The Thanksgiving Tree

This year we tried something new. We made this lovely tree. We have had a good time and many FHE activities full of writing our thank yous and putting them on our tree.

We wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. And know that most of you made the tree.

xoxxo,
The Svedins

The Color of Butternut Squash

Have you seen pictures of my house yet? I keep promising to post some and then never do. Here is a picture for your imagination. My house was built in the late 40's and has some very interesting colors in it. The most interesting and dated color can be found in the kitchen which coordinates coincidentally with the master bedroom. (You think the previous owner liked this color much?) Some might call it Pink. Some might call it Mauve. But as I prepared dinner tonight I realized that it is neither pink nor mauve. The color of my kitchen is the beautiful fleshy, pink color of Butternut Squash skin, which I think is an absolutely beautiful color, especially next to the bright orange color inside the squash. (That is the color of my back bathroom.)

As I peeled squash tonight for this recipe it accursed to me that the skin I was peeling off was an identical match to my counter tops. Although it is not my favorite color in bulk I can appreciate it a little better now. I sure do love the color of butternut squash, especially in the Fall.

By the way, the squash recipe was delicious. I kept thinking it would make a wonderful Thanks Giving Day side dish. You might even try making it with yams instead of squash.

Smiling Grey

Check it out! Isn't he handsome!?! Two months old and already smiling like a pro. He must know something about how great his life is . . . or is going to be. LOVE IT!

Grandma, this is for you.

Ups and Downs

The trees are down. The fence is up. The leaves are raked. And all just in time because today it snowed, and then it rained. The flurry of Fall work these past few weeks reminds me of this book:

Hurry Hurry Mary Dear by N.M. Bodecker

Only in this book poor Mary is alone in her endeavors, and I have a hard working husband to blame for most of what get's done around here. I feel like very few people around here believe in their own ability to get things done. They are always saying they have done something when what they really mean is they have hired someone to do it for them. When said people visit and see the work Matt has done taking down trees and putting up fences they are truly amazed that he did it himself. I think they also consider him a little bit crazy for working so hard. Time is money around here . . . or something like that. Maybe it's, "Why do it yourself when you can boost the economy by paying someone else to do it for you."

My only contribution this fall consists of 1 quart and 1 pint of apple sauce (almost all eaten) and a freshly raked lawn threes weeks in a row.

Driving At Night

The ladies here meet every week for volleyball at the church. I like (in all little letters) volleyball, but I don't love it. It reminds me of all those activities and tournaments you can probably read about in the journals of my youth. I'm sure I'm the only non-volleyball enthusiast who knows what it means to be "second hit," or who has a solid under-hand serve. Every time I see a ball fly toward me I hear Brother Moon's voice telling me to cushion the hit, slow it down, and stay in my half moon formation.

So I've been spending my "volleyball nights" doing other things, like shopping the JC Penny's sales. But Matt talked me into it this week, and as I drove to the church I realized why I don't like to drive at night. Like any other place, it's dark here, but unlike other places, there aren't very many street lights, even on major roads.

At one point I was on a section of road that had been recently repaved with only the middle line repainted. I watched the yellow line to make sure I was staying on the road. No big deal, right . . . until a couple of cars come your way and you have to stare right into their head lights because there is no where else to look to keep yourself on the road.

Oh Upstate New York. I don't know why you have to keep it so dark at night; perhaps so we can always see the beautiful stars.

Leftovers Night

I never thought I would say that I feel lucky to have had leftovers tonight, but I do. This day was a fun one. While Jill was in school I watched my friend's little boy and raked leaves. Then I picked up Jill and drove to meet Matt for lunch. The girls LOVED that.

Then we went to play with some friends for the afternoon. We got home around 4 and pulled out the leftovers. I happily started my dishwasher half full.

Happy Veteran's Day

The weather today was beautiful, and the girls and I had a plan, which we wrote on a scrap of paper with a crayon last night. Mostly it was my plan and the girls just signed their consent. Here was the plan:

Wake up!
Eat breakfast
Take bathes and get dressed for the day (very important because all my children were very dirty.)
Find the missing library book
Return books to the library and go the the grocery store
Eat lunch
Rake leaves
Quiet time
Make dinner
Eat dinner
Deliver dinner to a sick friend (planned service, not random)
Go to bed

Notice that waking up was probably the most important part of this plan. Because it was a holiday and none of us had to actually be anywhere (except Matt, who did not get a holiday) we had the potential for never waking up the entire day.

Other high points in the day include actually finding the missing library book, making it in and out of the store without losing any children, or fingers (I may or may not have made threats about fingers falling off if my children let go of the cart to touch unneeded items.), and raking most of the front yard and part of the back. At one point MaryEllen stood on the stump of a felled tree looking very Lorax like. She also won my heart when she offered end of season mums to Jill who was hiding under my big black leaf moving tarp as if the whole leaf raking project had thrown her into deep mourning.

