Happy Thanksgiving!!

We started a new tradition this year; one of the bowls set on the table was our Lawlor gratitude bowl. The kids spent the day writing down things they were thankful for on little notecards and dropping them in the bowl.

They wrote really cute things, like math and rainbows. They also wrote the really important things, like family, scriptures, and our Savior.

This was my first Thanksgiving dinner that I planned, prepared and served to my family. It was a challenge, but it turned out so great! I had a lot of helpers in the kitchen, too.

Look at how great this bird turned out! Even the white meat on top was juicy!!

Allow me to introduce our master carver, Austin!!! Whoo hoo!!

I made the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, fresh texas white rolls, jello, fruit salad, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, olives... well those last few things I bought and used a can opener before serving, but it all came together very well!

We get to do it all again tomorrow with Austin's family. That's what I'm most thankful for this year, is my family. I wouldn't be where I am today without them. Thanks guys, I love you!

Today I'm thankful for...

.... google. And the internet in general. Tomorrow I'm preparing my first Thanksgiving meal, from scratch, by myself for just my family. We're having an extended family thanksgiving dinner on Friday, but since we all have Thursday off work and school I thought I'd do one just for us. Without google, I wouldn't know how to prepare and cook a turkey. I found a great recipe for sweet potatoes, and I think I have the day timed so that everything comes out warm at the same time. I found great websites with recipes, tips, planning guides, and everything a beginner could possibly need to make thanksgiving great. Without google, I would have kept my mom on speaker phone for two days.

Today I'm thankful for...

... my kids. They are such a blessing to me. I know they are children of God and he has entrusted them to me in mortality. They are spiritual beings with a divine purpose. They also crack me up on a daily basis. I asked Grace this morning if her pullup was dry from overnight, and she said it's melting and melting. I take that as a 'no.' Ben spent the morning making up his own math problems, and the answer to all of them was 65. Ember is just my little diva/drama queen who likes to control every situation, like whether or not she was going to allow Ben to eat his breakfast with the light on this morning. She was trying to save energy. I love my kids so much, and I don't have the time or space to describe how much.

Today I'm thankful for...

.... clouds. It's a cloudy day here in Arizona, and it's supposed to rain by Thanksgiving. Rain is one of my favorite things. I realize a cloudy day can be seen as depressing by some people, but those people don't live in a state with sunshine 300+ days a year. It's a great day to snuggle up with a book and a blanket, to stay inside and get cozy. It softens all the hard edges of the world, it changes the colors on trees and flowers, and it lessens my chance of getting a sunburn just walking across a parking lot. I really love clouds, especially the kind that bring rain. An overcast day cheers me up; I know, I'm a study in opposites.

Birthday gift

These are the beautiful flowers my husband gave me this morning for my birthday. They smell incredible, too! Thanks Austin!

Birthday Video--Thoughts from the kids

Happy birthday, Jill.
Here is your present for this year.....

Today I'm thankful for...

... crayons. Yes, crayons. It may sound weird, but for all you moms out there that have ever received homemade birthday cards made out of construction paper and crayons then you know what I'm talking about. My kids made me some beautiful birthday cards, but they make me beautiful things every day. And one of my favorite things to do is open a brand new box of crayons where they're all still sharp and none are broken and then color for hours with my three year old. When Austin was on his mission and I was writing him weekly letters, I used to color him pictures with crayons and throw them in with the letter. They make me feel young, creative, hopeful, cheerful, and all kinds of other things I can't find the right words for right now. Yay crayons!

Today I'm thankful for...

.... naps. I think the reasons why are clear to everyone, grownups and kids alike. Sleeping in the middle of the day like you're getting away with something; awesome.

Twilight!!

I went to the midnight show for Twilight last night with a couple of friends, and I have a few observations. About myself, and about the movie. First; I'm so glad I'm not a teenager anymore. Enjoying these books and going to the midnight show did make me feel young again, but I'm glad I'll never have to repeat that part of my life. And there were way too many girls at that theater that were out past their bedtime! Of course, I completely understand their enthusiasm.

