BYU vs. U game

As a family we watched the BYU game this last Saturday. When Casey & Jenna stayed with us during the spring they brought BYU shirts for the kids to wear to the BYU vs. SDSU basketball game in March. So, when we were in Utah this last time we bought some more for football season (& because the kids were growing...). Here is everyone in their BYU sports watching clothing. We had a great time watching the game and are THRILLED that BYU won! (I should have taken a picture of the jumping up and down when they won!!) Jenna & Casey-these pictures are for you! :-) It was great family time!

Lefse...An Isom Family Tradition

When Garth and I were married we knew there were some traditions from each side that we would want to keep, some we would add that were just ours, and some that we didn't do and then realized we liked and would add later. Lefse has been with us from the beginning. Garth associates it with Christmas (probably because of fattigmann, I am not sure if they had it year-round or not), but we love it so much that we have it year round. We try and make double the mashed potatoes every other time so that we can share this very cool Norwegian food tradition with our kids. It is definitely a family favorite along with fattigmann every Christmas and krumkake! :-) Thanks Mom Isom for sharing this tradition with your kids who then passed it on to their wives and kids! It has definitely been one of our favorite things to do together! Below are a few pictures of the kids...and you will notice the last picture is what happens when lefse is made too much...you end up with leftovers! ;-)

Our Thanksgiving...

For me, the day started off really nicely...I slept in a bit while Garth, Garin, & Jonathan went to play football at the church building with the other Dads, sons, uncles, etc.

When Garth came home I prepped a bunch of ingredients (I had done a lot of the dinner/dessert stuff the day before) and Garth and the kids peeled potatoes & prepared them for baking & mashing. Of course we often do double the potatoes so that lefse can be made afterward...sometimes by me, sometimes by Garth, sometimes both! :-)

Jonathan took a quick nap!

And after all of the kitchen work was done we ended up with this...Turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole (we are trying a new recipe every year for fun-we liked this year's quite a bit), mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, rolls, jello salad, and a Pitt family tradition-sparkling cider! :-)

Here is a view from our end of the table...

and then the other end!

Garin and his little bud...

Just because I think he is cute...

Garth carving the turkey.

Garth's favorite pie...the only one he insists that I make every holiday!

A fun quiz...

I saw this quiz on Ashley Tanner's blog and thought it might be fun (since I am not doing anything anyway-I am just sitting here still).

You Belong in 1982

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

What Year Do You Belong In?

One more thing I am thankful for...Chiropractors

As I sit here with an ice pack on my back, I am very thankful for Chiropractors. I am VERY thankful that I have an appt. today at 4:30! I am thankful that I see Dr. Brian Holmes and for the fact that my back always feels a lot better after I am adjusted. Although I am not exactly grateful for my "extra" vertebrae, I am thankful for someone that caught it and is getting my back to a place where it isn't causing any issues!

It is amazing to me by having my lower back adjusted that is so dramatically affects my upper back (which is where I have the pain). Of course having them both adjusted makes it all so much better!!

I am still not sure how I hurt my back in the first place and I can honestly say that I wouldn't mind one bit if it wasn't hurting, but I am grateful it is doing better and I am grateful that it isn't any worse. I am still able to do just about everything, with ice pack breaks in between, and I can go longer and longer in between appointments. So-it is all good!

Happy Wednesday!

Thanksgiving...a day early

Thanksgiving is my favorite non-religious holiday! I love to cook for my family and enjoy the hanging out time with them! I love that I don't have to worry about getting presents wrapped, Christmas lists completed, and all of the other hustle and bustle. Thanksgiving is always a little crazy with all of the cooking and "stuff." My goal every year is to make Christmas more like Thanksgiving and every year we get a little closer. I think this year will be our best yet. I am thankful just for the opportunity to have Christmas and Thanksgiving with my husband and kids every year. This year I am thankful for loving family members that are patient and love us so much! Garth and I had originally planned to go to Utah for Thanksgiving and last minute were unable to. An understatement would be to say that we were utterly disappointed. My Mom always does such an excellent job at Thanksgiving! The food is so yummy and the Halo tournament is so much fun for Garth and Garin (I am sure Shelby and Ethan would have joined in this year too). We could have seen Jenna & Casey or Casey & Jenna ;-) depending on who is reading this blog and Garin would have LOVED to go to the BYU vs. U of U game! So, I am trying hard to be thankful that we are spending it here instead of somewhere else. I am grateful for my husband and my children! I love them dearly and am thankful for their strengths and the many things that they continually teach me! I am thankful for my Savior, for the gospel, and for the scriptures. I hope that as we celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow my family can remember the blessings in our life and treasure them every day!

