Thanksgiving Hodge-Podge

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I actually prefer it over Christmas. I like the warmth of the holiday, the food, the togetherness, and the chance to pause and reflect on the many, many ways that God has blessed my life.

It's hard for me to narrow down my Thanksgiving memories to just one or two, so I'll just break Kim's rules and share many... (she'll forgive me and I know you will too!)

My mom always set a beautiful Thanksgiving table using fine china, sterling, and crystal. The table was almost as important as the meal. My job was always to make the placecards for our guests. I loved that job. I've delegated that job to Sarah the last several years. I was in the grocery store a couple of months ago, and ran into one of the first friends we made here. He told me that he still has the placecard that Sarah made for him one year. How sweet is that?

Growing up, I loved watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I still love it, but my kids have very little interest in it. I'm trying hard to hold on to that tradition, but I feel it slipping away.

Since moving to Colorado, we've made some amazing friends. It's been nice to know that if we don't travel for Thanksgiving, we have a "family" here to hang out with. Kirk and Kathy are some of our dearest friends and have been gracious to open their home and share their family with us when we've been unable to be in Arkansas. We love them so much! Here's the girls with Kirk two years ago riding one of the horses on their ranch.
I used to be a serious day-after-Thanksgiving shopper. I would pour over the ads and make my list and get up before daylight to get some AMAZING deals. But the older I get, the more I hate the traffic and crowds and shopping in general. So...that is one tradition I've let go of over the years. Thanks to those of you who endured those early morning shopping trips with me--Joan&Kim were the BEST shopping friends ever! I miss you guys.

One of our favorite traditions is going out to breakfast at IHOP...in our pajamas. We started this the year we moved to Colorado. We chose not to travel home for Thanksgiving and we were all feeling a little blue. John offered to take us to IHOP for breakfast in an attempt to cheer us all up. Someone suggested we just get up and go in our pjs, so we did and a new tradition was born. We haven't done this every single year we've lived here, but we've done it more often than not. It's fun! Sure, we get strange looks, but you know what, we don't care. WE think it's fun! This pic is from two years ago. Curly hair and no makeup! Yikes!

Meet Mr. Turkey...one of my favorite Thanksgiving decorations and the very best way to extend the life of our Halloween pumpkins.  I bought "Mr. Turkey" about 13 years ago at the Tate Barn Sale in Camden, AR, and he still brings a smile to my face when we pull things out of the box each November!

We're hitting the road soon, but I want to leave you with my favorite Thanksgiving recipes--cornbread dressing. It's my mother-in-law's recipe, and it's delicious! Thanksgiving just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it.


I hope you can spend some time reflecting on your many blessings this week. Happy Thanksgiving!


Be sure and visit Kim@DeliberateHope for more great Thanksgiving stories. And it's not to late to join the party! Just click the button above for details!

Relieved...

My dad got some good news today. The tumor on his pancreas is malignant and it has spread, but it hasn't spread too far and it IS operable. Surgery has been scheduled for mid-December, and after that he'll undergo chemotherapy.

Thank you so much for your prayers on his behalf. I am very grateful, and very relieved. The news today could have been so much worse.

*After reading Kelly's comment, I thought I should clarify. A lot of cases like this are NOT operable, and by the time a malignancy is discovered, the cancer has spread too far. My dad's case was detected early enough to treat.

Weekend Happies

We had a great weekend. Well, Saturday wasn't so great for me, but Friday and Sunday were. Here's some of the happy highlights.

Abbey was sick on Friday so she stayed home with me. I didn't love that she was running fever and had to miss first grade Mouse Day, but I loved having her home. We snuggled on the couch and watched movies in our pjs. It was nice, and thankfully she's feeling better.

I also pulled out my sewing machine and whipped out two bandana tops for the girls. I forgot to take a picture, but I will do that soon! They turned out super cute, and they were SO quick and easy. Twenty minutes tops--from start to finish (if you don't include the time it took to thread my machine!)

My sweet friend, Mary Ellen, called after I got home from picking Sarah up at school and asked if she could stop by. I was so happy to see her. I don't see her much since we left our church and her visit was a wonderful surprise. I tried to talk her into staying for dinner, but she had a dinner date with our other good friends. Sarah insisted we schedule something before she left...she pulled out the calendar and got it in ink! I heart that girl.

I finally won at Bunco! I've been playing with this group for over a year, and I think I've maybe won once before. I was so happy...I got the big $ prize AND the hostess gift. Woohoo!

But...about 15 minutes after I got home from Bunco I started throwing up. I was sick as a dog all day Saturday. I think I crawled out of bed at 7PM that evening. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I can't remember the last time I was that sick.

