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!!!

BEHIND AGAIN!

Well, it seems I have fallen behind again. This time of year just seems to be crazy for us, so much going on! I have been checking on blogs, but haven't had much time to comment or post.

I would throw out some updates on the happenings around here, but I'm not sure I remember where I left off. So, here are just a few of things that have been keeping us busy:

Boy Scout hike/campout/meetings

Girl Scout meetings

Deer hunting

Parent/teacher conferences

Homework

re-injured hand (better now, I think)

sick hubby (some kind of flu/stomach bug)

of course laundry, cooking, etc....

work, work, work....

I'm sure there are lots of things I am forgetting, but you get the idea. My kids may be older & not as "needy" when it comes to the everyday things, but now there are other needs which requires me to be the taxi driver - some days I think I meet myself coming and going! I barely get home from work, just to turn around to take someone somewhere. But, enough of the whining & complaining, that's just the way it is around here, busy all the time.

I do like blogging and love reading and keeping up with all of you through your blogs. The rest of this week and next week appears to be a little less packed with activity, so my goal is to get back to the blog world.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Another Award

April has left me the sweetest award. She actually left it for me a few days ago, but I have fallen behind again, and am just now getting to it. First, I want to say thank you so much to April for this award; I am truly surprised & excited to have received it. I am not very creative, so this is very special to me to. Now it is my turn to pass it on.

Here are the rules...You need to list six things that make you happy, and pass this award on to six creative bloggers.

Six Things That Make Me Happy:

1. My family - I know this is a given, but it's true.

2. Lemon Heads - I love everything about them from the fun blue & yellow box to the tart yet sweet taste - love, love, love them & if I am down they will make me smile!

3. Being at my parent's house - there's just nothing like being at mom & dad's. (my kid's love it there too, & of course that is icing on the cake)

4. Home made ice cream - memories of my grandparents:)

5. Sweet Tea (with real sugar) - does it get any more southern.

6. A beautiful, crisp fall day with nothing to do, but be lazy!

Now, to pass it on. I know have passed awards on to most of you who follow me & as I still have many followers, or know very many bloggers yet, I am limited on who to pass it on to. All of the blogs I read are very creative & I love them all. But here goes....(and forgive me if you have already received this award, it must mean you are super creative!)

1. Heidi at The Zawisza Tribune - I so love everything about your blog, you have made me laugh so much and spread so much go with your wonderful stories - and not to mention the fact that your kids are gorgeous & you take the best photos of them to share!

2. Michelle at Love you a Google - I love getting to know your family through your blog; I love the fact that we seem to be in so many of the same places & feel certain we will meet someday. Thank you for sharing with us.

3. Angie at Life from the "zoo' - Love, love, love your blog. I may not know you in person, but it is evident you are a wonderful mom & great person.

4. Lindsay-ann at The Cross-Stitch House - From your lovely crafts to the beautiful walks you share with us, your blog makes me feel as if I have a friend in a far away place to visit each day!

5. Chickadee at A Familiar Path - We've been friends in real life since childhood & probably know too many secrets about each other (that is if we can still remember them). You're the reason I started blogging - even though I held out for a while - I love it & thank you for pulling me in.

6. ScrapperMom at My Yesterdays, Todays, and Tomorrows - Another real life friend since childhood, and another reason I started blogging. Love seeing your scrap booking & I do want that lesson some day!

Thanks to all of you for sharing with me each day - don't forget to pass the award on, if you haven't already!

AWARD TIME

I'm back! (LOL, couldn't resist) So, I need to start this post with a few disclaimers:

1. I have hurt one of my hands and although it is usable, I do have a brace on it & that makes typing a little difficult - so the disclaimer is to any spelling errors/typos. I will blame them this time on my injury. (no it's not serious, just a strained flexor tendon in my middle finger down into my hand, a little painful, but I will live - did it doing laundry.)

2. The awards. This disclaimer is in case I give one to someone who just received one. As I am behind in the blog world it has been hard to keep up with who has received one recently, and also I still do not know many bloggers so my list to send to is limited.

Now here we go.

AWARD # 1:

The first award I received was from my friend Lindsay-ann. It is/was my first every bloggy award, and I appreciate it so much. It has been so much fun meeting new people and reconnecting with some I already knew.

Now, before passing this award along, I have to give one word answers to these questions with no explanation. Then I get to tag five other bloggers with the award. So, here goes:

1.Where is your cell phone? table
2.Where is your significant other? outside
3.Your hair color? brown
4.Your mother? friendly
5.Your father? hardworker
6.Your favorite thing? family
7.Your dream last night? crazy
8.Your dream/goal? happiness
9.The room you're in? family
10.Your hobby? writing
11.Your fear? spiders
12.Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
13.Where were you last night? bed
14.What you're not? complacent
15.One of your wish-list items? house
16.Where you grew up? Arkansas
17.The last thing you did? laundry
18.What are you wearing? jammies
19.Your TV? on
20.Your pet? none
21.Your Computer? laptop
22.Your mood? busy
23.Missing Someone? no
24.Your car? durango
25.Something you're not wearing? shoes
26.Favorite Store? Kohl's
27.Your summer? fun
28.Love someone? yes
29.Your favorite color? green
30.When is the last time you laughed? Today
31.Last time you cried? yesterday

Like Lindsay-Ann, it was hard for me to decide who to pass this on too, and I would love to pass it back to her because I do love her blog as well as many ohers. But here are my 5 picks (and please forgive me if you've already been tagged, but I do love your blogs).....

1. Girl, 2. Heidi, 3. Angie, 4. Terri, 5. Melissa

AWARD # 2:

The next award was from my friend Angie, and I have also recieved it from Heidi! Again, I am so appreciative of this award - it is so nice. I feel so honored to have met some wonderful new friends here in the blog world.

The rules of this award are to pass it along to five other bloggers. Four of the recipients should be dedicated followers of your blog and one should be a "newbie" if at all possible. So, here goes.....

1. Leigh Ann - I consider her my friend in "real" life too. I love her and her family so much and am so happy I can now follow them (and that she follows me) here in the blog world!

2. Naomi - I think she may have already recieved this award, but I need her to have it again. I so love reading her blog, but as much as I love that, I also love the comments she so graciously leaves for me.

3. Lindsay-Ann - Again, I think she may have already received this, but I have to pass it to her. Thank you so much for following me, and I so love the strolls through your beautiful land!

4. Aubs - one of my first readers. I am so happy to have met her and get know her through her blog, and love the sweet, friendly comments she leaves for me.

5. Michelle - she is from my neck of the woods. Another new friend I am happy to have found.

So, there you go, both awards passed on to those who deserve them. But please understand, I love all the blogs I read, and I consider you all my friend.

Now, I am off to try to figure out putting these lovely awards on my side bar - wish me luck (as I don't seem to have much this week)

Have a great night!

GLITCH!

Throw in a huge glitch in my catching up plans!!! Computer problems tonight - UGH!!! Finally, got it resolved, but now I am afraid I am just too tired to stay up late catching up on the bloggy business, I need to .

Hopefully, without any further glitches, I will be able to catch up tomorrow night. Please be patient with me as I am trying, but this seems to be the week of nothing going right (and it's only Monday). So, I am trying to take it all in stride and not stress out, but to do that I must have sleep. Please stay tuned, I will get back to it on a regular basis soon and get to those awards, I have several in mind to pass them on to.

Nighty, night for now!