More on Memorial Day Weekend

Eating breakfast at the Malone's Oak Glen Apple Dumplings Restaurant on Memorial Day is a new family tradition. We took Dad & Corinne up there for a good country, mountain breakfast. So good. And then stopped in at their bakery and couldn't resist the pastries. Yum. Don't you just love that store front picture?

I loved the soft snikerdoodle cookies. We all did.

It's over already...

So many pictures and moments to choose from

but here are a few of the highlights of our

Christmas Celebration.

Never wake up a sleeping baby...

Not even on Christmas morning to open presents.

Hurry! Give him some chocolate. And he ate chocolate all day long.

That ought to be real good for the liver.

I used to get really upset and uptight seeing my children eating candy before breakfast on Christmas Morning. I guess I'm over that. Life is too short...:)


Ahhh, Christmas Eve at Grandma & Grandpa Hallen's home.

Delicious ham dinner and gifts as place cards.

The Nativity produced & directed by Addie & Madi.

Sydney happily accepted the role of Mary and of course Andrew was Joseph.

Uncle Gary played the role of the donkey.

We've had fights in past years of who gets to play this role.


Who can resist taking a picture of baby legs???

Cute, sweet Kendall.

The Christmas Pinata from Aunt Kaye.

She makes them every year for us.

Grandpa filled it with the good candy this year.

Christmas Eve.

The first gift of Christmas went to a very deserving person this year...
More details on this major highlight.

Thank you Santa angel!

"Mom. I'm so happy right now." -Andrew

Addie is now a proud owner of a Webkinz Zoo.

Meagan patiently waiting to open a gifts.

It's tough being the oldest.

Happy children.

Happy Peter.

What a blessing!

He's hardly cried these past few days.

That is definitely a Christmas Highlight!

Thankful

John reminded us at our Thanksgiving dinner today about why this holiday was first started. We all know about the Pilgrims & Indians and their first Thanksgiving, but...about 150 years ago, a few days after the Civil War ended, Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation that the forth Thursday of each November should be a day of national celebration.

I love what Elder David Bednar said in October's conference: "...we should remember that “in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments” (D&C 59:21). Let me recommend that periodically you and I offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for nothing; simply let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation with all the energy of our hearts."

A couple of months ago I was over come with self pity. It was a real pity party. I was feeling bad about Peter's situation, and mine. I was feeling sorry for myself. I started to let the challenges consume me. A fussy and crying 2yr old. Being in doors all day. Not being able to go to the store. Shopping. No visits from friends or family. No play dates for the other children...and many many more. As I tried to figure out how to feel better about things, I came across something: "The Lord wants you to have a spirit of gratitude in all you do and say. Live with a spirit of thanksgiving and you will have greater happiness and satisfaction in life. Even in your most difficult times, you can find much to be grateful for. Doing so will strengthen and bless you."

This was an answer to my difficult situation. I made up a little game for myself. At the end of each day I would go over in my mind the happenings of the day and think of the one thing I was thankful for that day. The first day it was Fruity Pebbles. Peter's appetite at that time was very diminished. He needed to eat but wouldn't because of the nausea or effects of chemo. He was very fussy and unpleasant. But he liked Fruity Pebbles. He ate it for every meal. I was truely grateful for Fruity Pebbles that day. After a few days of this new little game my pity party ended. I was strengthen and blessed.

It's so good to have a day that we all can reflect on our blessed lives and think of the things that we're grateful for. But try doing it every day...It's fun.

A few pictures of our Thanksgiving...

Meagan & Addie helping with the chocolate pumpkin pie. Very serious work...They really were having fun. Those are the looks of focus and concentration when you're cooking.

Sydney & Andrew having a contest on who can eat the most rolls.

Uncle Gary taking his turn at telling what he was thankful for this year.

Kendall enjoying mashed potatoes.

Forget the pumpkin pie.

The party needs to be over, but it's just getting started. Grandma, this is where you would've wanted to take out your hearing aids. Addie & Maddie were putting on a play or dance. Andrew was pushing Sydney all around the house in the dump truck {watch out!} Peter was happy.

Not in photo: Meagan at the piano playing the Can-Can. Dad and Gary at the T.V. volume up to 50. Thys deliriously happy. Cheryl & Kendall nursing. Me, Mom, yes I can can.

Who Says Bribery Isn't a Good Thing?

It's good when you have something to motivate your teenager with... Meagan has become obsessed with the Twilight saga. She started reading the series a year ago. I can only blame myself. When she finished reading a previous book series by Shannon Hale, which she loved, she was in search for something just as good. I recommended Twilight to her {i read it earlier in the year when i was radioactive and quarantined} and she frowned at me. How could she like something that her old mama liked? Then she became desperate for something good and fun to read. Finally she read it and the rest is history.

I feel like I'm reliving my teenage life. That's a good thing. I took Meagan and a bunch of her friends to the midnight release of Breaking Dawn in August. Fun.

During the summer she worked on a personal progress project {click on that to see it} and her obsession is stitched into the project. Clever girl.










A few weeks ago when the Twilight sound track was about to be released Meagan heard that the store Hot Topic was going to have a sneak listening premier and play it over their store speakers one time only. She had to go. She's been such a trooper during this whole cancer thing with Peter. How could I deny her this huge opportunity? So we went. Okay, Hot Topic is not a nice, clean, wholesome place to hang out in.

My mom used to bribe me & my brothers with Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen {love those things}when we were young to get us to clean our rooms and the house. So I know the skillful art of bribery first hand...thanks Marie. Every parent should perfect this skill. Here's the deal that was made to both Meagan & Addie {she read Twilight too}. Way back when we heard that there was a movie being made of the book I told the girls that if they would learn to play two songs from the hymn book or children's song book on the piano with, yes, both hands, and play them for us for Family Home Evening {click on that if you don't know what F.H.E. is}

Can you tell I just learned how to add links in my posting??? I'm so excited. Thanks Rachelle for that lesson. anyway...

..so we could sing along with the piano that I would take them to the midnight showing of Twilight.

They did it. I had to remind them a few times when I over heard them telling their friends that they were going to the midnight showing of Twilight. Have you learned your two songs yet? Man that was fun. Meagan learned I am a Child of God and Come Thou Fount. Addie learned Book of Mormon Stories and We are Different. I am loving this parenting thing. So fun. See you at the movies.

Favorite Meal of the Day

This is a Hallen Family Fav...}

Buttermilk Waffle/Pancake Recipe. We'll be having these tasty darlings in the morning.

Mix: 2 1/2 c. buttermilk

2 eggs

add in 2 1/4 c. flour

4 T sugar

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

mix well

next: add in 2 T melted butter

let batter rest for 5 minutes

makes lots of pancakes or about 8 Belgian waffles

Andrew likes them topped with whipping cream, no butter. Meagan, Addie, & Peter like them with butter and syrup. John enjoys them with a slathering of cold butter on each quarter of the waffle topped with syrup. And I like them fresh off the iron with only butter {unless we have strawberries}. They melt in your mouth.

We first started making these after our 2005 Church History Nauvoo Trip. Every hotel we stayed in offered a continental breakfast. They had waffle irons and batter for us to make our own waffles. We loved it. So when I saw the waffle iron at Costco a few weeks later I had to buy it.

For three years now, almost every Saturday, and sometimes for dinner, we make these waffles. Lately we've made pancakes. Either way, it's one of our favorite meals.