was diagnosed with leukemia, I saw Mitchell looking at her blog one day and he was crying. When I started to talk to him about it, he looked up at me and said "Mom, I just wish I could trade places with her so she wouldn't have to hurt anymore." When we're reading scriptures as a family, I can count on Mitchell being the one who is most touched by the Spirit.

We'll struggle, he and I. But I will remember and I will know that he is truly a gift and I am so very grateful.

Grateful for Micah...

Micah is the child every teacher loves. Every adult who meets him thinks he is quiet and oh, so very polite. Which he is. In public. At home, he is wild and crazy and loud.

He has the quirkiest sense of humor. He says stuff and you have to pause and think a moment. And then you just have to laugh. Because he really is extraordinarily funny...almost British-humor like.

He gets math! Everything about it, he gets. Soma cubes and tangrams are some of his favorite things to play with. Before he even started kindergarden, he would always want me to write math problems on the driveway with sidewalk chalk. And he would solve them.

He's a loyal friend and fun to be around. I do wish he would get along better with Mitchell, but hey, no child is perfect. Gotta love this boy!

Grateful for my only daughter!

When I was younger, I wanted 6 girls. Well, I got 6 children, but only one was a girl. She is a sweetheart and my best helper. She reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age (I am sure her brothers will say she was always bossy!) She is focused, intelligent and has the kindest heart (when she wants to.) She is absolutely wonderful with her littlest brothers. I am so glad she still wants to hang out with her weird mother - she loves to go shopping with me and we have a date for Twilight on Friday night!

Grateful for my oldest child...

We don't always see eye to eye. If fact, I spend a lot of my time trying to figure out what the heck is going on in his head, but I am truly grateful for Matt. He has a good heart and a good spirit. And when he actually buckles down and puts his mind to something, he absolutely can succeed.

Grateful for my Mom!

She turns 60 today. 60!! It is hard to think of my mom being that old. She was only 20 when I was born (which means my 40th is fast approaching) so she was always the youngest of my friends' moms. She's a beautiful 60 - certainly doesn't look anywhere near that age to me.

I am so grateful to have a good relationship with her. I was so excited to move close to her and I have loved being able to get together. We spent a fabulous day in Portland in October, indulging in a shared love of fabric and textiles. And I was able to host a big family party for her birthday yesterday. I looked around the room at my gathered family and just loved it.

She is a great woman and she has taught me so much. She is very polished and speaks well. An emphasis on grammer, punctuation, spelling and proper English is definitely something I learned from her. She helped instill my love for fabric and sewing and probably all things crafty, though she won't claim it all. She is a wonderful cook and I like to believe it rubbed off a bit on me. She loves children, especially the preschool set - something we definitely share.

She is concerned about her neighbor, whoever that might be and has always been a great example of service. She taught me well. What a very blessed daughter I am.

Grateful for celebrations...

I love a good party. We had a great one today - good food (Pad Thai, made by Michael and myself,) good company (Mom and Chick, my sister Giana and her family, my brother Trevor and his family,) lots of good conversation, a great dessert (Chocolate Trifle, made by McKelle!) and a reason to celebrate (Mom's 60th.)

I love everything about celebrations - the decorations, the food, the planning, the fun. I love how much my kids enjoy it all. Birthdays, holidays (even the funny made-up kind - have you heard of National Men Make Dinner Day??? Or Chocolate Chip Cookie Appreciation Day?), and everyday in-between days. I love making these traditions with my family and the joy we have doing it.

Grateful...

It has been a long day. I am grateful it is time for bed. That is all.

Grateful for neighbors!

I don't really know my neighbors very well yet. They're mostly older, no young kids. They pretty much keep to themselves. But our landlord said that everybody looks out for everyone else and that was certainly true today.

It seems that a cougar has encroached upon our little piece of civilization here. It was spotted chasing a deer through our next door neighbors' yard. Another neighbor heard it in a nearby cornfield and later confirmed (by tracks, I'm guessing) that it was a cougar. It attacked a horse not far from here. Actually, the Department of Fish and Game officials aren't sure how many cougars are in the area - there may be as many as eight!!! YIKES!

But several of our very sweet neighbors stopped by today to make sure we knew. They've all seen the kids outside playing, especially the little boys and were worried. I'm so glad they let us know. They promised to keep us in the loop. It is definitely nice to have neighbors to watch out for you.

Grateful for employment...

Everytime I pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV, log on to the net, another company is filing bankruptcy, laying off employees, downsizing. Unemployment figures are the highest they've been since 9/11. So many people are on pins and needles, wondering if they will have a job tomorrow, next week, next month. It is pretty scary!

I am so grateful for Michael's employment. We have been truly blessed. In hindsight, I am glad he chose a career in a relatively stable field. I don't know how it will all play out for the healthcare industry when our Democratic President-Elect takes over - I can't imagine it is going to be good for providers, but I will be grateful now while we've got it pretty good.

