lilbitgabby

Loved You Always

2012-02-08T12:33:00.001-08:00

Loved you yesterday, love you still…

My Current Playlist of Inspirational Songs

2012-02-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

I’m Done – Moving On

2012-01-30T18:43:00.001-08:00

Okay, so last week was a bad week for me emotionally, but socially it was a really good week! We celebrated my cousin’s birthday Wednesday evening. He turned 48 years old. I got to visit with family and friends while eating pizza! Pizza for goodness sakes! Yuuuum!

My aunt came over one day and we played games and had a really good visit! I love my aunt… she makes me feel soooooooo loved.

On Saturday I went to my friends 50th birthday party. We had a good time! We celebrated with lots of friends and some family I haven’t visited with in awhile. It was a fun evening! We had cake and ice cream. You know, life doesn’t get much better… good cake and good friends! Oh yeah!

Sunday my grandson turned 16 years old. Okay, here is where I should probably say he is a step grandson… we all know I’m too young for 16, 19, and 21 year old grandkids, but this is my life… and it makes me truly happy! It was a fun day. We had dinner with the family, grandkids and even extended family. My 20 (soon to be 21 year old) granddaughter was babysitting her friends 11 month old baby. He has an awesome name. Giovannii. He is adorable and kept all of entertained. In the evening the house filled with family and friends… I enjoyed all of my grandkids so much! I enjoyed our visits all day long. I really enjoyed the cake!!! Oh YUM! Lisa made a very cool cake… a football helmet with his favorite team logo. He isn’t a Seahawk fan. Ohmy!

I’m back on routine… at least I’d like to think I’m back on routine. I feel like I’m done with the emotional down time and definitely ready to move on. I know I will have a down day every now and then… but life goes on and my life is good! I’m blessed beyond words with friendships and relationships here….

Most Annoying Ad Campaign of ALL time

2012-01-30T18:07:00.001-08:00

Make it stop! The JC Penney ad with all that screaming is driving my family insane. It makes me wonder what they were thinking. Big money wasted. We change the channel at the first sign of a screech…. I won’t even give them air time.

Well, I for one won’t be shopping there any time soon… I’m afraid of running into one of those screaming freaks.

The Target store ad with the Christmas freak lady kept me from shopping there before the holidays. Seriously. Don’t believe me? Ask my kids. I thought it was the worst ad ever… boy was I wrong. JC Penney ad has the target ad beat by a long shot.

So my vote for most annoying ad campaign of all time… the current annoying screaming freaks JC Penney ad tops the list!

Quiet Mornings

2012-01-28T15:55:00.001-08:00

About nine in the morning on Monday my newest grandson and 4 year old grand daughter were dropped off. I loved having them with me all day long. Chris and Jennifer were packing up the rest of their house during the day. That evening they went on a double date with Aaron and Lisa. They picked up baby boy sometime after 9:00. What a fun day we all had together!

Miss J spent the night with us. She is such a sweetie. We had fun both days doing things a 4 year old likes to do. Coloring, blowing bubbles outside in the snow, playing with her baby dolls, and building with blocks, I painted her finger nails with glittery polish, and we watched the Disney movie Tangled.

We also got out the beads and made her a couple of necklaces. She chose the colors green and pink for one. I wasn’t sure about the color combo, but it turned out really cute. She chose all the beads for the 2nd necklace. I helped her lay the beads out so it was symmetrical and looked good. She strung the beads. I thought she might be too young, but with the bigger beads, it was easy for her.

Tuesday evening we had a little gathering of family and friends. We took a few photos, ate yummy desserts, and said good bye to my kids and grandbabies…

They left Tuesday night and got to their destination about 50 hours later. They didn’t stop to sleep. They just drove straight through, switching off drivers in the U-haul and the car.

I’m thankful we’ve had a fairly busy week. Wednesday I played games online all morning… played games and cried. It was a good thing we had a birthday party to go to in the afternoon. I got to visit with family and friends, and it really helped get my mind off of my kids. I didn’t go to church. I knew I’d sit there and be bawling and sobbing out loud. I couldn’t bring myself to go. Thursday I played games all morning online just so I couldn’t think about things. My aunt came over in the afternoon and we played sequence and visited. It was a really nice afternoon.

