December’s not really two days away is it? Okay, enough already with my moaning about how the entire month of November was a bust for me. I’m tired of my own whining and lamenting over it. So how fitting to receive an award today celebrating the Underblog. Thanks to Dixie Chick for creating a list with the help of her blogging buddies.

I feel like such an under achiever lately with blogging, especially with keeping up with my reading of my friend’s blogs out there that to see a title that had ‘under’ in it all was just so apropos. By the way, I’m still coming around I’m just a few weeks behind!

Seriously though, I want to send a HUGE thanks to Ken at Daddy Forever for sharing my blog as one he likes. That means a lot any day, but coming off an ‘under’ month for me it’s even nicer. If you’ve never been to his blog you’re missing out. He’s witty, funny and down to earth in a way that just makes you feel normal regardless of circumstance. Besides that, I don’t think I ever leave without a big smile on my face and giggle in my pocket. I look forward to all his updates and love that he enjoys so many of the same shows and entertainment as I do. Live long and prosper DaddyForever. Oh, and go save the world. *wink*

So here’s to ringing in a new month with new beginnings, new energy, new blogging buddies and new posts.

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I’m still trying to figure out what happened to the month of November for me. It’s already the start of a new week, and the last one of the month. I’m still waiting for that candid camera moment when someone lets me off the hook explaining that I’m part of a new TV show designed to trick people.

While I wait, I may as well play catch-up on what I think has happened in the past three or four weeks.

I watched a little devil and pirate trick or treat.

We had fun with back to back grandparents coming to visit.

We went to Vegas for Thanksgiving. On the drive there, my son was trying to figure out why there was a “Las” in front of Vegas. After a few moments of conversation he said, “I know. First it was Vegas and then something got lost and now it’s Lost Vegas.” At any rate, there was more found than lost in our trip from good food to fun with family.

It was especially nice to be with Grandma on a visit to the cemetary to clean and decorate Grandpa’s grave. We also enjoyed a movie with her before coming home.

The bribe of putting up Christmas decorations if they were good in the car, at church and for letting mom and dad have a nap arrived much too quickly! But there is something magical about the excitement of kids at a Christmas and I’m a terrible Scrooge.

So what have you been up to?

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I was just catching up on some blogs this morning and read several posts along the Thanksgiving theme. I suppose this is part of the great conspiracy to move Thanksgiving up to this week. But as I’ve read it’s got me thinking about things and knowing I’ll be leaving town tomorrow I wanted to take a moment to share those thoughts.

When my daughter was about 2 and 1/2 she hit a wonderful stage of comprehending things around her and calling them to attention. At night we’d hear her go on for easily 10-15 minutes with a prayer that went something like this:

“Heavenly Father, thank you my bed. Thank you my house. Thank you my blanket. Thank you my milk. Thank you my mom. Thank you my dad. Thank you my room. Thank you my shoes. Thank you my window. Thank you my sky. Thank you my door. Thank you my…..”

The innocence from those simple words of thanks were always welcome to mom and dad’s ears. And it caused us to reflect on many of those little details that we tend to skip over or generalize ourselves.

About 6 years ago I had the opportunity to really understand how much I’d taken for granted with my health. I note the details now, the ability to walk, the ability to breathe without pain, the ability to control my muscles without shaking, the strength to move at all, and above all the ability to feel pain. Yes, that’s an odd one I know but you know what, one day in my self complaint mode about the intense head pain I was experiencing it dawned on me that the option of not feeling pain could mean paralysis and as weird as things had been that was certainly not a possibility off the radar for me. So I was thankful for the pain because it meant I could still feel.

I’m grateful for the pain of infertility which lead me to paths of growth and love I couldn’t have known otherwise. I’m grateful that it took me to the right place at the right time to be where someone needed me to be, just when they needed me to be there. I’m grateful that those people in my life endured their own trials and pain to be where I needed them to be when I needed them too. I understand so well now the truth that sometimes our greatest trial can be another’s greatest blessing.

I’m grateful that at the same time I nearly lost all my health and life that we lost our business and revenue. While I’m not glad my husband and I had to go through so much hard stuff all at the same time, I’m supremely grateful that we could learn those tough lessons while we are still so young and that it happened in such a complete and all encompassing way to require dealing with it head on. Because of those experiences, today I have a completely new look and appreciation for self-reliance and financial blessings, I will never view things the same or trick myself into believing that things are really better than they are. I’m grateful that my son and his adoption came to us at this most ill-prepared and seemingly impossible time of our lives because it taught me that all things are possible. It confirmed my personal belief and knowledge that adoption was not about us finding our children but rather about them finding us and when that happened nothing could keep us from making it happen.

So today I pause on the details so often missed in our thoughts of gratitude. With so much to be grateful for it’s amazing that I ever find anything to complain about. It’s true that the surest way to pick yourself up is to stop long enough to count your blessings…EVERY blessing. It is amazing to see how much you have when you take the time to look.

