Give Thanks

With Thanksgiving just around the corner it's hard not to feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all the blessing we enjoy. No matter how crazy or difficult your life may be right this moment....STOP....close your eyes and take a deep breath. You can't help by smile as you think of all the people, all the little things, all the ways your life is good, happy, sweet, wonderful, or meaningful. The list is long. Here are just a few things I thought I'd share.

I am thankful for the Gospel. My family. My kids, their hugs and kisses, their sweet little prayers, Ava's "giggle gut" laugh, and Luke's cute little way of seriously explaining things to me. I'm even thankful for our crazy dogs and cat.

I'm thankful to grow a garden. For the sound of Jeremy walking in the back door when he's home from work. Seeing how much my kids love their Grandparents and Great Grandparents and cousins and Aunts and Uncles...and living so close to most of them. (Thanks for all the spoiling, sleepover sleeping?, coloring, trips to the zoo, tractor riding, just spending time, rocket launching, jeep riding, fishing, book reading, trampoline jumping, swimming, swinging, loving, all of it! We love you.)

I'm thankful for two sets of parents who love us and would do anything for us. My warm cozy little home with all it's comforts and luxuries :). Pumpkin pie. Enjoying the beautiful fall leaves and the changing seasons. Baking (now that I have a new oven.:)) Living right against the beautiful mountains. Going for long drives. Hot chocolate. Salt and vinegar chips (my new favorite) and a good movie. And the list goes on and on.....

Probably boring to read mine, but try it for yourself if you haven't already. It makes you feel so good. Love you all. Have a wonderfully grateful Thanksgiving.

XOXOX's from home!

My Mom flies in tonight to be with us all for Thanksgiving! We're so excited!!! Darn it that Papa John can't leave yet because of work, but he will be here for sure for Christmas. We love and miss you Papa John!!! See you in a couple more weeks! Until then enjoy a picture and some XOXOXO's from us all.

(Love this picture: A great day, complete with Papa John, cousins, and totally cool rockets!)

Just Cute.

I am loving this sweet and simple little black dress.
Thought it would be cute on Ava.
It's times like this that I really wished I sewed.

"Shake and Bake Baby!!!"

One sweet $300 duel fuel stove + one awesome hubby, one amazing electrician friend, and one very helpful Rice King working all day on a Saturday to install it =

One very happy girl!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new stove!!! Who knew that something as simple as being able to bake Sunday morning muffins in a fourth of the time it took to cook them before in my old dying oven could make a family sooo happy! Plus it's so pretty! Did I mention how much I love my new stove!!!!

(Gotta love Luke in nothin' but his big boys, dress shirt and tie. :))

Hope you all had an "out of this galaxy" Halloween!

Love,

Darth Vader (Luke) Chewbacca (Fred) Princess Leia (Ava)

You've gotta try them!

They're oh so yummy and oh so EASY! My wonderful mother-in-law LuAnn showed us how to make these semi-homemade donuts and now there is no stopping the frying frenzy!

Step 1. Grab a can of Grands refrigerator biscuits

Step 2. Punch out a donut hole from each biscuit

Step 3. Deep fry in pan of peanut oil until golden brown (if you use peanut oil your house won't smell so greasy)

Step 4. Remove from oil and roll donut in a bowl of sugar (you can also try powdered sugar, sugar/cinnamon, or you can glaze them or frost them)

Step 5. Enjoy on a cold and crisp November evening with a cup of cider or hot chocowak (as Ava calls it) mmmmm.

The Haunts are out!

This years "wall to wall creeps" are up and just in the nick of time. Saturday is Halloween for goodness sakes! I really don't know what was wrong with me this year, but rest assured I am now fully in the Halloween spirit! I have to admit, now that the house is decorated...it's a titch bit creepy staying up late on the computer. My one and only decorating purchase this year is an old picture of a civil war soldier. You know those cool pictures that as you walk by the image slowly changes into something creepy...it's creepy...especially at night...when the house is deathly still!:)Enjoy! Happy Halloween everyone!!!

But first. A picture of the kids with Tom-Tom the cat.(I really wanted to get some of that black hairspray and turn him into a black cat for Halloween. What do you think? Bad to put on cats? He'd probably freak out anyways, but it would be pretty cool!) Don't you love how Luke is goin' skins. :) It was sorta-kinda warm today so he ran around like that for part of afternoon. Probably our last warm day, tomorrow it might SNOW?!

The entrance to our creepy cottage. Luke and Avie helped me find and drag home all these cool branches from the field behind our house.

You can never have to many webs and skulls. :)

Are you wondering what this is? It's supposed to be a crystal ball, for my sweet fortune telling table. (That's how it glows at night.)