Thanksgiving was---------

Our Thanksgiving was really nice, we drove to the couples house, it was a beautiful drive on a winding road with the river running along the side. When we arrived to their street we drove straight up a steep hill until we reached their house. Their home was beautiful. We stayed for 3 1/2 hours. The food was great, the company was wonderful and we discovered that we may be related. Our families have the same last name, Ross. I'm going to take her husband some of my family genealogy and see if any names connect. Were probably not related since the name Ross is fairly common, but it's exciting to think of the possibility's.
Today after girl scouts I came home and have remained pretty lazy for the day. For lunch I made turkey salad sandwiches, they were really good. I finally got up and cleaned my daughters room and the living room. I'm just tired from all the shopping yesterday:) It is now 8:30 and I'm ready for bed, so goodnight my friends:))

shop til you drop:))

I left the house at 4am this morning:), it was crazy, I started with JC Penny's, then went over to Toys R Us and was 150 in line to get in the door. Inside I about had a panick attack, too many people. I waited in line 45 minutes to check out then I was off to Sears. At Sears I forgot to use my $10 off coupon so that was a bummer. After sears I haeded for Shopko, one hour and twenty minutes I stood in the line to check out. Then off to Costco, after that I headed home, it was around 9:30, I first stopped at Safeway to get fixins for a huge breakfast. I made breakfast, took a nap then headed off for more shopping:)) I just finished some on-line shopping and I am pleased to say that my Christmas shopping is almost done. I am tired, my feet are throbbing, but my spirits are jolly and festive:))). I will spend the weekend preparing the house for our Christmas tree. I have a messy kitchen to clean so I will post more tomorrow on how our Thanksgiving was. Have a nice Friday:))
PS. When I carved my turkey I found a plastic bag inside full of parts. I couldn't believe that I cooked that:)

Water works and what im thankful for

I bought these to take tomorrow

Avery made this card to take tomorrow to the family that invited us over. I won the ribbon and leafs in Brenda's giveaway:)))

My brother and his wife debbie

Yes the tears are a flowing:)) I get so mushy on holidays, everything gives me the goosebumps and makes my eyes tear up. Justin gave me $400 to go shopping with on Friday and Im having anxiety about it because Im not sure what store to start at and what if I buy something at one store then see it cheaper at another. This is my first " black friday" I hope it is worth it. Here is what I am thankful for:

I am thankful for God and his love for me:)

I am thankful for Justin, he works so hard to provide a comfortable life

for us and he is my very best friend.

I am thankful for my son Ian, he has a love of reading and writing and I

think he will grow up to be a fine young man.

I am thankful for my daughter Avery, she is a mini me and keeps me

company.

I am thankful for my father, I call him everyday and before he says' bye

bye Dana" he first says "thankyou" (im not sure why, he just thanks me)

I am thankful for my sister and my mother, these relationships have

blossomed and I like that.

I am thankful for all my animals, I love them so much

I am thankful for my nieces because they are special to me, I miss them.

I am thankful for my Grandma, she is 90 and that is awesome:)

I am thankful for my uncle Clay for taking care of my Grandma and my

brother just because even though I dont see him or talk to him he is

still my brother. I miss him

Im thankful for Berean Church and the caring people there that have

welcomed me and my family as there own

I am thankful to all my new friends that I blog with, thanks for all

the feedback and warm words. Thanks for being my friend:)))

I am thankful for the men and women who fight to keep us safe,

Thank You and God Bless!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Brenda's soup

Oh my gosh this soup is sooo good:) I fixed myself a bowl and plated it nicely for a picture then before I could get my camera i was eating it and didn't want to stop:)) So this is Avery's bowl, I should have used a darker plate for the picture. Anyways I loved the soup. Thanks Brenda

Pictures

Avery last year getting ready for the Christmas parade

My niece Ellie. I wish I had a better picture of her, I do I just cant find them on my computer. My sis will probably be mad that I posted this picture, Ellie might be mad too:)) oh well

My niece Julia

I sent 160 pictures from my cell phone to my e-mail last night, then this morning had to save each one to my computer. Im glad I have them all now, so I will post some pictures today:))
I have another swap partner, thankyou Brenda and Peggy:))) Today I am making Brendas "Nawlins Bean Soup" you can buy it at her Etsy shop, we will have corn bread with it. I will update how yummy it will be this evening:)) Im looking forward to tomorrow, i asked if I should bring anything and she said no so I will buy a plant just to show our appreciation. I am also cooking my turkey in the morning so we can have turkey sandwiches all weekend, Im making homemade cranberry sauce and potato salad also, oh and Shirlas Fall Harvest cake. That way we have some food at home:))) Please remember to NOT drink and drive and when on the road be SAFE!!!!! Take time tomorrow to be grateful and thankful and remember our soldiers when saying your prayers. God Bless!!!!

