the one about Thanksgiving

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! It was nothing like our usual Thanksgivings, but maybe that is what made it so nice. We have been able to spend Thanksgiving with both of our families almost every year since we have been married. My family usually eats around noon and the Lane family eats in the evening. This year, Grandma Lane changed her dinner to the night before. (It was GREAT, by the way! Hopefully a new tradition.) My family all had different plans this year and we ended up not having a dinner together. Excuse me while I sound very ungrateful for a minute... My family is small. 10 people when we are all together. We all live right here together and see each other nearly everyday. We get together for every Birthday, so really, it wasn't that big of a deal that we didn't eat together for one year. I actually saw every member of my family today and visited with all of them, except Brayden. And he is my buddy. Whats up with that??? Anyway, I realize how fortunate I am to have my family so close and I couldn't love them anymore, but it was kind of a refreshing change to do something different today. Since those two dinners were changed/cancelled, we had no plans for today. I was chatting with my good friend Lindsay the other day and they were going to be alone too, so we decided to have our Thanksgiving dinner together. It was so great! She cooked the turkey, gravy and stuffing. I did the mashed potatoes, pies and rolls. We met at their house at 2:00 and our meal was DEEEE-LISH! Lindsay's turkey was absolutely perfect and her stuffing was TO DIE FOR! I have to brag for a second and say that my rolls were perfect!! My pies turned out great too. And in my mind, no Thanksgiving is complete without my famous orange rolls! It was so much fun to make dinner for our families and we did a pretty dang good job if I do say so myself. It was so nice to visit with Brian, Lindsay and their beautiful kids today. I am so grateful for wonderful friends who wanted to join forces with us this year.

My roll dough turned out PERFECT today! It raised beautifully and it was so nice and fluffy. I made crescent rolls but forgot to take pix of them. Sad, because they were pretty. However, I did get some pictures of the orange rolls. The best part of Thanksgiving is, of course, LEFTOVERS! Lindsay was a sweetheart to share her beautiful turkey with us.

For the last couple of weeks, I have been writing things that I am thankful for on my FaceBook status. I tried to do it every day, but realistically...well... it just didn't happen. I did pretty good though. Of course I am thankful for millions of other things too, but here are just a few that I covered on FaceBook. I thought it was a perfect thing to add to my Thanksgiving blog post.

Monday, November 9
Today (and everyday) I am thankful for my beautiful little family. My amazing husband and my precious son make my life worth living! I love living with 2 "men" that love me, appreciate me, protect me, and respect me.

Tuesday, November 10
Today I am thankful for my big brother. I know, I know, CORNY! We have gotten so close over the last year and I am just so glad that we have a good relationship. Our families get together every weekend for games, our boys are best buddies and even our spouses are friends. I LOVE the relationship we have created. I love and adore my brother! He is such a good example to me!!!

Wednesday, November 11
Today, I am thankful for all of the brave men and women who have served or who are currently serving our country. I am also grateful for their families who live without them so I can be free. What a HUGE sacrifice! My Grandfather is a Korean war Veteran and I am so proud of him! Thank you soldiers, veterans, their families and even to our Government who all sacrifice and work so hard for our freedom. Happy Veterans Day!

Thursday, November 12
Today I am thankful for my 3 Sisters-in-law! Danette; SIL 17 years. We are SO close. She is strong, smart, determined and a good example to me. Talia; 11 years and she is the funniest, coolest sweetest girl on earth. She is very wise for her age and I admire her!!! Brynn; SIL for 9 years. We were meant to be sisters! We are GREAT FRIENDS and we are so much alike. She is always there when I need her and she is the BEST!

Friday, November 13
Today, I am grateful for my creativity. Is that weird? I hate to sound boastful or anything, but I love that I can think of something I want to make, visualize it, think about it for a few minutes and then create it. It comes very naturally to me. Everyone has their own special gifts and talents and I am so grateful I have found mine and I am able to use it every day.

Saturday, November 14
I am having a blast in Wendover with my hubby! Today, I am thankful for him and all the fun times we have together! He is the best guy EVER!

