On the twelfth day of Christmas

On this the twelfth and final day of my gratitude posts,  I am grateful for...

1) the fact that Christmas fell on a Sunday this year. 
2) the chance to go and worship our Lord and Savior on this the day we celebrate his birth.  It was honestly the best hour of my day. 
3) the opportunity I  had to be one of the narrators for our Christmas service.
4) the wonderful gift it was too listen to three of my daughters and my hubby sing in the choir at our Christmas service.
5) the special spirit of joy and peace that filled the chapel as we sang praises to our Lord and Savior on this Christmas day.
6) James and Ella who sat so reverently by themselves as the rest of us sang/narrated in the Christmas program.
7) the expressions of joy, thanks and love as each present was opened.  I think we all hit it out of the park this year with perfect presents. 
8) a day of two breakfasts.  One before church and one at 3pm, after we had opened all of our presents. We always do a big breakfast on Christmas,  but there wasn't time to do that before church,  so we did it later.
9) a relaxing day at home with just us, playing with all our new toys.
10) puzzles,  and the new to us card table that we could set up in front of the tv so we can watch while we of together the puzzles.
11) the fun it was to watch the kids all sitting around enjoying their new gifts. 
12) this family of mine.  My amazing husband,  4 beautiful daughters and my handsome son.  Life is grand, and they make it so. 

On the eleventh day of Christmas

On this the eleventh day of Gratitude I am grateful for...

1. My Sister and her husband and family for opening up their home, AGAIN this year, for us to gather in to celebrate this blessed season together as a family.
2. Safe travels to and from my sister's place on these very snowy roads.
3. Time spent with my Mom and Dad, siblings (all but two, and they were greatly missed), and all their wonderful rugrats, for a total of 34 people. 
4. The joy that is felt when gathered together as family.
5. Our yearly tradition of a Mexican feast that has been going on since the beginning of time, as far as I am concerned.
6. Food (lots of it) and laughter(lots of it) and all kinds of silliness.
7. The sweet tradition of a family nativity
8. A cute donkey, angel, shepherd and wise man. 
9. The pristine winter wonderland that welcomed us home. That snow is just so pretty when there isn't a single foot print in it and it glistens in the Christmas lights. 
10. A husband that shoveled ALL of that snow off the driveway and sidewalks.
11. Kids who just went to bed so easily and happily.
12. The chance I now have to play Santa and set up all the Christmas surprises.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

On the tenth day of Christmas

On this the tenth day of gratitude I am grateful for...

1)  the fact that the kids are finally out for Christmas holidays.
2) grandma Kaye who played with Ella this morning while I sewed Christmas dresses.
3)  that I am now done sewing Christmas dresses and it's before 3am!
4) that I am also done sewing pj pants for the kids.
5) that I am now ready for Christmas... Except all the presents that I still need to wrap. 
6) kids who love to wrap presents,  I'll put them to work tomorrow.
7) crockpots that do the  cooking while I sleep.
8) a sewing machine that is a dream to sew with.
9) a Christmas tree for the kids to sleep under tonight.  A favourite Christmas tradition.
10) Christmas treats to nibble on to sustain energy while sewing into the wee hours of the morning. 
11) the promise of great fun with the Forsyth family tomorrow.
12) good kids who put themselves to bed tonight because I was caught up in my sewing. 

On the ninth day of Christmas...

On this the ninth day of gratitude I am grateful for...

1) Christmas miracles to brighten ones spirits.
2) the chance to support my second daughter by taking time to watch her present the play her and some classmates wrote.
3) the fact that I was able to finish a vest and a dress today....two skirts to go. 
4) the chance to help Ella create gifts for daddy and Tansley.
5) Ella's enthusiastic attitude and excitement to create fun things.
6) Ella's patience and independence during the creating process.
7) the opportunity to watch the elementary school Christmas concert.
8) the joy it is to watch my kids perform.
9) great teachers who work so hard to help the kids learn their parts.
10) grandparents who makes the trek southward to watch their grandkids perform.
11) the chance to have grandma Kaye stay the night. 
12) a grandma's listening ear when a granddaughter wants to talk. 

