November 2013

NOVEMBER 2013

November comes in at #10 in my review of favorite to least favorite.  I like November because it's the month that we celebrate everything we are thankful for.  It's a time to be with family and reflect on the many blessings that our Heavenly Father has given us.  It's a time to enjoy feasts and the bounty of the harvest.  It's a time to remember those early pilgrims who celebrated that first Thanksgiving.   What I don't like about November should not come as a surprise to anyone, I dislike the cold.  I'm not the biggest fan of the fall colors, they are too dark.  During October you can find so many different Halloween decorations, and December there is tons of choices for Christmas decorations but there just isn't much in the way of Thanksgiving decorations.  More and more the world seems to gloss over Thanksgiving and want to just jump into Christmas.  Radio stations play Christmas music starting in early November, there are Christmas countdown memes everywhere, they put out the Christmas decorations in the stores before Thanksgiving, and people decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving.  I just want to celebrate Thanksgiving without having Christmas shoved down my throat.  I would love to have more variety of Thanksgiving decorations to choose from.  But enough of my soap box, I'll get off of it now.

There are two holidays in November, Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving.

Veterans Day ranks in at #14.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a very patriotic person and am so very very thankful for all of the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces.  I just prefer to honor them on Memorial Day when the weather is a tad warmer.  The kids generally don't get this day off of school, so no sleeping in. My family has a long and proud history of service in the armed forces.  

My grandpa Weidenheimer was a Colonel in the Air Force.

My dad served on the nuclear submarines.

My little brother, Aaron served in the Army Reserves and did a tour in Iraq.

My Uncle Donald also served on the nuclear submarines.  He and my dad did brother duty.  And the stories my dad tells about the things they got up to are hilarious.

My Uncle Lew was in the Merchant Marines in WWII

My Great Uncle Kenneth was in the Bataan death march and survived it but later died in a Japanese POW camp.

My Great Uncles, Grant, Lynn, Woody, and Jim all served in the military.  Grant and Lynn served in the Coast Guard, Woody was in the Army, and Jim in the Navy.

Thanksgiving ranks in at #10.  

For the past three years I have joined in the thankful challenge on Facebook.  The challenge is to post one thankful post each day.  You start on November 1st and go to Thanksgiving Day.  Thanksgiving landed on November 28th this year, which meant 28 days of thankful posts for me.   I have found it fun and enjoyable.  I love to think of all the things I am thankful for and share it with my friends.  And I love reading about what everyone else is thankful for.  It really gets me in the thanksgiving spirit.   Well then, what was I thankful for in the year 2013?

1.  I cannot believe it is November 1st already. This year has gone by so fast. The weather is turning cold, leaves are dropping from the trees, I wake up every morning wondering if the ground will be white, and I'm desperately missing summer. The kids had an excellent Halloween and came home with loads of candy that they will spend the next couple of weeks devouring. I'm slowly starting to get into the "holiday spirit", however I refuse to play any kind of Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. I like to take my holidays one at a time. Sometime today I am sure I will take down Halloween decorations and put up the Thanksgiving ones. Since it's now November 1st I am going to make my first thankful post. I am thankful for the miracle of life. I'm holding my sweet little baby right now. He's all snuggled up and sleeping, making it hard for me to put him down and get things done. He smiles all the time and laughs. To me, there is no greater sound in the world than the laughter of a baby. And even though we are heading into the dead of winter, I also know that the miracle of all life continues; spring and summer will come again when the world will be alive with the buzzing bees, singing birds, green trees, and wonderful flowers.

2. Today I am thankful for warm blankets. There is nothing like snuggling under a warm blanket when it's cold out. The problem is then that I don't want to ever get out from under the warm blanket.

3. Today I am thankful for dreams. I had quite the adventure in my dream last night. I don't remember all of the details but it involved Halloween, trick-or-treating, glow in the dark paint for costumes and a lot of fun.

4. Today I am thankful for all things warm. A snuggly warm baby to cuddle, a big warm coat, soft fluffy slippers, hot soup, hot chocolate, a fire in the fireplace, the heater in my car, and SUMMER!!!

