My Man and my Indian

Twins - born about 30 years apart

Action-packed 48 hours

The night before Thanksgiving, this is what my desk looked like...



(and it didn't get cleaned up until about 8 minutes before the guests arrived the next day!)

And this is what my kitchen looked like...

But at least my dining room looked like this...

At about noonish on Thanksgiving Day, Squanto came to visit...

He brought along an Indian girl...and her Indian "princess" baby sister...

Things began shaping up by 3:00ish, when the guests started arriving (Thanks, Mom, for making the gravy!)

It was fun to see how our guests influenced the menu. The sweet midget pickles are a staple at family gatherings for my husband and sister. They always remind Scott of his mom, because she LOVED sweet midgets, so it's a little way we remembered her on Thanksgiving (a previously little-known fact)/ Our Indian friend (from India...not Native American...thought I would clarify) brought the pomegranates...mmm...I love pomegranates!

My Man loves cheese, so the brie was for him, primarily. My sister-in-law makes the best stuffed mushrooms, we all look forward to them at holidays.

Scott's dad requested marshamallows on the sweet potato casserole. I had never put them on it before, but there is a first for everything, and it was nice to please him with that dish. My mom's stuffing is our family's favorite, passed down from her mom.

I like to see a little something "green" on the Thanksgiving table with all of the traditional foods, so Green Beans Almondine and Roasted Asparagus (a last minute addition) fulfilled the "green" category. And of course, we had plenty of desserst which are popular with everyone. It was a great meal!

Even Scott's almost-94-year old grandmother enjoyed it! So did the kids...

My brother-in-law and sister were supposed to spend Thanksgiving in New Jersey with his mother and family, but my sister got a bad cold this week, so they decided not to make the trip...and showed up at our party instead...it was great, and the house was full!

My sister mainly hung out in our bedroom, resting and looking at sales fliers, planning our Black Friday Shopping Extravaganza. And because our playroom was all set up for a guest (Granddaddy just vacated it), she decided to just spend the night and get up early with me so we could leave right away. It was so much fun...the Black Friday Sleepover! We may just make it a tradition.

Which brings us to this morning...we got up early, and our first stop was the gas station because my minivan was low.

And since I was getting the gas for free, thanks to Giant's Gas Rewards program, I made sure the needle was under E, heehee. I can't believe that just a mere 3 months ago, I paid about $100 to fill 'er up.

25 gallons of gas for 3 cents...the perfect way to start Black Friday. :)

We hit the Man Stores (Home Depot and Sears Hardware) for Man gifts and some drugstores (CVS and Walgreens, of course) and even ventured to Target, although it was a zoo, but thankfully, even on Black Friday at 7:00am, the lines weren't that bad (it is Target, after all).

It was an action-packed 48 hours, complete with a little nap this afternoon. I hope your Thanksgiving weekend is great, too!

So this coffee business...

...I am clueless! And I'm about to say something that will make many of you laugh, but... I've never owned a coffeemaker before and I'm clueless about my new one! I did work in a restaurant for years, so it's not as though I haven't brewed a pot of coffee. Just not in my own home.

But since we're hosting Thanksgiving tomorrow, my father-in-law bought me a coffeemaker. As I've said once or thrice already, I'm clueless about the home coffeemaker, so I just let him pick the thing out. And this is what is sitting on my counter, as we speak...

I pulled it out of the box and thought I would set it up, but now I'm scared to death of all of this talk of reservoirs, and water tanks, and heating tanks and decanters. I think I am going to just leave it like this until the morning and decide then.

So here's my question for you in-home coffee drinkers/hostesses: What is proper coffee etiquette? Should I have coffee going before dinner? Serve with dinner? Or dessert only? I'm clueless. I think I might have mentioned that already...

It has begun...

...the Thanksgiving preparations, that is!

Today, the kids and I made these fun cookies. I snagged a bag of those pumpkin candies on 90% clearance (after Halloween) because I knew the kids would enjoy baking something with them. I used the Hershey Kiss cookies recipe (which I had never made before) and substituted the pumpkins instead. I haven't tried one, but the kids think they are awesome.