Today I’ve played farmville all morning/afternoon. I gotta get out of this rut. I just cannot seem to bring myself to do much. We have another birthday party this evening. My friend’s 50th birthday. I have to make myself get out of the house for awhile.

I’m missing my kids… missing my grandkids. I know I’m not the only mom to go through this. That knowledge doesn’t help even a little bit right now. My life has changed dramatically in the past 3 weeks. Andrea, Mitch, and their little ones were here for 2 months… they left 3 weeks ago. I miss having kids around all the time. I miss waking up to 3, 4, and 5 year old giggles… My house is quiet. Mornings are the worst.

Snowstorm Wrap Up

2012-01-22T17:12:00.001-08:00

We have survived the snowstorm of Western Washington 2012… at least I hope this is ‘the’ snowstorm of 2012!

This has been week to remember… and there is nothing like pictures to document the week.

Mom’s car isn’t going anywhere… not even with those chains.

The view from my front porch on Sunday, January 15, 2012 – There was a lot of snow.

The trees looming over our house… I’m just thankful none of these big boys fell during the winds following the big winter snowfall.

The only way out in and out of our driveway… 4wheel drive or chains. Sunday we were without power, phone, and cell service. Yep. Cut off from the rest of the world. Our boys came to check on us.

Snowball fight anyone?

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A powerful generator… it’s a GOOD thing. We have had hot food and a warm fire all week, even though the power was out for a few days. The next time we move to a home this far out in the foothills of the mountains, I won’t have a pellet stove. I will have a wood stove. A pellet stove sounds like a good idea until the power goes out.

We turned the generator off before bed and started it up each morning. The house got down into the mid 50s by 6 or 7 each morning, but at least we were warm. I know there are those out there without a generator or a wood stove.

Sunday the kids all came out so the littles could play in the snow. The power was out most of the time they were here. We cooked taco meat and ate haystacks by candlelight… it was a lot of fun!

The kids came out a nearly every day throughout the week. We played card games, and spent 7 hours one day playing risk. Oh boy… it is a long tedious game. But I love it! Aaron and Lisa brought dinner one night and we played a rummy game my grandson learned at his friends house. The game includes a lunch bag, tongue depressors, and several decks of cards. Fun! Fun times!

We ate snow cones, and made iced coffee… yummmy! Starbucks VIA instant iced coffee mix, vanilla coffee mate, and snow made for a really good iced coffee drink! Seriously… instant coffee? Yep. It was good. Yummy good!

We had a stock pile of drinking water, but water to flush the toilets… Nope. So we scooped up snow into my Nesco and heated it to melt so we could flush toilets. We had pans of snow melting on the pellet stove… one of our friends said ‘you might be a redneck…” Ya think?

We visited and reminisced about the good old days at our old family home. We lived down a private road, in the middle of the woods… huge evergreen trees surrounded our home. Every wind storm, ice storm, snow storm, etc… our power would be out for several days on end. We’d sit around playing games, reading by oil lamp, and cooking on a big old wood stove in our living room. We all agreed those were some fun times. Oh the joys of living in the midst of a forest.

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Our driveway is a sheet of ice with snow on top, and the dirt road is not much better… it is a rutty, slushy mess! But once you get out to the paved roads, I hear they are clear. I’m good to be a homebody the next day or two…

In the midst of this storm, it has been a good week. God has kept us warm and protected us… and given us many good memories.

Family Bible

2012-01-22T00:03:00.000-08:00

I love this song, Family Bible by Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. When I hear it I think about my childhood. It really makes me miss my Grandma... my Dad, and my uncles who have passed on.

I feel very blessed to have grown up in a Christian family. I have so many wonderful memories of my family sitting around the table discussing the faith and how we should live it. It is a way of life. A way of life we have passed on to our children... and now my grandchildren.

Okay. Feeling somewhat sentimental... I think I'll just listen to my song list as I turn in for the night.

