EEE-vil Family Pics

Well, it really wasn't THAT evil.

We DID coordinate family pictures and they turned out pretty good, except for a few silly faces from the boys. Note to self: Keep smiling and don't yell at boys to straighten up and stop being silly. The next picture will be of everybody smiling happily into the camera, except for Mommy who is giving the evil eye to a small child.
Here are some of my favorites:

1.

2.

3.

4.

They are numbered one through four. Which one do you like best?

Thanks to Linda, my mother-in-law, for taking the pictures!

Over the River and Through the Woods

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend at Grandma's house; even family pictures went well. We did a lot of hanging out and WAY too much eating. Now, I'm sitting on the couch with my boys and watching (well, KINDA) the Iron Bowl, which is exciting in an anticipatory way.

So... favorite things about Grandma's this weekend:

Holding my newest baby niece, Macey McKay, who is the yummiest thing ever and has only increased my desire to have another baby. I got to feed her and talk to her in an obnoxious "I'm-talking-to-a-baby" voice, which is similiar to the "I'm-talking-to-my-kitty-cat" voice.

Having to decide between pumpkin pie, pecan pie, lemon pie, chocolate cake, pina colada cake, banana pudding, or chocolate chip cookies after every meal. Usually I would just get a "sample". You know, because I had to remember what each tasted like after every meal. They were good. And people fight over pecan pie at Grandma's, which is good fun. Bonus. Last year, people would pre-cut pieces and hide them (ahem, Kerri).

Watching the children play tirelessly with their cousins. They had a great time. The boys cried when we left.

I got up with Michelle and Kerri at 4:30am Friday to go to Black Friday at Walmart. Terrifying. And yet, exhilarating. I got some great finds, including a Deluxe Monopoly for $10.

Red Hot Wassail. Oh my. It's good stuff. If you've got a perculator, (gonna pick one up at my next thrift store run) drop a large handful of Red Hots (the candy) in the basket at the top of the perculator, then pour apple cider in the bottom. As the cider heats up, the Red Hots melt in the juice and make it all cinnamony. If I try it at home, then I might try to add some orange peel rind and cloves to the Red Hots. It just SMELLS like the holidays. It also is lovely to curl up on the sofa and watch a movie with everybody, wearing flannel pajamas and nursing a hot cup of wassail. Mmmm...

Shelling 60 pounds of pecans with all the ladies in the house. Sounds like punishment, but many hands make light work. And laughter. And good conversation.

Mornings, lying around in pajamas, drinking coffee, watching the news and making fun of the people who try to sleep late when there are 21 people sleeping in the house. I love mornings there.

Here are a couple of pictures of favorite people we see there...


Granddaddy and Grandmother with all of their grandbabies, from left to right (Corin, Felix, Granddaddy, Ansley, Grandmother, Macey McKay, Karis, and Silas).


Quinn sister, Kerri's, girls: Macey McKay, Karis, and Ansley. Aren't they precious?


Jason and Michelle with two of their girls, Kaelyn and Marli.


Uncle Jay and his little sister, Madison (who refused to take a picture by herself, dadgummit).


This is everybody that was there (and spent the weekend) with Grandma and Papaw front and center on the glider.

And I just love this one:
Kerri's little girl, Ansley, doesn't really like to have her picture taken. But I got a couple while she and Felix were playing in the leaves.


Well, I'm back to the game with my family and our matchy matchiness. Roll Tide!

Evil Plot

Bwahahahaha...

AND NOW, in my evil pursuit of dominating the ENTIRE WORLD, I have planned an event so disastrous, so monumental, so EEEE-VIL that my family, dare I say my husband, will rue, yes RUE, this day for the remainder of their ENTIRE lives.

There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth in the wilds of the forest, mad with the eternal prospect of my plan. Dry your tears children, there is no. turning. back.
I am giddy with the prospect of torturing the children with my plan. I am laughing my evil laugh and tapping my evil fingers in the prospect of goading my husband into tears.

I have planned... family pictures. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

With matching black shirts. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

And jeans. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I AM DIABOLICALLY, PURE EEEE-VIL.

The End.

