The end of the Thanksgiving Holiday

Today as we waved goodbye to Tucker, Jamie and the girls and watched them drive away, I reflected on the week and the activities and I felt overwhelmingly grateful for our family.  Even with all the problems, I’m grateful for the journey I’ve experienced and the volumes of learning that has taken place in me in the last 24 years of marriage to Neal.

For years I’ve told myself that a combined family is hard and has unique dynamics that come with it.  (And I know it does add some.)  But as I stood in the garage, thinking about the week,  I recognized that it isn’t a ‘combined’ family that makes it hard, it is a ‘family’.  I’ve watched seven children make an effort (I think mostly for Neal and I) to be a family.  I’ve watched the two older children deal with their differences through the years, and I’ve also experienced and recognize the five younger children have problems with their relationships with each other as well.  Some of their problems with each other are miniscule and some very painful. It isn’t about two older children getting along with five younger children, It’s about people learning to get along with people. I also realized that I don’t have to be responsible for their relationships (good or bad) with each other.  I can’t fix it, I can’t change it and basically I didn’t cause it.  As a mother, I like to think that I can fix everything and that we can have a ‘live happily ever after’ family but that just isn’t realistic. 

I would suggest that we all get on our knees tonight and be thankful and recognize how very blessed our family is and acknowledge where those blessings are coming from.  President Hinckley said, “Don’t be gloomy.  Do not dwell on unkind things.  Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.  Even if you are not happy, but a smile on your face.  ‘Accentuate the positive.’  Look a little deeper for the good.  Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great and strong purpose in your heart.  Love life.”

Thanks Jamie and Tucker for coming the long distance to spend time with us.  For bringing sunlight to my life, for putting a smile on my face and looking a little deeper for the good in me. Thanks, Jamie, for our late night talks, our girls night out and for yours and Tucker’s unconditional love to me!  Drive safely!

P.S.  We got a text from Tucker telling us that as he was going through Provo he was concentrating on the Utah football game and got a ticket for speeding!  Not a happy way to end your vacation in Utah.  Dang! 

Finished and framed!

Neal picked up my needlework that he had framed for me.  These pieces will definitely be entered in the fair next fall.

Of course, I am starting a new project.  You can see there has been very little progress made since I started this one about two weeks ago.  Just too much going on!

The girls got to tend Desmond

These three girls were the best baby sitters ever.  They didn’t take their eyes off this little boy the whole time they were tending him.  He is walking and the stairs are a big attraction so you spend most of your time watching him head for the stairs and then bringing him back to the middle of the room to watch him immediately head for the stairs again. 

Early Christmas from Tucker and Jamie and the girls.

Tucker and Jamie gave Neal and I new phones for Christmas!  Neal and I are not the most intelligent IPHONE users but with our children’s patience, we are learning many of the options available on our phones.  We love them!  Thanks Tucker Maxfield family for a very, very nice Christmas present!  This is a picture of dad’s.  Mine, of course, is BLUE!

Jamie also surprised me with another present, that I LOVE and will start using this very Sunday to carry my Stake RS loose leaf and books in as well as my scriptures.  My other bag has just about had it after 5 years of use.  This bag screams Jeannine!  Two things I will add here.  First, I know that my scriptures are on my phone but, I don’t like taking my phone to church and second I like having my scriptures that I can mark up.  Second, there is a story that goes with the bag.  Jamie told me that she nearly missed her plane in Seattle because she was buying the bag for me.  She said she was the last person on the plane!  I’m glad she made her flight and doubly glad she spotted the Life is Good bag from Seattle and thought of me and stopped to buy it.  Thank you Jamie, I love it!  Seriously, you have to admit – it is me!  And I might add – “Life is good!” (well, most of the time)

A few more fun pictures from Thanksgiving

Just had to add a couple more pictures that were sent to me from Mindy.  I love that everyone has their cameras and are snapping random pictures.  It certainly helps capture the days events.

The adults were playing “What’s Yours Like?” 

Christmas is coming!