Sunday, November 15
I am glad to be home from our mini-vaca to Wendover. That brings me to today’s thankful post. I am so thankful for my home. It is not perfect, by any means, but it is nice, clean, warm and there is so much love here, it literally overflows!

Wednesday, November 18
Today, I gotta say, I am thankful for my FRIENDS! I know some of the most AMAZNG WOMEN in the whole world and I am so glad to be able to call them my friends. I don't want to mention names, because I will forget someone, I am certain. So please, if you are my friend.... I'm talking about you!!!!!

Thursday, November 19
I rid of that horrid 24 hour flu thing. Ewwwww. That brings me to my thankful post of the day.... SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO thankful for healthy, solid, regular bowel movements.

Friday, November 20, 2009
Today, I am so thankful for my amazing job!!! It is so much fun! I love helping people, I love making cute things, putting together displays, coming up with ads..... I just love EVERYTHING about it. Its the best job EVER!

Sunday, November 22
Today I am SO thankful for my amazing friend Lindsay!!

Monday, November 23
Today I am TOTALLY thankful for Christmas music. I LOVE IT!!! I have not started playing it yet, however, I am working on my Christmas playlist for my iPod.

Tuesday, November 24
Today I am so thankful to be an Aunt to the best boys on the planet! Besides being a mom, it is the GREATEST job a woman can have!!!! Of course, it helps that I have the most awesome, smart, adorable and amazing nephews EVER!!!! 

Of course, I am so thankful for my family, my home, my friends, my pets, Brett's job, and many other things. This was such a great holiday and it couldn't have been more perfect. It was very laid back and casual, which is just what we like! I love Thanksgiving! I love the harvest, the comfort foods, the smells and most importanatly, the kick off to my FAVE time of year.... CHRISTMAS!!!! Yes, I already have my Christmas decor up! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Here is a little teaser for something you will be seeing on my blog in the next couple of days.

the one about our new family pictures

I am so excited! My super great photographer friend Lindsay did it again and took some awesome family pictures of us! I am so pleased with the way they turned out. I am such a freak and I like to have everything perfect.... right down to socks and earrings. I worried and worried about every little detail and I am pretty sure I was about to drive Lindsay NUTS by the time we were done, but I am so happy with the end result. All of my stress and worry paid off! I will only share a few of my very favorite pix so my post isn't super long and over loaded with pictures. If you are interested though, here is a link so you can see them all. click here

the one about my surprise trip

Brett and I have been trying really hard to go on dates and have more alone time lately. Since we had Quayd, we just quit having date nights and stuff. We finally realized how important it is for us to have this time together so we have been working on it. I know for people with large families, it is difficult to make it work, but believe me, it is hard for our little family too! The biggest challenge we face is that we have always included Quayd in everything! It is so hard not to though, he is our best friend and we hate to leave him out! He is such an easy child to take everywhere and often, it is easier to take him along that to try to figure out a sitter.

Earlier last week, Brett asked me if I would like to go on a date with him the upcoming weekend. I assumed it was just dinner or something. He wouldn't give me much info but told me he would take care of everything. Who can argue with that?!? As the weekend got closer, he started giving me little bits of info and by Thursday, I knew we were going to Wendover for the whole weekend. He had already worked out all of the details for Quayd, room reservations, spending money and the whole deal. It was so wonderful! Now, keep in mind that Brett is a very non-romantic person. Like, possibly the most non-romantic person ever. So this was a pretty big deal to me. He got us a VERY nice room at a VERY nice hotel/casino. Sorry for the not so great pictures. They were taken with my phone because I didn't take the camera. Stupid, right!?!





