Pre-Thanksgiving Fun

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

BUTTERFLIES

To any of my friend who sometimes wonder --

"Jen, what is with the butterflies? Butterflies in you kitchen, on the walls, in pictures ?Butterflies

on your blog ? Why this sudden obsession with butterflies? "

Well first it is not really a sudden obsession but I do admit that recently it has increased. I know in some ways it is an overdone cliche, and many have already caught onto and expanded on the symbol of the butterfly-- but to me it is brand new. ---- My life can be better if I am willing to work through the hard, and ugly parts. I can go from being something merely glanced over,something imprisoned to this earth-- something some may even find repulsive to something beautiful and free to soar.

The hope of rebirth through the atonement, the freedom to fly above the "dirt" of this earth , the faith in my own potential all of these are what I see when I see my butterflies. It changes the way I see my life, myself and even those around me. We are all waiting to spread our wings.

I am I saying that I am a "butterfly"-- Oh, no far from it,

but I find great strength in knowing that one day I will have "wings".

Here are some much more beautiful and wise musings on butterflies.

"How does one become a butterfly?" she asked pensively. "You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar." ~Trina Paulus

What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly. Viktor E. Frankl

"...considering a butterfly. Wrapped tightly in its cocoon, the developing chrysalis must struggle with all its might to break its confinement. The butterfly might think, Why must I suffer so? Why cannot I simply, in the twinkling of an eye, become a butterfly? Such thoughts would be contrary to the Creator’s design. The struggle to break out of the cocoon develops the butterfly so it can fly. Without that adversity, the butterfly would never have the strength to achieve its destiny. It would never develop the strength to become something extraordinary. President James E. Faust explained that "into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful." 7 And then the suggestion that the adversity we experience allows our souls to become like clay in the hands of the Master. "Trials and adversity," President Faust taught, "can be preparatory to becoming born anew." 8 Adversity can strengthen and refine us. As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people. Even when we are called to sail through troubled waters, we need to know the place of adversity in shaping our divine potential."

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (p. 32): "Well, I must endure the presence of two or three caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies." The tendency to be shortsighted may cause you to see only caterpillars when a butterfly is in the making.

Thieves and bandits

This weekend Josh's parents visited from Utah. Ty and Ian love their Grandma and Grandpa. We walked the neighbor, did some shopping and went to the zoo(of course) Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures but Scott(Grandpa) took lots so if he shares I will share as well.

To take a page( or just be a copycat) from my friend Jaime's blog I thought I would share my latest obsession---- no it is not butterflies it is coupon shopping. I have been a "coupon bandit" since last March but this month I am really seeing the fruits of my labors. Today I got over $158 worth of groceries for only $12.91. I used 44 coupons-- and did two different transactions. It was a lot of fun-- So call us coupon bandits-- I just call it smart shopping. I don't do nearly as well as my friend Jaime -she is the queen - and yes I am obsessed. I have included a picture of my items(some I only put one on the table-- I was just to lazy to unpack and repack them all.)

But for those curious here is a list of my spoils--

3 bags of Cheetos

4 cans Campbells Cream soup
2 pkts gravy mix

4 pkg Nestle Morsels

3 Pillsbury crescent rolls

3 boxes Orville Redenbocker Popcorn

1lb Land o Lakes Butter

7 bottles of Tylenol

6 bags of Russel Stovers Sugar Free Candy

3 Pillsbury grands cinnamon rolls

1 Betty Crocker Muffin mix

3 Viva paper towels

1 Quaker mini rice cakes

6 cans Hunts Tomatoes

3 Quaker Oats
1 Betty Crocker Cookie mix

2 5lb C&H Sugar

2 Zatarains Rice Mixes

1 Powerade

3 Hefty ziplock bags

And 1 Heath bar--- which leads me (I took the scenic route)to one of the main reasons I wrote this blog--- if you think I am bandit take a look at my little one-- I was checking out and thinking wow Ian is being really quiet. Then I was about to leave the store when I notice he had swiped a Health bar from the candy shelf and chewed through the wrapper to the chocolaty goodness inside. I quickly paid full price-.80 (ugh!) for the candy bar--- I scolded him as best I could with out laughing--- I have never seen a kid eat so much and have such an enormous sweet tooth yet still be so little. Here are pictures of him --- Caught "red" handed.

Ian's spoils--too temping to even wait to open.

Hope this gives everyone a little chuckle. Wonder how I get so much for so little -- check out http://www.couponsense.com/

love ya all

Jen

Trick or Treat?

Halloween was much more eventful this year then in the past. We had a neighborhood "Trunk or Treat" on Monday and then Josh took the boys trick or treating on Friday night. Both the boys were excited and ready for "dress up".Ty was more excited for dressing up then he was for candy. Last year (as I do every year) I hit the day after Halloween sales and find a cute Eeyore custom for Ian and a orange glow in the dark spider shirt for Ty. Usually Ty has been content to dress up as what every mommy has for him-- but I guess now that he is three everything is different now. Ty informed me on Monday --just before the Truck or Treat that he was "not going to be a spider"-- He told me his friend "Dalton is scared of spiders and he did not want Dalton to be scared because we don't scare friends" He then informed me that he was "going to be a bat" because "bats eat fruit.". Where the idea to be a bat came from I have no idea but he was very sincere and asked very politely so I told him I would try but if I couldn't figure out a way to make him a bat he would need to be a spider. He said with all sincerity "OK Mom I know you can do it." I found him a long sleeve black shirt and a friend of mine(April) cut him wings out of some black material . Then we pined the 'wings' to the length of his arms. Apparently that and a pair of black sweat pants was all it took for him to be very pleased with his bat. The funnest part was at the Trunk or Treat when people asked him what he was he would tell them he was a bat but he would not spread out his arms to show anyone his wings.

(This year was rough for Ty. He does not like any scary decorations -- He has always been very sensitive to scary things-- he is even afraid of the dark. When everyone started putting up Halloween decoration I was concern-- the first week of October he seemed OK but the one day we were at Walgreens and he came across an animated skeleton in a cage that grabbed the bars and growled"let me out let me out"when he passed. He ran to me crying and as pale as a ghost he was so scared that his whole body was shaking. After that he did not like to go shopping and he would even tell other people to not go to walgreens because it is "way to scary for kids". )

Ian ,on the other hand,loved all the attention his cute Eeyore costume attracted he danced around and said Hi to everyone-- everyone got a kick out of his tail frequently fall off. Anyone with a camera got his amazing grin and his cute little high pitched "cheeesse". He loved it. The both got plenty of candy on Monday Night and on Friday--- I hadn't come up with a candy strategy for Halloween because until recently Ty was never really into sweets--- Ohh but Ian , Oh my I my Ian --- I swear he had a lollipop or dumdum in hid mouth all week I can not tell you how many time I cleaned his chocolate finger and face. I am glad they each only really had maybe 10 pieces of candy each. To them it was "enough" I was glad to see the majority of it gone by Sunday. I know I know what an awful Mom -- but believe me next year the candy will all "disappear". Ian was eating "bars" and "pops" for most of Tuesday and then again on Saturday-- I think he even eat the most of Ty's candy-- Ty didn't care as long as Ian know which pumpkin pail was his.

Ty told me today that next year he would like to be a friendly dinosaur-- anyone have any ideas???