Another one bites the dust

I'll admit it, I was one of those crazies at the mall at 3:30 a.m. shivering in the cold, with shopping ads in hand. That was me,along with my sister-in-law and mom, pushing my way through the doors for my free ornament/gift bag/gift card/candy bar. And yes, that was me making three trips to the vehicle before the sun came up (thanks to Penny's, Sear's, Belk, Kirklands and Old Navy) .

That was also me standing in a 37 person line at Bed Bath & Beyond in the hopes of using my 20% off entire purchase coupon before 10:00. What burning purchase would have me stand in a line that long? Why a microfiber dish towel and something equally as fabulous that I've already forgotten about. Ok, so I was really already standing in line with my mom and sis-in-law and just figured I might as well use the coupon.

Oh, and Target? Yep, that was us standing in a very "secure" line of 50 some odd people. Target was a bust for what I wanted to purchase, but I did pick up a couple of movies and cds for stocking stuffers.

Add in a quick run to Michaels (ribbon!), TJ Maxx(curtains!), Ross (more curtains!), Dollar Tree (ornaments) and Walgreens (BOGO 35. t lighted topiary!) followed by a 2nd breakfast at IHOP and you have some idea of our 14 hour shopping excursion. It takes stamina and fierce determination to shop like that, but in the end, there can be only one left standing.

And this time, it wasn't my sister-in-law.

525,600 minutes

Last year at Thanksgiving, I was sitting in an ICU waiting room praying that my brother would come out of a coma brought about by a head-on collision with another vehicle. It was an accident that changed not only his life, but everyone that he's come in contact with.

Thanksgiving is a hard time to deal with tragedy, especially when the focus is on being thankful, for life and health, and family. Our family was there, aunts and uncles and cousins, bringing food, taking home laundry, opening their houses for showers or overnight guests. And through the days of sitting and waiting , we managed to find a few hours to enjoy the company of each other and to give thanks. Last Thanksgiving it wasn't about the banana pudding, or the fried turkey. It wasn't about the Black Friday sales or the Christmas lists. It was a time when we gave thanks for the friends and the family that banded together to ensure that every need was met, every mouth was fed, every tear wiped dry.

So this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my family. For those I see everyday, and for those we keep connected with through the phone or Internet. I am thankful for the friends that prayed for us, fed us, called us, and just sat beside us. This Thanksgiving, "I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy." Philippians 1:3-4.

Everybody walk the dinosaur

Open the door get on the floor, everybody walk the dinosaur...

Sorry, but that song has been stuck in my head since we bought the young un tickets to Walking with Dinosaurs. He's been eagerly awaiting the show, especially after seeing the haulers arrive and unload earlier this week. Tonight, for mom/son date night his wait was finally over. And just so you can share my experience, here's the young un's play by play:

Here are the brachiosauruses eating from a tree. The baby brachiousaurus is the one closest to the camera. Can you believe his size?! Just for a baby?

The battle of the two fierce long-horn torosauruses. The young male (the challenger) is on the left. The leader of the torosuarus tribe is on the right. After the young one wins, he eats some flowers and grass and then poops this huge massive ball of dung.
Intermission.

Giant bird swooping between the cracked lands(continents) over the newly formed Atlantic Ocean. It was the only thing that could travel between continents. It would struggle on land. The hungry predators of the early Cretaceous period, the Utah Raptor. The weakest of the three has to wait for it's meal, that's the tradition of eating.

Ankylosaurus and torosaurus versus baby t-rex. While it's cry is weak, it is still in danger, but you'll see what happened next.

Ankylosuarus and torosaurus versus baby T-rex and mama T-rex. First up in the arena we have mama T-rex and torosaurus. She's bringing her roar around with all she's got. Then she charges! But then ankylosaurus smashes her leg. She tries to bite him, but she misses. *Then for back-up baby T-rex comes around and bites ankylosuarus on the leg. Then BOOM! ankylosuarus is knocked out of the fight. Now it's baby T-rex and mama T-rex veres torosaurus. Mama T-rex charges, she means to miss, and baby bites torosaurus in the stomach, but torosaurus is still up fighting for his life. But then he goes down. Love of the two T-rexes; mother and son. It is the end of the late Cretaceous period. The battle is over, and they have won. But then, after the happy moment the comet comes. And they don't look too happy about it. And mama T-rex gets angry and roars and BOOM! it's the end of the dinosaurs... well not literally the end. Most are still with us today--they're birds. And that is the past of Walking with Dinosaurs.

