McLinky Monday - Favorite Christmas Tree Ornament

Today, Mrs. Bundy wants us to share one or some of our favorite Christmas tree ornaments.

Usually my answer would be snowmen, snowmen, snowmen...I LOVE my snowmen ornaments.

However, all of my adorable snowmen are in storage.  Boo.  My favorite OU Snowman, usually adorns the front of my tree, and I must say that I really miss him.  I don't have ONE snowman on my Christmas tree this year...not one!  It's kind of weird.  I may have to go out and buy one yet.

So, this year I am really loving this ornament from Starbucks.  I always buy one. 

Last year it was the new reusable clear cup ornament.  I also have the traditional green and white Starbucks cup, along with a couple other versions.  I can't wait until next year, when they're all back together.

Isn't it cute?  Makes me happy.

What is your favorite ornament or ornaments?

Do you collect something specific, or is it something your kiddos made...or a treasured gift?

Go check out more favorite ornament posts over at The RHOK!

2010 Review Extravaganza - Part 2

I'm going to do this recap a little differently than last week.  I think last week's post got a little wordy.  So, this week I'm just going to post headlines, pics, and links...and don't forget about another giveaway at the end!

April
First up, Bon Jovi Concert!

Sing it with me "Shot through the heart and you're to blame.  Darlin' you give love a bad name"

I was taking LOTS of of new pictures and one of my favorite ones of the year came from Easter.

I was also exploring my camera and LOVING IT!


May
Breaking Ground!

12th Anniversary

Train Ride to Fort Worth

End of the year Field Trips

(more pics...if you're into that sort of thing.)

June

Relay for Life

Eclipse Party Planning
My two MOST viewed posts of the year came in the month of June while I was doing all of my Eclipse Party Planning.   free Eclipse Printables and Eclipse Party Pics
 
That pretty much wrapped up those three months.  They were BUSY, but they were fun!  I'm pretty sure after all of the Eclipse planning, party, and premiere I passed out!  Allison and I were running on two to three hours of sleep a night.  She flew in from AZ the day before and we decorated and picked up supplies for about 24 hours straight!  We saw Eclipse THREE TIMES before she left!  It was epic.

To read more reviews and to link up, visit one of these lovely ladies...Emmy, Mimi, Shortmama,

This week's giveaway is for one of my other FAVORITE things that I've mentioned here and there in blog posts throughout the year...the entire Hunger Games Trilogy.  If you haven't read it, you'll LOVE it!  This is your chance to own all three books!! 

You know the drill...follow and comment!  Tweet this or post it on your blog for more entries.  Be sure to come back here and tell me about it in the comments.

Last week's Gooseberry Patch Cookbook giveaway winner is....Lourie aka CA Girl!

Congrats!  I'll be sending an email soon to get your address information!

Happy Friday!!  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!♥

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

My #1 obstacle when I try to blog at home.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

I know I've shared several pictures of our Christmas tree and such, but today I want to link up with The Nester for her 2010 Christmas Tour of Homes! 

This year, our Christmas decor is a bit different. 

Since we are in the middle of construction, all of our regular Christmas decorations are in storage and really hard to get to.  So, we've improvised and bought a smaller tree.  It's pretty Charlie Brownish, but it's ours and we love it...ok, Isaiah and I love it.  Michael is just tolerating it.

I didn't want to spend a fortune on decorations since I have so many lovely ones in storage, so I bought a few cheap things and "made do".  We all have to do that from time to time, right?  Just "make do". 

Mostly, our tree is decorated with jingle bells.  I bought a pack from Michael's for about $2.  I also purchased a few spools of raffia.  I hung all of the bells from the tree with raffia.  I bought a large spool of tartan plaid ribbon and made bows...even a large one for the top.  Isaiah is NOT happy about this, so we probably will have to go out and buy an angel or star before it's all over.

The rest of the tree is filled in with pine cones, candy canes, and a few $1 oraments from Target...

and this cute little pirate nutcracker that Isaiah opened as one of his 12 Days of Christmas gifts.  He opened it and said "ARRRGGGGHHHH.  I'll crack your nuts."  Boys.

