Thankful November - Day 26

Last night we had our family Thanksgiving dinner. No-one's house is big enough to fit us all in so we ended up going to the chapel. It turned out great because it wasn't too crowded, the kids had their own little table, and the kids could run around freely in the hall.

Yesterday I was Thankful for . . . . . spending time with family enjoying all the yummy food!

My day started off with Lachlan's tee ball game. When we got home it was straight into the baking. I made Chocolate Brownie Trifle, Pumpkin pies and homemade bread rolls. While I was busy baking the kids were busy watching some new movies, including a couple of Christmas ones. We went up to the chapel early to set up the tables and to finish getting the food all ready. Everyone brought something to share. It was all so amazing. I had two plates because I just had to try a bit of everything! We then spoke about things that we were all grateful for. Next came the desserts! Apart from the things I made, Nana made apple pie and we had some ice cream. I love my Nana's apple pie. She makes it all from scratch and it is delicious!

I am also grateful for a husband who cleaned up the kitchen and lounge room when we got home. I totally just crashed on the couch. I was exhausted and didn't even want to look at the kitchen. It wasn't a complete disaster zone because I had been pretty good and tried to keep it clean while baking, but I still didn't want to do the dishes that were left. So thanks Honey for doing that for me!

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 25

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . . refreshing rain.

As much as I like sunshine and beautiful clear skies, I also love to wake up to the sound of rain on the roof. Everything feels so fresh and clean after it rains. When it's warm outside the kids love to run around in the rain and splash in the puddles. When it's cold though we like to curl up on the couch, under blankets, and watch a read a book or pop some popcorn and watch a movie. Life would get pretty boring if all we ever saw was sunshine. The rain helps us to appreciate the sunshine even more, especially when we have lots of laundry to do, like I always do!

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 24

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . having a healthy family.

I'm grateful for healthy children who rarely get sick and can run and play all the time. I'm grateful for a husband who is healthy and fit to do his job which involve's climbing up and down ladders, crawling in roofs and lifting heavy TV's. I'm grateful for my own health. To be able to keep up with the kids. To be able to run, walk and dance. And to be able to give hugs to my family!

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 23

Today I'm Thankful for . . . .  being able to watch the kids in their school concert tonight.

I love seeing all the kids singing, dancing and playing instruments. This year Lachlan's class played two songs on their recorders. The kid next to him was watching Lachlan's fingers the whole time, following him. Amie's class played xylophones. She did a great job. Caitlyn's class did a song and dance. It's so funny watching five year olds trying to remember dances! I love that our school is so involved in the arts.

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 21 & Day 22

Yesterday I was Thankful for . . . . . wonderful friends coming to share in our Family Home Evening.

My children love having family home evening. I get asked almost every night if we are having it. Last week we decided that it would be nice to invite some other families to share family home evening with. We sang songs, had a lesson about Gratitude (it's Thanksgiving this week in America), played the chocolate game and shared a treat. It was a fun and uplifting evening that won't be forgotten any time soon.

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . having more motivation.

Lately I've been feeling very un-motivated. Everything is too hard. Why bother cleaning up when it's just going to get messy again. Why cook dinner when the kids won't eat it any way. Why try so hard when I'm not getting any where. Today hasn't been a perfect day but I did finally put away the mountain of laundry piled in my bedroom, and my house is looking pretty clean and I'm pretty sure the kids will eat what we are having for dinner tonight. It may seem like small things but in my life, right now, they are big.

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 20

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . the opportunity to have the missionaries over for dinner.

At the end of a busy weekend it was really nice to have the missionaries over for dinner. I must admit that it has been over a year since we have had them. Buzz usually works late during the week and weekends are often busy with friends and family. But I was thinking about how important it is for my children to see the missionaries and associate with them. Tonight they shared a fantastic, well thought out message that was total enjoyed by the kids. My Dad was also here because my Mum is away in Darwin at the moment visiting one of my sisters. It was good to have him here. Usually when Mum and Dad come over the kids all run for Grandma. They give her big hugs and fight over who gets to sit next to her. But because she wasn't here tonight they all ran to the door calling Poppy and giving him hugs and fighting over who got to sit next to him!

