Thanksgiving

So grateful to be reminded to give thanks!  We had a delicious Thanksgiving this year.  It was a feast of friends, family and blessings. We enjoyed pie morning at 9am with any family that chose to come.

 Thomas, Josh, Nellie, and Jared make this little table the "fun" table.

 This year we had razzleberry, apple, pumpkin, banana cream, pumpkin chiffon, blackberry cobbler, peacan, chocolate, lemon merange, cherry, sweet potato, razanna, carmel, mincemeat, pumpkin yumminess from Em pies with ice cream or whip cream.

 Then dinner at 2 with BBQ turkey, mixed potato au gratin, green salad, green beans, jello (made to remind us of Lake Powell), rolls.  It was appreciated by all.  Thanks to Brian and Emily we had lots of squash and supplies for pies and decorations.

Samuel

 Jared

 Thomas

 I could go negative about all the selfish gorging that seems to mean Thanksgiving day but I think I will look for good. At Christmas we often look for meaning in the things we choose to do so why not look for the symbols of Thanksgiving in the things we do. 

- pies - remind us of the sweetness of life, the variety of blessings and how good it is to start our day with the most delicious thoughts to sweeten our view of the coming day.

- BBQ turkey - the sacrifice of a proud bird that has been feeding the hungry since the beginning of our country.  It is marinated slowly that it might absorb the proper mix of flavors, the melding together of family visits, deposits in the relationships over a long period of time.  It is then cooked outside on an open flame filling the are with a warm inviting aroma like giving thanks fills hearts with more gratitude. The flame is like the light in each of us but this flame makes the turkey safe to eat. It purifies.  Maybe the light of God also purifies us and we become something much more useful to those around us.

- The potatoes this year were russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams cooked together in harmony with a delicious cream sauce.  In family we are similar but still each one is different with our own unique qualities that add to the whole of our family.

- green salad reminds us of the need for living foods, foods that  provide the very best of the vitamins that our bodies need.  Honoring and giving thanks for the beauty of the earth, the many living things that bring joy to our eyes and our mouths.

- green beans remind us of a simple vegetable that is often overlooked but would be missed.  This reminds us to look at the mundane around us and recognize all things have value and are to be cherished.

- gingered carrots cooked to perfection remind us of eternal circles reminding us of family circles that can last through eternity because of temple sealings. They are seasoned just lightly to honor their natural flavor.  We each bring a little season also to add the spice to our eternity.

- striped jello made with layers of gelatin to resemble and remind us of past family vacations where joy and fun were shared with the hope of more in the coming year.

- rolls, fresh and warm with butter and jam remind us of lost traditions that are best prepared with love and patience. They take time and may be one of the first things cut from the menu when making cuts but their value and the sacrifice they represent are a gift of love.  They rise with time just as family traditions become more valued with time and experience.  Even the homemade jam is an act of love in preserving for the future the goodness of the present.

So there you go. I have just justified all those pictures of food that represent to me Thanksgiving.  It really is a matter of our intention.  The food is just a vehicle that brings family together and gives something tangible to share with each other and to remember.  When we remember the pictures, the food, the goodness, we remember the feeling that was there and we crave being together again. Maybe food will be involved, most likely.  Most likely not so much but again we will have a symbol that will remind us of the time together.

We did take time to list what we are thankful for.  Milton, my dear husband, said he was thankful for Becky (that's me).  I don't know how common it might be in a marriage to not use a person's name.  I am often referred to as Mom, Granny, my wife, my sweetheart, Hon, the boss but on this Thanksgiving day I got to be me.  I loved being recognized as more than the role I carry.  I can't explain how wonderful it was to be appreciated for being me. I am very grateful for the roles I carry but sometimes I might feel lost in them or that my value is in how I perform in a role.  I am always Becky and for my Milt to be thankful for me was a sweet tender mercy and that day my love grew so much.  

BBQ turkey

Mixed potato augratin

Gingered Carrots

Rachel's Rolls

catch up with phone pics

I miss browsing through old posts and seeing our life in pictures so I am updating from my phone pictures a little of what has been happening.

 Isaac spent a bunch of time shoveling coal out to the old temple boiler room.  He and his friends shoveled out 3 rooms full as they converted to gas. It is amazing how much fun hard work and getting dirty with friends can be.

