The Afternoon Before Christmas

I don’t know if you got the memo, but the economic climate has affected Santa as well. (More so than global warming, if you ask me.) Due to the recession some of the elves had to be let go (no worries, they have other options, right?) and this has left the Big Guy short-staffed (hahaha… short-staffed, get it? Phft.)
Imagine our surprise when Santa stopped by the afternoon before Christmas… during Caleb’s nap (what a crazy random happenstance!)… to hand off Caleb’s gift, so we could get a head start on constructing the rubik kitchen. Thanks, Santa. But special thanks to Mike, who armed with a screwdriver and pliers, assembled the toy, pulled the Abominable’s teeth and helped Rudolph save Christmas.

Ahem…

Anyways, Caleb got a good stash this year, we went Old Skool. Caleb received a gender neutral kitchen (so he can leave mine alone), another car, a toy piano (so he can leave Marné's alone), clothes, and the Fisher Price farm box set.

After opening presents we gorged ourselves on the traditional Thomson Christmas breakfast. Every year I worry that I don’t make enough… this year it was cinnamon rolls, waffles with various toppings, bacon, biscuits and gravy, and orange juice.

And of course
there was enough!

I also made
my first pecan pie . . .

Oh.

My.

Gluttony.

Here’s the recipe I used for the crust and the filling.







So. Here’s the Christmas letter I didn’t get out in time. Oops. Read it if you want.

Maybe I'll strive to send out valentines this year. ; )

The Unsent Christmas Letter, 2009 edition

Dear Family and Friends,

It is suiting to start our letter this year as Charles Dickens began his novel The Tale of Two Cities. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

Earlier this year our family was expecting to welcome a fourth member; however, an ultrasound during the second trimester diagnosed the baby with Trisomy 18, a fatal genetic defect. At thirty weeks gestation, our daughter, Emma Lane, was delivered still. The dispensation of being Emma’s parents during this life was a brief opportunity but invaluable.

Any parent could tell you about the immense knowledge gained from what the world perceives an unlikely source: a child. Just as we have learned much from Caleb and from Emma this past year, our heavenly Father has learned a great deal from His children. He has witnessed compassion, good will and love unbeguiled as many have helped and comforted us during this experience. We offer each of you our gratitude for your condolences. Thank you.

Rest assured we are being kept busy. Michael has completed his first semester at Harvard, and is learning to juggle family, work, studies and callings. Michael is still serving as the branch’s Activities Chair as well as a youth Sunday school teacher. Angela has been serving as the sole member of Michael’s activity committee (besides Caleb, who has been given the title of Chaos Coordinator) as well as the Sunbeam and CTR5 Primary teacher. She will also be ringing in the new year with a calling as a counselor in the Primary presidency.

Our adventures this year include travel to New York City, and Sharon, Vermont. We are excited to visit the West this summer! Making stops in Mesa, Flagstaff and St. George. We look forward to decent Mexican food and seeing everyone, of course!

As a closing thought we would like to express our heartfelt love for our Savior, namely, Jesus Christ. Through the best of times and the worst of times his affection is unchanged, it is sure. The sentiments penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the hymn I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day “ring” true: “God is not dead nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevails, With peace on earth, good will to men.” What comfort the Gospel brings!

Wishing you the special gifts of this holiday season- Peace, Joy, and lasting Happiness,

The Thomson Family

Michael, Angela and Caleb

DO NOT CLICK UNTIL...

The above link should only be clicked

if you begin to sing the 12 Pains of Christmas

or if you heart becomes two sizes too small!

Merry Christmas!

Tis the Season . . .

Today I am reading through my postpartum journal, the one I kept during those late night feedings, as I studied the topical guide.
“Tis the Season” is an eclipsed phrase hung around door knockers, shrouded over fireplaces, and shellacked on displays this time of year.
You can fill in the blank or insert the conventional “to be jolly” and the additional
“fa- lalalala...” if you are taken away in the holiday spirit.

