A Thankful Heart -- Day 1

"No matter what happens, always be thankful..." (1 Th. 5:18)

Over the next month, as often as possible, I'm going to be posting things I'm thankful for.  

I'm thankful for so many things.  I feel very blessed.  

Sometimes my "thankfuls" might be "profound" and other times they may be silly or things that are only important to me.

Today, I'm thankful for the ability to go into the kitchen and just "whip something up", as my Granny would say.  

I have her to thank for this ability.  

For lunch today, I went into our kitchen here at the office and made myself some chicken and dumplings...my Granny's easy recipe.  

After a conversation with a co-worker, it dawned on me that not everyone can just go into the kitchen and make something.  My ability to cook definitely comes from my Granny.  She is a wonderful cook.  I hope that one day I am even half as good as she is.

So, a big shout-out to my Granny (even though she doesn't read my blog...she doesn't even know what blogging is) for letting me hang out in her kitchen and watch her every move...and ask a million questions.

Thank you, Granny!  I LOVE you!

I'm linking up today with Shawn at Seriously and her 

25 Days of Thankful!

Hurry over and check out more "thankfuls"!

What are you thankful for?

A Whole Lotta Halloween

A week...a WHOLE flippin' week?!  Man, I'm failing on the blogging job. 

In my defense, it has been a crazy busy past 7 days!

I planned/co-planned 3 Halloween parties, accompanied Isaiah's class on their field trip to the Aquarium, and Isaiah played his last football game of the season...and I have pictures to prove it!

Harvest Festival @ Legacy Family Church - Party #1

Halloween Bash @ The Farm 

(aka my Mom & Dad's house) - 

Party #2

Halloween Party @ The American Legion - Party #3

I don't know if I've ever told you guys before, but I'm the President of the American Legion Auxiliary that we belong to.  Around the Holidays, we throw parties for the children of the Veterans that belong to our Post and for the local community.  So, every year I plan the party w/ games and crafts and bunches of goodies.  It's a lot of fun!

1st Grade Field Trip to the Aquarium

The jellyfish and anemones are always my favorites!

Saturday was Isaiah's last football game.  They lost, but it was a great game and they played their little hearts out.

Here's a few of my favorite pics from the game.

How was your weekend?  Attend any parties?  Did you raid your kiddos Halloween bag check your kiddos candy for razor blades and needles? 

Hope everyone is having a great week!♥

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!♥

Easy As "Pie"

A few weeks ago, I volunteered in Isaiah's classroom. 

His teacher had been doing a unit on apples and as her grand finale, she made apple pies with the kiddos.  We didn't make a traditional pie.  We made these little individual "pies" out of biscuits and pie filling.  

Super easy!  VERY delicious!

Ingredients:

1. refrigerated biscuits (I used Grands Buttery Flavored Biscuits)
2. pie filling (your choice)
3. cooking spray
4. sugar (optional)
5. cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

• Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.
• Spray your cookie sheet w/ cooking spray
• Press out your biscuit as big as you can make it without it tearing apart.
• Put 1-2 spoonfuls of pie filling in the center of the biscuit.
• Fold the biscuit over making a pocket for the pie filling.  Press the edges of the biscuit together.
• Sprinkle with sugar (and cinnamon).

• Bake for about 13-15 minutes.  I would just keep an eye on them and pull them out when they get a to be a nice golden brown on the top.

• Serve warm by themselves or with ice cream...or cool whip!

We made some more over the weekend with blueberry pie filling and they were YUMMY!!

What is your favorite thing to bake this time of year?

McLinky Monday - Worst Job

The question of the day over at The RHOK is

What is the worst job you've ever had?

I've had my fair share of jobs.  I've taught kiddos, worked at Home Depot, been a receptionist, and filed my little heart away at the Bursar's Office at OU.  

The job Michael always likes to bring up is when I was employed at the Beanie Baby Cart in the Sooner Fashion Mall.  It was my college days and we were newly married.  I just needed a job to have some extra money.  Michael would always call me his "junior bread winner".  I hated that.  He knew it.  So, he said it as often as he could.  The truth is that I didn't do any "bread winning".  I bought lots of Beanie Babies and sometimes wouldn't even have much of a check when it was pay day.  I loved those things.