Simple Woman’s Daybook #2

2012-01-15T00:21:00.001-08:00

FOR TODAY – January 14, 2012

A Simple Woman’s Daybook

Outside my window... Snow! Winter wonderland snow! It is snowing big beautiful flakes tonight. I took this photo earlier in the day.

I am thinking... about having a family dinner this next week, as most of my family will be headed back to the midwest soon.

I am thankful... Our car broke down today. I’m not so thankful for that. But I feel very blessed we made it 5 miles back home… Dear hubby was praying out loud the whole way. We got all the way back home and the van died in our driveway. Not up at the house where we park, but it was close enough! We live way out in the country… there is quite a ways where there is no cell phone service and the roads were covered with ice and 4 inches of snow, I was thankful I didn’t have to get out and walk home.

I am creating... with paint shop pro again. I made a new background and header image for my blog. I’m not sure how it looks on other computers, as I haven’t tested it with different browsers or different size screens. I know, risky making changes without testing it out first.

I am going... to sit here with hot chocolate and a cozy down comforter all day tomorrow. I might play in the snow for a bit… then warm up with more hot chocolate!

I am wondering... if I should put out the hummingbird feeder, and how to keep it from freezing.

I am reading... Psalms - KJV

Around the house... Most of the Christmas decorations are packed away. We have a few stacks of moving boxes. I figure with circumstances as they are, we should be prepared to move… just in case.

I am pondering... what I’m suppose to learn from this trial we are going through. Am I humble enough? Have I placed all my troubles and trials before the Lord’s feet… maybe I’m holding on to much more than I am suppose to. Not the physical stuff… I’m talking about emotional things. I tend to carry around a lot of baggage. I need to work on it. Maybe once I let it go, God will have mercy.

A favorite quote for today... The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. Psalm 28:7 KJV

One of my favorite things... is a quiet evening at home with family. No techno gear of any type. A cozy fire, fresh baked cookies, a board game and visiting around the table… and great conversation. The past couple of months we had many evenings with cookies and milk, and good conversations with Bibles open. It makes me feel very blessed to know my young adult children carry on with old family values…

A few plans for the rest of the week… spend time with my kids and grandkids before they leave. Time is flying by too quickly. So much to do. I plan to get all of the holiday decor packed away. I’m getting back on track with diet and exercise. I have goals and I need to be on track! I’d like to catch up with some of my hand written letters to friends… something I have been so negligent in doing. The rest of this week I will count my blessings… find the good in the day and not focus on the trials of life.

A peek into my day... I didn’t cry today.

Another look at the snow in our front yard…

** Note ** I started writing this on the 14th… it is late, and it posted on the 15th. I need to get to bed earlier!

Keep The Faith.. God Will Provide

2012-01-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

Well. I know this is true... I need to keep it at the forefront of my mind.

It has been a tough week. We dropped the kids and grandkids off at the airport last Saturday morning. It was more like the middle of the night. Their flight is around six. They had to be there 2 hours early. Takes us over an hour to get there.... you do the math.

I was a big girl. I didn't cry in front of the grandkids...

So... we expected to be a working family by now. Isn't happening. There isn't any work out there. For many the response is 'over qualified'. Ummm.... so? We just need a job. We will work hard for the money, even if it isn't what we really want to be doing. Isn't that the best qualification for an employee? We can rewrite the resume to not look so good... give it a second look!

On the opposite end of the spectrum... under qualified because we want someone with a Masters degree for this basic job and we'll pay you $12.00 an hour. What! A masters degree?! Anyone with a masters wanting to earn $12.0o an hour call me... I can hook you up.

We knew unemployment was coming to an end, but figured we'd have something to live on by the time it ended. It ended abruptly. Three weeks earlier than it was suppose to. Funds are there... hubby qualifies, but there was some sort of change made by the lady in office. Oh how I love her ;) Soooo... we have zero income.

I've been a a little stressed this past week. I haven't played farmville in a couple of months. Tonight I needed a stress break. So I logged in to facebook to play a game and I saw my cousin had posted a pretty graphic just seconds before I logged on. The message: Keep the Faith... God Will Provide.

I know the Lord will provide.