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I seem to be experiencing a calendar malfunction. You see, I’m pretty sure that it was only a few days ago that I was spending a weekend with the family in our cul-de-sac enjoying a Halloween bash, but today my calendar is insistent that November is more than half over. It’s trying to convince me that Thanksgiving is actually this week, Thursday to be exact. Yeah, right!

Moreover, I was certain that I posted an article to my blog yesterday - okay maybe two days ago. Today my Google Reader is trying to tell me that I’m almost a full week behind on my reading and the calendar again is insisting that almost a full week has passed since my last post. WhatEVER. Stupid calendar.

I’m still arguing with it.

Maybe I’ve been abducted or caught in some time warp bubble? All I know is the last thing I remember is getting the kids dressed up for Halloween and preparing for a few days with my husband’s parents in town. They left the same weekend my parents arrived.

Today I dropped my son of at school with a reminder that Wednesday is a half day in honor of Thanksgiving. Clearly, there’s a conspiracy afoot.

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Yesterday was a happy kitchen success day for me. Today I decided to write it down so I can duplicate it another day! I’m just wishing I’d taken a picture of it. Maybe next time I’ll remember that. I made a tasty crusted citrus salmon with citrus salsa, asparagus and seasoned potato wedges.

We’ve been focusing on healthy but tasty meals at my house. I’m a picky cook. I grew up on food where the purpose was to fill your stomach. Since I’ve been married I’ve discovered the joy of really great tasting dishes at some fantastic restaurants. This has been great, but also a hindrance to me because I want to be able to duplicate these types of fantastic dishes at home and often end up disappointed. Yesterday, however was an exception so I thought I’d share.

A recent trip to Sprouts yielded some good salmon fillets. But I didn’t want to do the typical grilled, baked or broiled variations I’ve done in the past. I opened the cupboard to see what spices I had. The citrus grill spices caught my attention (I purchased this seasoning in bulk size at a recent Sam’s trip.) After reading the ingredients of lemon peel, dill and garlic I got to thinking about what I could do with it. I wondered what toppings could be made in the order of a sauce with similar ingredients. Fueled by success with my corn salsa creations, I thought about trying a variation of that with citrus. I browsed online to see what might come up for citrus salsas to get a frame of reference and came up with this:

2 1/2 C navel orange pieces (peeled and cut over the bowl to capture the juice)
1/4 C lime juice
3 T finely chopped red onion
1/4 C chopped red pepper
1 clove minced garlic
1 t hot pepper blend (black & red chili)
1-2 T parsley

I mixed this and put it in the fridge. Then I crusted the salmon on both sides (removing the skin) with the citrus grill spices by coating both sides with the mixture and browning for a few minutes in a skillet with butter. I put the fillet in a glass baking dish and poured the remaining butter and citrus spices over a separate baking dish with asparagus spears.

Although I’ve done seasoned potato wedges from scratch before, this time I used some frozen ones purchased at the same store. They were red potatoes with olive oil, parmesan and garlic. I spread them out on a cookie sheet lined with foil.

Because I had to leave for about 45 minutes I placed all the items (covered both baking dishes with foil) in the oven together at 325 degrees. When I got home everything was perfectly cooked.

My husband reminded me of something I’d said a few days ago about if I could cook like a gourmet chef I’d enjoy eating in more and out less. Then he said “I think you nailed it today.” Yay!

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I titled this post a long time ago. I’m not sure if the content will be what I originally thought now, but it fits some thoughts I have today.

I’m constantly amazed at the contrast between old and new all around me. I love history, have a great curiosity of antiques and times long gone and often find myself trying to visualize what places and times might have looked like in my head. Consequently, I tend to see more and more comparisons between old and new. Take these photos, they are over a year old but it was something that caught my eye one day when I noticed cobwebs by an old broom on my porch.

Having just purchased a new broom with the integrated dustpan I just had to shoot a comparison shot. It made me think about the things we replace all the time - the old with the new. Some upgrades are wonderful and desirable, others are not.

Then today I was thinking in even more basic terms. For me, I am constantly balancing new projects with old ones. I started this blog to organize some of my old files, yet every time I get back into those file conversions new ideas erupt or new projects come along. I find myself devoting my time to those things (like say…writing a post! *giggle*) Today I was looking back to see how much I’ve gotten over on my shared information page and was so sad to see so little! I have SO much more to share that I wonder if I’ll ever get it up, especially with new ideas cropping up all the time.

I keep hoping that maybe this week I’ll get some of my new ideas and shares pulled together and yet the new weeks turn old faster than I can keep up these days. On the bright side it’s not like I’m not getting things done or taking care of business that matters. Some days I just wish I had more time to get to more things. Do you ever feel that way?

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Kelly asked this week if anyone knows a teacher who qualifies for passing the torch. She describes such a teacher as:

“Teachers who adopt their students for a year, as if they’re their own kids; who find ways to help even the neediest child to learn; who network with other master teachers to discover best practices to use in their classrooms; who share their expertise with parents to help them become more effective; who know their “kids”, love their “kids” and hurt if one moves away.”