Grateful for a clean scraproom...

Well, it is definitely cleaner than this morning. Makes it so much easier to work. Still have some sorting to do. Still haven't decided how to store everything, but it is a work in progress and at least everything is off the floor!!

Grateful for our service men and women, past and present

I stood in the rain to watch the Veterans' Day parade this morning and couldn't help but be moved to tears. I am grateful for all those who now serve and all who have served to keep our country safe, to preserve our liberties and freedoms.

Thank you to my grandfather, who served in the Pacific theater during WWII. As a little child, I remember being fascinated by the scars the shrapnel left in your leg.

Thank you to my father, who served in the Army in the 60's when the military was not so highly regarded.

Thank you to my brother-in-law, Kevin, who just returned home from Afghanistan and serves in the Canadian Army.

And a very special gratitude to the families left behind, those who sacrifice so much while their loved ones serve our country. THANK YOU!

May God bless all those who currently serve and keep them from harm.

Grateful for modern conveniences...

I'm learning firsthand how hard it is to be without them!

Our fridge is on the fritz. According to the repairman, pretty much beyond the fritz. How in the world did people live without refrigeration. Spoiled milk, spoiled meat, all of Michael's fresh salmon gone bad (ouch on $$ he spent!)

I love all my modern conveniences and I am super grateful for them today!

(That is not my fridge pictured - I wish!!)

Thankful for old friends...

I think I'm addicted to Facebook.

I signed up to check it out since McKelle wants to get one. Started playing around and getting lots of friends. Found friends from high school and all the places we've lived.

So much fun!!

Grateful for places that burn off energy...

of my two and four-year old! Our little town has some great parks. One of them just got a bunch of new equipment courtesy of the Rotary Club and it is so much fun!

Grateful for my tree...

Well, techinically it is my dad's tree. But I'm finally close enough to see it in all its fall glory. I LOVE this tree.

It used to be a favorite climbing place when I was younger. It has always been the most gorgeous tree in my hometown. I have definitely missed seeing it every fall.

Dad told me that he has people stop all the time to ask if they can take a picture. Sometimes, they don't ask. :) He walked out to rake up some leaves the other day and found a couple taking pictures - the photographer was laying on her back so she could get a good picture looking up at her friend with the tree in the background. When the boys went to play at Grandpa's on Tuesday, another lady stopped by so she could take a picture to use as her computer screen saver.

I miss the green of the east coast and Minnesota, but there is nothing as beautiful as my red tree in the fall.

Grateful to move on...

There were moments when I thought it would never end. Times when I thought we would never be done. I certainly went through periods when I thought I wasn't going to make it.

But we did it! 17 years. 17 years of schooling, training, late nights, early mornings, long commutes, 100 hour work weeks, bank account running on fumes most of the time. 10 different moves, 5 different states and 2 countries, 6 kids and more student loan debt than I can't even bring myself to type. We made it!

Michael told me the summer we were engaged that he wanted to go to med school. Since that time, I have attended five of his graduations and one big party to celebrate being done. Bachelors, Masters, medical school, internship and residency...and the party for fellowship.

What a long, long road. I wouldn't change a thing...but I'm sure thankful to be done.

(The picture is Michael burning one of his white coats at the end of Fellowship.)

What I'm working on...

I'm taking an on-line scrap class at Big Picture Scrapbooking, taught by Cathy Zielske. She is fabulous and I am totally loving the class. I'm behind (I think Halloween got in the way!) but I keep plugging away. The "remember this" layout is probably one of my favorite. Ever. I LOVE that picture of Mason.

LOL, giggle, snicker, bwaaaahaaahaa

I am grateful for a sense of humor.

When I was little, my aunts called me "Cackleberry" because I was always giggling. I'm pretty sure that being able to laugh should be a requirement for parenting. A big, deep belly laugh can definitely provide a different (better!) outlook on life.

And one would have to have a sense of humor to be the mother of these two!

Land of liberty, land of promise

What an amazing blessing it is to live in a country full of freedoms, liberties and opportunity.

When I opened my scriptures early this morning to the spot I had finished yesterday, I was overwhelmed by the passage which I read. It wasn't planned, at least not by me. But I felt I was definitely being reminded of the wonderful place where I am priveleged to live.

"...we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands;..." 2 Nephi 1:5

and this "...that there shall be none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord." 2 Nephi 1:6

And definitely this "...and if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever." 2 Nephi 1:7

The Unites States of America is an amazing place. It is not perfect, by any means, but I couldn't be prouder of my heritage as an American. I love my country. The national anthem makes me cry. I've cried today, just thinking of all those who have given their lives to preserve the freedoms I enjoy.