I know my entire life right now is a test of my faith... it's testing everything about me.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

2012-01-03T17:33:00.001-08:00

FOR TODAY – January 3, 2012

A Simple Woman’s Daybook

Outside my window... it is gray and overcast. The wind chimes have been tinkling in the breeze every now and then.

I am thinking... Oh goodness! Is it really 2012…?!

I am thankful... my daughter and her family came to Washington and spent the past couple of months with us. I’m very thankful Mitch was willing to work from our family room, even when the noise level wasn’t office quiet all the time.

In the kitchen... I have holiday candies, cookies, and a couple pieces of pies I need to do something with.

I am wearing... Comfy clothes. My shirt is a 2003 Old Navy 4th of July tshirt and bare feet.

I am creating... a new scrapbook and other paper crafting projects. I received a lot of scrapbook and paper crafting gifts for Christmas, and I have been having some creative fun with everything!

I am going... to miss my kids and grandkids when everyone moves back to the midwest.

I am wondering... how long it will be before I make a road trip to the midwest.

I am reading... A Measure of Mercy ~Lauraine Snelling

I am hoping... it snows sometime this winter! Yes, I said it out loud! But I am wishing for snow with conditions… only on a weekend when my family can stay off the highways.

I am looking forward to... taking down the Christmas tree! We have left it up so the grandkids can enjoy it through the ‘holidays at Grandma’s’

I am learning.. life isn’t always easy. I’m learning to deal with my mom’s illness and the fact I may not have here with me forever.

Around the house... I’m back on a plan to get organized and de-clutter. I don’t want to move, but we may be moving closer to town this year. When we moved a couple years ago, I wasn’t willing to depart with a lot of things. Now I’m tired of not parking in the garage because of the stuff.

I am pondering... life’s challenges.

A favorite quote for today... Don't tell God how big your storm is tell your storm how big God is

One of my favorite things... at this moment my favorite things are my Christmas ornaments and decorations from years past… like the ornament we received as our first gift 30 years some years ago, and the snowflakes, snowmen, and Christmas Angel my grandma crocheted.

A few plans for the rest of the week… spend time with my kids and grandkids before they leave.

A peek into my day... my granddaughter spent the night, and the power went out for a couple hours, so we had a very early night. We were up at 6:00ish. After breakfast and looney tunes cartoons I had my first cup of coffee. We colored for a few minutes. MissB is a perfectionist when she colors. She played with her toys, then we watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. When it was over she left with her mommy… I did a little homemaking before logging on here… multitasking – watching Switched At Birth while I type this out. When it is over, I will fix dinner… the boys will head out swimming, and I’ll probably watch the newest Biggest Looser before I get ready for tomorrow.

End of the Year Wrap-Up

2011-12-29T23:03:00.001-08:00

It’s time for the end of the year wrap-up. I might be a day or two too early, but I’m busy getting ready for the annual NYE party tomorrow and the next day. Food! Oh yes, there will be lots of food, games, family, and friends… it’s always fun! 2011 was pretty exciting and loaded with blessings, milestones and a couple of life changing events, such as a marriage and a baby. In as much of a chronological order as I can remember, here are some of the highlights of our year.

Brandon turned 25 – he is a quarter of a century old!
Chris and Jennifer moved home to Washington.
Mom fell and broke her arm, etc…
Andrea and Family came out to help with her grandma. They were here for a couple of months.
Aaron turned 30 years old.
Kat graduated high school.
T-man graduated college, earning another degree and a few certificates. He made the Dean’s list!
Hubby earned a degree in accounting and a couple certificates, graduating college, and was also on the Dean’s list. I wasn’t surprised because he made the Dean’s list when he was in college years ago too.
T-man turned 21 – that’s right. My baby is 21 years old. How does that make ya feel?
One of my lifelong friends passed away… I loved her so, think of her daily, and she is missed dearly.