I do know one of these teachers and I am so blessed that she is working with my daughter this year! As one who could have chosen many fields to excel in, she choose education specifically for the purpose of being this kind of teacher. Taking her own personal experience and using it to fuel her desire to help her students with different needs and learning styles find success, she is amazing at helping each student feel successful. Consequently she has more than her share of student who fit this description and it actually seems to feed her success with each of them. She’s amazing. She tells them how amazing and smart they already are, pointing out so many skills they’ve already mastered and how hard the were. And I’ve never known anyone who works harder at getting the message through to her students that you don’t compare yourself to anyone but yourself. How grateful I am for this!

I knew on ‘meet the teacher night’ my prayers had been answered when I walked away feeling excited for my daughter instead of anxious. FINALLY - a teacher who cared more about the students individually and their learning/mastering important life skills than the new guidelines, reports, tests, programs and procedures. With this being my daughter’s fourth grade year, and the continued push for more curriculum and higher expectations, this attitude in today’s education world was something I didn’t even dare hope for. Yet here she is, a teacher who really knows my daughter and cares deeply for her. She calls me with any concern and made my heart leap for joy at our first parent teacher conference when she told me how much of me she sees in my daughter…that she knows right from wrong and she works hard every day to choose the right. As a parent, these are the BIG questions that you have and worry about with your kids. Have you taught them enough to stand up for what’s right even among the peer pressure they are bombarded with every day? To hear a comment like that is like a spring rain that just renews hope and courage in a mother’s heart.

This post is in tribute of my daughter’s teacher and every other teacher that fits Kelly’s description. I wish we could clone them. *grin*

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My friend Kailani does a blog activity called “Aloha Friday” that I haven’t had a chance to take part in yet. I’ve been behind on the blog front lines for a while now and it’s fun to have a minute to participate. Every Friday she posts a question for you to write about and respond to. (Kailani, please correct me if I got this wrong!) Today’s is:

“Do you think that stores display their Christmas decorations too early or do you think this is ok?”

Ironically, I was going to post something on this when I had a few minutes anyway. You see, I’m not sure when things changed so drastically that if you wait until 2-3 days before a holiday you’re late…moreover too late to get what you want or need for said holiday. Case in point, this past week I wanted to get some pumpkins for the kids to carve with their grandparents on Tuesday night. The timing/waiting was deliberate. Unless you want a wilted mess in AZ, you don’t carve these babies until the night before Halloween. Besides that, it was a special treat that they would have grandparents here with them that night so this seemed like a good time to make a memory. Well, on Saturday we looked while we were out and only found one store with a small stash of totally gross and rejected objects that were at best deformed pumpkins and at worst some science experiment gone horribly wrong. Ah, no. So I told the kids I’d look on Monday. I thought that surely there must be several stores in a valley this big that would still have plenty of pumpkins available. Suffice it to say that Monday’s results were fruitless and Tuesday morning it took three more places before I finally found a few I could live with. Ironically, I headed over to the Halloween store signs in my search and guess what I found under those signs? Christmas candy and decorations. Trick or Treat lane had nothing orange at all…it was all goodies in Christmas colors and packaging.

In answer to the question, I don’t care how early stores put their holiday stuff out but I do have a beef when it’s not available anymore before the holiday has even arrived. As a kid I remember how much fun it was to see Christmas displays and it felt like forever that you had to wait. I don’t remember seeing them until after Thanksgiving as a young child, but that could be a memory issue! *laugh* Although as a teen I remember many discussions when my mom mentioned how they kept pushing it up and you were now seeing displays before Thanksgiving. I don’t know when we crossed over to Christmas before Halloween, but with the huge revenue generation that comes with holidays I’m not surprised to see everything being pushed earlier and earlier.

I read last month that Halloween is now the second largest revenue generating holiday in the U.S. And it’s not hard to believe if you took a trip through my neighborhood. Many homes were decked out with as many elaborate outside lights and displays as homes at Christmas. Throw in the costumes and candy for good measure and it’s not hard to see how it grew to the #2 slot. Our cul-de-sac does a big party where the neighbors meet for a potluck dinner and then line up for trick or treaters. I love this arrangement as it keep the doorbell from ringing and makes associating with my neighbors tasty as well as fun. This year we gave out water bottles and juice for our treat which went well with the neighbor’s hotdogs. No wonder we get so many trick or treaters to our neck of the woods each year! And I’m pretty sure that only in a place as warm as AZ would a bottle of water be a coveted Halloween treat! *giggle*

The stores I have the biggest problem with availability are the warehouses. The Sam’s Club and Costco stores get the best stuff in at least 2-3 months ahead and if you don’t buy it when it’s there it won’t be there when the time comes to buy it. But then I’m a control freak too so I may just be pushing back against someone else dictating when I have to buy something. It’s always made me a little sad that Thanksgiving gets sandwiched and lost between two bigger “fun” holidays. It’s such a special and wonderful holiday that seems to be slipping between the cracks. I wish we had as much enthusiasm for the spirit of Thanksgiving as we do for treats and gifts. But I digress…

Thanks for hosting such a fun topic Kailani. I look forward to reading the other participant’s shares.

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