Also, Gracie "helped" me make the cranberry sauce by washing the cranberries. I tried to plan a few prep items for today that I could include the children in, so that on the Thanksgiving, I'm not riddled with guilt when I forbid them in the kitchen. :) The maternal-guilt-complex is a strange creature.

And I tried a recipe, recommended by a friend, for Sweet & Spicy Pecans and they are wonderful! Definitely a winner.

Here is our Thanksgiving menu... (I'm posting this for archival purposes, so next year when I can't remember what we had last year, I can dig through the old blog and find my menu!)

Stuffed Mushrooms

Brie/grapes/nuts platter

Turkey & gravy

Stuffing

Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

Scalloped Corn

Green Beans Almondine

Cranberry Sauce

Yummy Salad

Rolls & butter

Pumpkin Pie

Apple Pie

Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cookies

Whipped cream, of course :)

Half of these items will be brought by either my mom or my sister-in-law, just so you know.

Next stop...brining the bird!

We must be the jolliest people on earth...

...because Scott and I watch almost zero TV. :) See the study findings here.

In honor of my brilliant husband...

My Man is an awesome enginner, in my humble opinion. And only rarely smells bad. :)

Thanksgiving Preparations

We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year, and I am so excited about it! I love to cook and entertain. In fact, of the 10 (gasp!) Thanksgivings of our married life, I have cooked for all but two of them. Most of those were in Florida, and my father-in-law always did the turkey, so I got out of that aspect of the cooking. :) It's been two years since we hosted at our house, but that was in our twin home, so we are really excited about having our first Thanksgiving in our new house!

My friend, Nan, and I have been exchanging recipes and ideas, which has had me in the Thanksgiving mood all week. :) Honestly, the only Thanksgiving food that has me drooling weeks in advance is my Grandmother's stuffing...prepared so perfectly by my Mom! I just enjoy cooking, so the rest is fun, but I don't dream of the food for weeks. However, all of this menu planning and list making is so exciting that I just can't wait until the big day!




Last January, my sister brined a turkey and it was awesome, so I decided to try it for our Thanksgiving bird. I hope it turns out well. Most of the Thanksgiving shopping is done, and a few of the dishes, I already made ahead and stuck in the freezer, so I only have to pull them out a day or two in advance.

Where are you going for Thanksgiving? Do you do the cooking? Take a dish to share?

The Purse...how feminine!

My friend, Kelly (aka The Barefoot Mama) hosts Feminine Friday at her blog each week. This would be my first time participating, and when I was trying to think of something "feminine" to post about, my new purse immediately popped into my mind. Because, really? What could be more feminine than a purse? Isn't the purse what truly sets us apart from the male species gender?

The purse and I go way back. When I was in kindergarten, I was already a purse-carrying woman. I remember distinctly the first time I forgot to bring my hot pink purse with me to kindergarten, I cried! Mind you, there were no tears when I forgot my lunchbox. But the purse? Oh, we were close, even back then.

I've never carried a Big Purse. Frankly, as the mother of three, I can see the wisdom of the Big Purse, but it's just not me. Plus, I'm scared that if I got a Big Purse, I would just stuff it full until I was carrying around a suitcase.


Kohl's always has a great, little selection of purses, and since I'm still carrying around my "summer" purse, I thought it was time to switch to something more winterish. I had a $5 Kohl's in-store coupon, so I used it on this little sweetie...








The price after $5 q and 15% q- $9. If you aren't already subscribed to Kohl's Email Alerts, I would recommend it. They will send you the same $5 coupon (to use on any purchase $5 or more). I have no problem deleting their emails in order to get a little coupon. :) Plus, they publish free shipping codes almost weekly. Combined with a 30% code found a myriad of places online, one can secure some sweet deals withouth leaving their house. Not that I would know about that or anything.


So there is my first installment of Feminine Friday! Are you a Big Purse girl? Do you switch your purses often? Or stick with one until it wears out? Inquiring minds want to know. :)

"Insignificant" Blessing

One morning a few months ago, Gracie and Joey were pillowfighting (against the rules, of course, unless sanctioned by a parent) and Gracie whacked her upper lip and teeth against an end table...hard. Very hard, I'm afraid (name that movie!). Her lip swelled and there was blood everywhere, especially so, because the kids couldn't find me right away. It was not a pretty sight. (If you must know, Gracie was the one who initiated the pillowfight to begin with. That girl...)

