You may wonder why I’m putting a picture of summer flowers here instead of something fallish or related to Thanksgiving. These flowers are from our yard in Arizona. They would come back in late summer, at the time of our wedding anniversary in August, if we took care of them by watering. The picture is a reminder to me of the importance of nurturing marriage in good times and bad.
It was a year ago at this time, the day before Thanksgiving, that my husband came home and announced that he had lost his job. Yeah, his old boss does not get any points for being diplomatic enough to at least wait until after a major holiday known for family togetherness to dump bad news on us.
I have always been thankful for my husband and marriage, but this day I am especially thankful. A year later after DH losing his job, our marriage has improved because of that very trial. So I’m grateful for the trial of job loss as well. It wasn’t easy to go through 8 months of unemployment and underemployment, but it was for the best. He didn’t like his old boss. It’s so nice now that he doesn’t ever have to deal with him again! Who would have thought a year ago when DH lost the job, that a year later we would be back in Utah, with a better job that pays a lot more, with a boss he likes? Who would have thought that we would be back living within a 30 minute drive of so many old friends, especially homeschooling friends, two adult sons, and extended family? It’s all because we worked as a team to figure out where God wanted us to go next and what God wanted us to do. I’m so grateful for my husband for being patient, prayerful, and determined to keep looking and applying for jobs. I’m also so grateful that we followed the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps while living in AZ for five years. Because we followed the steps, we were prepared when the job loss hit. We were out of debt and we had a three months’ supply of money saved up to deal with our normal monthly expenses. So thank you Dave as well!
I have benefited from wisdom people have shared with me over the years about building marriage. Most of it has come through books, and from God, through the Holy Spirit. I highly recommend these tips from my wise girlfriend Joyce, her 7 Keys to Marital Bliss. Thank you Joyce for sharing these!
You may wonder why I posted summer flowers at the top instead of something fallish or related to Thanksgiving. The picture at the top is from our yard in Arizona. Those flowers would come back in late summer, at the time of our wedding anniversary in August, if we took care of them by watering. The picture is a reminder to me of the importance of nurturing marriage in good times and bad.
After blogging yesterday about Thanksgiving picture books, along with my other favorites, I decided to do a separate post today about Christmas picture books. They really do deserve a separate post. Christmas picture books abound, which I thank God for. Reading aloud a meaningful Christmas picture book is so fun! After listening to Christmas music and reading the Christmas story in Luke 2, reading Christmas picture books have got to be the third best way to bring in the Christmas spirit. It’s just so much easier than decorating and it doesn’t involve any calories. This is part of my series to share what I’m grateful for to follow President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation.
Imagine my delight when I discovered some “new-to-me” Christmas picture books yesterday when I visited my public library. See the one above and the rest below.
Don’t these look luscious? I haven’t read any of them yet so I can’t vouch for them, but they look promising. Here’s my list of tried-and-true favorites, with no Polar Express in the bunch.
Here’s one not on that list, that my husband’s family has enjoyed since he was little, in the 1960s. It’s the book below. Just this past month, he had to hunt high and low to find an original copy. It was so fun to see him show it to me last night after it came in the mail. He bought it from an etsy shop. He pored over the illustrations and smiled, saying, “Richard Scarry really knocked it out of the park when he did this book.” His family has a tradition of reading aloud the poem from this book called Grandfather Monkey.
In the poem, Mr. Grandfather Monkey dreams of getting yellow gloves for Christmas. So DH’s mom always has a pair of yellow gloves on her Christmas tree, ready for the holiday ritual of the family Christmas party reading of the poem. Years ago, my DH’s brother bought a copy of an updated version that looks like the one below, including sparkly glitter on the cover, but sadly, it doesn’t have the Grandfather Monkey poem. A few years ago, he gifted a copy of the updated edition to each of his 8 siblings for Christmas. Many of the poems and stories contained are the same, but we have missed having a copy of the poem in each of our homes. My mother-in-law has been the only one with the poem. Each of the siblings can say it by heart. It’s definitely delightful! Someone else blogged about it over here. So that is a second witness of its charm.