The WORST job I ever had was not the Beanie Baby Cart.  
It was Roni's Pizza.  
The actual job was pretty fun.  A lot of my friends worked there and we goofed off a lot.  I might have been locked in the "ice box" a time or two, but other than that it was mostly fun and games...with a little pizza making on the side.  We had great calzone and we got to eat for free!  Bonus!

However, my boss...let's call him Moe...because that was his name.  

He was a tightwad cheapskate ...think "Mr. Krabs"... 

and he called me "Hennifer".  

When he wanted my attention or was telling me to do something he would whistle...but he couldn't.  You know the kind of whistling little kids do when they don't know how?  Yeah, like that.  So, he would fake whistle and say "Hennifer".  DROVE ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY.  

I couldn't understand hardly anything he told me to do.  

I just winged it most of the time.  

Then he would yell at me for getting it wrong..."HENNIFER".

Crazy, I tell ya.  He drove me crazy.

 I only worked there one summer, but it was enough for me.


What was your worst job?

For more worst job stories, go visit The RHOK!

Hope everyone has a great day!!

I ♥ My Kindle

I got a Kindle for my birthday and I LOVE IT!

Fact:  E-books are cheap!  The first book(s) I purchased were...do I even have to say it?  You already know the answer to this right?  Just in case you're new around here, it was the Twilight Saga...all 4 books for 1 low price of $36.99! Sa-weet deal!
Fact:  I think of a book I want and I can have it almost instantly...even driving down the road. (Well, riding down the road...you know what I mean.)
Fact:  It fits so nicely in my purse.
Fact:  It picks up right where you left off.
Fact:  It saves it's own battery, so you don't have to remember to turn it off.  This is such a good thing, because lately I'm forgetting how old I am and all sorts of things...so there's no way I would remember to turn the Kindle off.

I finished my first book on it earlier this week.  It was The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner #2) by James Dashner.  I highly recommend these books.  They're similar to the Hunger Games trilogy.  Both stories are set in a post-apocalyptic world, a dystopia of sorts.  They both have strong female characters and some sort of underlying love story.

Here's what Amazon.com says about The Scorch Trials:
Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

You can download The Scorch Trials for $8.33 if you have a Kindle.

You can also purchase the hardback from Amazon.com for around $9.00 (plus S&H).

What have you been reading lately?

Revenge of a Vampire-napping

And so it begins...

Master Chief, so nice to see you.

 Hello, Barbie.  Let's go party.

 Oh, Master Chief, that Barbie nurses outfit looks so cute on you!

I knew from the first time you spanked Edward that you were on his team.

But you must know that he's in love with Bella.

I guess you can tag along to girls night out...

you'll fit right in.

Beware.  

Pocket Edward holds grudges.

It's going to take a lot more than a Starbucks date to get back on his good side.

This was just the beginning of my revenge.  

Those boys think this is all they have coming to them, 

but they are wrong...

they are so so wrong.  

This was just a little fun dress-up date night with Master Chief.

What's in store next for the boys who stole Pocket Edward?

You'll have to stay tuned to find out!

Friday Confessions - A Miniature Vampire-napping

So, I've been putting this off all week...just waiting for the right time to tell you guys.

It's still a little hard to put into words.  You may think totally different of me after this, but the time has come to confess...

It's Friday Confessions.


Rewind to September 22, 3 weeks and 2 days ago, something horrible happened.  Michael, my darling husband, STOLE MY POCKET EDWARD!!!!  That's right.  He took it straight from my purse...Pocket Edward's safe place.  But that's not the horrible part.  The horrible part is that I didn't even know.  I can't believe I'm confessing to this.  I did not even realize it was missing...for 2 weeks!  Do you want to know when I realized it was missing?  When they...Michael, my darling husband, and David, my cousin Allison's darling husband...they returned it to me.  It was not until I opened the Fed-Ex package from David that came to my door last Friday, opened the box, found the "ransom note", and unrolled A Pocket Edward from a roll of paper towels.  I really should show you the video...it's the only way to get the full effect, but it is the MOST embarrassing thing EVER...it could possibly scare small children, shows just how fat I am, and solidifies my spot as the most annoying person I know.  So, I'm not showing it.  Perhaps you've followed all of this on Facebook and you've already seen the video...my apologies.

