Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas? Yes, I’m ready for Christmas. Thanksgiving has always been my deadline for Christmas gifts. All gifts must be purchased (not necessarily wrapped) by Thanksgiving. That way, I can enjoy the month of December and participate in any charitable opportunities that arise. I’m not stressed out, tired, standing in long lines,…I’m happy, excited, and enjoying the Christmas lights, decorations, and my family and friends.

I canned plums in September (when you could buy them in season and cheap at Costco) to have on hand for hostess gifts, visiting teachers, and anyone I may have forgotten.

Na na na na na.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"May we be found among those who give our thanks to our Heavenly Father. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed."

--Thomas S. Monson

Count your blessings

The reason we sing hymns in church is because we need to hear the words in the lyrics over and over again. We don’t just sing this hymn in November, we sing it (or should sing it) all year long:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the lord has done.

…Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

…When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.

Count your blessings. The economy has beat us all down, but so what? The REALLY important things can’t ever be taken from us. I look at my children and my grandchildren and I’m reminded of what my grandfather used to say when he looked at me and my sisters. He’d point to each of us and say “a million bucks, a million bucks, a million bucks. I’m a very rich man indeed.” Ditto!

Things to do around your Thanksgiving table:

1. All hold hands as someone says the blessing on the food.
2. Go around the table and have each person say something they are thankful for.

Variations:

• Have place cards with a quote inside and have each guest read theirs.
• (See Thanksgiving Quotes for ideas)
• Get clip-on candles that clip to the plate – light one saying what you are thankful for
  then light the next person’s candle. He says what he is thankful for then lights
  the next person’s candle, etc.
• For a more amusing variation, do “I remember when...” and tell a funny story you
  remember about someone at the table (each person’s name should be written on
  a piece of paper and each guest draws a name and tells a story about that person).
• Write a note to each of your guests telling each one what you like best about them. I like to type it on an antique looking paper, roll it like a scroll, tie it with ribbon and lay it on their plate.

“Thou hast given so much to us.
Give one thing more...A grateful heart.”
George Herbert

Jennifer performing in Nashville

My daughter, Jennifer, is a songwriter. She writes about forty or fifty songs a year. She's been having some fun performing as "Molly Jack" in Nashville and singing her songs. She and her husband Adam just bought a house there and life is good (for them - but I will miss seeing them as often as I used to).

You can download her songs for free at: http://www.myspace.com/jenniferlynnjohnson1

Thanksgiving

“Let never day or night
unhallowed pass, but
still remember what the
Lord hath done.”
Shakespeare

Thanksgiving rolls around every year whether we like it or not. It is one of your children’s least favorite holidays…and probably yours too because we have this Norman Rockwell picture in our mind of what a real family looks like, and it’s not ours. Most of our families are less than perfect. If you are lucky enough to have the perfect family – add that to your list of things to be thankful for. If not, just remember that you are part of a much bigger family and one day you will be perfect...and, with any luck, so will they.

I sat in a Sunday school class the week before Thanksgiving and the teacher asked each of us what we were thankful for. Each person had to respond without repeating anything that had already been said. Being the list maker that I am, I wrote down everything they said and I have carried it with me in my wallet ever since. That was over twenty years ago and I still have the list. I’d like to share it with you. Feel free to make your own additions:

“What I’m Thankful for”

What's in your wallet?

Remember this?

The Witch Fire – October 27, 2007

The fires burning in Montecito that have destroyed 100's of homes reminded me of something else I’m thankful for.

Just last year WE were the ones who had to evacuate our homes. We were one of the 2 million people evacuated from San Diego last year. We got a reverse 911 call that said leave immediately. Fortunately, our son-in-law called us a half hour earlier to tell us we’d be getting a call, so we had time to collect things we wouldn’t want to lose. I’ve always had a list posted of things to take if anything like this happened. I gathered everything on the list and we left.

Having gone through that experience, and being told at one point that our house had burned to the ground (which wasn’t true), I’ve added more things to the list. I always thought money and personal possessions weren’t important (I mean, after all, we can’t take them with us – I’ve never seen a Brink’s truck following a hearse). But it is amazing how many memories are attached to some of those possessions. So when you make your list, you have to really think about what you’d miss if your house actually did burn to the ground and add some of those things to your list.

So this year, I’m adding one more thing to my list of things to be thankful for. I’m glad we still have our home. Because after 21 years, the whole house is full of memories.

2-Ingredient Pumpkin Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin (without spices added)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with a cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the spice cake mix and canned pumpkin until well blended (No, you don't add water, eggs or oil, just the dry cake mix). Spread evenly into the prepared pan (It is a very stiff batter - it comes out looking more like brownies, but it is moist like a cake - trust me) .
3. Put in a preheated oven (I'm impatient, so I usually put it in when the temperature reaches 250), and bake until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool and serve, or store in the refrigerator. This tastes even better the next day.

Note: Serve with whipped cream, or, if you want to frost it, a cream cheese frosting would be delicious. Use your own favorite or use mine:

Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese (meaning you can use it straight out of the refrigerator) with 5 Tbsp. softened butter and 2 tsp. vanilla until combined. Gradually add 2 c. powdered sugar.