Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Our Fancy Feast!

We always like to celebrate Thanksgiving with our little family before we get together with the extended family on Thanksgiving. I like to incorporate the traditional foods into non-traditional recipes. We had duck instead of a turkey, we had au gratin potatoes instead of mashed potatoes, and my kids and husband hate yams so I made buttered carrots and herbs. I had to make a pumpkin pie because for Thanksgiving I'm making a pear tart. My kids love pumpkin pie.

I have to say that I'm loving Thanksgiving more and more every year! Probably because I have a food blog and I love to cook. It's also the only time of year that I get out all my fancy dishes (besides Christmas). My kids forgot that we had crystal goblets and our real silver silverware. The girls felt like princesses. Also, the lit candles told the kids that this was going to be a special meal. They were so excited.

We talked about Thanksgiving and all of the things we are thankful for and the kids were so good. They enjoyed all the different pieces of silverware and learning what to use them for. We've been eating all the leftover since Sunday. That's why I love having a dinner in my home so that we can have all the left overs. The rolls I think were the biggest hit. Manuel said that they were so yummy he could eat them without anything on them.

The night before our fancy feast, we had our homemade fast food feast. The kids have been in feasting heaven ever since.

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and will share all the fun moments from our Thanksgiving this weekend. Enjoy your turkey and don't forget to contemplate all your blessings!


She fell asleep on the couch. Totally reminds me of Snow White after she ate the poisoned apple.

Sometimes I like to make homemade fast food. I made fish & chips with homemade tartar sauce and ranch dressing. I served them in my cute restaurant baskets.

                             Mmmm!!

         Gabe loved this meal! He loves fish and fast food.

After dinner Manuel felt like we needed shakes so he went and bought pumpkin, candy cane and eggnog.
          All the flavors of the holidays in one bowl!

On Sunday we had our fancy dinner!

The kids kept their church clothes on because we had tithing settlement with the bishop after dinner.
We always have our own little Thanksgiving dinner before Thanksgiving. This year we had duck instead of turkey.


I put more time into the food than I did the decor.
Cambrey said, "Mom your fancy dinner is awesome!"

Our duck! Crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. I had to crank up the heat so it would be done in 2 hours.

We had duck wit orange sauce, rolls, shrimp and cream cheese dip, carrots and herbs, au gratin potatoes, creamy pear-lime jello, cranberry stuffing and pumpkin pie and raspberry ginger ale!

F   The potatoes





They ate all the shrimp!
My homemade pumpkin pie!

Cambrey in her cute pilgrim hat.




Thursday, November 21, 2013

Turning a Blah Day into a Hurrah Day!

Yes, those blinds are a bit dusty!
It's one of those cold, gray, November days. I thought to myself as I got out of bed this morning, "I don't have to be anywhere today, so I'm not going to get ready."

Brrrr it's cold out there.
As I made my way to the kitchen where my seven-year-old son had breakfast ready on the table, my husband's words echoed through my mind from the night before, "Why are there books all over the living room? This is supposed to be a nice room to enjoy. The carpet needs to be vacuumed - it's been too long. Gabe never uses his bathroom anymore because have you seen what the girls have done to it? This house is a mess!"

I could take an obvious hint and realized that if I was going to be home all day (in my sweats) I was going to be productive. No, not working on my little goals and personal projects - but doing things that will benefit everyone.
Sweats are the best when you're pregnant!

I started cleaning the entire kitchen, then I cleaned all the bathrooms. I washed the bathroom rugs, mopped the floors, cleaned up Paisley's red, blue and green science project explosion and all the works. I even put special little touches in the kids' bathrooms like clean new cups and fresh towels. I then vacuumed and went on to separate the mountain of clean laundry in our bedroom. I put fresh bedding on my kid's beds and got the Scentsy warmer going with a yummy Fall scent. The house was starting to look so much more welcoming, I felt like I had got my workout for the day, and because I was already on a role, I decided to make homemade cookies. My son always hints that he wishes I made make yummy snacks for him after school.

Yes, this could have been one of those days where I worked on my little projects, browsed my favorite websites, read more of the book I'm currently reading and chatted on the phone all morning with family. But I decided to try something different and I have to say it did WONDERS for my energy level, motivation and mood. I am happier today than I have been in the last two weeks. I feel like I contributed a lot today to my family and did a lot to show them I care.

No, my kids or husband may not notice all that I did, or may not even verbally express any thanks but at least I can say that I haven't yelled at my kids yet, I haven't felt stressed or annoyed, or low on energy by the time 2:00 pm rolled around, so I think this productive day has been worth it.

It's true; when I focus on myself and work on my books, blogs and reading I'm not as patient with my kids. I dread interruptions because I'm so deeply concentrated. But, when I'm walking all over the house cleaning it. I've got a better eye on the kids, they see that I'm not just doing something for myself. I sing and find things to laugh about and I'm better engaged.