It looks like amazon and Target each have a version for sale. I’m not sure if they are true “original editions.” I highly recommend you get the original so you can have the Grandfather Monkey poem. An added bonus is that the original book has a full 3-D pop-out Santa Claus in a chimney in the very front of the book!
Anyway, here are few more of my favorites from my original list, but you really must go check it out over here to get the full list.
Not really a picture book, as it’s a compilation of Christmas stories from the Little House books. It does have the lovely illustrations from the original books, just not on every page like true picture books.
Today, as I continue President Russell M. Nelson’s challenge to give thanks, I am thankful for picture books, and the public library. I wouldn’t be able to access all these picture books without it. I am actually thankful every day for this combo, and just writing out the thanks today.
Picture books have been a companion for me practically my whole life. at least as long as I can remember. The one below is a particular one I remember my mom reading to me when I was five or six.
Picture books are such a surefire way to make me smile. They make my heart skip some beats as I contemplate the delight I will either get from reading a new one, or reliving the joy of an old one.
I read the Jack Prelutsky one at the top of this post to help ease into the day this morning. It was perfect to clear out the groggy cobwebs of the brain. My little guy snuggled on the living room couch while I read it to help us wake up and get ready to tackle the jobs of the day.
I’ll start with sharing with some of my favorite Thanksgiving picture books, in celebration of this wonderful week and month. I do love sharing my and my daughter’s birthday month with the amazing holiday of Thanksgiving :-), even though the month of November outside of Thanksgiving and birthdays can be dreary.
Then I’ll share my some of my all-time favorites for year-round.
Now, some of my favorites for year-round. I particularly love picture book bios, like the one below. You can find more of my picture book bio recommendations over here.
I’m sure I’ll think of more after I leave this post. So check back often, as I will be updating this list. I can’t get enough of them! Happy picture book reading everyone!
I give thanks today for nature, the creations of my Creator, Jesus Christ.
“And he shall be called JesusChrist, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.”
“For if there be ano Christ there be no God; and if there be no God we are not, for there could have been no bcreation. But there is a God, and che is Christ, and he cometh in the fulness of his own time.” 2 Nephi 11:7
If I ever feel lost, I know that I get help from prayer. I also know that time spent serving others or time alone, basking in nature, reminds me that there is a God, there is a Savior, Jesus Christ, and that He loves me.
Today as I follow the prophet President Nelson’s invitation to #givethanks, I am grateful for my family. I’ll mention my daughter first, since it’s her birthday today. I’m so grateful for her. She’s 25 and I’m 50! This is the only year when she will be half my age.
She was my first natural childbirth, and my first daughter, after her older brother. I’m so grateful for all the light, life, and love she has brought into my life. I have learned a lot from her unselfishness, her organization, her focus, and her willingness to serve others. I’m so grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing me with this daughter, 25 years ago!
She graduated from college, got married, and has a baby of her own, with another boy on the way. Yay! We FaceTimed this morning to sing happy birthday to her and talk. It’s so fun to hear her little guy talking and recognizing me, I think, :-). She lives far away so we don’t see them in person often. We did get to enjoy them for Christmas last year. So wonderful! She and her amazing husband just bought their first home and are settling in before the new baby comes.
Playing football on Christmas Day in Arizona
I took a Bradley childbirth prep class when I was pregnant with her. Then I started going to La Leche League meetings, and that introduced me to a whole new world, of ideas and friends, who I still keep in touch with today. Some of them came with me on my recent birthday retreat. I view her birth as a watershed time in my life.
I’m also so grateful for all of my other children, my son-in-law and grandson. All of my sacrifices to nurture my family have been so worth it. They bring so much joy to my life. I thank God so much for my family!
I can’t forget my family of origin. I have four siblings and two dear parents. I’m so grateful to God for these wonderful people. On top of that, each of my siblings married someone wonderful and gave me great nieces and nephews. So I thank God for my extended family as well. Oh, and also my husband’s family and their spouses. And my ancestors. It just never ends. That’s a very good thing, and it’s because of God that it’s that way. 🙂 As my dear son-in-law says, “God wants us to collect families.”