Most of our family flew out to the midwest for a big family gathering… we had a wonderful time!
Drew and Megan became Mr. & Mrs.
We made a road trip to Oklahoma with Andrea, Mitch, and the kids. Fun times!
I had a really awesome girls get-away with my best friend, Susan! YAY ME!!
We made a mini-road trip from Oklahoma to Dallas with Andrea and Ashley… so much fun!
Andrea and the kids flew out here in November. Mitch joined us a couple weeks later.
We had Thanksgiving dinner at Aaron and Lisa’s. Hubby’s birthday landed on the same day. I think there were 28 for dinner, including the little children.
The two oldest of our younger grandkids turned 5 years old! They seem like such big kids now.
Chris and Jennifer had a baby boy… no doubt one of the biggest blessings of the past year.
Christmas was pretty special this year, as we had almost all the kids home for the holidays. We were missing Drew and Megan!! Christmas Eve was at our house with our kids and grandkids. Christmas day we had a big dinner at Aaron & Lisa’s… I think there were 30 of us sitting around the tables set end to end. It was beautiful with all the china and crystal. The food was pretty amazing too!
Chris and Jennifer announced they will be moving their little family… my grand-daughter and my new little grandson, half way across the country.

All in all, 2011 was pretty exciting! I reserve the right to edit this post Hehe! I know I’m forgetting at least one important event, milestone, activity, or something….

I’m not sure what 2012 holds for us… I’m praying for an amazing year. So far it isn’t looking so bright and merry as far as I’m concerned. At this point here’s what I know. Andrea and Mitch will be headed back home with their two beautiful kids. Chris and Jennifer will be leaving a few short days later… and T-man and probably Brandon will be moving back with them. Halfway across the United States. More than 2,000 miles away. That leaves me with an empty nest for the first time ever…. in 30 years, I’ve never been without at least one of my kids living with me at least part of the time. I’m not whining… just asking for prayers I can get through this time when my house will be too quiet.

Something to look forward to, Drew and Megan will probably be here in March. This is not set in stone… but I’m hoping!

I also hope hubby gets hired in 2012. The sooner the better!. He is coming to the end of his unemployment and any savings we had are nearly gone. This is not good. Imagine being homeless… at least I won’t have to worry about my kids living in a cardboard box with me ;P Anyone need a project manager or an accountant? Hubby has years of experience as a project manager… and a new degree in accounting…

So there we have it… a look back over 2011 and a glimpse into what 2012 possibly holds for us so far… I truly am blessed and I know it. I’m thankful for what we have and what we have to look forward to, as I know it is all part of the Lord’s plan…

Family Time

2011-12-16T23:39:00.001-08:00

My busy schedule has been put on hold for a couple days…. my aunt is in town, and family trumps busy schedule every time. We may not have freshly baked cookes and fudge from my kitchen… but we have wonderful family memories! Yesterday my aunts, mom, daughter, cousin, and grandkids shopped until we dropped. We dropped right into a restaurant, where we had a nice leisurely lunch. A lot of catching up, a lot of laughing, and a lot of resting up… so we could continue shopping!

Today we celebrated my cousins birthday with lunch out, and more shopping. Brandon went with us today… he said he had fun with us. I always get a kick out of my aunts and mom. The way they visit is kind of unique. At least I think it is. I don’t have a sister, so I have no first hand experience with how sisters communicate. But I always find it very entertaining when this older group of women are together. We wrapped up the day with an evening at my Aunt’s home playing sequence, eating yummy foods including ham, and pumpkin pie. It was a beautiful day. I feel very blessed with family…

With all this shopping, one might think I’m done with my Christmas shopping. Well. Think again. Yep. at this rate, I’m going to be right down to the wire… wrapping gifts as the family arrives at the Christmas party.

Red Slushy Punch

2011-12-15T23:20:00.001-08:00

Some years ago I added a new punch to our Christmas Eve menu. I got the recipe from my cousin, Jeani. It is Christmasy Red and slushy… okay. So Christmasy isn’t a word… but you know what I mean. This punch is on the sweet side. My family usually prefers a less sweet punch, but this is so good, and the family goes through this stuff, so I guess sweet is good.

Pre-plan – this is a frozen punch mix, and it needs to thaw out a little while. I make it up a couple days before our party.

