Be Careful What You Wish For

Last week after going up & down the stairs about 100 times I walked into my bedroom to put something away. As I was standing there looking at my bed I thought, wouldn't it be nice to have a little cold & just be able to lay in bed all day. Well I didn't get just a little cold, I got a doozie. You know the kind were you cough so much that you feel like you just did about 300 crunches. My head hurt, my abs hurt, my nose was stuffy & runny & I was coughing my head off. Not only was I not feeling well, but Derek & I both had crazy busy schedules. I didn't really get the chance to just stay in bed all day. I do have to give a shout out to Lindsey, who let me stay in bed for a few hours on Monday. She was such a good girl to entertain herself for a little while.

I Am So Over It

I guess it is only fitting that it would snow on the first day of December. The kids were so excited, they played in the snow in the morning while they were waiting for the bus & as soon as they got home from school. They LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I on the other hand am already over WINTER. I know it hasn't even officially started, but I AM OVER IT!!!! There are lots of great things that come with winter, snow covered trees, sledding, skiing, snowball fights, hot chocolate, a white christmas, being able to wear my sweats to the bus stop, soup on a cold night...but does it have to be so DARN cold. I am already loathing wet boots, helping the girls put on snow pants, boots, gloves, scarves, hats & coats, shoveling snow & driving on slick roads. Thanks to my spin on the freeway last year now I am terrified of driving in the snow. What I wouldn't give to be wearing my shorts & flip flops right now.

Happy Thanksgiving

I would first like to say THANK YOU to my mom & mother-in-law for all the hard work they have done over the years making incredible Thanksgiving feasts. They are both GREAT cooks & I love eating a meal I didn't have to make. This year though I was on my own, I had to actually make Thanksgiving dinner. I have always helped by making whatever side dish I was assigned...Mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, rolls, etc. But never never had I actually made THANKSGIVING DINNER!!! I was FREAKED OUT for such a huge responsibility, but felt up to the challenge. (Knowing that Boston Market is only 2 miles away gave me some relief, because getting food through their drive-up was my backup plan.) I started the night before making the stuffing & the pies. The next morning Der & I prepped the turkey (Yuck, I hate raw meat) & put "Tom" in to cook for several hours. Luckily I had purchased the worlds most awesome meat thermometer at Target the night before, because as we prepped "Tom" we noticed he didn't come equipped with a pop up timer. Now I am starting to relax, because the pies are done, the stuffing just needs to bake & "Tom" is in the oven. All we have to do now is the mashed potatoes & gravy. To me making the gravy is the most stressful part. I either make it to runny or it looks like Jell-o. I think it was a Thanksgiving MIRACLE, because the gravy did turn out pretty good. We were elated that our Southern friends Shawn & Ashley would be joining us for dinner. (They are from Louisiana, & moved to Chicago about the same time we did for the same reason we did.) And lucky for me Ashley is a good cook & wanted to help by bringing some of their favorite side dishes. She brought Sweet Potato casserole (this was to die for), some sort of broccoli rice casserole (this is a family tradition of hers that was very tasty), deviled eggs (another family tradition), & rolls. We had quite the spread. We had so much food that it wouldn't all fit on the table. Ashley & I were so excited that we had pulled it off, we had made our very first Thanksgiving Dinner & it was DELICIOUS!!

Thanksgiving Tradition

Two years ago I saw the cutest turkey cookies I have ever seen. So the kids & I decided that we were going to make them & take them to Thanksgiving dinner as the kid dessert. We had so much fun making them, that we decided it would be a Thanksgiving tradition. (We didn't do it last year though because we were moving 1/2 way across the United States.) The kids have been talking about this tradition for a couple of weeks now. So this year the night before Thanksgiving we made our cookies. The kids all loved it & the cookies turned out so cute. Keep in mind that I made a few cookies, but most were made by the kids all by themselves.

You Want What For Breakfast?

Lindsey has a hard time deciding what she would like to eat for breakfast. Most days she would like green beans, or corn, or a grilled cheese. I know I should just give her green beans, but I just can't. So finally yesterday she decided on a waffle. Great, waffles are breakfast food, but she wasn't done. She wanted waffles with syrup & a dill pickle!!! Nothing like the smell of syrup & dill pickles in the morning. Maybe she is having sympathy cravings for her Aunt Holly.

I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!!

Der was patient enough to let all the kids help

You can see my handy work on the wall



All Done

While I was in "Mootah", having a weekend away, my sweet husband was playing super parent. Chauffering the kids, cooking fabulous dinners, trying to keep the house picked up, putting in ponytails & redmodeling. Yes that is right, I said remodeling. The best part of it all, is that he remodeled my office!!!! I know hate is a strong word mom, but I can honestly say I hated the ivy stenciled border that was put up by the previous owner & wanted it to go away. One day (about 9 months ago) I had a little paint left on the roller from the room I was painting and decided I would see how the color looked in my office. I rolled the roller a couple of times & then I was out of paint & that is how it has looked ever since. (Not one of my best decisions.) So while I was away, Derek totally redid my office. He painted, put up new blinds, installed a new ceiling fan, bought new lamps, printed out adorable pictures of the kids, framed them & hung them up all over the office. But that is not all, he even...organized all my stuff. (I have a lot of scrapbook stuff, so this was not an easy job.) Thanks so much Der, I love it!!!! (Cinda, Jennifer & Tracey you guys better come check it out fast before I mess it all up.)

Christmas Music

Yesterday I was talking to my neighbor about Christmas Music. I love Christmas music, my favorite Christmas CD is Home for Christmas by Amy Grant. My FAVORITE song on this CD is Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song). I have listened to that song over & over & over. If you have never heard this song, you so need to check it out on itunes. I am always looking for new Christmas CD's, so please share with me your favorite song or CD!!!