I love to match my wrapping to my tree.  So, all of my gifts are wrapped in this brown/craft paper w/ red and gold writing on it.  I really love the way it looks. 

Here's a few other simple details I've added around the house.

It's not much, but it's definitely beginning to look like Christmas...

Have you decorated yet?  Do you have a theme or do you just go with whatever is in the box? 

Thanks for stopping by!

~jennykate

McLinky Monday - Favorite Christmas Dish

Today for McLinky Monday, Mrs. Coco wants to know -

What's your favorite Christmas dinner dish recipe?

Christmas Eve at our house is not your traditional Christmas feast.

We eat the turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, etc. at Thanksgiving.  So, by Christmas, we all need a little something different.

From the looks of our dinner table, you would think we're originally from south of the border.

We have Mexican/Spanish everything...Spanish rice, fajita bowls, Mexican flats, Enchiladas, Enchilada casserole, beans, re fried beans, and our family specialty, Chili Verdes.

The Barney's are kind of known for their Chili Verdes and Chocolate Gravy, but I'll save the chocolate gravy for another post.  Here is the recipe for Chili Verdes...

The Ingredients:

• round steak
• salsa verde
• green chilies
• tomato sauce
• salsa
• garlic
• flour
• oil
• salt and pepper (to taste)

The Process:

(remember my Granny does not cook by recipes...pinch of this, dash of that)

• cut round steak into bite size pieces, toss in flour and salt and pepper
• put a little oil in a skillet and brown round steak w/ a tablespoon of minced garlic
• here's where it gets tricky...the sauce is really up to you...how spicy you want it, how MUCH sauce you want, etc
• put your browned round steak in a large stock pot and start adding your remaining ingredients...to taste.  If you have one pound of round steak, I would start out with a can/small jar of salsa verde, a can of green chilies, small can of tomato sauce, and however much regular salsa you want...to the consistency you want.  
• let simmer for AT LEAST 1 hour...the longer the better.
• serve in warm tortillas
• you can add cheese, sour cream, more salsa, etc.
• roll up like a burrito and enjoy! 

I wish I had some pictures. 

I'll remember to take some in a couple of weeks at our Christmas Eve and I'll share them.

Instead, here are a few pics from the weekend.

Isaiah FINALLY got to start opening his 12 Days of Christmas gift!

Last night we had our RHOK Christmas Party and fun was had by all...it was PJs, Pigtails, and Cocktails.

Stop by The RHOK for more Christmas Dishes and join in, if you have a favorite dish to share!

2010 Review Extravaganza - Part 1

Starting today, I am linking up to 2010 Review Extravaganza hosted by Mimi, Shortmama, Emmy and several other great bloggers. (Stay tuned until the end. I'm also having a giveaway!)


This Friday we're supposed to sum up the first three months of the year.


So...
January - March.

Well, first of all, I should apologize to all of my non-Twilight friends.  Wow.  If I talked about Twilight, New Moon, Rob, or Edward once, I talked about Twilight, New Moon, Rob, or Edward a hundred times.

I wrote 23 blog posts and 12 of those posts were regarding Twilight...or Twilight issues.

In January, Isaiah turned 6!  Which means I will soon have a 7 year old!  How did that happen?!

I also received my new camera for Christmas and was exploring my expanding love for photography.  I think my favorite picture I posted during those first few months was this one of Isaiah...

I got some of my highest comments and blog traffic on FMM posts, Friend Makin' Monday's for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about.  Gotta love FMMs!  If you don't participate in a blog hop every now and then, you're missing out!  I made some of my best bloggy friends this past year through FMMs.

In early January, I made a list of my top ten things I'm looking forward to in twenty-ten.  I thought I would revisit that list and see what happened and what didn't.