I've also cried today over the direction I think our country is headed, but I did do my part. I participated in the election, reading, studying, learning and making the best choices I could for my family and, I believe strongly, for my country.

I am grateful to be a citizen of a free country, allowing me freedom, libery and the pursuit of happiness. And the right to vote!


(Of course I got a picture - I'm a scrapbooker!)

Equal time

For some reason, the other pictures of Halloween wouldn't upload in the other post and Mason wanted to know where he was. Have to share a picture of my cutie pie Thing 1 and Thing 2. Cat in the Hat is looking pretty fine as well...

Replacing my pots

Is that a weird thing to be grateful for? Pots? And pans?

Well, I am. Grateful for pots and pans.

Our were bad. Really, really bad. We've probably been ingesting teflon off the bottom of 15 year old pans for awhile now. And everything we cooked was in serious danger of burning because of the bad spot in the middle of both big frying pans. The lids stopped fitting years ago. Rice is hard to cook when the lid doesn't fit.

Michael decided that one of our first purchases would be pots and pans. He said I deserved it (and since he loves to cook, he wouldn't mind some new stuff as well.) We got a great set and I love it. The lids fit. We don't have any black flecks in our food. And nothing burns....unless I forget something on the stove, LOL.

Playing catch up on my gratitudes...

I didn't see Sherry's challenge til this morning, the 3rd, so I missed the first two days of November. Making it up here.

I am so grateful to live near my family for the first time in 20 years. Since I moved away to college after high school, I have been far away from home. Far, FAR away. Southwest, Canada (and not the western side!), eastcoast, midwest. So far that I missed many important and meaningful events. I went almost four years once without seeing my sisters and brother. I missed both my paternal grandparents' funerals. Missed my brother's wedding. And my mom's. Didn't meet nephews and nieces til they were walking. And my parents missed out on seeing all the little things that I think are so important in our day-to-day lives. We were so poor during school and residency, the only times we made it home were when my parents generously covered the cost of our airline tickets.

So I am thrilled. THRILLED! Thrilled to be living close to my family. I love that I got to go shopping in Portland with my mom. I love that my dad got to come over for several soccer games and a couple of Sunday dinners. I love that my dad could come watch the kids while Michael and I took an anniversary trip. I love that I got to see my sister coach her cross country team and that everybody got to see McKelle play a few soccer games over there. I love that we all trick-or-treated together. As a family. How awesome is that?!!!

Grateful. Yeah. I miss Minnesota more than I ever thought I would and if my family lived closer to the midwest, I'd move back in a heartbeat. But for now, I am soaking it all in. All that family time and family love. Definitely grateful.

Grateful I am!

I haven't blogged in ages. I know, I know. With all the time I spend in front of the keyboard, it should be a cinch to add a post now and again, but I just don't seem to get it done.

I was inspired today, however, by a challenge on Scrapshare to post a daily gratitude for a month. Definitely something I need to do about my very blessed life.

So, without further ado, my gratitude for today is being thankful for holidays, especially Halloween. I know some out there hate it, have no use for it....but I love it and it is my favorite holiday. And I am so grateful for all the family fun we have surrounding Halloween and I am most grateful for a family that will allow me to create costumes and dress them up in fun themes!

Teaching Max to sing (or "Mom, you said a bad word!")

There are certain words we try not to say in our household. Not your standard 4-letter stuff - that kind of language just doesn't ever come out of my mouth. And I'm not talking about taking the Lord's name in vain. I don't. Simple as that.

No, these are words which are just not nice. Words that make others feel bad. Words that are disrespectful. Words that I just don't like. We try really hard not to use terms like "stupid," "idiot," or any combination thereof (which is really tough when you drive in downtown Philly or Detroit with all the stupid idiots!)

"Butt" is another word which I just don't like and though Michael laughs at that one, I really try to get the kids to use alternate terms. Shrek and the infamous song that Donkey sings really undermined my authority on this one, but I try hard.

So Max, Mason and I were headed to the grocery store tonight after dropping off the other kids at the church. Max asked if I would sing a song with him "you know Mom, the one about the boat going down."

Um, Titanic? That boat? "My Heart Must Go On?" Ooooooh, you mean "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

"Yeah, Mom. Let's sing that together. But I don't know all the words. Can you tell me them?"

Sure, Max. Row, row, row your boat.

"I know that part. Row, row, row your boat."

OK. Gently down the stream.

"Gently down the stream."

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily....

"Merry, merry..."

No, Max. Merrily. Merr-i-ly.

"Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily..."

Life is but...

"MOM! You said a bad word!"

dream. Huh? What bad... Oh. Max, I wasn't saying a bum butt. Its a different kind of but.

"Mommy said a bad word. Mommy said a bad word." in sing-song style all the way to the grocery store, all through the grocery store and back to the church again.