Before vivid autumn 2020 in Utah slips away into faded drab end-of-November, I just have to share my delights of the time. This is my first fall here in five years so I am reveling in the season after moving back from southeast AZ. This morning, I watched President Nelson’s invitation and message to give thanks every day for the next seven days on social media. So here’s my Day #1 of #givethanks.
I wonder if there’s significance in the prophet choosing to give his message on the 20th day of a month in 2020, at 11 AM, with an 11 minute message? Hmmm…
Number the Stars Musical. We attended this after one of my longtime friends, KeeNan, said that her daughters were in it, as part of their homeschool community. Oh how I have missed homeschoolers’ plays while in rural AZ, when they were only once a year in my group/commonwealth/”liber community.” Now that I’m back in Utah I am in the land of numerous homeschool groups and plays. I invited my mother-in-law, knowing how hungry she was for an outing after being cooped up in the lockdown at her retirement center. So we drove the 90 minutes to see it, north of where we lived and homeschooled our older children, for 11 years, in Layton UT. The drive was SOOOOO worth it. We were richly rewarded with such a beautiful evening of wonderful acting, dancing, and singing. Those youth just shone with the light of Christ. It was put on by this group here and I think the script was the same as the one in the video below. I remember well when the girl who played the star of the show was born, as I’m friends with her mom. We were part of a “Moms as Mentors” group that met weekly to discuss TJEd principles. We were pregnant at the same time and gave birth, each with a daughter, within a week of each other. It was fun to see this young woman, 14 years later, so beautiful and articulate and practically all grown up.
Walks in my neighborhood. Probably the biggest disadvantage of fall in AZ is that the beautiful autumn colors aren’t very vibrant and don’t last long. It’s hard to find the bright red. The reds, yellows and oranges don’t last long before they fall off. So I’ve enjoyed seeing all the trees turn and stay neon colors in my neighborhood when I go on walks.
THM skinny chocolate in Greek yogurt and pumpkin pie spice
I learned about this idea from my friend Tammi, who does the YouTube Channel, “Keto in the Chaos.”
Here’s her official recipe for Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt:
1 c 0% plain Greek yogurt (Celestia’s note: I use half full fat Greek yogurt, because it’s so much more deliciously creamy, and half 0%)
1oz pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 squirt liquid stevia
Pumpkin pie spice to taste
Top with Sugar free whip cream
I eat two bowls of this a day (minus the whipped cream), I love it so much! But I also add chocolate. I do a tablespoon or two of pumpkin puree in my Greek yogurt, add 1 or 2 squares of my version of Trim Healthy Mama skinny chocolate, pumpkin pie spice and stevia (use your own sweetener of choice). Dig in! The photo above shows squares and no chocolate “dust,” the dregs of the jar where I store my chocolate, and the photo below shows another serving with the dust. So yummy!
BBC’s 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, all 6 episodes, whew!
Over the years I thought I had seen this whole thing. Turns out, that was just my wishful, addled, and overactive imagination, LOL. I’ve read the book, listened to the book on audio, heard girlfriends, sister and sis-in-law talk about the BBC version, read about people’s raving reviews on blogs, as well as debates about which version is best (BBC vs. Keira Knightley version, which I have seen) and watched parts for date night. Combine that with all of my mommy brain loss and fog from old age, homeschooling seven children and moving occasionally. I got sooo confused and deluded.
I finally watched MOST of all the whole thing at my recent birthday retreat with some girlfriends. While nodding off during Episode 5, close to midnight Saturday, I had to say I would wait for the last episode after I got home. I’m watching it tomorrow! So delightful!
But why does Lizzy/Jennifer Ehle get to be the only Bennet sister who gets to wear lipstick? And why does the actress who plays Jane look so, stupefied, or dare I say, moon-faced sometimes? After watching it, I have to admit I want to get a bonnet, smile radiantly indulgent at everyone, put on a high-waisted dress and go visiting all day, playing whist while I flirt with wit. Minus all the heaving bosoms.