On the eighth day of Christmas...

On this the eighth day of gratitude I am grateful for...

1. A solid 3 hours of sleep before having to get up and get kids off to school.
2. Breakfast to calm a grumbly tummy.
3. A comfy couch to cuddle up on with my three year old.
4. Cartoons to keep that three year old entertained while I sleep on the comfy couch.
5. A mostly cooperative three year old who let me sleep on the comfy couch.
6. Warm blankets and soft pillows to curl up with on the comfy couch.
7. A productive afternoon sewing Christmas dresses.
8. Fried potatoes, a delicious comfort food that I haven't made for far too long.
9. A chance to go celebrate some super smart kids at the High School.
10. The fact that my oldest daughter is among those kids.
11. A early evening nap to get me through an evening of sewing.
12. A cheeky Christmas movie to watch while cutting out sewing projects.

On the Seventh day of Christmas...

On this the seventh day of gratitude I am grateful for...

1. The aroma of nuts and bolts baking in my kitchen.
2. A family willing to contribute so we can make a massive batch to share.
3. The deliciousness that is nuts and bolts.
4. 20 minute naps through out the day in preparation for a long night volunteering.
5. The chance to volunteer to help the School earn some much needed funds for extra curriculars.
6. Good company to make the late night hours fly by.
7. A safe drive home.
8. A warm bed to climb into.
9. A soft pillow to rest my head on.
10. The sight of our three year old snuggled up with her daddy.
11. That the same three year old stayed snuggled up with her daddy after I climbed into bed.
12. Sleep.

On the sixth day of Christmas...

On this the sixth day of gratitude I am grateful for...

1. Grocery stores that stock nearly every kind of food one could possibly think of.
2. Money for which to go buy a large variety of food to feed our family of 7.
3. Fresh produce that I can not grow this time of year, but is available to me at said grocery store.
4. Christmas oranges. I could eat them All. Day. Long.
5. the convenience of a warm vehicle that makes going to the city a breeze(get it?) on a day like today. Today would have been a stay in the house by the fire kind of day if you had to travel in that wind by horse and buggy.
6. One stop shopping to finish off our Christmas shopping. And now we are done. 
7. My cousin who watched Ella for us so Daniel and I could go grocery shopping and finish the Christmas shopping.
8. Awesome hiding places to store Christmas gifts
9. A community coming together to help pull off our New Years Eve fundraising event for our new Playground. (if you don't have anything going on, you could come party things up in Milk River...just saying. Ask me for details)
10. Christmas baking with the kids.
11. Specifically shortbread covered cherries. Between those and the oranges I'd be set for the Christmas season.
12. the fact that it is now time to go to bed. 

On the fifth day of Christmas...

On this the fifth day of gratitude I am grateful for...

1) the chance to watch a young man give a talk in church,  the same young man that when I was the primary president,  I couldn't even get him to pray. He was terrified of everything.

2) the chance to listen to my daughter sing in church with the other young women.  What angelic voices.

3) the chance to go to church and worship my lord and Savior. 

4) a beautiful building to meet in. 

5) the freedom to choose to do so.

6) a wonderful ward family to worship with.

7) teachers who prepare lessons to share with the class and inspire us to be better.

8) the great gift of the Book of Mormon that testifies of Christ and provides insight as to how to maneuver through these difficult times in which we live. 

9)  the Sabbath day to gather together and sing praises to our Savior at this blessed time of year.

10) Christmas music that fills my soul with peace and makes my heart happy.

11) my talent for sewing that allows me to create unique Christmas gifts for my kids. 

12) the boxes and boxes of fabric that people have given to me over the years that allow me to make these unique gifts for basically the cost of my time. 

