From November 2011: Today I Am Thankful For…

A recap of my month of gratitude in November (in Facebook posts):

11/1 – Today I am thankful for my crazy Coach Cutch on his birthday! ♥ ♥ ♥

11/2 – Today I am thankful for the 5am class at Crossfit TBC for challenging me to dig deeper, work harder, master new skills, and get it done by 6am even though it crushes me! I have never hated and loved working out so much in my life since those first seven minutes of hell… :)

11/3 – Today I am thankful to be a part of the University of Tulsa football family. It’s not easy being a “coach’s wife”, but it’s awesome watching our guys get after it every day, pursuing their goals and dreams! FYI – TU plays UCF tonight in the Bounce House — game is on at 7pm CST on CBS College Sports Network! Let’s go, TU!

11/4 – Today I am thankful for lunch with Maggie… because sometimes you need to talk about work and other times you need to talk about life. And there were no tears about either today, I swear. ;)

11/5 – Today I am thankful for a no-travel weekend… we have been watching college football on TV while cleaning & organizing, catching up on everything that hasn’t gotten done in a month! Just wish we could be with R, who has a rare day off in-season, but we’ll see him next weekend!!!

11/6 – Today I am thankful for my Bubba. He woke up asking about LSU and college conferences (but not realignments). He cleaned his room and voluntarily boxed up half his toys for donation because he doesn’t play with them. Now we’re ending the day with Troy and the Steelers… love my sweet, funny, energetic little buddy!!!

11/7 – Today I am thankful that my day ended better than it started. And I discovered raw coconut butter… it’s the perfect Paleo alternative to an Almond Joy. :)

11/8 – Today I am thankful for my smart, creative, beautiful daughter, Moco. She is wise beyond her years and more talented than she realizes. She plays sports, shoots guns, loves to bike, reads voraciously, spent this past weekend making dollhouse furniture from recyclables, and already borrows my shoes and clothes!

A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart. ~Author Unknown

11/9 – Today I am thankful that my pants are loose and sagging… it’s evidence and motivation and a reason to go shopping for new clothes!

11/10 – Today I am thankful for Skype. Almost every night R gets to be a part of the kids’ bedtime routine despite the 557 mile separation… seeing each other when we’re talking makes a huge difference!!!

11/11 – Today I am thankful for the men and women who have served, currently serve or will serve our country and for their families.

11/12 – Today I am thankful for another TU win! 11am kickoff, 11th straight conference win since last year!

11/13 – Today I am thankful for another safe return home!

11/14 – Today I am thankful that my meatloaf magic is appreciated. But it will be put to the test, as Mariah wants to know if this can be my next creation. My response? Never say never.

11/15 – Today I am thankful for another cute haircut by Lori T. at Sole!

11/16 - Today I am thankful that I’m not the only one who measures muffin top shrinkage using good ol’ finger calipers…

11/17 - Today I am thankful for my brothers. We’ve shared a lot of great memories over the years, and even though we don’t talk as often as we should and don’t see each other as often as we’d like… I know they’re always there for me, and I hope they know that I’m always there for them too!

11/18 - Today I am thankful for Gayle and Matthew’s help getting to/from work!

11/19 - Today I am thankful for a good, productive Saturday… a TU win… and still watching college football, still studying… :)

11/20 - Today I am thankful that this week will be a short work week!

11/21 - Today I am thankful for my parents, who still make each other laugh… and make us laugh too (at them, of course)!

11/22 - Today I am thankful for new tires & a realignment.

11/23 - Today I am thankful to just hang out with the 3 loves of my life this weekend – family of four, food, & football!!!

11/24 - Today I am just thankful… thankful for R, Moco and Bubba, for my parents and my brothers, R’s mom and his sisters, our aunts, uncles, cousins and their families, our grandparents, and our extended family… for friends, near and far… for our jobs… our home… our dog… and for the lessons that we learn daily on how to be grateful for the things we have and the ones who love us, and how to forge forward despite setbacks, disappointments and mistakes, and to live life to the fullest every day. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

11/25 - Today I am thankful that this will not be our last game of the 2011 season!!! We’re looking forward to a bowl game in a few weeks!

