So, I Googled my name the other day and look at what I found! How crazy is this?!

Do me a favor, go and Google your name and see what you find and then if it is cool email it to me and I will post it next to this here beauty!

Yes, that one.

It was celebrated here too.

The morning of Jan went off to play foot-ball with a bunch of guys – whilst I stayed home and entertained the ladies.

We did some festive themed “body crayon-ing” – Millie drew herself a Nut Cracker!

And I drew her a Sugar Plum Fairy.

Clara is passionate about “The Snowman” – if you haven’t seen or read this, go out and buy it today. It is pure Christmas magic. You wont be sorry! Here is her Snowman…

And her “boy”

Clearly, after the body crayons came a much needed bath

And then, once dad was back & our family began to arrive the festivities could begin in earnest!

For the first year ever we had a “kids table” – decorated by Millie and me.

(Please note: Baby Grant sat in for Eli who was a little late to the party)

While the kids ate their lunch of turkey sandwiches and potato chips we had a lunch of beef wellington and a salad with pomegranet seeds, feta and pine nuts.

Eventually Eli and his folks showed up and our happiness was complete!

(These cousins were excited to see Eno, Alli and Eli)

I had this crazy idea of wanting to ENJOY Thanksgiving dinner – meaning after working myself to the bone I did not want to be forced to deal with screaming children, wipe any noses, listen to some one under the age of 6 moaning that they didn’t like turkey, gravy, mash potatoes, etc. etc.

SO, we didn’t actually serve the real Thanksgiving dinner until 8:00 PM, when the kids were all in bed.

(Well, not all the kids were in their beds, Grant was on the sofa — which is totally acceptable if you are 2 months old)

At the appointed time, we, the adults, sat around this table in a very civilized fashion and ate a meal uninterrupted. (Well, almost – Grant joined us part way through, which is cool when your as tiny as the G man.)

It was rather nice.

(I love that song. It’s old, but it is still good)

My sister Bette came to visit us.

She is the greatest.

She came to my rescue because my usual rescuer was needed in this crazy place called CHINA.

Ever heard of it?  Just pick up anything at your house, look under it and it will say, “MADE IN CHINA” – that is where my rescuer went. He was talking to some big shots while I was back home throwing up. (He made a big presentation, I am making a small human being).

To each their own.

Back to Betta, my sister.

While she was here she…. made the beds, made multiple forts and played and played and played with the girls, changed diapers, let me take a few naps, did dishes, swept floors, buckled kids into car seats, dropped kindergartners off at school, stayed up late watching movies with me while eating peppermint ice cream.

I took her to pizza (cuz that is what she wanted to do)

I took her to Anthro (cuz that is what I wanted to do)

She is a SIZE ZERO – so it is basically like having a live Barbie doll to dress. Every time I go to Anthro I think to myself, “Oh, Betta would look so cute in that!” And well, friends, she really does look cute in everything. (But don’t hate her, she is REALLY NICE!)

I sent her into the dressing room with a giant pile of clothes. It was hard to pick what to get her – it all looked so darling!

But we did.

In the end, we narrowed it down to three things.

Here you can see her wearing one of them.

Look out Provo, she is coming back. And she is coming back in the world’s cutest trench coat EVER MADE!

Thanks for everything, Betsky!

We love you and miss you like crazy already!

So, how about we come and see you in aprox. 11 days.

Deal?!

(Get those root beer cookies ready, Grandma!)

Would you…

Take your child out of school

Drive for three hours (round trip)

Spend 35 minutes looking for a parking place and not find one

Ask your brother to risk his life to get you that parking place and put up with several angry Jewish people (one who threatened to run him over)

Get a parking ticket

Pay 56 dollars for two pizza pies

Hold a napkin to your five year old’s mouth while she spits out her first bite of pizza (which is probably worth about $1.50)

Ask your sister who is visiting from out of town to hold the dunk’n doughnuts bag up to your 2 year old while she throws up (due to car sickness)

Well, would you?

I would.

The little portion of attractiveness that was allotted to me

My “cute wardrobe” (or what is left of if after the moths got to it, curse you pesky moths)

My ability to accomplish what I used to call a full day’s work

My happy disposition

Feeling good physically for several months

My ankles (eventually)

Sleep

A scale (which is sliding daily towards a weight that makes me feel a little depressed)

Blog posts (have you been missing them, me too!)

for

this

Just making another human being, that’s all. Doing my job. Fulfilling my mission and placing a few things on the alter, as it were.

I don’t feel heroic, but maybe, I should!

If you stick around I will most likely post a few more things about Dawson number three.

Since our evening of sharing a diet coke (see last post), the girls and I have moved on to “harder” stuff.

Last week when Jan had a client dinner the three of us shared a bottle of this,

A bit decadent perhaps?

But life is short, people.

Take it from us, it was meant to be ENJOYED!

(Nothing like a little non-alcoholic sparkling cider to get the blood flowing!)

Clara’s speech has taken off in the last few weeks. I mean she hasn’t turned into Winston Churchill or anything – but she has been saying some real winners.

Of late my two favorite things were:

As I was giving her a slice of pizza she said to me,

“Thank you, my darling.”

Later in the week when we were at the drive through she said:

“This my lucky day!”

And yes, we have eaten out every night since Jan has been gone. Judge me. I don’t care. We are going out again tonight, with friends and it is more than likely we’ll be going out on Friday night too.

Like I  told you before, we are a dangerous trio!

…goes out of town, he takes all the testosterone this house has ever known with him.

And crazy things start to happen.

I think of them as “extreme female moments”

By far, though, the best female moment I have shared with the girls was during our weekly Family Home Evening — when Millie, Clara and I sat on the sofa and shared a diet coke! We opened with a song and prayer so that makes everything okay….doesn’t it?

I don’t know.

I just don’t.

But one thing is certain, there is just no telling what kind of mischief this trio is going to get up to in the next 48 hours!

Come home soon, dad – I don’t think we can be trusted!

TACO SOUP.

It may be utterly uncool, made in a crock-pot, and a Mormon comfort food

but it is good!

The other day my good friend’s little girl came home after a really scary, four day hospital stay. So, I took this family taco soup. As I made it I felt like it wasn’t good enough (for all the reasons mentioned above). But that evening, as I ate it I realized something, uncool or not – taco soup is TASTY!

I for one would like to say that I eat it, I like it and it makes me very happy.

&

speaking of admitting to being a fan of something that is “uncool”

THIS JUST IN (and especially for my sisters):

I went to pick up our mail and the unthinkable happened. I looked through the Land’s End catalog and found multiple things that I LIKE and WOULD WEAR!

This is not just CRAZY TALK, my friends, I mean it!

Check it out and see if you concur

See what I mean?

And the prices are VERY reasonable!

Check out Land’s End’s groovy new brand, CANVAS

&

perhaps

Like me, you may be pleasantly surprised!

If there is such thing as an “anti-hero” could there be such a thing as “anti-cool”, which in the end, turns out to be TOTALLY GROOVY?

Ponder that, over taco soup while flipping through the new Land’s End catalog in a parallel universe…or something!

Did you know that I have 28 posts in my “draft” section? That’s nuts. I think I will post a few of them. Not because they are any good, just because reading one of them is better than reading nothing or old posts (I’m probably the only one who does that around here).

Without further ado, here is one that I wrote last year!

*******

When you look at this picture, what do you see?

A cookie Jar, my little “junk catcher” with a birdie a top, a bread box and a butter nut squash. No?

For some unknown reason when I looked at this combination of objects this is what I imagined,