5. I had a dream last night that it was a bright, hot, summer day and I was at Lagoon. Most excellent dream.......until I woke up to the horror of snow. Anyway...... today I am thankful for places like Lagoon. I love love LOVE roller coasters. I love everything about a theme park or amusement park....... the crowds of people, the smell of the rides and food, the terrified screams of enjoyment, the bright sunshine, the heat, getting drenched on the water rides to help keep you cool, the excitement of adrenaline on the rides, the laughter, the anticipation waiting in line, the loud noises, and the chaos of it all. I love arriving at the gates right as Lagoon opens and staying until it closes and they make you leave. It makes for a long but fun filled day.

6. Today I am thankful for flowers. Yet another reason I love spring and summer, all of the beautiful flowers that make the world that much brighter and happier. I love to see all of the colors set against the green grass. I love how happy and cheerful each flower looks, as if they are saying, “I am happy to be making you happy.” I love the smell of flowers. Some flowers have a sweet smell and some have a spicy smell and I love it all. I love how flowers just seem to make the sunshine even more bright, warm, and inviting. I love the beauty they bring to the world. I especially love it in the spring when the flowers begin to poke their heads out of the ground bringing the world out of the dead of winter into the bright happiness of life. I love to go on long summer drives just to look at how people decorate their yards in the summer with flowers. Now that we own our house, I have grand plans for many many beautiful flowers come spring. My favorite flower is the Carnation, I love their frilly look and their spicy smell. My other favorite flowers are Petunias, Moss Rose, Columbine, Snap Dragons, and Sweet Peas.

7. Today I am thankful for Energy Profiling and Dressing Your Truth. It has helped me so much in my life. I love knowing who I am and why I am the way I am. I love knowing that I am a bright, animated, happy Type 1. If you ever just feel down and frustrated with yourself go read "It's Just My Nature" by Carol Tuttle. I recommend this book for anyone. Then go read "Child Whisperer" by Carol Tuttle for good insights into your children.

8. Today I am thankful for modern conveniences. I would never have made it as a pilgrim or a pioneer.

9. Today I am thankful for music. One of my favorite sayings is, "Music of the heart tames all creatures." I'm not musically inclined, the only musical instrument I play is the radio. As far as my singing goes this is what I have to day about that: When someone asks me to sing at church I tell them that I only sing at funerals. That way people realize there is something worse than death. But I love to listen to music. If I had a theme song it would be "There is Sunshine in my Soul Today" but it would be sung in a southern drawl.

10. Today I am thankful for sleeping in.

11. Today I am thankful for all the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives to protect mine. Happy Veterans Day.

12. Happy 11/12/13!! Today I am thankful for all of my awesome friends.

13. Today I am thankful for animals. They make great companions as pets and some animals just taste soooo good.

14. Today I am thankful for the mild temperatures we have been having.

15. Today I am thankful for optimism. I love looking for the "bright shiny gold lining" in every situation. I love all things bright and happy. You can never look at a rainbow and be in a bad mood. My glass is always half full....unless you are my husband and joke that it's all full. One half is full of air and the other half is full of water... bah!! Engineers!! LOL!!!

16. Today I am thankful for food. My favorite saying is, "the kitchen is my favorite place because that is where I stuff my face."