But for me, I'm jotting in…

Now, before I get knee-deep in compassionate comments or empathetic e-mails, I am not referring to Emma’s New Year’s Eve due date, but to… well, just keep reading…
The following was scribbled in my journal on the scripture Matthew 12:49
“Verse 50 gives further explanation. It says, ‘whosoever shall do the will of my Father [. . .] the same is my brother, sister, and mother.’ It is interesting that a disciple could be considered Christ’s mother. If we consider what Mary’s mission was for this life and consider her characteristics – it is a very noble role to take on, respectively. One aspect of her role was to provide a temporal body for Christ. As a disciple we are providing ourselves as a body with which Christ can use us for good…”
As I pour over my journal of what I had written, I expect the thoughts I recorded (when I was so far from my recent experience and now as I seem so removed from that time of maternal naivety) to be shallow or amiss… but I don’t get an ounce of satisfaction.
I want to share the following quotes:
In reference to 1 Samuel 1:20:
“’the time was come’” is a perfect description of the requisite of motherhood.”
Inklings of Psalms 113:9:
“Verses 7-9 shows what God does with every man and women that comes unto Him. [ . . . ] a woman who was once barren can become a joyful mother and keeper of the house. God doesn’t make us become more, he helps us meet our potential –which remember is infinite. A beggar can become a prince of nations, so can a barren woman keep the House of Israel. These are not transformations but a progression.”
Tis the Season to be a mother. To provide able bodies, to take considerate and deliberate action, the time has come, and as you counsel with God your abilities will exceed any shortcoming you perceive. Several months ago I read I Am Scout a biography of Harper Lee, and a passage redefined love for me. Before Lee wrote To Kill A Mockingbird, she was living in NYC, dirtpoor, working hard and barely surviving- not even writing. She spent a lot of time with a family by the name of Brown. For Christmas the Browns gave Nelle (Harper Lee's first name) a simple white envelope, within it a note that read "Dear Nelle, You have one year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas." They would pay her a year’s worth of wages so she could devote her time to her craft, her calling. Later Nelle wrote, "A full chance for a new life. Not given me by an act of generosity, but by an act of love. ‘Our faith in you’ was really all I had heard them say."
I like the line this quote draws between generosity and an act of love, because they are different. Too many people think of the Atonement as a generous act rather than one of love.
Do you give to others because you are in better standing than them or is it out of genuine care?
Which caused the condescension of God?

This Christmas I do not wish for us to feel loved,
but rather I hope for us to love, genuinely, and in abundance

as only a mother could.

Stocking Stuffers:
First Presidency Christmas Devotional
Are We Not All Mothers?
How Shall This Be?
Good Mary

Chillin'

It’s time once again to feed my freezer. My 2001 Space Odyssey freezer.
Yesterday I made 27 Asian Meatballs, 37 regular meatballs and taco meat.
Today’s plan is to make shredded chicken and Crockpot Chicken.
Tomorrow I’ll be making waffles and perhaps freezer jam.

Whew. Here’s a peek at our dinner menu for this incoming month:

• Meatball Subs
• Asian Meatballs
• Tacos
• Taco Salad
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Chicken Quesadillas
• Choo Chee Curry
• Crockpot Chicken
• Twice-baked Potatoes
• Spaghetti
• Soup and Grilled Cheese
• Pizza

And here’s a recipe for everyone in Flagstaff, stay warm!

Dirty Snow (Oreo fudge)
The appearance is reminiscent of the cinder and snow covered Route 66... Aw, winter in Flagtown.

What you’ll need:

• 3 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 8-12 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream
• About 10 Oreo cookies chopped into fourths
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

What you’ll do:
Mix butter, sugar and milk in a saucepan, after brought to a full boil and stir for five minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chips a little at a time until melted. Stir in the rest of the ingredients (the marshmallow cream, cookies and vanilla) Spread into a foiled-lined and greased 13" by 9" by 2" pan. Cool to room temperature. Cut into squares and serve.

PS The Branch Christmas activity was good. We are glad we had so much help and that so many people came! We collected 20 kits and a whole bunch of food. We'll be sending the kits to Salt Lake this week!

PPS My friend posted this on facebook. Thought I'd share. : )

Hypegiaphobia

I carry around blog entries in my head. In other words, I’m a genuine blogger. I type what I think and hope there’s a filter somewhere in between my noggin and my phalanges.

