Non-traditional Thanksgiving

American Thanksgiving is a very important holiday to me. Of course, I always wish we could be spending it with our Lee, Pittl, and Reil extended families, but getting a special day with my own little family is always nice too. This year, Len did take the day off work, but we ended up sending Kaleb and Noe to school. We usually keep them home for the day, but their school was having an amazing field trip to the Museum of Nature, so we let them go. It just wasn't the same without all of us. The 4 of us at home watched the Macy's 84th Thanksgiving Day Parade, but we weren't slaving away in the kitchen like we normally do- we opted to go out to dinner instead. We went to Kelsey's our neighborhood grill, and we each ordered something different: Len- ribs, Jen- steak & shrimp, Kaleb- cheeseburger, Noe- pizza, Gavin- chicken tenders, and Teague- pasta. We topped off the meal with a yummy apple crumble dessert. Back at home, we watched "Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving" with the kids, then after we tucked them in bed, Len and I watched "Miracle on 34th Street." Non-traditional yes, but still a nice day over all.

We are thankful for:

Kaleb-
My family
Club Penguin

Noe-
Being silly with my family
Being silly at school

Gavin-
Playing with my Thomas trains
Going to Steven's house

Teague-
Mommy being home with me during the day
Having so many interesting things to get into trouble with

Len-
My family that I have now and my family that I came from
Bananas

Jen-
That I didn't have a nervous breakdown this month
My family and friends that love me even when I'm about to go crazy

Spread Some Christmas Cheer!

You have got to check out THIS AMAZING VIDEO. Hallelujah!

What a Difference a Day makes

Yesterday, was a surprisingly pleasant day. Even though the physical pain was still there, I could feel the black cloud of depression that's been hovering over me for two months begin to blow away. I also feel like my "shelves" have been fortified to hold my heavy questions until I can come to peace with or without answers. I have wonderful family and friends that I am so grateful for. Your kind thoughts, words, and prayers have made a difference. Thank you.

Words of Comfort

A dear friend e-mailed this to me and since I prefer to leave things on a sweet note instead of sour, I thought I'd share:

I just read your blog and again am so impressed by you!!!
You are such an honest, honorable woman!
I am sorry that you feel so overwhelmed. I really think that is part of being a woman. And as you said, you do so much, and to such perfection....those are hard shoes to fill.
I just want you to know how much I respect you for all you do and how you speak your mind. I hope you find your answers. I know you will.
Mainly I hope you get to feeling better physically. It isn't funny what pain can do to your body and mind.
I used to have to say this phrase to myself ..."I'm doing the best that I can"...and maybe it's time for you to borrow my phrase!
I think you're doing the best that anyone can!
Love You...love watching you and your family grow!

My Split Personality

WARNING: This post was written for my own therapy. Read at your own risk.


I have been called cheesy several times in my life, but I take it as a compliment. After all, I am the self-proclaimed Queen of Cheese. I just remember the Dairy Farmers campaign when I was growing up- "Cheese, makes it taste better." I love the changing seasons, the holidays, any reason to celebrate really, so I can make things pretty and yummy and we can have fun. In all my cheesiness I'm really just trying to make life more tasty.


Lately, the Queen of Cheese has been replaced by Ms. Basket Case. To say I have been under stress this past year is a HUGE understatement. I wear many hats- wife, mother of 4, homemaker, expat, daughter, sister, friend, young women president, visiting teacher, yoga student, book club participant, artist at heart. I am also a perfectionist. I want to do the best I can to love and serve people and to make life beautiful. I haven't been able to do all that is expected of me (not living up to my own expectations) and I feel like I'm just an inch away from losing it.

*My stress is obviously affecting me mentally. I feel depressed all the time and have cried so much lately. Then I see all the wonderful blessings I have and feel guilty, so I get more depressed because I'm depressed. It IS a vicious cycle!

*My stress is also affecting me physically. I'm not sleeping well. I wake up several times during the night, then am usually wide awake by 4:00 in the morning. I get headaches a lot, and dizzy spells. My joints are all flaring up too: my previously broken- now hammer toe, my knees, my lower back, my elbows, my fingers, and the worst of all now my left shoulder and neck. After 2 1/2 months of extreme shoulder pain I went to my Dr who thought it might be a rotary cuff impingement (and she mentioned the possibility of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus again as she did with my knees- scary!) She sent me away with a prescription for anti-inflammatory pills and physiotherapy. I started physio last Friday and my therapist says I actually have thoracic outlet syndrome. Not only are my muscles and ligaments being pinched in my shoulder, but my nerves and blood vessels are too. She wants me to see her 3 times a week now (90 minute sessions)- like I have time for that! But I do need to be able to use my left arm.

