Category Archives: Thanksgiving

Thankfull

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On Thursday morning I woke up early (but not too early, mind you) and tip-toed downstairs to don my apron and dive into my Thanksgiving preparations. I had finished the pecan pie late, late, late the night before and as I looked at it sitting on the counter I couldn’t help but thrill at its golden, nutty top and beautifully pinched, deliciously buttery crust. It was perfect.

I removed the remaining pie crust from the fridge and began to work it into a circle on the cold granite counter. Gingerly, I lifted it into a pie plate and set to work whisking the cream and sugar for the filling. As I stood over the stove watching it thicken, I found myself so completely content, quietly stirring.

Genius had compiled the most delightful playlist on my iTunes and it was streaming through the kitchen like the steam rising from the simmering pot in front of me. Gray clouds filtered the sunlight with coziness. And crispy, brown leaves tossed end over end through the backyard. Where did this morning come from? I thought. And how did I get so lucky to be in it?

I set the sugar cream pie to chill in all its sugary, creamy, cinnamony goodness and turned to the green beans. They were gorgeous. So crisp. So green. And I relished every minute fingering and sorting and slicing them. I made a point to try and be especially deliberate. I was so happy. So thankful. To be right where I was, doing what I was doing. And I wanted to experience the entirety of each moment, with every sense I possess. And in doing so, I found myself most thankful.

Thankfull–yes full–for sweet and simple moments of everyday bliss.

For color and taste and touch. In them is where I find the richness of life.

For opportunities. And the chance to pursue.

For this life I’m living. Despite all its uncertainty and overwhelmingness. There is still joy and peace and promise and laughter.

For the people around me. And the way they make me think, and laugh, and accomplish.

And for change. Yes. Change. As much as I resist it, I’d be stuck without it.

Thankfull, indeed.

And friends, I hope you had a Happy, Happy Thanksgiving too.

Since Thursday

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This is what I looked like after Thanksgiving dinner:

But I’m too vain to post a picture like that of myself, so Izzy graciously modeled.

Thursday was delicious in every way–full of good food (my mashed potatoes and pecan pie rocked the house this year), good friends, thankfulness, and costumes. Yes. Costumes. Last Tuesday Frit sent out a text to her family that everyone had to come to Thanksgiving dinner “in costume … this is NOT a drill.” We were just expecting pilgrims and Indians, but we should have known better …

Frit’s nephew Cooper, came as mashed potatoes (his “favorite”) and his twin brother Cameron, came as a turkey.

(Thanksgiving turkey, pilgrim, and mashed potatoes with 2 pats of butter there on top)

We had a slew of pilgrims and Indians ’round the table, and even an Indian from New Delhi (I think she got confused). It was fantastic!

Frit went as an Indian, complete with a paper grocery bag vest, and I, as a pilgrim, with a construction paper bonnet. The table was filled with everyone’s favorite dishes, new recipes and old, friends and family. We ate, talked, napped, and then ate some more. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

The next morning Frit had to go back to work so I traipsed up the mountain-side looking for our Christmas tree (it’s tradition). It wasn’t the same without her, and it was 1000 times more snowy than it has been in years past–I almost slid down the entire mountain I’d just climbed up when I lost my footing on a slick patch and my feet were numb by the time I climbed back in the car–but success was mine, when I found the perfect tree.

(crappy cell phone picture of our undecorated tree)

That night, we ate leftover turkey, potatoes (mashed and sweet), and cranberries, all rolled up inside lefse (Frit’s family is from Norway and they make this every Thanksgiving and Christmas). Then we popped in Elf and got to decorating (another tradition). After three times through Buddy’s adventures in the “magical land called New York City,” we were done and the house was sparkling Christmas. I have yet to take a picture of the tree lit and decorated, but I’m on it.

On Saturday, we went to the Nutcracker (yet another tradition for the first Saturday after Thanksgiving) and have decided that the pas de deux gets longer and longer every year. But the Waltz of the Snowflakes is always my favorite with Arabian coming in at a close second. And, just for kicks and giggles, I thought I’d share a picture of me when I danced in he Nutcracker as a child. I can’t remember which dance I was in this particular year–Russian maybe? Yes, I think that’s right. Little sister Karly (on the right) was one of the party girls.

Saturday night it began to snow and didn’t stop all day Sunday. We’ve got about 6 inches and our yard looks like a winter wonderland.

And all I can say is … I love this time of year.

Pecan Pie: A Maurer Family Recipe and My Personal Fave

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My great-grandmother, we called her Mama Maude, passed away this past weekend. She was 99, a mere three weeks away from turning 100.

She’s been plagued with Alzheimer’s for the last 10 years or so, so while it’s always sad to lose a family member, I’m also grateful that she’s no longer a prisoner to her darkened mind.

I didn’t know Mama Maude very well–she lived in Pennsylvania and I grew up far away down South–but we exchanged letters for a period of time when I was in grade school and I remember visiting her for her 80th birthday party. She made us sticky buns for breakfast one morning and we loved taking evening baths in her claw-footed tub upstairs. That was the first time I remember playing in the snow and I can still see the sea-foamy green paint on the walls in her living room.