Now it's late and I'm tired. The laundry is still in piles, but at least they are clean piles now instead of dirty ones.

The Thankful Tree

Today started out as a normal Monday with normal type goals. We are in charge of snacks for Jill's preschool class this week. Nothing fancy. We took animal crackers and fruit snacks. At home we started some laundry, watched a show, and talked about President Monson's Sunday morning conference talk with my visiting teachers. Then we picked up Jill, and had lunch.

And then I got an idea. I got a box for the garage, and while my children got into all kinds of mischief, I cut out a tree trunk and 6 limbs for our living room wall. Half way though my random project my friend called and asked if Jill and M could play with her daughter. Perfect. She picked them up, Grey fell asleep moments later, and Hannah and I spent some quality time together pushing leaves down the drive way. Then she took a nap too.

I had all afternoon to do very productive things, like laundry, or rake more leaves. Instead, I finished mounting a cardboard tree to the wall and cutting out beautiful construction paper leaves. I was so into leaf cutting that when Matt and the girls came home from work and play I hadn't even started dinner. We had something very random and then had a Family Home Evening lesson on being thankful and taped leaves to the tree that said what we were thankful for. We again had something very random for FHE treats, and then went to bed.

I'm thankful for a loving family that puts up with my randomness and plays along.

Happy Birthday Jill

Sunday birthdays are interesting. You wake up and everyone tells you Happy Birthday, but you still have to wear your least favorite tights and be still and listen and be extra helpful until dinner time. Then you have to eat dinner and help clean up from dinner. Then you have to sit still and listen to the Home Teachers give a lesson while all you can think about is the frosted cake calling your name in the kitchen.

And after you sit through church and sit through dinner and sit through the Home Teacher's visit, you still have to sit and wait for Mom to wrap your presents and Dad to light your candles and everyone to sing Happy Birthday to you before you can blow out the candles and eat cake and ice cream and open presents.

Being 5 is so rough.

This year all Jill wanted was a locket and a bike bell. So she got a locket, a jewelery box, some rings and other necklaces, a few headbands and bracelets, and a bike bell. Maybe some day I'll learn to just get the kids what they ask for.

4, 3, 2, 1, CAKE!

This morning, Matt was with the 11year old scouts, so we took it slow and easy. Jill and I chatted in the family room while I folded some laundry from yesterday, we got dressed after Hannah and MaryEllen finally woke up, and we had breakfast for an hour as I puttered around the kitchen. I made bread. I made smoothies and more kefir for another day. I made sourdough pancakes. I emptied the dishwasher and reloaded it with breakfast dishes. I swept. I fed Grey breakfast.

Then Jill and I picked out a cake mix. The girls helped me gather the ingredients and equipment.  Jill preheated the oven. And all of the sudden I was out of non-messy things to do. We had to just bite the bullet and make the cake. MaryEllen had the box ripped open in no time. She poured the mix into the bowl and everyone had a taste. Yep, it was good. We determined that cakes are OK to keep in food storage. Jill helped me add the water and flour. Then we needed to add two eggs . . . But I have 3 girls . . .

The 4 year old did a great job cracking her egg into the measuring bowl. The 3 year old cracked her shell, pulled it apart, and threw egg and shell into the bowl. The 2 year old was sad when I said we had enough eggs and instead of putting hers back in the carton she dropped it on the table. SPLAT! The baby just slept though it all. We mixed the batter longer than recommended because everyone needed a turn. A small price to pay for happy children. And then everyone tried the batter. Yep, still good. Jill said it was too good to stop trying it, so I helped everyone stop by putting it in the pans and in the oven.

After the cake baked we went outside to trip one of the last hydrangea bushes left from the yard, tree, and bush clean up project. We had lunch. Then Dad came home from the camp out, Hannah went down for a nap, and I took the other two girls and Grey to a friend's house for a Thrive food company party.

Then home again, quick dinner and bathes, and back in the car to a friends house for some fun while Matt and I went on a date (and shopping for Jill's birthday.) Tip: Everything you could ever need to make a 5 year old's dreams come true can be found at Wal-mart. And now we have gifts to go with the cake. Happy Day!!!

We Love Trees!

We bought a house with lots of trees because we love trees. We bought a chainsaw because we love nice trees. Today Matt rented a U-Haul truck and made 3+ trips to the city trash transfer station with limbs and vines he and the missionaries (who needed a little extra service the past few weeks) cut from our yard. They also took out over grown bushes and threw those in the truck.