In my head I compose posts on several topics a week and typically only one makes the cut and is published on this blog. This past week, however, I have been too occupied to publish any entries, yet alone, think of multiple topics.
My mind has been set on the one, the only topic of… callings this past week. For those of you unfamiliar with the church I belong to, we are a lay ministry. Meaning, our members fill various roles of responsibility without the exchange of income. We believe these callings are meant to enrich our lives, the lives of those we serve and also draw ourselves and others closer to God.

Ever since Michael and I met our callings have been intertwined. When we met he was serving as Ward Mission Leader, I was in Compassionate Service. Married, we served together as Sunday School teachers, Primary Workers, Nursery Leaders, Church Magazine Representatives (which I swear to this day, is a made-up calling) and currently on the Activities Committee.
Our branch’s Christmas Activity is this Friday, in case you forgot. I haven’t, hence this post. There’s plenty to do. Not too much. Not too little. Just the right amount of preparation. Most of it is fun. Like utilizing my husband to take pictures of his unsuspecting Sunday School class for the slideshow.
Although entertaining, I find the activities committee calling…

“intimidating.”

I would have used the term “menacing” but I kept imagining a calendar with a mask wielding a ladle.

If you were to ask me about my first calling, I’d tell you about my family home evening leader fling. Which is accurate, but not all encompassing.

Before I was baptized, I was an unofficial member of an activities committee. My sister and brother-in-law were the lone members of their ward’s committee and often made me solicited my help. I remember drawing a life-sized tree on butcher paper with only crayons as my medium. The tannenbaum portrait was used as a backdrop as my sister captured families on film. I recalled how everyone fussed over the relief society table linens and how I didn’t understand (and still don’t) how fifty year old women expect toddlers to respect thread count. Or how

white linens + red jell-o could = anything but defaced textile.

So. Now. Here I am. A decade later. Not scribbling a tree, but sashaying around with raffia and candy canes and terribly nervous, like fifty-year-old-woman-with-arms-full-of-linens-in-a-jell-o factory-on-bring-your-toddler-to-work-day kind of nervous, here. So, wish me luck. And those of you attending, slip me chocolate throughout the evening to sedate me, would ya? : )

As for my Primary calling. The last few weeks since I have returned to church, has been satisfying. Comparatively speaking, if activities is my bed of nails, primary is my cake walk.
I have been working on singing “I Am a Child of God” at the beginning of each class. It is a song everyone knows and brings the Spirit into the room. Of course, prodding the children by rewarding the three best singers has helped our chorus. (The best singers get to say the opening prayer, the closing prayer or be the line leader… hey, I didn’t say they were glamorous prizes!)
But let me tell you. I’m the one being rewarded. I wish I could bottle the feeling I get when my class sings that song.

It’s like being the line leader
wherever you go!

No matter how the rest of my Sunday goes, I have the first few minutes of the second hour that makes my day.

So. Now that you have heard the good and the bad. My fears and fancies.
What are some callings or responsibilities that make you quake? What are some that make you soar?

Comment, please.

P.S. November, where did you go?

My "Currant" Disposition

Ever feel like the currant bush? I think it goes without saying I have.
An excerpt from one of my all-time favorite talks explains what-the-heck I'm talking about:
“I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants…So I got some pruning shears and went after it, and I cut it down, and pruned it, and clipped it back until there was nothing left but a little clump of stumps. […] You know, I thought I heard that currant bush talk. And I thought I heard it say this:

Read the Gardner’s reply here.
What a wonderful promise.
It fills me with peace and brims me to tears.

November 19: Doing the Math

Rewrite

After October 25 our mailbox has been full.
Hungry no more.