Thinking about Mama Maude got me to thinking about my Grandma Sally, Maude’s daughter, my dad’s mom (or “mum” as she says it). She and Granddad lived only minutes away when I was a child. We ate Sunday dinner at their house every week growing up. All birthday parties were held in their living room and each Thanksgiving, my sister and I would arrive early to help make the pies. Karly did the pumpkin and I was all over the pecan. The recipe we used belonged to Mama Vic, my other great-grandmother (Granddad’s “mum”). It was also the “official” pecan pie recipe on board the “Lazybones”, my grandparents first boat. This was the dessert they fed the tourists who came for a ride up and down the Orange River in Florida.

I’d love to share it with you.

Mama Vic’s Pecan Pie

(my sisters and I say it pee-can, although Maude and Vic probably pronounced it pe-cahn seeing as they were Yankees from PA [grin])

1 9″ pie crust (this is a great one)
1 cup dark Karo syrup
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
3 eggs (slightly beaten)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

  1. Combine syrup, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix with mixer till smooth.
  2. Stir in pecans and pour into crust.
  3. Line edge with foil strip to avoid burning the crust.
  4. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
  5. Remove foil strip and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes or until center doesn’t jiggle.
  6. Let cool completely.

*Variation for High Altitude: Reduce heat to 325

Official Week of Gracias: Day 7

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope you had a wonderful day with friends, family, and plenty of pie.

To end Krista’s Official Week of Gracias, I want to share with you one of my favorite talks. It’s called “Live in Thanksgiving Daily” by Elder Wirthlin. I hope you enjoy.

And with that, on this chilly November day, I also share the things I’m grateful for today:
A Heavenly Father who is ever-loving . A Savior who is full of grace . The Holy Spirit who is ever-ready . My mother, a woman full of sincere love . My father, a man who will do anything for his family . My Karly, you are strong in every way. My Kaycie, you are precious in every way. Frit — I will never be able to explain the blessing you are . My grandparents . My education . My brain . My heart . My voice . My home . My calling . A job that provides a challenge and a steady income . Amazing friends who are examples and sources of strength . The garden we grew this Summer and all the lessons I learned from working in the earth . Fresh tomato sandwiches . Sunny days . The ocean . Answers to prayers . The earth and all her unpredictable beauty . Kisses from children . Miracles . My feather mattress topper . My Mac computer . My daydreams . Vacations . Marriott rewards points . meandering bike rides . delicious books filled with delicious words . my certainty that true love exists . this country, no matter how broken it may be right now . my mission and all the people and lessons and experiences I was blessed with . the place my life is right now . the places it has been . green lights . flower deliveries . holidays . advice from others who have “been there” . teachers . a great hair-cut . lost friends, found . warmth . the resurrection . the Restoration . restoration . Light . good cries . hope . faith . tomorrow . Life.

Official Week of Gracias: Day 6

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...let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Hebrews 13: 15

***

The fruit of my lips today is thanks for …
1. our thanksgiving decorations. pumpkins galore, sequined turkeys, wooden pilgrims, and sparkley balls hanging from decorative ribbon in the windows. oh, i LOVE holidays!
2. a fun lunch with Brad and Shanna
3. leaving work early
4. a phone call with my granddad
5. baking a homemade pie crust in which to pour a pecan pie …
6. … in an apron,
7. whilst listening to French jazz music
8. baking lefsa with the olsen clan
9. 6 shows down, 19 to go
10. a soft heart

Official Week of Gracias: Day 5

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Come, ye thankful people, come;
Raise the song of harvest home.
All is safely gathered in
Ere the winter storms begin.
God, our Maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God’s own temple, come;
Raise the song of harvest home.

-Come, Ye Thankful People, Hymn 94

***

The more I’ve tried to make a conscious effort this week to be thankful, the more I want to BE a “thankful person.” I want Heavenly Father to think (when He thinks of me), “That Krista. What a good kid. She’s always so thankful.” I really do. I want to always be a thankful person. And I think gratitude — honest, consistent, and sincere gratitude — takes practice. Maybe some people are born with automatically thankful hearts. Mine? Not so much. Mine needs practice. And I’ve been grateful (see … it’s working!) this week for the opportunity to try harder.