We skipped church this morning since I still wasn't feeling 100% and Will had a sore throat. It was great to have a lazy morning at home. John made sausage balls for breakfast--a nice treat, and we sat around the table singing Christmas carols a capella. I love my family!

I sanitized my bathroom, washed my sheets, and aired out our bedroom...that always makes me feel better after being sick.

And of course we went to the library, 'cause you know, we're the Sunday People.

We finished off the evening by putting up our Christmas tree.

For the record, we've NEVER put our tree up before Thanksgiving, but I'm so glad we did. We're going to be traveling this week (still don't know when or where) and it will be nice to come home and have it done. Plus...with all that's up in the air with my dad (his ultrasound is tomorrow) it helped take my mind off of that for awhile. John and I agreed it was a good thing, but we decided to stop with the tree. The rest can wait until we get back.

I love our Christmas tree. It's not fancy or symmetrical or perfect by any means. It's just full of memories and love!

Blog Party!

My friend, Kim@DeliberateHope, is hosting a fun blog party this Tuesday...and every Tuesday in December.  I'm planning to join the fun! This week she's asking us to blog about our favorite Thanksgiving "something"--story, memory, recipe, etc. Wanna join in? You're welcome to! The more the merrier. Just click here for all the details!

I'm in limbo and I'm not very limber...

There is so much in my life right now that is up in the air.  My dad's health, our Thanksgiving plans, and even this day.

I woke up thinking about it today as I have every single day for the last two weeks.  Specifically, I woke up thinking about the word limbo.

The first thing that comes to mind are Saturday afternoons at Good Times roller rink.  When I was about Sarah's age, I'd tie the disco blue laces of my white leather roller skates together, throw them over my shoulder, and head to the rink with 20 of my closest friends for an afternoon of skating in circles to the great tunes of the 80s.  Whenever I hear Michael Jackson sing "Rock With You" my mind is back at that roller rink instantly.

Mid-way through the afternoon skate, the DJ would announce Limbo Time, and a long line of kids would take turns skating under a bar that got progressively lower and lower as the line grew shorter and shorter.  

I never won that game.  Not even once.  This morning I decided that it's because I'm not very limber.  Physically, emotionally, or spiritually.  

I like control.  We all do.  Oh sure, you can say, "God is in control" and yes, I believe He is, but I think if we're really honest with ourselves, we hate it when we can't dictate our circumstances...or when things in our lives feel like they're in limbo.

Limbo. That weird place of tension between knowing and not knowing.

I don't know what the doctors are going to tell my dad next week.  (His ultrasound procedure got bumped up to Monday, which is excellent).  I don't know when we're leaving to go be with my dad.  I don't even know where we're going to spend Thanksgiving.  Our plans are very dependent on what my dad hears on Monday.  I don't know what today is going to look like seeing as how my youngest daughter woke up with a fever.  

I just looked up the definition of limber.  Webster says this: bending readily; flexible; pliant.  I'm asking God to infuse my heart, mind, and spirit with limberness today because honestly, I'm having a hard time with that bendable, flexible, and pliant stuff.

My oh-so glamorous life...

Alternate title: Maybe The Most Ridiculous Post EVER.

I double booked myself for a coffee date this morning. I realized it in time to cancel the second one, but when my original date called to cancel, I found myself with a day at home. I'm such a homebody. There is nothing I love more than spending an entire day at home. 

I noticed the camera on the counter beside the coffee pot this morning so I grabbed it with an idea in mind and started snapping pics. Here's my feeble attempt at a (very random) photo-documentary of my day.  

Starting the day with coffee.  I'm addicted to this gingerbread creamer, but I'm not quite as addicted as Michele is.
Starting my requisite two loads of laundry.