About a week later, one of her front teeth started to turn gray. "Uh-oh," I thought. This happened once to Joey, his tooth turned gray after he fell and bumped it. It took over a month for Joey's to clear up. Only Gracie's was worse.

After a few months of her tooth remaining gray, I put it out of my mind and figured that it was going to just stay that way...which happens when the nerve has been severed due to a really bad injury. I wasn't happy about the fact that my sweetie's tooth was going to be gray for a few years, until she eventually will lose it, but I figured that there are worse things that can happen than a little discolored tooth.

Well, lo and behold, about a week ago, I noticed that it looked lighter, and less gray. But I thought maybe I was imagining it, because it had been so long since I had a good look at it. A few hours later, Lily said, "Mommy, I think Gracie's tooth is getting better!" And sure enough, it has lightened even more over the last week.

I just came across the above picture, taken a month ago, or so, and realized, "Wow, I think it really is getting better!" I know it seems insignificant, and I know sometimes the Lord answers our prayers in a way that we would not choose. But this time, he granted a petition I asked of Him a long time ago, and since had forgotten about. And I think He's worthy of being praised, even for His answers to our "little" prayers!

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. - Psalm 150:6

Amen. :)

From the Tenderhearted One...

Yesterday, I woke up feeling icky with a sore throat, stuffy head, and the general "run down" cold symptoms. Of course, Mommies don't normally get to "just rest" on days like this, so as soon as my Man came home, I headed for the bed.

My plan was to have the lights out before the Man (bless his heart!) got the kids in bed. That didn't happen thanks to some hilarious reminiscing with former classmates on Facebook, but it was a nice try. :) While I was in bed, resting and surfing the net a little, my sweet Lily came in with this banner that she made for me. She has always been my tenderhearted one, often initiating gestures of sweetness. :)






When I woke up and saw the sun shining in on her banner again, this morning, my heart sang! May the Lord always protect her precious heart. And may it always be tender to His leading in her life!

Awesome night of shopping!

How can it be anything but awesome when I'm shopping with the Wondershopper, right?!

First, we stopped at our favorite CVS. I scored great deals on all of these batteries...it was incredible!




Then we headed to Giant for our weekly shopping. Where I came out of the store with $160 worth of groceries, $2.30/gallon in free gas, a free turkey, and I spent $86!! That's almost a 50% savings, a free turkey. And since gas is less than $2.30/gallon, we will be able to fill up my big honkin' gas tank (yes, Joy, it is both big and honkin'!) for free and then still have some savings to fill up Scott's tank for a discount, too!

Most of the gas deals at Giant this week were on things we use and need. Plus, I spent extra this week, because I stocked up on all of the food that I am making for Thanksgiving next week. So even though I bought more things, and things that I normally wouldn't buy, I saved so much. I am so thankful for Giant. :)

What the Lord taught me this morning...

Philippians 4:6,7
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.


Prayer with thankfulness is my key to a peaceful heart and mind today!

Another reason why I love CVS...

Free Dark Chocolate!! and Organic, too. :)

Last week, after my first CVS transaction, I got a $3 off Green & Black's CRT (coupon that prints on the bottom of the receipt). But Green & Black's was on sale for $2.50, so I actually got PAID 50cents to try this dark chocolate.

For the record, it's great.

I love CVS!

Week Wrap-up

Wow, is it Saturday already?? Where did the week go? On one hand, the week has flown by, but at the same time, it's also been a hard one...there was a lot on the list this week, a lot that has yet to be accomplished, but thankfully, we've also crossed quite a few things off, this week, too. God is good.

I got a good chunk of Christmas shopping done on Thursday, and have a good plan for the rest. I'm thankful about that.

On Friday, we met Scott at Pizza Hut for lunch for our first Book-It! certificate redemptions of the school year! This was particularly exciting because this was the first time that Joey got a free pizza too, for doing a great job reading!