Here is a little back story, so you'll understand how and why Edward was hijacked.

A month or so ago, David put out a message on Facebook that Master Chief (a character from the game Halo...that Michael and David play frequently) could and was going to take out Pocket Edward.  Well, you know that I immediately told Allison that I needed her help and that she must protect Pocket Edward...no matter what.  She totally did and took care of Master Chief...er, I mean Pocket Edward totally took care of MC...he ripped him apart, limb from limb.  Allison posted a picture of the pieces of MC in front of Edward.  David declared war.  A couple of days later, he had formulated this plan to hijack my Pocket Edward and asked Michael if he could get mine and send it to him...in Arizona.  Michael said that he might need a few days, but he could do it.

This is where I feel horrible.

How did I not even know he was missing??!!  I'm the worst Pocket Edward owner EVER! EVER! EVER!

David had Pocket Edward for TWO WEEKS!

When he finally sent Pocket Edward back to me, he sent the note and it said "Stay tuned to Facebook to see where I have been."  So, that's been my torture and punishment for the last week.  Although, I have my Pocket Edward back with me and he's safe and sound...I check on him frequently...now, I have to wait and see WHERE he's been.  NOT fun!

So far, MC has had his way with PE...take a look at some pics David has posted on Facebook so far...

Good news is that PE has been well taken care of since he's been home...

He's had a nice bubble bath...

been wiped down with Purell...

and been through Pocket Therapy...

I am Edward Cullen...

I am a vampire.

He is back in his safe place

and I am plotting my revenge.

Master Chief has it coming to him...and he's gonna get it.


Stay tuned.

Maze Runner Trilogy

If you loved the Hunger Games, then you'll love Maze Runner.

That sounds like the print on the box of one of those knock-off perfumes doesn't it?

"If you love Escape by Calvin Klein, then you'll love..."

Well, this isn't a designer impostor.

If you loved the HG trilogy and are looking for a new book to read, you should definitely give Maze Runner a try!!

It falls into the same dystopian sci-fi category as the Hunger Games. The main character, Thomas, wakes up in this metal box...or a lift of some sort.  The only thing he remembers is his first name.  He can't remember where he's from or who his parents are...or what he was doing before he woke up in the box.  When the doors open, he is greeted by other kids of different ages.  They tell him that he's now in The Glade.  None of them know how they got there or why they are there.  Every evening, at the same time, the enormous concrete doors to The Maze close and no one wants to be stuck out there at night.  A new boy is delivered to the Glade every 30 days.  However, something different happens after Thomas gets there.  The very next day, a girl arrives.  It's the first time ever for a girl to be in the Glade and the first time they've ever got two new recruits in two days...and she brought a message.

No matter their differences, they have one common goal...to beat The Maze.

The second book, The Scorch Trials, hit the shelves today!!!

I'm so looking forward to diving into this sequel and learning more about the characters and the story line!  For those of you who love sagas and trilogies like me, there will be three books!  WOOT!

Have you read Maze Runner?  If so, what did you think of the book?

What book are you currently reading?

McLinky Monday - John Hughes

This week's question:
What is your favorite John Hughes film and why?


JennyKate's question:
Who the heck is John Hughes?


Apparently, (according to Wikipedia) he's some uber famous filmmaker.


Getta load of this line-up...

