Trying to Make Grandma Katie Proud

KK -


I was glad to hear you had a fun Thanksgiving, even though we were not together.  This year we hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our home with some friends.  In an effort to make Grandma Katie (she is the QUEEN of classy entertaining) proud, I set my table the day before and made little treats as place cards for all of our guests.  I used baby food jars and filled them with candy.  Then I glued on paper and wrote "Thank you" in a different language for each guest (17 total languages).  In my head, it was incredibly simple and cute.  Unfortunately the simple part remained true, but the cute part did not.  They did not look very cute at all but they worked.  Needless to say I will not be sending them in to Real Simple Magazine.  


Sally made the extremely long table runner and then I added candles, but candles make everything better right?  For a beginner I think it turned out nice.  We'll have to see what Grandma Katie thinks.

I would like to extend a couple of "shout outs" to our guests.


-B Family - Thank you for letting us take over hosting this year.  I think it was a full and fun day.  There was a spontaneous jamming session (piano, guitar, hand drum, maracas), puzzles, murals made, ornaments painted, pool games, thank you cards and more.  Most importantly, thank you for letting us participate in making the bracelets with your family.  We made 85 bracelets to give the patients at Seattle Children's hospital.  Claire received a beaded bracelet at one of her visits and loved it.  This time she loved making the bracelets to give to other children.   The day after Thanksgiving, we asked T Bear what his favorite part of Thanksgiving was, and he said making a little bracelet for a tiny baby.  


-Higg Family - Thanks for the delicious food.  T Bear was thrilled that your little guy came along to play.  They obviously are close friends because when I went looking for them at dessert time, I found them in the bathroom.  T Bear was doing his business on the toilet and your guy was just sitting on the edge of the tub chatting away.  Also, Big D could not stop talking about Jed being amazing when they played Scum on the pool table.


-Newm Family - Thank you guys for doing the TURKEY!!!! It was delicious.  Did I tell you what T Bear told me about turkeys?  He said that first you "die" the turkey (I think he means kill it), then you take off the eyes, rip off the feathers and ground up the brown part.  Was it really like that?   Either way it was delicious and we owe you big time.


-Jones Family - I can not stop thinking about those sweet potatoes.  I need the recipe.  I want to eat them all the time.  Seriously, they were good.  Please share the recipe.  And besides bring great food, you were all great company.  Every time I turned around you were holding or helping one my boys or the other kids.  Your kindness is priceless.  Also, you also win the award for making the cutest bracelets.  

The men doing dishes so they can head downstairs to play pool.

Women and children making bracelets.  

Just hanging around with friends

Initially I was sad that I couldn't be with family on Thanksgiving, but as our day progressed, I was really thankful to have friends that can be our family.  Our boys played like they had cousins, and I chatted with my "sisters."  At the end of the day, our stomachs were full of delicious food, and our hearts were full with gratitude.


Lovingly,
-Miss T

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Miss T,

We played some wicked tomato ball today. Be excited for amazing pictures to come. :)


So, in other news, I'm not with you this Thanksgiving. I'm not grateful for that. BUT I am grateful that you are my sister. And today when Mr. P and I were talking about some of our personal successes (and failures) in life, I thought of this blog.

I feel like this blog is an accomplishment that I love (that's the success). I only do a moderate job at contributing (that's kinda the failure), but truly it is something that I love to be a part of, and I love to look back at and read. As I look back and read, I can't help but be grateful for the good memories, funny stories, hilarious pictures, classic moments, horrible experiences with good endings, and so much more. What a way to be thankful.

What have you been thankful for in your heart today?

Love, KK

Happily Engaged

As many of you know KK is preoccupied with her engagement so I thought I would write an update about my life her life.


Tonight is the Engagement Party for KK and Mr. P.  It sounds like it is going to be wonderful.  I guess when you do a destination wedding without a local reception, you get to have Engagement Parties and fun things like that.  I will not be going.  If I were going I know exactly what I would wear.  My black and white striped dress with leggings, tall boots, and a cute salmon colored cardigan.  I would look so hot that Big D would want to have an Engagement Party with just me!  


Next Saturday is my birthday KK's Bridal Shower.  Our lovely aunt is hosting a huge bridal shower in Utah for her.  I will not be able to go because I will be at home celebrating my birthday with my boys.  What should I wear on my big day?  


Every time I talk to KK, she is getting more and more excited to go to Hawaii.  Every day I am getting more and more excited to go to Hawaii.  I have ordered this dress for me to wear to the wedding.  Hopefully I will look as good as that South Pacific model...... it's questionable. What I am worried about is looking like a sparkling white vampire in Hawaii.  My white, vitamin D deficient skin is going to experience the harsh beautifulness of the sun in Hawaii.  Should I go tanning before we go?  No, I will just put on my swimming suit and be proud of my blinding white skin as I run around the beach.  But trust me, I will be using massive amounts of sunscreen so that I do not burn while I am there. 


Big D and I have started talking about things we would like to do in Hawaii.  I think we would be happy to sit on the beach and read a book most of the days.  We would like to snorkel, hike, go to Pearl Harbor, Temple Visitors Center, and eat some shaved ice.  Mostly we are excited to escape the grey weather of Seattle.  An ugly storm moved in last night, and it is supposed to rain everyday for the next week.  Boo.


Well, time to get off the computer and get dressed for the day.  What to wear.... most days I wished I had someone to just dress me in adorable clothes.  That is why I love this blog: The Cardigan Empire.  Check it out!