PS... This event will take place today at G'ma's. Run... if you think I won't find you... BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Being Home and a Dose of Reality

The boys are upstairs taking books off a bookshelf so that we can move it to make room for their Christmas tree. Yes, I'm one of those horrible people who has my own "pretty, themed" Christmas tree downstairs (it's MINE and you can't have it!), and the boys have their "Wow, that looks like a kid decorated it" tree upstairs. I even got colored lights for it. I wish they had had the big old-school ones like we had when I was a kid, but they didn't. Pooh. So that's what we're about to do. And I've got Christmas music blaring. Not a Christmas station (done with that forever), but something jazzy and folksy. Nice.

I am immensely enjoying my week off from school. I woke up this morning and did the victory hands (arms straight up in a V) and said "Day Two!". I nearly forgot how much I enjoyed staying home with the boys. I gave them haircuts this morning, we're about to decorate their Christmas tree, and later I'll have them help me make pumpkin pies to take to G'ma's house. Of course, I'm romancing the whole thing a great deal because I remember there were times that I looked at them with a crazy look in my eye. "Go find something to do, please. Momma's going a little bit crazy." Unfortunately, the older two know the look and scatter quickly. But I'm enjoying them now. So, I'll take it. And be glad.

I'm so glad I'm not humbugging Christmas this year. I had a severe case of the Christmas doldrums last year. It was pretty bad for everyone. I'm not sure why my mind has changed (we have less money this year, the economy is pretty bad, and I've recently moved away from my home church), but I think that maybe I'm more thankful for my family this year, and I see how the Lord is sustaining us and showing His grace through our daily lives. We have been blessed through the kindness of others and I look forward to be able to see old friends and all of our family this year over Thanksgiving and Christmas. We have awesome friends and Quinn and I have made some beautiful friendships here and love their company. Our families don't quarrel with one another and are not petty about stuff, but rather love each other. My life definitely does not suck and I was a bit of a brat last year. Sometimes I feel like I revert back to a fourteen year old girl (no offense girls, but you'll see what I'm saying in 10 years) and think the world is all about, you guessed it, me. It's good to have a good dose of reality and see that I'm a blessed woman and I should stop my selfishness.

The boys have successfully finished their job and are ready to move the bookcase and the duct-taped Christmas tree (didn't you know that you could use a undecorated Christmas tree for ambush practice on your brother?) into place. I'm going to soak up the fun.

Good Times with Friends...

SUCH a fun weekend. Sigh. Two weekends in a row with old friends. I might be getting spoiled. Whatever shall I do THIS weekend? THAT's easy. Going to G'mas for Thanksgiving and hanging out with the family. It's going to be great. My job? Pumpkin pie. I'm working on the most perfect pie crust ever (of course, in my head, it's ev-uh). Secret? Butter-flavored Crisco. Yes, I know. It's not real, but it makes the pie crust so flaky and buttery (it's ALMOST real) tasty.

So we did a lot of stuff this weekend. Quinn and Chris fixed the sink in the kitchen (which held towels and bowls underneath to hold drips AND it smelled funny. Bonus). Yay! And they also fixed a broken flusher (you know, the thing that flushes the toilet) and fixed some outlets. Crissy and I decorated the house for Christmas on Sunday and had a couple of drop-in visitors (thanks Carrie and Diane)and we had a bee-yew-ti-ful turkey for lunch after church. I made Paula Deen's Cornbread Dressing, which was phenomenal. Really.

Saturday, whilest the men were repairing and such, Crissy and took the children to the Manship House, which is in downtown Jackson. I loved it. It was left to the city of Jackson in 1975 and then was restored to its original 1838 appearance. No photos were allowed to be taken inside the building, but I did get some outside.


This is the side porch. The children loved climbing all over the steps (we really did make the tour guide a little crazy). Felix and Brody were trying to peek through the windows.
All the children hanging over the rail at the house.
I loved the handiwork of the house, all originally done by Mr. Manship himself (he was the mayor of Jackson during the Civil War). You can't really see the doorknobs, but they were gorgeous, even all through the house. The key to the front door.
The Manship family was given the original bell from the Jackson City Fire Department (which Mr. Manship is credited to start) and it was displayed in the yard.
The children were all permitted to ring the bell (thank you, kind tour guide) and then would lay their hands on the bell to feel the vibrations.

I loved walking through it, but it made me appreciate what I have now. Namely, toilets and running water. Oh, and electricity. I do want to go back for their Christmas stuff:

Christmas at the Manship House
Manship House Museum
Jackson, MS
(601) 961-4724
Daily tours feature Victorian-style decorations Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 am - 4 pm, and Saturdays, 10 am - 4 pm. Reservations required for groups of ten or more. For information call 601-961-4724. This event occurs from 12/5-12/23/08.