11/26 – Today I am thankful for a full day with my family + Jim.

11/27 – Today I am thankful for a safe drive home (too many accidents out there)!

11/28 – Today I am thankful to wake up in my own bed (not complaining about the bachelor pad, just prefer our bed here)!

11/29 – Today I am thankful for the long, long spiritual journey that I have been on… it’s hard to talk about or explain, but I’m on the right path!

11/30 – Today I am thankful that I came home to pork chops & apples in the crock pot (Paleo Comfort Foods recipe) and Mariah’s mashed sweet potatoes!  Definitely a perfect way to close out a chilly November evening!

A Month of Thanks – 2010

It’s the month to give thanks! Each day this month, I posted about the things and people for which I’m thankful on Facebook.  Here’s a recap (with a few modifications):

11/1 - Today I’m thankful for my other half, Daddy ♥, who is also celebrating his birthday today! 10 years, 2 kids, 1 dog, a new house, a bucket list, and still so many adventures ahead of us!

11/2 - Today I’m thankful for Moco and Bubba, and all the laughter, love and joy they bring to my life. I have learned a lot about fortitude, patience, courage, respect, responsibility, tolerance, flexibility, accountability, prudence, discipline, faith, hope, humility, justice, loyalty, selflessness, trust, trustworthiness, and (of course) love through my children. I’m thankful for the opportunity to be their mama!

11/3 - Today I am thankful for the random little moments in life that make me grin — like Bubba insisting that we raise our water bottles and say “cheers!” as we started supper or our Vizsla draped over Daddy’s lap and loving every minute of the attention…

11/4 - Even though it’s a 12 hour workday, today I am thankful for my job and my career in higher education. On this evening’s agenda: educating prospective students and their parents on the benefits of the community college experience! Go Hawks!

11/5 - Today I am thankful for the inevitability of change and the opportunity to take a deep breath, re-evaluate the landscape, and keep on keeping on.

“Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.”
~John Kotter

11/6 - Today I’m thankful for the opportunity to sleep in! Woke up with curls in my nose, with my boy snuggled up next to me, while R, Moco & Deacon are pheasant hunting.

11/7 - Today I am thankful to be able to spoil my kids a little: cinnamon butterbraid for breakfast, Megamind in 3D, then trading in leftover Halloween candy for FREE Noodles (kids under 12 only). Trading candy for noodles is spoiling, right?!

11/8 - Today I am thankful for the influence of Auntie Mariah on my children. I think.

11/9 - Today I am thankful for my parents for more reasons than I could possibly list… and we’re looking forward to heading “home” to New Mexico for Xmas!!!

11/10 - Tonight Bubba said he wanted ‘the song about 2nd base’. We couldn’t figure it out, but then George Strait performed on CMAs: ”Life’s not the breaths you take/The breathing in and out/That gets you through the day/Ain’t what it’s all about/Ya just might miss the point/Try’n to win the race/Life’s not the breaths you take/But the moments that take your breath away”.  Today I’m thankful for that reminder.

11/11 - Today I am thankful for the service men and women who serve and sacrifice for our country as well as the families and friends that love and support them!!!

11/12 - Today I am thankful for Sherry and all she has done for our family over the past 4+ years. She has helped shape Bubba’s sense of humor, his love for Troy Polamalu & the Steelers, and his attachment to a fringed piece of fleece named Boo. It’s hard to find people you can trust with your children, but we’re fortunate to have Sherry and her family in our lives!!!

11/13 - Today I am thankful for a final game win vs. EIU and a winning season for the Redbirds. I am also thankful for a full house with “Uncle” Tommy, Uncle Danny, Aunt Lisa, and Cousin Mattie this weekend!!!