My niece Lily

I think she is the prettiest baby I have ever seen:))) I miss her:((( I miss all my nieces but her especially because she is little and she is growing.

my sis put these glasses on her

she had a cookie in the grocery store

she likes her icecream

New thanksgiving plans

My reindeer cats

Im just holding her still for the photo, I dont know why she looks all crazy A lady from the church called today to invite myself and the kids to celebrate thanksgiving with her family. I accepted the invite and we will drive about 12 miles into the country and have a wonderful time. Im excited and grateful I wont be at home alone crying:))

Reindeer Cats

Yesterday I went to petsmart to get animal food and I saw these cat antlers and could not resist buying them, I think my cats were pleased with my surprise when I returned home:))

These are the swap gifts I bought for my partner amd will be returned this morning:)
My turkey is not defrosting in my fridge, I think I will just put it on the counter. I have to do laundry today and go to Walmart, maybe back to Costco. Yesterday when I was there I bought my little niece a cute Elmo outfit, Avery a my little pony play set and Ian a nice robe. They have so much neat stuff for Christmas, I only had a $100 to spend :( I actually just went there for toilet paper and wrapping paper. Thats the thing about Costco, you never just get whet you came for. They have Build A Bear gift cards worth $50 for only $40, I never made it to the Build A bear last week so I will take the $40 and get the gift card then go buy Avery stuff from the store:) Have a nice day!!!

Last nights dinner at church

She wants to eat.

Avery and her little friend Haley, with their fake smiles

Pastor and his Pastor wife

Avery getting ready to do an African dance they have been practicing

The food was so good and there was so much of it. It was a nice event, the little preschoolers performed and they were so cute, then Averys age group performed and they were cute all trying to dance in the same direction. The girls were supposed to wear all black but some girls didn't. The event was geared towards the bus families, those are the kids that come Wednesday nights just to get away from home or the parents send them for a break. It was nice that most of them showed up with their families, hopefully they will come back and want to know God.

We woke up at 7:45 this morning, Ian needs to be on the bus at that time he is just now leaving. I was able to get Ave ready in 15 minutes. We were up late watching Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds movie. Im going to go to costco and winco this morning. My Christmas swap partner backed out atr the last minute so I might go return her gifts:(

Have a great day!!

My Saturday:)

My plan yesterday was to be lazy but my darling dogs beat me to the couch:) Avery wanted to play with her friend in her room so I was on my own:)) I watched two black and white old movies one with Bette Davis called Dark Victory and the other was The old house on the hill, they were both good movies. Then I made choc. chip cookies. It was a pretty boring day. Today is the church thanksgiving feast at 6pm. After the service this morning I will stay and help decorate the tables and after the dinner I will help cleanup:) I am making greenbean casserole and deviled eggs. Have a blessed day!!

What does the top of your fridge look like?

I was so bored, so I made cookies:)

This is my beautiful baby cat watching me cook dinner, isn't she cute:)) I know it's not very sanitary for the cat to be on the counter but she is so darn cute i cant throw her down

Look at this huge blank wall, it's horrible

Lazy Day!!

All the housework is done and we have no where to go:)) So Avery and I will just lounge around and watch movies. I hope you all have a relaxing Saturday:)

I Love Cookies:)

Here is my award from Juliann, I finally was able to move it thanks to my wonderful teacher, Shirla:))) I am supposed to pass the award on, so if you are under my " friends list" please pick up the award. Those are the blogs I visit faithfully daily. You all are my friends, really my only friends:) Justin thinks Im crazy but he doesn't understand the connection we women make:) So please pick up this butterfly award.

