Can I just say that I survived my Walmart all night experience?!?!  I am so glad to be home and so glad that we have leftovers for dinner and so glad that my nap will begin shortly.  But I didn't want to forget to order my LittleMissMatched winter socks and I realized that I forgot to include the coupon code for their check-out. So here is the link for the winter socks:  http://www.littlemissmatched.com/  The coupon code is: WINTERSOCKS  This sale ends Sunday, November 29th at 10 p.m. EST.  Also, for the first time ever, LittleMissMatched will be launching a 12 Days of Holiday Savings promotion, beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Cyber Monday (11-30-09):  order one pack of anklets, and get another pack free.  This offer excludes sale socks and Project Sock styles.  The coupon code for that is: ANKLET.  Check back everyday for a new offer, now through December 11th.  Lastly, they will offer free shipping on all orders over $75 until December 15th, 2009.  Something new every day! Don't forget to comment on justhelen so I can put your name on the list for the free give-away. Now off to my bed for a long Black-Friday-recovery nap!  Happy shopping! &#

Here's a little poem I just whipped up for you while waiting to go turn my turkey…it's been thawing since last Saturday!  I really thought I'd be good by now! ‘Twas the day of Thanksgiving, when all through the house Just the parents were stirring…well, maybe the mouse. The turkey was thawing in the sink with great care In hopes it’d be ready before guests would be there. The children had crashed and not just in their beds, While visions of Medieval Times danced in their heads; And Mom in her sweatshirt and Dad in ball cap Had gotten up early…there was no time to nap! When soon on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the kitchen to see what was the matter. Away to the front door I flew like a flash – The Dad was outside vacuuming up the car’s trash. The sun rising up and sleepy neighbor’s too ‘Cause Daddy was bored…he had nothing to do! When what to my wondering eye should appear But a Black Friday newspaper full of ads, my dear. With a proud little father, so bundled and quick, I knew right away that there must be a trick. More rapid than rattlers the ads, how they flew! And the rustling of papers woke the entire crew. First Walmart and Target and Kohl’s, then Best Buy Next Michaels, then

 All my Thanksgiving food shopping is done…I hope!  Thank heavens for Costco and the yummy cheese trays, cheap olives and artichoke dip.  I got a box in the mail from Pinecone Press and when I was going through the Options booklet from the Domestic Goddess kit, I noticed that on the page that has the recipe cards, there is a blurb about going to download the recipe card blanks at justhelen.typepad.com and I realized that I hadn't figured out how to get a PDF on the website yet!  But this is what drives me to figure things out…a hard deadline - it should have been done YESTERDAY!!!  I have other downloads I want to do that will just be easy to use and fun to share, so now is as good a time as ever to "get 'er done"!  And if I can't figure it out, I have a web-savvy son that LOVES to help his aged mother! In my box I got from Pinecone today, I received an extra kit that I would be happy to share with someone.  With all the expense for Christmas coming up, it's a hard time to be buying things for yourself, so leave me a comment and on BLACK FRIDAY I will randomly pick someone to send it off to as a BLACK FRIDAY give-away!  But sorry, this time it will only be one lucky winner!  HOWEVER…I want to

The countdown to Turkey Day is on…now, what are you thankful for?  Please share!

I'm getting a late start today, at least as far as blogging goes!  Even a crock pot Sunday dinner has to start early and takes a little time.  From when our morning meeting gets started until our Sacrament block is over, it is a minimum of 5 1/2 hours.  It's not a complaint, just commentary on the day.  Add in things like Mike talking in Sacrament meeting and Tom having an ASL program performance tonight and it just adds up to be a long Sunday.  But I love going to church!  I always gain so much insight from the members of the ward – the speakers in Sacrament meeting, our Sunday School and Relief Society teachers…all the comments made during class – all help to buoy me up and prepare me to face another week with renewed dedication.  Which is a good thing because by this time next Saturday, I will need the same spiritual renewal.  I think that is one of the main reasons that we meet together often – that and taking the Sacrament. Among all the good things I heard today, two things were shared that I thought were particularly interesting.  One brother shared a conversation he had with his mission president.  This is not verbatem, but my understanding of his comments.  After sharing his concerns that he wasn't being as good a missionary as he wanted to be, and that perhaps

