Thanksgiving Prep

This year I am making Thanksgiving dinner completely by myself. Deep breath, Deep breath. When I first accepted to host Thanksgiving I didn't think much of it. However, now that Thanksgiving is a week away, well, I'm stressing a bit. 

I keep pretending to be my grandma and think of exactly how she cooks. I've watched her and helped her cook my whole life, but somehow knowing that she'll be in Idaho and not physically able to help me when I inevitably ruin dinner stresses me out. 

It's really the turkey that worries me most, so I decided to turn to a lady who SURELY knows what she is talking about and has NEVER steered me wrong. Pioneer Woman. Her Thanksgiving turkeys look like this, so she must know what she's doing. 

Easy! Right? 

I'll take any and all tips on how to pull this thing off.

Uncle Love

This weekend Kyle and I got to go up to LA and visit my sisters, brother in law and nephews... We miss our family in Idaho so much, but it is a huge blessing to still have some family near by. 

One of my favorite things is watching Kyle be an Uncle. These boys LOVE "Uncle Tyle"

They are kinda blurry.. but there is no getting these kids to sit still.

Granny

She was wiry and tough. 

She was was smart and could talk your ear off. 

She was the best cook I've ever known. 

She started almost all of our family traditions.

She had favorites, (Micah, Dad, and Uncle Steve) But we loved her for it.

We would fall asleep to her playing the piano.

She loved family and to be together.

She lived in a "mansion", and had she lived longer we would have all gotten married there.

There are some things that instantly make me think of her and miss her. Like blackberry cobbler, pound cake, creamed corn, rain, frost (because Oregon frosted a lot, but rarely got snow) dice, wood fire's, big back porches, love of music, umbrellas and canes., the phrase "let their be light."

My dad loved her so much it made us girls love her even more. 

This morning its foggy and drizzly out and I wish that I was on a walk around her property with my sisters.

I got a smart phone

So I realize that it's 2012 and I'm pretty much the only person in the world without a smart phone.... well used to be the only person in the world without a smart phone.

I finally got an iphone.Just a perfect little iphone4 that we got for free since we switched to verizon, and that's the true beauty of this story. We switched back to Verizon.

I love verizon. Truly. They have the best service, and it has been a long year and 8 months without them. Kyle finally broke down, we had one dropped call too many and bam.. we have Verizon! Can you tell I love verizon?!

Anyway, I thought that I would share with you that I've entered the 22nd century. (I was even taught how to use emoticons! is that what they are called?)

Having a Good Cry

I was talking to a co-worker after a very stressful day of work and she commented to me that she heard once that women produce a chemical that is released when we cry. Thus, the fact that women need a "good cry" is a real thing, because women need to release this toxin.

I googled it, and google seemed to agree with her theory. I decided not to do any more research on the matter and accept that women need to cry and the fact (according to a lot of studies I read via google) that we cry 4 times more than men suddenly became perfectly justified. 

(Please know that I am writing all of this with a slight air of sarcasm, however, the next part is  VERY serious)

I think I am going to take advantage of Kyle's late night at work and cuddle up on the couch and watch a tear jerker. Maybe I'll feel less stressed tomorrow.

Kyle made me a shelf

I asked for a shelf, and Kyle came through... as always.

Things I didn't think would fall into my job description

When you work at a small school you wear lots of hats, and end up doing things way outside of your "job title". Lately my job title has included some fun stuff...

Along with being the secretary I am also the school nurse. I've had a couple of kids get legitimately sick (bummer!) and have had to clean up after them. However, most of my kids just want to chat, get out of class, get a band aid for cuts you can't see with the naked eye, or sit in my lap. Here's a little convo.

E: "Miss Bekki, my stomach hurts."

Me: " I'm so sorry E, do you think we should give mom a call?"

E: "Not really, I heard that "C" sat in your lap when her stomach hurt. Maybe I should just do that." (he said while shrugging his shoulders.. p.s. he's in first grade)

I also run lunches. I have about 100 kids per lunch that I look after. (Yes, I have help!) Lately we've been playing this little game called Freeze Dance. I play a song, the kids dance. I pause the song, the kids freeze. If you move your out!

Turns out that 1 Direction is the only CD we have in the gym and so I've had no choice to use them. Didn't even know who they really were until recently, but let me tell you they have been stuck in my head for 2 weeks. ("the way that you flip your hair has me overwhelmed.....lalalalala. YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR BEAUTIFUL! lalalalalalala")

I'm also now the librarian. Seriously I don't know why I got this task. I love to read and I started to decorate and organize the books because they were bugging me. But now I am in charge or ordering books and really in charge of all things to do with the library..... poor kids didn't know that I was going to sensor what they could read. Mwahahahaha!

I think my next segment will be kids say the darndest things.....