Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire

I am going to continue to count my many blessings throughout December. It was so wonderful to be able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family; both of my grandmas flew in from Arizona to share this food and gratitude-filled holiday with us. They were also here to see me turn 21 and Cami turn 25 (on the 25th, I might add... 25 on the 25th)! It was so much fun to share these events with them because, growing up, we weren't able to be with them for this short pre-Christmas break very often.

Having the three-generation (soon to be four) thing going on over thanksgiving was really so great. My Grandma Jones was able to make her famous real cranberry salad and my Grandma LeSueur was there to make her famous Swedish salad- both of which are staples at our Thanksgiving table! My daddy fried the turkeys and my momma whipped up some amazing mashed potatoes, yam town potatoes, and some homemade whipped cream. I was in charge of the pumpkin and pecan pies, and Cam did everything else in between. We took our family Christmas card picture, as well as a TON of other good ones. We set up our Christmas tree, decorated it, drank homemade wassail with our homemade whipped cream, and read Christmas stories. We relived family memories, talked about our excitement for upcoming memories we are sure to make, and we had several family prayers together. This truly was the type of Thanksgiving pictured in Norman Rockwall picture books!


My dad, the turkey fryer- we successfully cooked two turkeys without blowing the house up!

Look at my cute brother putting the pies in the oven.

My mama, making the grahmcracker crust for the banana-cream pie.

Kevin added another skill to his list of manly things he can do- he can now do 12 things on his list!

Cam and Kevin at the dinner table with my beautiful centerpeice :)

Momma, Cami, and Baby J!

Our family picture- see how cute we can be!

Buddy LOVES scratching his back on the bottom limbs of the Christmas tree. It's his favorite part of Christmas- that, and all of the handouts he gets.

Everyone with the beautifully decorated Christmas tree :)


Now, I must make this clear, I only paint this beautiful picture to create a sort of nostalgia so I can come back and read about all these good things when my family is hurriedly rushing around during the not-so-picturesque times of the year. So, I suppose I am grateful for the opportunities we have to create some wonderful memories, so that we can cling onto them when things aren't so perfect. I love thinking back to times my whole family has been together. I think about things like my family's visit to Utah for General Conference my freshman year of college. Oh, I'm sure there were a few meltdowns that happened- but I don't remember them. I do, however, remember the warm feelings I got when I went with Cam and Kevin to pick up Mom, Dad, and Trevor from the airport. I remember having lunch between conference sessions at some restaurant across from temple square. I remember going shopping while the boys were attending priesthood session. Whenever I was homesick in the subsequent months, I would think about this wonderful time we had together, and it would lift me up!

Us, at lunch

My friend Bethany, me and Cam

The boys- we have so many pictures with Kevin's face like this... I roll my eyes every time I look at one of them...

Another favorite memory of mine is when my family went to New York City the Christmas of my freshman year in high school. I'll never forget stepping out of the subway and into times square and looking up and seeing the beautiful and angelic snow falling from the heavens. I also will never forget having to pull my over packed suitcases through that 'heavenly snow' a few blocks to our Times Square hotel. I'll always remember how alive the city was and my bubbling excitement for life. We were in Times square to usher in 2003 and watching the confetti rain down as the clock struck 12 can't be described by any other adjectives except magical. On this trip is when my 10-year-old brother unleashed his inner sumo (email me if you want to see those photos- I don't think they're appropriate for the www!), we visited the infamous soup kitchen- as made famous by Seinfeld's 'Soup Nazi' episode- where I got yelled at by no one other than 'The Soup Nazi' himself, and we took a taxi to church- which was between Central Park and Carnegie Hall, right below the temple that was under construction at that time. We did lots and lots of shopping, and I bought my notoriously famous purse called 'Big Red' from a sidewalk vendor; my mother was sure I had been ripped off. Thinking of this trip reminds me to always be excited about life- I was so excited to be in New York and it was wonderful to be there with my family!

Happy 2003!


I love this picture... This was on our way to church. Trev was so little!

So, there you have it- these are a few of my favorite memories. Take some time and jot down some thoughts about your favorite memories when you have a few minutes and think about them whenever you're blue- it works wonders! Try it... you'll like it :)

"Words are... the most powerful drug used by mankind."

Today (and everyday) I am grateful for good communication, the ability to communicate, and the knowledge to do it without sounding like an idiot. Most of the time.



The beyond wise quote in the title above was spoken by Rudyard Kipling, the English author who wrote great works of literature such as The Jungle Book, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. I think there is a lot of astuteness to the comparison between words and drugs. Anne Morrow Lindbergh had a very astute moment, herself ,when she noted,

"Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after."

Now, I am not a coffee drinker, but I definitely understand this allusion and, in fact, experieced it myself last night.

Yesterday, Lance and I, in an effort to continue to get to know and understand each other better/shake things up in our nightly phone conversation, wrote down the ten most important things/principles/ideals we each hold dear. At the end of the day, we sat down and took turns reading and explaining each item from our lists to one another.

An hour and a half after we started, my head was reeling- and in a very good way! We covered nearly every aspect of life. We saw many of the things that are commonly important to us, and I know that I both discovered and relearned things about him- things that he aspires for and holds near and dear to his heart. I can't speak for Lance, but post conversation- I felt a renewed sense of "us". Good communication cannot be topped, nor can it be replaced. I advise all of you to do this exercise with friends, potential lovers, siblings, parents, and even spouses- check in on one another and you will gain a new sense of love and appreciation for that person. Try it. You'll like it!

I am also grateful for the power of the written word/my ability to utilize words in order to get my point across. I had to review a book for my International Politics class, and while I won't get into it on here, the book was about a contemporary issue which consisted of points and arguments that are in complete disaccord with what I believe. I was so grateful I was able to review the book and subtly state my opinion without having to give up my principles and without sounding like one of those "narrow-minded conservatives driving an SUV", as my book so aptly put it.

I suppose I got this trait from my grandpa. He passed away on 16 September of this year, but his love of words was unmatched by anyone else I have ever met. He was such a wonderful writer- he was able to communicate exactly how he felt without throwing it in your face (well, most of the time), and he was always able to do it in an educated manner. He had quite the vocabulary, and to this day- whenever someone uses a ten-dollar word, my mom, my sister, and I are quick to point out, "That's a grandpa word!" I am extremely grateful to him for this legacy he has left me and the fullness it brings to my life. Thanks Grandpa!

"A Greatful Heart is a Happy Heart"

As you all know, Thanksgiving is this month! In honor of the best month out of the twelve, I thought I would share with you some of the things I am thankful for this month.

Indoor Plumbing.

Indoor Pluming is great. Think about it: it is 3:47 in the morning. You're in the middle of a great dream, something involving Brad Pitt and Chocolate, and suddenly your eyes open and you realize that the tingling you're feeling has nothing to do with the chocolate OR Brad Pitt- it is that Big Gulp you had before bed deciding to make its second appearance. You sleepily stumble out of bed, put your slippers on and bump down the hall into the bathroom. Effortlessly, you take care of your business, and effortlessly flush the toilet. You effortlessly wash your hands, and return to your warm bed without ever having to give this act of normalcy a second thought. You didn't have to treck outside through the snow to take care of your business in the dark, without any light more than the moon.

Let us consider another scenario: you find that your darling little 3 year old has discovered your makeup, or the muddy ground in the backyard, or the halloween candy, and she is a mess. After you roll your eyes and take a quick snapshot to document your cute little one, you pick her up, run a bath, and start scrubbing. This task that once would have required pumping water from the outside water pump and then boiling it, can now be accomplished with a simple flick of the wrist!

Here's still one more situation to think about: Sunday evening, you're cooking a great meal of pot roast, split pea soup, a salad, and mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. Through the course of creating your domestic feat, you boil two pots of water, run the water to wash your salad/hands, fill up pitchers with water from the fridge and ice from the freezer, and you do all this without having to walk down the street to the community water well, as you would have had to do before the marvelous invention of INDOOR PLUMBING.

The Bubonic Plague spread so easily in 1340s England due largly to midevil England's hygene habits. Think about that. I'm just saying.

Think about this next time you utilize your toilet or shower- think about how easy it has made your life... Because of the great difference it has made in the modern world, I am grateful for Indoor Plumbing today. Thank you Thomas Maddock and William Leigh!

An Entrepreneurial-Diva Idea...

My Martha Stewart bones are rattling again. Cami and I have always talked about the boutique we plan on owning and running together when we're old ladies, but when I saw these cute children's 'Pettiskirts', I'm not sure I want to wait that long!

The joke is, the store will have a line painted down the middle, and all of the fun, frilly, or fabulous things will be sold on my half of the store, and all of the beautiful, rich, or functional things will go on her side. Tell me, are these pettiskirts not fun, frilly, AND fabulous!? Heaven help me, I think I found the first item I want to invest in, create, and sell!

These darling skirts remind me of the slips I would wear as a child to make my frilly dresses poof out for church. With my hair all curled and my ruffle socks, I always felt like a princess- maybe that is where I got my love of going to church from? While I loved all my miniworld dresses, I often found my diva self lounging around in just my poofy slip. Many a time, I played dress up with these slips- there's even a picture of me dressing Trevor up in theses slips when he was a defenseless todler! What better way to make my mark in the word than by providing kindred diva spirits with the means to dress themselves up like a princess?

Made from nylon chiffon and satin charmeuse, they are super soft, and they have lots of body to expand when twirled. I think I'm going to experiment with making these little pettiskirts, and maybe a children's boutique is nearer to my future than I thought. Now, if I can only find an investor... any takers? :)

Go Frogs, Happy Birthday Trev, and Viva Mexico!

The Facts are these:
*The TCU Horned Frogs played The BYU Cougars on Thursday 16 October at TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium.
*My mom and dad, Trevor, Cami, Kevin, Ashley, Spencer, their little girl Sophie, Lance, and nearly every other mormon within 5 hours driving distance, who weren't on their missions, were in attendance at this game.
*TCU was ranked number 24 and BYU was ranked number 8 at the time this game was played.
*After this game, TCU is ranked number 14 and BYU is ranked number 21.
*The day this intense fall in the polls happened, as previously mentioned on October 16, which was also the 16th birthday of Trevor, diehard BYU fan.
*The final score was TCU- 32, BYU- 7

Poor Trevor.

Despite the polar feelings between me, a horned frog, and the rest of my family who came to the game, cougars 'till the end, it was a fun night which we ended with dinner for Trevor's birthday at Ihop!


This is Spencer, Ashley, and Sophie, who made the five hour drive from Lubbock, Texas to see their cougars play. That is dedication, my friend.

Sophie was so cute all decked out in blue- she had the CUTEST blue ribbons adorning her pigtails! Ashley has some really cute pictures of her with the pretty fall flowers on campus. Thanks Again Ashley and Spencer for giving up your extra ticket so Lance could watch the game with us!


This is my mom, Cami, and Kevin ready to cheer on their BYU cougars...


My mom is really a horned frog at heart... As evidenced by the horned frog symbol. I know, I know, you want to taunt her and make fun of her- I just ask you to be kind.


This is during half time, when Lance and I came to the BYU section to taunt-- I mean, console, my family at the 23-0 lead TCU had over BYU. Yes, Lance was wearing blue. Don't even get me started...


Cami, too, is a horned frog at heart. I ask you to be nice to her as well. She can't help her true feelings- she was born that way.


This is one of the MANY reasons why I love Texas- look at that sunset! GO HORNED FROGS! :)

So, Because Trevor's birthday was on the 16th, and he got to cheer on the victorious horned frogs on that special day, we had a family celebration the next night. I was able to come home for the weekend, and since Lance was on Fall Break, he got to tag along. He's beginning to become more of a permanent fixture in our family, which- I love. It is so wonderful seeing him in all sorts of new situations; it has been really good for us to be able to see each other more this year.

The celebration kicked off Friday night with a good ol' fashioned pizza-making party. It was so much fun- but my mom has those pictures, so I'll let you read about it on her blog. While the pizzas were baking, Trevor opened his presents. He got cologne, clothes, and candy- what more could a boy who is 16 want-- oh, besides a car and a macbook (which, much to his chagrin, he didn't get)!


This was handsdown the best gift of the evening: Cam admitted IN WRITING on Trevor's birthday card that she was glad he was born a boy. When my mom brought our new baby brother home from the hospital 16 years ago, my sister and I were very unamused that she brought home a boy and not a girl. WELL, 16 years later, we have both decided God knew what he was doing- the Lesueur family probably would have reached its untimely demise if there was another girl in our blessed little family. Trev, we're ALL glad you are a Trevor and not a Trevina! :)


When asked what kind of birthday cake he would like my momma and me to MAKE for his birthday, he replied, "I want an icecream cake from Wal-Mart." You can imagine my little Martha Stewart heart fell. So begrudgengly, we bought this cake from Wal-Mart, and he loved it.

Another specific Trevor gave us about his birthday is, he wanted a Mexican dinner with just the family and Kendra. So, we got out our best chimichanga and enchilada recipes, a bag of chips, and a lot of red white and green decorations

This is our mexican flag table, complete with mexican sodas and mexican flag place cards.


Here's my mom and dad and their cute place cards.


Cam and Kevin are sweet!


Trevor and his beloved Kendra. Note the piniata in the background- its hanging from the balcony. I really love having a balcony in that house!


Here is Lance and me, stuffing the piniata. we do everything with a smile :) Just so you know-- it was my dad who ended up breaking the piniata, it was fun to feel like a 10-year-old at a birthday party again!!

This was a super fun weekend, and it was so great to spend it with those I love most!

Our Search For The Perfect Pumpkin

It has long been a tradition in our family to go to the Farmer's Market in Downtown Dallas to get pumpkins, bales of hay, stocks of corn, and flowers! When we were little, my mom would take us kids while my dad enjoyed a day at best buy, looking at a new toy for him. This is the first year in a while we have been able to go- so it was great to restart this fun fall tradition, and throw Kevin into the mix- even if he did roll his eyes at the scrutiny with which we examined our pumpkins and the copious amount of pictures I took! When we got downtown, we got some lunch at Dos Panchas, this cute little Mexican food restaurant, where we watched part of the University of Texas vs. Oklahoma University college football game. Texas and OU are major rivals, and Texas WON!!

So when the boys (and Baby J) were fed and happy, we started off on our search for the perfect pumpkins:

We saw all sorts of pumpkins- really really big ones, grey ones, white ones, teeny tiny ones,
warty, bumpy ones


green ones that look like ducks,


orange/red/white/green ones that look like Rafiki's bum, according to Kevin,


many terracotta pots,


and lots and lots of beautiful fall flowers!


These pumpkins look so neat when stacked with other flat-ish pumpkins. They're S-U-P-E-R HEAVY though!


Mom and Cam looking for the flawless 'designer pumpkin'.


While we were obsessing over the perfect pumpkin, Trev and Kev were taking it easy- probably following some football game on Trevor's phone. BUT, I feel like I should stress how wonderfully complacant they were after being fed lunch. Rather than whining, they were just sitting patiently, letting us girls do our thing. Thanks Boys! :)

We finally found our perfect pumpkins and hay just as the farmers were closing their markets- Once we get them arranged in all their fall splendor, I'll make sure to document their perfection!

Here are some other cute pictures from today:
Cam and Kevin were thrilled to see a sign advertising meats since they now know (and have educated all those who read their blog) where the different cuts of meat come from!


My talented soccer player brother, juggling a water bottle his feet!


Me and my momma with the beautiful fall flowers


It's the great pumpkin, Cami J!


A cute picture of Mom and Trevor at Dos Panchas!


Kevin loves posing for pictures!!


This is all of us- my skirt has a little bit of Marilyn Monroe action going on, my life is ever so exciting! We all had a great time today, and yes- while we were carrying on the tradition of Farmer's Market pumpkins, Daddy carried on the tradition of shopping for his own toy at Best Buy. Apparently he has been thinking about replacing his not-mac laptop for a mac, so he was able to spend his 'daddy time' getting information about that. In case you didn't know- macs are sent from heaven. I highly recommend everyone within eye shot of these words pay a visit to your apple store today and see all the things a mac can do for you! Once you're fully converted, your life will NEVER be the same... And oh yeah- Happy Fall too :)

On A Fine Fall Day...

After going for a walk last week, and discovering little green textured apple looking things that look SO COOL, I decided they would make great home decorations. It turns out, these green 'apples' are actually called Horse Apples, or Hedge Apples, and they can be spray painted gold, silver, or just left in their original brilliant green form. Well, I told my mom we should collect some and spray paint them this weekend... so off we went in the name of Martha Stewart craftiness. We took my dog, buddy the nose-driven beagle, in of the spirit of inclusion, and as we collected our horse apples, Buddy was leashed to a bench watching and sniffing... The following are pictures from our 'Martha' adventure...The horse apple tree, sitting right on the lake

My momma, making sure our horse apples didn't have any stowaway creatures from nature

Bend... and snap!

I really like this picture of us. We may have a new fall tradition!

This is the fore mentioned Buddy, minutes before wriggling free from his leash ensuing on an adventure of his own: a three hour run through the creek and cow pastures and brush. Yes, we followed this adventurous little dog for THREE HOURS before finally being able to catch and bring him home.

Now, some insight into Buddy: he has always been an adventuresome dog- He's a beagle, and even though he likes to think he is the purebred hunting dog he was meant to be, he just simply isn't. He is completely a city dog who wouldn't know what to do with something if he actually did catch it! When he gets to smelling anything out of the ordinary though, there is no breaking him from the scent- should one try to grab him, one should prepare to be minus a finger or two, indefinitely. He simply has to run his nine-year-old joints until they're too tired to run any more...

Well, after spending some great quality time with my mom and a flash light, the cavalry- i.e. my brother Trevor, and my dad, show up after Trev's soccer practice to relieve us from our frustrating pursuit. Trevor wanted to help my dad look for the dog through the woodsey area, but would rather not have stickers permanently embedded in his legs, or have a nasty run-in with some poison ivy per the lack of coverage his soccer shorts provided him with; so he turns to me and says, "Chelsea, trade pants with me...". After some more of our rather awkward conversation to the tune of my mother laughing hysterically, I gave Trevor my jeans and he gave me his shorts... He went and helped search for the dog while i sat contemplating the idea that I'm pretty sure his butt looks better in my jeans than mine does! I'll let you see for yourselves:
See? What do you think?

Trevor in my jeans and sweatshirt, and me in his soccer shorts and Dallas Texans T-shirt. We kept our own shoes though :)

My momma's poor wet, muddy, sticker infested shoes

The dumb dog, banished to the laundry room. Look closely, and you can see how wet and muddy he is. He knew he was in trouble...

Still banished to the laundry room, Buddy is sleeping on his palatial 'Prince Buddy' bed. He'll probably be gimping around for the next couple of days... I hope he remembers why, and restrains his little hunter self next time he feels like pulling out of his leash!

Needless to say, we didn't quite get around to spray painting tonight. Hopefully that aspect of this project happens with a bit less excitement!

When it was all said and done, it wasn't quite the drama we thought it was while we were in the moment. We got to talk to a few of my parent's neighbors who were very nice and sympathetic, we got to see some cute frogs and some beautiful nature, and we got to spend some quality time working together as a family sans TV, cell phones, and all of our other daily distractions. So maybe thank you's are in order to 'Prince Buddy'? Maybe I'll un-banish him from the laundry room...




...Then again, maybe not :)