Count Your Blessings...

At our Thanksgiving family gathering yesterday, I brought my fun black notebook paper and "soufflé" pens.  More than one niece asked where I got the pens and wanted them on their Christmas wish list. 

I asked everyone to write a list of things they were thankful for or blessings in their lives.  Anonymously.  And that maybe we would guess later. 

Some times I start things with no clear idea how to implement them, or execution/finish.  My practical consultant (husband John) said I could just call it an art project.  I wanted to glue these black scraps of paper in our family "Book of Blessings" a gilt-edged monstrous Bible I cavalierly altered.  No, it wasn't a family bible.  But now it is!  We are blessed with an abundance of paper-copies of scriptures that we can carry around easier than this huge tome.  And I could imagine this book as an art relic, personalized.  Like a huge scrap book.  Documenting tender mercies and things we are grateful for as a family.  I left the spelling and parenthesis, but used brackets for art work descriptions.  Can you guess contributors?

family
music
books
warmth of sun
wind in car with windows rolled down
stars
mountains
color!
paint
truth
Gospel
prayer

home
family
temples
food
safety
time
prayer
scriptures
chickens
friends
patience
a faithful partner
creativity
color
hope
warmth
comfort

Gospel
temple marriage
children
cats
insulin
democracy & freedom
family
sunshine
missionaries
modern medicine
bishops & others who serve in demanding callings
trees
azaelas
roses
chocolate
automobiles, telephones, email, internet, facebook
reconnection with old friends

family [heart smiley face]
additions to family [wink]
food (especially the pie)
temple
clothes
pets
house (shelter)
money
everything
Doctor Who

food
colors
water
friends
books
new people
salt
dogs
nature
shrimp cocktail
everything
words
sight
space
sun
moon
stars
this pen
pressure
family

love
forgiveness
light & color
salt
toys
laughter
sunsets & sunrises
children
helpers
freedom
books
cooking for other people
family and cousins
hugs
cars
Book of Mormon
Elder Bednar
cell phones and texting and Skype!

Plan of Salvation
Atonement
Birth to goodly parents
sealing in temple to choice spirit
missions
other opportunities to serve
loving family

family
food
shelter
clothing
friends
school
pie
hollodays
phones
tecnolegy
games
rooms

family, my house, bed, friend, food

family
a home
food
clothes
pets
The Gospel
Friends

electricity
socks
music
computers
freedom
watches
water
cookies
birds
trees

American rights
family
religion
right to vote
shelter
food
sanitary conditions
technology
friends nature
life

mom
dad
friends
aunt
grandpa
grandma

food
family
friends
a house
daddy
mommy
clothes

I am thankful for food [picture of raining or snowing clouds and sunshine]

The support of my family

My family [heart]
The Earth [heart]
Sisters
My dog
temples
home
food
friends
color
hope
love [heart]

Grace
I am thankful for:
family
friends
gosple
food
Home
books
warm coats
rain & snow
Animals
sight & glasses
Trees
Temple & Church
A day to give thanks
technology
fudge
salsa
stores
farms

Mom
dad
brothers
cosins
clothes
shoes
food
teacher
the church
electronics
Pintrest
MSP
shoes
nail polish
friends
candy
money
trees

I am thankful for my family because they are nice to me and Jesus because he made our world he also made my Life he also helped us make our temple he also gave me comfort he also Let Me have frinds he let me have a family god will be nice to me.

Blessings/Things I am thankful for: 
*how my family has grown over the past years, not just with family, but with friends also
*patriaricle (sorry if I did not spell it right) blessings, that I can read mine whenever I want and that it can help me when I need it.
*That my dad is such an amazing cook!  and that I can learn from him so that I can become a good cook as well
&no matter all of the difficult situations, we always get through them
*FOOD!
*Doctor Who!
*Seminary sunrises

Food
family
computer
America
Pie
ties
flowers
school
Moon
tables
Pens
books
people
turkey
carpet
tile
cousins
grandparents
relitives
church
dress clothes
Not Fish
Grass weather
plates
pencils
mechanical pencils
corndogs
pizza
ramen
oven
microwave
band
TV
movies
Entertainment
Mice
cats
dogs
Fish (alive)
dogs

Blessings
Life health doctors family spouse children grandchildren in-laws taste sight hearing smell touch mobility intelligence understanding revelation atonement freedom choices time friends opportunities warmth coolness variety food cooks fire electricity technology peace books computers courage prophets priesthood temple trips animals birds beasts schools churches stores government scriptures

My parents, Dad happily eating pickled okra, a Smith family tradition! (I was surprised at how tasty it is!)

Wishbone Winner

Sam & Roxie squared off, each pulling the turkey wishbone we ate before Stewart & Suzanna left for school at BYU, Provo (we celebrated Thanksgiving with them in August since they aren't coming home until December).

 

What determines who wins?  Is it constant pressure, more pressure, sudden jerk your direction, weakness in the bone?

We asked Roxie what she wished for.....

I am sure Sam wants more turkey & a rematch!

 

 

Testimony of Fiddler on the Roof...

Families matter.  Letting go of our children as they leave home and create their own family units is emotionally tough.  We lose control as they make independent choices.  We hurt and rejoice as we watch them survive their life experiences.  We pray harder, pleading for help.  Tevye is right up there high on the list of characters I admire for his honest prayers.

Friday night my visiting teacher gave us two tickets for a high school production of "Fiddler on the Roof."  Three youth from our ward were in the cast.  One of the amazing things they did was stage it with REAL children--so the high school students were the adults, and then having younger children also singing and in the group scenes--making it visually powerful that we were talking about families...Loved it.  I bawled during "Sunrise, Sunset" and "Do you love me?"  After 25 years...that is us, this next spring.  What a great story of prayer and family and even the absurdity of not talking to a child who disobeys you...We laughed and clapped and were very impressed with the talent that brought this story to life.

Saturday we met family on the windy-chilly day to witness the sealing of our two new nieces from Ethiopia to my brother and his wife! (I should have worn boots and a heavier coat!  Brrrr!)

 

It was windy and cold!  Fun to see outfits from Emma+Dean's wedding reception that still fit!  Evelyn's dress was one of my favorite thrifted finds!

Mezgeb and Rosie are officially a part of our extended forever family.

This was my favorite picture of Lu+Bob.  Temples make happy couples...

Sam took this one from the warmth inside the visitor's center.  LIGHTS are up next week for Christmas!  Nieces play flute recital December 7th.  We are also hoping to go down December 26th evening for a family history work session/sealing with our Provo children in town.

Painted Floors for ME as the client!

I've never liked the mossy green ceramic floor tiles that came with our home.  We've been here 5 1/2 years, and I have dreamed of many solutions to make them "mine".   Someday, I would love to replace them for something softer, friendlier on dropped china, warmer underfoot (bamboo, or bubble rubber flooring....) 

Meanwhile, armed with paint and some glitter...I followed the directions from this pintrist-er (pinner?)  Prime with good gripper primer, sprinkle, let dry, SWEEP, polyurethane.  Advice:  glitter builds up a profile:  sweep really good and get rid of any chunky layered bits.  It took more polyurethane coats to smooth it out, and then much longer before I was willing to let anyone walk on it. 

BUT THE RESULT?  Love it!  Brightens up the kitchen!  Fun, silly, girly.  If it chips away and is more temporary than I want, I will find another patina/solution.

Faces