GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS

We had a great visit with Grandma and Grandpa in Kansas. We always enjoy them so much. I'll post more pictures about our visit later. Now I am in Christmas mode, trimming the Christmas trees, sitting by the fireplace, lighting candles that smell wonderful, sipping hot spiced tea...I love this time of year. I've got to make my list and check it twice. This will be a busy time for me at work with some new acquisitions to work with but I am looking forward to enjoying fun evenings with my boys. I am going to decide which crafts and homemade gifts the boys and I can do together this year. Family Fun has some WONDERFUL ideas if you want to take a peak. I have found over the years that the boys remember the time we spend together much more than the gifts. Maybe you can get some good ideas too. I'd love for you to leave comments sharing the fun things you have done with your kids or remember doing as a kid yourself to celebrate this joyful time of year. I hate to admit I am not all that original, I can just spot a good idea! Thanks for sharing yours.

HAVE A SUPER THANKSGIVING

I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving before we head off to Kansas. We will be watching the parade in the morning and waiting for Santa to make his big entrance. I couldn't resist the picture of Super Grover...I think he is bringing back old memories of watching Sesame Street with my big sisters after school. Of course, my big sister, Debbie always wanted to watch I Love Lucy so we had to negotiate. She was always sweet and let her spoiled little baby sis have her way most of the time. Gee, I wonder why I want my way all the time now!HEHE.

I have so many things to be thankful for, like my sweet sisters, that my list could go on forever. I'll share just a few:

I am thankful for,
- the smell of hot coffee when I get home from my morning walk.
- the fact that my kids need me...when they wake up scared at night, they come to me and it makes me feel wonderful.
- my husband that gets me a box of crunch and munch and does not ask me to share...does he know me or what!
- friends that are close enough to know they can drop by at anytime and linger over a glass of tea and visit about nothing.
- my job that lets me enjoy the challenges of work and the pleasures of motherhood...the best of both worlds.
- an extended family that loves me and my little family. We share so many special little memories that mean so much to me and make me who I am today.
- a comfortable home, plenty to eat, clothes to wear. We have more material things than 75% of the world's population with just these three things. I'm not even mentioning the cars, cell phones, televisions...all the things that we take for granted that are really such luxuries.
- MY GOD. I saved the best for last. All good things come from HIM and I have so many good things in my life. I am so thankful for his love and provision. My prayer is that he basks in the glory that all our offerings of thanksgiving bring to him. Just like my boys run to me and know I will comfort them, I know I can run to the Lord and find comfort. I am THANKFUL that he reveals a little piece of Himself by sharing that joy through parenthood. Knowing how I feel when the boys trust me enough to come to me and know I will console, protect, and embrace them; how great it must be for our Lord. How great to be His child.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all from our family to yours. We love you and pray that you feel blessed.

EASY MENU

Well this week will be easy for menu planning since we are leaving for Grandma's house on Wednesday. Here is my shortest menu ever...

Monday - Leftover Chicken Pepper Skillet

Tuesday - Sandwiches, carrots with ranch dip and apples

Wednesday - to grandmother's house we go

Thursday - Turkey

Friday - Turkey

Saturday - Turkey

Sunday - on the road again.

HEHE, just kidding. We will not be eating turkey until we grow feathers. We will be spending the week with Mark's grandparents in Kansas. Check out other menu plans that surely include thanksgiving recipes where others post MENU PLAN MONDAY! I will miss cooking thanksgiving dinner this year. I know I sound like some crazy person but yes, I do LOVE to cook the big meal when I have people to share it with. This year we will be having Thanksgiving dinner at Mark's Uncle Mike and Aunt Karen's in Kansas. We can't wait to see everyone. It has been quite a while.

Thanksgiving Dinner on Seasame Street...

This gives a whole new perspective to "eating the big bird".

Jelly Bean Juice

Andrew comes up with the craziest creative things in his little mind. I love that about him. The latest is "Jelly Bean Juice". He has some Jelly Belly orange jelly beans from Halloween and has decided that if he puts a few in a cup of water and lets the water sit for exactly 3 days, it turns into Jelly Bean Juice. So, notice the multiple cups in the refridgerator. Mark opened the refrigerator door the other day and was a little irritated because there was no room for what he had because of all the cups. He said, "What is all this in the fridge!" I said,"I am letting Andrew be little...he is making Jelly Bean Juice and apparently it takes 3 days to season to perfection". Mark smiled and left all of the cups just where they were. So what if there is no room for the leftover spagetti, preserving the wonder of a 4 year old imagination is much more important.

MENU MONDAY

This is how menus are presented in this home...hahahaha. I couldn't resist, but isn't that beautiful! At this point in our lives, I prefer the plate Mason made for me in Kindergarten.

