HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MINUTE TO WISH EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING! ENJOY YOUR TRADITIONS! IF YOU ARE TRAVELING, BE SAFE!

May your stuffing (it's dressing at our house) be tasty,

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your

Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs!- Unknown

(couldn't resist - thought it was too cute)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

TIME IS NOT MY FRIEND....

No, I'm not injured, sick or lost...just MIA for a little while. Time is just not my friend this time of year. Mid-October to the end of the year just seems to be sooooo busy for us. I am not going to whine & complain about the things I have had going (because I know there are others just as busy & others with so much more than I have going), I am just going to say it has been very busy.

I appreciate everyone stopping by to check on me, and apologize that I haven't been able to respond sooner, but here I am now.

As I said, this seems to one of my busiest times (but one of my very favorite!!) of the year so I have to prioritize or go crazy (and even then the insanity can creep in ;0) ) I have been stopping by to read & keep up with everyone when I can, but haven't been able to comment or post.

I should go ahead and say that from now until after the end of the year, my posts will most likely be very sporadic. I am hoping I can take a little more time here & there to do a little more posting than I have these last two weeks, but I don't expect anything to slow down anytime soon..

I would share with you what I have been doing for the last 2 weeks, but it all seems a blur right now, so instead I will share a few of things coming up.

Birthday...tomorrow is my hubbies bday. We had a small celebration for him tonight here at home because I will not be home tomorrow night (see below). Just quiet time with the family as he requested.

I will be leaving tomorrow for Branson... a girls weekend that is an annual tradition for me. I go with my mother-in-law, 2 of her sisters, and her best friend. They started going years ago while the husbands were out hunting, when I joined the family I got to start tagging along. Even after my kiddos came, I kept going on the annual trip - my mom or sis kept them when they were younger & now they get to go to deercamp too. I look forward to this trip every year. The shopping is great, and if you need help finding the Christmas Spirit, Branson is the place to visit. The decorations, music, hustle & bustle of shopping will definitely help you realize Christmas is just around the corner!! We'll leave tomorrow afternoon and come home Sunday evening.

Of course, Thanksgiving is next week. Thanksgiving is my 2nd favorite holiday (Christmas is 1st), I look so forward to it each year. I will have to work Monday, Tuesday, and 1/2 day on Wednesday; the kids are out of school Wed. - Fri. I will work a trip to the grocery store in at some point and began cooking at some point too. We spend Thanksgiving day at the deercamp - we have our feast outside & it is wonderful. I will share more of that family tradition next week, and let you know what I am cooking.

Those are just a couple of the things coming up that will keep me busy. Hope everyone is doing well, and thanks again for checking in on me - Life is good around here, just busy.

VOTING, BACHELORETTES, AND OTHER RANDOMNESS

VOTING: Don't forget - Tomorrow is a very important day...please don't forget to exercise one of our greatest rights as Americans and go vote! I voted during the first week of early voting, and it felt good, I am glad I didn't wait! I won't express my political views here, but from reading many of your blogs, I feel confident we are all on the same page when it comes to casting our vote. No matter your stand, the important thing is to VOTE!!

Bachelorettes: For all of you bachelor/bachelorette fans....did you see this news flash today? I am appalled. I do like DeAnna, but she broke Jason's heart, and for what? Oh, well, it is supposed to be just entertainment & we shouldn't get so wrapped up in it, right?

Fall Colors: The trees are changing colors now, it seems all of a sudden. I will try to get some pictures soon - not something I am good at doing, but I will try. I have seen some beautiful colors, and would love to see what fall looks like where those of you from other states (or countries) are...

Halloween: We survived Halloween. My children actually went to the "country" to my parents and they did trick-or-treat at some relatives houses down there. I stayed here and greeted the trick-or-treaters. I did have a lot of them, but it was a rather quiet night, nothing out of the ordinary, and mostly polite children who actually said "trick or treat" and also "thank you"! It does the heart good to see the politeness...

Deer Hunting: It was youth hunt weekend in Arkansas. That means hunting was open all over the state to youth hunters (those under 16). That is the main reason my kids & husband went to my parents house for the weekend. My brother & his oldest daughter, my sister & her husband & their kids were there too. Only my oldest nephew got a deer, but they all had a good time at grandma & grandpa's house.

Old Friends: I stayed behind for the weekend to meet up for a girls weekend with some old friends. We met up on Saturday at one of the girl's houses in the town just to the north of me. We spent the day walking thru the lovely downtown exploring antique shops, sharing a cup of coffee, and then to one of the local malls for some more shopping. We also went to dinner, and then back to our friend's house were we spent the night. We did lots of looking at old photos, school yearbooks, and just talking about old times. And yes, my friends, we did share a margarita or two. It was a very relaxing & refreshing time for us.

That's the updates from this end of the blog world. What's been up with all of you?

Hope everyone is having a good week...

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!