For Today…

Outside my window…Sunny skies, wind blowing the few remaining leaves on the trees, chilly temps.

I am thinking…About all the things I need to accomplish this afternoon.

I am thankful for… Memories of fun days!

From the kitchen…I haven’t written my menu for the week and am sad to say I have no clue what’s for dinner… Hopefully a walk through the grocery store will inspire a menu.  I cooked taco meatloaf Saturday and went ahead and made a batch of spaghetti sauce for Sunday since I was sauteeing veggies already.  That worked out well but today I’m stumped.

I am wearing…Jeans, black shirt, silver shoes

I am reading…a few blogs before I get busy.

I am hoping… that Izzy will get used to the AFO’s and be able to tolerate them through the night.

I am creating…these cute little dolls with Emelia

I am hearing…Amanda talking about OU, Izzy little noises and the dryer.

Around the house…There is laundry to do and floors to be washed…Meals to be made and dusting to be done.

One of my favorite things…is pasta from Victoria’s… especially alfredo and lasagna rolls!

A few plans for the rest of the week…I’m meeting Kari on Friday for lunch! I have met her in person once before!  I look forward to chatting with her in person again and a bonus is that we are meeting at Cheesecake Factory! YUM!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you…

It’s almost  Thanksgiving!!!!

Last Sunday we went to church … came home, ate, napped, and back to church.  Izzy was noisy in evening church so she and I spent the hour in the cry room.  Funny how quiet she is when we are behind glass …

Monday it was rainy and chilly outside.  We stayed in most of the day.  I cooked a huge pot of stew and cornbread. It was delicious.

Tuesday was Veteran’s Day.  Izzy got a little too hot in the assembly and spent her time with Camilla recuperating.  Tuesday evening was FLO at church. There were a lot of new ladies there and lots of turkeys were given out.

Wednesday Izzy had a good day at school. I found out that her kid walk had been ordered and now we are just waiting for it to arrive. They said probably about 3 more weeks!  Very exciting.

Thursday Izzy had a great day at school. Camilla and Melanie had good things to say and we are seeing progress in her feet and hips.  It’s exciting!   While Izzy was at school I met my brother at Sam’s for a little grocery shopping and ran to the beauty supply for a bottle of caramel color for Amanda’s hair.  When I brought izzy home I carried her over to the fence to see Pinky (the horse).  We pet and talked to Pinky for a while.  After dinner I put the dark and light foils in Amanda’s hair.  It turned out really really great!  Amanda mailed her transcripts to OU!

Friday I had to run to Amanda’s school to pay for her graduation announcements & cap & gown!  Yikes!  Amanda had an interview at the ATT store.  We don’t know yet if she is hired.  Me, Amanda and Emelia saw the cutest dolls made out of gloves on Martha Stewart.  Emelia and I have been gathering supplies to make them… I’ll post a finished project!  Julie suggested we start a blog with our favorite recipes.  So we did… it’s here.

Here’s Amanda mailing her transcript to OU. She’s even wearing the OU colors! (sorry Paula

Today Matt got up early to go to a men’s breakfast at church.  They ended up doing some projects and he wasn’t home until almost noon.  I took Emelia to a birthday party at the skating rink after we stopped at my brother’s house for a bit and ran to the store for a gift.  There have been a lot of good movies on the Hallmark Channel today… tonight I watched, “accidental friendship.”  It was a sweet hallmarky movie.

My fave 5… better late than never right?

1.  Coupons and sales … Like these coupons for JCPenney! (click for link) and this one for Payless…

2.  Corn Casserole!  I heart this stuff and plan to make a batch tomorrow (don’t tell Terri… it’s her favorite!)

corn casserole…
1 can cream corn
1 can whole corn drained
1 pkg jiffy corn bread mix
1 stick of butter
chopped onion (half)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese

saute onions in butter until clear and mix with remaining ingredients saving half the cheese to sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 for about an hour. Sprinkle remaining cheese and let melt.  After this I’ll need best diet pills.

3.  This lotion that is only around during the holiday season at Bath & Body!  last year I stocked up when they were on sale and have used them on Izzy.  Amanda loves it too!

4.  Games on FB like Scramble (which I’ve been playing daily with Gail for a few weeks and now with her sister Stacy too!) and Yoville!

5.  Bubble YUM! Bubble GUM!

Lots to do today…

Izzy had a fun day at school yesterday.  She took some $$$ in her little sweater pocket for the book fair and Melanie said she was very attentive and enjoyed shopping for a special book.  She found two and we enjoyed reading them together last night.  She spent time working with Camilla on her tummy and held her head up really well for a long time.  Camilla told her that she was getting her neck ready for holding it up in her new kid walk soon.  When I picked her up she was with Margaret.  Margaret was encouraging her to stick out her tongue to make a sound for a song they were singing.

Amanda has a job interview today at the local ATT place.  It’s less than a mile from home so it would be great if it works out.  I know if it’s the right job it will work out.  After that we have to visit her high school to pay for grad. announcements and cap & gown.

I have lofty goals for this weekend.  Many honey doos for Matt but please don’t tell him.  It works so much better to surprise him with things like this.