Checking email.
More coffee.  See that lovely Arkansas mug?  For my birthday, my dad replaced the one I broke.  That mug makes me happy.
Ugh.  I am not a fan of talking on the phone.  I had to make a couple of calls this morning.  I like to get my least favorite chores out of the way first thing.  
Listening to music helps me get going in the mornings.  John brought this cd home yesterday.  I've always liked Brian Doerksen...this newest cd is great.
One load of laundry washed, dried, folded...waiting to be put away.
I rescued this Polly Pocket from the jaws of Jack the Beagle.  Obviously, I didn't save her before he chewed off her hands and feet, so  I "hid" her in the trash can.  I doubt my girls will miss her since we only have 50 versions of Polly living in our house.
These two books are next on my list...after I finish the Twilight series, of course. Two down, two more to go. 
Uh-huh.  Our dog is so sneaky.  In the blink of an eye, he found the Little People dad and chewed his hands off too.  I wasn't feeling the doggy love today.  And yes, he has chew toys, but he seems to have a taste for things that belong to other people.
Checking email...again.  I conveniently left out photos of the time I spent on Facebook Crackbook today. (Hat tip to Fran for that very appropriate terminology.)  
One very clean bathroom.
My to-do list is something I can't live without.  Since I'm being transparent here, you should know that mopping didn't get done today.  Neither did the cd burning (sorry, Tiff).  Oh, and I'm going to Co Springs tomorrow for a brunch, so I had to make a list of errands to run while I'm there.  You know me and my errand-combining-gas-saving trips.
Lunch break.  This looks like a lot of food, but it's actually only 5 fajita nacho chips left over from our dinner at 3Margaritas last night (with a side of fresh guac).  That cheese looks unnaturally orange, doesn't it?
It was gorgeous here today...sunny and unseasonably warm.  I went for a hike with a friend, and it was the highlight of my day! I'm so sad I didn't take my camera with me because the sky was a beautiful, cloudless blue, and looked amazing against the mountains.
Waiting in the pick-up line at school...talking to my sister.  I'm pretty sure the lady in front of me was watching me take a picture of myself and talk on my cell. Whatever. 
Checked the mail on the way home and found our first Christmas card of the season waiting in the mailbox. The Turners are making me look like a slacker certainly on the ball this year. I don't know that I've ever received a card before Thanksgiving.
John had a dinner meeting tonight, so it was chocolate chip pancakes for the kids (leftovers for me).  They love it when I make pancakes in the shape of letters.  A & W are no problem, but my S's always break.  Poor Sarah.
We worked on our Thankful Chain after dinner.
Abbey is our lefty.  Check out that beautiful ring she got today from the treasure box in her classroom.
John missed out on a fun 2 hours of homework. Can I just say that's my least favorite thing about being a mom? I know it's part of my job as a parent, but I doubt I will ever be a fan.

Also got a movie it the mail today...The Family Stone...another one of my favorites (you probably know by now that I have many favorites). I'm off to watch it now! Good night.

Just Plain Happy!

I've been sitting on a bit of big news for about a month now...waiting for it to become "official". Well, it turns out yesterday was the official day, and it couldn't have come at a better time. You're going to have to click here though to find out why I'm just plain happy!

Life goes on...

I really did enjoy my blog break last week. As much as I love comments, it was nice to check my email and have a relatively empty inbox. It was nice to sit down in the evenings to read or watch tv and not feel the urge to post something. I put a lot of pressure on myself in regard to my blog. I've had some time to think about that, and I have a few thoughts about it swirling around in my head. If I can every get them organized into coherent thoughts, I'll share them with you.

Here's a taste of what I did last week.
A lot of nothing. Last week's news about my dad knocked me off of my feet. And that's not necessarily a good thing. Too much sitting around lets my mind go to fearful places in regard to my dad and his health right now.

Remember my laundry system and my two-loads-a-day? Yeah, well, let's just say that I got WAY off track last week. (I never said I was perfect.) My sweet husband helped me get caught up over the weekend, and I'm so grateful. I'm sure my family is too, since they all had clean clothes this morning.

We've also been working on our Thankful Chain. It's something we make every year. I've posted about it here and here. Beginning in November, we keep strips of paper in a bowl on the kitchen table. Every night after dinner, we each write something we're thankful for on a strip and then fashion them into a chain. I hang our chain up in our kitchen and I try to leave it up until the next November as a visual reminder of our many blessings. I say "try" because I've only managed to leave it up for that long once before. However, all of our past thankful chains are hanging up downstairs in the playroom. Here's a pic from last week of Abbey holding what we've made so far...
It also snowed here last week...twice, actually. This is a picture from Friday morning. I think we ended up with almost 3 inches. It looked like this for most of Friday morning, but it stopped snowing around noon and the sun came out and melted the snow on the roads. It also melted the snow on our driveway and sidewalks which meant I didn't have to get out and shovel! Yay!

I have a love-hate relationship with snow. I love it most of the time, and I love it when I can stay home (even better when the kids get to stay home too) and be lazy. I don't love driving in it, and I don't love it in March-April-May. We haven't had much snow yet this year, and the girls were already home from school on Friday for a teacher workday, so we stayed cozied up in the house. It was perfect!

One great thing about living in Colorado is that we get 300+ days of sunshine a year. Friday was freezing cold and snowing, but the weekend was beautiful and we were back up in the 60s. Yesterday afternoon, we drove over to Palmer Lake for some ice cream (Rock House rocks!) and walked around the lake. It was a gorgeous day, and this time of year, it's important to take advantage of nice weather. Here's some pics...