On the fourth day of Christmas

On this the fourth day of gratitude I am grateful for

1) Chatters hair salon for getting my three girls in for a haircut all at the same time.
2) Mcdonalds,  because my little kids think it's special when we have lunch there.
3) Happy meal toys ...it's a love hate relationship. The kids think they are the best thing ever and tote them around for the day, but those silly things can be really annoying.
4) An afternoon with the kids looking at all the beautiful nativities.
5)  Everyone who put in so much time to put together the phenomenal Festival of Nativities. 
6) Chance meetings with both my maid of honour and bridesmaid within a couple of hours.  Over the years we have lived far apart.  But time has brought us all back to southern Alberta,  and it's fun to meet up unexpectedly in random places. 
7) A productive day running errands and getting ready for Christmas.
8) Safeway,  for having the last ingredients for our Forsyth sized batch of nuts and bolts that neither Walmart or superstore had.
9) Those aforementioned ingredients being on sale!
10) An evening out with the love of my life.
11) Deep fried dill pickles.  Simple as that.
12) The furnace I call Daniel to help keep me warm at night.

On the Third day of Christmas...

On this the third day of gratitude I am grateful for...

1. A good friend to spend the evening with. She's awesome and she makes me want to be awesome too.
2. The chance to go view hundreds and hundreds of unique and beautiful nativities with this dear friend. The attention to detail was fantastic. The presentation was awe inspiring. We could have just hung out there all night.
3. The peaceful and calm feeling we were able to experience as we toured the nativity displays. This of course was possible because we elected to go with out our kids. 
4. Time spend chatting on the drive into and home from Lethbridge.  So much to catch up on now that the weather is cold and we don't go walking.
5. The many many walks we have gone on together and the many many things we talk about.
6. Delicious frozen yogurt and more good laughs.
7. A chance to get some shopping done without any tag alongs.
8. A nice warm van to sit in and chat some more when we got home from Lethbridge...because the hour in and the hour home just wasn't enough.
9. Wheat bags to warm up to help my feet warm up on a chilly night.
10. A microwave to warm up said wheat bag in just a few minutes.
11. Flannel sheets to cuddle up in for the night.
12. A promise of a new day

On the second day of Christmas...

On this second day of gratitude I am grateful for...

1) a vehicle to drive so that I don't have to walk the couple of blocks to the grocery store on a cold blustery day.
2) the chance to serve a neighbour who doesn't have the before mentioned luxury.
3) warm jacket,  mits,  touque,  and boots to ward off the cold when I do have to go outside
4) a house to provide protection from the cold and wind
5) a furnace to provide heat without me even having to think about it.  It just does its thing and keeps the house at a consistent  temperature.
6) Christmas lights on houses in the middle of nowhere,  they just make me smile as I drive down the hiway. 
7) my handy smart phone that allows me to type up this post while I sit on the couch at the church waiting for my girls to be done their activity. 
8) dedicated leaders that keep putting together activities for these young girls.
9) the sounds of laughter coming from these silly girls and the friendships being built.
10) good friends to help out and take a couple of my kids so I can bring these girls to there activity.
11) my comfy cozy flannel sheeted bed that I will, at some point tonight, get to enjoy.
12) fuzzy slippers to keep my feet warm.

On the first day of Christmas

I was reminded that way back in 2009 I took on a challenge to express gratitude for 12 things each day for the 12 Days of Christmas.  Well I think it's time to try that again,  so here I go

I am grateful for

1) a small school that allows all children the opportunity to compete in sports.
2) parents and teachers who volunteer their time to coach.
3) the excitement of a good game of basketball
4) medical advancements that allow my asthmatic daughter to play the game she loves.
5) the mountain of clean clothes on my couch.
6)a washing machine to clean those clothes
7) a drier to dry them
8)and soap to get them clean and make them smell good
9)a television to watch while folding the mountain of clothes
10) the game of survivor to entertain me for a couple of hours
11) a good cuddle with my three year old
12) pain killers to easy the discomfort in my back/neck today.

Remembering those we never knew

James has been asking a lot about war the past few days. I know they have been talking about it in school as Remembrance day is drawing near. Over dinner tonight, James asked if we had a 10 great grandpa that went to war. I told him that he had a two great grandpa that went to war. He gave me a surprised face. I asked him if he wanted to see a picture and he enthusiastically said yes. So I went and got out  my collection of family stuff about the war and showed him the picture of his Great Great Grandpa Neil Snow Forsyth, all dressed up in his uniform and another one of him standing with his war horse. I told him that he had served in WWI.