 I never know quite what will show up with Debbie on my phone. I may have to share some of the movies she makes too.

Invited ourselves over to carve pumpkins with the VanO family and had a great time.

 Got a call one day from our neighbor letting me know that her fence suddenly falling in. Turns out that Chief got his foot caught in a wire and threw his head into the fence during his fight to get loose.  He was a little scared by the experience and was up hiding by this fence as far from the white fence as possible.

 We enjoyed some bridal showers with Brian and Emily.

 Nellie's amazing talent with holding balloons

This was especially fun for me as we had the opportunity to stay in a cabin that I visited often as a child.  It brought back so many fun memories and we hiked the old trails and made new memories.

 The Porters have come to stay for a few weeks so I have 3 little grandsons brightening up each day.  For Halloween they were super heros.

 Visited a pumpkin patch, did the straw maze and came home with a bunch of pretty colored squash for the wedding luncheon decorations.

 And here is the bride to be working on a facial  pampering session.  I think it worked. Emily is a beautiful bride.

 While late night shopping with my sister we enjoyed some inspiration.  Wasn't willing to put out the money but loved the truths of this plaque.

 My front yard ornament for way too long. Milt bought this boat for the engine and then finally hauled the rest of it off to the dumb.  If we go boating next summer it will be because of this (mess) project.

 More fun with Samuel, Jared, and Thomas

 Making waffles with Grandpa is a real treat for everyone.  I think waffles are definitely his signature  talent.

 This contraption is suppose to help me get in shape but these boys with so much imagination declared it a bird that they all could ride one.

Visiting learning

I got to do some visiting today. Visiting is such a great chance to visit.  Ok, well it is a good chance to share thoughts, feelings, ideas. I get to learn from the things shared and not shared but taught me anyway. It is really a cool thing that happens and I come home still thinking about amazing women who share with me.

A couple of days ago I got to visit with a dear friend at Walmart.  Sometimes in a small town Walmart becomes the social event and where we get to meet up, bump into people, and catch up.  With the music in the back ground a quiet aisle is a great place to share laughter and even tears.  There is something to be said about putting your best foot forward and remaining cheerful, sharing the good but sometimes it means a lot when we delve a little deeper to the honest. The moments that are hard knowing that they are just moments but they help define us giving depth and dimension to a relationship.  Sharing the things of our heart, the quiet messages that come in times of need or pondering. Being vulnerable opens a place for real growth.  I learned from her the importance of bringing all my loaves and all my fishes, knowing that they are not nearly enough but then trusting God to make up the difference, to let me be an instrument in his hands.  I can't do enough but I am enough for him to use if I am simply willing to submit, to act, to try.

So today I did some more visiting.  I have dear friends whose lives are sometimes difficult.  I like to hope that a listening ear and a shared word help to carry them through.  I have noticed that sometimes we want things different but are unwilling to make the necessary changes.  We need to be willing to go out of our comfort zone in order to experience something new.  As I watched one friend struggle with what it might take to make things better I am reminded of the Israelites in the wilderness as they learned a new way and had to make adjustments.  I thought specifically of the manna. It was given daily from God but they were required to gather the manna.  It was essential to their survival but God would not do everything for them.  He made it possible for them to succeed but he didn't put it on their plates.  They had to go out and gather. They had to act in faith.  How often do I want to stay where I am comfortable? How often do I fear the unknown and possibly miss the gifts that are right there for the taking.  I am convinced that we are surrounded by good and bad, light and darkness.  We have the ability to seek and what we seek for is what we will find.  If we want good then it is right there but we have to reach out for it.  We have to act. Maybe it creates a sense of ownership, of accomplishment.  Satan is much more willing to just hand us the bad, the negative, the doubts and fears and false sense of security. It really takes actively rejecting the negative and seeking the positive. It takes effort daily to gather the manna (the bread of life) to sustain us.  It is essential to our salvation.

I just found this article and it speaks to me again.  God only asks a little but we need to choose him.
  An Hour to Watch with Him He does understand that we are week and being tested and learning and growing but he is so there to help us if we will just try and give what we have.

Lasagna for a wedding

Wedding preparations continue as we have a baking day.  We will be serving lasagna, green salad, garlic bread, and a pumpkin dessert. We have our favorite lasagna recipe recipe from scratch that freezes great.  We plan to get 15 lasagnas in the freezer

First we gathered all our helpers and their children while the bride has been gathering ingredients

 Its good to make sure the sweet kids are all fed and happy with something to do.