Happy Thanksgiving a day early to everyone!

Boysenberries

We had a huge boysenberry crop this year and we have bags of them frozen in our freezer. So, I know I could look up recipes for boysenberry jam on the internet and find plenty to spare. BUT, I am wondering if any of the 7 people that read this blog ;-) have a great jam recipe? I need to free up some space in our freezer and I would like to get the berries canned. So, let me know if you have any terrific recipes for jams! Also, if you have any to die for other kinds of recipes send them my way as well! Like I said-I have tons!

TAGGED...

I was tagged by my sister Jenna and thought I should probably get to this before I forget, because lets be honest, sometimes I do! :-) The rules are you write 6 things about yourself that not everyone knows and then ask 6 other people to do the same. So here it goes...

1. I am a huge procrastinator...when I can. I will completely weigh a situation to see how much I can really put it off. It is almost like I enjoy procrastinating. Garth says it is my weigh of fitting way too much into too little time. I love it. I love the occasional time crunch. I have to be in the right mood, though. Some things I procrastinate, some I don't. There is no rhyme or reason, it just depends on what is going on, etc.-but the truth is still that I like it, I like knowing I can do it, it is my corny (very corny) way of "living on the edge!"

2. I do not like to mix my foods in general. I don't like my salad dressing, gravy, meat juices, or anything like that interfering with foods that are not compatible. Sometimes I will actually plan our dinner menu in a way that I know that nothing on the plate will be incompatible. I hate the inappropriate mixing of flavors. I believe in appetizer and bread plates and if it wasn't for the above procrastinating, trying to be more laid back, and the not so balanced meals we have sometimes at home, would really want place settings with appetizer plates, bread plates, salad plates, etc.-I love restaurants because of the different plates!

3. I am a little weird about stupid things. A good example would be Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook. I had it in my cart at Target and then made the trip to put it back because it was "her". I am not sure why, but I am not a big fan. Maybe it was the questionable situation surrounding her marriage to Jerry (the previous husband, etc.), honestly I am not exactly positive why. But I am not a fan. So, my friend tells me it is a great cookbook and that her family has loved the recipes and yet I am still hesitant. I don't like the thought of her having a dime of my money. I know-silly. I wish I could say that I was actually just on a higher level and that Garth and I have decided not to "hide" vegetables in our kid's food. That he thinks they should learn to like veggies for the great things they are! (All true, even though any that know Garth really well are dying from laughter right now because of his refusal to eat any vegetables until what-19? And then select few until somewhere around 24 and now I can't think of any that he doesn't eat!) So, this is a good example. I told Darcy I will have to try a recipe from her first-maybe it is time I get over this kind of thing! ;-)
4. I really don't enjoy decorating for holidays. Silly I know, since I grew up with my Mom decorating our house beautifully for every holiday. I love to visit houses that are totally "holiday" I just don't have the inclination to do it myself. It is something that has developed as the years go on. I enjoyed it far more when I was first married and have just slowly lost that inclination. I still do it out of the "what kind of awful Mom doesn't decorate" guilt, but I can promise you that the moments when I enjoy it are rare and so I have been working on trying to enjoy it more for myself and for the kids.