Max's New Mom

Max's invisible friend Carlyn seems to have left the building. I miss her! I miss Max answering the door to let her in and holding her hand throughout the house. I miss Max making phone calls to invite Carlyn over. I miss their little tete-a-tetes on his Spiderman couch and how he let her choose a movie.

But someone new has popped up!

After lunch yesterday, I let Max and Mason choose a treat from the treat bucket. Max finished his Starburst and asked for another one. I told him one was enough. A little while later, I found him climbing on the counter, trying to reach the bucket again. I asked him what he was doing, as I had told him no more treats.

"My other mom told me I could."

Your other mom, huh? I thought I was your mom.

"Yeah, but I have another mom, too and she said I could have another candy."

So, what do you need another mom for?

"Well, one is a good mom and the other is a bad mom."

(Of course, I'm thinking that as the candy forbidder, I'm must be the bad one!)
Max, am I the bad mom or the good mom?

"Oh, you're the good mom. I love you the most. But I still have the other mom, too. And she says I can have more candy."

Scrapshare Blog challenge #12 - Getting to know ME

1) Right now I want:

to figure out where we'll be living in Washington. I don't know if we'll buy right away or if we'd even qualify to buy coming out of fellowship with no $$. But a rental for a family of 8 in the little town of Walla Walla??

2) I wish I knew how to:

Knit. I think I learned a couple of times, but it just didn't stick.

3) When I want to indulge myself, I:

escape to my basement and scrap for a couple of hours. Or, lose myself in a really good book.

4) You’ll never see me:

wearing Ugg boots when it is -30 degrees in Minnesota! Actually, you'll never see me wear Ugg boots, ever.

5) A childhood memory that I love:

Going to Holland Lake, Montana every year for the Stott family reunion. I have 53 first cousins on that side and most years, everyone would come. Uncle Roy's boat, learning to ski, hiking to the waterfall, the big rope swing over the lake, the Banana!!! Good time, good times!

6) 2 things I do every single day:

Hug my children and visit ScrapShare.

7) Happiest moment of 2008, so far:

Attending my very first ScrapShare retreat. I'm just dying to do it again!

8) Describe yourself in 3 words:

Nurturer, worrywart, peacemaker

9) 2 scrap related goals for this year:

Finish the LOM class with Stacy Julian and have a fabulous new system of scrapbooking at the end.
208 pages completed in 2008 (77 done already!)

10) You have $40 that you MUST spend on yourself – what do you do with it?

I'd probably head to Michael's for their Cricut Cart sale!

Open letters...

Dear neighbor -

Please move your van. Since your wife is the secretary for the subdivision association and sent out the letters about work vehicles not permitted on the street, YOU SHOULD KNOW it is not allowed. Just because you have magnetic signs that you remove as you park, does not mean you should be getting away with it.

I can't see around the ginormous, windowless thing to pull out of my driveway. My KIDS can't see traffic coming til they're halfway across the street! And seriously...I can't believe you moved the 30+ yard bags up onto our lawn just so you could park there.



Dear Michael (DH) -

You are an angel and I am truly blessed. I can't believe you flew out west, dealt with my step-father (and kept the peace!), drove 2600+ miles back to Mighigan PULLING A TRAILER...just so I could have a safe, big-enough-for-all-the-kids vehicle AND a sewing cabinet. Thank you with all of my heart!



Dear high school kid in the red car -

It is a school zone. The speed limit is 20mph. It will not kill you to slow down. But it may kill a child if you do not.



Dear Matthew -

If you do not start doing your homework sometime soon, you WILL be repeating the 8th grade. In the same grade as your sister....



Dear Michelle -

Please stop putting off the weight loss. "I'll start tomorrow" and having one more cookie is not going to get you into that little black dress for DH's graduation. It is now only 6 months away. Start today!

No guilt

Q: If you could live one day without consequences, what would you do? Would you get a tattoo just to see what it was like? Would you skip work or school and sleep all day? Would you have a one-night-stand, or would you buy a yacht, or would you tell your parents what you REALLY think of them? If you could live one day without consequences, what would you do?


No consequences, huh? Meaning, food has no calories, right? Well then...

Diet and good eating habits are out the window. All attempts at losing the last two pregnancies worth of weight gain are suspended. Breakfast would consist of giant cinnamon rolls, bacon and sausage, crispy hash browns and an extra large glass of orange juice. Ooh, and crepes. Yeah, with powdered sugar. And a warm pumpkin spice cake doughnut from Krispy Kreme to top it all off.

I would NOT go on my walk/jog today, because frankly, I'm tired of sucking it up and walking despite the pain in my heel and the pain in my hip. I would, however, put my feet up and read a good book. With a box or two of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, cashews and almonds to snack on while reading.