It's all authentic Christmas decorations for the original time period of the house. AND, can you say FREE? We're going back.

We had a great weekend with our friends. The children had such a wonderful time (they are really much like siblings and my two oldest boys worship Ty, the oldest boy of the Sharps who can do NO WRONG). I'm thankful for good friends, both old and new. Which makes me think of this old diddy:

Make new friends, but keep the old
One is silver, and the other gold.

But I Wanna See the Rockettes, too!

Misy, my girlfriend since college a bazillion years ago has a sweet little girl who she entered a picture of in a contest to win tickets to see the Rockettes in Birmingham. She just found out she's a finalist for the contest! And Lana would be in the show's nativity! So I'm doing best friend duty and asking you, my readers, if you would e-mail contest@wdjconline.com and vote for #10 Lana Lowery to win! You can vote one e-mail per e-mail address. This is the picture that was entered.



Isn't she cute? Now you MUST vote, based on cuteness factor alone.
Good luck Missy and Lana!

Conquering Bear

A conversation at my house:

"Are you throwing away that Indian vest?" I asked this of my husband who was holding the paper bag "Indian vest" that Felix made at school.

He looks at it. "Felix doesn't want me to, 'Daddy you not throw my 'ndian vest 'way'" (Quinn does a very good impression of Felix). He takes the folded up paper bag to Felix who, of course, wants to put it on. Along with his cute headdress.

"I a 'ndian," he states proudly.

"What's your Indian name?" Quinn asks him. He has been given the name 'Conquering Bear'. Again, you don't have to tell how cute my kids are.

"I not 'membuh." He looks puzzled.

"It's Conquering Bear. Can you say that?"

"No. I a 'ndian." Resolute.

"Yes, but your Indian name is Conquering Bear," I put in. "Can you say that?"

"No. I a 'ndian." His eyes are fixed stubbornly and he crosses his arms.

"But what's your 'ndian name?"

"I not 'membuh."

"It's Conquering Bear. Can you say that?"

"No. I a 'ndian. Miss Sandy said I a 'ndian." Arms still crossed.

"Do you want to be Little Bear?, "I asked (so trying not to laugh at the poor little thing).

"How about Baby Bear? Do you want to be Baby Bear?" Daddy asks. Even the big brothers are joining the conversation.

Felix looks confused. "No. I not a beh-uh (bear). I a 'ndian. Miss Sandy said."

I get down on my knees. "Can Momma show you wear your name is on your vest?" He nods and lets me take off the vest. I show him the back of the vest. "See? Right here it says 'Conquering Bear'. Can you say Conquering Bear?"

He nods. "Con-que-wing Beh-uh".

I put his vest back on and he says, "I a sweet 'ndian."

Oh, yes he is.



Later...
when asked a couple of minutes ago what his Indian name was (really, so that I hear him say it and I could spell it phonetically for this post- you lucky reader, you), he replied, "I Spi-duh-maan."

"No Felix. It's Conquering Bear. Can you say it again for Momma?"

Corin cut in, "No Felix, remember? You are Conquering Bear Spiderman." To me Corin said, "See Mom, he didn't really like Conquering Bear, so we gave him the name Conquering Bear Spiderman."

"I Con-que-wing Beh-uh Spi-duh-maan."

Ah.

FYI

Well,

I had a wonderful time in Birmingham this past weekend. I love my home church. Thank you, dear church family, for such a lovely weekend. And Quinn appreciates the Quinn Tax, by the way. We'll be there again. Soon. With Quinn.

The apple cider vinegar has been dutifully taken (along with the entire glass of water so as not to gag). I have attributed all good things happening lately with my body to drinking apple cider vinegar. It's the winner (dingding!). I'm going on two weeks with no eczema now. I am now able to wear wedding rings.

The dishwasher has been loaded, but it is not full, so I can load breakfast dishes and start the dishwasher before I leave to go to work. Yesssss. Small joys.

My Google Reader says "no unread items". Which makes me happy. In a neurotic, obsessive way.

I am slightly panicking over the dirty laundry on the kitchen floor. I DON'T LIKE DIRTY LAUNDRY. Ever. My children were playing in it earlier. Naked.

