An Intimate Thanksgiving.

Minus the Paynters and Bethany and Cody this year, Thanksgiving was smaller than our typical Sunday dinner.

Our group was so small that we all fit around one table in the living room. It was a quieter Thanksgiving than we are used to. Look at how somber everyone looks. And it appears I caught Michaela in a weird moment...

What happens when Julie and I are in charge is that we eliminate all unnecessary food items and strip it down to the basics. Not a lot of variety but still lots of deliciousness.

Except for pie. All kinds of pie is always necessary.

Don't you just love catching people mid-bite? (Sorry for the second awkward photo Michaela).

Though his eating skills are a bit cavemanesque...

... Elijah's pie making skills are top notch. This Peanut Butter Oreo pie was to die for. Seriously.

And speaking of pie making skills, I recreated Janis' Sweet Potato Pie all by myself to perfection. Well, maybe not perfection but it was dang delicious.

And after all was said and consumed- we hit the theater to catch a little fire...most of us seeing it for the second time. It's that good.

And so, Thanksgiving came and went at lightning speed around here.

I have so much to be thankful for that I won't share it here, but rest assured I play out that list every day with Heavenly Father. 

I am blessed.

Until The Ripe Old Age of Ninety Nine...

...Brother Franklin Enlow lived next door to us 

with his sweet wife Lela. 

2 1/2 years ago, Lela passed away, and Franklin moved to a care center in Orem. 

Today, he turned 102. 

The secret to his longevity, says he, 

is that he eats three good meals a day, exercises twice a day, and looks for ways to help someone everyday. He believes that if he always has someone to serve, he can live as long as he wants to.

I believe him.

Happy Birthday Franklin.

Words I Never Thought I'd Hear From My Teenage Son:

(As he pulls a store bought pie crust from our freezer) "Why in the world would you buy this? Don't you know I can make an amazing pie crust in less than 30 minutes?!!!"

And he can.

 Elijah's "pi" pie...

He is taking a Pro Start class this year, which teaches cooking/catering skills and results in a state wide food competition in February. They spend many hours baking for school events, and are even doing a holiday pie fund raiser this season. Thus, his pie baking skills have become awesome.

That's a big win for us this Thanksgiving.

Gone Girl.

This morning, before the sun got up, we dropped Bethany off at the airport to begin a new adventure. 

She has decided to quit Utah, and give another state a chance to breathe new life into her.

Our house feels empty-

and oddly quiet :)

I have to be careful because Bethany is NOT sentimental, but-

we miss her already.

Love you Beth.

For Alicia.

I found this picture in my Family Reunion stash.

Thought you might appreciate it.

Could not be more proud of our missionary cousins...

What Do LDS Women Get?

I love this. Succinct and powerful. 

There isn't anything I'd rather be than an LDS woman.

Seriously Everywhere...

On every device--my phone, my ipad, and my camera- 

are a million pictures of Buddha. 

NOT taken by me.

I think we love him or something.

 I think you're feeling it too, right?

Four Score and ...

Remember 2 years ago when Will had a tiny little part in a school assembly and it turned his world upside down?

Look at what he did today:

 He wore this cheesy Abe Lincoln get-up...

...in front of the entire school, 

and recited the Gettysburg Address.

Anxiety, whuuuut???

Go Will!

It's a Pie Thing...

Last Wednesday, I spent the afternoon with my Aunt Janis

 for a Sweet Potato Pie making class. 

She is leaving us for Thanksgiving this year 

and I couldn't bear the thought of not having her killer pie as part of 

the brain cell killing pie-a-thon that is Thanksgiving.

It was a wild afternoon believe me.

 Between 5 little girls accompanying the process, 

and putting together a shed 

mid pie mixing and baking---

we were both worn out by the end.

But now I know.

 

Sweet mercy!

Ghetto Fab on a Saturday Night.

Don't ask me what that means...I was just the photographer.

 

Oh Halloween, How I Love To Hate You.

I love everything about Halloween until the end result: massive amounts of candy. 

It about drives me out of my mind when I see the stash that comes home.

This pillowcase is half full.

Half full!

 This is the stuff that rots the teeth and is Will's fave: hard candy.

 This is the stuff that I have no self control over: chocolate.

And though I have a sweet tooth as big as the state of Texas, even I have my limits.

Thus I asked them to choose a portion of their favorites to be rationed out over the coming weeks. I then bagged 7 little Ziplocs full and stashed them in 72 hour kits. Next, we pulled out all chocolate that could be baked in Sunday cookies, and bottled the rest for our emergency food storage. 

That's the best I can do to give myself a little peace of mind until the Christmas candy starts rolling in.

Wow. Happy Halloween.