1. TwiCon in ATL in March - Happened and I had an AH-mazing time!!
2. Twilight Saga: New Moon DVD release in March/April - I can't believe it's been so long since New Moon came out on DVD.  I had a blast at Borders w/ Allison waiting on our Special Edition DVDs!
3. Eclipse Premier Party (and the party planning that will lead up to that with my girl, Allison) - Allison and I totally rocked the Eclipse Party.  I think it was a success.  I wish we could do it again tomorrow.
4. Eclipse on June 30th (in a VIP viewing room!) - It happened and it was FABULOUS!  Side note: If you haven't watched the commentary on the Eclipse DVD, do it.  ASAP.  You can thank me later.
5. Family Reunion over July 4th - happened, but on a smaller scale than years past.
6. San Diego, Comic Con, and meeting Trisha on July 20th!! - didn't happen.  Boo. =( This is going back on my list for 2011!
7. The 3rd book in the Hunger Games Trilogy, the sequel to The Maze Runner, and hoping for the release of another Stephenie Meyer book...a sequel to The Host would be AWESOME! - Mockingjay and Catching Fire were both AMAZING!!!  Loved them!  Looking forward to the Death Cure coming out in 2011 (3rd book of the Maze Runner Trilogy).  I know, I'm a nerd.
8. Blogging all of my fun adventures - happened!  
9. Taking lots of pictures with my new camera and learning new techniques along the way.  - tried to do this...still in the process.
10. Meeting weight-loss goals - continuing to exercise and eat healthy (and Shred) - um, yeah.  I'd like to plead the 5th on this.  What can I say?  I'm a perpetual dieter.  This will be on my list for 2011.

Now for my giveaway...


Every Friday between now and Christmas I'll be giving away one of my favorite things, starting today with a Gooseberry Patch Cookbook.  They are my absolute favorite cookbooks!  I think you'll love them too.  Giveaway ends next Thursday, December 16 at 11:59pm.


All you need to do to enter is be a follower and comment on this blog post.  Please be sure I can reach you through email!


Robin from The Robin's Nest was recently featured on their blog!!  By the way, she is hosting an oh-so-fabulous giveaway on her blog right now!  It includes a $25 Starbucks giftcard! Nevermind, you probably don't want to win that.  Forget I said anything.

Good luck! 

Happy Friday!

Come join in the 2010 Review Extravaganza!

JennyKate and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

Yep, you read that title right.  I'm having a terrible horrible no good very bad day.

1. I woke up this morning with snot dried onto my face up to my eyeball...nice visual, eh?
2. JK + MD = love...and I'm not talking about my hubby.  The new MD in my life is MucinexD.  It is my only relief from all this snot having a party in my sinuses.
3. Belle got sprayed by a skunk this morning.
4. There was NO hazelnut creamer at the gas station this morning for my coffee.  There are two offenses here.  One, no hazelnut creamer.  Two, gas station coffee.
5. I am fashion faux pas from head-to-toe.  I'm wearing lounge pants to work w/ a hoodie sweater, and two layers of tank tops, just because I felt like it...and Toms w/ no socks.  It is so attractive.  Don't try to steal my style.  I'll know.
6. I'm having a head-band-AND-ponytail kinda hair day.
7. no makeup
8. it's ugly
9. you probably don't want to talk to me
10. some people just popped into my office to see if they could meet with me real quick
11. they probably regret that decision.
12. I could go on, but it's depressing...

In other news, I posted over at The RHOK today.  Stop by and read my post, if you get a chance.

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

Swap package is ready for mailing!

Do you think I went overboard with the "fragile"? I wanted to make sure that Lisa's made it there in one piece. Made me think of The Christmas Story..."Fra-gee-lay...must be Italian."

My Internet is down today (posting from my phone...that's why it sucks). Hopefully it's fixed soon and I can make my daily visits.

Happy Hump Day! :)

An open letter to Peter Facinelli

An open letter to a celebrity...and his wife.

Dear Peter Facinelli,

Thank you for making yourself so available to millions of Twihard around the world.  We appreciate it more than you'll ever know.  You have no idea how awesome it is to meet one of the Cullens.  Twilight Conventions without a Cullen would be like a mall without an anchor store.  You're like our Nordstroms.  We love you for all you do for the Twidom.