Lots of wood. Lots of work. I'm glad it didn't rain much today. Just a little sprinkle. Matt is hoping for rain though. There is an 11 year old camp out planned for tonight and he wants it to be canceled so he can wake up bring and early and work on the trees again. So dedicated!

Preschool

Today, just like every other Mon-Fri since September, we all got dressed, we all ate breakfast, and we all hopped in the car to drive Jill to the local Baptist church for preschool. We were a little late today because Mom worked out and had to take a shower (that's a new thing I'll talk about later. The working out part, not the showering part), Mom was slow making the ham and eggs, Mom forgot to get every ones shoes and coats on until just before we had to get out the door, and Mom took a wrong turn as we tried out a new shortcut.

Today, just like every other Tues&Thurs since September, MaryEllen also had preschool.

Today, not like every other Tues&Thurs, I taught MaryEllen's preschool. I get to do this every 5th week, and it is like the perfect storm that makes me grateful that it's not every 4th week.

So, after we dropped Jill off late, we raced back home, cleaned up breakfast and the rest of the house, got out the preschool supplies and hoped for the best. Then it happened: the children arrived and we started preschool, sort of. One of the children stood by the door crying for his mom to come back, Hannah pooped her diaper, and Grey started to cry too. We did the best we could to maintain some control. We sang our songs, we talked about the weather, we played the name game to go along with our Letter N theme. Then everyone had to go to the bathroom, or so it seemed. We are all potty trained (not including Hannah, who was still stinky, and Grey, who was still fussy.) but a few of us like help. All the children who like help needed, or wanted, to go more than once. We went potty while the others colored. Then we went potty while the others stickered. Then we went potty while the others played with toys and read books. Then I changed some diapers and fed Grey. And then I realized someone was missing. She was in the potty. She doesn't need help, but today she didn't remember where the potty was until much to late. I changed one more child.

We had snacks, we made bird nests out of paper plates. We read the groups favorite train book. Then the moms came. I forgot to ask them to come a little earlier so I could pick up Jill on time. The shoes and coats were found. Everyone hustled out the door. We put on our shoes and coats and hustled out the door to pick up Jill. We are late. Very Late! We meet the piano tuner on the way to the van. He is early, and we are still late. He has to move his car so we can get out of the drive way. I let him into the house, and I buckle my children in while he moves his car. We take the new shortcut to pick up Jill. I make the same wrong turn. We get there just as Jill's teacher is getting ready to call us. We are so happy to pick up Jill.

Today, I have never been so happy to pick up Jill. Picking up Jill meant that Preschool was over for the day and over for me for the next 4 weeks. Preschool is so much fun.

For Me

So, when I started this blog, or the other blog, or that first blog before that, many many years ago, I thought I was doing it for you. And really it is for you. I want to keep you all in the know, and send pictures and all of that awesome stuff.
Then about 3 1/2 years ago I convinced myself that I was writing for my mom, and that became problematic and seemed very unnecessary.
But as I think about my life and how things are going and the way I'm spending my time, and on what, I realize that I've always blogged for me. If I stop now then I'll have to go back to buying interesting looking journals. I've used up my supply.

Here it is. My record of me and my family. Starting now, with a shocking lack of pictures, because for some reason I also stopped taking those a few years back. Lame!!!

Fall has been beautiful. MaryEllen keeps collecting the leaves. One day it will be the brightest shade of yellow or red. The next day it will be the teeny-tiniest. Today it was THE BIGGEST LEAF IN THE WHOLE WORLD. She said that many times as she showed me the large oak leaf very, very close to my face. When I opened the back hatch of our mini van to pile in trash bags bound for the dump, the wind somehow caught her leaf and blew it from the back seat, where she was buckled in, out the back hatch and onto the drive way. I hadn't seen all of this and didn't know anything about it until I got mad at her for unbuckling and getting out of the car. I tried to herd her back in, but she was undeterred. She yelled, "My leaf," many times before I got it and let her go. She was frantic. We found it and she happily hopped back in. I would offer you a picture of THE BIGGEST LEAF IN THE WHOLE WORLD, which was indeed an impressive size, but somewhere between dropping Jill off at preschool and going to the dump the leaf was ripped to shreds in the back seat of our van. All that remained was THE LONGEST STEM OF THE LARGEST LEAF IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

A few facts about my first impressions on New England's trees:

Snow shoveling begins before there is any snow. mounds of leaves are raked from yards weekly. In our neighborhood big trucks with huge vacuum hoses come by to suck up the leaves the way a snow blow and dump truck would take away the snow.

New England rock climbers hook their equipment up to the trees because they are more of a challenge than the New England mountains.

We love trees, but our first major home purchase since our arrival here has been a chain saw.