Page Plans for November

It's hard to believe the month of November has come and gone... this month we had some great sketches at Page Plans

Its time for Christmas Music...

I spent some time today adding some new songs to my playlist...all the kids helped me add some favorites :) I am noticing though that a few are getting cut off, I'll have to go back and fix those. I can't believe its time to start pulling out the Christmas tubs and start decorating for the Season...the year sure flew by!

Today I also got my Christmas Card sent to Costco...didn't want to fight the crowds so I will go pick them up tomorrow or maybe Monday morning when the kids are back at school :) I usually have them in the mail the day after Thanksgiving...not this year...I remade them 3 times...and decided this is it...I'm not doing them again - lol

I also started my December Daily Mini Book inspired by Ali Edwards I am pretty excited to document all the things we will do this Holiday Season. This is such a fun time of the year. Sorry the photo is so crappy its already dark outside...

Why do the day's just come and go so fast?

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Yesterday morning we were all up and out the door by 7:30 for the annual Turkey Trot! We were so happy to be back in the Tri-Cities again to do it, we missed it last year since we were in Spokane but we were back baby!!! It was COLD - only 36 degrees but no one complained until the walk back to the car...and I think I complained the most LOL

This year Mason walked the entire thing NO STROLLER... I had planned on running the 5K but with my crappy ankle I just did the one mile with the Family and we all walked together. Here's some photos...not the best! But its not about the photos its about the memories right! lol





Here's a digital LO I did recently for Pam using one of her latest kits - it was from the '06 Turkey Trot...


After the Turkey Trot we headed to STARBUCKs - gosh I love that place...and I really needed it to warm up! We went home for awhile and then later we met out at my mom's for a Thanksgiving Feast to remember! Gina and I had spent the day before preparing most of the meal...so not much needed to be done...

Well everything seemed to be going as planned...Joe smoked the Turkey it smelled great...it looked GREAT...



Now as my dad and Joe started cutting into the Turkey...that's when everything changed! Picture...uuummmmm the movie Christmas Vacation...ok well the Turkey didn't actually shrivel up when they cut into it, but only a small portion of the Turkey was saved for dinner and Gina and I didn't even eat any of it because we were afraid! LOL

My mom's homemade rolls were the BEST!!! I aske dher to send me the recipe...when I woke up this morning the recipe was already sitting in my inbox...I might just have to make some tomorrow.

Dessert was great I made a Lemon Meringue Pie from scratch and another Pumpkin Crisp :)



Karen...it just dawned on me I never posted the recipe for this...here you go!

Pumpkin Crisp
Ingredients:
One 20oz. can of pumpkin
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg
One 5oz. can of evaporated milk, 3/4 cup
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 spice cake mix, dry
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup melted butter
whipped cream

Directions:
Beat together the pumpkin, spices, salt, evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla and eggs until well blended and pour into a greased 9X13 cake pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the top, then drizzle the melted butter over the cake mix and sprinkle with nuts. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 mins. or until knife inserted comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream topping.

"Big and Brave"

...isn't he just the cutest Indian EVER!!! He remembered his lines during the entire play...never messed up once...of course all he had to remember was "Big and Brave" but he remembered every time. Funny thing though, he told me he was going to say, "Bang, Bang" I guess he really wanted to be a Pilgram Boy and get those turkeys! lol



After the play and some cute little songs they had a feast for all the families we all contributed to the feast...



I made these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins...YUMMY!!! I love this time of year...and this little play was just so sweet and made this year so much more memorable :)

Happy Tuesday :)

I saw this list on someone's blog this morning, and thought it was a cool list to go through. The idea is that you bold the items that you've done. Seemed like an easy & fun thing to do this morning before heading out to Mason's Thanksgiving Feast and play at school!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (does coffee count?)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Just wanted to share...

...a couple of mini books that I have made recently for other people...the first one is a "thankful 4" mini book I'll just share a couple of the inside pages. I did them all the same and just changed the titles...hopefully I will have some spare time to put one of these together for myself too...






...this second mini book I made for a friend and her precious new little one...tonight I hope to finish up a bit of sewing and then the rest of her gift is finished and I can take it to her...all she needs to do is add a picture each month and at the end of the 1st year the book is complete...I hope she likes it :)

...not the news I wanted to hear...

This morning I went to back to the doctor about my ankle...remember in September I got a level 3 sprain...I might as well broke it! I had an air cast...physical therapy...its still not healed all the way...now I have to have an MRI...the doc said it just should be doing much better by now...I agreed! On Friday night I was having some really strong pains...I'm not sure what from...I haven't ran or walked in WEEKS...its driving me crazy...my sister and I wanted to sign up for some easy 3 or 5Ks coming up...looks like thats out!

