I'm Thankful...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day with your families. Being Mason is at football this morning and I just finished my blackberry pie (I decided to make two), I'm watching Horton fly by in the Macey's Day Thanksgiving Day parade - I decided to make just a short list of some things I am thankful for:

1. My wonderful family - both mine and Masons
2. My warm, warm house so that I'm not freezing this morning
3. My job and all those sweet little children that make me laugh
4. Good friends who care about me
5. The freedom to choose which church I go to
6. The church I go to
7. I'm thankful for Mason and the never ending sleepover we have each night. He's my best friend and I love him to death
8. Pictures to capture memories for my failing mind
9. Babies that I want to squeeze and make me excited to be a mommy
10. Flowers
11. Yummy yummy food - even though sometimes I'm not thankful for it because it makes me look like a little turkey
12. My car - it's amazing how I can get in the car and 9 1/2 hours later be in a totally different state visiting my family that it 900 or so miles away.
13. Comfy socks
14. The internet that lets me connect with long lost friends and family
15. My senses - so I can see the pie, taste the pie, smell the pie, and if I really wanted to... I could try and hear it
16. Soft serve ice cream
17. Christmas and the feelings it brings
18. My health so that I can do whatever it is I want
19. Sissors
20. Music that I can sing/dance/clean the house/drive/exercise/whatever to!

There are just so many things to be thankful for this list could go on and on. I feel so blessed in my life.

The pie...

This year we are spending Thanksgiving with Mason's family. We will be having it at his Grandma's house up in Woodland. I'm excited.

I'm also in charge of making the pumpkin pie. Does anyone out there have any yummy recipes they are willing to share? If not I guess I can give ol' Betty Crocker a try... or the back of the pumpkin can I suppose.

(I love this picture - it was too much of a classic not to put on)

How many syllables in Squanto?

Today we were reading the story of Squanto the Indian who helped the Pilgrims. The story starts off with him as a boy living with the Native Americans. While he is a boy he leaves with some English traders and goes back to England. He stays there until he is grown. While he is there he is captured and sold as a slave.

At this point in the story one of my sensitive little boys raises his hand and asks, "Was he a human?" I paused and said, "Yes... wait. What do you mean?" He asked again, "Was he a human?" I said, "An Indian? Or do you mean was he a grown up? Was he a man?" He said, "Yes."

He is a triplet and his brothers look back at him and say, "Man, do you even know what a human is? You are a human."

This sensitive little guys is beginning to well up with tears as he says, "Yes." Then I proceded to tell the class that we are all humans, etc as this little guy covers his face and cries.

Boy to human... sometimes in class I do feel as though that is the progression of life or is it vice versa - think about that one a bit.


THEN...

I was testing syllables for the report cards today. I had a little guy at the back table who I was testing. Here is what happened...

Me: "Ok... How many syllables are in your name?"
Him: *clapping the words* "Daw-son... 2."
Me: "How many in turkey?"
Him: *clap clap* "tur-key... 2."
Me: "How many in boy?"
Him: *clap* "boy...1."
Me: (turning to a girl who was talking and saying Shhhhhhh!)
Him: *clap* "Shhh...1."

Hilarious.

Squeaky onions and burnt voices

I thought that I was going to get away without getting sick all through Mason's sickness... but I did catch something just a little. It caused me to lose my voice for about 3 days. It was pretty entertaining teaching my class as my voice sounded like I was going in and out of puberty. One of my sweet little girls wrote me this note one day.

Then tonight we had prime rib sandwiches covered with Mozzerella cheese and caramelized onions. We had these at the Red Rock Brewery in Salt Lake and they were so delicious we decided to recreate it at home. We've made them before but it's been a while. Here is how my first batch of caramelized onions turned out. Want some? I'll bet you do!

Luckily I had another onion in the fridge and tried it again. I'm not quite sure what happened. But at least it gave me something to blog about. I'm looking for anything to blog about these days...

The finished product was YUMMY!

The Swine Flew

Yeah so not much to blog about as of late. Here's the basic update. Mason has been sick for over a week now. I'm convinced it started off as the swine flu and then when he finally went to the doctor about it found out that it had turned into bronchitis. Fun fun!

Nah... I'm pretty convinced it was because I have had, no joke, like 7 or 8 kids absent each day the past 2 1/2 weeks. (Not that I'm complaining) But 90% of those parents have contacted me saying that their kids have been diagnosed with the swine flu. I was sick two weeks ago and then I think I passed it to poor little Mason. And being his immune system isn't as indestructable as mine after being around innumerous amounts of germs, snot, and other mysterious bodily fluids for the past 4 years, he got it pretty bad.

That's about all we have been up to. Coughing all night and consuming massive amounts of Vitamin C.

Facebook

I have finally joined after many many requests from friends and family!! But now the only problem is... I don't know how to work it!

Find me if your on and help me out!

The Chicago Caper Murder Mystery

Friday night we hosted a murder mystery dinner with some of my fellow teacher friends from the school. We had SO much fun! The scene was set in the 1920s at a speakeasy. I had a great time setting the scene in our home. I even found some authentic music that I LOVE. Everyone played their parts amazingly and like I said we had a blast!

Here we are - Molly M. Awbsterr and Earnest G. Ambler. Mason's slick back hair is only slightly creepy.

Here's Scoop the reporter and S. Treighton Harrow the lawyer.

Silky M. Adam and Eddie R. Gyle.

Torchy and Billy Thrower.

It was great! We had a prize for the person who guessed the murderer. Mason guessed right on. He's so smart! I think Kim came in second. I'm so glad everyone went all out! Let's do it again guys!

Here are some pictures of the appetizers that I served. I was so proud of them:

The monster cheeseball head and these...

Yummy and super cute!