Willy Thanksgiving 2017

I may have gotten carried away with desserts, this year. I made an Italian Cream Cake, a Pumpkin Pie with the famous Emily L. pie crust, an Apple Blackberry Pie, and a Layered Chocolate Mousse Pie. 

My dad smoked a turkey and my mom made pioneer woman stuffing and sweet potato casserole. I made homemade rolls, fresh cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes. We had my parents over for dinner and board games, and then Jimmie and Kasey M. And the  Missionaries came for dessert. We’ve got the sweetest set of Sister missionaries right now. I could just adopt them right up into my family.  Love them, and their efforts to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.   

I’m grateful for the intentional season of gratitude. I have much to be thankful for, starting with these beautiful people I live with. 

I’m thankful for Aaron’s sense of humor, love for the Savior, and always quick obedience to God. He is selfless and generous, and humble. He is a wonderful husband who lifts me up and supports my endeavors. He is funny and makes me laugh everyday. He is honest and responsible and compassionate.

 

I’m thankful for Reese’s patience with me as I learn to parent a teenager.  I’m thankful for her sentimental love of tradition, her gentle and compassion heart. She is a fiercely loyal and uplifting friend. Im thankful for her love of service. She is always thinking of ways to bless others, from acts of kindness to leaving positive notes out for siblings to find. She is an excellent missionary and knocked on every door in our cul de sac to personally invite all of our neighbors to the Live Nativity and Noel. I also love her sense of humor. Reese drops perfectly times applicable movie quotes and song lyrics like a dream teen. It’s hilarious and a talent she inherited from Aaron that I love. 

I’m thankful for Quincy’s honesty. She is bold and brave. I’m thankful for her confidence in her maker and her belief that everyone was created perfectly. She recognizes Heavenly Father as an artist and sees people exactly how they are without trying to change them. I’m thankful for her big ideas and for her recent discovery that she can change the tone input home by choosing her attitude about things. She makes an intentional effort to play with her younger siblings and I love listening to her interactions with them. 

I’m thankful for Corbin. He is so good at being a boy and a little brother. If there is a screen, a ball, or food in your hands,  he will gravitate toward you like a moth to the flame.  I’m thankful for these easy routes to Corbin’s heart and his attention. I’m thankful for his love of facts, logic, and strategy.  I love to listen to him read out loud, or be in the same room when he watches a funny movie, because his laugh is so great. I’m thankful for the way Corbin watches and learns from examples, because I know he will grow up to be an attentive father. Corbin loves fun, loves to play, loves to win, and loves to keep moving.  

I’m thankful for Soren. He is such a pal. He appreciates beautiful things. He loves art and creating things. He is very self reliant and generally just an easy guy to be around. He is very coordinated physically and picks up new skills quickly with confidence and determination. He pals around the neighborhood with anyone who wants to play, but also is quite content to play alone. I’m so thankful for the invaluable peace he adds to the chemistry in our family. 

I’m thankful for Sloane. She is full of life and attitude and a million things to say. She is so funny. She loves everyone in our family and is a tiny bossy mama.  Sloane can get our entire family rolling in laughter. I’m thankful for the way she puts my face in her hands and speaks to me eye to eye, and the way she moves my shirt out of the way to put her cheek against my skin. I’m thankful for the flexibility she has shown this year, being usurped as the “baby” of the family, and sacrificing a lot of my attention for Wren, and then jumping right back into the roll anytime mama needs a baby in her arms. 

I’m thankful for Jaycee, for Allie, and especially for Wren, for sharing their lives with us. 

I’m thankful for my parents. Their move to Ar made it possible for us to stay in the home we love in a neighborhood we love without going completely insane trying to get everyone where they need to be. They make it possible for me to go to the dentist and court appointments, and take little ones to bio family visits. They’ve really saved me too many times to count. I would still be weeping over how to get kids home from school of it weren’t for their help. I’m so thankful my kids are getting to make memories with grandparents like their cousins have been so blessed to have. “Ride your bike and take _____ up to Lady” is  a regular phase around here and I love. I grew up living far away from grandparents and was always a bit jealous of friends who had grandparents at their piano recitals and school plays. I’m so thankful my children will have the experience of grandparents cheering them on at a game or performance. 

It’s good life 

"Stuffed to the Muff!"

Or, you could take the Lawrence abbreviation of "STTM". 

I have so much to blog! Gotta start somewhere, so here's our thanksgiving feast, because it's easiest. 

Aaron fried two turkeys this year and they were delicious!! I wish we had taken a photo of him out there on the driveway, surrounded by Josh and his boys holding up huge sheets of cardboard to block the wind. Well done, men. Those birds were incredible. 