Di Hickman LO Sketch for November

Gosh I can not believe its already the middle of November, time is just moving way to fast!!!

Di's digital template (that I used in the LO below) is available in her store FREE for a limited time HERE Check it out!!!

Here's my LO using her Fall Frolic kit too - such an awesome kit!!! She also now has a 6x4 brag book kit available and QPs using this same kit...

Today's Inspiration...

1. Throw out nonessential numbers.
This includes age, weight, and height.
Let the doctors worry about them.. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends.
The grouches pull you down.
(Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)



3. Keep learning:
Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.
Never let the brain get idle.
"An idle mind is the devil's workshop."
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things


5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with him or her!


6. The tears happen:
Endure, grieve, and move on.
The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourself.
LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love:
Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.
Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health:
If it is good, preserve it.
If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.
Take a trip to the mall, even to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is



10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

"Release Day" 2 NEW KITS by....

PamelaDonnisDesigns...and they are available today at the DigiChick...check them out...both kits are alot of fun...first I used Merry and Bright and then I used some photos from our Cruise and I used the Zippadeedooda kit...

ETA: I just finished up another Christmas LO...this new kit is so fun...I think I may even use it for our Christmas Cards this year :)

God Bless the U.S.A.

Today is a day for remembering all the Veteran's...what they stand for and all they have done for all of us...we have a special Veteran in our own Family...my dad...my kiddos Papa...Gina has worked numerous hours putting together this video of photos of him from his days riding on the tanks in Vietnam...there's even a family photo of us...which was to be use as a passport photo when we thought we were being shipped over seas to Germany...so in honor of this very special day please take the time to watch this video...be thankful and remember all the soldiers who fight and who have fought for our country (before you press play you'll need to scroll down to my playlist and press pause).

Yesterday was a great day...

My Birthday started a day early...Friday night the kids had a sleep over and Stuart and I went out to dinner - we had a very nice dinner at Targaris Winery so much better then last years dinner we had in Spokane...and then we went to the movies...woke up in the morning and went out to breakfast and then headed out for a bit of Christmas shopping...we are just about done WOO HOO...then we met some friends at STARBUCKs... My MIL later met us at home with the kids...some balloons...each of the kids gave me a rose and they also surprised me with a cake...I didn't expect the cake especially since I made myself "Birthday Cupcakes" the day before! lol



My favorite gift this year besides my STARBUCKs gift card from my sister in New Jersey was the new monitor I got from Stuart...so now my iMAC is up and running...

Later in the afternoon we headed over to Stuart's Grandparents house for a quick visit...took them a couple cupcakes...because heaven knows we CANNOT eat them all, PLUS the cake and ALL the Halloween candy still laying around!

...then yesterday evening we headed over to my parents because my mom made our "Birthday Dinner" its been the same since I can remember LASAGNA and then Lemonade Stand Pie for dessert...yummy!!! Joe got Gina a bottle of Banana Rum so we made a few drinks too! We couldn't be in the islands for our birthday...so the islands came to us! lol

Happy Birthday to me!

...and GINA too!

Opps I almost forgot to share...

...last week I completed this challenge...Michele a creative team member of Pamela's created this template, it was her first ever she did a great job :) If you hurry you can still play along...grab the template HERE
ETA: This was Michele's 1st Template Challenge NOT her 1st Template...sorry about that Michele...
You can still upload your LO until tomorrow - Wednesday, 11/05/08 by midnight central standard time.



Thank goodness I had a week to complete this LO...because I needed it...I just COULD NOT come up with a title...so it sat undone for 5 days waiting for a title...tfl

A Prayer

I made this card for a family that's going through a difficult time right now...can you imagine your baby being diagnosed with cancer? I know that a couple of my friends actually can...and its something I can't even imagine...for the last couple of days I can't stop thinking about this family, my heart is just aching for them...I hope the power of prayer will reach them and help them during this difficult time.

I have been feeling so awful these last couple weeks...hell who am I kidding its been months now...and my troubles don't compare to this...I'm not feeling sorry for myself...I'm just down right not happy...I have thought about what to do that might make me happy again...but what this family is going through doesn't even compare to unhappiness...so I should just sit back and be grateful...that I have three healthy children and right now I can say a prayer for this family and help them in this simple way.

Halloween 2008

Boy am I glad its over LOL...having to dress up 3 kiddos and keeping track of 3 of them is just a bit stressful! Yesterday morning when we woke up it was raining and it rained most of the day but then it cleared up and it was quite warm...especially compared to our chilly Halloween in Spokane last year...we had a quick dinner of Baked Cheese Jack-o-lanterns and Goblin Goo to drink...



This year for Halloween we had Indiana Jones, Wonder Woman and a Dead Biker Dude belonging to the group Dead City Choppers...