The Phoenix: Epicuriousmothering Rising

Of all the things my religion asks of me, I find Fasting once a month the hardest. I know, I've never drunk or smoked or drank coffee so I probably don't know what I'm missing and then I might say those things.  But the truth is, I haven't and I don't miss them.  Especially as I try to live a cleaner and cleaner life in general with everything I put in my body, I find that I am more and more grateful for my rather moderate way of life (I still LOVE looooovveee sugar . . . and white flour . . . so I have a ways to go). Fasting.  The goal is to go two meals or 24 hours and give what you would have spent on those meals to the poor in the form of a "fast offering."  Once you are baptized at age 8, you're asked to begin practicing the law of the fast.  As a child, my parents, recent converts to the church, when the whole 24 hours.  We ate a good lunch at 1pm Saturday and then didn't eat or drink again until 1pm Sunday after church.  Imagine if you w...

FIRST ANNUAL GOBBLER 5K (MALCARNE FAMILY PLUS SMITHS) Post Gobbler Football game (Thanksgiving 2013) with nephews  Piper and Great-Grandmother Rasmussen The Thanksgiving Crew--My parents, John's parents and grandmother, my brother John and Family, My sisters Anne and Doreen and their Families and my niece and her husband, Kyra and Patrick, and her brother Zach.  I think it was 27 total.  Total blast! The Feast Henry and cousin Shaun Finn and both is Grandpas making the Thanksgiving puzzle (they worked on this for four hours!). Black Friday (or rather Gray Thursday) shopping with cousins--10pm Thanksgiving night Annual Tree Decorating Party . . .  Celia Getting ready for school . . . whose under that table? Christmas 2013 Henry (with pig tails) and Phoebe skating . . .  Newest Addition to our family--the Eternal Flame outdoor gas fireplace  Santa Came! The utter exhaustion of op...