*My stress is also affecting me spiritually. In the past, my faith has always been stronger than my doubts. However, lately my doubts are screaming for attention and can't just be "put on a shelf" any longer. I want answers, but no one will give them to me. The parts of the gospel that ring true to my soul I desperately want to be true. For example, the doctrine taught in Doctrine and Covenants section 132 where a husband and wife are seen as equal and together "they" inherit eternal life is the whole reason why I'm Mormon. I want to spend eternity with my husband Leonard and with our children and with all of our ancestors and posterity. If God is the author of this doctrine, I want to know Him, follow Him, worship Him, obey Him. However, the parts of the gospel that make me physically sick and scream out to me, wrong, Wrong, WRONG scare me half to death. For another example, look at that same section in the Doctrine and Covenants- 132, where women are regarded no more than chattel for men to be "given" in polygamy. If God is the author of this doctrine and this is His wish for His daughters, then I want to run the other way and never look back.

*My stress is also affecting me socially. I can feel myself withdrawing from the outside world. I don't get enough time with my family (nuclear or extended) and all I ever desire is more time with them. Plus, when anyone asks how I am, I'm tired of lying and pretending, "I'm fine." However, I don't want to tell the truth and say, "I'm miserable." No one likes a complainer. The irony is not lost on me that I am putting my very private thoughts on my very public blog. What is wrong with me?

*I am obviously hurting badly and very confused these days. What is my purpose in life?

The Right Honourable...

We finally received our family photograph with The Right Honourable Stephen Harper and his lovely wife. I feel like a little kid because I am just as excited as my kids that we got to meet the Prime Minister!!

What's in a name?

I just found a quiz I took a while ago to find out my Super Hero name,
Drumroll please..........
It's

Sloopy Chickenlips Farklesniffer

Ha ha ha!
I'm so glad that's not my real name.

Pause to Remember

It doesn't matter if you call the day Veteran's Day or Remembrance Day, but it does matter that we remember those brave souls who fought and especially those who died in order for us to enjoy the freedoms we have today.

Kaleb and Noe had a special assembly at school again. Last year Noe got to lay the poppy wreath for her class and this year Kaleb got too. I'm so proud that they understand what this holiday means.

The finishing touches

After being in our home for 15 months, we've found a place for everything and have everything in its place (although I still need to organize the file cabinets, bookcases, craft boxes, and holiday bins) and we've almost got all of the finishing touches done. For my birthday my friend, Mary cut some vinyl for me on her cricut. Thank you Mary! Last weekend we finally put up the 3 vinyl quotes and clock labels and I switched out over 50 pictures in our frames. Have a little looksee, if you're interested.

In our master bedroom
Kiss Slowly, Forgive Quickly, Laugh Uncontrollably, LOVE Truly

In our dining room
Be thou an Example of the Believers

In our family room
TOGETHER our favorite place to be

More pics in the family room

My babies in bubble baths up in the powder room

Heading down to the basement our 3 clocks are labeled-
Ottawa, Canterbury, and Taipei

I've finally added pictures to go with our shelf of flags

The 4 seasons down the second part of the stairs

The shelves in the basement finally complete with our family pics, some of my whimsical paintings, some wall verbs, and some teenie beanie babies. This room does have a Cirque du Soleil theme- it is the play room after all.

Now the only thing left is to paint the canvas for our family room. I'm inspired by this piece, "Bloom" by Sharon Cummings. I'm planning on starting it after Christmas, but hope to have it done before New Year's. We may be moving again in July and I want this house completely finished before we pack it all up again. Wish me luck!

A Fangtastic Meeting

(I've been waiting for 10 days now for the real picture to go with this post, but I have lost my patience and will post it with this picture for now and will change it when the other picture arrives.)

