Tag Archives: family

Stick a fork in me…it’s Friday

Joining up for the Friday regular linky loo @ Conversion Diary with Jennifer Fulwiler and people, who BTW, has a reality show premiering on December 13, you can click HERE to get all the deets!  Without further adieu…let me make the attempt here:

The view on our counter this week.  Good times, people, good times!

The view on our counter this week. Good times, people, good times!

  1. Fell STRAIGHT asleep last night and woke up @ 12:30a.m. to two cats fighting.  OUR cat and some other cat (who I’m certain started it….)..anyway, jumped out of bed and took care of it, but then…the dang cat had POO on his butt.  I wasn’t messing with that so I left him outside to fend for himself and went back to bed.
  2. Tossing and turning with adrenaline pumping our 13yo son had a dream/something and was talking LOUDLY in his sleep.  Jumped up and dealt with that and then back to bed.  To toss and turn some mo’…I see lots o’ caffeine in my future today.  Lots.
  3. At least I exercised this week.  Not yesterday, but all week-long.  Gotta balance the Christmas baking…..or at least keep it at bay, you feel me??
  4. Our daughter’s bronchitis appears to be gone. Thank you $100 worth of Zpack and Brom cough meds.
  5. 3 Days of staying at home and down about 5 pounds, but our 13 yo son seems to have kicked his flu bug.
  6. On Day 3 of flu, he rallied long enough to make his 5:40p.m. appointment to audition for All-county band.  He’s really quite competitive
  7. He made All-County band.  French horn, 4th chair.  Pretty proud mama and papa, considering we have ZERO musical ability and the kiddo has only been playing a year.  Yep.  he’s the bomb.
  8. French horn...bring it!

    French horn…bring it!

Happy week y’all.  I’m off to find more coffee!!!  STAT!!

Christmas deco…Open House

Welcome and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Welcome and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Love having a 2nd tree!  And this tree cost me $3 @ a garage sale a few years back!

Love having a 2nd tree! And this tree cost me $3 @ a garage sale a few years back!

Kindergarten project with recycled palm tree wood!

Kindergarten project with recycled palm tree wood!

Too pretty for cookies

Too pretty for cookies

Our real Maine tree..in spite of the needles, I still love it!

Our real Maine tree..in spite of the needles, I still love it!

Our HOPE is in the Lord!

Our HOPE is in the Lord!

Our Angel and friendship ornament

Our Angel and friendship ornament

Someone is encouraging snow!

Someone is encouraging snow!

Even the kid's bathroom has some Christmas spirit!

Even the kid’s bathroom has some Christmas spirit!

The stockings are hung...and our youngest is concerned the Big Guy might not be able to reach Mom and Dad's!

The stockings are hung…and our youngest is concerned the Big Guy might not be able to reach Mom and Dad’s!  P’shaw, I say!!!

Another cookie jar (not in use) and candle Snowman

Another cookie jar (not in use) and candle Snowman

Keeping track of Advent

Keeping track of Advent

Love this Advent wreath of the Nativity!

Love this Advent wreath of the Nativity!

Kitchen candle and Santa snuffer

Kitchen candle and Santa snuffer

Our card, Santa's plate is ready

Our card, Santa’s plate is ready

Christmas books and cards

Christmas books and cards.  The cards will line the spindles as they arrive, it’s AWESOME by the end of the month!!

Advent puzzle calendar and knick-knacks

Advent puzzle calendar and knickknacks

THE reason for the season

THE reason for the season, and even though we are WAITING on the birth of baby Jesus, we still keep him in the crèche all month-long.

For more fun Open Houses….go check out Katie @ NFPandMe, she’s linking up until Christmas, so you can check out all the new linkups throughout the month!  How fun!!

Quick Takes…quickly….

I’ve been MIA for the last few Fridays with various activities and blah, blah, blah, but I’m here for this one….super quick…I hope….otherwise go visit Jen @ Conversion Diary for a look at a Domestic Monastery and various Quick Takes from all over the world!

1)  Heading into Advent and the holiday pace is picking up quickly….small moments of panic and overload, making “quiet time” even more important=less blogging. for me.

2)  With the Christmas season of shopping, parties, baking, etc. I decided that I need to work in exercise DAILY and really focus on what I’m eating so I can keep it in check and not head into 2013 one size larger…however, this weekend IS baking for my annual cookie swap.  Hey, balance, balance, balance!

3)  My cardio=P90X and walking, however…..before you think I’m psycho cray  with P90…let me assure you, I call it my “20 minutes with Tony”..I work up a good glisten, I’m sore for  a few days and I haven’t stressed myself over how to fit it in…maybe I’ll graduate past 20 minutes eventually; at this time, 20 minutes is working for me and I’m good with that!

4)  Oatmeal, raisins and flax seed for breakfast and chicken and spinach for lunch…a little boring and repetitious, however, tasty and both seem to keep me pretty full and satisfied keeping the Oreo intake WAAAAAAY down.

5)  Sick kid (again??!! thought she kicked this 2 weeks ago!!) and Hubby’s back is out—tho’ slowly getting better, therefore  the boys will be on Attic duty and ladder duty for operation Christmas decoration this weekend, bring on the lights!!

6)  Christmas cards are mailed out which means I can mentally begin shopping and decorating and enjoying Christmas…I don’t know, OCD?!?!  I just can’t do anything until they are sent out.  Period.  End.

7)  Santa’s in the house….our youngest just handed me her letter to review and it melted my heart.  We can safely resume Friefel…our elf on the shelf.

I’m out.  It’s late.  I’ve got a date with Tony before work….y’all have a great weekend!!

Tick tock…get ready!

source unknown

The holidays are upon us.  I’m getting a little panicky……Excited and overwhelmed.  However, I just bought tickets for the Nutcracker, we have much of our Thanksgiving food procured (sans the bird, yet!) and tonight…TONIGHT I will order Christmas cards!!!  For me, I just can’t start shopping until the cards are DONE!  It signifies the start of the shopping season for me.  WOW!!  How about you???  Do you wing it or are you structured?  Blessings!!

Pumpkin-obsessed

It’s fall.  Though we don’t get MUCH of a season change here in Central Florida, the humidity and temp do take periodic dives, sending us into a state of bliss.  This is the time of year I get to add my favorite item a little extry, extry into the recipes and food rotation.  Sadly, it appears my family does not share my excitement over pumpkin….at least not to the degree that I love it.  Boo hiss.  More than once I’ve been asked to “cool it on the pumpkin”.

Here are a few things “we” have enjoyed…(by we, I mean it’s been purchased and entered the house, however, not everyone has partaken of):

  • Pumpkin oatmeal….oh wow!  I love oatmeal for breakfast and this was a super yummy addition, not to mention healthy
  • Pumpkin muffins
  • Pumpkin pie Pop Tarts (yes, apparently Pop Tarts has “seasonal” flavors.  who knew?!
  • Pumpkin bread
  • Pumpkin ravioli
  • Pumpkin protein smoothie
  • Pumpkin marshmallows
  • Pumpkin coffee
  • Pumpkin spice coffee creamer
  • Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (regular recipe just add a can of pumpkin and cinnamon and nutmeg to taste!)
  • and……I still have 6 cans of pumpkin in the pantry!!!  and I WILL use them. oh yes, I will.   family requests be darned!

Now tonight for dinner, along with out 3 Bean Bake, I made that family of mine pumpkin muffins and added some cream cheese filling and guess what???  No complaints.  and no leftovers. That’s right.   I’m bringing them over to the pumpkin side…..

What do you think?  Too much pumpkin or just right?  Maybe I DO have a problem….