I certainly would not tackle the 15 loads of laundry waiting for my attention (and obviously, since my family needs clothes, the laundry fairy would visit.) In fact, I'd just get Molly Maids to drop by and take care of the house for the day.

I'd meet DH for lunch at the Melting Pot, without kids of course. We would have some of everything...meat, cheese and dessert fondue! After lunch, I'd head off to the scrapbook store...all alone...for some quality shopping time. And I'd actually buy more than one sheet of paper and a sticker strip. Following an afternoon of guilt-free shopping, I'd meet DH for dinner at Larcos. We'd order an appetizer and dessert...the chocolate bomb! And we would stop at the store on the way home for a pint of Haagen Daas icecream to eat while indulging in a sappy, tear-producing chick flick.

The kids would all be fed and properly in bed, courtesy of my no-consequence day nanny, so I could stay up as late as I want, scrapping and eating a selection of favorite foods...a Heath bar, perhaps some Reeses' Pieces, more icecream and a deep-dish pepperoni pizza. Before retiring, I'd pop onto the computer to place a few on-line orders...books, stamps, more scrapping supplies, another cookbook for the collection...and then I'd retire with a smile on my face, knowing none of my day's behavior would catch up with me in the morning.

Acrostic

This was written by dear daughter McKelle awhile back.

M - Mother
I - Intelligent
C - Crafty
H - Homemaker
E - Excellent cook
L - Laughs a lot
L - Loves to read
E - Embarrassed easily


Mother, well....yeah! Six kids and all. Even before the children came along, I was always motherly. Perhaps a bit too motherly, my younger siblings might say. I have to watch myself so I don't mother Michael. But mostly, I am motherly in a good way. Children tend to collect wherever I am...my house is Grand Central most of the time. Being a mother...that's a good thing!

I like to think I am intelligent. I wonder, though, that McKelle actually wrote that. She seems to question almost everything I say lately.

My IQ is pretty high; I always got great grades. Did all the honors and advanced classes...gifted program as well. But I have discovered at my advanced old age of 37 that even more important than intelligence is wisdom. Wisdom to use that intelligence for good. I would hope that if dear daughter did an acrostic of my last name that wisdom or wise would be used for one of the 'W's!

Michael lovingly refers to my hideout as the "Crap room." And it is full of crafty crap. Lots (and lots and lots) of paper, stickers, ribbon. Punches, a Sizzix, paper trimmers galore. A sewing machine and cupboards full of material and sewing notions. Paints, two glue guns and a wide assortment of other crafty paraphenalia. If I'm not crafty, I certainly need to move out of that room.

I am a homemaker. I don't work outside the home, so that is the little box I mark when I do surveys. At least...most of the time, I don't have to mark "unemployed." Thinking about a homemaker, I truly hope that is what I do. Make my house a home. A safe haven from the world for my family. That soft place to fall.

I love to cook. And bake. And I do make a darn good chocolate trifle. McKelle probably wrote this shortly after having trifle or her all-time favorite, beef stroganoff. If I ignore the pumpkin pie made last year without sugar and forget about the baking powder biscuits made with baking soda, I think I do live up to this quality pretty well.

I do love to laugh. I laugh easily and often. And not just because I'm ticklish, either. Cackleberry was my childhood nickname, given to me by my dad's youngest sisters. I stayed with them quite often and they loved to get me laughing so hard, I couldn't stop. Still happens, on occasion.

The library is my friend! Books, books and more books. I go weekly at least, and more often if I can swing it. I always have a book or two in progress. And I love to read everything. Fantasy, historical fiction, mysteries, science fiction, classics, best sellers....I'm even a big Stephen King fan. I read in the bathroom, in the bath, while nursing. I read at the table, much to Michael's chagrin. I even read while cooking and watching TV. Oh yes, I LOVE to read!

I inherited pale, freckled, red-head skin from my Grandma Jones. And with that skin, I blush easily and quite often. My kids (and dear husband) think it is funny, so they love to do thing that embarrass me. I'm used to it by now, but it doesn't mean I won't blush!

McKelle knows me pretty well. I just hope she remembers some of the nice things she said as she enters the teen years~

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

9/11/01

I had just arrived home after dropping Matthew and McKelle off at St. James school. It was about 8:30...the little boys were with me. I flipped on the TV, as was my habit, to watch the end of the Today show flipping back and forth with Good Morning America. And suddenly, there is breaking news coverage. A plane has hit the World Trade Center. One of the towers has been hit. Within a minute or two, Michael called from the hospital telling me to turn on the news. I was already glued to the TV.

I watched, live, as the second plane hit the other tower. "Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh!" I'm yelling at the TV. The most stunning pictures I have ever seen. Prayers fill my heart and mind for those on the plane...those in the towers. But I have no clue how bad it is going to be. As I listen to the reporting, the tears start to fall. And fall hard. Then, without warning, behind Dan Rather, the tower starts to crumble and I am screaming at him because he is still commentating. Noone has informed him of what is happening behind him. His ignorance lasted only seconds, but it seems so long in my memory. I watch in horror as the second tower falls as well.