This is a "Haystack Cookie", it is made with chow mein noodles, peanuts and butterscotch chips. My grandma made these when we would visit for Christmas. Yesterday at the church potluck one of the elder ladies brought a plate full:) I have not had one of those cookies for atleast 20 years. I ate 7 of them, hehe:) Im bad I know. I will be walking Avery to school. I googled the cookie to find the recipe, I dont want to sift through a bunch of different recipes so if anyone out there has a simple one please share it with me. Today I have a few errands to run today, one of them is taking a toy back that I ordered from JC Pennys catalog. It is for Ave and it's a dog stroller, bed, carrier, and the dog with some accesories. I paid $40 for it. I decided to open the box yesterday and check it out. Im glad I did because it is way to small for her. It looks about right for a 0ne year old to push around. So I will take that back and get the money then go to the Build a Bear and find a bed there. I totaly plan on shopping next Friday during "black friday" I never have before so I hope I get some deals. I just want to go to Toys r Us and maybe Kohls or Sears. My son likes to skip 6th period so I am going to show up at the door of his 5th period class and walk him to 6th period. We will see how he likes that:))
Have a fun weekend my friends!!!

nothing much to say

Finally, the rain is back. I just love dark, cloudy, rainy days:)) The only thing that I dont like about it is my dog, Mia will not go pee outside. She is going to hold it as long as she can. It's frustrating. I have went out with her 5 times already this morning and she just stands there and looks at me. She is picking up on my frustration also. Im going to the potluck with the ladies today. Im just taking mac and cheese with bacon on top. There is always so much food there. Tonight I have a management meeting and will eat at the banquet. The kids can have leftover soup from last night. I bought this brand from Walmart called Bear Creek, it was so, so good. It was cheddar potato and I added broccoli and bacon. Tomorrow we are having sphagetti with italian sausage, salad and garlic bread. Saturday we are having ginger chicken, Im sure what we will have with it. Sunday we are attending the churches thanksgiving feast, 260 people will be attending. I am bringing greenbean casserole, not for that many people just one dish. There will be so much food:) I guess I did have alot to say, just nothing to important. Thanks for visiting my blog:)))

Look at my mess

I bought these sheer panels last May and they were still in the package when we moved downstairs, so I used thumb tacks to hang them until justin comes home then he can drill the rod into the wall. The tacks didn't work to well so I took the drill out and hung them myself:)))

These are my closet doors, Justin did not put them on for me:( I have to wait until he comes home for Christmas
Yesterday I got alot of work done. I scrubbed my kitchen and bathroom floor on my hands and knees. The owner didnt clean his unit. He lived here for four years and I dont think he ever mopped his floor. I also unpacked the bathroom completely. I dont know what everyone else keeps on top of their fridge but I kept anything that didnt have a place to go, so I had a box of stuff colected from the old fridge that iI needed to sort through. I still have to much junk on the fridge, mostly dog and cat products. I have a space between the counter and the fridge that I think I might be able to fit a plastic drawer stand, maybe walmart has the right size, then I can keep misc. stuff in it. I dont want clutter. That side of my room is driving me crazy.

I walked to pick Avery up from school yesterday and I intend to day the same today. My legs are sore. I quit smoking cigarettes almost 5 weeks ago but still was huffing and puffing while I was walking. Hopefully that gets better. I have quit before I just hope this time it's for good.

Tonight me and Avery take the bus to church, last week Pasto asked if I was interested in driving one of the buses. Im thinking about it, but it would have to be the small bus.

I plan on being lazy today and having grilled cheese and potato soup for dinner. I might go to Walmart, I first need to think of something to buy:) ))) Okay ladies Im off to pay you all a visit.

Tuesday: laundry day

My son took these pictures yesterday

looking for squirrels

Its blurry, but they are playing

Biscuit stalking his siter

Babies palying in the backyard

Im running late on posting for the day, I dont like it when I have to wait to read my friends blogs. I like doing that right when I wake up:)) I already went and did laundry, cleaned kitchen and the bathroom. I need to go outside and finish picking up the leaf piles. It's a nice sunny day, still only 60 degrees. The rain is due to return on Thursday:) so I should take care of the leafs before then. Justin is going back to Utah to pick up another student. I hope this one is a success. I know it is not a reflection of Justins capability in training, just bad luck. This is a blessing and will help towards Christmas:) Last time I made ham and beans I froze half of them, so thats what we are having for dinner tonight. I hope they defrost well and taste the same.

The gutters need to be cleaned also but I think I better wait for Justin to help me with that. If I fall and get hurt who will be the mom.

Juliann awarded me with an award, I need to figure out how to pick it up. Im not sure what we will do on Thanksgiving, I dont want to cook all the same stuff again, we are going to the churches feast next Sunday evening. I have a tyrkey in the freezer, maybe I will just cook it and we can have turkey sandwiches. It's just me and my kids, I will be sad missing my family. I need to think of something fun for us to do:) Have a nice Tuesday!!!