That is a good motto for anyone.  But it takes on special significance when you are the mother of Boy Scouts and wife to a Scoutmaster.  Not only do I love when they go camping and the girls have the house all to themselves, but look at all the colors in those merit badges!  You know how I feel about color!  Seriously, I love the opportunities the Scouting program gives to young men that might otherwise totally focus on nothing other than themselves, and there is far too much of that in the world.  Scouting has been around for 100 years.  The Boy Scout Law states:  A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. Their motto is: Be Prepared!  Their slogan: Do a Good Turn Daily!  Sounds like lofty goals to me!  I was watching a TV show with a panel of "experts" and they were discussing how a Boy Scout had gotten in trouble with a union, stepping on a union member's toes…probably doing a "good turn" without charging the person or persons for it.  I didn't catch the whole segment.  I honestly don't remember the show or any of the experts, but they spoke quite disparagingly about the scout program in general…"who does that anymore?"  I would have to argue whole-heartedly about THAT dumb statement!  What parent wouldn't want their son to grow

Thanksgiving cards, that is…there's ALWAYS time to give thanks!  With all the preparations underway to start Christmas, Thanksgiving doesn't seem to take center stage as a holiday anymore.  But we shouldn't forget to count our blessings.  Take time to make a list of things – or people – that you are thankful for and why!  The act of writing it down makes the blessing more tangible, and telling someone you are thankful for your relationship with them lets them know, too!  This paper line is called Domestic Goddess by Graphic 45…don't you love the name?  I love this line!  It has a vintage feel that invokes how I feel about the traditional role of women in the home and how we can make it feel…warm and cozy!  (As I once again sit freezing at my computer!)  Oh well, at least the product and projects are fun to look at!  I just have to clean before I dare bring a heater in here.  With all this paper around me, excess heat might not be a good idea!  Sometimes I feel a little non-symetrical and I rebel against sharp corners…I really did this time.  When I do that, who cares how the buttons are sewn on?  I love stitching "outside the box"…its amazing what patterns and designs that can originate with 2 or 4 holes on a button!  I have a little project that

Is there such a thing?  All I know is that over the Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Vanilla Chamomile Sleep Body Lotion (long name!) that I just put on my very chapped hands still dry from Utah, I can smell remnants  of last night's "I'm so glad to be home I will cook you your favorite anything" meal…Prosciutto Asparagus and what was supposed to be garlic pull-aparts using Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls, but I didn't put enough of them in the pan to make them rise and stick together, so they looked more like delicious little garlic rocks…experimenting is always fun!  It's one of those kind of meals that I don't mind remembering fondly the aroma the next day, and it seems like asparagus is getting more expensive, which probably means we aren't at the height of the season anymore, which means I won't be buying it until next season.  I was able to get great deals on it this summer, so we have been eating it like crazy.  But before you start the main dish, you need to start the meal by beginning preparations for the "Little Garlic Rocks".  I hope that Rhodes doesn't take offense to the rock analogy, because they weren't as hard as rocks once they were baked, but we all know that the less time you take to let yeast rolls rise, the heavier the bread…I like heavier breads.  The

What a fun "almost" week I had visiting family and friends in Utah!  I love Utah, but this particular few days reminded me why I don't live there anymore…it is cold, no…FREEZING there!  Snow, ice, sluggish car…these things reminded me of why I love to visit there, but live in San Diego…at least for now!  I say this as I shiver in my office, all bundled up with wooly socks on my feet and my fingers just far enough out of my sweatshirt so I am able to type!  Gas and electric are so high without running my furnace that I am afraid to touch the thermostat.  We only do it when the kids are all home for Christmas to take the chill off in the morning.  I haven't lived in Salt Lake City since I got my Expedition and I got to try out something that I never used before – my side mirror heaters…they melt the snow so I could see where I was going when I needed to back up…that was a very cool feature that is wasted in San Diego but nice to have for cold weather travel. I haven't been on my computer for days now, and I'm glad to get back.  If I had been super organized before I left, I could have had automatic posts ready to go.  But no such Boy Scout working here!  Before I left

I traveled this week to Salt Lake City, Utah, to attend the wedding of my charming and talented nephew Matt and his sweet and wonderful bride, Rachelle.  I almost didn't come because I am so busy at home!  But after examining the things that I was busy with, I determined that my kind of busy could wait a few days, while spending this special time with my family could and should not be missed.  So off to Utah I drove with my daughter Megan.  What a fun time we have had.  We went different directions, but got together for all the family gatherings.  I am so happy to be in SLC with my family and have even been able to include friends in the rounds.  Friday afternoon, after running a few errands, Megan and I decided to go downtown to plaza down by temple square.  It is freezing here!  We loaded the parking meter and gave ourselves about an hour and a half limit.  It was fun to take pictures of the beautiful Salt Lake Temple where Scott and I were married, then Christie and Matt two years ago, and then Matt (my nephew) and Rachelle on Thursday.  It was nice not to be too rushed.  We walked around the plaza and came to a building familiar to me.  When I was nineteen and working downtown, I remember standing in front of the big world map