Also, thank you for your charity work.  It means a lot to know that you give back.

Before I close this open letter, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to Jennie.  I'm sure it's not the easiest thing in the world to be at home with the kiddos while women of all ages oogle over your husband...and squeeze his butt.  So, "thank you, Jennie".  You're awesome.  Kelly Taylor has always been my favorite on 90210.

Sincerely,

A Twihard in Tulsa

Pictures I took at the Twilight Convention in Dallas...

What celebrity would you write an open letter to?  What would you say?

~jennykate♥

McLinky Monday - Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes

Mrs. Sinclair over at The RHOK wants us to share our favorite Holiday Cookies and the recipes, of course!

I've been in the baking mood, but I've yet to bake.  I've bought ingredients, but I haven't put them to use yet.  I've also bought some adorable boxes to put my goodies in, but they're still empty.  I plan on doing that this week...or maybe over the weekend.  I have to allot a whole day to nothing but baking.  I usually make some chocolate dipped pretzels, and a really yummy candy bar fudge along with some of my favorite cookies recipes.

You know, something like this...

Ala Cher from Clueless.  Plop a whole roll of cookie dough on a baking sheet and toss it in the oven. 

I kid.

My FAV holiday cookies are simple.  I usually gravitate toward the shortbread and butter cookies.  I just love them and they go GREAT with a cup of coffee.

Here are my best cookie recipes:
Pecan Shortbread Recipe:
(Source:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/ )

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups small diced pecans

Directions

Cook's Note: This recipe can easily be doubled, as what was shown in the episode.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter/sugar mixture. Add the pecans and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut into 2 1/2-inch squares with a plain or fluted cutter (or cut into any shape you like). Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.

Almond Butter Cookies
(Source:  http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/ )

Do you buy Gooseberry Patch cookbooks?  If you don't, you should.  They are FANTASTIC!!  I'll be having a giveaway for one later this week, so stay tuned!

OK, back to the recipe...
Ingredients

• 1 c. butter
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 t. almond extract
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt

Directions

• Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat about 10 seconds, until very soft but not melted. Stir together butter, sugar and extract. Add dry ingredients; mix well. If dough seems too dry, add another tablespoon or so of butter. Form into one-inch balls; place on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten to 1/4-inch thickness with the bottom of a glass jar. Bake at 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool. Drizzle Chocolate Glaze over cookies; let stand until glaze sets. Makes 5-1/2 to 6 dozen.

Chocolate Glaze:

• 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 t. shortening

In a small saucepan, stir ingredients over very low heat until melted and smooth.

What are your favorite holiday cookies?

For more great recipes, hop on over to The RHOK!

~jennykate♥

Small Town Christmas Parade

Have you ever been to a small town Christmas parade?  I know some of you live in small towns and I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.  I also know some of you in real life, so I know that you know what I'm talking about.  But this post is for those of you who have never experienced a small town Christmas parade.  I mean, I think everyone at least once should experience it.  So, get ready for you virtual Small Town Christmas Parade.  You can thank me later.

One thing you can always count on are a plethora of police cars and fire trucks. 

They are there in full force...horns, lights, sirens, and all.

The second thing you can always count on is that there will be at least 3 high school/junior high marching bands.  They provide the background music to the parade.

Watch this video for a little glimpse. 

If you can't hear what Isaiah is saying, I'll help you out.  He's telling me "this is how I feel the beat", and he wants me to look down at his feet.  He's doing some sort of foot tapping/dancing/clogging thing.  Then, toward the end, he tells me "this is what I do when I stop feeling the beat", and again he wants me to look down at his feet.  He's standing completely still.  Last thing he asks me is if I like Double Bubble, because if I didn't he was going to give it to the people standing next to us.

There is TONS of candy thrown out!  You'll also walk away with a coupon or two...and maybe some beads...it's like Mardi Gras.

Here are a few sights that you might not see at your hometown Christmas parade.