Second; the movie was fantastic, but the book was better. At first I thought that Robert Pattison was a horrible choice for Edward, but he had really grown on me by the end of the movie. Of course the Edward that we all created in our imaginations just can't be duplicated in real life. It's those unrealistic expectations! :) And Jasper was kinda creepy, he constantly looked like he was going to throw up or scream. Alice was perfect, Rosalie wasn't beautiful enough, Emmet was just like I imagined him, and Bella & Charlie were cast well too. It's just hard to bring such distinctive, descriptive characters to real life. And did everyone notice Stephenie Meyer eating at the diner? Yay!

The meadow scene was a HUGE disappointment, that is my only major complaint. It's one of the greatest, most romantic scenes in the book and it was turned into something moody, angry, and tense. Where was the romance? And the "sparkle" just didn't cut it. Other than that, I thoroughly enojoyed the movie and will probably go see it again. After I get a little sleep.

Today I'm thankful for Twilight. ;)

Oh... one more thing... I was on channel 10 news last night. We were standing next to some "super fans" in line, and they got on camera. I was the one in the t-shirt that says "What do you mean Edward isn't real?"

Today I'm thankful for...

... technology. Computers, cell phones, digital cameras, online banking, debit cards, all things electronic and gadgety. (I've heard my husband use that word, I know it's valid). Where would we be without our ability to communicate in a flash? I could never have been a pioneer, I like the convenience and comfort of the 21st century.

THIS is our son.

Watch this clip... if you know my family, tell me that chicken doesn't remind you of a certain six year old.... "What are we talkin' about?"

Chicken Little

I'm just sayin'....

This is one of our family mantra's. It is said 5 or 6 times at dinner time alone. The kids say it, the adults say it, the baby says it... if our dogs could speak, here's what they'd say. "I had to poop and you weren't there to take me outside. I'm just sayin'..." Here's a cool definition I found online:

"It's an effort to deflect anger and distrust generated by something you said in good faith and with good intentions. "I'm not accusing, I'm not criticizing... I'm just sayin'."

Anyone else hear this phrase a lot in their homes? I'm just sayin'...

Today I'm thankful for...

... blogspot! I'm able to keep a journal, keep up with family history, stay in touch with friends, family & neighbors that I hardly talk to otherwise, recover family pictures that were lost on my stinking laptop, and it's totally free and easy to do! I'm addicted to blogging.

Gratitude

I haven't been in a very grateful mood this past week, and it's been difficult for me to come up with things I'm thankful for. That's when it occured to me that I need to be thankful for my husband, because he's been putting up with my pity party for 11 1/2 years now. He makes sure the kids eat, he bathes them and puts them to bed on my bad nights, he helps with laundry and dishes, he tries to give me extra time to sleep whenever he can manage it, and he prays for me. That's obviously the short list; last year for his birthday I made a DVD called '101 Things I Love About You' and it ended up having MORE than 101 things. I am a very lucky woman, and I'm very thankful for my husband.

Today I'm thankful for...

... puppies. It took me all day to think of something, because it's been one of those days, but who isn't thankful for puppies? They're awesome in general, but I'm thinking of mine specifically. Lady, who is a 3 year old chihuahua, and Elphie, who is a 6 month old Boston Terrier. They love me unconditionally, they are always happy to see me, they never talk back or complain about what's for dinner, they never criticize me for my mistakes and always forgive me when I make them, and they are just so darn cute!

Today I'm thankful for...

... Swiffer. How did I ever clean my house before the invention of swiffer? It cleans my wood floors, the swiffer dusters pick up everything without spreading it back around, & the swiffer wet jet does a great job on dog poo ;) Now they have febreeze scented ones, thicker fluffier ones, citrus scented ones... swiffer is the best thing to happen to housecleaning since since the mop & broom.

Today I'm thankful for...

... digital cameras. I will never buy film again. I love taking 100 pictures and deleting the ones that didn't turn out, saving only the ones that are contest worthy. It makes digital scrapbooking a breeze. It makes keeping up on my family history an attainable goal. It makes an amateur photographer look talented. It makes blogging more fun! I love my digital camera!