Picture Day:))

Saturday morning at 9am on are way to first get the oil changed and then to girlscouts.

This is Ave's leader pinning her for another year

here she is lighting her candle and reciting a piece of the girlscout promise

I just want you guys to know that Justin is wearing a wig, Im sure you figured that out but I just wanted to clarify it:)) I was able to get absolutely nothing done this weekend. Justin was stuck in Atlanta and on the weekends he doesn't get his political radio talk shows so he was needy and wanted to stay on the phone all weekend, Thats fine with me, we both just put our phones on speaker and talk when we want and it's just like were in the same room. The only problem is I have to stay with my phone on the charger so I wasn't able to move around alot and do whats on my to-do list. Thats okay though, I have all week:)

My parents are having some hard times so I was dealing with my very sad father this weekend. My mom is so mean to him, he just cant take it anymore, he works so hard and she spends money like crazy. He was calling my sister crying, he didnt want to worry me when I am 500 miles away. My sis called me because she didnt know what to do, so I called my dad and have been trying all weekend to make him ignore my mom and enjoy his weekend alone without her. She went to Hawaii. He works out of town during the week and has to eat fast food all week, he should be able to come home to a home cooked meal and get clean clothes. Im praying for my family this week. Thats all I will vent about that.

I hope everyone has a good week!!!

Justins introduction

This is Justin, he finally agreed to let me post his picture. This is the picture he picked, dont you think he needs a haircut?

My computer is being so slow this morning, I think I should take the music off and someone added a song to my playlist. Who did that? I wonder if there is a way to delete old posts so they are not taking up memory space and slowing down my computer. I wanted to post pictures of the girlscout ceremonies but the computer is being weird so I will try again tomorrow. I think that is a horrible picture of my Justin. Oh well:))) I guess Im going to delete my music:(
I went to get my oil change yesterday and it ended up costing $100, I needed my brake fluid changed. So I didnt get to go to costco. I have more to talk about but I have to get to church right now so I will talk later. have a blessed day!!!

Saturday

Goodmorning to ya- all, ( I dedicate that to Brenda) I am off to get an oil change:) fun, fun, fun. Then we go to girlscouts. Poor Justin is stuck in Atlanta with no load til Monday, he sends all the money home and I have the only bank card, he wants me to wire him some money, do you think I should:) Im just kidding, I will send him some money. So maybe I will also go to Costco, I need laundry soap, wrapping paper and wanted to find some books for my babie niece for christmas. I also have a to-do list for around the house that I should get done today. Did I tell you guys that my new bedroom has blue walls and blue carpet. I think it is horrible.
Listen to this, Justins first student was just fired, his second student died, his third students pregnant wife took a fall and is bed ridden so he had to quit, and his fourth student failed the test after 7 weeks of training. I dont think Justin should be training. I told my dad this and he said for me to be nice. Okay Dad:)) My mom is in Hawaii right now, all by herself, my dad was supposed to go, actually let me re-phrase that. My mom bought my dad a ticket and booked the trip with out asking him first. He wasn't happy about that and didn't go. My parents are interesting:)
I better get going, have a fun Saturday.

Friday

As you can tell I have added some music, my friend Kathi taught me how to do that. I have to revise my play list when I have more time. Today I am off to the laundry mat again to wash the bedding, then to the car wash to wash and vacum the car out. I raked most of the leafs yesterday but ran out of room in the container to put any more. Tomorrow at girlscouts the girls are having their rededication ceremony and a luncheon so I have to pick something up for that, I will probably just go to costco and grab a salad. I better go drink a chai latte for some energy. I hope you all have a nice weekend!!!

Thursday

Waiting for the bubbles

She is the best bubble catcher

Lsast night after church we came home and the dogs were very entertaining, they were being cute:) Im so tired in the mornings, I cant seem to sleep well living in a bottom unit. Im nervous at night of someone breaking in, and it doesn't help when the dog jumps out of bed and looks out the window barking like crazy. I know my girl dog would attack someone if we were in danger but Biscuit the big boy dog, he would just lick an intruder and be all happy. I just have to get used to being on ground level.

Im going to go have lunch with the church elder ladies, Im going to ask if one of them can teach me how to crochet. I know how to make a chain but thats about it. I saw really cute scarves at walmart and thought it would be nice to make one myself.

Have a good day ladies!!!