Redneck Joshy

Nothing like receiving this text message gem from Mama Berry. Joshy looks like Ronnie Berry Junior in his flannel and "gas man" hat! Love you kid!

Jess Berry Quote of The Day!

Character is developed one positive action at a time. Therefore, nothing is actually trivial in our lives. Someone who grows from each minor life event will eventually reach high levels of character perfection.

Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, author, lecturer

What Have I Done For Someone Today?

My brothers and sisters, we are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness—be they family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.

President Thomas S. Monson

What Have I Done for Someone Today?

Inner Workings Of The Stanford Junior Mind Part 10

Mini blog posts...

1. After a disal drenching of y laptop in hot chocolate during this thanksgiving, aaingly, I was able to take apart y laptop and clean off the keys. Unfortunately neither the letter after L or the letter after Y in the alphabet work very well. So that's why i' issing those letters. Hallelujah I saved y pictures! In the future I will copy paste and not drink close to computers. (yes it worked!) Don't worry I'll be getting a new laptop soon. :)

2. Hey Jess you never mentioned why I was invited to the Celebration of Day 177... hehe

3. Activities I'm grateful for during Thanksgiving Break

1) Making Meltaways with Mother

2) New skirt! Shopping with Gram

3) Snow!

4) Walking Route A

5) Seeing The RM for the first time

6) Thanksgiving with the Cousins

7) Lunch with Pop

8) Finding License in Dryer

9) Getting Files off Laptop

10) Talking With Ted

(Dearest Jess I will not extend this list to 17 because I have no qualms about waking up on the hour.)

***Editor's note: She was invited because we needed someone to wash dishes so our manicured nails wouldn't be ruined. ;)

Amen

Thanksgiving Essentials

Mama Berry's rolls all raised and ready to hit the oven. Please note the DP: the best way to bake and cook is with a DP handy.

Delicious golden rolls and me in my bright birthday arpon from Mama Berry. As promised Mama, smile and all. I wonder who's batch turned out better this year? Mine or her's?

I was very tempted to put the chocolate creme pie in KW's face but I practiced self control, partly because BT would have put that pumpkin pie in my face had I attempted to "help" KW eat some pie. Love these too.

Enough dessert for everyone to have their own...crazy!

Kristin and her gravy, I was impressed as would her Mama be!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

***Note to readers: I realized last night that Thanksgiving may very well be my favorite holiday next to the Berry National Holiday (Sept 10th) of course.

17 GRATEFUL GOURD SLIPS

(In no particular order and only a sampling of the gratitude in my heart)

1. The Plan of Salvation (click to read and learn more)

2. My Family

3. My Palo Alto Family

4. My Bosch mixer; bringing a little bit of Tetonia to Palo Alto every batch of Mama Berry's rolls made in it.

5. The Yankees winning their 27TH WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP!

6. Seeing tender mercies daily through the service of others

7. Temples (click to read and learn more)

8. Original recipe Dr. Pepper

9. Biofreeze and Sombra (magic in a bottle)

10. Minnie Berry

11. Botox (how else did you think I look so young?) ;)

12. New Family Search (genealogy for dummies)

13. The Purple H&M dress + MPR's makeup additions

14. Sleeping through the night

15. Ab Ripper X

16. Jesus Christ and His Atonement (click to read and learn more)

17. Afflictions and heartaches that humble and soften the heart

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Enjoy the day and BE GRATEFUL each day of the year!

Jess Berry Quote Of The Day!

When we give thanks in all things, we see hardships and adversities in the context of the purpose of life. We are sent here to be tested. There must be opposition in all things. We are meant to learn and grow through that opposition, through meeting our challenges, and through teaching others to do the same...the Lord will not only consecrate our afflictions for our gain, but He will use them to bless the lives of countless others.

Dallin H. Oaks

Pre-Thanksgiving Prep

Lunch on Wednesday, a light salad in preparation of the big day! Thanks to KT and Kathryn! YUM!

I learned today that I am a dot machine, punching through with grace and ease while stringing red and green dots on fishing line like an automated assembly line! Who knew I could be so crafty? Don't be getting any ideas as this was really just my way of earning some layered jello tomorrow and crossing the fingers for some chocolate creme pie!

What Are You Thankful For?

Botox Confessions

This was too hilarious not to post. It is definitely my drug of choice too although this person obviously is on other drugs if they love the feeling of the needle...crazy nut!