I ran to Sam’s yesterday for some groceries and they have great new bags for your groceries.  They were $2.74 for two.  I love them!  I was able to put all my stuff into just two bags and carry it in with only one trip!  I think the most annoying thing about Sam’s is unloading all the separate boxes.  I use the black walmart recycle bags, but these are even better and not that odd feltish material.

I will admit I am in a … blah… mood today.  Oh well in the words of another Annie, “The Sun’ll come out… tomorrow!”

Remember in grade school every Wednesday the teacher would say it’s humpday!  I wonder if teachers still say that? I wonder if the word humpday would suggest things that we didn’t even think about when I was in grade school… the good old days.  I still think of Wednesday as humpday and that means that it’s a downhill ride to the weekend.  Although being a SAHM the weekends mean less than they did when I was in school longing for the day to sleep in and not have to go to school for two whole days.  I grew to love school the older I got but in the first few years I only wanted to be home.  Or not at school.  I think the thought of a downhill slope to the weekend now makes me think that another week is about to be over.

Yesterday is a blur of craziness… Got the usual things done, got izzy to school… did mom’s hair and helped her rearrange a bit to accommodate a new find at the antique store.  I suggested that she get rid of the things that she doesn’t just love to make things less cluttered.  She did and it looks very nice.  I baked my cake for FLO while working on her hair and then had to leave to pick up Isabelle.  Amanda has applied to OU now officially and is sending her transcripts in.  She frantically texted me in the middle of the hair and furniture arranging to say that her transcript would not print at the college she is taking her concurrent enrollment classes because she owes tuition and a hold has been placed on her transcript.  She had gotten a letter awarding her a scholarship for academics when she first enrolled there and it read like it covered all tuition.  Guess not.  So today I’ll be handling that to get her transcript so she can get it mailed with her HS transcript.  I can’t believe she is old enough to be going to college.  She’s already thinking about her dorm room!  I’m holding off any sappy sentimental sadness until the very last second possible.  But ugh!

We had the FLO service last night and I think it was a success.  There was so much food.  And so many turkeys!  Bailey and Preston (my friend Miki’s son) collected and distributed turkeys.  I have a pic of them in front of the turkeys that I need to upload.  Gina made baked spaghetti that was so good!  I almost inhaled my serving for two reasons.  1. I had not eaten all day and was hungry! 2. We were told that the ‘team’ needed to have finished eating and be at their ‘posts’ by 5:30 and I arrived at 5:25 because Matt was running late yada yada yada…  It all worked out.  There were so many desserts that I (unfortunately) brought home almost an entire cake.  This is good only because breakfast is now covered and bad because now breakfast is covered. With cake!  Gina also packed up a plate of her spaghetti to send home with me since I only had time to eat a few bites.  That may be lunch   Today’s shaping up nicely…

Camilla and I agreed that the AFO’s appear to be helping already.  We both think that we have achieved at least the minimum we had hoped for for the week.  The orthotist will verify this Monday.  But so far so good and she did wear them longer yesterday than before.  They celebrated Veteran’s Day at school and so most of her afternoon was spent in the gym.   When I arrived to pick her up the usual four or five teachers/therapist were surrounding her.  Camilla at her feet, ranging her legs and ankles.  Margaret at her head, pushing her to make sounds.  Melanie at the other side… providing support and song.  Michelle behind her ready to help out with anything needed.  She never lacks for attention.  Never!

Last but certainly not least I want to thank my sweet friend Jodi for this award…

Thanks Jodi!

Have a great humpday Wednesday!

Sunday morning at church there was a flag folding ceremony presented by some of the teens who are a part of the ROTC program at the high school.  It was really interesting to me to hear Miki read the meaning of each fold of the American flag.

1. The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
2. The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.
3. The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.
4. The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.
5. The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.”
6. The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
7. The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
8. The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.
9. The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
10. The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.
11. The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
12. The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God we Trust.”

Today I  remember those who fought so that we can live in a free country.  So thankful for the sacrifice.

Tonight is our Thanksgiving FLO service… passing out the turkeys etc.  It should be a great night. I am going to make my dessert for the event and fortunately there is plenty of stew left for Matt to have for dinner.  I made a huge pot (marmar’s old pot) full of soup and it was so good!  A little spicy, but really good.  It was perfect for such a cool rainy day.

Emelia is well now.  When the doctor asked her if she was able to swallow pills she proudly nodded “yes.”  I don’t think she understood that meant her prescription would be for huge anitibiotic pills.  She has had a terrible time getting them swallowed twice a day.  She insists on breaking them in half which I would think would make it harder, but she has a mind of her own so as long as she takes them I’m okay with it.  She is on day 6 today and is really ready to be finished.  It’s interesting how all kids are different.  She is so different.  I haven’t reminded her one time to take her medicine.  I actually forgot before school yesterday and when I saw her taking one at dinner time I asked if she had forgotten before school.  She had not.  I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Izzy has had her AFO’s on for almost three hours.  That’s a record so far! I measured her feet Sunday evening.  We are hoping for 2-3 degrees improvement per week.  I am not sure I measured correctly (we’re going back to the orthotist Monday so he’ll verify) but I saw an improvement even with the limited amount of time she has tolerated wearing them.  I am so excited to get the Kid Walk so she can stand more comfortably.