Don't you just love his messy hair? Where is this boy's mother, anyhow??

Because Gracie is 3, her lunch was free, and the big kids both had their certificates, so we only had to pay for the lunch buffet for Scott and me. Yay for being frugal...and reading. :)





I picked a tub of these cute Thanksgiving foamie turkeys for the kids to make and give as "Thanksgiving" gifts. This was a fun, little project that they were able to do mostly by themselves. :)





Today I finally found a home for all of the applesauce jars, and got them put away. :) And while I was at it, I pretty much reorganized my basement. (Even though the jars didn't end up down there, hallelujah!) I basically have an entire yard sale waiting to happen, in my basement. (How is that possible? Didn't we just have a yard sale in June??) But thankfully, it's all organized and ready, and the rest of the basement is fairly well in order.

Scott has been working a lot of overtime, lately. Today he worked from home, which was nice. But OT always makes for a long, tiring week for me. Plus, next week doesn't look any less busy. I'm trying not to get "pre-irritated" about it, as my husband calls it. :) The Lord has been speaking to me through a recent church memory verse that I have been meditating on...

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

It's been good to be reminded to put my trust in Him and regain the peace that I, inevitably, lost when I took my eyes off of Him in the midst of the crazy. And consciously choosing thankfulness has helped too. (It's what I'm trying to teach to the children, afterall!) I'm thankful that my husband, not only has a job in this troubled economy, but that he is very busy. The Lord always provides.

Enough rambling for tonight...have a great Sunday! Good-night.

The Day of the Sauce

Today was our annual Applesauce Day. My people inhale applesauce, so I bumped up to 8 baskets of apples, this year. Still, I'm not convinced it's enough.


Gracie was especially "helpful" with washing the apples...







Which lead to...

...eating the apples. :)

I declared that today was a paper-products-only day.

Why make it difficult on myself??

Every bowl, pot, or vessel of the household (or borrowed from my sister!) was used... (Hi, Joey!)

Even Katina's beverage dispenser got in on the action. :)

I will have you know that almost every last ounce of sauce you are about to see was milled by Lily or Joey!

Slave Labor Child Labor...It's a beautiful thing.

And by evening, I had the glorious sight of washed dishes...

...and lots....

...and lots...

...and lots...

...of yummy applesauce!


65+ quarts later, I echo Solomon's words, "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof:"

Goodnight. :)

A Lesson from Wheat

The children and I have recently memorized the first Psalm. As is our custom, we work our way through the chapter, taking a day or two to explain each verse so that they absorb God's Words which they are hiding in their hearts.

Verse four of that Psalm likens an obedient, wise child of God to a healthy, well-watered tree that brings forth fruit abundantly. In contrast, the ungodly are likened to chaff- the flaky, outer shell of a grain of wheat.

I struggled to come up with a tangible example of chaff. We're not exactly farmers, and it was too soggy to traipse out back and find a weed to try to pull apart. So I did the best I could, and hoped that the children got it.

Fast-forward a week or so, and we found ourselves perched on hewn stumps in a 19th-century barn listening to this sweet lady aquaint us with the agricultural aspects of life in the 1800's. Much to my delight, she scooped up a handful of grain and with one puff of breath across it, a whole flurry of chaff came fluttering off and down to the barn floor! She then went on to explain how the farmers went about threshing the chaff from the wheat.

Surprisingly, tears immediately sprang to my eyes. I tried to hide them as it seemed silly to shed a tear during a farming lesson! But I couldn't help but think what a great Teacher my children have. Not me, of course, but our Heavenly Father! When I am weak, as a mother and teacher, He fills in the gaps in His perfect way. Even by reinforcing a simple truth, that I was striving to teach, with the perfect object lesson.

So often I struggle with a feeling of inadequacy. The challenges of homemaking, being a good wife and mother, as well as, educating my children often seem insurmountable. It is at the moment when I feel weakest that He comes along gently and puts everything together just right! I don't need to fret about if I'm teaching properly or if I'm teaching them enough, or if I'm explaining things in a way that is understandable. All that God asks is that I do my best. And during my feeble moments, He orchestrates everything perfectly!

