I am SO thankful

that I did not get an email like this:


From: Marney
To: Family

As you all know a fabulous Thanksgiving Dinner does not make itself. I need to ask each of you to help by bringing something to complete the meal. I truly appreciate your offers to assist with the meal preparation.

Now, while I do have quite a sense of humor and joke around all the time, I COULD NOT BE MORE SERIOUS when I am providing you with your Thanksgiving instructions and orders. I am very particular, so please perform your task EXACTLY as I have requested and read your portion very carefully. If I ask you to bring your offering in a container that has a lid, bring your offering in a container WITH A LID, NOT ALUMINUM FOIL! If I ask you to bring a serving spoon for your dish, BRING A SERVING SPOON, NOT A SOUP SPOON! And please do not forget anything.

All food that is to be cooked should already be prepared, bring it hot and ready to serve, warm or room temp. These are your ONLY THREE options. Anything meant to be served cold should, of course, already be cold.

The Mike Byron Family
1. Turnips in a casserole with a lid and a serving spoon. Please do not fill the casserole all the way up to the top. It gets too messy. I know this may come as a bit of a surprise to you, but most of us hate turnips so don’t feel like you a have to feed an army.
2. Two half gallons of ice cream, one must be VANILLA, I don’t care what the other one is. No store brands please. I did see an ad this morning for Hagan Daz Peppermint Bark Ice Cream, yum!! (no pressure here, though).
3. Toppings for the ice cream.
4. A case of bottled water, NOT gallons, any brand is ok.

The Bob Byron Family
1. Green beans or asparagus (not both) in a casserole with a lid and a serving spoon. If you are making the green beans, please prepare FOUR pounds, if you are making asparagus please prepare FIVE pounds. It is up to you how you wish to prepare them, no soupy sauces, no cheese (you know how Mike is), a light sprinkling of toasted nuts, or pancetta, or some EVOO would be a nice way to jazz them up.
2. A case of beer of your choice (I have Coors Light and Corona) or a bottle of clos du bois chardonnay (you will have to let me know which you will bring prior to 11/22).

The Lisa Byron Chesterford Family
1. Lisa as a married woman you are now required to contribute at the adult level. You can bring hors d’ouvres. A few helpful hints/suggestions: Keep it very light, and non-filling, NO COCKTAIL SAUCE, no beans of any kind. I think your best bet would be a platter of fresh veggies and dip. Not a huge platter, mind you (i.e., not the plastic platter from the supermarket).

The Michelle Bobble Family
1. Stuffing in a casserole with a serving spoon. Please make the stuffing sans meat.
2. 2.5-3 qts. of mashed squash in a casserole with a lid and serving spoon
3. Proscuitto pin wheel – please stick to the recipe, no need to bring a plate.
4. A pie knife

The June Davis Family
1. 15 LBS of mashed potatoes in a casserole with a serving spoon. Please do not use the over-size blue serving dish you used last year. Because you are making such a large batch you can do one of two things: put half the mash in a regulation size casserole with lid and put the other half in a plastic container and we can just replenish with that or use two regulation size casserole dishes with lids. Only one serving spoon is needed.
2. A bottle of clos du bois chardonnay

The Amy Misto Family (why do I even bother she will never read this)
1. A pumpkin pie in a pie dish (please use my silver palate recipe) no knife needed.
2. An apple pie in a pie dish, you can use your own recipe, no knife needed.

Looking forward to the 28th!!
Marney

The Holidays!

I have always believed that Thanksgiving is the big kickoff for the Christmas season. We get to ponder on what we are thankful for and then go into the Season of Giving to show Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and our family and friends how truly grateful we are for them.

BUT, I try not to listen to Christmas songs before Thanksgiving. Which is hard because two of our radio stations start to play them the day of Halloween!

This year is different. One thing I am thankful for is music. It soothes the troubled soul and can change a mood in just a second.

I am starting this year's Holiday Season by sharing this music clip with you. It was in a ginormous Macy's in Philadelphia. Choir members from many different choirs were scattered throughout the store "shopping". And then someone started to play the organ...