5. I love chocolate. Everyone thinks of Garth loving chocolate, but he has truly converted me! I crave it, think of different ways to use it, buy plethoras of it for Garth, and I love that my kids love chocolate too! I really do! I can only hope that we can raise them to be chocolate connoisseurs who can appreciate it, have the ability to cook well with it, and are willing to share their love with others. I think the fact that my kids never had an adverse reaction to chocolate when I was nursing should have been a huge tip off! :-)

6. I like folding laundry, but hate putting it away. I love the methodical stacking of piles, folding all of the towels the same way, smelling the clean smell of freshly dried clothing, towels, etc., the sometimes chance to actually see a movie while I am doing it, but I HATE having to put it away. I try and get my kids to do it as often as I can. We have been on a new schedule where they help my fold and put away, but truth be told-I hate what they do to my piles! I get very cranky when we all fold laundry together and I find myself repeating quietly, "This will help them when they are older, this will help them when they get older."

I tag Amy VW, Amy Y, Anne, Kate, Jocelyn, and Laura. :-)

My Team...The Killer Bees

Yesterday (Saturday) was our final game of soccer season! We have had an undefeated season and I have loved coaching this group of boys! Each one was so much fun! They have infectious personalities and are so incredibly talented! We had our end of season party yesterday and I am nostalgic for what an amazing season it has been, a rewarding chance to be involved with young kids from our area, and a wonderful opportunity to have some time just hanging out with Trevon. I think the season was so worth it. The assistant coach, Larry, is an awesome guy and is great with kids! He was such a huge help, especially since my back has been having issues! I have learned so much and had a blast!! Go Killer Bees!! Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee!

Cheesecakes covered with Ganache...

So, what do Garth and I do for a little bit of extra fun? We love to hang out and cook together! Here are a few of the 35 mini cheesecakes that we made for Ashley's baby shower this last Thursday. They are individual cheesecakes covered with a few layers of chocolate ganache. The food theme for the evening was Chinese (therefore the fortune cookies) and we had a lot of yummy food! For appetizers we had cream cheese stuffed wontons, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, and spring rolls with orange chicken, fried rice, and chow mein for a main dish. Everything was absolutely delicious. Suzanne and Denise helped with the shower and are amazing cooks! I can't say how much fun I had with the two of them! And Kerity saved the day with floral arrangements and candles to set the proper mood! We had a great time welcoming Ashley's upcoming addition to their little family! It was fun! And how yummy do these cheesecakes look? I know, I know, everyone is jealous that I am married to such a fabulous cook-but what can I say? I chose extremely well! :-)

Garin is a Deacon...wow!

So, last Sunday Garin was ordained a Deacon. It was a very exciting day for us as a family and in Garin's life. My parents and little brothers (well, not so little now that they are taller than me) came down for the exciting event and we really enjoyed having everyone there! It was a jam packed day! Not only were my parents (Doug & Sabrina) and brothers (Jaren & Jonas) there, but my sister Jaleen, sister Jocelyn and her boys Jon & Jared, friends Gus & Darcy with Branson & Kaedon, friends Jeff & Kerity with kids Jace (Garin's best friend), Kirra, Breezy, & Jaren, as well as Haski & Martha with kids Chas, Noel, Jeremy, Jackie, & Nathaniel, and Trevor & Jocelyn with Lucas & Violet! We felt so very blessed to have so many that we love there! Garth ordained Garin and was assisted by all of the men listed above as well as my brother Jaren and a few other friends in our ward including Brian Holmes, a member of our bishopric. During sacrament they brought Garin up to recognize his advancement to the office of a Deacon as well as learning his Faith in God award. In Primary opening exercises they awarded him his Faith in God award and then in the 3rd hour he was ordained a Deacon. It was such an amazing day. We headed over to our house after church for White Bean Chicken Chili and yummy sides for dinner with cheesecakes for dessert (covered with ganache)-in preparation for a baby shower I had at my house the Thursday after! What a great, great day! We loved every minute and are very proud of Garin and his decisions! Here is a quick picture of us right after church!

