Thankful Me

Tomorrow I'll be running in my first 10 K race, so I'm thinking back today on some fun 5 K memories . (That's not an oxymoron--really!)

Since returning from vacation last week, I have struggled with the return to "normal" life.  I forgot about a meeting I had, and I just haven't gotten into the autumn routine yet.  (I know it is still technically summer, but school has started for youngest daughter.)

September's visiting teaching message speaks to me.  It's all about self-reliance.  I decided to use the photo of the Moulton barn, together with five principles of self-reliance, for a handout to accompany the lesson. Update:  I've been told that for some, right-clicking doesn't work for printing.  Click here for the link to the picasa album.  You should be able to print from there.  (I hope!)     Thanks for the blessings of self-reliance.

Every August I am able, I find myself at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, for Education Week.  About 20,000 individuals from all over--I've met folks from as far away as New Zealand--gather together to enjoy classes on numerous topics. Today's TToT post captures some of my thoughts from this year's experience.

As we left Yellowstone last week, we decided to drive through Grand Teton National Park.  Both my sister and my parents had arrived at Yellowstone via Grand Teton, and they both had ideas of what we might want to see.  My sister suggested we stop at Jenny Lake; my dad suggested we go by Mormon Row and see the barns.  We picked up a brochure as we entered the national park.  As we read it, our route became obvious:  the barns at Mormon Row had the Moulton name, a name of John's ancestors! T.A. (Thomas Alma) Moulton barn.  Thomas' grandpa was also named Thomas Moulton.  The elder Thomas was John's g-g-g-grandpa.

Thanks for impressive antlers, wiggly ears, and the children's book, Morris the Moose Goes to School .

My daughter-in-law taught my son a nifty household tip that I wish I had known years and years ago.  I do not enjoy cutting up onions; not only do they make me cry, they leave an odor on my hands.  A food processor attachment on my blender solved problem number one, but if I happened to touch raw onions, I still had problem number two.   source

My parents celebrate their 50th anniversary this year.  My dad  asked us kids to arrange a major surprise for my mom this summer.  My brother, sister, and I, together with my dad, plotted and schemed for a year .  Last Saturday, on my mom's birthday, we surprised my mom at Old Faithful in Yellowstone.  I have much for which to be thankful this week. 1. I'm thankful for Dad and Mom, who made this whole reunion possible.  Without them, I wouldn't be part of this wonderful family.

Tuesday, I wrote about the surprise that awaited my mom at Yellowstone.   Because I wrote that post ahead of the actual event, I thought today I would let you know what really happened last Saturday. Spoiler alert:  We succeeded in surprising Mom!

After last week's post , which proved that I'm just a bit out of touch with technology, my son gave me this idea for a blog post.  I told him I'd use it.

She's growing, and getting cuter by the day!   Thanks for my sweet granddaughter.

Hee hee hee.  If all goes as scheduled, by the time you are reading this, my mom will have had a wonderful surprise.  The planning began about a year ago , but I think my dad has been dreaming of this for about 5 years. 

I planted grape vines soon after moving into this house.  I thought it would be nice to have grapes for fresh-eating, so most of the grapes are Thompson Seedless.  I have a red seedless variety as well. 

Today is my mom's birthday, so today's Ten Things of Thankful is written in her honor.  

Tomorrow's my mom's birthday, so in honor of Mom, I thought I'd share a past Mother's Day post.  Come back tomorrow for the Ten Things of Thankful: Lessons Learned from Mom Edition!

Driving through town this week, I noticed something I had never seen before.  Because I was driving, I couldn't get a photo, but you can use your imagination.

After Saturday's Ten Things of Thankful post, several people commented that I needed to post photos of the two one-eyed, hairless cats.  Here they are:

I spent many hours in my childhood snuggled up on the couch with my nose in a book.  I love to see children reading.  I hope to pass on the wonders of books to my children and grandchildren.  When I found this pattern for the Reading Quilt, I knew I wanted to make one for my granddaughter, and each future grandchild.

I think I'm a bit weird, but I sometimes feel like I need to reinvent the wheel for my recipes to "count."   If a recipe calls for a mix, then I have a hard time calling it homemade.  If I think about it, this makes no sense.  Unless I'm going to grow all my food, I'm going to have to make do with some shortcuts here and there.   This salsa uses a mix, but is oh-so-yummy.  

It's time again for another Ten Things of Thankful blog hop.  Thanks for stopping by, and please do consider linking up your own post!

I'm fortunate to have photos of four women I never met, but who paved the way for me:  my great-grandmas.  Not only do I enjoy seeing their faces, I love to see their attire.  I'm not really a hat person, but given some of these photos, maybe I should be.

In three words:  be like Grandma.  My grandma turned 96 years old at the beginning of this year.  It’s one thing to outlive contemporaries; it’s another to do so gracefully.  Grandma has managed to live her life quietly, but with great determination and kindness.