I couldn't have asked for a better mini vaca and I couldn't have gone with a better guy! Well, maybe a little 7 year old guy that I know!

the one about the H1N1 shot

Because of my heart problems, my Cardiologist likes me to get the flu shot every year. Once the "swine flu" became the big deal, I needed to get the H1N1 shot too. It has been a joke trying to find a Doctor or clinic who had it! I always seemed to call right after the last shot was given. Go Figure. Well, today, Brett had to call our family Doctor for a refill on a prescription and he happened to ask if they had any of the vaccine. They DID!!! So they told him to send me right down. I went, and I got it. Shots don't bother me one bit. I kind of like them. FYI this one was extremely mild. However, the soreness and swelling are already setting in. I haven't done a ton of research on this vaccine, and I know it is kind of controversial. But considering my weakened immune system and my already existing heart problems, I am high risk for the flu. So really it was a no-brainer for me. I feel safer already!

the one about Brycen and costumes

It was my sweet little nephew Brycen's 1st Birthday on the 10th. We went over to his house and had a fun little party! We had pizza, cake, presents and lots of laughs! Here he is getting his cake. Isn't he adorable???
Now this might be one of my favorite pictures of all times. It was taken at the party and I think it is darling!!! Quayd and Talia. ahhhhhhhh.....

Now, on to the "costumes" part of my post. Two years ago, I bought Quayd a bunch of Halloween costumes at the after-Halloween sales. He has LOVED having them for dress up stuff. He and Brennen (and sometimes Brayden) wear them all of the time. Quayd's other friends love them too!!! (Quayd and Kasen)
Brennen, Zoey and Quayd
Quayd and Brennen go trick-or-treating at my mom and grandma's houses all year long!

They have also come in handy for different dress up activities at school. (Kindergarten-Fairy Tale day) Ha Ha, that reminded me that Shae was having a Superhero assembly on the first day of school and needed something to wear, so she came and hit the costume bin.

Here is a picture from early this October. Quayd, Brayden and Brennen had a 4H activity where they had to go trick-or-treating for canned foods to donate to the food pantry. Danette and I didn't have their costumes ready, so we just let them rummage through the costume bin. Brayden even found some things to use. I have started to notice the costumes are getting super small. They don't button up anymore and they are all high-waters. I went to "the marts" (Wal and K) on Tuesday and hit the JACK POT! Costumes were 90% off! I got so many costumes for them and the most expensive one was $1.99 and the cheapest was $.49. I got home before they got off the bus so I laid them all out on my couch. I intercepted them in the driveway and told them I had a big surprise in the front room. They took off RUNNING! You would have thought it was Christmas morning. They were THRILLED! They were tearing into them and trying them on before I even made it back in the house. It was so awesome that I was able to get them so many new ones. And I only spent about $20.00. Here they are in some of the new costumes. Brayden and I are OBSESSED with aliens, so he snatched this one right up! The only rule is that they have to stay at my house and they have to keep them picked up. Otherwise, it is a free for all! The best $20.00 I have spent in a long time! :)

the one about Halloween (finally!)

Yay!!!! I found my camera tonight! I had almost given up, and then I was helping Quayd in Brett's car tonight, and Ta-Dah!! There it was. I love when that happens! So, I am sorry for the delay, but here are some pictures I had to share!

Pumpkin decorating contest for school.... Quayd & Brennen.




Friday morning before school. I think it is so lame that kids cannot dress up, so I decided to push the boundaries a little bit and give Quayd and Brennen a little Halloween spirit.



Friday night, Danette and I dressed up for "Witches Night Out" in Downtown Vernal. It was pretty fun. I hope they do it again and can expand on it a little bit. Here we are in our costumes that I made. Danette has her cute little dog Izzy.


Later that night, us and our husbands went to a Halloween party.

You have to look closely at Brett's costume....

Halloween morning was busy! Quayd had a soccer game, then he had bowling league. They had a little party at bowling and the kids got to dress up. (By the time I took pictures, Quayd bowling team had already ditched their costumes.) These are his bowling buddies, Payton and Gage.




After bowling, we all had a little nap, then got ready for trick-or-treating. Brett stayed home this year, and Brandon wasn't able to go, so Danette and I loaded up the boys and had a great time. We even decided to wear our witch costumes! We also went to the rec. center for the annual Halloween celebration. It was really cool!!! Around 8:30, we came home, and decided to go to my mother-in-laws. She was fixing her famous tacos! It was really weird... we had not planned on that at all, but all 4 kids and their families ended up at her house and we had the funnest time EVER! We all stayed there for hours and we laughed and laughed. It was so cool. We haven't all been together for the longest time! Here is me and my crazy sister-in-law Brynn, and our cute boys.