My goal is to go bed at 8:30pm. It is not lofty. And I'm giddy over the prospect.

It is very cold here tonight (well, maybe not for you Yankees), but the temperature is 28 degrees and I've officially reached the "my-hands-and-feet-will-not-be-warm-again-until-May" point. I like to stick my hands and feet on Quinn. He does not appreciate it, even though I call it "loving" him.

This morning I ran 5 miles in under 40 degree weather. In shorts. Because I'm lacking common sense, apparently. In defense of my idiocy, I thought it was warmer than that outside, and if I get too hot, I can't run as far. So, I ran, did well, came back to my house, and my legs promptly broke out in hives. Interesting. Uncomfortable. Lesson learned? Probably not. Didn't you read the part where I ran well?

Today we had a Thanksgiving potluck at school. I've been looking forward to it for several days. Throw a whole bunch of Southern Women together and bring food? I'll be there. With triple chocolate bundt cake (my signature piece, thank you very much). I actually don't remember much of what I ate (except for DEE-licious Pecan Pie) because the chubby girl who resides in my brain (you could call it schizophrenia, but I prefer to call her "the alternate") took over my body and ate whatever she could get her hands on. I really only remember seeing the pecan pie. I think I had apple cider. Not vinegar. I ate broccoli for supper (with maybe a 5minute "lecture" with the children on superfoods and eating things that are good for you). And I only remember slivering the remnants of chocolate cake for two solid hours this afternoon. Curses.

I hear PBS on, which means my husband is done with school work for the night. I'm off to torture him with my iceblocks, also known as, my hands and feet.

Low Gap

This is where I'll be tonight.
And I can't wait.

Accomplishments

Ah, the accomplishments of a busy mom may seem somewhat mundane, but still, at the end of the day, I sigh through my drowsiness and Benadryll induced cobwebs and recall ANYTHING notably done through the day.

I went to work today (with a stuffy nose and ringing ears). Sang songs about turkeys (which means that I also pretend that I'm a turkey and dance like a turkey... it's fun... you should try it) and did a Christmas bulletin board. Listened to Frank Sinatra and laughed with Lida (my teacher, whom I love) for a good bit. I love Tuesdays.

I did a piano lesson.

I finished editing a photo shoot, burned it on (to?) a CD to deliver today, and promptly left it on the counter this morning. Maybe I'll remember tomorrow.

I neglected to take something out of the freezer this morning, so I made homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for supper. It was good. Quinn pureed the soup with a portable milkshake blender and it was creamy and delicious. But don't ask Silas, who sneered over it for about an hour.

I attempted to run this morning with my friend Melanie and a good deal of medicine head. We squeaked out four miles, but really did the last mile and a half walking. Frustrating. I want to be well. I'm getting new running shoes soon. You know, because that will make me stop coughing.

I drank two tablespoons of my new obsession: Apple Cider Vinegar. You should google the benefits. Actually, I'll help you. Here you go. It cleared up my face (which has been prone to break-outs on and off for years) within two days of starting to take it a week and a half ago and I haven't had one since. And yes, it's nasty stuff. Bleah. Worth it.

I got to hold each of my boys today. Felix is a chubby baby who giggles sweetly and tells me that he's my baby, Silas curls up in a "Si-ball", smiles, and says "I love you, Mama!", and Corin begs for me to pretend to fall asleep on his head (complete with snoring) and screeches with laughter when I do this (everyday). Smile. They are all so different.

Ah, the Benadryll cocktail has set in and I'm about to settle in for the night. So I'll finish switching the laundry and with that done, be asleep within 10 minutes.
Toodle-ooh.

Sleeping is an accomplishment I enjoy.

8

I saw this on Jawan's blog a while back and couldn't resist doing my own.

8 Things I'm Passionate About:

1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
2. Freedom (both in living the gospel and in my country)
3. My Family
4. My Friends
5. Shoes
6. To leave a legacy of the gospel with my children, displaying grace to them to make their faith more tangible.
7. Beautiful things.
8. Reading

8 Phrases I Often Say:

1. Four on the floor
2. Eat over your plate, please.
3. I do not wear your shoes.
4. Did you feed the cat?
5. Hip and lip, boys and girls!
6. Please do not use your sleeve as a tissue.
7. Did you use soap?
8. Stop antagonizing your brother!