And finally...Halloween

Here are a few pictures from Halloween including my kids, Garth and I (I didn't realize that he had the "teeth" in when we took the picture-I am not a big fan of the teeth!), and an added one of Kirra because she is such a cute punk rocker! We went to Jeff & Kerity's for Halloween and loved the opportunity to spend the evening with the Pulsiphers. There were A LOT of yummy soups there-I think I need to ask for some recipes! Not to mention Marilyn's orange rolls! I love Pulsipher cooking! The trick-or-treating was fun for the kids and we had a wonderful evening with such wonderful friends too. A nice Halloween night! (Oh-a quick recap of costumes, G&J-little red riding hood & the big bad wolf, Garin-Death Eater, Shelby-angel fairy, Ethan-camo ninja, Trevon-red ninja, Starlee-a perfect Cinderella (we actually had people ask to take their picture with her), and Ryden-dalmation (for a kid that hates animals he loves stuffed dogs and "doggie" Halloween costumes). I think that is it!)

Carving Pumpkins

So here are a few pictures of us carving pumpkins...basically I did most of the scraping out. Garth doesn't seem to really enjoy the feeling of pumpkin guts, either that or he is just slow ;-)! The score was my 3 pumpkins to his 1! I also helped Ry & Starlee carve their pumpkins-we did the oh so creative draw on the pumpkin with a Sharpie pen and then cut around the picture-it proved for some very interesting pictures! We had fun and are looking forward to next year!

Halloween Packages from Mama

So here are the pictures of my Mom's Halloween package to the kids! They LOVED it. I have been meaning to post the pictures for awhile, but haven't-so here goes! The package came at the perfect time-the week the kids were home from school because of the fires! We were all very appreciative! Thanks Mom! The kids love your packages!

Happy Birthday Kerity-33 reasons I am blessed to have you as a friend

For those of you that know me very well, or for those of you that don't, I have an absolutely TERRIFIC friend named Kerity that is someone I absolutely cherish and treasure. Garth is my best friend and Kerity is another sister to me! Her birthday is in September and here are 33 reasons why I adore her!

1. She is always smiling!
2. She is by far the most optimistic person I know!
3. Kerity is Christlike in the way she views others!
4. Kerity is funny!
5. My favorite calling for Kerity is YW because she is that leader that you hope your daughter has!
6. Kerity is beautiful!
7. Kerity and Jeff (her husband in case it isn't obvious) have the best relationship-they are so great with each other!
8. Kerity is in the process of raising absolutely terrific kids! We love them!
9. Kerity has many talents: one is she is amazing with flowers!
10. Another is that she has an awesome eye for home decorating.
11. She cooks a lot better than she will let herself think!
12. Kerity tells the greatest stories.
13. She has taught me so much when it comes to "creating" stories with my kids!
14. Kerity is organized-I love to learn from her!
15. Her testimony is strong and she shares it often and with love.
16. She is smart enough to come from a large family and loves them all dearly!
17. Did I mention how pretty she is? :-)
18. She has awesome muscles-she is SO TOUGH!
19. And bendy-she is bendy! She is an awesome yoga-doing girl!
20. She makes me laugh and laugh and laugh at myself.
21. Kerity inspires me to do better.
22. Kerity helps me take that breath and assess what is going on.
23. I get far more from our friendship than she does!
24. We both hate being pregnant, but love delivery and the kids!
25. She loves chocolate-therefore a terrific friend to have so she and Garth can share the chocolatey dessert while Jeff and I lean more toward a fruitier type!
26. Kerity loves french bread and I love to surprise her with the "extra" loaf when I get a chance to make it!
27. Kerity was born in Sandy, UT-but, has become quite the California girl!
28. She absolutely LOVES the beach!
29. She shares Jeff with Garth (Jeff & Garth surf together).
30. She is that person who if I am having a lame day can tell and she will tell me to get tough!
31. She is also that person that I could tell anything to!
32. Kerity keeps secrets better than anyone I know!
33. And finally-Kerity is that friend that everyone hopes to have. The kind of person that makes you a better person by helping you see the divine nature that you have. The person that loves you completely!

I know this is late, but Happy Birthday Kerity! Thanks for 13 years of friendship and for all of the fun double dates, lunches for fun, and for providing such great cousins for my kids! :-)

Love you!! :-)