Red Slushy Punch

Ingredients

3 (3 ounce) packages cherry gelatin
9 cups boiling water
4 cups sugar
4 cups water
2 (46 ounce) cans pineapple juice
6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 (2 liter) bottles ginger ale - cold

Directions

Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water in a large saucepan.
In a separate saucepan boil together the sugar and 4 cups water.
Add the pineapple juice, orange juice and lemon juice. Cool.
Combine the gelatin and juice mixtures.
Divide into plastic containers (gallon ziplock bags work great) and freeze.
Set out about 2 hours before serving.
Add the cold ginger ale just before serving.
The punch will be slushy

Notes

We have used sprite instead of ginger ale and we like it just as well.
We have used pineapple soda in place of the pineapple juice (walmart sells the pineapple soda in 2 liter bottles)
This punch can be made with other flavors of gelatin depending on the color punch you need.

Antipasto Salad An Easy Family Favorite Recipe

2011-12-15T19:11:00.001-08:00

I finally got around to making my to-do lists. The menu… the grocery list… decking the halls… etc…etc…etc! It’s not quite a million things to do… feels like it, but not quite. Aren’t I the lucky one.

While I was going through the menu, I thought I’d share an old family favorite recipe. Recipe? Well…technically I guess it is a recipe, but it is so easy, and it is a salad. This is a favorite for potlucks during the summer, and for our family parties during the holidays.

Antipasto Salad

Description: Family favorite – with lots of red and green vegetables make this a pretty salad to serve during the holidays.

Ingredients:
1 can olives, drained - whole
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 baskets grape (teensy-tiny sweet) tomatoes (cherry tomatoes will work too)
2 cups broccoli florets
chopped celery ~ about one cup
4 green onions chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 bottle italian salad dressing. (Your Favorite)

OPTIONAL:
1/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese (Fresh parmesan is KEY. Do not use the powdery stuff)
4 oz sliced pepperoni
Green Olives... whole

Directions:
Toss everything except the parmesan (add it just before serving) in a bowl at least a couple hours before serving and refrigerate until serving time. It is easy to make and marinate in a ziplock bag.

My Notes:

You can add cooked, (cooled) bow-tie pasta if you like. My family likes it without the pasta.
This is really good with ranch dressing instead of the Italian dressing.
Our favorite Italian dressing for this salad is wishbone.... we have tried many.
This is a basic recipe. I make changes depending on mood and what is in the pantry/fridge. I sometimes add fresh mushrooms and
double up on the artichokes. In other words, play with the amounts of ingredients. Make it to your own liking.
Preparation Time:quick and easily prepared in a few minutes, but best when made a couple hours ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

Less Than 2 Weeks – Oh NO!

2011-12-13T09:00:00.001-08:00

We have a new grandson. Mitch, Andrea and 2 grandkids are staying with us. Mom hasn’t been well. I’ve had my own health issues. Okay, so I’ve been a little bit distracted, but somewhere along the way, I would have normally realized it is almost Christmas. Not this year. Nope. I was just going along knowing Christmas is near the end of this month. Well… I need to get out a notepad and make a list or two… Christmas is in less than 2 weeks and I’m soooooo not ready.

I did manage to put up a few decorations…

Ornaments and crystals hanging from the chandelier.

Our Old Nativity Set – I love the rustic stable.

The Grandkids helped decorate the Christmas tree

This is the work of a 3 year old – it makes me smile. However, we won’t tell the littles, but we have redistributed a whole lot of the ornaments the littles hung in groups on the tree. It was so funny to see branches with a half dozen icicles or hearts.

The red heart ornaments have a little back story of their own. We have a lot of old ornaments… I enjoy our family traditions and I’ve always been sentimental, so I have things I use to love, but now think are sort of silly. It was in the early 80’s when Kevin and I purchased the heart ornaments at the old Jafco store a few days after Christmas. Money was tight, and these little beauties were pennies a box. We bought several boxes. What can I say. We were madly in love… and young. I used red hearts to decorate for Valentine’s day that year, and they decorated my tree for years. In recent years, I don’t usually hang the hearts on the tree, but they are always out somewhere in our Christmas home.

The green ornaments hanging from the chandelier are Mikasa… large, sparkly, glittery, beauties. We have had this set of ornaments for several years. It was a day out with several of my Aunts and my Mom when I purchased them. Special times… wonderful memories.