Yep, that's an over sized shopping cart, some ladies riding horses, and Frosty on a motorcycle.

A few of my favorite floats...

It wouldn't be a Christmas parade without a float w/ a nativity scene. 

This is Isaiah's serious face. 

And of course, a Christmas Parade would NOT be a Christmas Parade without these guys...

 Wha?  Of course the political parties have to represent.

So, there you have it, a Small Town Christmas Parade.  Hope you enjoyed it!

Have you been to a Christmas Parade yet?  Will you?  What's your favorite thing to see?

~jennykate♥

P.S.  Go green.  Be a tree hugger.

Sorry for the picture overload, I just didn't want you to miss anything! =)

December To-Do List

Wow wow wow.  December 1st!  Already.

I don't know about you, but December is shaping up to be a busy month!  It always is, but this year I feel like I have added a dozen more things to my normal list of tree trimming, gift buying, and partying.  Anytime I start to feel overwhelmed, it helps me to sit down and write out a list.  If it's on paper (or the blog) and I can see it and check it off, I feel better about it.  So, here's my list for the month of December...

• Buy 12 gifts for Sami's 12 Days of Christmas Swap.  It's been a lot of fun getting to know my new found bloggy friend Lisa...she's one cool chick! ;) I have 4 down, 8 to go...I'm stressing a little over the $50 limit.  How the heck do you buy TWELVE gifts for $50 or less?!?!  They have to be mailed to her by the 12th!
• Going to buy Eclipse at midnight this Friday!
• Going to watch my hometown play in the 4A High School Football Championship game on Saturday!  Also, my beloved Sooners will be playing in the Big 12 Championship on the same day...at the same time!  Go Bulldogs and BOOMER SOONER!
• Meeting Impulsive and our friend Mona at Hideaway next Friday night for GNO!
• The RHOK is getting together on the 12th or 19th to take pictures for the Cube Project. Have you heard of that? It's really cool. You should check it out!
• Also getting together with The RHOK for a Christmas party. Date is still undecided.
• Christmas Play w/ my kiddos at church. We have 2 more Sundays and 2 more Wednesdays to practice. Our Christmas Play is on December 19th.
• A birthday party for Jesus at church after the Christmas Play.
• I still have Michael, Isaiah, my Granny, and a few small friend gifts to buy.
• Angel tree gifts to buy.
• My kiddos at church and I are working on a Christmas package for a church in Paraguay.
• I need to wrap most of my gifts. I only have a few wrapped and under the tree right now.
• The Christmas Party for Isaiah's class is on December 17th. We're going to set up centers and have the kids rotate. So, I'm planning on 3 craft stations, 1 coloring station, and a hot chocolate and cookie decorating station. I've got to finish planning all of that. I haven't even started on the crafts yet!
• Christmas Party at the American Legion. We usually have about 50 kids and I have to think of a craft for our craft table and make sure my cousins will come down and sing some carols with the kids...oh, and I have to secure a Santa Clause!
• I'm in the middle of planning my cousin Lindsay's baby shower for the day after Christmas...it's going to be a Winter Wonderland theme. I can't wait to show you guys what I have planned!
• I'm also planning Isaiah's birthday party.  It's January 5th and I have to get it all together before Christmas.
• On top of all of that, I have baking and a few gifts I'm wanting to make...some photo books to put together...Christmas cards to mail out...and I'm sure there is something that I'm leaving off the list. 

Needless to say, I'm going to be busy.  How about you?  What sort of things are you busy with during this holiday season?

Here are a few of the pictures I have taken recently, all courtesy of my iPhone because someone left their camera at their Granny's and keeps forgetting it everytime she's down there...we won't name any names.

Thanksgiving @ Isaiah's school

 Black Friday

 Our Christmas tree and a few other decorating pics



Hope you all are having a great week so far!

~jennykate♥

I'm linking up with Sugarplum Creations

P.S.  Wanna exchange Christmas cards?  If so, email me your address (jennykate77(at)yahoo(dot)com).