I call this masterpiece "stuffing to the muffing". I started Wednesday with cornbread that I made from my own fresh home-ground cornmeal. It was diced, toasted a little, then set out to dry out overnight along with a loaf of dried out, diced,French bread, 

On Thursday, I added sautéed onions, celery, fresh thyme, oregano, rosemary and a dash of parsley, in melted butter/chicken stock(6c) poured over the top. Then, we stirred in 2 diced green apples, pomegranate arils, and diced dried apricots.  Oh hunni! 'Twas magical. 

The rest of the menu was classic and simple made 28 of moms classic (butter) dinner rolls, apple butter, whipped Yukon gold (heavy cream) potatoes, gravy (from a can with TJ's 21 seasoning salute and garlic salt added), and corn. We were halfway through the meal before we even realized we'd forgotten to make the green bean casserole and homemade cranberry sauce! It was fine without though. My mom cooked a ham and everyone took a turn helping in the kitchen. It was like having a dozen soux chefs! 

Homemade apple blackberry, triple berry, pumpkin, cherry, and French silk pies. Those didn't last long.  

Dinner success. 

Calzones

These weren't the prettiest calzones I've ever made, but it's still nice to have a photo to go with the recipe so here it is. 

This recipe comes from my friend, Tonya, who lovingly brought us our first calzones when I was in the trenches of pregnancy nausea with Soren.  Since then, they've become a favorite for both Reese and Aaron and are liked by everyone. It's a great last minute dinner when I run out of time or whatever I'd had planned on cooking sounds less exciting than this deliciously cheese stuffed carb fest. We fill our calzones with ham and pineapple, spring veggies, caprese toppings, pepperoni, smoked gouda, jack cheese and bacon, or the classic mozzarella and olives (Quincy's favorite).  

Yield: 2 giant calzones. I double the recipe for my family since we don't mess around when it comes to bread. We eat until we're "stuffed to the muff" and there's usually almost a full calzone leftover for lunch the next day.  There's need enough when I make a single batch unless we're having a big salad with it or something. Seems like two and a half to three calzones is the right amount for my crew of 6. 

Ingredients: 

2 ½ to 3 c. Flour         

1 TBS Sugar

1 tsp Salt                     

2 ¼ tsp yeast

3 TBS Olive Oil                 

1 c. very warm Water (120-125 degrees)

1-2 tsp Italian Seasoning 

Directions: 

Mix flour, sugar, salt, italian seasoning and yeast in large bowl. Add oil and warm water.  Mix until dough is soft and eaves sides of bowl.  I just mix by hand with a wooden spoon or danish dough whisk. Place dough on lightly floured surface.  Knead 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy.  Cover loosely with towel and let rest 20-30 minutes while you get all the toppings ready.

To braid bread (after it is done raising in bowl) : Split dough in half.  Take section and roll into a thin rectangle (probably a 1/4 inch or so... pretty thin).  Brush a little melted butter down the center of dough and spread within an inch from all edges (don't want the edges wet, it makes it difficult to press the strips down when you braid).  Then put toppings down the middle of the rectangle maybe a width of two inches.  From there you will take a pizza cutter and slice lines from the toppings, perpendicular out to the edge of the bread, on both sides of the toppings (make sure you have the same amount of strips)  Then you just start at the top pulling one strip and folding it across the toppings (angled slighly down) then alternating sides. The right goes over the left (angled slightly down) and repeat.  At the end, you just pinch the bottom shut after the last braid.

After calzones are assembled, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt.  

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes  

Slice calzone into 4-6 smaller pieces and serve with pizza sauce to dip.  

Aye Un Amigo En Mi

We celebrated the 4th Annual Gringo Fiesta, last night.
Usually, this glorious made up holiday kicks off around the 18th of February, but due to the fact that around the 18th of February I couldn't keep any solid food down, well....a big feast didn't sound so great. And cooking? Hahahahaha! Out of the question.

Rather than cancel, we postponed for a month, and I am so glad we did!

My friends did most of the work this year, which made el party easy cheesy for me and I only threw up once during the party. Viva la Gringo Fiesta!

I love love love this tradition! We always have our "regulars" over, and then mix it up and introduce a few newbies to the goodness of the Willy House Party. Fun fun times.
And now for what you've all been waiting for :

The Menu:

Main Dish: (prepared a la crockpot style by the lazy hostess)
Lime and Chili Shredded Pork (this recipe can easily be halved...and probably even quartered, although I'm not really sure why you would want to make so little...)
4 Pork Tenderloins
2 cans diced (or chopped) green chilies
4 TBS Caldo de Pollo
juice and pulp of 2-3 fresh limes
2 tsp minced garlic
1 jalapeno (Whole. Remove and discard before shredding the meat)

Dump everything into crockpot and let that sucker slow cook on low for 6-7 hours.
1 hour before dinner, remove jalapeno and shred the meat with a knife and fork. It will fall apart very easily.

