Just a Quick Stop

After another trip to the doctor on Saturday I am starting to feel normal again. I ended up with bronchitis and a third round of antibiotics plus a couple of other things have me on the mend. Just in time for turkey day! I have been working my way through my list and am all ready for tomorrow.
 

I ended up with some alone time as one of the little guys I watch had a stomach bug and I sent him home.  Makes it much easier to fly through the list when I am working solo.

I know that I made too much food, but I like to sample a little of this and a little of that. 

I have so many things to be thankful for that I don't even know where to begin. 

I try to live with the glass in half full kind of attitude.  My heart is overflowing is thankfulness for all things big and small. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

May your day be filled with joy and contentment! 

Christmas Countdown Activities

Okay I am going to admit something... my intentions are great, but sometimes my follow through is lacking. This is something that I am working. Some of the time it is because I haven't planned ahead enough and before I know it is time and I am not ready.

I have been planning and planning some more for Christmas.  One of the things I wanted to do was an activity a day.   Once I had my ideas I printed them off.

I then printed off some cute numbers.  You can find them here.

I used toilet paper rolls to put my activity slips in.

I flattened the roll, slid the slip in and tried it off with twine.  I then attached the date number. 

I am pleased with how they turned out.  Simple, which is exactly what I was going for.  Oh, and inexpensive too!

To keep from falling into my old trap of not being prepared I have everything ready.  All of the activities are together and in a plastic bag labeled with the date and activity. 

When I initially started planning I used one of my handy dandy calendar pages.  That way I was able to plan simple things for school nights. 

In case you are curious this is the list:

December   1 - Make countdown chain
December   2 - Go to Hallmark to buy an ornament
December   3 - Make a wreath out of pom poms
December   4 - Make thank you cards while listening to Christmas music
December   5 - Make a nativity craft
December   6 - Write a letter to Santa
December   7 - Go see Santa
December   8 - Eat popcorn and watch Charlie Brown's Christmas
December   9 - Decorate a gingerbread house
December 10 - Reindeer craft & watch Rudolph
December 11 - Write thank you notes
December 12 - Read Christmas books
December 13 - Perform in a Christmas Program (for school)
December 14 - Rent the Grinch Who Stole Christmas
December 15 - Bake cookies at Grammi's w/ cousins
December 16 - Wrap presents
December 17 - Paint ornaments
December 18 - Buy a new Christmas movie
December 19 - Make pizza in the shape of a Christmas tree
December 20 - Do melting snowman & watch Frosty
December 21 - Make popcorn & drive around to look at lights
December 22 - Go shopping w/ Daddy for Mama
December 23 - Go downtown to see the tree
December 24 - Bake cookies for Santa

Besides this we will also be doing an Advent reading each evening.  I made Ann's last year and we really enjoyed it.  We will be using it again this year. 

Now I am not trying to rush the Christmas season!  I am just trying to make it so I can have a stress free holiday and really reflect on the meaning of the season. 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

**Snow Showers**

Monday we experienced the first taste of winter... snow showers!
 

All of the pictures were taken from the comfort of my home.  Sorry for the quality!

 

It lasted for over an hour and boy was it pretty!  Although I will admit that I am not sure I am ready for this... I guess ready or not here it comes!

 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

A Slow, Puttering Kind of Weekend

The moment the sun started to rise on Saturday I knew it was going to be a gorgeous weekend. The sun shined all weekend and the temperatures were about 70*.  

I needed this weekend as I have been under the weather for two weeks now.  I am feeling better.  I have a cough I can't shake and a lack of energy. 

I washed all of the bedding and blankets from the living room and had the windows open. 

I wanted to get all of the germs out of here!

We took a quick trip to the hardware store for my Christmas present. 

 

It is the ceiling for the rest of my home, the three bedrooms.  You can see here where I posted about working on the living room ceiling.  This project should keep us busy for a while!

 

Chuck took advantage of the good weather to do a final cut of the yard.  Mainly to cut up leaves.   

  

I took some time to go through a box of toys.  I keep the trucks for the boys and packed up the rest of the items.  Most were baby toys that will be put away. 

I love a slow, puttering kind of weekend!  I hope to enjoy some more of these. May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Pinned It, Made It: Cinnamon Roll Waffles

When I saw these I knew what I would be making for breakfast Sunday morning. After the first bite Chuck said that he had doubts about these and was pleasantly surprised by how good they were. I couldn't agree more. Delicious!

The pin said that she cooked them as long she would a normal waffle.  For my waffle maker that was to long.  It only took a 1 1/2 to 2 minutes for these.  These are something that will be appearing on my table again. 

Be sure to stop by and visit Tammy for more great ideas. 

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Breadcrumbs

While grocery shopping this month I lost my list midway... ugh! I had to wing it and hope for the best. I did really well. While reading this post I realized that breadcrumbs were on my list. Opps! I have never made my own breadcrumbs. I am not really sure why.
 
They were super easy to make.  I used my mini chopper to crumble the bread (I used about 1/4 a loaf) then baked them for an hour at 250*.   I added parsley, garlic powder and just a touch of basil to season them. 

Next time I will grind the bread into smaller bits.   

Other then that I think they are beautiful!

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

Crazy Squirrel!

We have some crazy squirrels around here. They not only eat huge holes in trash cans, but can devour a pumpkin in no time!

They are also not ashamed to come right up to the door for a tasty treat. 

Mr. Squirrel has provided some great entertainment around here!

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!

A Little Change...

I have been playing with a new blog header.  I previously wanted to go with something very simple.  Each time I came to my blog I just didn't feel like it reflected who I am.  I am much happier with this. 

I am starting to feel better.  Thank goodness!  This weekend will be busy with grocery shopping, family pictures, yard work and church.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

May your day be filled with joy and contentment!