We had a big Thanksgiving this year at our house:  36 people, all related to me.  I woke up early this morning worried that I wouldn't have enough turkey.  I thought maybe I should rush to the store and get another turkey breast.  But my husband convinced me that we had enough and we should try the experiment of possibly running out.  So I cooked a 19 lb. turkey and a 7 lb. turkey breast and we had plenty with some leftovers. We had lots of other food, of course:  raw vegetables, roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus, a green bean casserole, a squash casserole, fruit salad, a green salad, mashed potatoes, rolls, cornbread dressing, stuffing, olives and gravy.  Then for dessert we had several different kinds of pie:  pumpkin, sour cream apple, berry, key lime, lemon meringue, banana cream, and German chocolate.  It was all yummy and the amount was just about right.  I should have taken pictures of the food! Some of the older boys and men played football beforehand--the

Lately we've had some pretty cold weather--this morning it was about 15 degrees when we got up.  That isn't so very cold compared to the temperatures in Edmonton, Canada where my son is serving a mission; I think it got down to -15 last week.  But there were plenty of complaints from the teenagers who needed to ride their bikes to school this morning. What's the saying--there is no bad weather just bad clothing?  Tonight we're going to the store to get them better equipped for riding their bikes to school clothing-wise, assuming they can keep track of the mittens, scarves, etc.  And we're going to have a discussion about why we encourage transportation independence at our house. Here are the reasons to tell your children why they should ride their bike or walk to school: 1.  It helps you learn how to do hard things.  One of the things I love about my husband is that he is not afraid to do something hard.  He rides his bike to work, 6 miles away, in all but th

Camille had her seventh birthday this year.  She asked for spaghetti and meatballs for her birthday dinner.  She wanted a chocolate cake with pink frosting and a heart made out of raspberries for the middle.  She also wanted to go ice skating for her birthday so we went the following Saturday.  It was definitely much less crowded than it is when we go in January or February.  She wanted an Olaf costume for Halloween so that was one of her presents along with some clothes.  (Sadly she lost the top half of the costume on her way home from school on Halloween but she still had the hat.) Here is Mindy copying one of the expert figure skaters at the rink. We went to Southfork on her birthday because it was Fall Break and the weather was beautiful. Camille had a good month and stayed healthy all month.  It was great.  Camille loves to play with friends and have computer turns.  She is becoming an independent reader.  She takes piano from her mother.  We enjoy the cheer