All in all, it was a pretty great Halloween. I love Halloween!!! I love my family, my little mummy and my mammogram machine. :)

the one about some old stuff

Can you believe this is my 300th post!?!

I have been wanting/needing to catch up on some stuff, but I have misplaced my camera. I know, sad, right? Anyway, I finally decided to just do some catch up on some old stuff that has been piling up.

First of all.. I LOVE this weather, I love Fall and I love Thanksgiving. This truly is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it. I did notice, however, that the leaves and stuff are past their beauty. It is starting to get into that ugly pre-winter stuff. But it has been so nice lately, that I don't really care. Its amazing and I love it! I am also reminded of all of the things I have to be thankful for. I have noticed that many of my friends have been blogging once a day about the things they are thankful for. I love that, and I love reading them. I would love to commit to that, but considering my recent posting track record, I probably wouldn't make it. I know I have said this before, but I love blogging, I just don't have time. Actually, I have time, I just don't spend my time wisely. I am a chronic time waster.

Well, lets play catch up, shall we?

We no longer have roommates. (phewwwww...) We had 2 this summer and now they are both gone. My buddy Spencer moved in last Spring, and he left in August. He was ready to move on, and I don't blame him. He needed to find a job and he wasn't having any luck here. He moved back to the Wasatch Front to be near his family. We also had Brett's friend Morgan. He moved here mid-July and left at the end of October. It was fun having both of them, but I am also glad to have my home and my life back.

Quayd finished his flag football season last month. He liked it ok, but he is super excited to play tackle football next year. Now we have started indoor soccer. Brett and I are coaching. It is kind of a pain to coach, but I enjoy being so involved. Plus, we are the perfect candidates for coaching since we only have one child. That way we have no distractions and we don't have to worry about taking care of other children. Oh and also because we are huge suckers. Brett and I were playing co-ed softball and it ended in September. That kept us very busy. Now women's volleyball has started. Our team isn't very good, but we have fun. I have to keep reminding myself that it is just for fun.

Brett got a big fat promotion at work a few months ago, and I am not sure if I ever mentioned it. He now takes care of outside sales and he does a great job at it! I have been very happy to see him take more pride in his work and to finally enjoy what he is doing. He takes very good care of his customers and they take care of him too. I am so proud of him!

Same old, same old at The Country Bear. Here are a couple of the fun things I have made this month.

I am still loving working there. It is a VERY LOW STRESS job and that is what I love the most about it. Also, I love being able to use my creativity on a daily basis. Sometimes, my craft projects get put on the back burner, but making all of these fun things for work forces me to do it, and I LOVE it!