Second Corinthians 12:9 comes to mind, reminding me that when I am weak, then He is strong...

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

As I understand my limitations as a mother, I see clearly His awesome omnipotence! Further, I took to heart the admonitions that I was teaching to my children from Psalm 1. The worthless chaff that lay scattered across the barn floor was a nuisance to the farmer. He had to find ways to efficiently rid his crops of it, and keep it from ruining his grain price at the mill. Chaff was a headache, and good for nothing once the wheat was harvested. I don't want to be like chaff! The only way to be a productive tree, is to meditate daily in His Word. To delight in it, and allow it to direct my steps and guide my moments.

If you are a mother, I'm sure you, too, know that the moments of the day can be harried and frazzled and busy! But if I have a bit of Scripture in the forefront of my mind, I can be delighting in His Word and spending those little snippets of "extra" time in sweet fellowship with the Father!

The best part of our "barn lesson" for me, was later when my children exclaimed to me, excitedly, "Mommy! Did you hear her? She talked about the chaff! We don't want to be like chaff. We should be a growing tree!" My heart just about burst!

The Lord works in mysterious ways...even through a little lesson about a little grain of wheat.

The Difference between my Girlies

We have very sweet neighbors in our new neighborhood. And the little girl and boy who live next door to us play often with our children. Yesterday, their mom called to see if our kids could play with them, but we were headed out the door. So this afternoon, I knew they would be up for some playtime with my kids.

When we saw them come back from the bus stop, I encouraged Lily to go over and ring their bell and ask if K could come out to play. My shy-girl was "too nervous" to ring the bell, even though, generally, she is very comfortable with their family. So we practiced a mannerly way for her to ask if K could come out to play, but she proceeded to "wring her hands" for at least a half of an hour, about getting up the nerve to actually ring the bell.

Finally, after we finished with lunch, she got up the courage. Joey bailed out, he is too much of a chicken ring anyone's doorbell by himself. So I suggested Lily take Gracie along.

All of the hand-wringing and worrying was for naught with the baby sister along. Gracie marched up to the door, rang that doorbell. And when the daddy came to the door, before Lily even opened her mouth, Gracie blurted out loudly, "Can K come out to play???"

Yup, it was all for naught. Lily just needs to have her baby sister near when she's feeling particularly uncourageous.

That's the difference between my two girlies. :)

May I recommend the House Dressing?

I've been on a bit of a salad-dressing-making kick lately. First, I tried a copycat of Olive Garden's house salad dressing. That one was good, but a little too sweet, compared to OG's actual dressing. But it was still nothing that a little pepperoncini peppers couldn't balance out. Those are the secret to great Italian salad, in my opinion!

Next, I tried a copycat on Carrabba's house salad dressing and I am finding it to-die-for good! Here is the recipe, should you be so inclined to try it:

Carrabba's Cream Parmesan Salad Dressing

1/2 C mayo
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C buttermilk
1/2 t minced garlic
1 t minced fresh parsley
1/2 t lemon juice

Whisk all ingredients together (or shake in a pint jar, like I did) and refrigerate until serving to let flavors develop.

{Edited to add: I doubled the buttermilk to balance the mayo. I'm not a fan of the taste of mayo. And I also amped up the garlic. Because apparently I can't leave any recipe well-enough alone. :) }

Enjoy!

"Duh!" Mommy Moment #788

Last night before church, I pulled out these super-cute pink cowgirl boots for Gracie that we scored end-of-season last year. The size looked right and she was squealingly excited about them. So we sat on the floor to put them on. I unzipped them and then twisted and turned, trying to jam her little feet into them, but they just weren't slipping on! I twisted and pulled some more, and still no success. Then I took them off and checked the size again, held one up to the bottom of Gracie's feet, befuddled. They should be fitting...what's up with that?

So we jammed and twisted some more, all the while with Gracie's yelping, "Ouch, ooooow Mommy!" But when I sighed and reluctantly said that they just may not fit, she protested loudly, "No, I want to wear my new, pink boots, Mommy!" So we jammed some more...

Until one time, I had the shoes stretched upon so widely that I caught a glimpse of this...