All our snow melted, but that's ice you see on the surface of the lake. We threw rocks and watched them skid across the frozen water!

*Ugh. The stretch marks and flab are embarrassing.*

Like I said earlier, last week was a bit rough for me. I've been in a bit of a funk, and even though we NEVER do this, John and I decided to put our Christmas tree up this week. I've always been a day-after-Thanksgiving kind of decorating girl, but honestly friends, we could use an extra dose of joy and cheer around here. SO...one night this week, we're going to put it up. We would have done it yesterday afternoon, but the weather was so nice we wanted to get outside and enjoy it!

Speaking of Christmas, I got some new cds this year and have been enjoying them so much.
I LOVE the song "Let There Be Light" on this new Point of Grace cd. It is amazing! I tried to find it for you guys on YouTube...and I did, but the video that went with it was kinda very hokey. Sorry...I have a commitment to quality on the blog, friends...I can't be posting cheesy videos here, but you should definitely find it on YouTube and mabye listen with your eyes closed or something.

So anyway, check out that cd, and I also highly recommend this one and this one.

Still Waiting...

Good grief, it's been a long week!

Lots of emotional ups and downs around here. Thanks so much for all the prayers for my dad and for my family. I am very thankful.

I know I was vague about what was going on in my last post. That's because I had very little information at the time. Honestly, I still don't know a lot more than I did last week, but here's what I do know.

Last weekend, my dad was admitted to the hospital because he was extremely jaundiced. The ER doc did some tests and (carelessly, in my opinion) threw out the words "pancreatic cancer". That remains an unconfirmed diagnosis, but just hearing those words threw me into an emotional tailspin. This past Tuesday, the doctor did an outpatient procedure on my dad and put a stent in his bile duct. Something was causing it to constrict, therefore it wasn't able to drain, and that was causing his jaundice. While in there, the doctor was able to rule out some minor issues and to biopsy the inside of his bile duct.

The biopsy of his duct came back benign, but his C/T scan showed some suspicious growth on part of his pancreas, and that is likely what is growing and putting pressure on his bile duct and causing the constriction. Because they didn't biopsy his pancreas, we don't know for sure if that "spot" is malignant or not. That's where the "still waiting" part comes in.

He's scheduled for an endoscopic ultrasound in a few weeks. Not days...weeks. Until they go in there and take a look around and biopsy the pancreas, we don't really have a diagnosis. It may be contained in his pancreas, it may have spread to other places, it may be operable, it may not be. There are still SO many unanswered questions, and waiting is not an easy thing for me. Waiting from 1000+ miles away is even harder.

All of this is so frustrating, and needless to say, I've been in a bit of a funk this week. Knowing that people were praying was a relief and comfort, so again, thank you. I'm trying to remain hopeful.

Waiting and Praying

I'm going to take a break from blogging this week. I have some stuff on my heart and mind and attention needs to be given to those things.

My dad is undergoing some medical tests tomorrow. He was in the hospital over the weekend, and he called me on Saturday night with some sobering news. The first doctor he saw gave him a diagnosis that has yet to be confirmed, but honestly, it knocked the wind out of my sails. His tests tomorrow are of an exploratory nature and we hope to know more by the end of the week. I'm trying to be positive and to not let fear and worry consume me. But it's hard. He's my dad and I love him and want him to be okay.

If you want to pray for him, I'd love that. His first name is John. I'll update when I know more. Thanks, friends.

The Sunday People

Last night we were eating dinner together and talking about what's on the calendar this week--book club, meetings, time with friends, a youth activity for Will, etc. The kids were begging me to take them to the library after school today because they're having a party. Our local library was named "The Best" in Colorado for 2008 and the party this afternoon is for all patrons. I think my kids really want to go because they're serving cake, ice cream, and punch!

Anyway, we were talking about our library and how much we love it. Every Sunday afternoon, we load up and make a family visit. We know all the staff by name, and believe it or not they know us too. The librarian working the desk yesterday looked up, saw my family, and said with a smile, "Oh, it's The Sunday People". That cracked me up!

What can I say, we're creatures of habit!

More Linky-Love

I just keep coming across things I want to share with you all, so I'm making another list of links for ya.

This post of Moriah's made me laugh out loud.

Need some craft inspiration?

Rachel's blog is amazing. She's collected and grouped so many great ideas. I especially loved the idea for making an Advent calendar with leftover Halloween candy. We certainly have an excess of that around here.

My friend, Leah, shared step-by-step instructions for making a girl's bandana top on her blog. It is adorable. I'm hoping to make a couple of these soon...it's easy enough that I'm sure I can do it!