Keep Reaching Out And Extending Ourselves

We don't discover everything about each other all at once. Even when we attempt to be transparent, it still takes time to discover the layers each of us have. We have a duty on two fronts really. We have a duty to be as open as possible, to share of ourselves with others, to let others in, to see the realness within us-even if that realness is awkward, messy, weird, or a bit crazy. Keep extending ourselves. On the slip side we have a duty to seek genuinely out in others those layers, to listen, to spend time, to invest, build trust that will facilitate that openness. It is sad when someone chooses not to do one or both of these. Keep reaching out. You never know when you'll make another true friend or when someone will be ready to peel back another layer.

I WILL STILL JUDGE

Call me Scrooge but Christmas music before December is wrong, possibly before the 15th of Dec even. One of a few pet peeves.

(I still however love you Roni Lane). ;)

Mama Berry To A Tee

How many Moms out there mails homemade jam to their kid or a deck of cards from Hawaii or a homemade apron with all the bright colors their kid wears combined into one? If your Mom does things like this, congratulations your Mom is as cool as mine! If she does not, maybe if you hint long enough and call home more often it might just change your luck.

Celebrating DAY 177!!!

BT and I celebrated 177 days of WAKE UP WITH JESS emails this Friday!!! We started out right with a GREAT wake up email with 17 reasons why the world is a better place with BT in it. To give you a teaser of the 17 reasons these were among the winners:

She's a puppy at heart.

Coined the phrase: positive male interaction.

Her name is also the name of a delicious FISH!

We treated ourselves to manicures and pedicures that afternoon, hot pink nails baby!

Followed by nails we had Sloppy Dans, homemade rolls, delicious desserts, and a special guest in the form of JP! (Thanks for coming JP!)

JP suggested that I take a picture of the day for the Day 177.

BT loves the Yankees too!

Happy DAY 177! Thanks for being such a great friend!

Jess Berry Quote Of The Day!

A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.

Buddha

Jess Berry Quote Of The Day!

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.

Buddha

Seeing The Hand of God Through Others

Jess Berry Quote Of The Day!

If I enjoy going around telling people guilelessly that I think I’m a genius, let me do it.

Unknown (but completely sounds like something I would say)

Jess Berry Quote of The Day!

A woman who can’t forgive should never have more than a nodding acquaintance with a man.

Ed Howe

Jess Berry Quote of The Day!

What we love determines what we seek; and what we seek determines what we think and do.

Pres. Uchtdorf

Jess Berry Quote of The Day!

A wonderful painting is the result of the feeling in your fingers. If you have the feeling of the thickness of the ink in your brush, the painting is already there before you paint. When you dip your brush into the ink you already know the result of your drawing, or else you cannot paint. So before you do something, "being" is there, the result is there. Even though you look as if you were sitting quietly, all your activity, past and present, is included, and the result of your sitting is also already there.

D.T. Suzuki

Ode to Jess Berry

Jess is
a new pair
of nylons
not your
mother's nylons
mind you--
but the kind
you wear
when you want
your mother
to blush
when you walk
out the door
and yell
over your shoulder
I'll be back
before midnight!
and
the screen door
slams
behind you.

Love,

RM(R)

Jess Berry Quote of The Day!

All along the paths of life while we are busy going places, learning things, there are so many lovely opportunities. They're everywhere! Take advantage of life.

MCW

THE YANKEES WIN!!!! 27 BABY 27

Jack Berry would have enjoyed tonight for sure! 27 World Series titles. You can't argue with that folks. It was a beautiful sight to see! I said it was our year after the drought we've had and My Yanks proved me right. Bleeding blue! I do heart the Yankees!

Watch highlights and relive history here.

Jess Berry Quote Of The Day!

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

Buddha

The Winds of Fate

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go.
Like the winds of the seas are the ways of fate,
As we voyage along through the life:
Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

Ella Wilcox Wheeler

Jess Berry Quote Of The Day!

There are diamonds in the rough, and then there are diamonds...You are a diamond

SEC

The Only Cute Thing About Halloween

Tinker Bell taken to a whole new level!

Had to share this...mini me in action...I still make that same face. Poor kid doesn't stand a chance.

Hearting The Weekend

1. Yankees won Saturday night

2. Yankees won Sunday night (not going to lie, there was some dancing involved after this win!)

3. Alma 62:14

4. "Kyle and Steve" making me yummy chocolate chip cookies

5. Scotty and Cec making me cookies

6. Tucking in SJ

7. NOT celebrating the Pagan Tradition known as Halloween