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 18 & 19

Again I have to play catch up!

Yesterday I was Thankful for . . . . my Dad babysitting while Buzz and I went on a date!

I love my Dad and I was very happy that he was happy to watch the kids while Buzz and I celebrated the day we got engaged 11 years ago!

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . strawberries!

We love strawberries in our house and we have been wanting to go pick our own for awhile now. We have gone in the past and loved it but have been so busy lately that we haven't been able to find a spare minute. Today was the day though. We started the day with Teeball, a stop at the chapel and then we headed into the hills. We stopped at a bakery for some lunch before heading to the Chocolate factory. Buzz was feeling generous and gave the kids $5 each to buy whatever they wanted. Of course, they couldn't decide so we spent ages working it all out with them. We then head to the strawberry farm. The kids had a great time finding the biggest strawberries that they could. They also enjoyed eating a few along the way!

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 17

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . Sisters!

I love my sisters. I love to spend time with them. I love to find out what is going on in their lives. And I love to be able to help them in any way I can. I'm grateful for all the things that they do for me. I'm grateful for the many times that they have looked after my children. I'm grateful for the phone calls. I'm grateful for the fun that we have together.

I love my sisters!

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 15 & 16

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . . . co-operative children at the dentist yesterday and today I'm thankful that the kids are in bed and it's the end of the day.

Yesterday I took Amie, Lachlan and Caitlyn to the dentist. Lachlan had to have his fluoride treatment, which he gets every 3 months, Amie had to have some fluoride and two fillings done and Caitlyn had her very first visit.

 Lachlan is an old pro at going to the dentist. He has some issues with his back teeth which will cause them to be pulled out in the next couple of years. They are just trying to keep them together until his 12 year old molars start coming through. In the mean time he goes every three months to get fluoride put on and to check how they are going.

Amie had her very first filling and she did a great job. They had to numb one side of her mouth but she did ok with that too.

Caitlyn was very excited about going to the dentist. She kept asking all week when she was going to go. The dentist took her for a ride in the chair and got her to wear the cool sunglasses. She even got a new toothbrush to take home. Unfortunately the news wasn't all good. They found a big hole in one of her baby teeth, right at the back, and they are going to have to take it out. She goes back in a couple of weeks for that so we'll see how she goes!

Today was a busy day, as usual, but I've been feeling a bit blah so today I'm thankful that the day is nearly over and I can go to bed soon, get some rest and start fresh in the morning!

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 14

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . . finding old photos on a CD while cleaning the laundry this morning.

The CD was labelled Buzz and Janiia's Wedding. When we got married digital camera's were only just starting to be available so we had our wedding photos taken on film. So when I found this CD I put it aside wondering what was on it.

Here are a few of the photos that I found. All of the first few are scanned in copies so the quality isn't great, but I love them.

This was taken on the night that we got engaged. I was sitting right there at Ensign Peak looking at the lights in the valley when Buzz got down on one knee in front of me.

I was absolutely freezing that night! It was like minus something!

The following photos were taken in Provo Canyon at a place called Bridal Veil Falls. We used these pictures in our wedding invitations.

Buzz looks so young here. This was taken in the week before we got married. His parents and sister had come a week early for the wedding and we did a lot of sight seeing that week!

 We had our wedding photos taken at Waterfall Gully. 

This Friday we are actually going on a date to celebrate getting engaged 11 years ago. 

We got engaged on 18th November 2001.

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 13

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . . the opportunity I had to teach the Young Women today.

I love being in Young Women's and I love my Beehives! We had fun in our lesson today but I hope that they also got something out of it. They are a fun group of girls, but they are all so different from each other. Today we were talking about our individual worth. I used a section of Elder Uchtdorf's talk from the recent Relief Society General session. I thought that the last 'Forget-me-not' that he used fit in so well with todays lesson. By some of the girls reactions to watching the short video I could tell that it was definitely worth using. 