Hearing reports about a plane hitting the Pentagon. And then Pennsylvania. Oh my gosh, PENNSYLVANIA! Is Philadelphia a target? The kids are downtown...at the school. Are they safe? My sister is in Seattle. A potential target? Who do I know in New York? In DC?

I rush back to the school, radio blasting continuous news coverage, and take my babies home. I'm not sure about safe, but they are with me. Michael is still at the hospital. There's a call for doctors to go to New York. Students? A possibility.

I watch, and watch. Unable to tear myself away from the tragic scenes on television. Stuck in my mind is a beautiful blond woman who appears with Katie Couric, pictures of her fiance in hand. "Has anyone seen him? Our wedding is only weeks away. Please...please. Has anyone seen the love of my life?"

Hour after hour, day after day, plane...impact...fire...smoke...collapse... replay on the television. The images are seared into my brain. So many lost, but not so many as once feared. Terror in America.

I will remember. I will NOT forget. I will teach my children what it means to have freedom. I will tell them of the many heroes who died that day. 9/11/01

Countdown - another Scrapshare challenge

10 Things I Wanna Do Before I Die
1. Build our dreamhouse - a log home with lots of acreage, trees, on a lake
2. Travel to Europe - Paris, Germany, Scotland, England, Switzerland, Italy, etc.
3. Parasail, parachute and bungee jump
4. Snow ski in Whistler, Banff and the Alps
5. Travel to Australia and New Zealand
6. Surprise DH with a trip to Venezuela (he served his church mission there) and hop over to Aruba while we're down there
7. Watch all of my children marry in an LDS temple
8. Run a marathon or compete in a triathlon...maybe both
9. Learn to play the guitar (acoustic style)
10. Host a family reunion for all our siblings

9 Places I Last Spent Money
1. Farmer Jack (double $ coupon day yesterday. Bill totaled $159 - paid $57 after coupons )
2. OfficeMax (more school supplies)
3. PTO - class party fees for Micah and Mitchell
4. D.H. Day Campground - campsite for four nights...last fling of summer
5. Sleeping Bear Dunes Campground - for showers, since our campground didn't have any and Lake Michigan was FRIGID!
6. Tom's Market - a really nice grocery store in Traverse City, for ice, milk and various other camping needs that DH forgot
7. Wendy's - lunch for McKelle, Max and I on our way to the campground
8. BP - gas for our trip
9. Target - a second cooler for our camping trip and flashlight batteries

8 Sounds I Routinely Hear Around My House
1. "Na na na na boo boo" - that would be Max
2. Theme from Star Wars, from the boys' Playstation game (but only on the weekends now that school has started)
3. DH's pager and/or cell phone when he is on call
4. Kids laughing
5. Mason's sweet baby noises
6. My stereo playing Sara Brightman, Josh Groban, Lorenna McKennit
7. The washer and dryer - laundry NEVER ends for a family of 8!
8. The piano as kids (and I) practice and McKelle's flute

7 Real Restaurants Where I Last Ate Out
1. Wendy's
2. TGI Fridays - took McKelle and her best friend out for lunch before friend moved to Virginia
3. TGI Fridays - to use gift certificates kids got during the summer reading program at the library
4. Maggiano's - Italian place for our 15th anniversary
5. Dave & Busters - for Matthew's birthday
6. Papa Vino's - for DH's birthday
7. Olive Garden - took MIL out for her birthday when she was here to help out with Mason's birth

6 Things I Scratched Off my To-Do List Recently
1. Bought patterns for Halloween costumes (they want to do Star Wars this year)
2. Updated, typed and printed out Christmas card labels (I'm following the Holiday Grand Plan)
3. Cleaned the porch and the living room (also part of the HGP)
4. Made zucchini muffins, brownies, and 10 loaves of bread to freeze
5. Started my Christmas shopping
6. Started my new exercise program (walking 5K everyday, plus a Pilates video 3x a week)

5 People I Don't Know who I'd Like to Hang Out With
1. A whole bunch of SSers...on the porch at Cowtown's, in Baltimore with Diana so she can teach me to do Donna's braids, at Weezie's with her Wishblade, in Australia with V, M and all our other Aussie friends...and many, many more
2. Stephen Covey
3. Louisa May Alcott (since we're dreaming, they don't have to be alive, right? )
4. Gordon B. Hinckley, prophet and president of the LDS church
5. Yo Yo Ma, just to sit and listen to him play

4 Songs That Make Me Happy
1. I Am A Child Of God, sung by my children
2. You Are My Sunshine, sung in harmony with my mom and sisters
3. You Raise Me Up
4. Pachabel's Canon in D