Yes, it's been a great day today! And....I haven't even left the house.

She's so proud of her work.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Is it Time for a Purge in Your Life?

This topic was long overdue in my own life and over the last couple of months I have really made a night and day difference in my well-being by doing a major purge of the people and things that were draining my time and energy so that I didn't have enough to put into the things I was passionate about. So, what exactly does purge mean? If you look at the definition from The Free Dictionary online, this is what you'll see:

purge
v. purged, purg·ing, purg·es

1.
a. To free from impurities; purify.
b. To remove (impurities and other elements) by or as if by cleansing.
2. To rid of sin, guilt, or defilement.
3. Law To clear (a person) of a charge or an imputation. Often used with respect to contempt of court.
4.
a. To rid (a nation or political party, for example) of people considered undesirable.
b. To get rid of (people considered undesirable).

I'm going to focus on definitions #1-b. and #4 -b.  Impurities, elements and undesirable people. This was really tough for me because I'm super kind to everyone. It's always been difficult for me to separate "being assertive" from "being mean" - they are not the same thing. Even though I was a state certified instructor back in the day for teaching others how to do this and understand this concept - it was much easier said than done.

I'll never forget the wise words spoken from a powerful woman entrepreneur/life coach that I met a few years ago. She said, "If there is ever anything in your life (person, project, or organization) that is draining you of your time and energy and not allowing you to have the time and energy you need to do the things you are passionate about (your family, goals and dreams) then it's okay to cut those things out of your life. Your well-being comes first and if you are feeling drained, stressed, anxious, tired and unhappy on a daily basis, how are you going to be the mom or wife that you want to be? How are you going to reach your goals? It just makes sense - doesn't it?

Well, I took her words to heart back then and mustered up the courage to cut some very unhealthy and draining people & projects out of my life. I talk about this experience in my book, Successful Failures and how good it felt to have that weight lifted off of my shoulders. As difficult and awkward as I thought it would be, I've never regretted that decision.

 As life often goes, we end up repeating many of the same lessons again. This year I experienced that firsthand. There were a couple of people and projects that again entered my life and were eating up my time and causing me a lot of stress and anxiety. My husband said this happened because I'm too nice and people jump all over that weakness of mine. They come to me asking for all sorts of favors knowing that I will always say "yes". My sister says that I have the classic "Keller Trait", meaning that I get that weakness from my Dad's side of the family - the Kellers. They were known for their kindness, generosity and inability to say, "no". My mom tells me that I'm a pushover. She says I let people walk all over me and I don't have a backbone. At the same time she tells me I am very stubborn. Isn't "stubborn-pushover" an oxymoron? If you ask me, I'd say that I just don't like contention and so I do my best to keep the peace. I always felt that people came to me because I was supposed to help them and in the end we would both get something good out of it. Truthfully, in the situations I had found myself in, all I was getting out of it was headaches, sleepless nights and stress.

I now have time to make these cute snowflakes for my tree!














After hearing everyone around me tell me that yes, I needed to take a stand and cut out the projects and people that were destroying my well-being and/or taking away my focus from the things that were more important, I again mustered up the courage (after a lot of prayer) and made a purge.

You know purging has been a good decision when you really feel that weight lifted off your shoulders. I couldn't believe how heavy I had felt all those months. The sheer weightlessness I was experiencing was incredible! I felt like I could breath better, sleep better and had more energy. What I learned was that some people understood and were very kind about it and we still keep in touch - others were not so happy about it and were very upset. That's when I realized how much control they really had over me and how they were not so willing to give it up. Again, it confirmed that I had made a wise decision to cut ties. 

The story doesn't end there. With a fresh, clear mind I was able to steer my focus back towards the things I had been working on before all of this happened. I couldn't believe how off-track from my goals I had strayed. One of the main things I had been so passionate about was this blog. If you read the "about" section you'll see what my original intentions were for this blog. Then if you look through all the posts, you'll see that it quickly turned into just a scrapbook of my children. I didn't have the time or energy to write inspiring posts so all I could do was post pictures and videos of my family - even that felt like a draining project.

Now that I have my focus back, the inspiration is pouring in. I'm so excited to write and connect with so many of you out there. This is one of the things I was born to do - write; in order to connect and inspire. My passion has been reignited all from a long overdue purge.



Okay, so look at your own life. Are there things, people, projects or organizations that are draining you of your passion? Now - don't say your children. If you're mind went there - it's okay to laugh about it for a second but realize that our family members are off limits from purging. They teach us the things we need to learn like patience and unconditional love. Instead look for ways you can get your passion back about being a good mom, wife, sister etc. by purging the secondary things in life that really shouldn't be a priority.

Whether it be the news, an addiction, a week night social group etc., look for the things that are draining you of your time, energy, passion and focus on what's really important - and purge them. Don't worry about what people might think or say - just put your own well-being in the driver's seat and take control again of your life and your happiness.