Carnitas are traditionally served after baking or frying in a pan so they get a little crispy, but these were just right so we left well enough alone.

Serve with Tortillas, Cilantro Lime Rice, and Black Beans
toppings (brought by friends): cheese, sour cream, guac, salsa, and http://meandmyapron.blogspot.com/2011/01/salsa-de-tomatillo.html

Appetizers a la Kasey and Tia:
Kasey's Mango Salsa, green salsa, guac, homemade jalapeno gouda, guacamole deviled eggs, and a lot of chips and olives.

Beverages a la Kasey: Dr. Pepper and Brazillian Lime Punch (recipe coming soon)

Desserts a la Ruthy, Tia, Kasey, and Tanya: key lime bars, lime bundt cake, butterscotch cookies, lime finger jello, and strawberry spring delight, which, thanks to Ruthy's facebook page is the only thing from the evening that I have a photo of!

I totally forgot to take out my camera last night, but basically, we sat outside, we ate, we talked, we ate more, then we talked about how much we ate, we ate dessert, then we packed up the leftovers to eat later. It was a great, casual evening. Big thanks to the Meadows, Glovers, Jefferys, Murrays, and McMurrins for a fun night of friendship and feasting. Thanks for doing all the work, guys!

And let's not forget to express our gratitude for the real reason we celebrate this great holiday:
The END of winter. Wahoooooooo!

We made it, guys.

Stay Puft

I just discovered Corbin playing quietly in his room.
And by "playing quietly", I mean I found my little glutton hiding in the corner after eating 3/4 of a box of Cocoa Puffs in one sitting.

Playing with him now just feels like a booby trap. I mean, that's a lot of Cocoa Puffs!

He is currently running around, giggling, and showing off his bloated belly. It's hysterical, and I am literally afraid to squeeze or poke him. If I wrestle him too much, he'll blow, and I'll be sorry.

Alas, he is going to explode eventually and it won't be pretty.

in other news...
Happy Valentine's Day, Aaron!
I move we save ourselves from our little ticking time bomb of a son and go for Plan B: Operation Get-A-Sitter-Tonight and give her a really big tip.

Update: well, we didn't escape fast enough. 4:56 pm (so close!) take cover, folks. It's a bad one.

Having a Happier New Year

This photo has no correlation to the post. I just like that Corbin enjoyed what he was eating so much, he put more into his mouth than actually fit.

I think there are 2 contributing factors to why people are exceptionally cantankerous the first week of the New Year.

1) Vacation is over. Back to work.
2) Day 3. Oh the dreaded Day 3. I pity those with a birthday on January 3rd, because it has to be the crabbiest day of the year, for Americans. Why? Well it's Day 3 of the New Year's Resolution Diet! Day 3 away from addictions, Day 3 of cravings, and usually, Day 1 back to work and away from loved one's who will support your decision to change.
This is the day to avoid facebook at all costs. You won't find a whole lot of happy there on Day 3, and if you do, it is clouded by people who are starving.

So Step 1 for a Happier New Year = PASS.
Pass on the social networking on Jan 3 unless you go in there with an unsinkable ship of cheer that refuses to be taken down.

Pass on naysayers who don't think you 'can do it'.
Pass on your own inhibitions and self doubt.

Pass on toxic relationships.

Pass on distractions that lure you away from progress. If this were a game, and you didn't want to play that turn, you just need to say PASS.

Step 2 = have a 2012 goal and a plan for the goal. Goals without plans are just ideas.
I probably didn't make that line up, but I'll take credit for it, today. Resolutions usually are met via a predetermined plan that is carried out.
If you're not a resolution's person, gain satisfaction in helping someone else with theirs.

Step 3 = be a positive influence. Debbie Downer is only funny on SNL, and you'll notice that her friends in the skit aren't laughing. I'm not saying you have to be all fake and chipper if that isn't your personality type, but everyone can give encouragement and avoid negativity if it risks bringing others down.