Filmography

• Delta House (1979) (TV)
• National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982)
• At Ease (1983) (TV)
• Mr. Mom (1983)
• National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
• Nate and Hayes (with David Odell) (1983)
• Sixteen Candles (1984) (also Director)
• The Breakfast Club (1985) (also Director)
• Weird Science (1985) (also Director)
• National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) (Story Only)
• Pretty in Pink (1986)
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) (also Director)
• Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
• Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) (also Director)
• She's Having a Baby (1988) (also Director)
• The Great Outdoors (1988)
• Uncle Buck (1989) (also Director)
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
• Home Alone (1990)
• Career Opportunities (1991)
• Only the Lonely (1991) (Producer Only)
• Dutch (1991)
• Curly Sue (1991) (also Director)
• Beethoven (1992) (as Edmund Dantes)
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
• Dennis the Menace (1993)
• Baby's Day Out (1994)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
• 101 Dalmatians (1996)
• Flubber (1997)
• Home Alone 3 (1997)
• Reach the Rock (1998)
• Just Visiting (2001) (with Christian Clavier and Jean-Marie Poire)
• New Port South (2001) (Producer Only)
• Maid in Manhattan (2002) (Story Only) (originally titled The Chambermaid) (as Edmund Dantes)
• Drillbit Taylor (2008) (Story Only) (as Edmund Dantes)

How do you choose a favorite from all of these?  Do you choose one of the Vacation movies?  What about Ferris Bueller's Day Off?  Pretty In Pink has to be at the top of the list.

Tons of classic Brat Pack.

I think I'm going with The Breakfast Club.  I've watched this movie so many times.  I love all of the actors.  It's so funny and still has a deeper darker edge. I also really love the way that it portrays high school and all of the little clicks and groups.  The best part is when they realize how similar they all really are.  Fantastic movie.



For more McLinky Monday posts, visit The RHOK!


Hope you all have a mah-velous Monday!

101010 - Perfect 10

Today is October 10, 2010...10/10/10.  Last week, Shawn from Seriously wrote on her blog that this would be the last time this date sequence would occur for a hundred years.  She suggested that we commemorate this event by writing a post about 10 things we're grateful for, 10 things we're glad we've done and finish with 10 things we want to do within the next 10 years. 

Sounds fun to me! :)

Who has two thumbs and loves to have fun??  THIS GIRL!!!

10 things I am grateful for are...

1. My faith
2. My family
3. My friends
4. My freedom and the people who give their lives to keep it.
5. My free drink card from Starbucks.  It's nice to know that this isn't a one sided relationship.  They care.  They really care.  *tear*
6. My favorite miniature sized doll being returned to me.  Pocket Edward was missing, but he's back home now.  This story requires it's own blog post.
7. frequent texts/conversations with Trisha.  She keeps me sane and she totally gets me.  A couple of years ago, I prayed for a friend that I could totally relate to...same interests, same likes, same concerns...working mom...a person I could talk to about EVERYTHING.  God brought me Trisha.
8. My FABULOUS blogging friends
9. fresh starts
10. My (I'm all outta words that start with 'F') job and the FRINGE benefits I have there...like getting to bring Isaiah to work with me, being able to have my Twilight sanctuary at work...you know the normal things you look for in a good job.

10 things I'm glad I've done...

1. accepted Jesus in my heart
2. married Michael
3. became a mom
4. went to College
5. bought a camera
6. spent quality time with my Grandpa before he passed away
7. moved back to the small town I grew up in
8. read Twilight (a lot)
9. started this blog
10. stayed connected with friends

10 things I want to do in the next 10 years...

1. finish our house (hopefully in the next couple of months)
2. travel
3. see the Eiffel Tower
4. read lots of books
5. spend lots of time with family and friends
6. drink lots of good coffee
7. live my life with no regrets
8. get another tattoo
9. meet new people
10. go on a missions trip

How about you?  

What are you grateful for?  

What are 10 things you're glad you've done?  

What would you like to do in the next 10 years?  

Go check out Shawn's blog for more Perfect 10 posts!

Hope you all are having a blessed Sunday!

Too Silly Sisters Winner!

And the winner of the 

Mocha and Mozart Posh Posie Necklace

 from Too Silly Sisters is...

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:17Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Lucky #17 -

OCTOBER 1, 2010 9:01 PM
Dina @ 4 Lettre Words said...
Awww...hope you had an amazing celebration! I'm following. Where we going? :o)


Congratulations, Dina!!  Send me your address and I'll have you necklace in the mail to you ASAP! 


Have you had a good Friday?
What's on the agenda for the weekend?


Hope everyone is doing fabulous!!♥