I found that this past week I had more meals than I needed. We ate leftovers a couple of nights so I am planning to cook less this week and make the most of the other meals... and saving more money, I hope. So that is why you see some repeats from last week. I did not make some of the planned meals so I will make them this week. check out MENU MONDAY and see what other families are planning.

MONDAY - Taco Salad

TUESDAY - Chicken Pepper Skillet, salad, wheat rolls

WEDNESDAY - Leftovers

THURSDAY - Tuna Casserole, broccoli, buiscuts

FRIDAY - Pizza for MOVIE NIGHT!

SATURDAY - Chicken Spagetti

SUNDAY - Leftovers...again

FALLING LEAVES

The leaves in our trees are turning BEAUTIFUL shades of gold, orange and red. I LOVE TO LOOK AT THEM THIS TIME OF YEAR! I took this picture under the red oak tree in our front yard. Now all these leaves are falling faster than Mark and I can keep them raked up. Between work, the house remodel, school, soccer, church, and keeping up with housework, we just don't have the time. We found a couple of guys to do the job and they made our yard look breathtaking! Just take a look...

OK, I admit the leaves were not picked up but they made great yard decoration! Now let's see them reaping the benefits of their hard work...






These boys are truly blessings from our Heavenly Father. I couldn't imagine our lives without them. I would not trade the craziness of our days for ANYTHING. These smiling faces make it obvious to me how much God loves me, to bless me with such riches that I do not deserve. Our lives are not full of glamour or monetary riches, but it is more than I ever thought I would possess. The love in our home is decadent.

GETTING READY FOR THANKSGIVING

I KNOW I HAVE A SICK SENSE OF HUMOR BUT I LAUGHED OUT LOUD AT THIS ONE. ADMIT IT, YOU THINK IT IS FUNNY TOO!

MENU MONDAY AGAIN

Last week went well and I tried a new recipe that I LOVED. The Garlic-Lime Chicken was great. I will post the recipe next time I make it. The weekend changed a little but other than that, I stuck to the plan and that makes life much easier and saves money. So here we go again:

Monday - Spaghetti, Caesar salad, garlic bread.

Tuesday - Leftover Autumn Stew

Wednesday - Church meal

Thursday - Tuna Casserole, steamed broccoli, biscuits

Friday - Corn dogs, carrots and ranch dip, apples and caramel dip

Saturday - Chicken Pepper Skillet, green salad, whole wheat rolls

Sunday - Oven fried fish, squash and zucchini, baked sweet potatoes,

Most of these meals are from the pantry so I do not have to spend too much at the grocery store. That is a good thing after a trip to Canton.:-)

CRAZY CANTON

Well, I made the trip to Canton for the big trade days. November is a great time to go to get a head start on Christmas shopping. The weather was PERFECT. The SUN was shining but it was just a bit chilly until afternoon. All of the girls at work in the operations department decided to caravan to Canton, bring girlfriends and family and meet up for lunch. Carolyn came with me and we met the fun girls I work with at lunch but went on our separate ways. It was WAY TOO CROWDED to try to stay together. Carolyn and I went and had a great time getting good original ideas for gifts. I wish I would have gotten more pictures but it was a little too crazy. I thought I'd post this one that is a favorite.I wanted Carolyn to pose by our overflowing buggy and she decided to ham it up with these crazy glasses she found at the booth next to her. I has such a fun time just laughing and shopping in the beautiful weather outside. It was a much needed stress reliever for me...to top it all off Mark kept the boys. He took them with him to paint a few rooms in Carolyn's house for her. She was so thrilled when he told her Friday night he was doing that for her. I just love that sweet man I am married to. Thank You, Mark for giving me and Carolyn such a blessing this weekend.

TRICK OR TREAT NIGHT!

We had a fun time this Halloween. The boys were cute Motorcycle racers. Andrew was a motocross racer and Mason was Evel Knievel. Andrew had started running a slight temperature and had a little cough so I decided to let him trick or treat the downtown square but then go home and hand out candy. While we were downtown someone gave him a small piece of hard candy wrapped in a clear wrapper. He held it up with excitement and yelled to me "Hey Mom, I got a cough drop!" Everyone around was laughing at that silly kid. After that I took Mason to church where he had AWANA. All the kids were in their costumes looking so cute. We came home early, ate KIM'S chili while we watched the boys pour their candy out on the floor to assess the loot! It reminded me of the days when I did the same thing with my sisters. We would barter with each other for the good stuff! I hope my boys look back on these days as fondly as I do those with my sisters.
OK MOM, WE ARE READY TO GO TRICK OR TREATING ALREADY!
OOOH, WHAT DID WE GET?
TAKING A LITTLE REST
I'VE HAD A LOT OF CANDY, CAN YOU TELL?
I'M NOT TOO SURE ABOUT THIS GUY...BUT HE HAS CANDY.