-Miss T


PS - You can get 15% off a dress at Shabby Apple by using this link.  Happy dress shopping!

Missing Socks at Target

 KK-


How many missing socks do you think there are in the world?  If someone was to gather up all of the missing socks scattered in dryers, stores, closets, forests, and lakes around the earth, how many would there be?  Millions, I would guess.


I can not keep socks on Cub.  Not for the life of me.  I am constantly having nice strangers tell me that my child is missing a sock.  Frankly, I have given up on trying to keep socks on him, and if I do put socks on him, they rarely match.  

So today, I took my boys to Target.  I did not have anything that I was specifically shopping for, more like I was just perusing Target and checking out boots for you to buy (I am your personal shopper).  My boys were riding in one of those ridiculously huge shopping carts that are difficult to push.  Half way through our shopping trip, I realized that Cub was missing a sock.  T Bear started to panic, he wanted to go find the missing sock.  We had just gotten in the elevator to go the next level in Target, and I did not want to go back to look for a sock.  I told T Bear no, Cub was ok with just one sock on.

We finished our shopping, and as we left the check-out stand, I noticed that Cub's second sock was now missing.  This pushed T Bear over the edge.  He insisted that we had to go back and search for Cub's socks.  I said no.  T Bear continued to LOUDLY yell and cry about finding Cub's socks all the way through the parking lot to our car.  I tried to ignore him.


When we got to the car, I realized that T Bear was not giving up on finding the missing socks.  So this is what I told him,


"T Bear, it is ok.  I want to buy Cub so new socks anyway."


"No Mommy.  He NEEDS his socks."  (more crying)


"T Bear, we are so blessed because we have enough money to go buy new socks for Cub.  Some people don't have enough money to buy new socks for their babies.  Maybe there will be a baby riding through Target today and he will find Cub's socks.  The baby will be so happy that he found Cub's socks because his mommy didn't have enough money to buy some for him."


The crying stopped.  T Bear compliantly climbed in the car and started talking about a baby finding Cub's socks and being so happy about it.


Is that terrible?  I made us sound like rich snobs living in a third world country.  I just went with it and it worked.  I don't know what that will do to mess him up psychologically.  Hopefully it all works out.


Once again, I am striving hard to win that "Mother-of-the-Year" award.  Yeah right.


With love & two socks on my feet,
-Miss T

P.S.  Do you remember our sock drawer growing up?  I bet there were a lot of lonely and missing socks in there.


P.P.S.  I also saw Lily Jang from Q13 Fox morning news at Target.  I think she is adorable.  I totally got start-struck by seeing a local celebrity.  

Corrina, Corrina

Hey Miss T!

I watched a cute movie last night. For about three years now I have owned this movie called "Corrina, Corrina" but never seen it. It was a $5.00 special at Walmart, and when you are Walmart at midnight I guess sometimes it just seems like a great idea to purchase a random DVD. At the time I was fairly obsessed with Whoopi Goldberg because of Sister Act...now that's another great movie for another day.

At any rate I finally watched it last night! It starts off really sad, and I kept saying to my friend, "Oh, I don't like this movie, it is so sad." She kept telling me, "Oh, it has Whoopi in it, it's going to be funny. It will get better!" I tell you what. This is not your typical Whoopi humor movie. However, it did get better. It was humorous and sweet, but it also touched some deep issues, such as discrimination, second marriages, believing in God, and mourning over death. Whew! Now that's a lot to pack into a chick-flick.

So, if you need a cute flick, random and from the 90's--hair, clothes, and everything!--I recommend Corrina, Corrina. Getcha some good gospel choir singing in too.

And just because I'm curious, and always looking for a good flick to put on the list of movies that I rarely find time to watch,
What's the best movie you've seen lately?

Love, Kk

1st Birthday

KK-


Today was Baby Cub's 1st Birthday.  


Last night, T Bear woke up around midnight to go to the bathroom, which woke Baby Cub up.  I got T Bear back in bed, then picked up my crying Baby Cub.  I rocked him back to sleep in the brown chair and realized that it was almost exactly a year ago to the minute that he was born.  It was a special present to be hold my big baby at that time.  I held him for quite awhile, contemplating the first year of his life.  It has gone by extremely fast.  


Baby Cub has grown more than I imagined in his first year.  He has developed an easy-going personality with a quick smile, and a huge adoration for his older brother.  He loves balls, toothbrushes, pencils, his special blanket, music, and trains.


Today was a simple celebration, really a part 1 of his birthday.  Since Big D was out of town, we will do the part 2 of his birthday this weekend.


It was special to have Miga here with us, since her birthday was today as well.  She reminded me that last year when I had past my due date of Oct 25th and was starting be vocally angry, she had said to me, "Maybe you will have this baby on my birthday!"


"I better not have this baby on your birthday.  No way," was my answer back.


Alas, Miga was right and Baby Cub was born on her special day.


We all went out to Red Robin for lunch, since that is what Miga did last year with T Bear to celebrate.  This year T Bear was much more compliant and excited to go get his corn dog at Red Robin.


After putting my 1 yr old to bed, we got the "adult" party started for Miga.  The party was on Google+.  We had a hangout.  It was so much fun to see you and Mr. P and all the rest of our siblings.  Isn't it amazing that we can video chat with 7+ people at the same time.  It was the best Family Night we have had in a long time.  Let's do it again.

Miga's virtual Bday party!

Here is to November birthdays!

-Miss T

Baby Cub took his first steps with this walking toy today!