11/14 - Today I am thankful for our new house and those who help us fill it with love and laughter. This weekend the table leaf came out… every bed and couch was claimed… wings, pizza, honey crisp apple cider, & Dunkin’ Donuts coffee were consumed in obscene amounts. My only complaint is that the weekend went by so quickly!!!

“The ornaments of your house will be the guests who frequent it.”
~Author Unknown

11/15 - Today I am thankful for my brothers, Tío Javi and Tío Gabi. We have had a lot of fun times over the years, and some not-as-fun times (thank goodness they outgrew the pesky little brothers stage), but I’m very proud to be their sister… and I can’t wait to see them next month!!!

11/16 - Today I’m thankful to start my morning at 5:45am for a 35 minute walk with the dog. My cheeks are rosy and my thighs are numb, but I feel productive already…

11/17 - Today I am thankful for the funny things my kids say. This morning Moco told me, “Dinosaurs aren’t house broken, you know” while explaining a short play about cavemen. And Bubba told me, “You smell like beef and cheddar”… to which I conveniently replied, “You mean I don’t smell like Santa?”

11/18 - Today I am thankful for Unks, the sister-in-law otherwise known as Auntie Mariah. She took us up on an offer to live with us while she knocks out her first two years of college, and we’re glad she’s here… although she’s probably thinking “3 months down, 17 more before I can escape these fools!!!”

11/19 - Today I am thankful for the AAWCC Lunch & Learn with Terry Mullin… he made 12 different holiday hors d’oeuvres and and desserts in one hour in Heartland’s new demo kitchen. The baked brie and caramel pie were out of this world!

11/20 - Today I am thankful for a weekend with Papa! After a lazy morning at home, he took Moco & Bubba to the park. Auntie Mariah & I made homemade hibachi chicken & veggies with rice and a caramel pie. Papa and the kids are going to watch a movie OnDemand while Auntie Mariah & I see Harry Potter!!!

11/21 - Today I am thankful for the creativity and frugality that runs in our family… Moco saw a doll bunk bed she wanted, but Papa and I decided we could probably do something for cheaper. Two free boxes from Sam’s Club, four pieces of wood @ 97¢ each, a few minutes with a hot glue gun — and here it is! Still needs to be decorated and mattresses & bedding added, but it fits 2 American Girl dolls perfectly!

11/22 - Today I am thankful for the last couple hours of peace & quiet, just lounging in bed with the laptop. Kids are asleep, Daddy  and Deacon are out of town… sometimes I just need some “me” time while still in the comfort of my own home, you know?

11/23 - Yesterday I was thankful that Daddy called to say he was headed back from Kansas. Except now it’s today and he won’t be home for several more hours… but at least he’s on the way!

11/24 - Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday bc it’s all about food, family & friends. Growing up, we spent many Thanksgivings with our Iowa State “family”. Today I am thankful for our spin on tradition: Daddy & I are also Iowa State grads and now spend turkey days with family in Iowa. We wish we could spend the day with all of our extended family & friends… much ♥ to each and every one of you!

“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.
Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”
~ Jane Howard

11/25 – Happy Thanksgiving! Today I continue to be thankful for everyone and everything I have posted about each day this month… Here’s to family, friends, food, health, happiness & love this holiday season and always!

11/26 - Today am I thankful for a dog who hardly ever barks. The guests across the hall went out for the evening and theirs won’t stop!!!

11/27 - Today I am thankful for another great day with my family. Sleeping in with Daddy & the kids, spending time with Grandma Lavera & Great Grandma, driving back in the crammed truck, grocery shopping and prepping meals with Auntie Mariah… I wish these long weekends didn’t have to come to an end!

11/28 - Today I am thankful for a second turkey dinner… but I’m thoroughly stuffed and ready to get back on track! Headed to bed so I can get up early for a workout!!!

11/29 - Today I am thankful for moments like these… I would have taken a picture of Moco, too, but her hygienist was lightning fast!