Step 4 = Remember that when you say things out loud, people can hear you.
Who are "people"? Friends, family, teachers, that lady behind you in the checkout line. Your children, in particular, should not hear you call yourself: fat, stupid, lazy, ugly, incapable or fat...(did I already say that one? Well it makes me mad). Happiness begins with the people who are closest to you. Saying degrading or negative things about yourself changes the opinion others have about you. Saying degrading or negative things about your spouse changes the opinion of others about your spouse. Same goes for your children. When you say negative things about your child, they hear it, or their sibling hears it, or their friends hear it, or your friends hear it, and negative opinions are formed about your kid. Speak with kindness about the people you love, because when you speak, others hear you. What you say changes their world and can affect how much happiness is in it.

Step 5: Analyze your motivation to change.
If a resolution does not bring you happiness, then the goal is not worthy of your time, energy, or your attention.

There are a few exceptions, like giving up an addiction, for example, that will cause temporary ___(insert negative behavior)__ -ness, but the final result is still better health and happiness.
Any diet or workout regimen that fosters self deprecation, guilt, whining, constant obsession, starvation, or crabbiness is probably a set up for failure....or at minimum depression, friends who are irritated with your negativity, and probably a cookie binge.

I love New Year's Resolutions. I think they are awesome and that they can work. They require effort and hard work. They provide a way to reflect and grow. They are an opportunity to turn weaknesses into strengths.

Here's to Resolutions that cultivate happiness and help yourself and others grow (or shrink, if that's what you're going for) in an inspired, fun, enlightening, and positive way.

Wishing you a (literally) Happy New Year.

Harvest Joy in 2012.

7 Weeks

That, my friends, is jalapeno gouda and it was made from scratch.
Homemade cheese, from local milk, and pressed in a homemade cheese press made from locally grown maple.
Tonight, our Christmas Eve festivities included death by cheese.
It was Kasey, in the kitchen, with the cheese slicer.
I am happy to be her partner in cheese crime.

The cheese is incredible. Very mild, buttery, and only enough pepper in it to give a little flavor, but not enough to really be considered a spicy or pepper cheese. Delicious. I cannot WAIT to try the cheddar!

To quote Aaron as he stuffed his cheeks with gouda, "Finally, you have a hobby that I can enjoy! You need to make more!"

Meg's Wish List

It's that time again, folks!
I have made a Christmas list every year since I was old enough to write. In the Lawrence house, you made a HUGE Christmas list, because Santa liked to have options.

Translation: My parents are brilliant and saved themselves from last minute frantic shopping where they search for "the one and only" toy lest they shatter the dreams of a child on Christmas morning. Santa always managed to get me something from my Christmas list.

Before I go on, let's be real. Everything on this list is a want. All of it.
I have everything I could possibly need for the rest of my life right here with me.

1) springform cheesecake pan. I don't have one. I love cheesecake.

2) giant stainless steel pot for canning and cheesemaking
(Last month, I found one for like 70% off and jumped on it!)

3) 4 qt glass pyrex liquid measurer

I'd just like to point out that so far, all of these items would benefit the gift giver as well, since they would be used to create good things to eat.

4) beach cruiser bike with white wall tires, breaks (muy importante), a wire basket and maybe one of those cute little bar shelfs on the back. I don't own a bike, but I'd like one..but if I'm going to get a bike, I think a cute vintage inspired beach cruiser would suit me well.

5) a counter top compost pail. I often use a bowl, but this system a) looks gross b) can be stinky c) can cause major fruit fly problems in the spring and d) needs to be emptied at a minimum of once a day. THIS adorable countertop compost pail has a cabon pad in the lid to keep the stink in, and prevent attraction of gnats and fruit flies. It's attractive, convenient, and very affordable compared to other models I have seen.

I really super duper want one of these. It's a pain make a trip out to the compost pile for just two egg shells, an apple core, or 4 strawberry stems. I love the idea of just going out there once a day to empty the pail. I checked on our compost pile about a month ago and wooooweee! It's doing it's thing and come spring, we will have a lovely batch of nutrients for our garden. Yippee!

6) the Kindle Fire
reasons:
a) we want a 2nd computer, would love a touch screen but don't really need one.
2) Aaron has downloaded a few ebooks and I don't like sharing my kindle with him.
d) um, touch screen, color, wifi, movies, children's books----that alone opens up SO many possibilities for preschool---I could triple my library!

7) a trip to California. I haven't been home for Christmas in like 7 years. I haven't been to California in a year. It's been a year and a have since I've taken the girls. It is killing me. Literally. Something inside of me dies when I am away for that long. I seriously think I survived last winter because and only because of that 10 mile run in 70* San Juan Bautista.

8) Nothing would make me happier than a "Sold" sign...or even a "for sale" sign on the boat. I'm not opposed to having a boat anymore...I just don't like that boat. Also, our garage is stuffed to the muff. I'd love the extra space.