Today I'm thankful for...

... my co-workers who have become my friends. I was having an extremely crappy day yesterday, and Emily and Toni cheered me up. I left work with a stomach ache, but it wasn't from the usual reasons, it was from laughing so much! The three of us are going to see the midnight show of Twilight next week... yay vampires! And yay friends!

Today I'm thankful for...

... the snooze button. Oh yeah, all you grown-ups out there know what I'm talking about. My kids hear their alarms going off and they pop out of their beds like bread from a toaster. Ding! Not me. I have to slowly easy into my day, which would not be possible without hitting snooze a couple times. So here's a great big kudos to the guy or gal that invented that ingenious little button.

Today I'm thankful for...

... markers. Without them, my kids would have no way to decorate their tummies or toes. *sigh* She didn't even use the washable kind. Grace looks like she's wearing those socks with individual toes. I have to be thankful for them so I don't go crazy.

Today I'm thankful for...

... my laptop. Without it I would be unable to watch movies at work and be bored out of my mind. Without it I wouldn't be able to blog so often! Without it I wouldn't have begun digital scrapbooking, which is the greatest thing since double sided sticky tape. I got this laptop for Mother's Day last year, and I am still so thankful for it!!! I'll never go back to desktops again!

How does your garden grow?

I am not a gardener. I do not grow things, in fact I usually kill things. Thankfully I have a friend who loves gardening but doesn't have a yard of her own. In a collaborative effort, we are using my land and her skills to try and grow something edible. We turned it into a family home evening lesson on self-sufficiency and hard work. The kids did great planting and watering after the grownups did all the hard work digging! We planted broccoli, spinach, romaine, other lettuce greens, beets and carrots. I'm excited to see if this works!

This is very addicting...

109 words

Typing Test

Gratitude

Today I'm thankful for laughter. Not just polite giggles, but loud and obnoxious guffaws that come from your toes and have you rolling on the floor! Sometimes my medication doesn't work, but when I roll on the floor laughing with my daughter then all is well in my world.

What a man...

Right now my wonderful husband is singing our son to sleep. He's singing 'Jesus Once Was a Little Child.' I have never loved him more.

Gratitude

I know I've been keeping to the little things, but today I was in the mood to be thankful for something big. Today I'm grateful for my mom.

That's me in there! She looks happy now, but wait until she gets to know me. :)

Yep, still happy.

I am thankful for my mom for a lot of reasons. She gave me life, and a pretty happy one at that. She raised me to adulthood, and now she's raising me to celestialhood. (is that even a word?) My point is, I may be a grown up but I still need my mom. She gives me advice, she worries about me, she strengthens me, she forgives me, she helps me raise my children, she's an example to me of patience, she tries to fix me (all my health problems can be cured with Vitamin B6!! Who knew?), and she loves me unconditionally. She's the kind of woman I want to be when I grow up. I love you mom.

Today I'm thankful for...

....comfort food. Whenever I'm depressed or sick, my favorite comfort foods make me feel so much better. It doesn't solve my problems or heal my relationships or fix my complexion, but it does give me 10 to 15 minutes of peace while I enjoy each bite.









Two of my favorites; Rice-a-Roni, and Olive Garden's Garlic & Herb Chicken Con Broccoli.

One more...

I know I did my gratitude post for the day, but I wanted to add a thank you note to an anonymous friend.

I've been having a really hard time lately with my health and my depression. This gift basket was left in front of my house on Thursday morning. The card was thoughtful, and signed by 'a friend.' I have no idea who this is from, but I wanted to offer a heartfelt thank you if you happen to read my blog. It made my day and I'm very grateful.

I'm grateful for friends whom I know, love and appreciate. I'm also grateful for friends who wish to remain anonymous and are willing to reach out with compassion in my time of need.