I’m finally starting to understand why best-selling author Shannon Hale has crushed on Colin Firth for years. Before watching, I didn’t think he was all that great-looking, but as the series progressed, his broodingness grew handsome on me. He kind of reminds me of Maurice Harker.
The Lost Family by Libby Copeland. I read this with my friend Michelle because she recently had her DNA tested, knowing that she was adopted at birth. In September, I saw a poster at my local library saying that the library was hosting a “meet the author” night over zoom to discuss the book and ask her questions. So Michelle and I attended the zoom night. It’s a great book, one that I indulged in late at night and in the morning, climbing back into bed after scripture reading, to snuggle under covers (my youngest is 11 so I can do that) when I just had to find out what would happen next. It did get a bit redundant with the author repeating the theme of “What information should we keep private?/Are these DNA testing companies selling too much of our data?” to the point of ad nauseum but overall it was a great page-turner. I did sometimes skip the technical, non-story parts to get back to the cliff-hanger story and the other stories within the story.
Encyclopedia Brown. It’s become a nightly ritual to read this with my little guy, my youngest boy, every night. A chapter or two. The author wrote so many volumes that it will take us till he goes off to college to get through them all. It’s always fun when I can easily crack the case! And maddening when I feel dumb after not solving.
I do chalk up most failed nights to the fact that we are reading at 10:23 PM sometimes and are sleepy. I’ve given up on having early bedtimes! I’ve never been good about it and with child #7, I’ve given up. It’s just hard these days when I have college-attending kids dropping in at any time, even after I go to bed. I hear footsteps as I’m lying in bed and get scared half out of my wits thinking it’s a robber until I realize it’s one of my sons, come to fetch laundry or grab food. Anyway, I feel delighted when I come across chapters I remember reading and solving as a girl and when I hear my visiting 19 and 22 year old sons say they remember some of the solutions. Admittedly, some of the cases’ solutions involve prior knowledge that the reader might not have, but usually all the clues are embedded in the story and require general knowledge.
Picture book bios. We revisited the above book, which I found a few years ago, and then scouted it out this fall at my new library. I love that it’s a true story about two brothers! It also involves following your mission. Every week when I go to the best children’s library on earth, I head to the 921+ section to find picture book bios. Here’s my list here. They are my favorite type of picture books. (Wordless books are my least favorite. Ugh. ) I’m going to keep adding it to it as I find more.
A Simple CommonwealthSchool (a type of homeschool group)
It’s been so nice to be part of a commonwealth that is a bit more simple than all the other ones I’ve attended for 14 years in three different cities. In this one, it’s so simple: one class in the morning for everyone, according to their learning season, then lunch, and then the moms’ class after lunch while the kiddos play. Boom, we’re done! That’s our commonwealth day. Then I just get to drive 5 minutes back home. I’m crying tears of joy after driving 90 minutes one way to do a commonwealth, which we did the past three years.
Berry picking. I’ve always wanted to pick berries ever since reading Blueberries for Sal with my olders when they were little. My sister in Maine has tons of pictures of picking strawberries there that always look so idyllic. My dream finally came true when my friend Becky told me about this berry patch in Mapleton UT.
So when I found out that the theme for the month of our commonwealth for September was “hard work” I thought, “Ooh, let’s take the boys berry picking to that place Becky told me about!” My girlfriend Katie and I mentor a boys’ “love of learning,” ages 9-11 class. Off we went. It was truly magical. So much so we went there for two weeks’ worth of classes. It was so worth it to talk to the farmer and take a tour of the homestead.
Meeting the Candy Bomber. God is indeed in the details of my life. Out of all the places I picked to live in Utah, God landed me in a place where I could end up meeting the Candy Bomber. I can only chalk that up to God’s omniscience and loving kindness.
Apple crisp. Apple crisp is just so much easier than apple pie and tastes pretty much the same. I had fun serving this to my BYU-attending son and some friends he brought over one wonderful September Sunday night after the Face to Face broadcast in September for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sweaters. Yay! With cooler weather coming in September, here in Utah, I can wear sweaters sooner than in AZ! Like the adorable sweater below I found while thrifting.