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die:

1. Go to Europe.
2. Have more babies.
3. See my children grow older, marry, and have their own children.
4. Get really good photography equipment and learn how to develop my own film.
5. Learn how to garden (and like it).
6. Be better at sight-reading music. I'd love to be able to play jazz.
7. Learn how to refinish stuff.
8. Grow very, very old (or die at the exact same time) with my husband, who is the best guy in the whole world.

8 Things I Currently Want/Need:

1. RUNNING SHOES
2. eye make-up brush
3. Zicam
4. Cowboy boots
5. some cool tights
6. dangly earrings
7. sifter
8. Kim Taylor's newest CD

8 Favorite TV Shows

1. Lost
2. What Not To Wear
3. House
4. The Office
5. Judge Judy (don't judge me)
6. Dirty Jobs
7. Clean House
8. I Love Lucy

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. The Purple Onion (Oh, I want a Gyro!)
2. PF Changs
3. Tamburro's (in Trussville, AL)
4. DREAMLAND ribs (oh my)
5. Chipotle
6. Guthrie's (oh, the sauce!)
7. Macaroni Grill (but only with a host of girls from Community Pres)
8. Bop's Custard

8 Things That Happened Today:

1. Woke up at 3:00am (yep, naptime is nigh)
2. Made White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies (the last of it, thank you)
3. Talked to my Mom
4. Kissed my husband
5. Did laundry
6. Watched Star Wars (AUGH! I hate Star Wars!)
7. Called in sick to take care of my sick babies. Who are watching Star Wars.
8. I found a long lost scarf I've been looking for.

8 Things To Look Forward To:

1. Going to Birmingham this weekend!
2. Going to G'ma's for Thanksgiving!
3. Going to FL for Christmas and seeing all my family. Good grief, I miss them like crazy. I also get to see some old friends.
4. Providence Presbyterian's Christmas Choir Presentation which is going to be awesome. I am in love with the music.
5. A nap
6. Friends visiting (tentatively? still fun to look forward to)
7. My hubby coming home (maybe to a clean and well-rested wife, but we'll see)
8. Making some extra money from taking Christmas pictures.

Give it a whirl!

What to do, what to do...

What do you do when you have sick children, have called in sick to work because of said children, have a cold yourself and have been awake since 3am because you forgot to take a Benadryll last night to help you sleep through the sniffles, but have been drinking coffee steadily since 4:30am and are now too jittery to lay back down?

Well, you check all the blogs, look on Facebook for a little while to see what's going on there, and, lastly, Yearbook Yourself. What is it? Well, it's fun, that's what. And certainly, it's a gigantic waste of time, but where else can you get a picture that looks like this:



I assure you, I've never tried the horn-rimmed glasses look. You should try it when you're up in the middle of the night, frustrated that you can't sleep because of a runny nose. It's fun. Though, admittedly, I do like this one the best:



I do have a little trouble with the face placement. I don't know why. Probably because I'm shaky with caffeine overload and have trouble with eye-hand coordination.

Noses to wipe, coughs to suppress... busy day for Momma.

Pecan Pickin'

Pee-can or peh-con... However you wish to pronounce it, this is the season for picking them. I see people on the side of the road picking pecans up off the ground. And since pecans are so expensive (yikes) and I love them so much AND since the RTS campus is FULL of pecan trees, we decided to take a family trip over to pick some for a couple of pecan pies (my absolute favorite wintertime pie). Well, the pickins' were mighty slim (I'm guessing a few other families had the same idea), but we managed to find a few.
It's hard to pick pecans when you're eating a popcorn ball, but Felix was really just content to walk around with his empty bag and occasionally lay his popcorn ball on the ground to pick up one pecan at a time. Of course, he then picked up his dirty popcorn ball and resumed consuming it. Note to self: when your baby is diagnosed at the tender of age of 7 months with a nut allergy, do not assume (at any given time really) that he is no longer allergic. I check every couple of months to see if he's still allergic. Hives, vomiting, and eczema is the usual follow up. No different at pecan pickin' day; we allowed him to eat one pecan and he immediately broke out on his face and threw up. At least he was in the grass. Lesson learned.
Silas has teeth exactly like mine. And, although I grew into my enormous teeth, I always felt like they were too big for my mouth when I was a kid. I used to beg for braces. Hmmm, braces don't make teeth smaller, just so you know. That was my erroneous view.
Silas and Corin loved finding pecans. It was like a giant egg hunt.
Corin kept asking to eat them.
We had a great time and we got enough pecans to make a couple of pies! Now, I've not shelled them yet, but here's to hoping. I'm actually hoping that since my Mother-in-law has an enormous pecan tree in her front yard, she'll bring some to Thanksgiving dinner and all the ladies will de-shell together. That's always fun. Is that too much of a hint, Linda?