9) leaf removal. We usually do this ourselves, but dang. I'm tired. I've been tired for 8 months. I spent 2 hours blowing leaves one saturday, and now they're all in the back half of the yard, but I know that is where they are going to stay until next year. The pile is 2-4 feet deep and spans the entire backside of our home. Really. I'd LOVE to have a "professional" come out to do a one time leaf removal job and make all of it disappear, this year. Spring gardening/landscaping will be so much more enjoyable if it doesn't begin with loading and hauling 20 tarploads of leaves.

10) reflective running gear. I have a headlamp, but my little flashing light for my back is busted. I need to get another one if I'm going to do any night running this winter. There just aren't enough hours in the day to run when you have small children at home. Running in the morning is also not an option, since our day begins at 5:30am. I usually run on saturday mornings and one weeknight with a group of ladies after the kids have all gone to bed. It's a blast, but it's dark. I need a new flashy flashy light to pin on my back so I am a little more visible when it is pitch black outside.

11) A 20 ton gas powered log splitter---like this one. Ok...that one is a little fancy. We ordered a bunch of firewood this year, but we have at least 2 cords worth of cut logs out back just waiting to be split. I hate paying for firewood when I know we could have it for free for the rest of our lives if we had the right tools. And free firewood would not just mean saving on the cost of wood....it means a teeny tiny electric bill from not having to run the heater all winter. And now that the place we used to rent a splitter from has relocated and changed business to commercial rentals only...we don't have the option to just rent. But we could rent our own splitter out and get a little of the cash back. Just sayin', it would be a fun tool to have, a wonderful convenience, self reliant, and splitting wood with a giant hydraulic splitter is (incredibly dangerous and a quick way to lose a thumb if you aren't careful) a lot of fun and very rewarding work!

12) last, but not least, The Almond Box. Yeah, yeah, I know I got it last year, but hey...no one else (deserves it) is campaigning this year, so Mom, I hope you're reading this and will jump on board and support an imcumbent election.

Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

That's about it. I must be growing up. This is the first year I feel silly posting my ridiculous "all wants, no needs" list. Sticking with tradition, I posted it anyway. The kids' Santa letters are coming up, soon, along with Reese's birthday posts, preschool posts, a few crafty posts, recipes, more from our Elf, and most importantly, a celebration of the birth of our Savior, who is the real reason we enjoy this wonderful Christmas season.

Gratitude

Mom,
Thanks for never letting me pierce the cartilidge of my ear. It was a bad idea, and I'm glad you didn't let me go through with it.

Love, Meg.

No, wait...there's more! It's gratitude month. I haven't gone "home" for Thanksgiving since I was 19, so I miss out on sitting around the table and telling everyone what I'm grateful for.
Soooo, here's a little gratitude for my family:

Mom,
Thanks for teaching me the therapeutic benefits of crafting.
Thanks for teaching us to laugh all the time.
Thanks for laughing with me when I call and tell you about a wildly disasterous day.
Thanks for giving me advice that I don't want, but need to hear.
Thanks for coming to visit me every year that you can.
Thanks for teaching me how to throw a good party.
Thanks for teaching me the importance of marrying a good man.
Thanks for many late night phone calls.
Thanks for being a wonderful Grandma to my kids.
Thanks for giving me the desire to make all things pretty, and to "go all out" and do things over the top when it is important to me and I am able.

Dad,
Thanks for passing on your high water table to me. I cry over anything. Emotional movie ending? Sentimental commercial? Good book? Beautiful song? Deep conversation? Absolutely.
Thanks for teaching me to get involved in my community.
Thanks for calling the kids to talk to them on the phone.
Thanks for teaching me how to...well, anything DIY, garden, build, paint, etc.
Thanks for helping me appreciate the beauty of the way things fit together and are organized in space. This gift has come in handy when packing a car, planning a scrapbook or card layout, organizing a closet, hanging pictures, landscaping, making a table display, and designing a room.
Thanks for teaching me the art of grilling.
Thanks for being an example of righteousness.
Thanks for teaching me how to work.

Mark,
Thanks for giving me the extra push I needed to go to college. Both times.
Thanks for introducing me to the Banana's Foster at Maveriks...and for taking me out to lunch every time I come visit.
Thanks for being willing to drive me to the airport on your way to work every time I came home to visit when I was in college, even though I got nervous and threw up in your car nearly every time.
Thanks for not telling people about the throw up part.
Thanks for loaning Taylor to me when she was little, so I could pretend I had a baby sister.
Thanks for always asking me, "but what else are you doing?" because it reminds me that I can always do more, learn more, stretch more, try harder, and be better.
Thanks for forcing me to give black beans a try.