You’ve hard the song, “Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man’s hat”.  Well, yes, Christmas is coming, in fact it is just around the corner.  As tradition would have it, one of the boys always helps Neal get the Christmas tree out of the loft and in the house and put together.  Tucker was the lucky one this year.  Someone always seem to lose a wing nut and sure enough this year was no exception.  One dropped down in the tree somewhere and we never could find it.  Neal and Tucker even shook the poor tree two or three times but wherever that wing nut landed, it is going to stay.  We will probably find it when we take the tree down but for now, we will run to Home Depot and buy a dozen of them for the next twelve years! 

Friday morning Tucker, Jamie and the girls went to meet some friends for breakfast, so Neal and I decorated the tree.  That is the biggest project and one that I’m always glad is done.  It usually takes a couple hours to get all the ornaments on it and get it ready for the holidays.

When Tucker and Jamie got back, Tucker left to meet with Greg and the rest of us decided we needed an after Thanksgiving nap.  About 3:00 o’clock Tucker ran to Café Rio and brought back and lunch.  We gobbled down a delicious salad and then Jamie, the three girls and I headed out to Stansbury so the cousins could have a sleep over at Annie’s.  On the way home we stopped at Fashion Place Mall and wandered around a bit.  Both of us bought a couple Christmas presents at ZGallerie.  We stopped in at Sephora and tried some makeup and bought some Buxom lip gloss.  A picture of us trying some wild lip stick colors!  And, NO, we didn’t buy any. The clerks kept coming by and telling us that the colors were just perfect for us – did we believe that?  Not a chance.  Hey, I actually look like I have lips!

We left the mall and headed to get a treat at I Mango (I think that is what it is called – something like that) and from there to Super Target so Jamie could pick up some snacks for the trip home.  We got home just a few minutes before Tucker and Neal, who were at the Utah basketball game.  Tucker said they were on the Kiss Cam so Tucker kissed his dad on the cheek to humor the crowd!  They also flagged down Kevin Livingston, who is a cheerleader for the U.

We visited until almost 2 a.m. and finally let our heads hit the welcoming pillows for a good nights sleep.  What a fun and relaxed day!

The Challenge!

Mindy mentioned to Jamie that she was drinking 100 ounces of water every day for 30 days.  It has all positive effects on your body besides making your face look younger and better!  Gosh, who wouldn’t want that!  So, after eavesdropping on the conversation I jumped on board with the challenge.  The first day was the hardest for me because I don’t drink but about 16 ounces of water in a day, if I’m lucky.  That isn’t to say that I don’t get fluids in me, I just don’t concentrate on water.  All 3 of us are determined to do this for 30 days.  I’ll let you know how it goes as we progress.  Oh my gosh!  Look how young and wrinkle free I look already!!!!!

Thanksgiving continued . . .

After bowling everyone came back to the house where the final preparations began.  The day was absolutely beautiful outside so most of the kids were outside running around which certainly made it easier to prepare the meal.  The kitchen seems to be the center of conversations and where we all seem to be drawn to congregate.  It took us about an hour to get the dinner on the table.  Neal carved the turkey and ham while Annie and I made gravy, mashed potatoes and got everything in serving dishes.  Neal gave a beautiful blessing on the food and the family.  As I looked around the room I was grateful for the memories that Neal and I are trying to create with our posterity and hope that they will look back on these Thanksgiving moments with fond memories of their own.

Annie always makes some darling item for Thanksgiving.  This year we had turkey cupcakes!  Cutest things I’ve ever seen and delicious.  Thanks Annie for always adding that extra touch!

Some of us got the grab a little snooze.

Others played games and little Desmond tried over and over to stuff a pair of shoes in the vase. 

It was a wonderful day ending with games that went on until late in the evening.  Thanks go all our children and grandchildren for making it a day of “thanksgiving’. 

A Day of Thanksgiving and Family

My day started out by getting up early, getting cleaned up and dressed for the day and then heading downstairs to check on the turkey that had been cooking all night.  Waking up in the morning to the smell of a turkey baking in the oven brings back so many warm and comforting memories.  One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving.  I peeled and cut up the carrots and put them on the stove ready to be cooked.  Peeled and cut up potatoes, covered them with water and put them on the stove ready to be cooked.  Got out the corn and put it in a pan ready to be cooked.  The tables were all set, condiments all put in dishes and put in the fridge and it was time to head to the bowling alley for our annual Thanksgiving morning family event.