I also loved this tutorial for making inexpensive topiary trees.

I had coffee with my friend, Jamie, a couple of weeks ago and she made the most delicious coffee cake I've ever put in my mouth (and the coffee wasn't too bad either!) It's a Paula Deen recipe that uses an entire stick of butter and it is so worth every calorie. Click here for the recipe.

I've also heard rave reviews about Sarah's Spaghetti Soup, so it's on the menu for tonight.

I get at least one email each week asking why my blog can't be added to Google reader. I know, I know, it's problematic, but here's a link with instructions for adding it.

*OH MY GOODNESS! I made the spaghetti soup for lunch instead of dinner (because John just got home from San Diego and I wanted to surprise him with a nice lunch) and it was *wonderful*. You've gotta try it. So delicious!*

Our Favorite Friday Night Tradition...

I love Friday nights! After Sunday afternoons, it's my favorite time of the week.

Pizza and a movie is our favorite way to spend Friday evenings.

Tonight I made homemade pizza...yummmm....

...but we're also big fans of Papa Murphy's take and bake.

John has a work thing tonight so it's just me and the kids. One of these movies is for them...the other for me.  Sweet Home Alabama is one of my very favorites!

I thought the kids would be excited about Hannah Montana, but right now they're glued to a Brady Bunch dvd from Blockbuster.com They're watching the episode where Alice goes away for a week and cousin Emma takes over and runs Brady boot camp. So funny! I can quote so many lines from every.single.episode.

I was taking these pictures earlier and remembered that I've blogged about our Friday night tradition here and here. We just can't seem to get enough of a good thing, I guess! Happy weekend!

**So, we ended up watching Hannah Montana after the Brady Bunch, and now we're having a big ole dance fest in the den.  F-U-N!

Is it just me??

Is it just me, or does it seem to you that the word verification feature for blogger comments has been using real words lately instead of just random vowel/consonant blends?

More and more I'm typing things like "benstilt" and "hallfix" instead of "twyyyvls" or "mljyxmf".

Call me crazy, but I think it's getting easier to leave comments on blogs that use word verification (whichbythewaydrivesmebananasandthat'swhyIdon'thaveitonthisblog).

What's your favorite brand of peanut butter?

We're kinda picky around here. I typically buy three different kinds.

This is my favorite:


This is Will's favorite (the creamy one):


And John and Sarah prefer the kind that I buy freshly ground from this local health food store--with no sweetener added.


I can barely get Abbey to eat it, but if she agrees to a pb&j, I usually try to sneak the organic kind in. If she sees me with that jar though, she throws a fit and begs for Jif.

What about you? Are you loyal to a particular brand?

Talking About Nothing (My Random Post of the Week)

I volunteered to help with the Book Fair at the girls' school today. My job was manning the cash register. It's not my favorite job, and it's all because I have a tender heart. When kids come up with a book they want to buy and don't have enough money to buy it, it just crushes me. Such was the case today. A kid walked up with one of the biggest, and most expensive books for sale and proudly said, "I'm going to buy this!" I asked him if he brought his money and he said yes. I took the book and scanned it in and told him that would be $21.48. And he started counting his dimes. He had 21 of them. Thankfully the librarian saw what was happening and came over and handled his little heart with great care. He had big 'ole tears in his eyes and I did too. It was heartbreaking. I wanted so badly to buy it for him!

Sarah got in the van a couple of weeks ago after school and said, "Mom, I think I have a cavity". I took a look and sure enough...she did. A big one. Big enough that that I could see the hole! It is her first, and hopefully, her last cavity. Our dentist filled it for her this afternoon and the first thing she asked me for after the numbness wore off was a piece of Halloween candy. Of course.

Speaking of Halloween candy...we have TONS right now but it's mostly chocolate so I'm not tempted by it. That's because I already ate all of their hot tamales and bit-o-honey. Love those two kinds!

I was disappointed in some of the election results from yesterday...especially some of the local issues. One issue in particular regarding our school district did not pass, and everyone I saw at school today was pretty glum about it. It's probably going to mean that some of the best teachers in our district lose their jobs and some programs will be cut. Most of the ballot issues that involved a tax increase of any kind were voted down and I suppose it's a direct result of the state of our economy. It's depressing all the way around.

I got the new Get Smart movie from Blockbuster.com today. I can't wait to watch it tonight. I hope it's funny because I really want to laugh!

Did you realize that Thanksgiving just three weeks from tomorrow? Three weeks??? That means that in about three weeks I'm going to be pulling out my Christmas decorations. Where has the year gone???