"In Canada?" he asked.
"Not right here in Canada, but he was fighting in the war to keep Canada safe" I told him.
Under those pictures was another picture, James asked if that was Neil too, I told him that it was Neil's son Rex. I told him how Rex was a navigator on a fighter plane in WWII. And that his plane was shot down.
"So he didn't make it home alive?" He asked.
"No, buddy, he didn't." I responded.
And with that he burst in to honest to goodness sad tears. My poor boy was heart broken over somebody he has only seen in a black and white photo. He made me cry too. And when I had gained some composure, I tried to explain to him that yes indeed it is sad, but that it is happy too, because Rex cared so much about other people, people he had never met before, and people who weren't even born yet, like James, that he went to war to keep us safe, and he was willing to give his life so that James would never have to know what war really was. Yes, it's sad, I told him, but that is why it is so important to go to remembrance day ceremonies, to sing songs, and to wear poppies. So that we can remember them and thank all those who went to war so that we could live in this beautiful country were we are safe and free.

My heart overflows with gratitude for these great men, and so many more who have given so much so that my kids have the pleasure of now living in this wonderful land.

The day I became Mom

Fourteen years ago I took my first steps on a journey that would change me for the better. At 2:28am a precious baby girl was laid on my chest all covered in goo, and she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. In an instant I became Mom and I was in love. I'll never forget those moments...actually days, that we spent in the hospital waiting for her to arrive. The anticipation, the anxiety, the exhaustion. I'll never forget the feeling I had as the words were shouted "it's a GIRL!", I had been convinced we'd have a boy. But there she was, this perfect beautiful baby girl. Life changed forever in those early morning hours. Now look at her! She is smart, and beautiful, and clever, and talented, and self driven, and caring, and just simply amazing! Happy birthday Kathryn Love Court!

The good life

I'm sitting here by the last lingering coals of the fire at the end of this 40th birthday of mine, and feeling very contented. Life is good. I've got 5 great kids, an amazing husband, an awesome family and the best friends anyone could ask for. Our house is small and cozy, our yard is big enough to play in, grow a garden and have a fire. We live in a quiet town full of great people. We try to live a simple life and surround ourselves with the best people. I think we have done a pretty good job. Forty isn't so bad when I look at all I have gained over the years.
If you need me, I'll be over here, by the fire, living the good life.

A way with words

I walked in to my room to find this poem on my pillow. Kathryn had made it for the Royal Canadian Legion literacy contest. It reads

Through their eyes

They see horror and grief.

Deep in their hearts

They feel alone and abandoned.

In their minds

They think of their life before,

And what it will be after.

They feel pain

Some physical but ten times more emotional.

They risked

Their lives for the millions living in their country.

We can not

Imagine what they went through.

We will not

Forget the hope that they gave to us.

By Kathryn Court

This girl seriously has a way with words. The poems she writes often bring me to tears. Today she learned that this poem earned her second place in the literacy contest of the Foremost branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

I forgot how it hurts

I forgot what it feels like to know that someday very soon you will have to say good bye to someone you love so very dearly. I forgot how it starts in your chest and grows until it continues up thru the tightness of your throat  and into your head. I forgot how it begins to swell there, until you feel its pressure between your ears and behind your eyes. I forgot how then the tears come and with the tears that pressure is released, but that very real pain remains.
I forgot how it hurts. After all it's been nearly 20 years since I have had to say good bye to someone that I love this much. I forgot. But I remember now.