Melinda,
Thanks for being fun and spontaneous and for making me laugh a lot.
Thanks for letting me live with you during the months that Aaron was training for the Border Patrol. I die when I think about what a messy, self absorbed house guest I was.
Thanks for the many late night talks and advice you've given me.
Thanks for the picture of the Oakland temple you gave me a few years ago. I love it.
Thanks for always passing on awesome hand me down toys for my kids. I love them, the kids love them, and I love that the toys have already been loved and enjoyed by my really great niece and nephews, who I miss a lot.
Thanks for being a good example to me.
Thanks for singing wacky songs to your kids in a silly voice. I do the same thing.

HolleeAnn
Thanks for taking me to get my eyebrows waxed the first time, and making me promise to never let them get that out of control again.
Thanks for teaching me the importance of thank you cards.
Thank you for spoiling my kids and sending us awesome mail.
Thanks for letting me crash at your place twice a week when I worked in Morgan Hill.
Thanks for giving me excellent advice for handling Reese's tantrums and anxiety attacks.
Thanks for the "sisters" frame with the picture of you, me, and Amy...and no, I haven't changed the photo ;)
Thanks for always being up for group fun when we get together, for going with whatever the kids are doing, and for taking great photos (where you photoshop the glare off my white legs) to document the whole thing.
Thanks for introducing me to the joy of teaching and for mentoring me.
Thanks for supporting my business 100% and for sending me supplies, ideas, information, and most importantly, for giving me confidence to get started.
Thanks for being a "Princess", on the phone, for Reese and Quincy to share their success with, back when they were potty training.

Paul
Thanks for letting me call you Fonzo
Thanks for dropping everything to spend time with the kids and I when we came out last summer.
Thanks for encouraging me to keep running.
Thanks for taking a 20 minute detour so HolleeAnn and I could get pics of my kids with the windmills.
Thanks for taking another huge detour to hit up some Ca produce stands and a pick your own orchard on your way to Grandma Lawrence's funeral, just I could get my fresh fruit on when we met up.
Thanks for carrying at least one of my kids on your shoulders all over San Fransisco.
Thanks for being all about family and loving my kids enough to think of activities my kids would enjoy when we came to visit.
Thanks for sharing Jim and Carla. I love your parents.
Thanks for always being so quick to offer to run errands for us, or pick something up for us while you're out.

Amy
Thanks for teaching me to sing. Literally. Thanks for free voice lessons for oh....10 years?
Thanks for letting me sift through 11 boxes of boys clothes and toys and loot anything I wanted.
Thanks for your constant example of kindness and charity.
Thanks for letting me hang out at your house a lot when in high school anytime I needed a change of scenery.
Thanks for teaching me to love showtunes.
Thanks for peeing your pants when you laugh too hard, so I'm not the only one in the family that does this.
Thanks for always being up for late late night shenanigans.
Thanks for remembering and understanding how difficult it is to throw up everything you eat when you're pregnant, for holding my hair back a few times, and for forcing dried mangos on me like candy ;)
Thanks for teaching me the importance of helping a friend.

Josh
Thanks for volunteering to chaperone my friends and I when my parents told me I was too young for the Cure/Erasure concert at Shoreline.
Thanks for being cool and not all "chaperon-ey" when we got there.
Thanks for being the "baby whisperer" so I could go to the temple with Amy back when I was too nervous to leave baby Reese with anyone.
Thanks for remembering and calling me on my birthday every single year.
Thanks for sharing your testimony with me a lot when I was growing up, and for telling me to read my scriptures.
Thanks for doing everything you possibly can to get a horrible song stuck in my head every time I visit. Oh wait. NO THANKS for that. By the way, "Mele Kalikimaka...."
bwahahahaha!

Scotty
Thanks for calling me to catch up every couple weeks.
Thanks for coming to visit me everywhere we have lived. You've seen almost every place we've ever lived...even the crummy rentals. That's a huge deal to me.
Thanks for being sensitive to how I handle hard situations, and for having the courage to ask me. Thanks for my taste in music. I'll give you nearly full credit for that one.
Thanks for telling me to start this here blog :)
Thanks for giving me the support and advice I needed to get through the transfer process at BSU and for giving constant encouragement until I was done.
Thanks for unrolling your window at the Drive Thru Safari. You know I'm too much of a rule follower to have ever been brave enough to do it myself. But I've always wanted to do it.
Thanks for rolling the window back up when the Zebra stuck his head in my car.
Thanks for helping me bite the bullet and book the Virgin Islands trip this summer.
Thanks for being cool with me calling you "Scotty" still. Even though we are grown ups, now.
Thanks for doing anything to make my kids laugh...even if that means running through the sprinklers at a restaurant, or letting a goat eat your shoelace.