17. Today I am thankful for my children that provide me with hours of entertainment.

18. Today I am thankful for the love, support, and prayers of family and friends.  You guys are all awesome!!

19. Today I am thankful for health. I'm coming down with a cold and there is a storm moving in so I'm hurting a tad today. Once Jacen asked me if I had three wishes what would they be? Most people when asked that question would answer with money, fame, love, world peace, happiness, etc. All of those are great wishes however, if I want money I can work hard, get a good education, learn how to save and use my money wisely. By wishing for money it takes away my God given gifts to work and learn. I could wish for fame, but then I see what fame does to people and I don't want that. Besides I have other talents to share with the world. I could wish for love but that takes away all of the fun of seeking it and when found, cultivating it and making it grow. And as we all know from Aladdin, a Genie can't make anyone fall in love with anyone else. World Peace, that's a grand notion and thought. However I firmly believe in our Free Agency. To wish for World Peace would be to take away our Free Agency to choose, face the consequence, and grow. It also takes away our right to serve our fellow man and learn compassion. I wouldn't wish for happiness because I can find happiness on my own. And if I never knew sorrow, I would miss out on the sweetness of happiness. When it comes to health, the same could be said that to wish for good health would take away opportunities to grow and learn. But if I had one wish, I would wish to have the ability to endure my health and to be able to be thankful for the health I do have. I remember a time where I could barely walk and was hunched over so much that I could not stand up straight. I remember a time when I couldn't use my left hand for anything. So, yes, I am in quite a bit of pain today but I am so very thankful that I have been blessed with the ability to put a smile on my face, and endure it to the best of my ability. I guess in that regard, my wish has already been granted 

20. Today I am thankful for sleep. It's always so nice when the baby sleeps through the night 

21. I am thankful for sunshine. To be more specific; hot, broiling sunshine.

22. Today I am thankful for smell. The smell of fresh laundry coming out of the dryer, the smell of a baby, the smell of cookies baking, the smell of baking bread, just the smell of good food in general, the smell of flowers, the smell of pine trees, fresh mountain air, popcorn in a movie theater, and the smell of summer. The list could go on. What are some of your favorite smells?

23. Today I am thankful for lazy Saturday mornings.

24. Today I am thankful for humor. Life would be so dull if we could not laugh.

25. Today I am thankful for the prayers of family and friends 

26. Today I am thankful for my nieces. I don't have many of them, but the ones I have are the best in the world. I love them all very much!! 

27. Today I am thankful for the excitement that comes the day before a holiday. I've got four pies to make today. Looking forward for the yumminess of tomorrow. The kids are all home and excited. There's a feeling in the air.

28. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I am so very thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful for all of the blessings that my Heavenly Father has given me. I am thankful for this wonderful day to celebrate all that we have to give thanks for. May peace and happiness be with you all today.

So, what happened for our family in November 2013?

Little Red June Bug turned five months old.

We decorated Grandma and Grandpa Deem's house for Christmas.  (The day AFTER Thanksgiving).

This is Bammer's tree that we helped decorate as well.  Apparently this year I didn't take any pictures of decorating the big twelve foot tree.  I'll do a better job next year :P

Firecracker had her birthday and turned eight.

She also was able to get baptized on her birthday.

And Spider Monkey got baptized too.  

 Spider Monkey and Firecracker are only three months apart in age.  We joke that they are our twins born three months apart.  It was a double special day for us to have them both get baptized on the same day.

December 2013

DECEMBER 2013

Oh, December!!  December, though cold, is a magical month.   The cold and snow isn't as offensive to me during this month and my guess is because it's Christmas time.  From December 1st to December 25th I'm actually okay with the snow.  I've lived in Utah all of my life and so I'm used to a White Christmas.  Therefore, it's not Christmas unless there is snow on the ground.  On December 26th I am done with the snow and want spring to arrive.  I love going to Christmas parties, I love opening my door and finding goodies on the porch, I love making fudge and other Christmas goodies, I love decorating the house, I love Christmas carols, I love Christmas stories, and I love Christmas break....two weeks of sleeping in!!  In case any of you were wondering, I am NOT a morning person!!  December is joyous and happy.

I made this for my mom one year. I haven't made one for me yet.  I need to to that.

I'm very particular about celebrating my holidays.  I want to make October through November last as long as I can.  I, therefore, REFUSE under any circumstances to purchase, decorate, or think about any holiday before the one coming up has been celebrated.  I WILL NOT buy anything remotely Halloween related in September nor will I decorate until October 1st.  November 1st, the Halloween decorations come down and the Thanksgiving goes up.  I WILL NOT buy anything remotely Christmas related until after Thanksgiving Day.  I refuse to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. November is dedicated to being thankful and celebrating all of my many blessings.  The first Saturday after Thanksgiving I take down Thanksgiving and put up Christmas, and turn on the Christmas music.  I also refuse to go Black Friday shopping, to me it's become a day where the true meaning of Christmas and Thanksgiving have been forgotten and we are consumed with our gluttony and fighting.   