10 Reasons I Drink Coffee

I don't know why I made this list, but I did, so here it is for your reading pleasure (or not)...

A list of 10 Reasons I drink coffee, in no particular order...

1. I love the taste.  For reals.  I don't even like to camouflage it with a bunch of cream and sugar and other flavors.  Well, I do love cream/half and half/milk.  I feel like those things accentuate the flavor of the coffee.  I also admit that I love a good Peppermint Mocha.  It's just that all the flavors and such are not a necessity.
2. It makes me see into the future.  OK, not really, but it does give me lots of energy.  I appreciate that.
3. It's relaxing.  I know that sounds kind of weird, because caffeine generally is thought of as a "relaxant", but just the smell and warmth is soothing.
4. It's a natural diuretic.  Did you know that?
5. It has health benefits.  There are studies that show people who drink coffee are less likely to get Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and dementia.
6. It makes me think more clearly.
7. It gives me a reason to go to Starbucks.  I love going to Starbucks.
8. It goes well with another hobby, reading.  There is nothing like a good book and a good cup of coffee.
9. It's actually a passion of mine.  I love everything about it from the harvesting, to the roasting, to the brewing, and finally to the cup.  My mom and I used to have a coffee shop.  I would love to have a shop again one day.
10. It's a good reason to meet up with a friend!  I can't tell you the times that I've met people for coffee...new acquaintances to old friends, it's just a great excuse to get together!

Do you love coffee?  If so, why do you love it?!  If not, what's your drink of choice?

I'm participating in Follow Me Back Tuesday hosted by Boobies, Babies, & A Blog, Survey Junkie, and Little YaYa's!

If you're stopping by from FMBT, leave me a comment and let me know you were here!  I'll be by to visit soon.  I'm loving all of the new blogs I've found through this blog hop.  If you're looking for new blogs to read, you should join in!

~jennykate♥

Out To The RHOK

I'm over at The RHOK today!!

Come over and visit me there!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A Thankful Heart

I am so thankful for God.

I am so thankful for Michael.

I am so thankful for Isaiah.

I am so thankful for my mom and dad.

I am so thankful for my granny.

I am so thankful for the time I was able to spend with my grandpa before he passed away. 

I am thankful that he lives on in our hearts and we will meet again. 

I am thankful for the legacy he left behind.

I am thankful for my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I am thankful for all of my wonderful friends (that includes you).

I am thankful for my church and church family.

I am thankful for my freedom and the men and women who fight to keep it.

I am thankful for the simple things in life that make me happy.

I am thankful for my home.

I am thankful for family traditions.

I am thankful for all of the delicious food we are eating today!

I hope you and your family are having a wonderful day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

~jennykate♥

Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving...

Twas the night before Thanksgiving...


10 SIMPLE things in life that make me happy...

1.  a GREAT cup of coffee
2. that little ding I hear when I have a new email/comment in my inbox
3. GOOD snail mail from a friend
4. quiet time with a good book
5. Gain laundry soap
6. a clean bathroom
7. white twinkle lights
8. Isaiah's jokes
9. a good chat on the phone...seems as though texting has taken over our lives and it's nice to reconnect over the phone every once in a while.
10. my favorite song coming on the radio

I'm oh-so-thankful.

What are 10 simple things that make you happy?


What are you up to on the day/night before Thanksgiving? 


Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

Blogging Methods

A few days ago...or maybe it was last week, my short term memory fails me often...Impulsive Addict and I were having a discussion about blogging.  She asked me how I manage my blog.  Basically, she wanted to know how do I post as often as I do, comment on other blogs, and respond back to people who comment here.

(picture courtesy of Google Images)

Well, for me, the answer is not always the same.  The truth is that I fit blogging in whenever, wherever, and however I can.  Sometimes that means that I wake up uber early during the week and scramble to put up a post before work.  Sometimes I have to wait until I get a break at the office, like on my lunch hour.  Sometimes I pour on the heat over the weekend and crank out as many posts as I can, save them as drafts and then post them when needed through the week.  It always depends on my schedule.