Well, as I said… I’m so far behind on getting ready for Christmas this year. It’s time to get out my notepad and make a list or two….

Welcome To The Family – Our Newest Blessing

2011-12-13T08:59:00.001-08:00

Just over a week ago, our family was blessed with a perfect bundle of blue… my grandson. Chris and Jen’s little one

Colter is a perfect replica of his daddy, Although… he does resemble his mommy a lot. How does that happen when mommy and daddy don’t look anything alike?

Mommy and the little blue bundle are doing fine…

Yesterday a few of us got together for a little luncheon in honor of Jen and the little blue bundle…

Christmas Gift Will Be Here Monday

2011-12-08T12:57:00.001-08:00

We have had some cute conversations in this house over the last few weeks. I love the way a 3 year old thinks. This morning a brief conversation went like this:

Andrea – Mister T’s Christmas gift will be here on Monday

Mister T. – It’s going to snow on Monday?!?!

Much laughter by all the adults in the room…

Changing Things Up Again

2011-12-08T12:43:00.001-08:00

Soooo… yep. It’s another change in the land of lilbitgabby. I think this change, you will all appreciate a little more than the big move I made recently. I’m going back to my original way of blogging. Kids names will be included in the post. Less confusion for friends and family reading about my family….

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving 20011!

This morning I was planning on sleeping in. We prepped for our dinner yesterday, and the turkey won't go into the oven until about 10:00, so no need to get out of bed super early. At least that is what I thought. However, a sweet someone in my extended family, sent me a Happy Thanksgiving message. It wasn't even 6:00 AM our time when I got the message. I had to laugh... and get out of bed.

When I woke up, my thoughts went to... oh this is hubby's birthday. The next thought... my father-in-law passed away 4 years ago today. We miss him greatly.

We have most of our family home for this holiday. D&M are not here... they aren't even together on their first Thanksgiving as Mr&Mrs, because he is on the road today.

Back here at home, it is feeling like a holiday. We spent yesterday prepping for our Thanksgiving dinner. The house smells of pumpkin pie... my absolute favorite scent for the home. Well... the turkey, stuffing, and all the other sides make the house smell pretty yummy. The littles are still sleeping, and my guys are out playing football for their annual turkey bowl game. The hubby is wearing a referee's shirt...

I have so much to be thankful for this year. We are blessed with so much, a warm and cozy home large enough to entertain our family, plenty of food, and most of all family and friends, love, laughter, and joy.

I wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving day...

Soy Candle Made by Me

2011-11-20T19:30:00.001-08:00

When the family arrived home this evening I was sitting here in a candlelit room, with one little table lamp on. T-man said it looked so nice from outside… that alone made me smile. I love it when my boys appreciate the simple things in life. He said it looked so nice, he wants to have a candlelight Thanksgiving dinner. When the kids were younger, I often had candlelight dinners. Some years we had candles lit at the dinner table simply because the lights were out… big winds and big trees equals no power.

My aunt and I were talking just the other day about the countless Thanksgiving days we ended up finishing cooking our turkey on the grill because the power went out when the turkey was halfway roasted. One year I cut the turkey up and finished cooking it in my parents motor home teensy-tiny oven.

I remember one year in particular when the power went out on Thanksgiving day at my aunt’s home. Dinner was a big deal. Everyone comes over for dinner… her five children, their companions, the grandkids, and their companions, and the great grandchildren. Huge family dinner. My aunt always serves dinner on her beautiful white china with platinum trim it is beautiful, With the china and all the crystal for side dishes, and the stemware on the table, it simple sparkles in the candlelight.

It was stormy all morning… a very blustery autumn day. The power went out shortly before dinner was served. My uncle finished cooking the turkey on the grill outside and side dishes were finished up on the stove in the motor home.

