November 30

Today is the end of NaBloPoMo. It has been a lot of fun thinking of something to write everyday. But I am Thankful that it is over. It can also be a lot of work coming up with something every day.

Today we want to say:

to Grandpa Tony. Hope you had a nice day!

We have had a nice few days together here at home. Just hanging out with the kids can be fun when there isn't a million activities going on. I hope that Christmas is just as relaxed.

Stacy

November 29

Today I am Thankful for Creative Family Time.

Tonight we attempted to turn this:

Into this:

We have never made a gingerbread house before. Hubby saw it in the store today and thought it would be fun for me and the boyz to do. The boyz had so much fun that we may start doing this every year after Thanksgiving.

So after we repaired a few pieces that came broken we started putting it together.

We got the base all together and the boyz set about decorating it.

And our completed work of art looks like this:

By the way, the people in the front, those are SpongeBob, Patrick and Squidward.

Stacy

PS (to the 4F Group) - That is me in the picture with the boyz ;) hehe

November 28

As much fun as I have had this month being Thankful, I am glad that them month is almost over. I have had days where I could not think of anything to write. I was trying each day to write about something different.

Today I am Thankful for a PJ day. Although hubby and I did get up and get a few things this morning, we slept in until 8. We got a few things and then came home and just chilled all day. The kids never got out of their PJ's and I am already back in mine. The cashiers at K*Mart wore their PJ's to work today. It was neat and homey.

Last night we again sat and played games for a few hours at the table. There are many things I learn while playing games with the boyz. Some are things that I really didn't need to know. Like the following conversation:

Tween asked Teen to look under his (Tween's) arm and see if he had any hair there yet.

Teen for whatever reason went ahead and looked. Told him "no" and proceeded to lift his own arms and show off all the hair under his arms.

He then pulls up his shirt and says "Look, I even have hair on my chest and a happy trail".

I could not believe he just said that. It took me a few minutes to stop laughing before we could continue our game.

BOYZ! They never cease to amaze me with what they will say.

Stacy

November 27 - Happy Thanksgiving!

"The joy of enjoying
And the fullness of living

Are found in the heart

That is filled with thanksgiving."

~Helen Steiner Rice~

Today I am Thankful that I can open my home and have dinner with family and friends. As hectic as the holidays can be, I am glad when we can slow down for a little while and enjoy a meal together.

I hope that your day is filled with Love & Laughter!

I will leave you with this:

Stacy

November 26

Tomorrow is the big Turkey Day. We are having about 17 people here. Crazy Right?

Last night hubby made 2 pumpkin cheesecakes. Tonight he will make the regular pumpkin pies.

I have several favorite food that I love to have for the holiday. If I could have both hubby's family and my family here at the same time I would be in heaven filled with my favorite foods.

* My absolute favorite pie in the world is my Mum's Pumpkin pie.



My mum usually makes the pies from scratch. And when I say scratch, I mean fresh pumpkins bought on a farm that she has cleaned, baked and frozen herself. No canned pumpkin for her. She also makes the crust from scratch not frozen or pre-made shells.

In the past several years she has taken some shortcuts, but there is something different about her pies that I just love. I have never tasted any as good as hers or that even come close. It must be all the fresh ingredients that make it taste so good.

* The favorite thing that my Mother-in-law makes is her noodles.



The picture does not do them justice at all. I think she boils the noodles in the broth from the turkey. Let me tell you, they are the best noodles I have ever eaten. Holiday dinners on hubby's side just aren't complete without them.

* Hubby's brothers wife always brings Strawberry Pretzel Salad to dinner.



Need I say anything else about this?

I am Thankful for all of these favorite foods and more as we share a family meal together.

What is your favorite food(s) for Thanksgiving? You know, the one that you just have to have or it isn't the same.

Stacy

Updated to add the Following Recipe:

PRETZEL SALAD

2 CUPS CRUSHED PRETZELS
3/4 CUPS MELTED MARGARINE
4 TBSP. SUGAR

MIX AND PLACE IN 9x13 INCH PAN. BAKE AT 400 FOR 6 MINUTES. LET COOL

8 oz. CREAM CHEESE
1 CUP SUGAR
1 (16 oz) COOL WHIP

MIX TOGETHER AND SPREAD OVER COOLED CRUST.