Kristie
Thanks for being a great hostess when we've visited.
Thanks for being my friend.
Thanks for starting the Lawrence Family Cookbook project. It's going to happen! I won't give up until everyone is "stuffed to the muff"
Thanks for letting my kids maul Lacey when you came to visit.
Thanks for coming to visit us.
Thanks for making me laugh every time we're together.
Thanks for eating my baguettes anyway when I forgot to add the salt and they were gross.
Thanks for having me in your wedding.
Thanks for sharing your love for all things pumpkin with me.

To all the men in our family: Thanks for jumping to carry suitcases, assemble cribs and pack n plays, move carseats, set up strollers, and help with the kids every time I travel home alone with the kids. I never have to ask or express my exhaustion because one of you is already on it. Every time! Thank you!

To all the women in our family: Thank you for being mothers to my kids, great examples of womanhood to me, and for indulging my weird food cravings. And for not calling them weird, because any of you would have a bucket list of places to eat each visit if you were ever cut off from Super Taq, Running Rooster, Erik's, Togo's, or In n Out. And I totally love that about you.

To the whole family,
Thanks for being my family. We're a pretty fantastic family, and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

Love you all. I miss you bunches.
Meg

Stuffed to the Muff

Dear Self (and anyone who ever celebrates Thanksgiving),

Pioneer Woman's Cornbread Stuffing recipe is amazing.
It is even more amazing with this cornbread recipe.
Which is even more amazing when you mill your own fresh cornmeal from popcorn.

Then, turn it up to eleven and add green apple and pomegranates.
This is the stuffing you serve people you love. The kind you eat to be stuffed. "Stuffed to the muff" stuffed.
It's stuffing to the muffing.

Stick with this recipe, and you can't go wrong,
Meg

"Stuffed to the Muff"

It's ok. You don't have to understand the title. It's a Lawrence family joke.

I have been craving hot, fresh, tiny donuts since I read a friend's blog post about an apple farm that served apple cider mini donuts. I had to have some.

Fortunately, it was craft fair weekend in NWA.
Unfortunately, the tiny donut booth didn't come to the fair this year.
Naturally, we were devastated.

Suffering the painful sting that occurs when cravings meet disappointment, Quincy, Corbin and I sought out an alternative deep fried sugary goodness. We would get our fix, and would not stop until our cravings were satisfied, we ran out of money, or one of us went into cardiac arrest.

What the WHAT?

Deep fried PB&J?!
I love it here.
We sat in the shade with a group of ladies down for a weekend from Maine. They were in love with Corbin and asked if they could keep him. He hammed it up and they shared their deep fried tomatoes and "Spud Dogs" with him.

"What is a spud dog?" You ask?

Well, I shall tell you! Put a foot long hot dog on a stick. Then send a couple potatoes through one of those apple peeler corer things. Thread the potatoes on the stick so they spiral around the hot dog.
Deep fry the crap out of it.
Smother it in chili and nacho cheese.
A Spud Dog is born! Winning!

Other goodies that can be found at the Spanker (heheh. "spanker") Creek Craft Fair are:

-baklava
-crepes with everything on them
-Monte Cristos: a sandwich with Crisco, ham, cheese, spicy pickles, and jam that has been battered, deep fried-obviously- and dusted with powdered sugar.
-funnel cakes
-every flavor imaginable of fresh squeezed lemonade including chocolate, blueberry, watermelon, and hot pepper.
-Deep Fried Everything, from french fries and onion rings to pickles to snickers bars and Twinkies. The kid in front of us in line tried to order "deep fried butter". Is that a thing? Why not just order the whole Fry Daddy and drink the grease?
-Deep Fried Coke: Coco-Cola batter that is deep fried (act surprised, y'all) dusted with powdered sugar, and dipped in a carmely dipping sauce made with coke and browned butter.
-Chocolate dipped fried cheesecake on a stick

Did you have a heart attack just reading that? Those are the goodies that are available at THREE BOOTHS. Yup. There are half a dozen more to choose from.

We ate "funny cake" as Q calls it



Downed not one, but two fresh squeezed lemonades. Locals: does anyone subscribe to the Daily Record? A reporter took some pics of the kids sharing a lemonade, took our names and told us to check tomorrow for a photo.

Pounded a foot long deep fried corn dog.And got a giant bag of sweet and salty kettle corn. Yum.

We walked around and checked out a few of the booths, but then I decided to be realistic. We were there for the food, not the crafts.