We ate dinner and served dessert of pumpkin pie, while we were heating water in the motor home, so we could wash the dishes. We put candles in the windowsill and around the kitchen so we could see, because it was fairly dark by the time my cousins and I started washing dishes. We had fun visiting at the kitchen sink, even though it is a ~~big~~ massive job to wash all those dishes by hand. It was what we did every year… you don’t put beautiful platinum rimmed china in the dishwasher! But usually we had lights and easy access to hot water! It took us awhile to get the kitchen clean, and just as the final round of dishwater was going down the drain, and the last plate was dried and ready to be put away… the power came back on! Fun times… great memories.

I love it when there is a slight mishap at a family function… gives us something to remember and talk about years later.

So about that soy candle… I made a bunch of candles a couple weeks ago. I’ll share a short how-to DIY in a few days. Super easy project, they burn clean and for a very long time… and my home smells wonderful!

Over The Top YUMMY SoBe Strawberry Daiquiri

2011-11-20T16:03:00.001-08:00

Recently Fred Meyer had SoBe drinks on sale and combined with a coupon, they were really inexpensive, around 20 cents each. There was no limit, so we bought a few. I mean… 88 cents seemed like a steal. But 20 cents each was a real stock up price!

My fav is the strawberry daiquiri (non-alcoholic). It is so good… and it is pink!

Yum!

Well, a few minutes ago I was going to have coffee with some white chocolate raspberry creamer. Oh how I adore the international delight creamers! I was so looking forward to this hot cup of coffee… but the coffee pot has already turned itself off. I’m not into cold coffee… at least not today.

In my disappointment, I put away the creamer… and right there in the door of the fridge was my bottle of Strawberry Daiquiri SoBe. This is when it hit me… how yummy would my two new favorite drinks be together! Sure enough. It is sooo good I had to share…

Next time I’m going to try orange cream with a tablespoon of French Vanilla creamer.

I love the old fashion creamsicle taste of the orange cream SoBe alone, but I think it will be over the top yummy with the coffee creamer added to it.

Another Week Gone By

2011-11-18T23:56:00.001-08:00

This week was Miss B’s 5th birthday. First thing after greeting her with happy birthday and a good morning kiss, I asked her if she feels bigger. She said. “Yes. Yes I do”. It made me laugh. How a 5 year old feels suddenly older… bigger.

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This is the first birthday the 5 grandkids have all been together on her birthday.

I am thankful we have this time with all the grandkids together. It doesn’t seem like it has been 2 weeks since we picked them up from the airport. We have been busy, but not in the get-ready-for-the-holidays kind of busy. No, we have been busy with spending time together.

Tonight the family has gone down to Sea-Tac to pick up my SIL. I got to keep our youngest grandson, MisterT. He is an adorable little 3 year old. He makes me giggle so often with his cute little actions and things he says. Tonight as I put him into his bed he said “I love you more Grandma”.

Years Ago

2011-11-18T22:36:00.001-08:00

The photo is of 5 of my kids a few years back. Before so many weddings and grandbabies…

Thanksgiving Is In One Week

2011-11-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

Doesn't seem possible, but it really is only a week until Thanksgiving.

Our plans are sort of set, but sort of up in the air. If all is well in our house, we'll go to A&L's house. Otherwise, we'll have dinner here. We aren't sure how many will be here, if dinner is here. I guess we'll know by noonish on Thanksgiving day.

If dinner is at A&L's there will be quite a few of us... considering my kids and grandkids will all be here except for the newlyweds, D&M. I wish they could fly out from the Midwest, but that isn't happening this year.

I'm planning as if dinner will be here... getting out the pretty dishes, making sure all the linens are fresh and pressed. I love...love...love getting ready for the holidays.

The menu planning is super easy for me. I keep a notebook with our traditional Thanksgiving dinner menu, basic grocery shopping list, and our favorite recipes. I have extra clear vinyl sheets in the notebook so I can make changes, add recipes, and customize it for the current year.

Well, I'm off to update my shopping list. I have the extreme pleasure of grocery shopping with my girly-girl this year!

Buy One Get One Starbucks No Coupon Needed

2011-11-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

Oh how exciting is this! November 17–20 from 2–5 p.m., when you buy one holiday beverage, you’ll get a second one free. I like the eggnog latte, but I'm looking forward to a Caramel Brulée Latte!! Oh YUMMY!

Details on the buy one get one free starbucks: Starbucks Drinks