Thanksgiving Weekend

I truly cannot believe that my Thanksgiving Weekend in C.D. is nearly over. It has been a great weekend and the thoughts of returning to SLC and dealing with work and YW and getting ready for Christmas just does not sound exciting right now. It is early in the morning and I am awake and Maren is sleeping beside me. I had my best night ever with her. The only sound she made in the night was when I moved her away from me and she said "Cuddle". Other than that she has not made a peep. What is the big deal Josh and Stacy? Actually the thing about Maren's sleeping habits, is you never know what you are going to get. You have to be prepared for the worst night and then she'll pleasantly suprise you and sleep like an angel. Well enough about that. It has been a great time with everyone. The only thing I would have changed was to have had everyone here. But for those of you who were not here are some of the details.

We had a delicious turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. You may recognize all of the faces but one. Noah brought along Becky his girlfriend. She is very fun and sweet and fits right in. She seems to love our babies as much as we do.

Alan and Jim on turkey duty

Leah and Essie are ready to eatThe yams. Can't fortget the yams. Jenny always makes yams it seems like the in-laws are the only ones excited about them and that is why she makes them.

The kids table. Take a look at Jonas' face. Poor little boy. All these girls.

Good company and really good food.

Banner gearing up for something. I know not what. Miranda has taken up a new hobby. Whitney will never believe it so I had to document it so that she would. Before long she will have her own stash.

Leah and Esme found a new thing to play in.

Just being their usual cute selves.

A little post-dinner wind down entertainment.

Leah started covering her ears alot this weekend. We must be a loud bunch. Yesterday she was screaming herself and covering her ears. What is up with that Leah?

Essie is taking some hints from some of Leah's funny faces .

The wanna-be Man from Snowy River showed up this weekend in his so called Tony Llama boots. I wonder if this is why Lizzy abandoned him in the driveway at Jenny's house.

I can finally post what I have been working on. I gave Miranda this quilt for her shower gift. I really like the colors and the quilting on the machine was pretty fun too. I am excited to do something else.

Miranda's shower was well attended and we played some fun games. She got some really nice gifts and I am sure she is excited to get them loaded down to her new place and start using some of them. She got a lot of nice handmade gifts and some really handy things for the kitchen. Not to mention she has a real good start on her Christmas Decor.

We had a great Cranberry Punch made by Becky . Don't you like our ice idea. I thought it was cute.

There was quite the spread, as usual. I think that everyone enjoyed our tasty treats. Lizzy made incredible rolls for the chicken salad and she has promised to blog the recipe.

We played some fun games and even did a Miranda and Brooks mad lib. I will try and get that up in the near future.

Some of my favorite highlights of the weekend. The mafia games. They were some of the best that I have ever played. Thanksgiving Dinner. Prime Rib night. Being with the family 24/7. When Maren told me that she could not scoot over in bed because she had lost her "Super Powers". Giving Miranda her quilt and seeing her open her other gifts. And of course, not having to go to work.

Tenny's Eight List

Eight comments made by Tennyson during the BYU U of U game

"Mom you told me that the game would be on Dish Network!"

"This is the worst day of my life!"

"I hope Dish Network goes bankrupt!"

"The score is tied!"

"This Utes radio announcer is driving me crazy!"

"Max Hall is an idiot!"

"Banner, bring me some hot chocolate. The white kind"

"I feel like that French swimmer."

Lists of Eights

Les had this on her blog and so I decided to participate. My answers are in no particular order.

8 favorite tv shows

Life

The Office

Chuck

Masterpiece Theater

Law and Order SVU

Worst Day

Flintstones

Homicide

8 Favorite Places to Eat

Cafe Rio

Mi Ranchito (state street)

Little World (take out only)

Chuck-A-Mama

Blimpies

Apollo Burger

Joe Morley's BBQ

Macaroni Grill

8 Things That I Did Today
Went to the Temple
Threatened an 85 year old Man (don't ask)

Had a bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jam(yum)

Watched last 5 min of The Office

Took the garbage cans to the curb
Made a bunch of doctors laugh
Participated in the Temple Session in Sign Language

Started the Book of Alma

8 Things that I am looking forward to

Miranda's Wedding

Finding out the sex of Morgan's fetus

Seeing Kelsie's High School Musical

Thanksgiving in Castle Dale

Christmas in Midvale

Speaking to Whitney on Christmas

Having Young Women in Excellence over with
Time off of work

8 Things on My Wish List

Twu Wove (true love)

To Be a Mother

A Healthier, Thinner Me

European Vacation
No Acid Reflux
Regency Buck made into a movie

To not have to work full-time
401k and Mutual Funds to Recover

Birthday Events

Despite the whiny tone in the previous post, I really did have a great birthday. In part to this lovely card from Hannah. She painstakingly numbered each petal in the flower and told me if I kept the card she would make the 41st petal on it next year. I wanted to share her good penmanship and creativity with you all.

I came home from work on my birthday to this great suprise. For months I have been planning on painting and redoing the upstairs bathroom. The procrastination must have got to someone. So on Thursday, Stacy, Josh and Morgan picked out paint and painted and redecorated the bathroom. I love the color scheme that they chose. It looks very classy now. I plan on putting up a valance and a new light fixture. I have booked my electrician (Leslie) for that project. She is really quite good and changing out light fixtures.

