lilydarais – Page 179

Sloowww Sunday (thank goodness)

Today nothing of note happened. At all. We are so thankful.

We got everyone ready for church at a leisurely pace, walked there and back in the beautiful weather, ate, napped, and read lots of books to the girls. At one point, the girls lost interest in one of the Christmas stories (a lovely tale about Santa substituting a whale for his reindeer when the latter all came down with the flu), and so Abe read the rest of the story to me. We sat around admiring the tree and generally giving thanks for the slow pace.

Tonight will be the first time we all hit our bedtimes in forever. Hooray!

All ready for church (on the new basement couch, which is currently overlaid with a Christmas quilt). I forgot to record a Lydia anecdote from a couple days ago. She asked for some food, and I responded by asking, “What’s the magic word?”. In an exasperated tone she said, “*Please.* Mom, why do grown-ups always forget the magic word?”

On the way home from church. It turns out 11 am church is hard on Mary, who demands her binkies and nap at 12 noon daily. During sacrament today, she turned to us at 12 pm sharp and said, "I want my binkies and nap." When those were denied, she had to be gently escorted from the meeting, as her tears and screams were drowning out the testimonies. — On the way home from church. It turns out 11 am church is hard on Mary, who demands her binkies and nap at 12 noon daily. During sacrament today, she turned to us at 12 pm sharp and said, “I want my binkies and nap.” When those were denied, she had to be gently escorted from the meeting, as her tears and screams were drowning out the testimonies (it’s a busy meeting in our ward, and testimony meeting ran over by ten minutes).

Food poisoning and Christmas tree

I got a touch of food poisoning yesterday evening, so I was out of commission until 1 pm today. When I finally gathered enough strength to get up, it was pretty slow moving until the evening. A huge shout out to Abe, who basically did everything all day long so I could recover. I love that man so much.

This evening we decided to go get our Christmas tree and decorate the house for Christmas. Up until now, I have been dreading this event; it’s so much unpacking, and we still have more boxes left to unpack for our every day stuff! I also loved the clean feeling of the new home, and I was scared the Christmas stuff would clutter it up.

However, after having selected a tree, putting it up, and decorating until midnight, I can honestly say that I love the feeling of having the Christmas decorations up. The house feels so cozy and festive, and for the first time this season, I feel in spirit.

I’ll take more pictures tomorrow. Toward the end, I was just racing to finish because of the late hour. This is what I have:

We tried three tree lots today. This was taken in tree lot #1. After that lot didn't work out, I skipped taking pictures with my camera and just focused on the task at hand. — We tried three tree lots today. This was taken in tree lot #1. After that lot didn’t work out, I skipped taking pictures with my camera and just focused on the task at hand.

We had Lydia put the star on before the tree was decorated. We were just so excited to have an official tree topper for the first time since we got married--we couldn't wait to get it on! — We had Lydia put the star on before the tree was decorated. We were just so excited to have an official tree topper for the first time since we got married–we couldn’t wait to get it on!

new furniture set-up

We were up until 2am getting the house in order. Our table and basement love seat arrived yesterday, and we are so excited (and exhausted). I took a lot of pictures yesterday, so I’ll just post those and let those narrate the day’s events.

The girls actually scared Bazi away with their antics. Hopefully she comes back tomorrow!

This looks sweet, but Mary was chanting, "Kill 'nakes, kill 'nakes" the whole time. The first time we visited the house, the girls pretended that there were snakes under the deck. Mary has had fun pretending to kill snakes ever since. — This looks sweet, but Mary was chanting, “Kill ‘nakes, kill ‘nakes” the whole time. The first time we visited the house, the girls pretended that there were snakes under the deck. Mary has had fun pretending to kill snakes ever since.

While I was at school, Abe built a fort with the furniture packaging and ate dinner with the girls underneath.

Abe enjoying the fruits of his labor. Both tables were beasts, and we were so proud of ourselves for getting the one in the garage and getting this one in place.

Orienting in Orem

We met Chelsea at the Orem library today. I got there just as the first story time was ending–but no matter, at the Orem library, they have two story times in a row! I was so impressed by the library and felt really happy about how child and family friendly our new community is.

Other than that, I spent most of the morning trying to convince Mary to put off her nap. Finally, ten minutes before preschool started, Mary had had enough. She threw a huge tantrum screaming for her binkies and nap, and she even made three mad breaks for her bed. It was so cute and pathetic. Tomorrow isn’t a preschool day for Lydia, so I’m going to let Mary sleep as much as she wants.

In Abe’s life, today was a landmark day because he biked to work! He was over-the-top excited about the whole experience, and I feel reassured because he bikes decked out it reflector lights and neon reflector clothing. His commute, formerly the bane of his existence, actually made his day today.