Now that the weather is getting colder...

I thought I would share some summertime camping pix that I am actually just getting around to downloading...umm, so anyway...

My sisters are NUTS-cuckoo-loo loo-crazy-mad-WILD! And every year I seem to get caught up in their outrageous scheme. (Ok, I admit, I am just as nuts as they are!)




They go camping with ALL their children (13 this summer, plus my 3...!) The husbands appear to have some sense and they stay home to "work". hmmm




We load up our vehicles with a week's worth of food, clothes, toys, bedding and camping supplies that makes our neighbors stare and our husbands actually giggle as they wave us off for a week of relaxation "work".

We set up at least 6 tents, two canopies, and always try to get the same very shady campsite right across the trail from the river.

We have been lucky two years in a row and have the best camp spot ever. There is enough room for the little boys to have a "Bat Cave" (ask us about that when you see us); a play tent for the babies; tables for games, food and supplies; tarps for skits; a clothesline for all the swim suits and towels; trees to lean all the scooters, bikes and floaty tubes up against; and 20-something camp chairs that are constantly being moved from here to there.

The food is pretty much free-for-all. You have to get your share early in the game or you might have to share with the little children who apparently like to swish their hands in the dirt...

As crazy as all this sounds, we sisters actually have a great time. The kids run wild for a week, we eat whatever we want, read, play games, cool off with the "Mommy River Run", and VISIT!

This year Melody brought her cute dog, Gracie. Gracie loved floating down the river and she did it so many times it WORE HER OUT!


Sometimes the husbands come up to make sure their children are still alive. Sometimes they come up to play with fire. Sometimes they come up to get/bring food. Sometimes they come up just to get a hug.


This year Meg took the kids on a snipe hunt. I have to say, I was just as disappointed as the kids were when they made it back to camp WITHOUT a snipe.

Mom did not come up this year and we missed her. She was very brave, though, and offered to help watch William. Who was 2. Who loves to run. Who runs fast. Who won't stop. She was alive at the end of the week but I think we need to replenish her duct tape supply...

It was fun to be with everyone and we always hope more people will join us but I think our fanatical ways scare them off. "The more the merrier" I always say!

People?

Seriously?

This one is for Arden...

Arden and I used to stay up late on Sunday night to listen to Dr. Dimento on the radio. We died laughing when we heard this song by Weird Al Yankovic. I never knew Weird Al's percussion section was so awesome!



I always sing this version when Queen's song is played. It reminds me of riding the school bus for the 30 minute ride one-way to school from West Jordan up to the east side of town.

"When you learn somethin', you learn it!"

This reminded me of Melody, (not because she doesn't know the Preamble, but because she DOES remember it! How many years ago did you learn it?)

Gabe-The Viking!

Gabe wants to be a Viking for Halloween...all 45 lbs. of him-(if that)! So Crystl made him a Viking hat and beard. I love the braided mustache! And doesn't Gabe look like he is ready to plunder and pillage!



AWSHUM!

Hunter, the James

Next Sunday my son will be turning 13! I can hardly stand it. But, what can a mother do? Teach, pray, encourage, pray. Repeat.

Question of the Week

Hunter: What language do deaf babies think in?

We were no longer "Good Society"

Jeff

So, there he was. Minding his own business. Enjoying a nice leather recliner. No work, no phone, no yard work, no honey-do lists. Easing back just a bit further to maybe take a pre-breakfast nap. And BAMMM! He reclined all the way to the floor. We were laughing so hard and trying to get our cameras out before he could jump up! Thanks for the laughs, Jeff. (He tries hard to be a good sport for our enjoyment!)

Bear Lake July 2010

We had a great time at Bear Lake with the Moores. We stayed in a big cabin and took turns making dinner or breakfast for everyone.


We played with the cousins:


Learned that Grandma can still do the splits! AWESOME!


Hunter learned how to shift gears...