Thank you to all that participated in the bathroom project. It is much appreciated and what a clever idea for a birthday gift. By the way I think the project was done in a matter of 2 hours. They are pretty good are they not?

So after the bathroom was completed we had a small birthday get together and had a little fettucine alfredo. We had the yummy dinner on Stacy's new plates that she got for her birthday.

On Friday night we went out for a little Wingers. Little did we know that they were having and all-you-can-eat wing fest. All of Andrew's dreams had suddenly come true. Andrew planned on eating 30 wings by himself. I don't think he succeeded in his goal. We think they made the wings especially spicy so that you really could not eat as much as you would like to. That is our theory anyway. My mouth was a burnin.

Essie was having a little something. Most likely a fry.

Andrew enjoying his wings feast. We were all cramped around a round booth so that we would not have to be separated into 2 booths. It was very cozy, but very fun.

Leah got a hold of several knives at once. She looked a little like Edward Scissorhands flinging them all around.

Birthday Musings and Other Gibber Gabber

This morning I woke up to a suprise snowstorm. For those few seconds I was overjoyed thinking how exciting the first storm of the season is and then I thought this is a little early for such a storm. It snowed all day. I wanted to go to the temple after work because I thought that would be a good way to celebrate Mom's birthday but then I talked myself out of it because of the weather. I remember when I was younger sometimes I was bothered about sharing my special day with Mom, not that we shared the day but you know what I mean. Now I would give anything to share her special day or my special day (not so special anymore) with her. I think about how she would be 79 years old today. I see 79 year old women on a daily basis and I wonder what she would be like if she were still alive. Fall always reminded me of Mom. She told me that it was her favorite time of year and Fall colors were always her favorite. I am trying not to think too much about turning 40 years old tomorrow. Jonas said to me tonight " Sara, so you are turning 60 years old?" Stacy and I laughed. Forty or sixty, it is all the same to him. 40, it is just a number right. It does'n't mean anything. I don't feel 40. People don't think I look 40, or maybe they are just being nice. I still think of myself as being in my late 20's. What does that say about me? I think I just thought I would be in a different place at the age of 40. So somehow I am thinking that 40 is more difficult for me than others who have husbands and children. I think it is the whole biological clock thing. Okay enough about me and my issues.
Happy Birthday to Stacy. I started sharing my birthday with Stacy since Mom died. It is good to share. I have learned many things from sharing. That was one of my first bonding experiences with Stacy when we found out that we shared the same birthday. I think we have celebrated together ever since. I have had some thoughts about the election as well. I am happy and proud to live in a country that after an election the loser of that election does not form their own army and then take over the country. There are many areas of the world where this could easily take place. America has spoken. And I guess I better be ready for what ever happens. It could be a wild ride. I choose to focus on faith. We shall see.

Sushi Sick and Halloween Happenings

So on Wednesday night I remembered I had this gift certificate to a sushi place and decided to finally use it after having it for about a year and a half. I ordered 4 different kinds cause variety is always essential in sushi eating. Of course it was just myself partaking of the sushi. As always I hate to waste things and so I ate all of the sushi because sushi does not keep well. I woke up in the night just sick and feeling up chucky, as Mom would say. I threw up and felt better but then the next morning I tried to eat and was still sick. So I had to put myself on a clear liquid diet for 2 days. This was a bummer knowing that Halloween was one of those 2 days. I ate broth and jello and kept my electrolytes up with Gatorade and of course lots of water. I was feeling much better by Friday night and was able to enjoy all the fun Halloween activities as usual. We had a family get together by family get together I mean that Kimi and Kyli and Erica were also there too. We had great food. Very fun and balmy Trick or Treating and games and movie. Lets just say Sardines was a big hit. And of course what Halloween party would be complete without Body! Body!

The Weasley twins came to vist. Erica, Kelsie's friend, is on the right
Hannah made a very good Ginny Weasley. Doesn't she look good as a redhead.

The Weasley Crew

Our little Lioness

Getting ready to head out for the big TREATS

Little Bunny Foo Foo with her bag for goodies

The lion is tuckered out from the long journey around the neighborhood

Contemplative

Looking more like a lamb instead of a lion

Getting into the zone before she hits the streets

Little Sweetie Pie

They were so cute. I wish everyone could have seen them in person.

Little Alice in Wonderland. Talk about a professional Trick or Treater. She was determined to get her candy. She did it by me strolling her from house to house. When we got to the steps she would get out and go up to the house with the rest of the kids and in her loudest voice yell " Trick or Treat". I started reminding her to be careful as she was climbing stairs and going up curbs etc. I did not want a sad Alice with a scraped knee. She started yelling back at me, "Sara, watch I am being careful". It was very cute.

Gabe was the best Spidey ever. Jonas was a very handsome cowboy. He was madly trying to find his gun the Uncle Dennis had given him awhile back. It was not to be. But Hannah did find him nice squirt gun that he carried around for the night. It was a very fun evening and I am so glad that I was feeling better and did not miss out on a thing.