More Things I Am Grateful For

Since I didn't get a chance to add to my list yesterday I get double

duty today. Here goes-

1. I am grateful for Orange rolls. Yum!

2. I am grateful for Pie Crust Day. Every year in

November, my mom hosts Pie Crust Day at

her house. It is for all the grandchildren. (There

were 25 children and nine adults there yesterday.)

They all get to make their

own pie crust, and all the moms make crusts
for the Thanksgiving pies they will make. The
kids talk about it all year and really look
forward to it. Mom said yesterday, "I don't
know how many more years I'll be able to do
this." My sister, Jolene, and I told her that
she started the tradition so she gets to carry it
on until she dies. Mom said that may be
anytime now, with how much this activity takes out
of her.

3. I am grateful for rain. I love how it cleans the air

and makes everything clean.

4. I am grateful for crock pots.

5. I am grateful that I get to make this list and think
about and realize all the things I am grateful for.

6. I am grateful for a two year old that is a born
entertainer. He has been trying somersaults
and doing flips and dancing around our front room
for the past fifteen minutes. It is very entertaining and makes me
happy to see.


7. I am grateful for the scriptures. I am grateful for the chance my
husband has to teach the Gospel Doctrine class in our ward. We get
to have some really neat discussions as he prepares his lessons. I am
also grateful for this because then I get to hear some of the lessons
that I would otherwise not hear because I am in Primary.


8. I am grateful for carrots and potatoes. Especially the potato part. I
could eat them everyday.

9. I am grateful for little kid giggles.

10. I am grateful for Jackson's Primary talk he is giving today. Look it up
on Mat and Kati's blog. I really appreciate the sweet spirit that children
have. I get to see it and feel it every week in Primary.

Mike's 2nd BLOG

Greetings to the world!!!

In my second blog entry I will obey the command of my sweet wife and write 5 things that I am grateful for. I will admit that mine will be somewhat different and will probably not be to the extend that Belle has written but it will be my five of the day.

1. I am grateful for a car that takes me to and from and around for work. It is my office on wheels and smells like it. It has all my sales crap in the back seat and my binder fits in between the parking brake and the passenger seat. It has been a great little car and gets me where I need to go. My area manager and other coworker laugh at me because I don't drive a Lexus or a BMW but I also don't have a $350.00 a month car payment for which I am also grateful.

2. I am grateful for the health I have. Yes, I am big and could stand to lose 100-150lbs but on the whole I have been pretty healthy. I have been able to take care of my family and help build and keep a house going. I feel pretty lucky to be alive and well.

3. I am grateful for my beautiful, amazing, persevering, incredible, and muy caliente! WIFE!!! She can do almost anything from fixing the main plumbing pipe under a house to canning a mess of applesauce to talking with me when I am down to being my best friend. The last one is probably the most amazing!

4. I am especially grateful for music. I am always amazed that music gets me motivated and pumped up or gets me relaxed and spiritually uplifted. I know I am not the best singer in the world but I love to sing with the radio and in Church and in the shower. (Bad visual for all of you) It is the power that brings peace in my life.

5. I am grateful for the blessings of good parents. I look back at the times I gave mom and dad grief and pain in my life and realize I am getting a double helping in return. I am glad Dad held us accountable and set high expectations for us. I am glad Mom taught us that the world is full of amazing things and that I can see the possibilities if I open myself up and welcome them in. I am also grateful for Dee and Diann and the influence they have added in my life. Dad Lalliss has been a great resource of information and help and Mom has always looked at the best that people have to offer and recognize their potential.

So there you have it. They are good for me and I hope you all have something you can think of that you are thankful for.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. I am grateful for fun socks.

2. I am grateful for rechargeable batteries
for my camera.

3. I am grateful for big mugs of steaming
hot chocolate.

4. I am grateful for two year olds who say
"besh ooo, mommy" when I sneeze
or blow my nose, and say "yuv ooo,
mommy. hug, hug?"

5. I am grateful for work. I need to clean
out and unpack some boxes from the
room that will eventually be the "girl's
suite". You can hardly even get in there because everything has just
been dumped in there.