The Queen of Multi-Tasking

I just got back from voting. John left early this morning and stood in line for about 1 hour 20 minutes. He called and told me I'd have some wait time ahead of me, so I called the leader of our Brownie troop and we stood line together and planned the next three meetings while we waited! Multi-tasking at it's best! Woohoo--I have one less thing on my to-do list.

I try really, really hard to use my time wisely. Today, we have a Brownie meeting, so I'm letting the crock-pot cook dinner for me. Tomorrow, Sarah has a dental appointment, and I already have a stack of stuff to take with me to work on while I'm waiting for her.

I often use my time in the pick-up line at school to clean out my van, make phone calls, or read. If I'm on the phone at home, I like to be doing something...wiping down a sink or my countertops or my kitchen cabinets...really anything as long as it doesn't involve reading or counting!

There are times that it doesn't pay to multi-task though, and sometimes it's just easier to stick to the task at hand and complete it rather than try to knock out five other things while you're waiting. BUT, on busy days like today, I am very much aware of the need to do several things simultaneously.

Are you a multi-tasker? What are some ways that you accomplish this?

Oh, and if any of you ever figure out a way to multi-task while blogging, please let me know!

Woo Pig Sooie!

I had so much fun in Arkansas with my family! My dad's side of the family is pretty big, and there were 32 of us there for the weekend. It was great to see everyone--especially a couple of my cousins that I haven't seen in several years. We even had the first-ever "Cousin Council". I love having a big family, and I love that they think hanging out together is lots of fun! I laughed so much this weekend, and we just had the BEST time being together.

Another great thing was that I got to spend some time with my brother and sister, their spouses, and my dad. I also got to meet Kelly. Her blog is one of my favorites! We went to the same college but I'm several years older than her so we weren't there at the same time. Anyway, she's just as cute and sweet in person as she is on her blog! My (camera-shy) sister snapped this picture of us...and Big Red just happened to be walking by and jumped in the picture with us!  

*Here are some pics from the ballgame.  I took lots of family pics, but I'm keeping them offline to respect the wishes of some of my family members.

This is Tusk...the scary looking mascot.


My aunt was one of several alumni that was honored on the field at half-time.



A pic of the scoreboard showing the Hogs WIN! It was a fantastic ballgame!

I'm very thankful for a fun weekend, but I'm very happy to be back home. I missed my own little family! (And my bed!)

Winner!

The winner of my bloggy giveaway is Faith@WalkWithMeByFaith. Congrats, Faith! You're so crafty, I'm going to be expecting you to do something super cute with this frame, okay? *wink wink*

(I'll be back later today with pics of my fabulous weekend in Arkansas! I got home after midnight last night, so I think I'm going to take a little morning nap!)

Question of the Week...

How did you happen upon this blog? I'm curious.

As you know, I participated in the Bloggy Giveaway this week. And I've had some major blog traffic as a result. However, I'm not sure anyone comes back after they enter the giveaway. Most people only seem interested in free stuff.

So...I'm curious. Anyone find my blog during the giveaway and stick around for more? If you're a long time reader, how did you happen upon Life At 7000 Feet? If you remember, I'd love to know!

Happy Halloween!

Okay, so here is a picture of the girls' costumes in their almost final form. We tweaked things a bit for their parties yesterday, but I don't have time to try to post those pics because I have a just a few other things going on!

The grand total for both costumes was $12. The best part was that Sarah and Abbey came up with the costume ideas and needed very little help from me!

Thank you again for your terrific ideas. I'm saving them for future reference.

Hope you have a fabulous day whether you celebrate halloween or not!

Oh, and just in case you can't tell--Abbey is a dalmation and Sarah is Cruella de Vill.

Now if only the weather would cooperate....

I love making soup in the fall and winter. I also use the heck out of my crockpot this time of year, so I was very glad when I saw the Souptacular-Crockpotalooza going on at Boomama's blog today. Now, I just need the weather to get cooler so I can start cooking. Somehow, temps in the 70s don't make me want to start simmering soup!

Here are two of my favorite recipes...

Lentil and Sausage Soup
1 14oz cans chicken broth
1.5 cups water
1 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
6 oz cooked smoked sausage links, sliced

In a large saucepan, combine broth, water, lentils, celery, carrot, onion, dried thyme, cayenne, and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until lentils and veggies are tender. Stir in sausage. Heat through and serve. I double this for our family of five. Oh, and this is also a frugal recipe. Lentils are super cheap!

*My kids don't like chunks of carrots, onion, or celery in their soup, but I love the flavor, SO, I put a whole onion in while cooking, and whole carrots and stalks of celery. I use my tongs to remove them before I serve. It's a win-win--flavor without the chunky veggies.