How To Gain Five (or more) Pounds (an Instructional Post)

Disclaimer: You have to be an emotional eater. If you are not, then I do not know how to identify with that and this post is not for you.

First, you must be diagnosed with walking pneumonia or some other disabling, but not life altering, illness. This will disrupt attempts to exercise because of hacking fits that make you sound like you've chain-smoked since you were twelve. People looking at you with sympathy and disgust is a bonus.

Secondly, you must enjoy eating (with gusto even). And you must also have made the previous allowance on yourself that you could eat more than what was good for you because you were running 18 miles a week. So, when you cannot run (because of chain-smoking hack), you are used to the calorie intake and still continue eating the mass amounts you are used to.

Thirdly, you must make/have plenty of sweets. Sweets include white chocolate macadamia nut cookies that are from the cookie dough fundraiser at Corin's school (warm from the oven helps), peanut butter popcorn (for which I cannot be held responsible for the amounts I have eaten because it is so addictive), Trick or Treat candy that sits in a bowl on the kitchen counter calling my name (how can I deny a Hershey bar that's calling my name? It's so lonesome), and of course, cake. Any cake will do. Even cake that you don't really like, but it's sweet and you need something sweet, so it will satisfy the sugar addiction. Additional helpful tip: work in an environment of emotional eaters who like to bring in "snacks". If you are not a sweets kind of person (which I cannot identify with), salty things like chips or beef jerky (?) might help with your goal.

Fourthly, guilt is essential for both emotional eating and lack of exercise. Put both of them together and you've got prime ingredients for an unhealthy weight gain.

Fifthly, do not keep a scale. I do not keep a scale because it has been reported to me that I have an unhealthy obsession with the numbers the scale reads. I do not necessarily agree with this diagnosis (AUUUUUGH!!! I HATE NOT KNOWING HOW MUCH I WEIGH!), but I suppress the urge to buy a scale to keep peace.

Sixthly, you must continually try on clothes that fit too big or perfectly two weeks ago, but are a little snug around the waist now over and over again to climax the rising feeling of panic. And then make a cake so you can lick the batter in the bowl to make you feel better. This must be done at least twice a day for best results.

And, lastly, you must get a cold on top of the recovering hacking cough to help you solidify the helpless feeling that you will never be able to exercise again.
And go make some cookies to help you feel better.

Looking Forward To...

Life has been moving very quickly lately. And I just keep cramming more stuff in. I need a breather.

I'm looking forward to the insane weekend in Birmingham next weekend. I'm bringing my friend, Diane. Hilarious.

I'm looking forward to a week (A WHOLE WEEK!) off at Thanksgiving. Whatever will I do?

I'm looking forward to going to FL at Christmas. I miss my family bunches. It will be so good to see everyone there and spend Christmas with them.

Speaking of Christmas, I don't feel as cynical this year about it. I've been enjoying Christmas choir practice, where we've been practicing these old carols that are beautiful. I'm looking forward to Advent and I'm glad I'll have two weeks (TWO WHOLE WEEKS!) with all my men. And I'll probably decorate after Thanksgiving and enjoy it.

I'm very glad today is Friday and tonight I'm going out with my friends Nikki (the one who resembles me) and the aforementioned Diane to a Christmas craft thingy that I can't remember the name of (Mistletoe something or other). It doesn't matter what the name of it is, because it will be fun to go out with the girls. And we're going FREE! Can't beat free. The tickets cost $12 a piece (to go to a craft show???), so I wouldn't have gone otherwise.