I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have to teach and I'm grateful for inspired leaders.

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 11 & 12

Yesterday I was Thankful for . . . . managing to get so much done throughout the day.

My day started at 5:50am. I got up weighed myself (lost 1 kg) then went for a run. Came home had a shower and got dressed. Made lunches and fed the kids breakfast. Helped get everyone ready for school, then had breakfast myself before heading out the door to drop the kids off at school and Haylie off at Aurelia's house. I then headed to the shops to do Christmas shopping. Lots of walking, price matching and decisions to make. Didn't have time to stop for lunch. Stopped in at home, hid all the presents and grabbed Caitlyn's swimming stuff. Picked up the kids from school, went to mums house, left Lachlan and Amie there while I took Caitlyn to swimming lessons. Back to mum's house, ran over the shops to get some snacks and drinks for the Christmas pageant in the morning. Ran home to drop off shopping and then got back in the car and headed to the shops because we forgot chalk for drawing on the street. Came home, Buzz brought home dinner. Ate, cleaned up and then headed to a Tupperware party. Came home about 11pm finished getting things ready for the pageant in the morning. Went to bed about 11:30pm.

Whew! I'm tired after just writing that!

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . . having fun events, like the Christmas Pageant, that I can take my family to and enjoy together!

I'm also Thankful for a husband, and friend, that got up early to save us a spot. The kids had a great time drawing with the chalk on the road, waving their ribbons and eating donuts for breakfast. It was great to see them get excited as each of the floats went past, wave to all the people and do high fives! 

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 10

Today I am Thankful for . . . . . . my Mum!

I have the world's greatest Mum! I know everyone thinks that, but my Mum truly is the greatest. 

She is my best friend. 

I can talk to my mum about anything and everything. 

She helps me, inspires me, amazes me and comforts me. 

She is always there and I know that I can count on her. 

I like to seek her opinion and I value it a lot. 

I love to go a visit her, which I do frequently!

 I love to go shopping with her, especially when we have no kids with us and we can spend time looking at the things we love and not worrying about little people touching things.

 My Mum inspires me to be a better person. 

She reminds me of who I am and the things that I should be doing.

 My mum is the best mum in the whole world and I don't know what I would do without her!

Thank you Mum for everything that you do.

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 9

Opps . . . . sorry . . . I'm a day late . . . . I did think about my post yesterday and what I was Thankful for.....I just forgot to write it!

So Yesterday I was Thankful for . . . . finally getting Buzz's quarterly BAS and taxes done!

I know, totally exciting right?! Well for me it is. It has been hanging over my head for about a month. The second thing that I'm Thankful for in relation to this is that we owe less than we thought! It is such a blessing for us right now. Every penny counts . . . . . and I have been counting every penny to make sure we have enough to cover all of our bills.

Now I have to start catching up on this quarter's taxes!

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 8

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . . . for my home.

I'm grateful that I have a roof over my head, and the heads of my family, where we can be together and grow together. I try to make our home a pleasant place to be.

 clean

 tidy

organised

fun

cosy

happy

carefree

joyful

loved

excited

uplifted

These are some of the things that I hope my family, and those that visit, feels in our home.

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 7

Today I'm Thankful . . . . that Haylie insisted that we make play dough today.

Haylie really wanted to make some play dough today. I wasn't so sure. I had a lot of cleaning to try and get done and I didn't want to stop and make even more mess. So I told her that when I was finished we would make some. I got stuck into cleaning, but Haylie would remind me about every 30 minutes that we were going to make play dough and was it time yet.

I finished everything just before lunch and we made the play dough. She chose to make purple and yellow play dough. She spent about 45 minutes playing with it before we had to run out to the shops before picking the kids up from school.

As soon as the older kids walked in the door and saw the play dough they all wanted to play with it. So after a quick snack they all sat around the table and played with the play dough for a good hour. It was so nice to see them playing happily together. There was no fighting and no screaming. The tv wasn't on and it was just so peaceful. While I didn't play with them I was right there making dinner in the kitchen making dinner and folding washing, helping out with suggestions the whole time.

