Weekend Wish

I hope you get the chance to sit down,

eat leftovers, and watch some great football.

Signs of trouble

I fear that if I ate some of this, I'd be rubbing my belly in agony.

I'm not adventurous when it comes to trying new things. This food could be the most delectable stuff on the planet, and I'm missing out on it just because it's not in a pretty package.

Familiar food is something I embrace. To that end, my family is going to grandma's house to eat our fourth full Thanksgiving meal in four days.

Am I wise? Or stupid?

For love or funny, I ask myself that question a lot lately.

The day after...

Yup, my pants are tight.

Luckily, the day after Thanksgiving is the first day of Christmas at our house.

Let the decorating begin, because decorating burns calories.

Up and down the steps.

Geez, these boxes are heavy.

I'm feeling the burn, people.

Nowadays, we put the lights on the tree, and the kids hang the ornaments.

I think I'll have a little leftover pumpkin pie while I watch.

Dang, the kids are good at this decorating thing. Maybe I can convince them to tackle the mantle this year.

And the staircase.

And the dining room.

If the kids can adorn a tree, they can probably paint the living room and organize the bookshelves too.

For love or funny, leftover pumpkin pie gives me REALLY good ideas.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so grateful for...you.

Making exploding pies

I'm thinking of you as you start to prepare your Thanksgiving feasts...

Oops, wrong holiday. Take two:

One of the great things about Thanksgiving is...

It's the one holiday I can convince my family to eat fruit for dessert.

Do you take yours with or without ice cream?

I like to smash things.

Okay, it's the day before school closes for Thanksgiving. What do you do?

A. Clean?
Because...wow.

B. Start cooking Thanksgiving Day goodies? Because you'll have more time for "do-overs" if the pie explodes.

C. Get ready for your guests?
Because where the heck is the tablecloth?

D. Play tennis?
Because an overhead smash is the best preparation of all...

For love or funny, I pick option "d."

It's 84 o'clock. Do you know where Granny is?

This beautiful grandfather clock is a guest in our home.

Like any guest, it doesn't always fit in.

The other day at noon, it rang 84 times.

For love or funny, I hope your Thanksgiving guests aren't as weird as our clock.

Weekend Wish

Homemade pumpkin pie is very tasty.

Especially when you realize how 

impossible it is to pry open a pumpkin.

This weekend, 

I hope all of your pumpkins are easy to manage.

Let's make the holidays easier

We're a week away from Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Personally, crowds give me hives. So, instead of braving the malls, I shop from home.

One of the places I like to visit is Etsy.com. It's a great place to find lovingly made, one of a kind items to give as presents. Many of the Etsy stores are run by Moms who supplement their family's income with their craft. I love that.

Here are some of the Etsy stores I like:

dogartstudio has a huge assortment of pet portraits, and they are gorgeous.

katiesegel makes super cute hats for toddlers.

WarmCountryMeadows has really cool terrariums for sale.

A miniature green garden may just help me get through the winter...

dbabcock makes awesome pottery. This piece is just beautiful.

Perfect for sitting on the kitchen table.

theprettypeacock makes personalized hand stamped rings.

I'd love to get one with my kids' names on it.

Have you begun to get ready for Christmas?

Before, During, and After

Before...

During...

After...

I miss the leaves.


But I don't miss the gnats.