11/30 - Today I am thankful for another month of daily thanks!

♥ Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don’t unravel. ♥
~Author Unknown

11/27: Today I Am Thankful For…

…for only spending $14 today.  Take that, Black Friday!

I have been a little bummed all week because we were in Prairie du Chien for the morning of Black Friday shopping.  The two major stores here are Cabela’s and WalMart.  I wasn’t really interested in hitting up either, honestly.

Instead, we woke up in the hotel which has a continental breakfast, so we all enjoyed the make-your-own Belgian waffles.  Daddy stopped at Cabela’s, which is a “must” for him when we’re in that area — especially because our hotel is right next to the store and warehouse!  Then we packed up our stuff and headed out, but not before making our reservations at the same hotel for Christmas.  We found out that the water park at the hotel will be open for Christmas (it wasn’t last year).  It’s rare that one can say “don’t forget the swimsuits for Christmas in Iowa/Wisconsin!”, so we’re looking forward to enjoying that part of our Christmas break!

After we checked out, we stopped to visit with Daddy’s high school friend Carissa, her husband, and their two young daughters who were spending the holiday weekend with Carissa’s parents.  It was a fun visit, though the start of Bubba’s full-day of naughtiness (ugh!).  It was nice to see Carissa, as we haven’t seen her in years, and her beautiful daughters Kalini and Malia.  Then we headed into Elkader and walked around downtown for a few minutes, then walked to Great Grandma’s house and visited with Grandma Lavera and Great Grandma for a short while before grabbing sandwiches at Subway and stopping to say “hello” to Mr. Carnes (Daddy’s best friend’s dad) in his music shop.

We drove pretty much straight home except for a short stop in Morton for gas.  Daddy had to get ready for tonight’s men’s basketball game (we are hosting a tournament), so the kids and I unpacked and putted around the house.  We headed over to the Dollar Tree to pick up some craft supplies to make our own ornament wreathes, then to the grocery store for a frozen pizza and ice cream but ended up coming back with a 20 pound fresh turkey (for $20), a couple bags of frozen fruit (for smoothies), three pints of Ben & Jerry’s, a gallon of milk and a half-gallon of orange pineapple juice.  So much for spending just $14 on Black Friday…

The craft that we did was well worth it.  I got the idea from a post on Crap I’ve Made about Eddie Ross wreaths.  We picked up 9 tubes of red, green, and gold ornaments in three different sizes and a 12-pack of white wire hangers.  I had hot glue gun and glue sticks at home… the only thing I need is some thick ribbon, which we’ll pick up tomorrow morning.

It’s an easy craft to do, but I highly recommend gluing the tops to all the ornaments before you get started.  That part takes up the most time, but it’s worth it.

Basically, with the top hook still twisted, stretch out the wire hanger into a circle.

Then untwist the top of the hanger to slide the ornaments onto the wire.  Move the ornaments around so they get the “layered” effect and so as many ornaments can fit on the wreath as possible.  Then re-twist the hanger to close, and add the ribbon and bow for the final touch.

It took about 6 tubes (12-15 smaller ornaments in each tube) to fill one wreath.  I was quite pleased with how the wreath turned out, although it took forever to glue the top onto each ornament.  Moco is totally excited to do her own tomorrow.  Since I depleted the stock (had no idea how many ornaments it would take!), we have to pick up more ornaments tomorrow.

The ornaments we used are plastic (shatterproof) ornaments, some were matte, others shiny, and some glittery.  There weren’t many color options at the dollar store, so if you want to spend more money and have more options, you can certainly “upgrade” your ornament choices.  Glass ornaments are probably the most beautiful to use, but if you’re doing this craft with kids, shatterproof are the way to go!  Plus, you can’t beat the price — this craft was well under $10 for 6 tubes of ornaments, a wire hanger (12 for $1), plus glue, if you don’t have any.  We still have to buy the ribbon, but it will still be under $10 with some nice (sale-priced) holiday ribbon!