So, while sometimes I don't like doing things like making play dough or letting the kids do painting because I don't like the mess, today I was thankful that I let go a little bit!

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 6

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . . beautiful songs and inspiring words.

Today as we were driving in the car we were listening to one of the kids church cd's. One of my favourite primary songs came on and it reminded me again of the amazing amount of blessings in my life and that I truly have so many things to be Thankful for.

Also this week as I've been focusing on being Thankful I have found a few quotes that I would love to share!

Be Thankful in all circumstances

1 Thessalonians 5:18

What if you woke up today 

with only the things you 

thanked God for yesterday?

Every day may not be good . . . . . But there is something good in every day.

Enjoy the little things 

in life . . . For one day 

you'll look back and 

realise they were the 

big things.

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 4 & 5

So yesterday was a busy day and it wasn't until I fell into bed that I remembered that I hadn't posted what I was Thankful for that day so . . . . . . today you get to hear about two things that I'm Thankful for!

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . fantastic friends and time to spend with family.

I have some truly wonderful friends. We don't often get a chance to hang out, just the girls, but last night we were all free so we had a girls night! It was great to get a chance to talk and chat without children running around and a billion other distractions.

I love Saturdays when we have some spare time to do something together as a family. Even if it is just watching a movie together at home with some popcorn! I love it when we are all together and getting along and relaxing!

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 3

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . . the 10 minutes that Lachlan and I got to spend together, alone, talking on his bed this afternoon.

We didn't talk about anything deep and meaningful, in fact we talked mostly about some of the things that he might like for Christmas, but I enjoyed every minute of talking to my little boy.

I love getting to spend some one on one time with each of my children no matter how short.

What are you Thankful for today?

Thankful November - Day 2

Today I'm Thankful for . . . . . . the unexpected and unplanned sleep-in that I got this morning.

I have been getting up at 6am to go for a walk/run everyday. I have really been enjoying getting out early and getting my work out done before the kids are even up. It makes my day less busy and gives me more time during the day to get other things done.

Last night though, after our Young Women's activity I had a headache and was so tired that I headed to bed at 9:30pm. I was so tired that I basically just fell into bed and completely forgot to set my alarm.

When I woke up it was 6:15am. Now I could of got up and gone for a quick walk still but it was just too tempting to just turn over and go back to sleep, which is exactly what I did!

I feel much better this afternoon after getting a bit more sleep this morning. Don't worry though I still did my work out. I took Haylie to a park this afternoon and she played while I ran laps around the oval.

So today I'm Thankful for some extra sleep. 

What are you Thankful for?

Halloween Cookies

Last night for Family Home Evening I thought that we might try our hand at some cookie decoration. I found the idea here, but instead of making the cookies I cheated and used store bought ones instead. The kids didn't care though and they had lots of fun.

We used Milk Arrowroot Biscuits, chocolate chips and white chocolate for melting. To make the ghost ones I put the melted chocolate in a small deep bowl so that they could just dunk the biscuits in, let it drip off a bit and they lay it on the baking paper. They then used the chocolate chips to make faces, or as Haylie did just put they wherever you want. It was easy enough to do though that Haylie did it all by herself.

For the mummy biscuits I melted the chocolate and then put it into a ziploc bag and sniped a small bit off the corner. We stuck the chocolate chips down first with a bit of melted chocolate and then the kids just made lines across the biscuits.

It was lots of fun and was quick and easy enough for the kids to do by themselves so I was driven nuts trying to help everyone at the same time! Now to try of a way I can use the same type of idea for Christmas!

Thankful November - Day 1

Today I am Thankful for . . . . . . . . . this guy!

He loves me and for that I will be forever grateful.

He is my best friend, he makes me laugh and smile and he works tirelessly to provide for our family.

He loves to have fun, go out with friends and help others.

He is my everything and I will love him forever!

What are you Thankful for today??