We had a fun-filled weekend celebrating Halloween for 3 days in a row. On Friday, Kaleb and Noe got to wear their costumes at school and had a party in their classroom. On Saturday, we went to our ward Halloween party and Trunk-or-Treat. However, that was the night of the huge snow storm so the trunk-or-treat became a trick-or-treat around the classrooms. Since the real holiday fell on Sunday, we attended church in the morning, then in the late afternoon we decided we would take the kids trick-or-treating just to 2 houses: #1 and #24 Sussex Drive. For those of you outside of Ottawa, I will tell you that those homes are where the Governor General and the Prime Minister live.

At Rideau Hall (the Governor General's home) they had an amazing "Pirate" themed haunted walk set up outside. They had at least 20 actors in costume with fun little activites for the kids to do along the way. Kaleb threw a cannonball (styrofoam) at a pirate ship and watched it go up in flames. Noe got to visit with a mermaid and hold her huge pearl (again styrofoam). Gavin scared off several pirates, as he was a ferocious lion after all. At the end we all received yummy goody bags filled with potato chips, a chocolate bar, a big lollipop, and some rockets.

Across the street at the Prime Minister's home we saw a beautiful display of at least 200 carved pumpkins lining both sides of the horseshoe drive while we waited in line to receive more treats. We totally scored because when we were just a few families from the front, the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper and his lovely wife Laureen came out to greet everyone. They too gave us goody bags (with several Hershey's bars, a marshmallow pumpkin, some Kisses, Twizzlers, Nibs, another big lollipop, and a picture of their home with the carved pumpkins out front) and we got our family's picture taken with them by their photographers (that's the pic I'm impatiently waiting for), and we had a nice little chat with them. Mrs. Harper was excited to see us dressed up as The Wizard of Oz and she asked if we had seen the 6 pumpkins that were carved of the Oz characters, which we had. Gavin had started crying because there was a ginormous silver phantom perched atop their front door. Prime Minister Harper tried to console him, but then he said, "Well, he is the cowardly lion afterall." Ha ha! This truly was a once in a lifetime experience and the kids were so excited to go to school the next day and tell their friends who they got to meet when they went out to trick-or-treat!

Follow the yellow brick road!

Once upon a time there was a magical place called Oz that had an enchanting Emerald City.

After a crazy tornado ride, Dorothy found herself and her little dog Toto in this strange land. All she wanted to do was go back home, so the citizens of Munchkin Land told her to follow the yellow brick road to find the famous Wizard of Oz who could help her on her way.

Along the path she found a Scarecrow, who wanted to join her and ask the Wizard to give him some brains.

They came across a rusted Tinman who wanted to go too to gain a heart for his empty chest.

They also found a Lion who wanted to join them so he could receive some courage.

The four of them together thought they would have no problems completing their mission.

Alas, a Wicked Witch and her Flying Monkey had other plans for them and caused all sorts of trouble.

Give me your red slippers Dorothy!

I must do what the Witch tells me or she'll eat me for dinner.

In the end they found the Wizard who worked a miracle sending them all back home and turning this motley crew into a loving family.
THE END

Pumpkin Patch Match

Saturday morning we held our 2nd annual pumpkin carve! I drew a whole bunch of eyes, noses, and mouths, then we each took turns choosing each facial feature to create our own jack-o-lanterns. Len de-gutted all 6 of them, I drew on the faces, then he put his sculpting skills to the test and created 6 masterpieces.

The kids decided they wanted to hang out in the van and watch Daddy work. It was freezing cold out though (yes, Len is in short sleeves- ugh!), so I brought the kids in to help me make...

...a Haunted Gingerbread House! We always enjoy creating these, but most especially the kids love eating them when we're done.

I also made some warm caramel apples that were pretty yummy too, if I do say so myself.

By then, Len was done carving everyone's designs. Now guess who designed each face!

Teague ended up with this pumpkin, even though it was Gavin who actually chose all the elements. When it was completed Gavin said he was a sad pumpkin and he didn't want it anymore. He convinced us that Teague didn't mind trading.

Gavin was much happier with his second pumpkin (thanks Teague for sharing!), for as you can see he is a much more jovial fella.

Noe wanted hers to be all girlie-girlie. She's such a cute little girl in this otherwise house of boys!

Kaleb went for a more traditional look.

I went for a more silly take.

Len did the classic spooky spook look.

It was a lot of fun and we look forward to this event again next year!