Maddie kept hoping she could get phone service...and was ecstatic when she did get phone service...you should have seen her fingers fly!...


Grandpa had dreams of catching the Bear Lake fish that were THIS BIG!...


The sand at the beach was very soft. The water was very cold. The kids were having a blast...


Meg fell in love with the "Harry Potter" books and just had to finish #3...


The Moores are an exceptional family. We all get along very well and truly enjoy being together. I am not the best picture taker and wish I had pictures of Jen doing pedicures for HOURS; our dinners together (the food was always yummy and plentiful); Steve taking all the kids out on the four wheelers; the aunts chasing after Mase; Brandon chasing after Mase; Jeff and Grandpa enjoying their naps; Jeff G trying to recuperate after surgery on Saturday; Minetonka Cave and the wedding room; Jeff M enjoying the recliner (THAT picture WILL be posted as soon as I get a copy from Leslie)and Grandma being the best grandma to her kids and grandkids!


Thank you, everyone!

♥Linx♥

I keep saying that we need to do another "My kids say the funniest things" book but we just haven't done it yet. How about we post them so we don't forget and maybe one day we can print them all up...?

Lincoln just turned 6. He is a funny little guy. I have always called him "Little Lincoln". "Hey, Little Lincoln! Did you do something fun today?", etc. He was in kindergarten last year and and one day I said my usual greeting to him.
Linx: "I am not little anymore!"
Me: "Oh. You are right. What are you?"
Linx: "Um, I am smart!"
Me: "Okay. I will call you 'Smart Lincoln'".

I called him that every time I saw him after that and he seemed so pleased! A couple of months ago I stopped at the house to see Lori and was getting ready to leave. Lori called down the stairs to tell Hunter I was leaving. I hadn't seen Linx that time but Lori heard him yell "Tell Steph not to leave yet. I am coming to hear her say "Smart Lincoln!"

♥ I love that kid ♥

Comedy Central

We just got back from Bear Lake (and it was beautiful!) and I will post pix from that in a bit. First things first, though. I need a laugh right about now and Improv Everywhere always comes through. Check them out:

"I know that my Savior loves me"

“I Know That My Savior Loves Me,” Friend, Oct 2002, 46–47

1. A long time ago in a beautiful place,
Children were gathered ’round Jesus.
He blessed and taught as they felt of His love.
Each saw the tears on His face.
The love that He felt for His little ones
I know He feels for me.
I did not touch Him or sit on His knee,
Yet, Jesus is real to me.

Chorus
I know He lives!
I will follow faithfully.
My heart I give to Him.
I know that my Savior loves me.

2. Now I am here in a beautiful place,
Learning the teachings of Jesus.
Parents and teachers will help guide the way,
Lighting my path ev’ry day.
Wrapped in the arms of my Savior’s love,
I feel His gentle touch.
Living each day, I will follow His way,
Home to my Father above.

Chorus

Copyright © 2002 by Tami Jeppson Creamer and Derena Bell. All rights reserved. This song may be copied for incidental, noncommercial home or church use. This notice must be included on each copy made.

May came and went...

I can't believe it is June and a half already!

Meg got a new job at the bakery. She is finally one of the cake decorators. YAHOO! She has really enjoyed the change. Her fingers are constantly pink, which match most of her outfits, so she is still a fashionista!

We love Cakewrecks.com and we have anticipated seeing one of Meg's creations on there. This one could be a contender...She made Jeff a cake for his birthday. He wanted a Lord of the Rings cake. He was hoping for the Two Towers with Gollum on the side...





Good job, Meg! Dad was so proud!

Maddie graduated and is now enrolled in college. I can't believe we have two college students already! I remember morning sickness like it happened just yesterday.

Madds also got a new job. She is a nanny for triplet 7 year old boys!!! They live two doors down so she is still home and can use us for help if she needs it. After her first day she said she was going to wait a LONG time to have kids!



