Taking A Break...FAMILY TIME!

I bet many of you are just as busy as I am today with Thanksgiving right around the bend. I got all of my grocery shopping done yesterday and I've been cleaning the house today. Chris left around noon to drive down to Mobile to pick Brittany up and bring her home once she's finished with her classes. We thought with all the holiday traffic on the road, it would be best if she not make the drive alone. Tomorrow, I will be spending much of the day getting some of my baking done, which always makes Thanksgiving Day run smoother. My mother-in-law and brother-in-law will be coming on Wednesday night.

So, with everything going on around here, I'm going to take a break from blogging for the rest of the week. It's going to be so nice to have my family altogether, again, and I want to make every moment count! I hope each of you has a WONDERFUL time with you family on Thanksgiving.

Let us all try to remember that there are so many others less fortunate than ourselves, so if you're one of the lucky ones to have a roof over your head and food in your tummy, consider yourself BLESSED.

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you'll never, ever have enough."~Oprah Winfrey

Bye, Bye Turkey Day...

I'm telling you, if I see another slice of turkey or ham, I'm going to lose it! It was nice while it lasted, but I've had enough. Let's see, we had turkey and ham on Thanksgiving Day, of course. Then, we ate it for breafast and dinner the next day. You CAN have too much of a good thing, and I'm way past that point. Chris is taking us out for dinner tonight at our favorite Mexican restaurant and I can't wait! The very thought of eating chips and salsa makes my mouth water!

So, we had a good Thanksgiving...hope all of you did, as well. We had my brother-in-law (Sandy)and mother-in-law (Diane) here, along with their two dachshunds. We met them at an outlet mall on Wed. afternoon on their way into town. They wanted to get a little shopping done. Chris was not big on the idea as he IS NOT into shopping in the slightest! After a couple of hours of walking in store after store with them, Chris, the girls, and I decided to call it a day and head on home. Sandy and Diane stayed another couple of hours at the mall, which was fine because it allowed me some extra time to get a few more things done.

Here I am, the happy little cook (yeah, right!). No, in all honesty, I did enjoy preparing the Thanksgiving meal. See the smile on my face...happy, happy, happy!!!

The girls and I surrounded by all the food I cooked BY MYSELF!! Yes, you heard me correctly! The menu included turkey, ham, homemade sourdough bread, green beans, mashed potato casserole, homemade mac~n~cheese, cornbread and squash dressing (to die for, if I must say so myself!), festive cranberry relish, blackberry cobbler, and Black-Bottom Pecan Cheesecake Pie. I'm telling you people, I completely outdid myself!! Chris and the girls with his mom and brother...I think I had just taken a big bite when I heard Chris say, "Cheese!" We're all stuffing our faces...After the meal we had, we decided it was a good idea to go for a walk... I love the scenery...The girls playing the Wii...they're very competitive!Abby challenging my mother-in-law to a cow race...Chris getting ready to do his thang in a game of bowling...I so whipped up on him!!!
My in-laws left to go home about an hour ago. We had a nice visit with them, but I'm glad to have my house back. Now, I can clean myself into a frenzy! Nothing makes me happier than pulling out my Hoover and giving the house a good going-over. I just like to have everything in order. Of course, I need to make it snappy...chips and salsa are calling my name!!!

Knockin' Out Two Birds With One Stone...

Alright, so here's the deal. I've been given a fabulous award that I'm about to tell you about THEN...I'm going to post about Thanksgiving. So, I'm taking care of two things at once, hence the title of this post!

Look at what I've been given by my blogging buddy, Ang, over at Davisix!! I've never even seen this award, but I love it and I'm so very honored that she chose me to receive it! Drop by her blog when you get a chance. She's as sweet as they come, and has a great sense of humor! Like me, I'm sure you'll love her blog, too!

Ok, so here are the rules:

1. Name 5 things you love.
2. Pass the award on to 5 blogs you love.
3. Please link back to my blog.

So, 5 things I love...here we go:

1. I love LIFE...all the ups and downs, twists and turns...they've made me a stronger person and have given me a deeper appreciation for all that I've been blessed with.
2. I love being loved...in spite of all my imperfections.
3. I love that I can still hug and kiss my girls without them saying, "Stop, Mom,...you're embarrassing me!"
4. I love the 80's!!! I love the music, especially! Makes me want to get up and dance, which I often do!
5. I love blogging! I was a bit hesitant to get started, at first. I wasn't, and still am not, the most computer savvy person in the world. I thought it would be just a waste of my time. Little did I know that I would meet such wonderful people who make it all worthwhile. Thanks to each of you!!

Now, I'm going to pass this award to...I promise to follow the rules this time...though I really want to give it to everyone...

1. Lorrie at The View From My Door
2. Daphine at Just Stuff
3. Sandy Toes at Shell in Your Pocket
4. Lindsay at The Cross-Stitch House
5. Rebeckah at Life With Kaishon

Now, for the other part of my post. I'm just curious...no, actually, I'm downright nosey!...what are your plans for Thanksgiving? Are you staying at home, or will you be traveling? Do you have any special traditions?

As for my family, Chris and I hosted our first Thanksgiving 19 years ago as a newly married couple in our 1,200 sq. ft. house. We had my parents and my in-laws over, so it was a little crowded, but we muddled through...some way...somehow!

The years following were usually spent with my parents, then we'd go to my in-laws the day after Christmas. It was easy to spend Thanksgiving with my mom and dad because they lived nearby, whereas Chris' parents lived in southern Alabama at the time. After my mom passed away in 2000, my oldest brother, Mike, and his wife hosted Thanksgiving at their house. My dad lived close to them, so it was just easier for Dad not to have to travel to our house. Then, after we moved from west Tennessee to Georgia 3 1/2 years ago, we began having Thanksgiving with my in-laws in South Carolina. With my father-in-law in declining health for several years, it was next to impossible for them to travel here.

This year, now that my father-in-law is gone, we're having my mother-in-law and brother-in-law at our house for Thanksgiving, along with their two dogs. I know, it's going to be like a zoo...6 people and 4 dogs! I haven't cooked Thanksgiving dinner in such a long time! I hope I can pull it off without any major catastrophes! I'm sure my girls will be a big help to me. We always love to cook and bake together during the holidays.

The only real tradition we have is that we put up our Christmas tree the Sunday following Thanksgiving. Chris gets it set up, then the girls and I decorate it. We always have the best time! Would you believe that one of our neighbors who lives behind us, across the creek, put up their Christmas tree last Sunday? I'd go crazy if ours was up that long! We, of course, have some traditions for Christmas that I'll probably touch on as it gets closer.

So, that's what we have planned for Thanksgiving this year...now, what about you?

Oh, I keep forgetting to mention something. Would you believe that Brittany received a letter of interest the other day from West Point...yes, THE military academy in New York??? The cross country coach wrote that they'd been following her and had seen that she did very well in the State meet recently. WHAT??? She sent Brittany a questionnaire to fill out and return. Can you believe that? Yes, in case you're wondering...Chris is beside himself!! I told him, "Don't get your bloomers in a wad!" Time to just slow down and take this a step at a time.....WEST POINT??? Are you serious??? :)

Oops!....I think I just knocked out three birds, instead of two! Hee hee!!