I'm off to start my Friday of singing Turkey songs to children. Here's one you could do with your little ones:

Here is Mr. Turkey (make a fist with your thumb inside)
And this will be his head (stick out your thumb)
See his pretty tail with feathers green and red? (Put you other hand behind fisted one, fingers spread)
Be careful, Mr Turkey! (shake your hands, like the turkey is scared)
Today is Thanksgiving Day. (put your hands in a prayer position underneath your chin)
If you want to keep on gobblin', (make your thumb and pointer finger like a beak that's gobbling)
You better run away! (scurry away your fingers really fast)

Felix wants to do this again and again (and again, and again). "I wanna do dat again."

Have a great Friday!

Too Much Sugar

I cannot throw away chocolate that was acquired through Trick or Treating. Even though it's making me slightly ill. That and a lack of running (because of my so-called "walking pneumonia") make for slightly tighter pants. And an unhappy me.

We're watching the horrid election coverage, which I don't want to watch. The last two presidential elections, I would be up on and off all night long turning on the news. Ugh. I didn't even want to turn it on this year at all. That was met with the "uh, well I'm going to watch it" response from my husband and now I'm sucked in. Sucked in, I tell you! I have that nervous, sick feeling in my stomach and I'm reading a Benadryll (or two) in the near future.

Because I have too much chocolate and Trick or Treat candy in my house, I made a made-up recipe for caramel corn. How hard can it be? Harder than I thought. No fears though; I did eat way more than I should have, even though I prefer the peanut butter popcorn better (for each bag of popped corn, boil 1/3 cup Karo syrup, 1/3 cup peanut butter, and 1/3 cup sugar with a little bit of milk... Stir together with popped corn and make yourself sick).

Laundry to be folded. Laundry to be put away. More laundry to wash. Always.
Especially if you have a slight tendency to want all the dirty laundry to be clean in the house. All the time. Like me.

Work has been crazy the past two days. Let me share my hypothesis... Trick or Treating last Thursday... more candy acquired by teachers and others on Friday... children ate candy hand over fist all weekend... parents (who are relieved that their hyper/over-sugared children are going to school) pack candy bars for their snacks... teachers regret their candy gifts on Friday (they were supposed to eat ALL of it this weekend)... children sprout wings and bounce off the wall all day yesterday and today... my guess? Tomorrow, too.

Ugh. More election doom and gloom. I think I'll take that Benadryll now.
And maybe a Pepto.

MIM Takes A Walk in the Woods

I've been so thankful for the Mrs. in Ministry group that meets here. These are women who are either in seminary or their husbands are in seminary and we're all basically in the same "we're broke and in seminary" boat. They are a huge encouragement to me. I'm a social butterfly (shocking, yes) and gravitate towards people so you KNOW I'll hop on a retreat and...

Mrs. In Ministry had our retreat this weekend and it was only three blocks from my house! How cool is that? Here Sheri and Laura are chatting it up.
There was a lot of good eating (Andrea LOVES to be on my blog).

And there were great prizes (coffee, gift certificates, bread, and candy). This is Trace. She's due with her first baby around Christmas.

There was a fantastic bonfire (fire!fire!fire!). I had to control myself. Meaning I whispered to myself, "You can't melt things in front of these people, yet. You can't melt things in front of these people, yet."



Diane was having "issues" with the wire hangers. NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!!!! Ooooh, vicious.

Can you guess why I laugh at this girl (Carrie) the whole time I'm with her?
posed.

posed.

and posed.
She's hilarious. And she's not from the South. Which makes her fun to shop with. "Why are you laughing at me?" "Felix just said 'y'all'. That is so funny." Yes, you can have no Southern accent and say the word y'all. Just so you know.

Brooke and Liz are in my small group.

And it was fun getting to know more people.

Rebecca is also in my small group and we share too much information with each other about facial hair.

There were fun games (I am, apparently, a LOSER with a big "L"). Whatever. With a big "W".

And, of course, there was my bosom friend, Melinda. This is also a great picture of my sundamaged skin and WOW, do I have nose hair? THAT is unbelievable. Well, believable, but UNACCEPTABLE. But a lovely smile from Melinda.

Nikki and I have been told we look alike. By our husbands. Weird. Hello, she's NINE YEARS younger than me. I'll take it.

Can you have a women's retreat without doing a craft? That would be a NO. We made etched glass. I suppose I could link something on how to do it. But I won't. It was very gloopy. And they turned out pretty good! I'm actually thinking about... oops... can't tell that (Christmas is coming, you know).

Marie, Gina, and Liz posing for a quick pic while we wait for our etched glass to set.

A great time with a fun group of ladies!