The tissue paper inserts left in the toes of the boots!!!

DUH!!!

Her poor little ankles and toes! Oh well, she danced around for the rest of the night in her new, pink boots, so I guess she's not permanently injured.

Mental note: Check toes of shoes intended for wearers too young to verbalize about a large mass lodged in the shoe. :)

Election Results Visual

I won't blather on about what I think about the results of our presidential election...everything I have to say has been said already, and quite well, I might add. :) But being a visual person, I found these maps and cartograms of the electoral results fascinating! Go check them out if you are interested.

Besides this, I found the most interesting post-election coverage to be the photo essay I found on campaign fashion. :)

Have a great day, people! My older girlie is feeling under the weather, so I cancelled school and we are having a "fun sick day" full of reading aloud, baking, and just generally hanging out together! I hope you are enjoying your Thursday, too!

The difference between living in a small town and suburbia...

...a few hundred people in front of me in line at the poll!

Whoa baby! I guess I've lived in the country and a small town for so long, that I've forgotten what a "real" polling place is like! This place was packed. And our line was "short" compared to how long others waited. In our town we knew a lot of the poll workers by name, and they knew our children. I think the longest we ever waited there was about 15 minutes?, four years ago during the presidential election.

I was thankful for nice weather and that I had brought the kids' lunches for them to eat while we waited. Even better, I am glad that they were with me. For the last seven years, when I have cast my ballot, there has always been at least one or more chubby, little fingers pressing that final "Cast Ballot" button along with me.

It was amazing to me to see so many people, and all were gathering for the same purpose. All I could think about as I watched people streaming by is that each face represents one vote. One vote that each of us are privileged to cast. Without coercion or fear. A voice called a vote. It's a great day to be an American. May God continue to have mercy on our nation.

Another Field Trip

...this time to Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm. This is a place that I have wanted to visit for a long time! My cousin used to work there as a homeschooler, and told me all about how neat it was. So we were excited when our church's school planned a field trip there.




These three cuties and I tagged along too!



This handsome, little dude was my seatmate in the big, yellow schoolbus. (My kids' first ride in one...they were impressed.)

These two cuties were in the seat in front of us.

Once we arrived at Quiet Valley, our tour guides told us to pretend we were in the 1800's, so all of the "family members" were dressed in period clothing, and spoke to the young'uns as if they were still living and working the farm...so fun! I would have wanted to live there when I was a kid. :)

The farm animals were a favorite part of our visit, especially for Joey.

This little pig was NOT happy about being removed from her pen to be displayed and petted by the children.

Momma Pig says, "Are you lookin' at me??"

Bossie the cow says the same...and adds, "Get that camera out of here, lady!" :)

Aaah, snug in the hay with her sister.

There were various and sundry fowl roaming about.

Mmmm...Thanksgiving dinner for the family!

The size of the Belgians and even the mule was impressive!

The farm was beautiful...all of the structures are preserved and were being "worked" while we were there, so it was a more exciting tour than your average historical site. There were fires burning in the fireplaces, and crops were harvested and stored, as well as the animals being tended to.

We got to tour the kitchen, bedroom, barn, and one-room school house. We peeked in the bakeoven, well, and even the smokehouse...where meat was being smoked...imagine!

The wool-spinning demonstration was neat and we watched "Grandma" weave on the loom.

And in keeping with the authenticity of the visit, these were our well-appointed...ahem...facilities.

The "girls" side is on the left. Apparently even in the olden days, the girls went to the restroom in groups. :)

A good time was had by all, and we were back into the bus for the drive home. The weather was great, again, for late October. And the fall foliage was probably at about it's peak as we drove through the rolling hills...so pretty!

{For the cvschicks...we shared the friendly roads!}

The cute, little dude that I shared a seat with on the ride home. :)

In which Gracie says, "Becuz, cuz, cuz" about 37 times

This video is posted for Granddaddy. Becuz, becuz, cuz he thinks Gracie's usage of the word "because" is beyond adorable. And becuz, cuz, cuz, I wanted to preserve it for posterity, before she stops using her utterly cute "baby talk."