Today, I’m especially grateful for …
1. the money I found in a forgotten bank account
2. the award i received from whitney permann’s porch. whitney: my sincerest thanks. i was SO touched you would even think to nominate me!
3. the italian opera music the construction workers were listening to whilst they worked on the building next to ours downtown. …or maybe there were SINGING the italian opera music. THAT would make it even better! either way, those are some guys i want to hang out with!
4. divine motivation
5. karly and the way she looked in her gorgeous ivory-with-a-champaigne-sash wedding dress
6. melissa-whose-name-means-honey-bee and the hot hair she gave me tonight. i have the best hairdresser in the whole wide world!
7. my buddy and the way she hangs out on the phone with me while i drive home. we don’t even talk sometimes. she’s just there. always there.
8. 5 shows down, 20 to go
9. hope for change (and i am NOT talking about Barack Obama)
10. yesterday
11. today
12. tomorrow

Official Week of Gracias: Day 4

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Let the peace of God rule in your hearts … and be ye thankful.
Colossians 3:15

***


Today I find peace in my heart because of the blessings I have, for which I give thanks …

1. a kind hug from a friend.
2. a job.
3. gas at $1.75
4. mileage reimbursement
5. whitney being willing to spend 5 days in Idaho Falls and 1 in Pocatello so I wouldn’t have to
6. fhe at The Gateway with Edward and Bella — mmmm
7. the exciting possibilities that lie ahead for my Karly and her JJ
8. peaceful moments
9. 4 shows down, 21 to go
10. the knowledge i have that answers will come

Official Week of Gracias: Day 3

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O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Psalms 95: 1-3

***


May I go before his presence today with joy and thanksgiving for:

1. the sacrament, and the opportunity it is to think upon that great Atonement that was made and what it means to my little life.
2. the kids in our ward. they are ALL so darn cute and say the darndest things during meetings.
3. home teachers who come faithfully every month.
4. my mia maids. i don’t think there is a better group of girls in the whole wide world and i couldn’t love them more. they are so smart and lovely. truly gems.
5. my testimony that the Lord walks with us in life. He never, never leaves. and is ever loving us.
6. my gorgeous table setting for lunch. i really outdid myself! :) white table cloth, chartruse linen napkins, white plates, canary yellow bowls…
7. and the lunch i made! it was so delicious. thanks jamie for the recipe!
8. the chance to eat, play games, and spend time with my sister Karly, who now lives in Texas but came to Utah for Thanksgiving.
9. the chance to meet JJ, Karly’s “special friend.” :) i REALLY like him Kar. do NOT mess this up.
10. 24′s 2-hour pre-season premier. my heart was POUNDING. that jack bauer. he’s incredible!
11. Helga’s delicious dinner and time spent with Kim’s fam. i love those olsen’s!

Official Week of Gracias: Day 2

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If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.
Doctrine & Covenants 136: 28

***

Day 2 of Krista’s Official Week of Gracias is pleased to present 10 more reasons for merriment.

1. a safe flight from Boise to SLC
2. the 7-year-old kid on the plane who said to his parents (very loudly), “mommy! i just saw something very disturbing in the bathroom!” his use of the word disturbing made me giggle. :)
3. being HOME. i love my home and the way it feels when i walk in. (plus there were balloons and a “Welcome Home” sign Kim hung in the entryway!)
4. the lesson i’m teaching my Young Women tomorrow. i think i needed it more than they do.
5. the pop-tart i just ate in my bed.
6. the fact that my sister is coming for lunch tomorrow!
7. a text from my dad that said, “i love u.”
8. a good, good friend who makes my life not-lonely. at all.
9. the fact that we have 3 shows down, 22 more to go.
10. happiness in life.

Official Week of Gracias: Day 1

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In honor of the fact that Thanksgiving is in 7 days, and due to the other fact that I think Thanksgiving kind of gets the shaft by being sandwiched in between 2 of the more favored holidays, i.e. Halloween and Christmas, I hereby declare this week Krista’s Week of Gracias.

Ultimately I suppose that’s what this haystack is about…seeing the everyday blessings. But this week I want to count them one by one.

***

…worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.
Alma 34:38

Today I am thankful for:
1. a delicious ice-cream outing with Maryhelen and her beautiful girls. The Freeman family lived in my last area on my mission. They have since moved to Boise and since I was in town we were able to see each other and catch up for a moment.
2. speaking of missions … we started The Forgotten Carols tour in Seattle this year which is right next to my mission (Tacoma) and I am thankful for the overwhelming blessing it was to not only serve a mission, but to serve a mission there, AND to have gotten a chance to visit this week even if only for a day.
3. Matt fixing my Blackberry just as the show was starting. (He fixed it by looking up the problem on his iPhone. tell me THAT’S not an Apple commercial!)
4. Kris, the DB manager in Boise. I just met her today, and she is one of the most kind and genuine people I’ve ever met. Goodness just oozes out of her. (and she told me i have pretty eyes)
5. the complimentary cookies that our hotel has on their check-in counter, and the fact that they don’t get mad, or even glare, when i take one (alright 2) every time i go past. (OK! One time i took 3! Geez!)
6. Kim’s Friday card. She tucked a series of cards to be read each day I’m on tour away from home. Today’s (and yesterday’s and the day before yesterday’s) was filled with special memories and happy thoughts.
7. a love text from mi madre. I love that even though i don’t call her as often as i should, that she still texts with love and enthusiasm for my life.
8. the fact that we’ve got 2 shows under our belt and only 23 more to go.
9. my Marriott bed.
10. a God to give thanks to.