So there you have it. I had my own personal commentary the entire show. And the * part wasn't in the show. He added it to "give it a little excitement."

Good intentions

Last weekend I finally got all the Halloween items out of the house and back in storage where they belong. I also grabbed a few of the constantly multiplying Christmas bins. And that's about as far as they've made it. Sitting in a nice little stack in the living room because I can't quite part with my pumpkins and leaves. *sigh* There's always next weekend.

Shake ya Tail feather

I have to admit, most of my crafty ideas come from someone else. A few years ago I discovered Family Fun magazine and it contained a plethora of inspiration for the young un and I. The turkey cookies in my header are one of those inspirations, and such an easy project. Here's my turkey tail feather tutorial:

First bake your cookies. You can do this with sugar cookies or peanut butter cookies. We used the slice and bake kind cause I'm not a baker.
You also need:
chocolate frosting
candy corn
mini chocolate chips
orange icing coloring
vanilla frosting (if you can find the orange icing writers, they work great!)
ziploc bags

Next slop a little chocolate frosting on the "top" of your cookie. It doesn't need to be super thick, just enough to give the candy corns staying power.
Apply your candy corns so they slightly overhang the edge of your cookie. I did single layers here, but for larger cookies you could double layer (see header). This is the part the young un loves to do-- usually because he snacks on the extra candy corn!

Now for the personality: spoon some orange vanilla frosting into a ziploc bag and carefully snip the very corner of the bag. This will allow you to draw your beaks and legs.
Next repeat with the chocolate frosting for the eyes of your turkeys. I also add mini cholocalte chips on some of them.Now step back and enjoy your gaggle of gobblers!If you're not a cookie person, Betty Crocker offers this cupcake alternative:

photo from Betty Crocker

Six Word Saturday

photo from Armadillo Christmas

It's Christmas Craft Bazaar House Day!

6 houses, hundreds of crafty ideas & gifts waiting to be bought-- I am a happy woman today! It's like a crafting world series! And with any luck I'll be done with Christmas shopping when the dust clears. *Disclaimer- I've had both cough syrup and an inhaler this morning*

Thanks

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Today I witnessed 300 8th graders pause in their cell phone dependent, 30 second attention span, drama saturated lives to pay tribute to the veterans of our armed forces. For an hour they sat quietly and listened while speeches were given, music was played, colors were presented and veteran's were recognized. I saw eyes tear up at the sound of Taps played by a trumpet ensemble of students. I watched them rise to their feet to salute the veteran's in attendance and shake hands with men in uniform on their way out. I heard them utter words of thanks. And for a moment I forgot they were 8th graders.

When the cloud of candy clears...

I would be remiss if I did not post about our sugar fueled Halloween. So in the spirit of the night, and with my deepest apologies to Miley Cyrus, here goes:

I pulled to the curb at Tina's house, with my habit and my rosary.
Ninja son bolted from the backseat, glad to finally be free.
Grabbed all our treat bags, headed out into the twilight,
Eight kids in our group, try to keep them all in sight.

Then it got real crazy, drinks were making things hazy,
The kids start yelling, and they're getting pretty restless
Too much candy makes them hyper
So we turn the corner to go back home
and the Miley song came on.

and the Miley song came on,
and the Miley song came on,
and the Miley song came on.

So I kicked my shoes off, held my beads tight
started out with the running man.
nodding my head like "yeah, I'm scarring my son for life"
Got my habit on, doing the cabbage patch, flowing into the Kid N Play.
Yeeeeaaaaaah, It's a Party in the USA.
Yeeeeaaaaaah, It's a Party in the USA.