Class was good tonight. I was scared to make sorbets and ice creams because I was sure I would mess up the recipes. My luck has been waning lately, so I stuck with recipes I felt more confident about (pizzas and poached pears).

Pictures:

Mary was very affectionate with Lydia today. She would give her hugs and cuddles and say, "I wuv Wydia!" ...Tonight Lydia came out of her room sobbing because she was tired and trying to sleep, and Mary kept trying to cuddle with her (and therefore woke her up). This captures a moment where the cuddles were more welcome. — Mary was very affectionate with Lydia today. She would give her hugs and cuddles and say, “I wuv Wydia!” …Tonight Lydia came out of her room sobbing because she was tired and trying to sleep, and Mary kept trying to cuddle with her (and therefore woke her up). This captures a moment where the cuddles were more welcome.

Lydia played outside with Bazi for a long time today. She made Bazi the prince and she pretended to be the princess. Here she is smiling for the camera and urging Bazi to do the same.

While I was at school, Lydia slept through the whole ward Christmas party. Abe put her down on the floor and she didn't wake up once. — While I was at school, Lydia slept through the whole ward Christmas party. Abe put her down on the floor and she didn’t wake up once.

Mary saw this as an opportunity for free cuddles.

A flurry of activity (at the end of the day)

We took it easy this morning, but we ended the day with a whirlwind of unpacking and organizing. The girls were up past 10 pm because my project was in their room. I have been meaning to get all of their toys and clothes completely unpacked for days, but Mary sleeps so much that I just can’t seem to get it done. (That’s my excuse, at least.) Tonight I got all of their boxes unpacked and sorted, and I am crossing my fingers that the late bedtime means the girls sleep in tomorrow.

Our new dining room chairs came! I need to take a picture, but they look kind of strange with the old dining room table. The chairs are perfect by themselves, though. Mom, you will like them. They are very light, comfy and have rubber feet so they won’t scratch the floors.

Here’s a picture of Abe and Lydia rolling up the rug so they can put the chairs in place. (At the time, we thought the boxes were full of the new dining room table, so we moved everything to get ready for that, and then we realized the boxes contained our chairs.)

And here’s one of Mary eating ice cream while we all slave away!

Nativity

Here is a summary of Mary’s day:

She slept the whole day. Yesterday Lydia woke her up from her nap, so I guess Mary needed to make up for lost sleepy time. She threw a tantrum right after breakfast because I wouldn’t let her nap right away, so I gave in. In total she took a nap at

9:20 am Wake up

10 am-11:50am NAP

1pm-2:15pm NAP (in car, in grocery store, at home)

2:30pm-6:15pm NAP (Lydia woke her up).

It’s a rough life.

Lydia had her first day of her new preschool today, and she seemed to like it. We made a last minute decision to pull her out of Challenger and enroll her in the preschool around the corner. It turned out to be a great decision–I was running very late today, and we still made it in time!

Chelsea, Derek, Camden, Carter and Liv all joined us for dinner tonight. It was so reassuring to know we have friends we love so close by! Chelsea found out about a live nativity that takes place the first Monday in December (today), and so after dinner we all headed out there. It was a beautiful experience.

The night was clear and not too cold, and we all had to walk through various stations of Christ’s birth. At each station people in costume would read scriptures, bear their testimonies, and lead us in Christmas hymns. One really striking visual image occurred near the end when a whole choir dressed as angels sang hymns. They were standing on really tall hay bales with spotlights on them, so it looked like they were in the sky. Lydia watched with mouth agape. We also really liked the man who played Joseph. He actually got teary delivering his part, and what he had to say about Jesus was so moving.

And now we are happy and exhausted. I actually just fell asleep while typing, so that’s my cue to sign off.

Yay for 11 am church

Church was great today. Our new ward is over the top friendly, and it is much, much smaller than our last ward. It will be a lot easier to get to know everyone because of that. We also walked to church, which felt luxurious. Our ward boundaries cover only four blocks (!!!!! — such is the density of Mormons in Orem!), so we left 9 minutes before church started and arrived before the opening hymn finished. Aria gave us a wonderful jogging stroller the other day which made that possible.

Everyone except Lydia took absurdly long naps after church, and when we got up, we drove to Lehi to visit Abe’s cousin who was recently in a biking accident. When we were done, we came back home, ate dinner, and enjoyed the first leisurely evening we’ve experienced in our newly cleaned home.

Here are some pictures I took this morning. We have church at the best time ever: 11 am!! That means we all get to sleep in AND we all still have time for an afternoon nap. I hope our schedule stays the same in January.