Pulled-Pork Sandwiches (Crockpot)
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3-5 lb boneless pork shoulder
hamburger buns or hoagie rolls
barbeque sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is our favorite!!!)
coleslaw (optional)

In the crock-pot, mix ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, sage, oregano, salt and pepper. Trim fat from pork and cut in half. Add meat to crock-pot and turn to coat all sides with ketchup mixture. Cover and cook on low until very, very tender. About 8 hours on low; 6 hours on high. Transfer pork to a large bowl. Using two forks, pull meat apart until shredded. Pour juices from crock-pot over pork to moisten. Spoon onto buns or rolls. Add barbeque sauce and/or coleslaw if you're from the South. So delicious.

There are so many side dishes that go well with this. Sometimes I make baked beans, or potato salad, or asian coleslaw, or corn-on-the-cob, and sometimes we just have chips and a green salad.

Click here for more great recipe ideas!

Linky-Love

I'm swamped today so I wanted to share some bloggy love. These are some great things I've come across lately in blogland!

Check out...
Janna's new blog. Janna has been blogging for awhile, but she just changed her blog format. She has some of the most creative ideas for weaving faith into everyday moments with kids!

A post about authenticity that I enjoyed. When you read my blog, you get a fairly accurate glimpse of who I am, but as a friend told me not long ago, there's so much more to me than what you read here. That's on my list of things to blog about sometime in the near future.

This sweet post by my favorite writer!

This recipe for pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins. I made a batch of these on Saturday and got rave reviews! One neighbor even said that these were "the best" muffins she's ever had. *wow*

How this family spent their Saturday. Our friend, Lane, invited us to do this back in September, and I'm sad to say that we never made it a priority. I hope we can make it happen next fall.

What Jackie sold on ebay. This post convinced me that people will buy anything.

There's also still time to enter my giveaway. Click here for details.

My favorite writer (aka my husband) is giving away a book written by one of his friends over on his blog. If you're interested in checking out his giveaway, click here.

Can you see my yellow and black stripes?

I'm busier than a bee this week trying to get things wrapped up before I head out of town this weekend.

I'm going to Fayetteville, AR. My aunt is getting some fancy-schmancy alumni award from the U of A, so almost all of my cousins, aunts, uncles, and siblings are going to be there to support her. I fly out Friday morning and arrive in time for the award banquet that evening. I'm looking forward to Saturday's ballgame, of course, but more than anything I'm excited to see some of my cousins that I haven't seen in 3-4 years.

My dad's side of the family usually gets together once a year for a Razorback game, and I've been very lucky to get to go for the last several years (had to miss last year because John was in Canada) but it's not often that our group is this large. I'm SUPER excited about the weekend!

John is a great sport to let me go. We considered going as a family. We all flew to Arkansas three years ago for the occasion, but plane tickets for a family of five are expensive, and when I bought my ticket this summer, we were still unsure as to whether or not we were going to travel to Arkansas for Thanksgiving. John agreed that I'd have more fun if I went alone (true!) so he's holding down the fort here while I'm gone.

So...let me give you an idea of some of what I've got to finish up before I leave.

Costumes--Can I just give you all a HUGE thanks for the creative costume ideas you gave me in response to my plea for help. As we were driving to the movies on Saturday, I asked the girls to help me think of some ideas (this was before I read your suggestions). We have an old dalmation costume and Abbey said she wanted to be a dalmation. Sarah piped up that if Abbey was a dalmation, she should be Cruella de Vill. She then proceeded to tell me exactly how we could create her costume. I've been pleasantly surprised how quickly this has come together. I'll post pics soon! I think it's going to be cute.

Shots--Will needs a tetanus booster and somehow I overlooked this fact until his school sent me a letter telling me he had to have that shot by a certain date if he wanted to remain in school. So, somehow in the midst of the craziness of this week, I need to take him to get that shot. He is overjoyed as you can imagine.

Grocery list--I like to do my grocery shopping every other Friday. Lately, I've gotten a bit off track and ended up going on Mondays. I don't want that hanging over my head next week after my trip, so John graciously offered to do the shopping for me this weekend. And I'm totally going to let him. I need to get busy making my menu plan and shopping list. Which reminds me that I want to work on my meal system post...but that will have to wait awhile.

Fall parties--two parties for two girls at the same time on the same afternoon. Makes me tired just thinking about it. I'll split my time between the two of them and I guarantee you I'll come home exhausted.

Pack--I've already started!

Book--I'm telling you, I've really been sucked into (ha ha) Twilight. I've gotta find New Moon to take with me on the plane.