Quayd has become quite the little hunter. You know, Brett hunts but he is not an EVERY WEEKEND kind of hunter. Actually, he hasn't even had a tag for anything for about 5 years. He likes to go when asked, but doesn't make a huge effort to do so otherwise. Me? Hunt? NO THANK YOU! My father-in-law was a very avid hunter, and so is Brett's brother Cory. A few months ago, Cory asked Brett and Quayd to go with him to hunt prairie dogs. I figured Quayd would be bored of that in no time, but he actually LOVED it. They sent this picture to me. They helped Quayd with the gun, and he shot this himself. (Sorry if it is gross or disturbing to anyone!!) Brett said that Quayd got so hyped up over shooting! So after that, Quayd started begging to go prairie dog hunting every weekend. Once Elk season rolled around, Cory had a tag for the book cliffs. He invited Brett and Quayd to go with him. They went early one morning and came back that night. We figured Quayd would get bored. Well he didn't. He LOVED every second of it. So the next weekend, they decided to take a tent and stay all night so they could get up early and go. (It was still fairly warm at this time.) That night when they were going to bed, all three of them were still and quiet and Cory did an Elk call. They heard bull Elk calling back to it. They weren't very far away. Within 400 yards. Brett said Quayd was FREAKING out, he was so excited!!! They called back and forth for a little while, then finally went to bed. First thing in the morning, Quayd was ready to hunt. Unfortunately, they didn't get anything that day. But Cory got one during that next week while hunting with some friends. Quayd was excited for Cory, but disappointed that he missed out. A couple weekends later, Brett's friend Todd and his boy had tags for diamond mountain so they decided to take our trailer up and camp for the weekend. Quayd was more excited than anyone!!! Again, no luck on the hunt, but he still had a great time. The next hunt is in December. Brett's Grandpa Lane and his twin brother Elmer have tags for Elk in Colorado. They are both getting pretty old and not in the best of health, so Brett and Cory are going to go along. Oh, and guess who else will be going??? Yep, good old Quayd! It has always been cool to me how when the weather starts to turn cold, and the feeling of harvest sets in some men have this instinct that makes them want to hunt. It's like a survival instinct or something. I see it in myself too as a woman. I always feel like I need to stock pile food and can fresh fruits and veggies. Maybe I am crazy, but I notice this about Brett and I every year. I could see it in Mike, I see it Cory and I am sure I will see it more and more in Quayd as the years go by. Pretty cool stuff. On a funny note, Cory came over and dinner with us tonight. Quayd asked him, "When we goin' huntin' again?" Cory said something about deer or something and Quayd pipes in, "Well I know where we can get us a nice deer. Out in the book cliffs! We saw lots of nice ones when we were out there." He said it like an old pro. Just like he had hunted them a thousand times before.

Ok, on to other things. The status report on Triple Scoops Ice Cream, since many of you have asked, was good. We did well, for just starting out. We were able to get ourselves out there and get recognized in some of the neighborhoods. I am glad we have a head start for next Spring. We made a few mistakes, and we learned from them, but we will be pumped up and ready to go in a few months. I am so proud of my nephew Brayden. He has been an awesome business partner! He is very involved and works hard to make Triple Scoops a success. We are hoping to get involved in the community Holly Days celebration in a few weeks, which includes a parade of lights. That is still in the works though.

Another news tidbit, is that I celebrated my 31st Birthday last month. It was very laid back and not too exciting. Which is GREAT! My Birthday was on a Sunday. The Friday night before my Birthday, my buddies Kandice and Jamie took me to dinner and a movie. We had Casa Rios then went to The Stepfather. (Intense!) Saturday, Brett took me out for dinner and we met up with some friends at Club XS. It was ok. The morning of my Birthday, we went to breakfast with my Brother and his family. That night, we had baked potato bar with my family at my Grandma's house. Monday, I went to breakfast with Holly and Kandice. That was about it. Oh! On Monday mornings, I help in Quayd's class, so that Monday I took treats with me. I told them that they are all my friends so I wanted to have a treat to share with them. We had donuts and orange juice. It was fun, and the kids thought it was super cool. They are happy with any chance for a treat, right? Here are some of the awesome gifts I got. This is my new favorite thing on Earth, besides the two people that gave it to me.
Brett and Quayd got me this nice, soft blankie. I have been dropping hints for one for quite sometime, so I am glad Brett finally took the bait. I love it! It is so soft and I cuddle up in it all the time. Kandice got me this awesome necklace! And Grandma Galley brought this by on my Birthday.
She is so sweet, and her bread was AMAZING! It didn't last very long. This was my cake from my family party. Holy Delish!!!! It was awesome. I love white cake and white frosting. And last but not least, Holly made me some of her amazing cupcakes, and gave me this adorable turkey.
It was a great Birthday. I didn't mind turning 31. 30 didn't bother me either. Age is just a number, right? I actually enjoy being in my thirties. It makes me feel more grown up and more respected. People take a 31 year old woman way more serious than they take a 25 year old. Maybe not, maybe that is just in my head, but it makes me feel better. I feel like I am officially grown up now. I have been married 11 years, I have a 7 year old and I am in my thirties.

Ok, I guess I will end it there. I will post more when I find my camera. Hopefully soon. It's not to far away because I just had it the other day. I have some great Halloween pictures to share! Happy 300th post!!!!!!! Thanks for reading! :)