The Meandering Thoughts of Jan

Boy, oh boy has Christmastime taken our lives by storm.  It has been one busy, joyful month so far.  So much so, that I'm just going to throw a tinsel and cup of Christmas cheer bomb of a post at you, jammed pack with everything Christmas that has occurred over the past couple weeks. Christmas Advent Calendar My sister Michele and I made these Christmas advent calendars while I was at her house for Thanksgiving. She found the idea on pinterest (of course) . This is probably one of the more time consuming crafts we have taken on, but I was pleased with how it turned out.  For each day of December there is a Christmas related picture to put up and a scripture or quote pertaining to Christ's life to read on the back. Christmas Ornament Trading Party My friend Lauren put on a fun little party, where a group of us came together with a batch of homemade Christmas ornaments and then we all traded.  It was so cool to see how creative everyone was!  These are how mine

Christmas is all around us and I still haven't posted my November Instagrams.  November was a calmer month, which was good, since December has been busy, busy, busy!  I don't think we've had a free evening yet!  Christmas cheer post soon to come. Nov. 2nd - I mentioned this on the blog already, but Danny wrote the score for The New World Shakespeare Company's production of Macbeth.  I was quite proud of him for this accomplishment. Nov. 4 - I was sick on this day and Talena, being the wonderful friend that she is, brought me some homemade bread.  It was the only thing I ate all day.  I was most grateful. Nov. 6th - Here is my Thanksgiving crafting for the month. I thought it turned out cute. Nov. 14th - This Armadillo was sitting behind my head during our dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  I found it terrifying, so I decided to share the terror. I'm still cringing while typing this. Nov. 21 - We had a fun night of babysitting nephews.  Ry-guy and I ha

This year, we headed down to Southern Utah for Thanksgiving.  It was a small gathering with my parents, my sister and her family and me and Danny.  It was a really nice and chill weekend.  I loved staying up late with the family, playing games, crafting and watching movies as well as munching on good eats.  We were sad to come back, especially now that the temperatures have dropped to below freezing as the high. Thanksgiving Dinner My sister made these adorable place settings. Earning our keep by peeling potatoes. I saw this turkey veggie platter a couple of years ago on pinterest.  It seems to be a hit with the fam, so I keep making it for each Thanksgiving. Michele and my Dad. Danny and Me.  (We took pictures as we waited for dinner to finish cooking.) Michele and Dan! Love this baby girl. After dinner, we played an exciting game of Thanksgiving Bingo! It was originally planned for my nephews, who ended up not coming, because Mark's family

I use "lately" very loosely here.  I should say, what I've read over the past 6 - 8 months, which is how long it has been since I've posted a bookish review post.  Since it has been so long, I have a whole slew of books to talk about, so let's get crackin! Beloved Emma - The Illustrated Life Story of Emma Smith By Lori E. Woodland Danny gave me this book for Christmas.  It had been on my bookshelf for awhile and one day, while looking for something new to read, I picked it up and I'm so glad I did.  I've been fascinated with Emma Smith's life and have wanted to learn more about her.  The book covers from Emma's childhood to her death and uses firsthand accounts, letters and other sources to describe what her life was like.  There is plenty of church history and stories about Joseph Smith as well, to give context with what Emma was facing at the time. The author, Lori Woodland, is a religion professor at BYU-Idaho and she has done her resea