Thank you, everyone, for your sentiments: the cards, the blues, the letters, the bouquet of books instead of fresh flowers. Even Deseret Book got in on the postal pleasantries- by rejecting my manuscript. : )
Just in case you are wondering what a Dear John from DB looks like: From the title you can make a safe assumption what the manuscript is about. Those of you who thought I had submitted a creative work apparently are not familiar with my attention span’s height. It’s short, for future reference.
Instead of a novel, I submitted an activity book. My manuscript has over fifty ideas with instructions pertaining to family history for the enjoyment of the family and especially children and youth. It also includes with each activity a purpose statement (i.e. Purpose: to become familiar with the contents of a Family Group record sheet ) and the table of content is conveniently organized into descriptive categories for easy selection.
So, now what should I do with it? I guess it will just collect dust on the hard drive.
It has served its purpose: to keep my mind off things.
Those of you who keep tabs on my FB status updates, know I’ve been looking into MLS degree programs. I narrowed my sights down to two online programs: Florida State University and North Carolina Central University…. THEN I got my Simmons information packet in the mail with a nifty fact sheet about their dual major MA in Children’s Literature and MS in Library Services for Children... They really need to come up with a universal emoticon for salivating. It would probably look like this:

: P - - - O
(notice the puddle of accumulating drool?)

But the degree is not offered online.

: '(

And, being honest, I probably don’t have the drive to go back to school like my incredible husband. I’ll leave the graduate work to him.

Complacency is a dirty word in our house. When I told Mike about my new goal he was … {insert a word here that is not as strong as “offended” and not as concerned as “worried”}

Maybe a better word for my goal is “content”?

Yeah. That looks better.
In ideal circumstances I’d still be pregnant. And I wouldn’t be three weeks postpartum in November. Instead, it’d be January and I would be sleep-deprived and plenty busy with a newborn, juggling both Caleb and Emma.
But instead, because this situation is not my ideal, I’m three weeks postpartum and wondering what I should be doing because naturally, biologically, I would/should be doing something.
So, I guess with the manuscript, and with the interest in graduate school I’m trying to fill a void. When instead, I really should just try to be content to be where I am.

Which is hard.

Which makes my goal more of a challenge.

*You may have noticed a new button on our sidebar. Click it!

Make Room.

Make Room this Season:

“The innkeeper missed the greatest opportunity that an innkeeper could ever have had.
Years later it would not do him any good to say,
‘If only I had known who they were.’
In our busy lives, with ever so many others competing for our attention,
it is essential that we make a conscious, committed effort
to bring Christ into our lives and into our homes."

-President Thomas S. Monson

"We need to take the time to worship,
to meditate, and to develop a more personal relationship with the Lord.
We need to get acquainted with his teachings.
We need to fill our hearts with the things of the Spirit.
We need to be more practical and to begin to think today
what Jesus thought. We can fill our minds with our Heavenly Father’s purpose
and our hearts with an understanding of his ways.
We can open the door of our soul and make room for the Savior to come in."

-Elder George P. Lee

"Make room for the Church in your life. Let your knowledge of its doctrine grow.
Let your understanding of its organization increase.
Let your love for its eternal truths become ever and ever stronger."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

"Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus!"

-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Another How-To

How to Create a Line Drawing or “Stamp”
in Photoshop CS2

Yes, I’m aware there’s probably is an easier way to do what I do. A way my husband will enlighten me about, I’m sure, right after I publish this post. But this is how I do it. There may seem to be a lot to it but just like any project in photo editing once you do it, the next will be easier.
I don’t claim to be a know-it-all or a professional.

Disclaimer over.

Photoshop Tip: Create and label multiple layers. This will allow you to compare, backstep, and stay organized.

Step 1: You want to select a photograph that has obvious contrast, a balance of darkness and light. You will heighten this contrast further by adjusting the Brightness/Contrast of the layer. First duplicate the original layer (ctrl + alt+ j), label and adjust. Like So. See the difference between A & B?
Don’t forget to “hide” the original layer.

Step 2: Now you will create a desaturated layer or a “grayscale” layer. Duplicate the edited layer (the one labeled B above). Then press ctrl + shift + u.
Step 3: Duplicate desaturated layer and inverse that layer. To inverse the layer use the following key stroke: ctrl + shift + i

Step 4: Select Linear Dodge for the layer bending option. The layer will appear blank. Breathe. It’s still there. : )

Step 5: Select the Gaussian Blur Filter. Adjust the filter and using the preview provided adjust the layer to look like a line drawing.

Step 6: Merge the three layers: The edited layer, the desaturated layer, and its duplicate (now the line drawing layer).

