Happy Happy...

our thanksgiving was a good one. it just so happened that it was my birthday, as well. so nice that everyone came to celebrate my birthday and so nice that is was made a holiday :) although, i'm not sure that mcdonalds got the memo that it was my birthday because they were closed...yes, closed. hello! i wasn't able to have my favorite breakfast on my very own birthday holiday. how rude! it was ok, though, because my sister made me some fabulouse pumpkin spice cake that i ate too much of and i had diet cherry pepsi left over from our camping trip. i must say i was spoiled. bob the builder took the baby and let me sleep in til 8, i recieved the most awesome gift EVER! bub took the little princess into target to buy me a fantastic pair of slippers and queenie got me an ipod shuffle so i can boogie as i quilt. yeah! we spent the afternoon at aunt bunnies and had a great time. i haven't downloaded the pictures yet, so no pictures, sorry. as the day came to an end, all joking aside, i felt very grateful for ALL our blessings. i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and brandon, happy birthday...i can't believe your 10!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

everyone! i hope your thanksgiving is filled with family, friends and great memories. there is always so much to be thankful for. i ran across this quote while searching my favorite blogs, i thought it was appropriate during these times...

To be satisfied with a little, is the greatest wisdom; and he that increaseth his riches, increaseth his cares; but a contented mind is a hidden treasure, and trouble findeth it not. Akhenaton

have a wonderful turkey day, enjoy your surroundings and enjoy the ones you love.

Ocotillo Wells

is a great place to be on an "off weekend". i saw a truck with this sticker on it and i need to get one. cute huh! i decided to list my top 10 favorite things about our desert trip. except for #1, they are not in any particular order.

hope your weeked was great.

1. a relaxing ride in the golf cart with my two sons.

2. PERFECT weather, NO wind!

3. bub coming up with the solution to bob's problem :)

4. relaxing in my chair watching the 3 amigos perfect their jumping skills with a sleeping baby on my chest.

5. j-o-e (i find him enjoyable and hysterical)

6. kayley's gratitude and enthusiasm

7. accident free (almost...)

8. watching the baby play in dirt and pick up small rocks with his tiny fingers

9. laughter (ours and theirs)

10. "torrance" chasing the peanut butter ball

bob didn't make my top ten this time. he got into too much trouble. he siad, he'll try to do better next time. however, he does believe that because of him, my top ten are possible...of course he does.

Looking for a

cute little hand made gift... how stinkin' cute is this. click here for the tutorial.

An Unexpected

email came from betty today. she asked if i had delved further into the domestic diva's blog. i hadn't. a little embarrassed, i must say, that i was only searching for gift ideas and looked no further. please go back to her blog and read about her beautiful daughter who is desperately looking for a kidney donor. it's a reminder to me to open my eyes beyond my current focus and see that we are directed by the hands of the Lord. we may not able to donate a kidney but we can send are thoughts and prayers to this young lady and maybe, just maybe, someone who can help will and her life will be saved. today, as we take part of whatever activity we are involved in, let us remember to look beyond what we are looking at and see why we are looking. happy sunday!

Some More Gift Ideas

i've been seaching for holiday gift ideas. click here to go to a great blog. scroll down to see her list of tutorials. she has a ton of great ideas.

including these...so cute.

A Holiday Gift Idea

Martha had a tutorial on how to make these Teacup Candles. I was going to put a link to it, but I can't find it, so I've posted the directions for you. You can use vintage, thrift shop, discount store-find teacups (or whatever container!) to make great holiday gifts. Have fun!

Teacup Candles

Materials:

Nested pans, Partially burned candles, Candy or candle thermometer, Tongs, New wicking, Teacups, Wick sustainers, Wooden skewers

Technique:

1. In a small pan set over a larger pan of simmering water, melt down old candles; clip the thermometer to the upper pot, and keep temperature at about 185°. Remove old wicks with tongs.

2. Cut a piece of wicking to the cup’s height plus 2 inches. Clamp one end to a wick sustainer; tie the other end around a skewer. Dip wicking and sustainer into melted wax to coat them. Remove and stick sustainer to cup’s bottom.

3. Pour in the wax, stopping 1/2 inch below the cup’s rim. Allow wax to set, about 1 hour. The candle will harden with a well in the center. To even it out, use another skewer to prick a circle of holes about 1/16 inch deep around the wick. Pour in melted wax until surface is 1/4 inch below rim. Cut wick.

I need a little support

from those of you who've been to my home in the last year, or so...
my in-laws have an old garage that we were storing some furniture in. the garage will be coming down soon to make room for the new house they are building. what does that have to do with the pictures, you ask? i'll tell you...
i decided to bring the old furniture back here and take the big leather couch to my in-laws (until we move) for several reasons. one, there are a lot of children at my in-laws and i didn't think the older furniture would hold up as well, two, i didn't have room for my christmas tree with the way the furniture was layed out and most importantly, i like the way the living room looks and feels with the layout as it is now. i have been given MUCH grief by bub and bob the builder for my decision. they, and many others, love the BIG brown leather couch. it is comfortable and seats a lot of people (kids really). so, my question to you is...do you like picture no. 1 or picture no. 2??? and does comfort & practicality rule over design and space? be honest, don't worry, i've heard it all. you couldn't offend me any more then the men in my life already have. thanks for listening.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

is something i had never heard of until i met karen. it was actually her son who mentioned that she would make this every year for them. (i love when kids appreciate the small things we do for them) anyway, i asked her about it and she offered to have us for dinner and show me how she makes it. i love it! i really love how beautiful the pumpkin is once it's been cooked. it's like a glazed amber color. the dinner was great and even the little princess had thirds. click here for the recipe and i'm sure it will be a hit. i know we'll make it a tradition here. thanks karen for sharing your talent with me and your time. friends like you are a blessing!