Sruthi gave Mary a dress that looks like an Elsa dress, and when Mary's other Elsa dress got milk on it, the only way I could console her was by showing her Sruthi's present. Mary refused to take Sruthi's dress off for the rest of the night and made us put it on over her pajamas. It was the end of the world when I explained she would get too cold wearing that to church, but here she is before I broke the bad news. — Sruthi gave Mary a dress that looks like an Elsa dress, and when Mary’s other Elsa dress got milk on it, the only way I could console her was by showing her Sruthi’s present. Mary refused to take Sruthi’s dress off for the rest of the night and made us put it on over her pajamas. It was the end of the world when I explained she would get too cold wearing that to church, but here she is before I broke the bad news.

Introducing Maher Shalal Hash Baz, our cat.

Abe and I just finished cleaning every single room in the house. We are so excited because we can now wander through the entire house and admire livable space! Before now, there were piles of boxes and junk in various places, and now they are ALL gone. It feels so liberating.

The other things of note today: Clark and Swathi went to the airport, which means we are all alone again. Mom and Balu left yesterday, and so now the house just feels empty.

Abe took the girls to Petsmart this morning to get a cat house and some cat food. We inherited an outdoor cat with this house, and we’ve decided to feed and shelter him (in a cat house outside–don’t worry, Mom!) so he can survive the winter. I am so excited to have my own protector against rodents! I named him Maher Shalal Hash Baz, or Bozi for short. His name comes from the book of Isaiah and means “destruction is imminent” or “he hastens to the prey.” A perfect name for my guard cat.

Anyway, Abe took some pictures of the girls at Petsmart, and that’s all there is for today.

Black Friday

I gave into Black Friday this year. We just moved into a new house, and in the transition, we’ve discovered we have furniture/housing needs, and it just so happens that Black Friday is a great opportunity for filling those. After today’s purchases, we will be almost completely settled in. Hooray!

We also went back to the old house and cleaned it out. As I walked through the empty rooms, my heart filled up with memories. I am grateful for the time I got to spend there, and even though I am happy to be in my new house, I will always remember 604 G Street and the Avenues with great tenderness. I loved that house.

I took a couple pictures today, but most of my blogging efforts went to revamping yesterday’s posts. Tomorrow I will take down the million iterations of our family photos (I’ll leave the best one up, Mom!), and I will put the photos from the day in order. But today I worked on throwing in some extra pictures Mom sent me, and on recording my notes on all the food we ate so that I can remember them for next year.

Here are today’s pictures:

Abe worked hard to clear a space for the car. This garage was PACKED with boxes right after the move.

My new washer and dryer. Mom took this picture and I think wants Grandma to see. Do you like them, Grandma?

Thanksgiving 2014

I love Thanksgiving. It’s like Christmas, but without all the stress and madness. Instead, on Thanksgiving all you have to focus on 1) people you love 2) things you are grateful for, and 3) food.

Today I am thankful for Mary’s guardian angels. That little child has had a lot of close calls, but today we had a real scare. During dinner, my mom exclaimed, “Oh, look! Mary fell asleep standing up!” We all got up out of our seats to admire the cuteness, and while we were admiring, Mary coughed, screamed, and started crying. We feel pretty sure she wasn’t sleeping. She was choking. We concluded she had probably passed out standing up. Her mouth was full of kale leaves, and her lips were blue. It was really scary.

Thankfully, her guardian angels got her back on track. Tonight I am thankful that all the people I love are alive, well, and close.

Here are some pictures. Sorry for the million iterations of our family photos. I promised Mom that I would share them all with her, and I have no energy for an email in addition to blogging.

First of all, the end product:

The menu this year consisted of:

Salt brined turkey http://www.marthastewart.com/317581/roasted-dry-brined-turkey
Sweet potato casserole http://foodforthoughtrd.com/2014/11/24/sweet-potato-casserole/
Kale salad
Roasted brussel sprouts with turkey bacon and apples
Herbed oyster stuffing http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Herbed-Oyster-Stuffing-107371
Cranberry and mixed berry sauce “Alex’s Mother’s Cranberry Sauce” http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/cranberries-candied-fruity-and-drunk/
Gravy http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-gravy-recipe.html
Rolls from a bakery in Salt Lake that I’ve forgotten the name of
Apple slab pie http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/10/apple-slab-pie/
Pecan pie http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pecan_pie/
Pumpkin pie from Trader Joe’s

Thoughts for next year: I would try the stuffing again with cornbread. For the cranberry sauce, I would add two cans of whole berry sauce so that there would be three total cans of cranberry sauce in the mixture. The recipe as is isn’t cranberry-intensive enough. I would also definitely do the back of the bag cranberry sauce–I missed that! I might also do the mashed potatoes next year, if only as a vehicle for the gravy. I wanted an excuse for a gravy puddle, and so maybe I’ll reinstate the mashed potatoes next year. Also, the salt brine was great for tenderizing the turkey, but next year I will do it 48 hours in advance instead of a mere 10. I would also double the amount of pie filing in the pecan pie, especially if I used the same pie plate again.