Step 7: Select Color Range. Click the dropper over the white hue of the newly merged layer. Adjust fuzziness to a higher quantity. I can't give you an exact number here since it really depends on the image and what you want. Confirm your selection. You’ll see on the layer what is called “marching ants” press Backspace, this deletes the selected hue. Now instead of “white” your layer will have the checkered transparent void.

If you have any questions,
you know how to get a hold of me. : )

Also, if you readers

ever see something on the blog that you like such as stamps, silhouettes or fonts, let me know. I'm always happy to share!

The Admission

How goes the boycott? I swear, if I see any Michael McLean contraband at your homes this Christmas, you’ll be blacklisted. Forgotten Carols indeed. Moohahahaha…

Whoah. Halloween is over, better put the crazy away there, Angela.

Anways, there’s something you should know about me. I was not primed to be a domestic... well, anything, in any way. Well. That’s not true. My mother is a very clean person, so you’d think it would have rubbed off on unto me, but alas, it was scrubbed away in her efforts. Sorry, Mom.
But, that is another topic for another day.

Today, I’d like to tell discuss admit to you my cooking habits.
A term coined by Sandra Lee, Semi-Home Cooking is an accurate description for my culinary concoctions. If it isn’t cheap or easy, it isn’t on my menu.
First step in the program is admitting I have a problem:I am a wife and mother who serves her family seven-layered dip, tortilla chips and cheese crisps for dinner one night, then chicken salad sandwiches and a bagged green salad the next. I have canned soup in my pantry! And I have every intent of using it – and none of my plans involve a casserole! Just a side of grilled cheese. (Oh the humanity!)
I like tried, tired and true. Recipes that give me consistent results, even when I don’t use exact measurements because I used all my measuring cups the day before and don’t feel like washing them... or let’s face it, I never measure-out any ingredients anyways so how those instruments got dirty is a mystery. I suspect Caleb.
A Kerri-Strugg-kind-of-a-recipe. That’s what I like.
One-legged and bringing home the gold. USA! USA!

Whew. Got sidetracked there. Again.

Ever heard “misery loves company”? Well, so does sloth and gluttony.

So here are some of my moose fool-proof recipes:

A Chicken Salad for all Seasons…

First thing you need to know is I love chicken salad sandwiches. I have fond memories of Girls’ Camp that involve consuming chicken salad-filled pitas. Second thing you need to know is that it just isn’t chicken salad without grapes. I know there is an anti-grape sentiment regarding chicken salad in some communities that rivals that of the great pickle and tunasalad segregation, but I’ve already admitted that I have no conscience, grudges, or scruples so I am blameless therefore, do not judge me.

Every General Conference I make chicken salad. I have mentioned that before. My recipe is similar to Pioneer Women’s recipe found here. But my sauce is pretty basic:
Now. While ca-ruising the grocery store yesterday, I noticed that grape prices are on the rise again. This happens if the state you live in doesn’t directly touch or touch a neighboring state that touches California or Florida. So, what does a member of the pro-grape party like myself do come winter?
I’ll tell you…
Craisins. That’s right my friends. Craisins. Omit the dill weed and add some rosemary or thyme.

Thank me later.

Crockpot Chicken
A recipe properly renamed from Cream Cheese Chicken since if I have chicken and if I plan on using the crockpot sometime that month I make this recipe, no matter what. It is the absolute.

It. is. CrOcKpOt ChIcKeN!

I serve it over rice with a side of bread or cooked frozen veggies. A popular leave-it-and-go-to-church Sunday dinner at our house.

So Easy You’ll Feel Bad Cobbler
So you eat it all and feel better

1 can of cherry pie filling
1 can of pineapple pie filling
1 box of yellow cake mix
About ½ C of melted butter (I don’t measure!)

Mix fillings together and pour into a long cassie dish. Sprinkle cake mix over the top. Cover cake mix layer with melted butter. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let setup for ten minutes before serving.

This past week I received the token week-worth of meals
from my Relief Society sisters.
Thank you for cooking with compassion and a conscience.

My family is grateful.

Every now and again
we need some comfort cooking.
Then again, maybe just comfort.

PS Brownie points if you know the pickle-tunasalad debate reference. Leave a comment. And admit you had to look it up. : )