The first Saturday of the month found Ken & I at the temple. We've made a goal to go monthly, and Saturdays are the only day he's off that the temple is open. During the weekday, his schedule is too erratic to count on. We had to wait to go, though, after I had a couple of VK classes.
We ended up at the temple too late for the session before lunch and we really couldn't stay for the next one at one o'clock. So we decided to do initiatories, something I haven't done in years. Even better, I had four family names on my phone in my Family Search app, so I got to do family names! It was exciting for me and an incredible spiritual experience. Their baptisms had been done back two years ago before the OKC temple closed for it's renovations. So it was well past time. I think my ancestors were ready for me. The next time I go for a session, I will be able to do a name for family, too. There is something more satisfying about doing the work for your ancestors.
Birthday Girl...HOW old?
Analiese had her SEVENTEENTH birthday this year. It's really terrifying. She's a junior and it all means she has one more year of school and then.... My babies will all be grown! To be honest, she's a little nervous about it, too. I don't think she feels quite ready for adulting, even with her college classes and learning to drive.
On her actual birthday - November 6th, I had made a cake for her to celebrate in Seminary. Now, with a past Seminary birthday, she'd complained that I'd used a plain old box cake mix and canned frosting. So, I did it again, with a twist. I put a whole lot of black food coloring in it, trying to make both cake and frosting (white) black as midnight. Looking back, I should have used chocolate. Instead, my cake looked like a zombie/decay sort of purply-gray. There was way too much frosting, and some stomachs didn't agree with it - oops! (And mouths were funny-colored for a while) But the class thought is was funny and she enjoyed my joke.
I picked her up at USAO, took her to lunch, and then took her back for her afternoon class for a real treat. We went to the Boomerang Diner, a 50's styled burger joint. They had catfish, which she loves, so she indulged.
Her birthday dinner was that Sunday, when everyone could be home. Saturday night had been a barn dance (yes, at a real barn on a farm) that she wanted to go to (yes, a young man was sort-of involved), so dinner had to be Sunday. She invited a gal who is her study-buddy in her USAO algebra class (and a roommate of Allison), Allison, and - last minute - another friend of Allison & Jonathan from the college and the YSA ward.
Ken made her favorite chicken and dumplings; I made her favorite German chocolate toffee caramel crunch cake (mouthful). Allison, in particular, really liked it.
Analiese loved her gifts; we all did a good job choosing this year. Jonathan gave her a Harry Potter blanket and House Griffindor socks. Ken & I gave her a shark flashlight and a Halloween countdown calendar (for next year, but she loves Halloween). We all hit the mark!
VK News
Last month, I was able to use my VK tokens. They give us tokens for a variety of things, being on time, no cancellations, lots of open bookings, five-apple feedback, etc., and their social media group - the Hutong - gives more for trivia, teacher tips, etc. I had saved up 1000 points, enough to get my own stuffed Dino! He's the hottest item in the token center and I had to redeem him as soon as I could before he got snatched up! They only put up so many online every week. I had ordered him mid-October, and I was told it could take up to eight weeks (coming from China). Well, I got him on November 7th; not too shabby! He's very cute and is a great ambassador.
The week of Thanksgiving, there was no Seminary. This became VK booking prime time. Not a lot, really, since the new Chinese Minister of Education edict has them not taking classes past nine p.m., Bejing time. So I only really taught one or two classes a day. I take what I can get.
Oooh, but I almost blew it Saturday. I forgot to set my alarm and woke up at 6:00 a.m. to my phone buzzing, reminding me that I had a class starting...RIGHT NOW!!! I jumped up, threw my VK shirt on over my nightgown, and ran out of the room. Ken plugged things in for me and I got into my online classroom only one minute late. Whew! No lipstick, hair a wreck, but I was there. Only two classes this morning, but that was enough. It could have been much worse. I think I was a little overtired.
A HAPPY LOW-CARB THANKSGIVING
I'm supposed to be on a low-carb diet; one of the sister missionaries is a pre-diabetic. I wanted her to have an nice Thanksgiving and I wanted to not blow my diet entirely. So a whole lot of experimenting was going on.
The turkey was no problem; it has no sugar or carbs (think refined flour), so I did it my traditional way: basted in butter and ginger and roasted to juicy perfection. The gravy was a low-carb choice using xantham gum instead of flour for thickening. The recipe I used included butter and heavy cream; it was tasty, but rich! Mashed potatoes are pure starchy carbs and I made some instant potatoes for others; but I also made a cauliflower "mash" (really not the same) for a healthy option. I made a green bean casserole that wasn't like the traditional - it had a pork-rind crust! Actually, it was pretty good: Jonathan and Analiese loved it! I thought the sauce was a little heavy, I'd maybe cut it in half next time, but the flavor was good.
Some things stayed the same: Cranberry jelly (I like to eat a little of that with my turkey). I made some stuffing for Jonathan (I had a little) and the sisters brought yams, much to Allison's delight. Jonathan furnished Dr. Pepper, for those who wanted it.
Dessert was the issue. I decided to try my hand at low-carb pecan pie and pumpkin tartlets. The pumpkin was like little custards I baked in muffin cups. The pecan pie had a crust of coconut flour that smelled SO good, but came out salty. Also, I forgot to cover the edge with foil and the outer crust was burnt. Erg. The filling was dry, but didn't taste so bad. My main sweetener, stevia, which comes from a plant, leaves a funky aftertaste. I could really taste it in the pumpkin. But the pecan pie had a sugar free maple syrup in it that actually helped. Also, I whipped up some low-carb whipped cream. Not very sweet, and with that pesky aftertaste. I was very embarrassed by the outcomes; not a very festive end to our meal. Allison and Analiese both liked the pumpkin, surprisingly. The sisters were very kind. Ken, however, told me in no uncertain terms, that sugar was better and made me promise that I wouldn't mess around with Christmas. Sorry!
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| Analiese has always loved the leg. It's huge! |
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| Visitors in our neighborhood. The palomino was the ringleader! |
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| Pom all cozy in a hoodie sleeve! |