The kids danced while these guys played Circle Be Unbroken and Wabash Cannonball. I sat and listened, then had a shocking realization.I actually KNEW these SONGS. That can't be right.

WHAT exactly did they put IN that "funny cake" batter, anyway?! Ahhh!
We headed over to the antique motor display. It was actually really cool. Corbin especially loved throwing corn into the old grain mill. Quincy named her rubber duckie, "Van", and is now calling our minivan, "Duckie". She is in such a silly phase right now. Everything that comes out of her mouth makes us laugh. (see next post)

We picked up a 5lb basket of Arkansas Black apples on the way out.
See? We eat healthy stuff too.
know what's cool about the Arkansas black apple? You can store it in your crisper for 6 months.
It actually does turn black. Gross?
I don't know, we've never kept them long enough for them to turn black...I'll get back to you on that one!
Stuffed to the Muff?
Yeah.

Mission Completed.

"Don't you forget about me"

Every time I mistype my email or blogger password and have trouble logging in, I have a slight panic that my blog has disappeared.
Ok I have a total panic.

But seriously, what if that happened? We've had our little blog for like 5 years, and while I've continued to keep a private journal, and have a baby book for each of the kids, this blog is really it as far as record keeping of our family happenings are concerned.

I just heard a story recently from my sister about her friend who had someone steal her blog. Like her family blog! Why? I don't get it. The internet is so strange, and there are so many weirdos out there. It got me thinking (paranoid) about how crushed I would be if our blog was just gone one day.

Without my blog, how would my family remember funny little moments like this one? Days with young children in the house can be long, but the years are SO short. What happened in the last 3 years (other than Quincy finally growing some hair)? Our family blog is stuffed to the muff with posts about ordinary days where nothing really significant happened, but it seems unfair for them to be forgotten, because we lived them...and that is significant enough.

I really want to have my blog printed and made into a book...or a series of books/journal things so I have one for each year.

Does anyone have a company they'd recommend? Did you have to go through and edit every post, first? I can handle all of my grammatical errors and poor sentence structure in blog form...but on paper? It needs some hard core editing.

I'd love any suggestions/advice.

Have you printed your blog or thought about having it printed?
Did you edit, first?
Did you include every post? every photo?
Do the comments get printed as well?
If you include recipes or hobbies, do you separate them into a different book than the family book?
What company did you use? How much was it? What size is your book?

Do you ever fear that your blog will disappear, or am I the only one with attachment issues?

Also, scrolling though old posts has made me realize a few things:

A) I used to be a lot funnier.
2) I have sported a lot of really bad haircuts. Thank you for still being my friend.
D) Seriously, why didn't my daughters get any hair until they turned 3?

New Feature

I'm pretty excited about 2011.
It's going to be a fab year for our family. I have a lot to look forward to, and even more to be grateful for.

The week before the New Year begins, I often freak out and have an unrestrainable urge to declutter and organize everything in my life. Gotta make room in our lives for new goals, new toys, new adventures, etc. We live in a 1700 sqft home. There are three bedrooms and 1 and 3/4 baths. There is no attic space, no basement, no laundry "room", and no pantry. I have two closets for storage, a tiny closet with shelves and a tiny door that Aaron refers to as my "Messy Monica Closet", and a 2' x 2' coat closet. And there's a fugly boat eating up half of my garage, so storage space is minimal in the is place.

But still, 1700 sqft should be plenty of room for a family of 5. Especially when most of those people are tiny. Our problem is stuff. We are 'stuffed to the muff' with stuff!

So where do I put everything?

I'm starting a new segment on the bloggie for organization ideas. I'll start with some things that have worked for me, but if you have an organizing tip or method to help keep something in your life in order, send me an email @ leggo_my_meg-o(at)juno(dot)com and I'll feature it. Attach a picture of your brilliant idea if you have one. It can be anything from to how you store your recipies, to bills and paper organization, to a handy way to stack cups in the cupboard. Little tricks like this can be life changing.
Don't laugh at me, they can! Less time spent picking up after someone, or looking for a lost something or other means more time for the important things in your lives. Like Facebook.

Hopefully, everyone will get a little inspiration and a little motivation to simplify, or give order to unorderly corners of our lives.

Cool, yeah? I think so.

Speaking of cool things....guess what? Blogger has eliminated the limit on invites for private blogs...or at least it eliminated it on my blog...because I just checked and there are like 120 readers. What? When? How did this happen? Who cares! No limit! Yay!

Email me your storage/organizing ideas...

Only family will find this funny...

Yesterday:

Aaron: Whoa Ho Ho! These stockings are 'stuffed to the muff!'

Merry Christmas, guys!
Love and miss you all.