11/26: Today I Am Thankful For…

…Uncle John & Laine’s cooking.

Daddy, Moco, Bubba, Deacon and I drove up to Cedar Rapids after I got off work on Wednesday.  We stayed with Auntie Therie for the night before heading out for Elkader the next morning — but not before we had a hearty Thanksgiving breakfast cooked by Auntie Therie.  We feasted on scrambled eggs, sauteed onions, bacon, toast, cranberry bread, juice and coffee.  Bubba exclaimed, “Auntie Therie is the BEST cook!”  He was in heaven with that breakfast!

We stopped in Elkader to meet up with Grandma Lavera and Great Grandma, then we headed over to Uncle John’s house.  We were not expecting to eat Thanksgiving dinner at Uncle John’s; in fact, we had planned on going out to eat!  Uncle John invited us all over to eat when he heard we were in town — they had cooked three turkeys on the grill!  We ate well there, too!  It was nice to see Uncle John and his wife Kim and three of their five kids — Nikole, Kaycee, and Laine.  It has been a few years since we have seen them, so it was nice to catch up with everyone.  Uncle John took the kids out to see the horses and all the ‘coon dogs (at least a dozen); Bubba fired away a thousand and three questions and was stuck to Uncle John for a good part of the afternoon.  We watched most of How The Grinch Stole Christmas.  (I can’t believe we don’t have that book and/or the original movie!  That might have to be a Christmas Eve gift for the kids — new pajamas, a book and a movie to enjoy in the hotel after Chinese food?  Sounds like a fun night to me!)

In the late afternoon after the Thanksgiving meal, Daddy, Moco, Bubba, and I headed back to the hotel after helping Grandma and Great Grandma get settled at Great Grandma’s house.  We just hung out, relaxed in the hotel, drank lots of water, and watched Horton Hears a Who before going to bed.  That was our Thanksgiving — the driving was the hard part!  It seemed to go by very quickly, but it was relaxing not to have to do much work and just enjoy good company!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!!!

11/25: Today I Am Thankful For…

…Thanksgiving. Food, family, friends, fun… just wish we could spend the long weekend visiting with all our family & friends!

Today I am also thankful for my mom, who is celebrating her ?!th birthday today. Even though she made fun of my dad for wanting us to move closer to home (I believe her exact words were “you want those losers to move home?!?!”), we still love her very much. Happy birthday, Gamma!

Daddy, Moco, Bubba, Deacon and I are headed out to Iowa in about an hour.  I’ll do my best to post from there, but I may not be able to get anything posted until later on Friday… but that just means I should have some good stories and pictures to share from the holiday trip!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

Have a fun, safe, filling, and extra special holiday with your friends and family!

11/24: Today I Am Thankful For…

…a high tolerance level for (you fill in the blank)…

(Clearly I’m starting to struggle on the thanksgiving train.)

No, but really… I’ve been thinking about how to teach my kids about philanthropy and thinking about others, and not just during the holiday season.  But of course, it’s that time of year and there are so many opportunities to show concern for others and to develop a more altruistic approach to the holidays.  Slowly, I think they are starting to understand it as we talk about things like greed and materialism, discussing haves and have nots, etc.  In the past two weeks, I am starting to see these discussions come to fruition in small, but meaningful, ways.

Last week, Moco’s school council had a canned food drive.  Moco was insistent that we have non-perishable food items ready to go for the first day… so we emptied out the cupboards and filled her backpack to take to school.  During the week, the kids and I had a discussion about Christmas.  Santa only brings one, maybe two, gifts to each of our kids each year.  While they shouldn’t expect presents from family and friends, the reality is, Moco and Bubba receive gifts from immediate and extended family every year — and not just on Christmas.  Multiple times each year, Daddy and I help the kids go through their clothes, books, and toys and donate everything that they have outgrown or don’t play with but are still in good condition and not missing pieces, etc.  Two weekends ago, they cleared out almost a trunkful of their belongings.  I was floored that they just kept handing me things to put in the basket.  Bubba kept telling me “I don’t play with this… I don’t play with dat either!”  Moco was also very proud of how much neater their room was upon emptying out so much stuff.