Hunter is all through with grade school. He had an amazing teacher, Mrs. L, who encouraged Hunter to practice his artistic talents. She struggled this year with cancer and was gone a lot for chemo. Hunter stayed on task and was a leader to the other kids. He is excited to go to Jr High.

Jeff wanted Hunter to go to school with him but Hunter politely declined. (I think Jeff would put a crimp in Hunter's style, but don't tell Jeff---he wears socks with his sandals and that just won't do for Hunter). Hunter is working on his Eagle project this summer and hopes to receive his Eagle award in December.



Jeff completed his first year as a Jr High teacher! He enjoyed it and the kids loved him. He has been home now for three whole weeks and has gotten lots of things done around the house. Thanks, Dude.

I am doing the usual and something new. Jeff's mom came over last night for Jeff's birthday and brought ME a present! I have always admired the new watches everyone is wearing but I am not a jewelry maker. Karen brought me a kit to make a watch band of my own...



Thanks, Karen. (I have THE BEST mother in law!)

Happy June, ya'll.
(the sun is shining today-bonus!)

Some days don't you just feel like this little guy? But then it's so nice to find you have a friend!

May Day! May Day!

I can't believe it is May already! I loved April and Conference and Easter and no plays and NO CAR PROBLEMS (wow!) and green grass and sunshine and fresh air and...

So, anyway, I am looking forward to spring. Anyone seen it yet?

Maddie opens her last High School show on Tuesday. She is the Stepmother in "Cinderella". I am frantically trying to make her a dress that they told me about last week.

Meg got her Associates Degree from Weber last week. Good job, Meg! President Monson was also there! He got an Honorary Degree from Weber State and then he was the keynote speaker. It was kinda like Conference only we got to applaud when he finished speaking.

Hunter is looking forward to 5 field trips this last month of Elementary School! He has been very busy helping his friends finish their Eagle projects and he is planning on finishing his by Christmas. I am so glad he likes Scouts. He has learned a lot of great things and he is a wonderful son!

Jeff was nominated "Teacher of the Year" for his school. He was quite embarrassed about that since it is his first year teaching...we all now he is a great teacher and his class room is always full of kids before and after school. Those kids need him and I am sure they appreciate his sense of humor and compassion, especially those kids who need a positive male role model.

I have been busy with work and Primary. I was able to help a lady in our ward who needed a LOT of help in her home. I worked with 8 other ladies in our ward who I have known for at least 5 years. These women are hard workers and I am thankful that I can learn from them. I have a wonderful ward and great neighbors.

I also had good visits with my sisters. (I love you so much.) I can't imagine my life without you.

To wrap up April:

Happy Easter week!

(...and do you know how excited I am to listen to Conference next weekend!)



(I know I have put these guys up before, but they are still my favorites. They make me giggle every time I see them!)

Did you know?

Last night Hunter and I were watching a show about World War II. Veterans of the War were interviewed and they shared some amazing stories I had never heard before. Did you know that the USA had a ghost army? Check out this website for more information and pictures. www.ghostarmy.org





"Soldiers" used inflatable jeeps and tanks to make the Germans think there were more troops, etc than we actually had! Seen from the air were also the "tracks" made by all the trucks a other vehicles. They also changed insignia on jackets, etc to "be" a completely different troop! There was a photo of a "soldier" holding a "Jeep" over his head. I can't find it yet but will keep looking.

Women pilots became training mission pilots. They would fly their planes over the training soldiers and buzz them or drop poisons or bombs. The women were not considered members of the military and their families could not display the star banner in their windows for these women. If a woman died at work, the government did not pay to have her body sent home. That was the responsibility of the family. These women were not considered veterans of war until the 1970's (I think)

One man interviewed was an American of Japanese descent. Before he went to war his mother said to him, "Die if you must, but do not bring dishonor to your country or your family"!

These men and women who sacrificed their youth, time, safety and lives for ours are our true heroes. I am so thankful for them and their examples to us of true patriotism. I hope my family knows how much I love the United States of America and what it was founded on...FAITH in GOD and LOVE of LIBERTY.

God bless our Troops and God bless America!