3 Things I Hate To Do
1. Laundry!
2. Spend money on my too-small, lemon of a van
3. Clip Mason's fingernails - I'm afraid I'll clip his fingers instead

2 Things I'm Really Good At
1. Making chocolate trifle - everyone always asks me to bring it when there's a potluck
2. making Halloween costumes

1 Really Bad Habit
1. Playing on the computer when I should be doing....laundry!

City of Brotherly Love

This week's challenge is titled Angels Among Us. I believe we all have the potential to be angels for and in behalf of our Heavenly Father. I believe strongly that through us, he does his work on this earth. Here is my story of four such angels who were ready, willing and able to go above and beyond the call of duty:

In 1996, Michael was accepted into a Masters of Biomedical Science program at PCOM in Philadelphia. We received notice of his acceptance at the end of July. He was to start classes on the 26th of August! We didn't really have the time, nor did we have the money for either of us to make the trip to Philly to find a place to live before moving out there.

So, we packed our two kids and as many of the necessities of life as we could into our little red Honda Civic and accompanying roof carrier and set off for Philadelphia. After 30 hours of driving, we entered that great city. But where was it? It wasn't like the West, where you could see a Motel 6 or Super 8 off every exit. In fact, we couldn't even tell we were in the city at all, there were so many trees. We had no idea where we were going, where we were going to stay and the day just kept getting worse.

I was driving and I decided to get off at a certain exit, so we could try and find a motel. We figured we had enough money to stay a few nights and we would be able to find an apartment or something to rent near the school. Suddenly, we found ourselves in a very scary neighborhood, going the wrong way down a one-way street (oh-so very common in Philadelphia.) After some big tears of frustration on my part (I had never driven in a big city before) Michael got out of the car right in the middle of the street and took over driving (I do have an excuse as I was several months pregnant at the time!)

He figured his way out of the neighborhood (which we later learned was one of the more dangerous parts of Philly) and navigated his way to the medical school. There were several hotels near the school, but they were NICE hotels, charging several hundred dollars a night more than we could afford. It was getting dark and the kids were tired and hungry, tired of being in the car for two whole days.

I pulled out the phone number of a family and told Michael we should call them. Our bishop in Canada had phoned the bishop in Philadelphia, and he had given us the name and number of this couple. The man was a medical student at the school Michael would be attending. That's all we knew. They were members of our church and he went to PCOM. So we found a payphone in the parking lot of ACME and called Brian and Patrice Clements. They immediately invited us to their house, never having even met us and had us stay with them for a few nights. They fed us, they housed us, they helped us find a place to live. They became some of our dearest friends ever and still are.

But the story doesn't end there, and our lives were touched by even more angels. The house that we found to rent wouldn't be available for a month. We couldn't really stay with Brian and Patrice that long, even though they offered. They had two children as well, and there just wasn't enough room for all eight of us. But they had some friends (also members of our church) who had a house nearby. These friends were out in Utah, visiting family, until mid-September, when Wharton's PhD program would start again. Brian called and Taylor and Janet Randall immediately agreed that we could stay in their house until our housing was available.

We were going to move into this family's house, with all their stuff there. They don't know us from Adam, and yet, they were totally willing to let us to stay in their home. And Janet and Taylor also became the dearest of friends. Lifelong, best-of-the-best, angels-in-disguise, friends.

Matthew 25:37-40
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee asick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have adone it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

That's good, that's bad

Written in the style of "That's Good! That's Bad!" by Margery Cuyler


My daughter was invited by her dear friend Kayla to an End-of-Summer party. McKelle was quite excited to go. Lots of fun games and activities were planned, with lots of pre-teen girlish giggling.

Oh, that's good!

No, that's bad!

Michael was finally able to take off a day from the hospital, after a summer of watching over newbies, and planned a camping trip THE SAME WEEKEND as the party.

Oh, that's bad!

No, that's good!

Michael was able to take the three older boys to the campsite early. They would have some male bonding time and then McKelle and I would follow them up on Saturday with the little boys, after she had attended her party.

Oh, that's good!

No, that's bad!

Mason was up til 3am the night before I was to leave, and when I finally got him to sleep, Max woke up and wanted to come into bed with me. After being kicked and whined at the rest of the short night, I was dead tired for the 5 hour drive and I had never been to the campsite before.

Oh, that's bad!

No, that's good!

By taking two vehicles, we were able to bring Michael's and the kids' bikes and they had a lot of fun on the trails around the campsite. There were lots of other families camping...with kids...and bikes. Lots of fun for everyone.

Oh, that's good!

No, that's bad!

I forgot the stroller, so I couldn't go on the trails with Max and Mason.

Oh, that's bad!

No, that's good!