Have a fantastic day!

Here's my grateful list for today-

1. I am grateful for the ocean. This is a picture of me, my brother Rick, and my sister Jannette in July 1976. We are at Seal Rock in Newport, Oregon. This is one of my favorite places on Earth.

2. I am grateful for a washing machine, a dryer, and a dishwasher.

3. I am grateful that there are people who are willing to serve in the military. This is a picture of my brother, Scott. He is a linguist in the Army Reserve. He has served for 15 months (I think, it could be 18 months) in Iraq and he is being re-deployed to Afghanistan in January or February.

4. I am grateful for ice cream. Especially chocolate, spumoni, and peppermint. The only problem, I always want peppermint ice cream when I am pregnant, and the only time you can get it is in November and December. Lucky for me, it's November.

5. I am grateful for my calling in my ward. I am the secretary in the Primary presidency. I get to serve with some really awesome women and I am learning a lot.

BONUS: 6. I am grateful for my parents. I think I mentioned both of them yesterday, that's why this isn't one of my five. They have taught me many great things, and they are always there when I need them. Besides that, they are really cute, don't you think?

I have decided that I am going to post everyday five things that I am grateful for.

I read something recently that made me think about what I am most grateful for. And, since this is November and we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving I thought that this would be a good idea for me, and for my family (that includes most of you reading this) to know what I'm grateful for. Since it's already November 7, I guess my list needs to start with 35 things, so here goes-

1. I am grateful for shampoo. Can you imagine living without it?

2. I am grateful for my minivan. Even though we are quickly outgrowing it, I am so grateful that we can afford to have that car for me to use.


3. I am grateful for disposable diapers. Enough said!

4. I am so grateful for people who know more than I do and aren't afraid to share their knowledge with me.

5. I am grateful for chocolate (even though I am really not supposed to be eating a lot of it.)

6. I am grateful for refrigeration. I can't imagine living back before it was invented.

7. I am grateful for my brothers and sisters. Even though we don't get together very often, I know that if I ever needed anything I could ask them and they would be there for me.

8. I am grateful for healthy children. We had an ultrasound this morning and found out that our baby is healthy and active. I have been worried because I can't really feel the baby move, and I know I've felt all the others by this time. But, never fear. All is well. My due date is March 26 by the way.

9. I am grateful that I know how to preserve some things. Peaches and applesauce so far this year. I also know how to make jams and jellies. I've bottled tomatoes and spaghetti sauce in the past. As much as I dislike doing it, I am SO GLAD that I know how. Thanks, Mom!

10. I am grateful for fresh, clean sheets on my bed (when I have them).

11. I am grateful for Jesus Christ and all He's done for me.

12. I am grateful for computers. Even though I can't figure out how to do what I need to do half the time, I'm glad that we have one in our home.

13. I am grateful for our new cute little house. Obviously this picture was taken awhile ago (before we moved in, in fact) and the yard doesn't really look like this anymore. We now have dirt, trenches for a sprinkling system, and two trees in front, and seven trees in back.

14. I am grateful that my husband has a job that allows me to stay home with my kids, and pays him enough that we always have enough food for our table and money for our bills.

15. I am grateful for paper. I love paper. Any color. Any pattern. Plain or colored. I love paper.

16. I am grateful for central air conditioning. I would melt in the hot Utah summers without it.

17. I am grateful that my husband has dragged me into the digital age. I carry my camera with me everywhere I go. I would never take as many pictures as I do if I still used my old dinosaur camera.

18. I am grateful that I have a sewing machine and I know how to use it.

19. I am grateful for my cute kids. They bring so much fun and adventure to my life.

20. I am grateful for tissues. We all have colds right now, and they are well used here.

21. I am grateful for television. It helps me feel included in the world, and it brings me entertainment when I have a spare moment.

22. I am grateful for milk, and chicken cordon bleu with cordon bleu sauce, and rice, and broccoli. Yummy, I could eat this meal everyday of my life and never get tired of it.

