an attitude of gratitude

I really love this talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin.

Take the time to read the entire thing.

It will rejuvenate you.

I am so grateful for the many blessings in my life --

especially for my family & friends.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

...

Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable...

Choice blessings await those who live in thanksgiving daily. "He who receiveth all things with thankfulness, " the Lord has promised, "shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more" (D&C 78:19).

Don't wait to start. Open your eyes, open your hears, and open your arms. I promise that as you do so, you will feel greater joy and happiness. Your life will have a new level of meaning. You will forge relationships that will transcend this life and endure through the eternities.

-- Joseph B. Wirthlin

how to cook a turkey: by the 1st grade

Some delicious recipes for your consideration:

For the hunter:

500˚

Pluck the turkey.

Take the blood out.

Salt the turkey.

Cut off the head.

Put a little bit of butter on.

And put it in the oven for one hour.

-- Adam

or

Turn the oven on.

Turn the oven to this many 100˚.

Wash the turkey for 1 minute.

Take the guts and heart out.

Then put red sauce on.

Then take the feathers off.

Leave the turkey in the oven for one hour.

-- Sy

For "hard" turkey:

1st put on the oven at 400˚.

2nd if your turkey has feathers, pluck them.

3rd wash the turkey.

4th put the turkey in the oven.

5th cook it for 10 minutes.

6th cook until it is hard enough you can cut it when it is finished.

7th take it out. It is ready.

-- Danika

For the traditionalist:

1. Turn the oven on to 7˚.

2. Get your turkey.

3. Stuff it with nuts, bread, little pieces of corn bread.

4. Put salt and pepper on the turkey.

5. Put it in the oven for 1 hour.

6. Put it on a big plate.

7. TAKE IT OUT IT IS READY!

-- Rachel

For the vegetarian:

Cut 4 tomatoes then cut up lettuce then cut up a cucumber then put a few sprouts in the salad than mix it up than put some salad dressing on it!

-- Seth

For a few extra calories:

Put the turkey in the oven at 117˚.

Cook for fifteen minutes.

Stuff the turkey with grease.

Take it out and eat.

-- Talmage

For the gourmet:

Turn the oven to 8˚.

Put chocolate chips on it.

Please pluck the feathers.

And after you pluck the feathers, wash it.

Add 3 eggs into the turkey.

And put 3 shakes of pepper.

Then add 5 shakes of cinnamon.

Cook for 10 minutes.

-- Tessa

or

Cook at 18˚ for 25 hours.

Put in a pan.

Stuff with white sauce.

Put in oven.

-- Patriot

YUMMY!

happy 23!

This post is in honor of my mom.

She let me crash her retreat yesterday afternoon --

just because it was my birthday.

Even though she was on vacation,

she took the time to bake this delicious cake,

serve everyone a gourmet lunch,

and watch me open some very lovely presents.

She even trumped out into the snow to help me load my car.

We laughed as I scraped the ice off of my windows.

She was wearing my dad's big winter coat.

She bought it for him when they were first married --

with money he had given her to spend on herself.

A simple reminder to me of her unselfish nature.

As I was driving home I thought about how I would like

to relive that moment in the snow again someday

with a 23-year-old daughter of my own.

I want to find joy in my children at every stage of life

and do everything I can to make life heaven-on-earth.

Just like my beautiful mother.

love ♥

True love lasts forever. It is eternally patient and forgiving. It believes, hopes, and endures all things. That is the love our Heavenly Father bears for us.

We all yearn to experience love like this. Even when we make mistakes, we hope others will love us in spite of our shortcomings—even if we don’t deserve it.

Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will.

We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.

-- Joseph B. Wirthlin

halloween: central utah style

Last night I took these crazy kids to

the spook alley at Snow College.

a.k.a. The Tunnels of Terror

Ask Rebecca and Mallory how much they enjoyed the experience.

I couldn't help but laugh in delight at their blood-curdling screams.