A Thankful Welcome, Part 1

if you're like me, i have tons of halloween and christmas decorations, but that time in between leaves my home feeling a bit empty and searching for inspiration. i thought i'd share with you some outdoor decorations that inspire me, courtesy of my cousin jeni. my absolute favorite is the scarecrow who, every year, welcomes my most favorite time of year. my kids and i love driving by and seeing it. one year i'm going to make one of those guys.

A Thankful Welcome, Part 2

here's some pictures of my thanksgiving (fall) decorations. i tend to decorate with foliage, pumkins and gourds. they make a larger statement and it doesn't cost as much as individual decorations. i do buy faux gourds and pumpkins, that way i can use them every year. of course, decorating wouldn't be complete without a quilt or two. if your willing to share, i'd love to see your photos. happy decorating!

Now he's scrapbooking???

what the heck is bob the builder up to now, you ask?

the little princess was having a "girls day" with sissy and "macole". it was a perfect time to get some scrapbooking done.

the little princess wanted to make a fairy out of her ballet photos, so...bob to the rescue. he got his trusty razor blade and his glasses and

as one would expect...made a beautiful little fairy. when i pulled out my camera to catch it all, he said, "i hate your damn blog." but, don't worry the smile on his face, led me to believe he really doesn't. i think deep down, really deep down he likes it.

My New Favorite Thing

are these DELICIOUS mini churros from jack in the box. craig shared this fabulous find a while ago, but bummer for me because they were (at that time) only in orange county. he and bob the builder weren't very nice because they would (on several occasions) treat themselves while up north and share with me how great they were. bob NEVER once brought them home to his loving wife. now i know why...he's afraid i'll gain weight. i just might! they are FABULOUS!!! go treat yourself.

It's Time to

VOTE!!!

let your voice be heard.

if you don't vote, you can't complain!

A Cake Fight

provided 15 minutes of fun for 2 teenagers. you gotta love them and their idea of fun. good clean fun? well...not really, but it taste good.

Mackenzie's 13th Birthday

gave my sister and i an opportunity to do what we like best. plan a party! i have to say, i really love working with her. we think alike and work really well together. one day i would LOVE to own a business with her. we would have a blast and it would be stinkin' cute! suz decided to go with a pink & yellow candy theme. loved it!

she made centerpieces with wide mouth mason jars filled with lemon heads and a pink candle. i sprinkled pink candy shavings inside for added color. she made the candy poppers for favors. everything looked super cute layed out on the pink and white polka dot runners!

my favorite part was the sweets. she filled different apothecary jars with candy.



they served double duty as an eye-catching display and take home treat.

speaking of serving double duty, a friend of hers brought this cute, tasty treat. it's a lemon cheesecake dip served with vanilla wafers and it was delicious.

instead of the traditional birthday cake, we went with large cupcakes topped with candy shavings and a lemonhead.

of course a party wouldn't be complete unless you added friends

and a hade made gift.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KENZ!!!

A Festive Fall Treat

that's easy to make. in an earlier post i gave the ingredients to this tasty trail mix. sissy reminded me that i left out 2 key ingredients. so without further adoo, here's the recipe. mix together the following. m&m's, peanuts, candy corn and the all important, goldfish and mini oreo's. really, it's yummy. if your interested in making a gift out of this yummy treat, (thanks to my sister) i found the jars at pier one. enjoy the giving as well as the treat.

Happy Halloween

everyone. i hope your halloween was fabulous! i'd like to share an unfortunate motto that has taken my life my storm. it reads, "if it weren't for the last minute, i'd get nothing done." halloween was a perfect example of this. i woke up thursday and realized that halloween was the next day. as i mentioned earlier, sissy had to remind me to get pumpkins. i also realized that i hadn't put my treats together for the families who were coming over to eat and go trick or treating. friday morning i set out in a frenzie getting everything together and in the last minute it all came together. here's how it turned out.

i put together these

and these for gifts. (sorry karen, i owe you...)

for the first year, sissy didn't trick or treat with us. instead she went to a church sponsored halloween party on a horn blower cruise. fun.

although sissy was gone, there were plenty of little (and big) goblins that filled our home. we all gathered early for chili and cornbread with yummy cupcakes.

once we filled our bellies, we went trick or treating.

we visited my cousin who lives down the road, and enjoyed the many neighbors who's homes were decorated and "spooky". there seemed to be a lot more trick or treaters than there have been in several years.

we even ran into this great man who was patroling our streets. thanks. we had a great time, i really love halloween and its traditions.