Tonight Bubba and I went to the grocery store after I picked him up from Sherry’s house.  The Salvation Army bell ringer was outside the store, and when we greeted him as we entered.  This was Bubba’s first encounter with the bell ringers within his memory, so he started me asking me about what he was doing and why.  Before we exited the store, I emptied my change in Bubba’s hand and explained to him what we were doing.  He had a big grin on his face as he walked up to the red bucket and dropped a handful of coins in and pushing some other change into the bucket that hadn’t made it in from a person before us.  Then Bubba started up a conversation with the bell ringer, starting with “Why do you ring a bell?” and ending with “Okay… have a happy Thanksgiving!”

And finally Moco came home last night and told me about a drawing that she is working on during art class.  Apparently her school is one of many schools participating in a contest; the winner of the contest will have his/her artwork featured as a holiday card.  Proceeds from the sale of those cards will go to a children’s hospital.  Moco has been working carefully and diligently on her artwork, partially because she wants to haver her artwork featured and perhaps win the $50 prize, but also because, as she told me, “it’s really going to help the kids who need surgeries and stuff who are in the hospital.  I want to be able to help those kids.”  I really appreciate her honesty in recognizing her own competitive nature and balancing that with the sincerity of helping others.

So, I’m thankful that my kids are starting to understand and appreciate social responsibility and the impact that even they, as small children, can make in this big big world.

11/23: Today I Am Thankful For…

…a Monday evening at home watching America’s Funniest Home Videos with my kids — their laughter is contagious!!!

Moco and Bubba are limited to watching TV on weekend mornings, so this was a rare treat for them.  It is so nice to unwind with my family, cook a good meal, bake some cookies, and snuggle with my babes before they fall asleep.

Tonight we had salmon, using my homemade habanero jelly in a variation of the peach jalapeño salmon, and potatoes au gratin.  I have never actually made potatoes au gratin before, and I was quite pleased.  I didn’t have all the ingredients for any recipe that I found, so I made up my own version with what we had on hand: Yukon gold potatoes, shredded sharp cheddar, shredded Mexican blend cheese, heavy cream, 2% milk, nutmeg, paprika, salt and pepper.  I was very pleased with the outcome, and the flavors blended really well with the salmon!  I also baked a double batch of the big, soft ginger cookies.  I made modifications to this recipe, and while they are still tasty, they aren’t as good as last time.  I used half brown sugar and half white sugar and I didn’t use orange juice like I did the last time.  I’m pretty sure that the white sugar and lack of orange juice are the culprits.  Still soft and tasty but not quite as flavorful as the last time.

Can’t wait for this short work week to be done so we can enjoy our long weekend.  Daddy is technically off this week (university is closed), but he is still working with men’s and women’s basketball.  Moco has school tomorrow but will go to Sherry’s on Wednesday.  I get off Wednesday at 5pm, then we will drive to Iowa for Thanksgiving Day with Grandma Lavera.  We’ll visit with Great Grandma as well.  Daddy has to work Friday afternoon or evening, so we’ll be on the road back to Iowa that morning instead of hitting the Black Friday sales (not like we ever do anyway)!

I’m going to pour myself another glass of milk and a couple warm cookies before bed… hasta mañana!

Turkey Cookies (with modifications)

I wanted to make Oreo turkey cookies, just like the ones on Glitter Mommies.

However, the only candy corn I could find were ones from the Dollar Tree that tasted like @$$, so I scrapped that idea and combined the Oreo turkeys with the sugar cookie turkeys, traded the candy corn for Mike and Ike’s (regular and sour), exchanged the peanut butter cups for caramel cups (Bubba is allergic to PB)… and voila!  Here is the spread we sent to Sherry’s this morning: