My favorite afghan to make

This is my very favorite afghan to crochet. You use a 8H afghan hook - it's a long hook and you crochet it in strips. It works really fast. I have made about three of these so far. They are very heavy and very warm because of the single crochet. My favorite yarn to use is Caron Simply Soft but when I can't purchase it on sale I will then purchase Red Heart. I can't figure out how to attach the instructions so if you would like a copy email me and I'd be happy to send them to you.

Happy Crocheting!

January 29, 2007 Monday Menu

Well, this weekend was a quiet one for us and I really needed it to be. I spent Friday evening with my friend Michele and her three boys. We made fried rice and had spring rolls - YUMMY! Then Parker (Michele's youngest boy - he's 5) gave me a sack of pecans that he's been picking up and asked me to make him a pecan pie!LOL These are the little bitty pecans and it may be easier to purchase pecans to make him a pecan pie! He associates me with Chocolate and if I don't bring chocolate he thinks I don't love him anymore! He is a cutie! I'm doing very simple meals the next few weeks.

Sunday: Pork tenderloin cooked in crockpot with dry lipton herb soup mix, roasted potatoes, garlic biscuits

Monday: Chicken with garlic parmesan noodles and green beans

Tuesday: Class

Wednesday: Meal at the church

Thursday: Class

Friday: Homemade pizzas

Saturday: Erynn's first formal dance!!!!

I have been awful about not posting photos lately and I promise to get better about it. I have lost 3 lbs since starting WW 2 weeks ago. Last week was completely blown because of conferences we had a work and all the junk food laying around from my favorite bakery. So today is a fresh start on a new week. I quit going to the weigh ins because honestly - I can weigh myself in and pay myself the $10 since I can't ever make the meetings. Hope everyone has a great week and be sure to check out Laura's blog for more menus.

Monday Menu January 22, 2007

Well, this week certainly looks like it's going to be a easy cooking week for me. With class two nights a week and then church - it's only a few day!LOL

Sunday: Autumn Chowder (my daughter's favorite) with cracker bread

Monday: Poll Fajitas new recipe I found on someone's blog and thought I'd try it

Tuesday: Class - dd will eat leftovers before going to mom's

Wednesday: Church

Thursday: Class

Friday: Chicken Parmesan Strips with Roasted potatoes and salad - I think I have had this on the menu several times but I promise I'm going to make it this week!LOL

Saturday: Homemade pizzas

I made the hummingbird cake yesterday and it was so yummy. I had a small slice and then brought the rest of the cake to work today. They are really enjoying it. This is my second week of WW and I think I blew it this week. I wasn't as well with my water as I had been. I'll see tonight when I go weigh.

I made me a household notebook from organizedhome.com and I am really loving it. I have sections for emergency #'s, then address/phone book, menu's/takeouts with phone #'s to local restaurants - the menus are put in page protectors instead of digging through a drawer trying to find them, shopping list/menu - in here I have a menu for the current month and the next month so I can jot down ideas as they come to me - organizedhome also has a recipes to try list that I have been writing recipes on and putting the recipe behind it in the page protector, then lastly bills. I have my monthly list of bills and then a page protector to put the bills in as they come in. So everything is in one binder and if I need it I can carry it with me. It's great. I normally keep it in a drawer at home and my daughter knows where it's at too incase she needs it.

Hope everyone has a great week. Be sure to check out Laura's blog for more menus!

January 16, 2007

Well, I didn't get my menu posted for this week yesterday.

Monday: Tacos with salad

Tuesday: Class night

Wednesday: Chicken Parmesan strips, green beans, roasted potatoes

Thursday: Class night

Friday: Homemade pizzas - I did these last week with individual biscuits that I rolled out. Erynn loved it.

Saturday: Spaghetti

Sunday: Autumn Chowder

Hummingbird Cake

I honestly didn't do much this weekend. I actually scrapbooked some this weekend and got about 4 pages done.

I weighed in with WW yesterday and I lost 2 1/2 lbs. How I'm really not sure - I've tried to be good but well it's hard. I haven't started the exercising yet and I talked to our WW leader and she suggested that I just focus on the food for another week or two and then add in the exercise. A lot of it is portion sizes and well the vending machine at work. When I walk by that machine it calls my name. This past weekend I fixed some brownies and I just had little (i mean little squares). With me usually I just want a bite and just eat the rest just because it's in front of me. I thought I'd make the hummingbird cake and then take the rest to work on Monday. That way - I got a little treat but don't over do it.

Hope everyone has a great week!

A full week of work....

uGGGGGGh. I tell you after being off 11 days with the holidays and now finally working a full week of work and starting my class this week - I'm tired. So tired. I have a ton of laundry, a dirty house (not really but I feel like it's dirty because I haven't mopped or dusted this week) and a craft room that is calling my name.

I started on Weight Watchers this week. I have a good 20 pounds to loose. Looking at me you would have no idea that I need to loose that but when the jeans come off the junk starts falling out of the trunk. I'm just carrying too much weight, my knees are sore and I can see it in my face and arms, too. It's been tough. I've tried not to feel guilty for going over in points each night but I have. I keep telling myself little changes and I'll get there but I feel like I'm starving and I'm really not. I haven't got the exercise going yet - one change at a time - let me get the food under control and then I'll start it - I promise! Have you ever notice that certain foods trigger you to eat more - mine is mexican food. I love mexican food but I know if I eat it and even just a little bit it throws me off plan for days! Did I say I love mexican food?!! The little lady at El Canaverals will be asking where I have been.

I got the hardware for my kitchen cabinets in the mail on Monday and I'm anxious to get started but I'm tired and I think it can wait a week or two or maybe three. I'm awful about wanting to get things done and like my neighbor said this summer, "you aren't moving anytime soon are you?" He also asked for a list of things I planned to do to the yard so he was prepared and knew how much it was going to cost him too!LOL I have done a lot with my parents and friend Michele's help since moving in the last of April 06. My parents came over within a month of me moving in and dug a flowerbed the whole length of the house in the front for me. Then they put in a little garden for me out back (it was late summer by this time so other than my herbs there is weeds again and needs to be dug back out - on my list to do). Michele and I painted my daughter's room three shades of lavendar when she was gone to Germany in July and I painted her bathroom a bright fun orangy color that matched her shower curtain. I then painted my bedroom/bathroom. So the only rooms left is the living/kitchen that are opened to each other and my scrapbook room. All the flooring is new throughout the house. It's hard to believe that in April I will be there a full year! Where does the time go?

So, I'm tired and I think I will piddle around in my scrapbook room and maybe take a nap or two if my World Lit II instructor doesn't give us a ton of work to do.

Monday Menu January 8, 2007

Well, it's another week of the new year. Today I start Weight Watchers. YUCK! I know I have to get in the right frame of mind - it should be a change in lifestyle not a diet. I'm really trying to get there. I have about 20 pounds that have snuck up on me somewhere.


This weekend I cooked for my parents. I cooked the sausage and three cheese mac and cheese from Rachel Ray's show. The recipe link is in last week's menu. I also made a tuscan salad and a lemon yogurt cake. On the tuscan salad it asked for cannellini beans and I couldn't find those so I used chick peas. Both of these recipes call for lemon juice and they really suggested using fresh. I have always used the bottled juice but this time I squeezed fresh and oh my goodness. My mom, dad and I ate like little piggies. The mac and cheese makes a ton - I bet it could serve 8 to 10 people so be sure to half the recipe if you need to.


I painted this weekend again! I painted my bathroom the color that was behind my bed in my bedroom. It's called aged copper - I believe. It really made a difference in the room. Now I just need some rugs and and few chocolate towels and that one will be finished.

This is before
This is after!



The kitchen is my next project. I purchased black swedish iron twisted pulls from ebay for 60 cents each. I'm so proud of that purchase. I am going to glaze these with a mocha stain so it will antique them a little bit. I will have to paint the hinges black since they are painted silver right now. When I purchased the house they had painted the cabinets white but the pulls are cheap plastic covered where they peel the silver off. I think this project won't get started for a few weeks. I'm hoping for a quiet weekend this weekend.

Ok here's the menu:

Monday: dry smoked ribs and a large salad - my dad is cooking these for us

Tuesday: Class

Wednesday: Chili dog, salad - not sure how much of the chili dog I will be able to eat - check pts

Thursday: Class

Friday: Tacos or taco salad for me

Saturday: not sure yet

Pretty boring week here. Just trying to get back in the groove of eating right with WW. Hope everyone has a great week. Be sure to check out Laura's blog for more menus.

Making friends in unexpected places...

Right before Christmas, I was getting ready for a cookie exchange at my church. I have been going to this church off and on for the last couple of years and have finally joined the singles group and going regularly. Well on this particular morning, I just didn't really want to go. I wasn't sure there would be anyone there that I knew and thought I might be bored.

I got there a little bit early and helped finish setting up room that the exchange was going to be in. I met on lady who is about my age and she was to be baptised the following morning. She was telling me that at first she was having problems with it because of her age and that she felt she should have done it when she was younger - she was embarrassed. I told her that I was proud of her - because it was something that I needed to do too and she was talking to others out there in the church that needed to take the step too. My daughter and I have both accepted God as our Saviour but have never taken the step to be baptised. I know that Erynn is very nervous about taking that step and I have told her I will wait for her so we can do it together but I feel the need to take that next step but I don't want to pressure her about it.

Anyway, next I met the neatest person, Linda. Linda is from the area that I grew up in. She is a few years older than me but we just clicked. She is a missionary with her husband and four children in Central Asia. Every three years they come to the states and spend time before they go back. She had such neat things to tell about the culture of the area they had been staying in and the people. Linda is one of those people that when she speaks God speaks to you. You could just sit and listen for hours and I did and was just in awe of her and the wonderful work they do for God in Central Asia.

What brought this up is I sent them a email because they went back right after Christmas. Linda said that it always weighs heavy on her heart until they leave but she knows that this is what they are called to do. Isn't it funny to know that others have that problem too - don't want to but know they are to do God's work. She and her family have made me think of things differently. At Christmas, when I wanted to make a purchase at the spur of the moment - you know not really needed but wanted - I thought - here is Linda and her family and they do without so much more than we do and they are fine - do I really need this? All the material things that we think we need and we really don't need. I have received several emails back from Linda and again she is just an awesome person that I can learn so much from and am very excited to have this special friendship with her.

So on that day that I really didn't want to go - two amazing things happened. A woman talked to me about being baptised at an older age (which spoke to me) and Linda, a very special person that has a lot to teach me about faith. Could you say an extra prayer or two for Linda and her family trying to adjust back to a completely different culture and for God to watch over them and keep them safe while they speak the word of God to the Muslims and try to convert them.

Chicken Adobo and Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle Recipes

4 chicken breast boneless
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 bay leaf, whole
2 cups water
1 large onion

1. Put chicken into a kettle and add salt, garlic, black pepper,
bay leaves, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and water.
Place a sliced onion in bottom of pan and then put chicken
on top of it.
Cover and let simmer until chicken is tender and brown.
2. Serve over hot or cold rice.

Our neighbor shared this recipe with us. We had it tonight and it was delicious. Even my picky eater daughter ate it.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle


2 packages gingerbread mix 14oz pkgs each
5 ounces cook and serve vanilla pudding mix *
30 ounces pumpkin pie filling *
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
12 ounces whip topping mix
1/2 cup gingersnaps, crushed

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely.
Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool.
Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar, and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble
1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of a large, pretty bowl.
Pour 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then add a layer of
cool whip. Repeat with the remaining ingredients ending with the cool
whip on top. Sprinkle the top with crushed gingersnaps. Refrigerate.

*This had a strong pumpkin taste - so if you like pumpkin pie you should really love this. I think that when I make it I'm going to use the pumpkin pudding mix if they have it out again and not as much of the pumpkin pie filling.

Reflections on last year

It's so hard to believe that a year has went by. Where does the time fly? I'm in such a better place this year than I was last year. Last year I was in a very unhappy, unhealthy marriage. The end of February of last year would have been a year of this marriage. I remember being scared of what I was going to do, hoping he would realize what he was doing, and hating that I had my daughter and myself in this mess. As parents, we try to do what's best for our children and well, I thought this marriage would do that for my daughter. It got us in a nice, big house and my daughter in a great school district but these were not the right reasons for getting married. I loved him but well love isn't always the best. I had separated myself for God and church. When I was going through my thyroid cancer, I lost my faith. I was mad at God for my divorce from my daughter's dad, being 30 and being divorced, and then adding cancer to the mix. I was so scared and so mad and well it took me several years to realize he was right there with me but I chose to ignore him. When I was writing a paper for my freshman english class, I wrote it why I do the "Race for the Cure" each year and it was my cancer story. As I was writing it, well I cried the whole time that I wrote the paper. Reading back over it, I saw the times when God was right there with me. He sent my dad to the hospital with a "Leroy's" hamburger and french fries (when you get ready for a radioactive iodine treatment you have to eat a very special diet - you feel like you are starving and then when you get to the hospital for the treatment you can eat whatever you want). God also sent a wonderful nurse in that night to check on me (with the radioactive iodine treatment you are put in isolation until your counts are down to a safe level - Arkansas now lets you do these treatments in your home but several years ago you had to go to the hospital and have everything in your room covered in plastic and the nurses usually treat you like you had the plaque) - which I was so thankful because the hamburger made me so sick or the iodine treatment did. It's amazing that when we are so low, and God is always there whether we realize it or not.

In April, I purchased my first home by myself. Erynn and I were so excited. I had a cedar chest, kitchen items, enough Christmas decorations to decorate three houses, a bed and two night stands and our clothing. It was a very scary time again. We started going back to church and in July I started going to Sunday School classes again. I'm getting there. We are all tested at times with our religion. We just have to find our way back.

So, I have almost went a whole year of making house payments and all the utilities that go with it. I know that I am truly blessed because not all single mom's are able to do this and I'm truly blessed to have the parents that I do.

Today, being the first day of a new year - you never know what the year will bring but I hope it's half as good as last year - even with all the turmoil - it was a very blessed year.

Wishing all of you a very prosperous, happy new year.

Monday Menu January 1, 2007

Sunday: We had appetizers at a friend's house.

Monday: Recovering from Sunday - I did eat some black eyed peas, and Erynn had some soup.

Tuesday: I have stamp club so I'll grab something on the way

Wednesday: Chicken Adobo - new recipe - if it's good I'll post it next week.

Thursday: Chili Dog, french fries and salad

Friday: Homemade pizza

Saturday: Sausage and 3 cheese Mac n cheese with a big salad

Well our Weight Watchers wasn't open today so I'll have to wait until next Monday to go to my local meeting but I'm going to start watching those points. I got on the scale last night and it was a shocker! Exercise and eating right here I come.

Check Laura's blog for more menus!

Now that Christmas is over...

My friend Michele surprised me with this gift. I put it on the breakfast bar with my Christmas cactus and Callie the cat thinks this is where she's to lay.

This is my favorite gift of all!LOL If you would have told me I would have been excited over a tool kit I would have told you - you are crazy. My dad got this for me and I have used it like crazy this week. I called him once and said, "Guess what I'm doing?" and when I told him I was using the tool box he just laughed and laughed. I have had a hammer and a screwdriver since April when I moved in - so I really could have used the tools!
This is my bedroom with it's new paint. Yes since Wednesday, I have been painting this room. My parents and my brother gave me gift cards to Lowe's and they were spent in paint. I found the bedding at Walmart the day after Christmas and bought if for $68. It's a quilted coverlet oversized with the bedskirt and the shams. I just love this. I had blue in the room but I just didn't like it - it wasn't me. These are warm colors and so much more like me. The wall behind the bed - that color will be painted in my bathroom when I get a couple of walls patched up.
This is the wall between my kitchen and living room. The bar is attached to it. It's just been sitting there waiting for me to do something with it. I've had the shelf but hadn't hung it yet. There was a telephone jack in the wall that I had taken down but was needing to repair the hole. I found the stars at Walmart the day after Christmas and knew they would be perfect for that wall - and they were 50% off. So two for the price of one. Yes, poor mister fish is back in the tank. We had the Jesse tree here and so the betta had been moved into Erynn's bathroom in a little tank until after Christmas. He's staying at the bottom of the tank - I hope he's ok - we will probably be shopping for a new fish soon.

Christmas was a great this year. Different but great. It rained here in Ar and we all hoped that it would get cold enough to turn to snow but it didn't. No white stuff here in Central AR. Christmas eve my family came over and we exchanged gifts and snacked and played a few card games. Christmas morning Erynn and I opened gifts and she got me a lovely orange bowl for the living room and a beautiful book that I will cherish always. She hooked up her playstation 2 and played until we went to my mom's at noon. We ate lunch there and then we went to visit a couple of my mom's six sisters. It was different but a good day.

Erynn and I had planned on being up at 5 am and hitting the stores the day after Christmas. Erynn wanted lights for outside. The alarm went off and she asked if we could just go later and we slept in. We went later and got some white lights and have decided that if it stays still next year it will have lights on it!

Hope everyone else has had a great holiday and a great week. I have the week off until the 3rd of January and I'm telling you the days are going too fast. I've been counting how many I have left each day - not enough time off.

Here comes Christmas!

Here are some rum balls that I made last night. I packaged up these for a co-worker that was nice enough to bring me some rum to make them. I thought I would share my recipe with you:

Rum Balls
60 Nilla wafers, finely crushed
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 T light corn syrup
2 T unsweetened cocoa
1 t instant coffee
1/4 cup rum
1 cup chocolate sprinkles

Mix wafer crumbs, sugar, pecans, butter, corn syrup and cocoa in large bowl. Add coffee granules to rum; stir until coffee granules are dissolved. Add to crumb mixture. Shape mixture into 1" balls; roll in sprinkles. Place in air tight container with sheet of wax paper between layers. Store at room temperature.

Christmas Eve will be at my house this year. Erynn and I are so excited about that. We are having appetizers with Jezbel Meatballs, deviled eggs, cheese dip, hot homemade salsa, cheese ball and lots of cookies and candies. We have a few games that we might play like "Pass the pig" and "Chicken Foot" if we have enough dominoes for that. There are always card games too. Erynn loves to play Rummy with me or uno.

I'm applying for a scholarship for single parents that are going back to school. Please keep good thoughts for me. My work pays for 80% but I could really use some help with the 20% and would love to be able to take a few on-line classes too. I have 13 classes left until my associates is finished and then it's working towards my bachelors for a Business/Accounting degree.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Happy Birthday Erynn!

First I want to wish my darling daughter a very Happy 13th Birthday. We celebrated with a couple of her friends and her nana and papa yesterday.
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As you can tell her papa was trying to take her birthday money from her. This is my dad and he has aggrevated her from the day she was born. He used to call her Nicki when she was little (her middle name is Nicole) and she would get so mad at him and tell him what her name was.



Erynn also worked on her gingerbread house last night. Let me tell you my patience just wasn't that great last night. My hand mixer broke on making the royal icing for the house and we had to finish mixing what we could by hand. I think the only time I sat down yesterday was at church. It was a great day for Erynn and she thanked me for a great day. The last photo is a picture of the gift album that I'm giving Erynn tonight. Each year she gets an album from me either on her birthday or Christmas that's been made especially of her. This year it's her cross country running. Last year it was an album that fit in a large 64 count crayola box and it was of her first 6 yrs of school. The year before that was a quarter album for all the state quarters that we add to each year.

Monday Menu
Sunday: Vegetable soup with family - the potatoes weren't done and the corn casserole I tried to make wouldn't finish cooking either - but hey we had cake and ice cream.

Monday: Red Lobster for Erynn's Birthday

Tuesday: Chicken strips with roasted potatoes

Wednesday: Church

Thursday: Chili Dogs

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Cheeseburger Soup

Sunday: Appetizers - we are just going to snack all day

For more menus check out Laura's blog.

Monday Menu December 11, 2006

Well, I have been bad this past week and have not been to blog land much this past week. And honestly, I can say we haven't eaten very good meals for us either. I past my college history class and I have a break until the 8Thu of January so I have no excuse not to cook each night. Joy!LOL

Sunday: Roast, potatoes, carrots in the crock pot with bisquick biscuits and gravy

Monday: Quick Chicken thing - this is one of my favorite quick recipes.
Take however many boneless chicken breast you need to feed your house and season the chicken with salt, lemon pepper and cavendars.In a pan large enough to put your chicken in add 1/2 a stick to a 1 stick of butter(depending on how much chicken you are cooking) and a package of fresh mushrooms with some fresh minced garlic. Place your chicken on top of this and bake in the oven covered at 350 for about 20-30 minutes until your chicken is done. Then take out of the oven and put shredded Monterrey jack cheese over the chicken and pour a can of durkee onions over the top of the cheese. Put back in the oven uncovered for about 5 min or until cheese is melted.

Tuesday: Spaghetti, green beans

Wednesday: Church

Thursday: Mac n cheese

Friday: Homemade pizza

Saturday: Singles group's Christmas get together at church

If you crochet or knit please check out http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/reports/kit11.pdf on how we can help. It's unbelievable that by just taking an hour of my time could save the life of another less fortunate. Hope everyone has a great week! Check out Laura's blog for more menus.

My Nativity Set

This is my nativity puzzle set that my dad helped me make about 6 years ago. It's been hidden in a lost Christmas box and with the move this year it's been found. I found the pattern years ago in a book and my dad cut it out for me and I painted it. I have another nativity set that's a Boyd's bear set but I think I'll use this one because of it being something my dad helped me make.

2006 Ornament Exchange

Here is the ornament that Sombra Knight made for me. He handpainted these and they are just gorgeous. The picture really doesn't do it justice. Check out his blog Shadowlight for more of his great work.

November 27, Monday Menu

Sunday - Grilled cheese sandwiches

Monday - I have class so Erynn will eat at Nana's

Tuesday - Homemade chicken strips, roasted potatoes, green beans

Wednesday - Class

Thursday - Beef Stroganoff

Friday - homemade pizza and start baking my cookies for a cookie exchange I'm in

Saturday - Slow cooked Chicken Cordon Blue

Not a very exciting week of food but after all the food from last week - I'm ready for bland!LOL
Hope every one has a great week. Check out Laura's blog for more menus.

Here is the recipe for the Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu:
4 chicken breasts halves
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
1 T flour
bacon slices

Wrap the bacon around the chicken breasts and secure with a toothpick. Place chicken in the slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix soup, sour cream and flour. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.

I got this recipe from someone that does the monday menu's but I forgot to write down who. Sorry! I haven't tried it yet but will this week. I will probably use cream of mushroom instead of cream of chicken - just not a fan of cream of chicken soup!

What a weekend!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh christmas Tree! Ok, so I can't sing a note but I wished I could. We got the Christmas tree up Friday night. It was a chore but I just love all the Christmas decorations. Erynn said our house was to small for all of them and she's right so lots of them were left in our storage building. Last year I changed my Christmas tree from victorian to the Santa tree to make a new beginning when I had remarried. That marriage didn't stick but Erynn and I both love this tree. I sewed the robe and fought very hard for the santa head on ebay last year. Don't ask what I spent for the head - it still makes me sick to my stomach - but it's perfect for the tree.

Here is the start of our lights outside. One of the guys from work came last week and put up the strands of multi-colored icicle lights. I was short one strand and need to finish them over the carport. I bought the two white light trees Friday when Michele and I went shopping. Yes, we were crazy and went shopping. The only store that was really bad was Kohl's and we both had our arms loaded down with stuff and when we saw the checkout line went around the store we decided we didn't need the stuff that bad.

Here is the hat I sewed this weekend for my nephew who will turn 2 next month. It went really quick and was lots of fun to sew!
I made six of these scarves for Erynn and her friends for Christmas. You take 3 strips of fleece (6"x60") and sew them on top of each other down the middle. Then you cut the fringe and they look like boa's. My hands are sore from cutting the fringe! Oh, I also finished the hats and mittens for my nieces. I put big white buttons on them.

Pumpkin, the new puppy is doing really good. Callie, the cat at first was being really mean to the Pumpkin but now they wrestle and have a grand time. I'll try to get a pic of them.

Now for this week. I must work really hard on my Jesse ornaments since Advent starts December 3rd.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As usual during Thanksgiving, it's the one time that I don't take pictures and I have no idea why. I took my camera to my mom and dad's and still didn't take pics.

This year there are so many things to be thankful for. Of course Erynn is very thankful for the new puppy!LOL We are truly blessed with our wonderful family, our new home, all the friends we have (even the new ones in bloggerville), and a wonderful God that watches over us.

We spent the day at my parent's house (Hi Brooklyn and Mom! They told us they have been visiting the blog). It's the first time in 5 yrs that Mom has had all her grandkids and kids (my brother and myself) together for Thanksgiving. We had Mr. and Mrs. Maul (my parent's neighbors) there too. There was wonderful food and conversation to be had. The weather was beautiful so the kids got to play outside in the leaves. Erynn even got to take Pumpkin with her. Afterwards we came home and I took a nap (too much turkey) and then off to the movies we went. Erynn and I saw Deck the Halls and it was a cute Christmas movie to get you in the mood. This has been our tradition for the last six years to go and see a movie on the night of Thanksgiving.

Michele, my best friend, has changed her mind. We are not leaving in the morning at 4:30 but now 5:00am. So this means that I don't have to sleep in what I'm going to wear but can maybe actually get up and be ready by 5:00am. Ok, so I'm not a morning person - I just need a little caffeine and quiet and then I'm ok. Don't ask me to make major decision early in the morning - it makes me grumpy. Erynn and I stay on our own ends of the house in the morning and then when we get ready to leave we meet in the middle!LOL So just remember - I will be out there with all the other crazy shoppers and I hope none of us make the news!

Hoping all of you had a Great Turkey and you have lots of leftovers!

Our newest member of the family

I know I really didn't need to add a new member to our household but I just couldn't resist that face or that puppy breath!

Maria (one of the ladies I work with) has a part time job at the shelter and some one brought this little one in last week. Maria, thought she had it given away last Friday when she showed it to me. I fell in love with her but was glad she had a home. The home fell through and then another one fell through. I just couldn't stand it anymore - so the baby came home with me tonight. Erynn had no idea. She is on cloud 9! I think out of the whole deal I've got her back in her bed now and I can hog my own bed! Who would have thought a puppy could do that for you!

Pumpkin is her name. Erynn had officially stated this. Puppy our older dog is ok, but not happy about it. I've been having to give her extra lovings and the cat - well she's slapped him a few times but nothing scares the cat. Pumpkin has been going around barking at the cat and puppy - so think she can hold her own! I'm in a house full of hormonal females!

Stay tune for more adventures!LOL