Gratitude

Today I am thankful for mascara. Without it I would look like a zombie from 'Night of the Living Dead." I have very pale skin, my eyebrows and eyelashes are so light it looks like I don't have any, and there aren't any defining features on my face. I can't imagine living in pioneer days when they relied on natural beauty, because I am NOT a natural beauty. I need to add a little color and definition in order for my face to stand out from the crowd. Not even the crowd, to stand out from the wall! So thank goodness for mascara.

Give Thanks

In an effort to reclaim my blog from cynicism and politics, I am going to focus the entire month of November on gratitude. I'll try and post something every day that I'm thankful for. Today's blessing in disguise... Clorox disinfecting wipes. How did moms ever survive before these things? I can clean and disinfect everything! They're convenient, smell good, fast, and I don't have to put them in the laundry! It's all about the little things, people.

Let me clarify...

I don't think Barack Obama is the devil. I don't think he's the beast that was prophesied about in Deuteronomy that will be allowed to reign for four years and ruin the country from within. The end of the world will come when it comes, and I just want to live my life in the meantime.

The problem is, he's going to ruin MY meantime! I disagree with him on every major issue. I think abortion is wrong, I think national defense is vital, I think illegal immigration needs to be stopped, I think nationalized health care is a bad idea that won't work, I don't believe in handouts and freebies for people who won't work for anything themselves, I don't want to pay higher taxes and have a bigger government, I think spreading the wealth is socialism, I think socializing with terrorists is wrong even if it was a long time ago and he's not the worst one out there, I think listening to hate speech for 20 years is the same thing as condoning it, I think the office of the presidency shouldn't be a journey of self discovery and we needed someone with more experience. He's a smooth talking puppet for the democratic party and I'm dreading the next four years.

Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For anyone who may be offended by my picture, it's just a joke. He is the democratic president elect, but he is also MY president elect. I have to live with that. I want everyone to understand, my children especially, that I still pledge allegiance to the flag no matter who is standing in front of it for his photo opportunity.

Happy Birthday Austin!

1. What is something dad always says to you?
Ember (8): Stop it
Ben (6): No running with pencils
Grace (3): Time out!

2. What makes dad happy?
Ember: He likes it when I obey him
Ben: Father’s Day
Grace: Singing

3. What makes dad sad?
Ember: when I yell at him a lot
Ben: I don’t know, I’ve never seen him sad
Grace: time out

4. How does your dad make you laugh?
Ember: he’s a clown
Ben: he tells jokes
Grace: he’s a clown

5. What was your dad like as a child?
Ember: he was responsible
Ben: like me
Grace: he liked TV

6. What is his favorite thing to do?
Ember: hang out with his family
Ben: I don’t know
Grace: watch TV

7. What does your dad do when you're not around?
Ember: work on his computer
Ben: doing work
Grace: play on his computer

8. What is your dad really good at?
Ember: he’s good at pushing us on the swing
Ben: staying up until 10:00
Grace: games

9. What is your dad not very good at?
Ember: putting laundry in the right place
Ben: remember to sign my red folder on Mondays
Grace: kid computer games

10. What does your dad do for his job?
Ember: work at a building
Ben: he works on a computer
Grace: games

11. What is your dad's favorite food?
Ember: lasagna
Ben: lasagna
Grace: lasagna & hot dogs & restaurant foods

12. What makes you proud of your dad?
Ember: he gives me blessings
Ben: he doesn’t have to do anything
Grace: he’s good at computer games

13. What do you and your dad do together?
Ember: we talk together when I’m in time out
Ben: we don’t do anything together
Grace: play games

14. How are you and your dad the same?
Ember: we’re both Lawlors
Ben: we look the same
Grace: we don’t have black or blue shirts

15. How are you and your dad different?
Ember: we’re a boy and a girl
Ben: he’s tall and I’m short
Grace: I don’t know

16. How do you know your dad loves you?
Ember: he always tucks me in at night
Ben: I just know
Grace: I just do

17. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
Ember: a restaurant to pick up food for his family
Ben: work
Grace: in the kitchen to get food

I love you babe! Happy Birthday!