 Everyone jumps in and we all get to help.

We even fit in some needed hair cuts. Rachel is in beauty school and does a great job.

And we did it!  Lasagna is ready and in the freezer.  I will ask several different families to bake the lasagnas that day and deliver them to the Co-op where our wedding luncheon will be.

Ellen's Lasagna

Gingered Carrots

3-4 medium carrots
3 Tb. butter
1/4 ts. salt
1/4 ts. ground ginger

Peel carrots and cut them as desired.. in a small saucepan melt butter. Add carrots, salt and ginger. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Milt's BBQ Turkey

10 lbs boneless, skinless turkey breast (can use chicken)
1 quart soy sauce
2 quarts sprite
2 Tb prepared horse radish
1 Tb powdered garlic

Slice turkey pieces so that nothing is thicker than 1 inch. Mix together soy sauce, horseradish and garlic. Add Sprite then meat. Let turkey marinade overnight.  Cook on BBQ turning often with tongs until cooked through.

feeling overwhelmed, less than

Yes it happened again.  When I get a big calling I really try to do my best. I read the handbook. I reach out and surround myself with amazing and strong women. Then I start to doubt myself.  Am I doing enough? What am I missing?  Can I just back off for a while? Can't we simplify? do less?

I am the young women's president. I have been for 1 year now.  We just finished a successful week of girls camp and everyone seemed to feel loved and had a good time. The leadership was so good and the young women themselves were cheerful, helpful, participating and fun. We did some fun activities that really brought the girls to think about others.  My favorite was the secret sisters.  We finally decided that secret sisters could be simply drawing a different person each day and writing them a nice note.  It taught all of us to look for the good in others and it was so powerful to receive a nice note each day.

I came home grateful for the experience but I felt that I had distanced myself from the others.  Maybe I was a little "wowed" by their greatness.  I don't know but once home I jumped into family business and had to miss YW's on Sunday as well as the activity on Wednesday.  I felt even more the outsider.  I really don't want to have to micromanage everything. I have complete trust that things went just fine.  The problem was the nightmares I started to have.  I try to sleep and feel that I have forgotten events and people, especially young women and their activities and responsibilities.  Night after night I wake up in the middle of the night wanting to cry, not knowing what to do to fix things, feeling overwhelmed.  By morning I can't remember what was so important.  It seems we are fine and then nights are hard.

Well finally this Saturday I was feeling teary and desperate for help.  I finally took off to the temple to do initiatory work.  I cried in the dressing room hoping I wouldn't be heard. I cried during the ordinances. I cried when I was changing again but then it was a grateful cry.  Some beautiful things began to happen and I listened to the words and promises that were shared.  I went home determined to fast and pray for help.  That night I still had the same nightmare. I continued praying and fasting.  I shared my confusion with my presidency. They were sweet and want to lighten my load but really they already do so much.

I continued to prepare my lesson, attend ward council, gather my family for church with my husband out of town again.  Ike got called to the teachers quorum presidency. We walk into church and I say hello to the people in the foyer, one of which is a member of the stake presidency.  He pulls me into a room and asks me to speak in stake conference in 2 weeks.  I did not fall apart. I said I would speak and went to sacrament meeting. I continued to feel calm but surprised.  I definitely do not understand the Lords way of answering my prayers.  What I thought would be best was to release me from my calling or something that would lighten the load.  Instead Heavenly Father said you are doing fine and to show you I think I'll give you another assignment.  His ways are not my ways but I definitely would like my ways to become more in line with his ways.  I want to trust him more, lean on him more, do everything I can knowing that he will make up the difference.  Now I am studying the gospel and learning more areas that I can improve. I am preparing to speak for just 5-7 minutes but the blessings I receive as I prepare will be wonderful.  I am being tutored by my Savior in the way His church works and how we can all help one another.  We each have our own gifts and ability and he is willing to work with us to further His work.  I would love time to do my own things but I will trust that for now a busy calling, a busy family, a talk to prepare are important and what I need.

Sunday night = no nightmare

Grateful:
691 Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers
692 I don't always understand the how or the why but I can learn what I need to do for my next step
693 Its zucchini season and smoothie season
694 I picked fresh raspberries for breakfast
695 visiting teaching 2/3s done