When it comes to commenting, I cram it in whenever possible.  I read a lot of my blogs through Google Reader, so I will often read through the blogs and then later I will log on to each blog and leave a comment.  I'll also catch up on my blog reading from my phone, but I hardly EVER post a comment from there.  I just can't do it.  It drives me batty.  I like to have a spell checker and I want to know that what I say makes sense.

If someone invents an easier way to leave comments, I would vote for them for President.  For reals.

Question:  Do you have an e-mail account set up for your blog?

If you just answered "no", shame on you!!  Everyone should have an e-mail account linked up to their blog!

A lot of times, if I can't get around to everyone's blog, I like to at least respond back to their comment through an e-mail.  I want people to know that I read what they wrote and that it meant a lot to me that they took the time out of their day to stop by and read my post or just say "hi"!  So, if you don't have an e-mail account linked up, DO IT!

What are your blogging methods?  

How do you manage your blog?

~jennykate

I'm joining in Follow Me Back Tuesday!

A special THANK YOU to our hosts: Boobies, Babies & A Blog, Little Yaya's, and Survey Junkie

12 Days of Christmas Swap

Sami at Symmetry In Motion is having an oh-so-fabulous
12 Days of Christmas Swap!

To find out the details, go to Sami's blog today!!  Hurry!  Time is running out to join in!

(click the picture above)

It's going to be fun.  You don't want to miss out!!

McLinky Monday - Black Friday

Today at The RHOK, Mrs. Albright wants to know about our agenda for Black Friday.  Do you go...or is it your worst form of torture?  She also asked us to post our tips and tricks.

Ok, so here's the DL on BF.

Yes, I go.  It's one of my deep rooted Thanksgiving traditions.  Courtesy of my momma.  She gave me my shopping gene.  When I was little my Granny and aunts would set out on an all day shopping venture, I remember wanting to go so badly.  I've always been a shopper.  My Granny says when I was little they would give me $5 and I would come home with a whole bag full of stuff.

We have this Black Friday thing down to a fine science.  The day of Thanksgiving, we send one of the guys to the gas station for newspapers...lots and lots of newspapers.  We have to have plenty to go around.  First, we just all go for it.  Dividing and conquering the sales ads.  Then, we get strategic.  We start sorting out the stores, the items we're all looking for and making piles.  After that, we compile a master list.  We decide where we'll start first and what is most important.  We also list any extra coupons that we might have that would sweeten any of the doorbuster deals.

Usually, our day starts at our hometown Wal-Mart.  It's easy to maneuver.  There aren't nearly the number of people there compared to the stores in Tulsa.  We start there about 3:30 in the morning.  You've gotta be early to get these worms.  After we wait for our items in Wal-Mart, we go ahead and make a drop-off...clear out the vehicle for the purchases we plan on making in Tulsa.

The first stop in T-Town is Starbucks.  It's a given.  By this time we all need it.  Usually we've had coffee, but no breakfast and definitely not Starbucks.  This will be our first stop of many during the day.

After our stop at the Bux, we venture off to the next store, usually Target or Khol's depending on what is in the sales ad and how early you have to be there to get the items.

We always stop sometime for a nice lunch and we've been known to even eat dinner before we finally make it back to Wagoner, where we have also been known to hit Wal-Mart one more time before making it home.  There have been years when we don't finish up until wee hours of Saturday morning.

We're power shoppers.  Black Friday is like our Super Bowl.

One of my favorite tools for Black Friday is my nifty app.  TGI Black Friday.  It's a great app w/ lists of all the stores and their sales ads.  You can even make a list on there.  I love lists!

You can also visit BlackFriday2010.com for all the latest sales ads.  They will send you email alerts and updates.

This year there will be 9 of us going.  My cousins, Lindsay and Kristen will be home for the annual event for the first time in a few years!  I can't wait!!

What are your Black Friday traditions?  Or are you more of a Cyber Monday person?  Or do you hate the whole idea all together?

Check out more Black Friday posts over at The RHOK!

~jennykate♥