23. I am grateful for vacuums.

24. I am grateful for books, even though I hardly ever get to sit down and actually read one.

25. I am grateful for grass, and trees, and flowers.

26. I am grateful for a garage. Even though it is a mess right now, I am grateful for the storage and shelter it provides.

27. I am grateful for this country. I find it hard to fathom that out of all the people in this world, I get to live here. Not only live here, but live here in Utah where I was born into a family that already had the gospel and was already sealed in the Temple. What are the odds?

28. I am grateful for music. Especially this time of year when I get to hear Christmas music and be reminded of our Savior.

29. I am grateful for school. I know my children will not agree with me, but getting an education is a good thing.

30. I am grateful that we have clothes. They keep us warm and they cover up anything unsightly that doesn't need to be seen. My toes for example.

31. I am grateful for my gas stove and oven.

32. Even though we sometimes complain and joke a little about my Dad's knowledge, I am glad that he knows things and is willing to help us out with things that we don't know-like finishing a basement, installing a toilet, changing a car battery, etc.

33. I am grateful for crazy glue. I use it at least once a week. I should buy stock in the company. Duct tape, too. You can fix anything if you have duct tape and crazy glue.

34. I am grateful for electricity. A lot of things I am grateful for and use everyday wouldn't even be around if there was no electricity.

35. And finally, for today, I am SO grateful for a kind, gentle, and terribly handsome man. He takes such good care of me, and he works so hard for our family. It is an honor and a pleasure to be married to him and to have the opportunity to be with him for eternity.

I am tagging some of you to participate in this list of things you are grateful for. You can put one thing a day, or five like I am. You may not repeat anything on your list, and I would like it to be an everyday thing. By the time Thanksgiving comes around, you shouldn't have any problem thinking of what you're grateful for.

Tag-

Kati, Sara, Isaac, Barbara, Tom, and Michael

So here's what you do if you have some apples and nothing better to do.
(These are red delicious, jonagold, and golden delicious I believe.)

You cut all the bad spots out and quarter them, then put them in the biggest pot you have. I couldn't find my big pot so I used three pots.

You cook them, stirring often so they won't burn, until they are soft and mushy. I call this stage apple mush because that's what it looks like.

Then you put the mush into a squeeze-o-thing (I'm sure this is the technical term) and turn the handle.

Lo and Behold, out comes applesauce. You then add a little sugar and some cinnamon if you want.

You then ladle it into some jars. Make sure you wipe the top of the jar with a wet

washcloth so the lid will seal. Put a lid and a ring on each jar and twist as tight as you can.

Put seven jars into the steamer and put on the lid. Once steam starts coming out of the little hole on the side you start timing. If the applesauce was hot when you put it in the steamer you time it for 25 minutes. If the applesauce was cold, you time it for 45 minutes. Most of mine

I left in for 35 minutes.

After the timer goes off this is what you get. Beautiful jars of heavenly bliss. Tasty, and they look great on your storage room shelves next to the peaches.

Here's my BOO-TIFUL little spooks in their Halloween costumes-

The one of Aaron is the "happy clown" that he was for most of the evening, but by the time we got home and started taking pictures he was more of the "sad clown" that you can see in the bottom corner of the picture of Kim. We only managed to get one happy picture and that only happened because we stuck a lollipop in his mouth. After the picture we took the lollipop so we could clean him up and get him ready for bed and he had a meltdown. I guess that's what you get for taking a two year old, dressing him up, letting him eat lots of candy, and keeping him up for about an hour after his bedtime.

Just so there is no confusion, Ben is a hippie, not a girl. He kept refering to the nineties though, and I had to keep telling him that hippies were a product of the sixties and not the nineties.

We had a great time, and have a HUGE bowl of candy to prove it. It doesn't look like very much in the picture, but it really is. I guess that is one of the perks and downfalls of having so many kids. We will be having candy around the house until probably Easter.

(P.S. this isn't all of it. I took about half of it and put it in a bag and hid it. Mommy tax, you know. Don't tell my kids.)

(P.S. again- I already took the glucose test and I do not have gestational diabetes. Right now. I still might develop it later so I still need to be careful.)

Have a great day!!