Thrifting. I’ve blogged already about how much I love thrifting. Here on the Wasatch Front, I am in thrifting heaven! I can drive 20 minutes or less to at least 4 thrift stores, whereas before, in AZ, that drive only took me to one. So far this fall I’ve found the following: a marriage kit by the Gottmans, Can You Beat Ken? trivia board game, black winter boots to replace my old ones where the sole of the heel had fallen off, a pretty black skirt with a slightly flaired hemline to fit my new size after losing 40 lbs (this link here explains how I did it), soft gray ankle boots for only $4, brand new area rugs, worth $44 each with the department store tag still on, but on sale for $10, and like new black and white Vans for my little guy for only $4. Plus the cute outfit above. Sweet!
My birthday retreat in the mountains with friends. You can read about that here. So fun!
I agree with the prophet in his video message earlier in this post. “Counting blessings is far better than recounting our problems.” It’s so true! When you feel tempted to complain, say something positive, involving gratitude instead. You’ll see it attracts more positive things into your life. Thank you President Nelson for inspiring us!
I love this simple introduction to homeopathy as family medicine, by Angie Christensen, in the above video. It truly is the healthcare that everyone is looking for. What more can you want from a medicine? It is safe, has no side effects, can get rid of symptoms in seconds, eliminates the root of health problems, and is inexpensive. It is by far the most potent, fastest and cheapest medicine I have ever found, more so than herbs and essential oils, much as I love those.
I have had many homeopathic successes.
I feel so empowered after having many cures using homeopathy. Here are some of them:
-healing from the flu, the worst case I’ve ever had
-healing from the attack of an evil cactus on my wedding anniversary while playing Frisbee golf
I encourage you to learn more about homeopathy and feel empowered too. Did you know that the Queen of England never went anywhere without her homeopathy kit? Come learn about some royal medicine!
If you want to learn more about it, I highly recommend the material from Paola Brown, over at her website, paolabrown.com. Start with her book Evie and the Secret of Small Things, over here. It is the perfect primer for homeopathy. It teaches homeopathy in storybook form which is fun to read and memorable. It’s for all ages, children to adults. You can even join a mom book club to discuss it. See details here, and look for the classes for adults. The same storybook is used for children as part of Paola’s Teach Me Health and Homeopathy curriculum.
You can also use homeopathy for animals and plants! Paola’s sequel to Evie and the Secret of Small Things is Evie and the Golden Homestead. You can learn more about that here.
Paola has a great introduction to homeopathy below. Enjoy!
If you want medicine that is so powerfully effective, inexpensive ($5 to $15) for a tube or bottle, and has no side effects, you owe it to yourself to use homeopathy! It is the best!
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about the faith the brother of Jared had, because this week’s Come, Follow Me scriptures involved those stories.
Also all the mysteries surrounding his story. First of all, why wasn’t his name recorded until Joseph Smith revealed in the latter days that it is “Mahonri Moriancumr”? What’s up with that?
I stumbled upon the above book in my research this week. My local public library has it so I’m eager to pick it up this week and dive in. I’m copying the text below from the publisher’s website for the book:
Premise:There are many mysteries within the story of the brother of Jared including:
1) Why is his name not recorded?
2) Why did the brother of Jared cease praying during his time of the seashore?
3) Why did an all-knowing God prepare a plan for barges that had no light and no air? Doesn’t God know how to design barges?
4) Why did the brother of Jared build all eight boats before asking God about the light and the air? Didn’t he realize this after he built the first boat?
5) How did the brother of Jared build his faith after his period of lack of prayer so that he could enter into the presence of the Lord?
These questions are explored and discussed in detail as Baggaley uses his history as a licensed contractor and design engineer to form hypotheses regarding the Brother of Jared and the travels of the Jaredites from the time they left the Tower of Babel.
Sounds so interesting! Right?! I’m excited to read it!
I loved the Don’t Miss This video that accompanied this week’s lesson as well., below.