A few weeks ago, my 88 year old grandpa was diagnosed with cancer on his lungs, the type of cancer that is commonly associated with exposure to asbestos. Grandpa was a carpenter all his life. The cancer is very aggressive and there isn't anything to be done but to keep him comfortable. When I first got the news, I had a good cry, but I knew that grandpa would be at peace with this diagnosis. I knew that he was ready to move on to the next life, a new adventure. I knew that grandma would also be at peace with this, she's been near death a few times herself and every time she has been ready to go, but it hasn't yet been her time to leave us. My grandparents have been a perfect example of faith. They know death is not the end, just a door to the next step to becoming more like our Father in Heaven. So I was at peace, my biggest fear was watching him deteriorate as the cancer took over his body.
 I've been there before. When I was 20 years old, my grandpa Paxman was near the end of his long battle with cancer. I had watch over the years as the cancer had turned my strong farmer grandpa, into a frail old man. Watched as it ate away at him until it made him look much older than his 72 years. Watched as I sat beside his hospital bed. Watched as it caused him to writhe in pain just days before he was finally released from his mortal frame. I watched, and I cried, and I prayed that he could just be released from this awful pain. I watched, but never touched. I watched, but never reached out my hand to just hold his. And all these twenty years, I have wished I had done differently. I have wished that as I sat there watching, I had not let the fear I felt keep me from holding him one last time.
And here I find myself again, watching the cancer transform my strong cowboy grandpa into a feeble shell of a man. My fear now is that he will be gone before I get a chance to sit by his side and hold his hand one more time. I keep telling myself sooner rather than later will be better. The less he has to be in pain, the better. I keep telling myself, but myself keeps wanting just one more visit. One more chance to hold him. One more opportunity to tell him that I love him. One more moment to hear his amazing stories. One more memory created. One more...Oh how it hurts to think about saying good bye.

The girls that never quit

This year Kathryn has the chance to be playing up with the grade 9 girls basketball team. She is the only one of her kind in grade 8 who plays ball. Last year she had to play down with the grade sixes, and that was a rough year with little growth and development. You may remember my post about the Raymond tournament from last year. But this year she is back playing with the older girls and she has grown so much!

Last weekend we played at the Chinook High School grade 9 basketball tournament in Lethbridge. We have a small team of 8 girls. I had no idea what to expect from these bigger city teams. But I think what surprised everyone the most was what they didn't know to expect from our little rural school team. Our first game was against Rundle Collage, which I am told is a private school from Calgary. It was a fast paced game and once our our girls new what they were like, they were able to control the game and won 78-33. Our next game was against the hosting team. It was a pretty evenly matched game and the score bounced back and forth between the two teams, but once again in the end our girls were able to pull off the win, but only by about 10 points. Winning this game put our girls in the finals against Cardston. One of our players had injured her foot in the earlier game and was unable to play. But that didn't stop them. I don't think either team was ever more than 6 points ahead. Regulation time ended in a tie and it was off to overtime. To add to the pressure, the Cardston boys team had just finished on the other court and all of them and their fans that had been watching came to cheer on the Cardston girls. It was LOUD! But that didn't stop our girls. They battled to the end pulling off the win! It was the most intense game I have watched in a long time. It was awesome for the girls.

Fast forward to this weekend where our girls played in the Myers/Barnwell tournament. We had two girls out with injuries, so we came into the tournament with only 6 girls on the bench. We played LCI first and that didn't go so well. We lost by about 30 points. Our next game was against Seven Persons and we were able to control that game and pull out the win. Our Saturday game was against Myers. It was an intense battle again, Myers held the lead by no more than about 10 points. And then came the fourth quarter. We were in foul trouble. The Ref's had been pretty tough on us. One of our girls had fouled out so we didn't have any subs. We narrowed the gap by just a few points. Shortly into the quarter, another one of our girls fouled out, so we were playing 4 on 5. We held on and wouldn't let them pull any farther ahead. About half way through, another girl fouled out, so now we are playing 3 on 5. And yet we kept the score within just a couple of points and even pulled ahead. At the very last minute of the game we were down to just 2 players, Kathryn and one other. But these girls just don't stop. We even had the Magrath team cheering for us. The game was lost by one point, 50-49. How many teams can say they did that? Many of the fans in the stands gave our girls a standing ovation for their super human efforts. They didn't come away with the championship, but they certainly didn't have anything to be ashamed of. I'm sure these girls were just as pumped, if not more so, after this game than they were after winning the championship last weekend.

This is one killer basketball season. We are so lucky to have such a great coach working with our girls! He has certainly taught them to be confident in their play and to never give up! He is always positive on the bench and always seems to be smiling, and looks like he is having the time of his life out there along with our girls.