If you are feeling stressed, anxious, worried, depressed and find yourself often complaining about situations and people in your life - it's most likely time for a purge. Look for the activities and people that are steering you off course and say, "goodbye". It's possible to be firm and assertive without being rude. Say what you mean and mean what you say - and stick to it. When life is no longer enjoyable - it's because you have lost control. Get it back and steer your life to where it needs to be. Find out what it is you were sent here to do and do it! When you're doing what you're supposed to be doing it feels good and enjoyable. You feel the passion and you are good at it. Find what that is and do it! The other things don't matter and will work themselves out. You can do it!

Daily Question: Does saying, "No" come easy to you or do you struggle? Please share.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Fun in the Snow and Deep Thoughts

Life isn't always easy and there are moments when I feel inadequate, unqualified and unappreciated. Usually when I'm in those gloomy places it's my children who seem to rescue me - just by being children. I admire my kids and wish I had the humility and tenacity to face the world the way that they do. They never worry what people may think of them. They just say what needs to be said and they are always honest about their opinions and feelings. They give the most genuine advice and have the most unique perspective on life.  But what I admire most is their ability to love. They are so forgiving and always ready to give a hug, a kiss or a compliment even when I feel I don't deserve one. They have taught me so much during my short seven years of motherhood that I couldn't help but put my feelings into a poem. Here it is:

 Lessons From My Little Ones

Through my little children
I’ve learned a great degree
More than I could ever be taught
From a university

No Ivy League professor
Could ever help me see
For it is through my little ones
I learn who I want to be

My children say, “I love you Mom”
Several times each day
But even only once a week
Would take my breath away

And when we’re at the table
They’re always quick to say
“Mom, I love your cooking”
No matter what I make

When I’m feeling lonely
Or tired from daily trials
I’ll feel a hug against my leg
And suddenly I smile

No, I don’t need a mansion
Or the car of my dreams
Cause in my humble home
I’ve got everything I need

It makes perfect sense
As to why the Savior said,
We must be like a child
To gain all the Father hath

If in this dreary world
I could ever be
A little more like my children
It is then I will be complete


DAILY QUESTION: What life lessons have your children taught you?

I just want to squeeze her!
Gabe's first self-made snowman - we named him "Wood Chip"



Tuesday, November 12, 2013

What I Love About November

I love November!  I just love getting ready for Thanksgiving and looking up yummy recipes to make. This year I am going to make my poached, pear pie and yummy mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce (I'm going to make it different) and a sparkling drink. I can't wait. I love my Thanksgiving decorations. I love my little pilgrims and turkeys. I love the fall leaves outside. I love the smell of the air. I love making yummy dinners - it's something my family can be happy about because with daylight savings it now gets dark at 5:00 pm. I just love holidays and seasons!

I also love the story of the first Thanksgiving. The pilgrims came to America for religious freedom and it was the Native Americans who helped them survive that first winter. All of my ancestors on my mom and dad's side of the family also came to America for religious freedom. When they joined the LDS church in Europe back in the 1800's, they were persecuted for it and they feared for their lives. They came to Utah so they could live and practice their religion in peace. Thanksgiving is all about being thankful and I am thankful for all that my ancestors sacrificed so that I could be born into this wonderful gospel and live in a place where I can practice it in peace. It has blessed my life immensely.

Funny side note: I have an ancestor named "Thankful". That was something I discovered while doing my genealogy.

Daily Question: What are your Thanksgiving traditions? And what are you thankful for?

I love my pilgrim and turkey decorations!
I made this and it only cost me 50 cents. It's still wet in this picture. I love vintage decorations.


Cambrey catching a snooze.



She always asks me to take pictures of her
I love baking in November. This is lemon zucchini bread.


The best muscles ever! This has been Manuel's favorite dinner of the year. I love making seafood dinners.
We had fresh pomegranate and pineapple salad, creamy garlic potatoes, cooked artichokes with lemon dipping sauce and the delicious steamed muscles!


My kids went to town on this dinner. They couldn't stop eating it. they love seafood and muscles. Paisley ended up eating more muscles than any of us. They also love to dip the artichoke leaves in the lemon sauce.                          Manuel ready to feast!

                              Mmmmmmm!!!
Yes, it snowed and the kids got ready all by themselves to go play in it.

           Venturing out into the cold air.



                    They made snow angels!






               I love making candy apples!


SPaisley lost another tooth and a third one is about to come out. Here's what the tooth fairy gave her.




Here is Cambrey making autumn corn at preschool.



It was parent day at preschool. Here she is performing for me.


These are the kind of things she does when she is alone in her room.



                           After church



I wanted to rake just for fun. We didn't have too many leaves.
The girls love to dance on the lawn. They perform for the cars driving by.