Christmas is my all time number ONE favorite holiday of them all!!  I just LOVE Christmas. I love all of the beautiful decorations.  I love the lights.  What is it that I love about spring and summer the most (besides the heat that is)?  It's the flowers and the colors.  Christmas is like the winter version of spring and summer.  There are pretty colored lights and decorations that brighten up the dreariness of winter.  It's happy and wonderful.  One of my favorite things to do is drive around and see all of the lights.

I love celebrating the birth of Jesus.  I love thinking of the miracle of his birth and how angels sang, a new star appeared, shepherds came and worshiped at his feet, and the wise men who traveled from a far off land to bring him gifts.  The birth of Jesus ushered in the most important events in human history.  One of my favorite Christmas songs is "Mary Did You Know".    

"Mary Did You Know"
(originally by Mark Lowry (lyrics ) and Buddy Greene (melody ))

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know.. Ooo Ooo Ooo

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap.
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

I love the idea of Santa Claus.  I don't like the over commercialized Santa, as a matter of fact, I greatly dislike how over Commercialized Christmas in general has become.  I know that some people hate Christmas because of that.  I refuse to allow the over commercialism of Christmas cloud my feelings about Christmas.  I will always march to the beat of a different drummer and celebrate Christmas in my own way and according to my desires.  The Santa Claus I love is the Santa that represents the pure love of Christ.  I love that Santa is selfless, caring, and loves all people, children especially.  There's magic to that.  Jesus loves the children, he gathered them around his knee.  He prayed for them, and he blessed them.  If Jesus Christ lived and died for me, and loves me so much to suffer and die for me, then Santa is very real.  Not the Santa in the North Pole with his elves and toy shops, but the Santa that thinks nothing of himself but only thinks of others.  The Santa that brings joy and happiness to the whole world.  It's the spirit of Santa that is real.  There's a Christmas story that I love called, "Teach The Children"

Late one Christmas Eve, I sank back, tired but content, into my easy chair. The kids were in bed, the gifts were wrapped, the milk and cookies waited by the fireplace for Santa. As I sat back admiring the tree with its decorations, I couldn't help feeling that something important was missing. It wasn't long before the tiny twinkling tree lights lulled me to sleep.

I don't know how long I slept, but all of a sudden I knew that I wasn't alone. I opened my eyes, and you can imagine my surprise when I saw Santa Claus himself standing next to my Christmas tree. He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot just as the poem described him, but he was not the "jolly old elf" of Christmas legend. The man who stood before me looked sad and disappointed, and there were tears in his eyes.

"Santa, what's wrong?" I asked, "Why are you crying?"

"It's the children," Santa replied sadly.

"But Santa, the children love you," I said.

"Oh, I know they love me, and they love the gifts I bring them," Santa said, "but the children of today seem to have somehow missed out on the true spirit of Christmas. It's not their fault. It's just that the adults, many of them not having been taught themselves, have forgotten to teach the children."

"Teach them what?" I asked.

Santa's kind old face became soft, more gentle. His eyes began to shine with something more than tears. He spoke softly. "Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas. Teach them that the part of Christmas we can see, hear, and touch is much more than meets the eye. Teach them the symbolism behind the customs and traditions of Christmas which we now observe. Teach them what it is they truly represent."

Santa reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny Christmas tree and set it on my mantle. "Teach them about the Christmas tree. Green is the second color of Christmas. The stately evergreen, with its unchanging color, represents the hope of eternal life in Jesus. Its needles point heavenward as a reminder that mankind's thoughts should turn heavenward as well."

Santa reached into his bag again and pulled out a shiny star and placed it at the top of the small tree. "The star was the heavenly sign of promise. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of that promise on the night that Jesus Christ was born. Teach the children that God always fulfills His promises, and that wise men still seek Him."