They were an absolute mess.

The girls claimed they earned a milkshake for enduring such torture.

Plus they needed something to soothe their hoarse voices.

So we went to Wheelers.

Seven shakes.

We had to wait a while.

The Blondes.

The Brunettes.

And finally: The Shakes.

I had these glow-in-the-dark bracelets leftover from work.

We wore them while we danced in the car.

It was awesome.

Of course we ended the night with a movie.

What a sweet & scary success.

frankenstein or spa divine?

Becca & I dressed up for Halloween.

It was completely unintentional.

We thought we were being girly & precious...

Until Shane told everyone to run away.

Psh. Brothers. Who needs 'em?

this is halloween

Miss A & I are sporting the strips this Halloween season.

Isn't she as cute as can bee?

All my students looked fabulous.

I tried to persuade them to let me tag along tomorrow night.

But they weren't digging the idea.

Trick-or-treat?

cough

Sorry about the blogging hiatus.

I've been feeling annoyingly sluggish lately.

(Thanks to those nasty elementary school germs.)

Any tried-and-true remedies for a deep-chested cough?

I've already tried herbal tea, Musinex,

and every Sandra Bullock movie ever made.

an old stick of juicy fruit

I'll try to refrain from posting every MacBook picture I've ever taken, but I ran across this gem today and laughed out loud. B & I are tight.

Feel the psychedelic love.

sundays

Sundays are all about:

-- Church

-- socks

-- fleece pullovers

-- yoga pants

-- naps

-- roommates

-- whipping together a fabulous lunch

-- sneaking cookies from the pantry

-- a good Church book

All made possible by an early morning block schedule.

Love it.

Poster can be found here.

{sigh}

Remember when Jim cut his tie in half for weepy-eyed Pam?

That was pretty much the most precious thing I have ever seen.

Too bad the rest of the episode was a disappointment.

Full-size photos of Dapper Jim can be found here.

10/5/09

Dear Bedtime,

You are currently overrated. I'm sure I will come to appreciate you more in the morning.

Dear Jim Halpert,

You are getting married on Thursday. I don't know how I feel about this. I ask you to reconsider your proposal to Pam (as much as I love her) and marry me instead.

Dear 40-degree Weather,

[Humph] I am not ready for your arrival. Please. Go away.

Dear Carly & Mallory,

I'm sure glad you're home. An empty house in no fun at all.

Dear General Conference,

You are always so good to me. I need to realign my priorities -- thank you for the gentle reminder.

Dear Shane,

Check you out. I saw Homecoming pictures from this past weekend. You are a serious stud.

Dear Tuesday,

Thank you for coming around again so soon. I pretty much live for our weekly email from Dakota.

Dear Bedtime,

I am ready for you now.

Goodnight.

greetings

Any e-mail that begins with the word "greetings" makes me feel

like I've landed on the mother ship.

People.

Just say hello.

Picture via Design Mom.

today...

I felt fall.

I even saw my breath on my way to work this morning.

I love when the mountains start to change colors.

Spanish Fork Canyon is on fire.

Drive up there and you will see.

Tonight the school is having its annual Fall Festival:

Young families, carnival games, popcorn, and cotton candy.

You better believe that I am excited.

It's funny how fast time flies.

Wasn't it just last autumn?

Wasn't I just at the Fall Festival manning the popcorn machine?

I swear it was yesterday.

In other news...

I made a big pot of homemade spaghetti sauce last night.

I was somewhat disappointed with how it turned out.

Nothing I conjure up compares to my mom's kitchen lovin'.

But then --

I had some for lunch this afternoon.

And it tasted exactly right.

I always wondered why Mom raved about leftovers --

Now I get it.

I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Make a big pot of something warm to eat.

'Tis the season.

Just be sure to enjoy those leftovers.

glitter

May you be truly blessed to always glitter with

a radiance that shines from deep within you.

-- Barbara Becker Holstein

Image found here.