6oz. STRAWBERRY JELLO
2 CUPS BOILING WATER
20 oz. FROZEN STRAWBERRIES

LET THICKEN, THEN POUR OVER CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE AND REFRIGERATE.

November 25

Today as I opened my Devotions in my email I read more about a program that my church has participated in for several years now.

Operation Christmas Child by Samaritan's Purse run by Franklin Graham (Billy Graham's son).

Here is a short video explaining what this program is:



I am Thankful for programs like this. It is such a great way to let those in the smallest poverty stricken places in the world that God loves them and so do other Christians.

Can you imagine being one of these children? And then to be given such a wonderful gift from someone you don't even know. What an amazing thing.

In my devotions today it talks about a child who when he opened his box he started to cry. One of the workers went over and noticed that his box was filled with socks and nothing else. So trying to comfort the child she told him that she would get him a different box. He shook his head no and pulled the box towards him. He had been diagnosed with a rare skin condition only on his feet and the doctors had told him that the only was it was going to heal was if he wore cotton socks. He had prayed and prayed for them and that is what he got.

We have had missionaries speak at our church about Operation Christmas Child and over and over again we hear stories like these about how prayers were answered in those boxes.

If you have time, please visit the links above. And if you can, make up a box and send it off to a child in need.

Stacy

November 24

This week is a short week at work. Boy am I Thankful for that. Some days I go in and I shadow train all day and I feel that I am learning something. Other days, like today, we work on the dummies most of the day and I don't feel like I can do a thing.

School is also short this week so I will get a couple extra days to spend with the boys. Maybe we can catch up on a few movies and play some board games.

Last night the five of us played Boggle together. I love Boggle. I think I could play it every night and not get tired of it. And playing with the boyz I learn new words also. They are good about writing something down they think might be a word and then we look it up and learn the meaning together.

We also played Scrabble Jr last night and Tween won. Which was a complete surprise to all of us. He is the smartest of us all, but he never wins board games. Good for him! I hope he keeps winning!

The play is finally over also, so we are getting a little more back into the routine and time together.

Is there a game that your family likes to play together?

Stacy

November 23

Today I took an afternoon nap and when I got up, my tree was up and decorated. Although I am Thankful that hubby was inspired to do it. I have a certain way I like things done. I imagine that I will tweak it just a bit on Wednesday when I am off and he is at work.

He did wait for me for a few special ornaments that we always put up together. For that I am happy.

This is part way through it being finished. It needs tweaked and pushed back in the corner yet.

We usually don't put our tree up until after Thanksgiving. Last year was the first time we put it up before the holiday. Since we have Thanksgiving here now, Hubby likes to have it up when everyone is here.

When do you put your tree up?

Stacy

November 22

Today is the final night of the high school play. Today I am Thankful that it will finally be over. After many late nights and long Saturday practices it is coming to an end.

The kids did a great job. The only problem is the mic system. The schools was not working for some reason so the drama department rented mic's and they keep cutting out on the kids. I feel so bad that they worked so hard for so long and then the audience can only hear part of the program.

I will add pictures in later.

Not much else is going on. I am studying for work. And actually feel that I am learning some things. We met with the doctor Friday and went over our books for a while. I was full of questions and with the answers have learned even more.

Stacy

November 21

I am Thankful today for the power of prayer. I can't go into a lot of detail, but we had a family incident yesterday with my sister. After learning of the problem, I called my church family and a few friends and they all started praying. By the time the prayers got to the end of the chain (within 3 hours), we had an answer.

I feel so blessed that I can call on my family and friends and almost immediately have a hundred people praying for me.

Today was also the Jr. High County Chorus performance. It was really nice and the kids did a great job.

In case you don't know what this is, they select the best singers from each school in the county. They practice weekly at their own school for about a month. Then on the day of the performance, they gather together and all sing for the first time. They of course practice all together in the morning and afternoon and then perform that evening. There was even one song that they all just learned today. I was impressed that they could all gather like this for just one day and be able to pull off such a great show. These kids are truly talented.

Stacy