We went to the beach instead. The shores of Lake Michigan were beautiful...clean sand, very blue water and beautiful tree-lined bluffs just back from the shore. We saw a cormorant swimming and catching fish. We found some petoskey stones. And we even got to see the International Space Station cross the sky on Sunday night. We brought our bathing suits so we could swim and body surf in the waves.

Oh, that's good!

No, that's bad!

The temperature never got above 75 and the water was only about 50! It was waaaaay too cold to swim. Just dipping our toes in caused great shock to the body!

Oh, that's bad!

No, that's good!

Since it wasn't too hot, we were able to enjoy climbing Sleeping Bear Dunes. The hike up was quite exhausting, but the kids did it several times and ran pell-mell down the hill. Micah was the champion dune climber! We were also able to climb up to a lookout point that had a gorgeous view of the whole area.

Oh, that's good!

No, that's bad!

Although I had the front carrier for Mason, I forgot the backpack carrier for Max and he got really cranky on the mile and a half hike. He wouldn't let anyone carry him but me...all. the. way. down! He fell asleep sitting on my shoulders so I had to carry him in my arms for fear he would fall backwards.

Oh, that's bad!

No, that's good!

He was wiped out and had a great night's sleep, unlike the previous night where he climbed onto the full size mattress with Michael and me. He stayed asleep all night long. AND SO DID MASON!

Oh, that's good!

No, that's bad!

The boys slept, but the raccoons did not! Our campsite was invaded by a pack of about 10 very clever raccoons, despite packing everything in Rubbermaid tubs and locking coolers. The 'coons were able to knock the tubs over and get into our food. So much for my yummy zucchini brownies....

Oh, that's bad!

No, that's good!

It was our last morning, and they did NOT get the cooler open, so we were able to eat breakfast and then pack up to go. We hit the road to home about 11am.

Oh, that's good!

No, that's bad!

Everybody else in the state of Michigan hit the road home at the same time. It took us over eight hours to travel 200 miles home. We have now experienced the I-75 Labor Day Crawl!

Oh, that's bad!

No, that's good!

McKelle and I had a great time on our long ride home, telling jokes, laughing, trying to drive right beside Michael and the boys. She thinks I'm weird because I sing along with Sara Brightman. Loudly.

Despite some sibling rivalry, raccoon invasions, a bit of sunburn and very sore arms/shoulders, we made some great memories as a family.

Oh, that's good!

No, that's GREAT!

What's in your wallet?

Yet another challenge from my ScrapShare friends - and yet again I am late, but I have a good excuse. See next entry for why my post is so late....

What is in my purse? What are the contents of that little brown bag I carry around?

A few state quarters (Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee) - I'm trying to collect a set for each of the kids, but I'm missing soooo many. Hopefully, my dad will have all those that I need in his big collection of coins.

Blistex, a wint-o-green lifesaver (from my giganto Costco bag), a tin of CoolMint Ice Breaker mints, a cinnamon Listerine PocketPak. A set of nail clippers and a roll of postage stamps (bought as part of my Holiday Grand Plan tasks - getting ready for Christmas early!)

A business card for the piano tuner (gotta call and schedule that - piano lessons start again next week), a list of book club books that my CMC/dear friend Becky recommended and an old OB/GYN appointment card from Mason's pregnancy (note to self: remember to put that in his scrapbook file.)

My PINK razr phone - just got it and finally moved into the modern age of cell phones. DH thought it was high time I had one. Text messaging sure takes a long time....

Insurance cards, library cards, Costco membership cards, LSS store-reward cards, grocery store reward cards, debit card, Kohl's card, a few already-used gift cards (why the heck are they still in there?) and various receipts.

My favorite item in my purse right now, though, besides my new PINK phone is the two very, very long receipts from Kroger and Farmer Jack. Both grocery stores recently had double $1 coupon days and I pride myself on some good couponing ability. It was a necessity while DH was in med school and we had no income except for a pittance of student loans to live on. But that Kroger receipt has to reflect one of the best shopping trips EVAH! I saved over $320 with my coupons that day and only spent $278. Groceries for several weeks for our family of 8, 7 packs of diapers, laundry detergent to last a couple of months (and that's saying ALOT for our family!) and toothpaste to last for a year or more. The Farmer Jack receipt isn't nearly as good - only $75 in savings and a total bill of $90, but still, all-in-all, quite a good month for the Coupon Queen.

Mr. Smarty Pants

Max and I were cuddled up on the couch this morning, reading one of his animal books. In one section of the book, there are pictures of baby animals with a momma or daddy animal. As I pointed these out, "Mamma lion - baby lion", etc., he was repeating them after me. Then he got a big grin on his face and said "Mamma lion - Mason lion...Mamma giraffe - Mason giraffe." (Mason is his BABY brother.)

Now, if I could only get him to eat...