This morning in my Sunday School class over zoom someone pointed out the different kinds of answers that happened in Ether 1=5:
-“Here you go, just what you asked for.” (This happened in big ways. First, the Lord did not confounding their language at the Tower of Babel, second, in granting the brother of Jared’s bold request that they could go to the promised land, the land choice above all others.)
-“That does sound like a problem. What do you think you should do?” (When the brother of Jared presented the problem of not having light in the barges.)
-“Wow your faith is the most faith anyone who has ever lived on earth so far has had. I can’t keep myself behind the veil from you, so you are now blessed with the gift of seeing me.” (When the Lord showed himself to the brother of Jared.)
I love pondering the questions the study guide had this week: (coped and pasted below)
Ether 1:33–43 tells of three prayers of the brother of Jared. What do you learn from the Lord’s response to each of these prayers?
Think about a time when you have experienced the Lord’s compassion as you cried unto Him in prayer.
As you study Ether 2; 3:1–6; and 4:7–15, what truths do you find that help you understand how to seek personal revelation?
What impresses you about the way the brother of Jared conversed with the Lord, and what do you learn from this about how to increase the flow of revelation in your life?
To get to the promised land, the Jaredites faced a major obstacle: crossing the “great deep” (Ether 2:25). The phrase “great deep” can be a fitting way to describe what our trials and challenges sometimes feel like. And sometimes, as was the case for the Jaredites, crossing our own “great deep” is the only way to fulfill God’s will for us. Do you see similarities to your life in Ether 2:16–25? How has the Lord prepared you for your challenges? What might He be asking you to do now to prepare for what He needs you to do in the future?
What do you learn from Ether 3 about the spiritual and physical nature of God? How do these truths help you understand your divine identity and potential?
as well as the ones I came up with on my own:
What are some signs that have followed me for believing in the name of Jesus Christ?
What “veil of unbelief” is God wanting me to rend right now?
What does it mean to “treasure up”?
When have I seen figuratively “the finger of the Lord” in my life?
I heard about this new release on the podcast that the author Eric Metaxas does. Eric interviewed the author of the above book. It’s important that we all get convicted about the evil of abortion and fight for everyone’s choice, including the life and choice of unborn babies. Eric and Danielle compare abortion to slavery. Both hurt people, civilization, and are a form of bondage.
We, some girlfriends and I, had this yummy main dish at my birthday retreat last week. I found it in the Trim Healthy Mama Table book and tweaked it a bit. I didn’t have okra, which is called for in the recipe, so I left that out. It still worked. The sauce was supposed to have 1 cup frozen okra blended in. so if you do have the okra, blend it in when you make the sauce. I imagine it makes it a lot thicker.
It sure tasted yummy and warm! It was snowing outside the windows while we ate. Inside the cabin all was bright and dry. We dined on this with rice and salad, cleaned up, got into our PJs, then settled into three hours of BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, with all the “Scooby snacks” pictured below. My kind of night!
Here is my version of the recipe (sorry, no Scooby snacks included, you will have to go get those, 🙂 ):
2 to 3 lbs chicken breasts, cut with kitchen scissors (easiest) or knife, into bite-size bits
2 10 oz bags frozen broccoli
1-3 cups of other non starchy veggies, either mushrooms, squash, bell peppers, or cabbage, finely sliced
1 cup water with 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast -or- 1 c chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp glucomanann
Cook chicken, after sprinkling with mineral salt and black pepper, in frying pan with 1 Tbsp butter for five minutes, then turn over and cook for 5 minutes more, after seasoning other side. Put aside. While the chicken is cooking, you can mix the spices, water/broth and soy sauce in a blender. Add the glucomannan while the blender is whizzing. Cook the non starchies and broccoli in another 1 Tbsp of butter until tender to the touch of a fork, but not mushy. Add the chicken and sauce and heat and stir until the chicken is done. Serve with crushed red pepper flakes for those who want more spice to sprinkle on top. Next time I make this I will also serve with roasted sesame seeds seasoned with soy sauce for added crunch. Delish!
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Tree of Life Mothering 