Since this is turning into a random post...and really, I think I have at least one of those each week...let me tell you that we've found a church we really like. We've been twice now and I think we could probably land there for awhile. We have a couple of others we'd still like to visit, but this one has a lot of things that we're excited about. Plus, the kids LOVE it. I'm very encouraged because finding a church home can be such a long, hard process. I'm not saying this is "it" but it definitely has us intrigued.

If you don't know me by now...

...you will after this:

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
I don't think so.
*I stand corrected. My middle name is "Lee" and my mom just emailed to tell me that my dad chose Lee after Robert E. Lee (my dad is a civil war buff) and Lee is also a family name. I'd forgotten that. Thanks, mom.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Yesterday--while talking to a friend. She shared something she's going through right now and it broke my heart.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING
Yes.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Turkey, I guess. I don't really enjoy sandwiches.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Three. Will, Sarah, and Abbey.

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yep.

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Not really.

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS
Yes.

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
No way.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Shredded wheat.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Rarely.

DO YOU THINK YOU'RE STRONG?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Strawberry.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Face.

RED OR PINK?
Red. Can't stand pink.

WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I hate my teeth.

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black pj pants, and a pair of SmartWool socks...no shoes.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Roast beef and mashed potatoes.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Jack the Beagle eating his food--loudly!

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Lime green

FAVORITE SMELLS?
Cinnamon, coffee, and rain.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Chele

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Football!

HAIR COLOR?
Medium brown

EYE COLOR?
Brown

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No

FAVORITE FOOD?
Mexican

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS
Happy endings

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Smart People. Before that Indiana Jones (the new one--and it was weird).

SUMMER OR WINTER?
DEFINITELY summer!

HUGS OR KISSES?
Both please.

FAVORITE DESSERT?
Apple pie!

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Twilight

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Don't have a mouse pad

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LATE LAST NIGHT?
Didn't even turn it on last night.

FAVORITE SOUND
My family laughing.

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles.

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Dunno. Never been out of the US.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Jonesboro, AR

See? I told you I liked memes. Plus, today is my busy day and I wanted to be able to post something. Have a good one!

I'm feeling generous...

**UPDATED--Giveaway will remain open until 9AM (MST) Monday, November 3 at which time I'll pick a winner!**

I haven't done a giveaway in awhile, so what better time to hop on the Bloggy Giveaway bandwagon than now?

Here's what I'm offering: A Creative Memories Mini Everyday Display



To enter for a chance to win, simply leave me a comment. I will close comments on Friday, October 31 at noon (MST) and will select a winner on Monday, November 3. Giveaway is open to US residents only (sorry international friends). You don't have to have a blog to enter, but if you don't have one, you MUST leave a valid email address in your comment. One entry per person, please.

Prize includes:
• An 13x13-inch frame with beveled edges
• An 8x8 fabric-covered magnetic board inside the frame
• 4 black decorative magnets
• A thin black ribbon stretched across the lower portion of the magnetic board
• 2 black clothespins
• A black ribbon and a decorative peg for hanging the frame
• Sawtooth hanger option
• Easel for tabletop display

Features
• Frame finished in weathered-look chocolate black
• Fits 8x8 paper or digital print

Thanks for stopping by! For more great giveaways, click here.

Am I really 38 years old?

I've been asking myself that all day today because I'm completely absorbed in this book...


and I can't get the songs from this movie out of my head.



Not only that, but I used Facebook to make babysitting arrangements this morning.

I feel so young, and (almost) HIP!

Help a girl out. Please. Pretty please.

I'm not a fan of Halloween. Not because I think it's a dark holiday or anything like that, but because I am so incredibly challenged in the creative costume idea/costume making department. Nothing stresses me out more this time of year than the thought of having to come up with something for my kids to wear.

Last year, I talked the kids out of trick-or-treating, but I still didn't escape the whole costume ordeal because they encourage costumes at their school "fall" party. *Why they don't just go ahead and call it a Halloween party is beyond me.*

I threw some costumes together for the girls last year using the contents of our dress-up box and their closet. Abbey was a princess, and Sarah dressed up like one of her AG dolls. Simple, quick, and cheap--perfect for me--especially since I started thinking about what they could wear the night before the party.

I don't like stress, so I'm trying to come up with something cute, clever and cheap for this year BEFORE the actual party on Thursday. Any ideas or suggestions for me? I'd love to pick all of your creative brains. I only need ideas for Sarah and Abbey because Will doesn't want to dress up. Oh, and it has to be something easy to put togther. I have a sewing machine, but let's just say we're not the best of friends.

The jury is still out on whether or not they'll trick or treat this year. I'm going to be in Arkansas next weekend, and whenever they ask their dad about it, he just kinda rolls his eyes and changes the subject.