"Red," said Santa, "is the first color of Christmas." He pulled forth a red ornament for the tiny tree. "Red is deep, intense, vivid. It is the color of the life-giving blood that flows through our veins. It is the symbol of God's greatest gift. Teach the children that Christ gave His life and shed His blood for them that they might have eternal life. When they see the color red, it should remind them of that most wonderful Gift."

Santa found a silver bell in his pack and placed it on the tree. "Just as lost sheep are guided to safety by the sound of the bell, it continues to ring today for all to be guided to the fold. Teach the children to follow the true Shepherd, who gave His life for the sheep."

Santa placed a candle on the mantle and lit it. The soft glow from its one tiny flame brightened the room. "The glow of the candle represents how people can show their thanks for the gift of God's Son that Christmas Eve long ago. Teach the children to follow in Christ's foot steps... to go about doing good. Teach them to let their light so shine before people that all may see it and glorify God. This is what is symbolized when the twinkling lights shine on the tree like hundreds of bright, shining candles, each of them representing one of God's precious children, their light shining for all to see."

Again Santa reached into his bag and this time he brought forth a tiny red and white striped cane. As he hung it on the tree he spoke softly. "The candy cane is a stick of hard white candy: white to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock the foundation of the church, and the firmness of God's promises. The candy cane is in the form of a 'J' to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth. It also represents the Good Shepherd's crook, which He uses to reach down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray. The original candy cane had three small red stripes, which are the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed, and a large red stripe that represents the shed blood of Jesus, so that we can have the promise of eternal life."

"Teach these things to the children."

Santa brought out a beautiful wreath made of fresh, fragrant greenery tied with a bright red bow. "The bow reminds us of the bond of perfection, which is love. The wreath embodies all the good things about Christmas for those with eyes to see and hearts to understand. It contains the colors of red and green and the heaven-turned needles of the evergreen. The bow tells the story of good will towards all and its color reminds us of Christ's sacrifice. Even its very shape is symbolic, representing eternity and the eternal nature of Christ's love. It is a circle, without beginning and without end. These are the things you must teach the children."

I asked, "But where does that leave you, Santa?"

The tears gone now from his eyes, a smile broke over Santa's face. "Why bless you, my dear," he laughed, 

"I'm only a symbol myself. I represent the spirit of family fun and the joy of giving and receiving. If the children are taught these other things, there is no danger that I'll ever be forgotten."

"I think I'm beginning to understand."

"That's why I came," said Santa. "You're an adult. If you don't teach the children these things, then who will?"

After Christmas ends, the next holiday waiting around the corner is New Years Eve.  New Years Eve ranks in at #15.  I guess the reason for that is that nothing big or grand happens when the clock strikes mid-night.  Sure it's the start of the new year, but all that really happens is that the passage of time continues on.  Sure, people look at it as a fresh start but what is it a start to?  Some people continue with the same struggles they are having.  I guess for me, New Years Eve is an end, and end to the magic of December.  It's time to put away the pretty lights and decorations, leaving the dreary winter in it's wake. It signifies that January is here and I really dislike January.  I remember as a child begging my mom and dad to let me stay up to see, what I thought, would be some big magical fanfare when the new year began.  When nothing big and magical happened, I was very disappointed and have never really cared for New Year's since.  I do like New Year's Eve for one small reason.  I love getting together with family and friends to play games, visit, and eat lots of treats.

For eleven years now, New Year's Eve has taken on a whole new meaning for me.  New Year's Eve is only secondary to me.  What is most important and very special about December 31st is that it is the day my daughter, Live Wire, was born.  I always make sure that we celebrate her birthday first and foremost before any kind of New Years celebrations happen.  Celebrating her birth is more important to me than anything else.  

So what, may you ask, happened for our family in December 2013?

Little Red June Bug turned six months old.

He rocked this Santa outfit.

Getting photo bombed by Space Man Spiff and singing Christmas Carols.

The kids all had an excellent Christmas.

Live Wire turned eleven.