Have a great Tuesday!  I’m planning to bake a cake, get Izzy to school, do mom’s hair, help her arrange her furniture, and then get ready for tonight.

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun – won’t you join in?

1. Do think it’s okay to bring your own snacks into the movie theater? Why or why not? YES! I heart theater popcorn with butter, but who wants to pay $5 for a coke?  Yikes.  I sometimes take the kids by the dollar store and let them each get a candy for the movie.  When Matt and I were dating we would get Sonic burgers and cokes and sneak them in my big purse.   One time my purse was dripping while we were paying because the lid had come loose.  That was embarrassing.  But I do buy snacks at the theater sometimes too… 

2. If someone were following you, would you:
A. Attempt to lose them.
B. Turn around and confront them, asking them what in the heck were they doing??
C. Nothing.
D. Something else (do tell!)

Tell us about a time when you thought someone was following you. (Don’t we all have those stories? I do!)

I would probably just ignore them… unless it’s a police car. I hate when a police car is right behind me, it just makes me nervous that I’ll accidentally go over the speed limit or something.  I’ve been followed in stores before, and I usually ignore it.  Once an older man followed me all the way through the store and finally spoke and said something very sweet.  I was followed out of the mall when I was younger and the man tried to get into my car.  That was scary.

3. What is your highest level of education? What were/are your thoughts about school? Would you ever consider going back to school? If so, for what? If not, why not? I went to school (college) for years while the kids were small and since Izzy’s accident haven’t been able to return (yet)… I still plan to go back and would love to get my masters in marriage and family counseling.

4. Do you order photos online? Do you print your own photos or go someplace to print them off? And do you order photographic gifts too? I order photos online a lot of the time.  I have them printed at CVS usually and just run by to pick them up.  I ordered my dad a coffee mug with a pic for father’s day once and ordered mom a book of photos for mother’s day with poems and scriptures.  It was pretty but smaller than I thought it would be.  

Do you love to get flowers? I like them but I think I’m a little too practical to enjoy them. I think I almost enjoy just a bouquet of flowers from the grocery store as much as an expensive bouquet. It is fun to receive a flower delivery. I also think it is a nice and easy gift to send someone and can only be made better if you have coupons. I think my favorite flowers are roses, but my mother has always loved daisies so I do too. I also love tulips and calla lillies. What are your favorite flowers? Do you like to give flowers? How about receiving them? Amanda’s boyfriend gave her 52 roses for their one year anniversary (dating anniversary). He said that it was a rose for each week they had been together. He also wrote a list of the 52 reasons he loves her. I have yet to read that list. I am intrigued. Fifty two reasons is a lot! She’s a great girl, but still that is a long list. There is a FTD coupon you can use to send flowers. Maybe for the upcoming holidays? A pretty fall arrangement for the table at Thanksgiving dinner, or a pretty winter arrangement for Christmas would be lovely.

 Monday… stew with cornbread

Tuesday… hopefully leftover stew for matt and kids… I’ll be at FLO! I have to take a dessert… maybe these:

 

FESTIVE CARAMEL BARS
32-36 Individually wrapped caramels
2/3 C. Evaporated milk
1 C. Flour
1 C. Oats
1 C. Nuts (I used chopped pecans)
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Melted Butter
1.5 C. M&Ms

1. Combine unwrapped caramels and milk in heavy saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until caramels are melted.

2. Combine flour, oats, nuts, brown sugar, soda and salt in a bowl;

add melted butter, mixing until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Reserve 1 C. of mixture and press remaining mixture into bottom of

a greased 9X13. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

3. Sprinkle 1 C. M&M’s on partially baked crust. Pour caramel mixture

over M&Ms. Sprinkle reserved crumb mix and remaining 1/2 C. M&Ms

on top. Continue baking for 20-25 minutes.

4. Cool slightly and chill for 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

Wednesday… tuna on wheat toast (matt’s request)

Thursday… Baked chicken and dressing… baked pot. … carrots

Friday… taco soup

WEEK IN REVIEW

Week’s Weather  It’s cold! Well, not cold really but it was rainy and 60 ish.

Life lessons Trust God.

Favorite Meal(s) Turkey & dressing! Twice!

Treasured Moment(s)  

Simple Pleasures  Sleeping in (well, past 7 a.m.) on Saturday, Almond rocas!

Impacting News

    World

    National  Obama won presidency.

    Local

    Personal

Things I Read  Need to get a new book to read!

Movies We Watched   The Rock, The Holiday, Money Pit

Interesting Internet  yoville and scramble on fb! fun playing with stacy gail & sonya!

Places We Went  orthotist, dr. for emelia, school, church, mardels

Budget Savers/Busters  gas was 1.79 today!!!  cd and tshirt sell yesterday at mardels, all $7.99 got wow 2009!

Blessings  izzy’s school… (camilla, melanie, margaret & michelle); health & happiness! friends.

Challenges  Amanda’s sr. year!!! so expensive.

Accomplishments got izzy’s new afo’s.

Family Happenings  Emelia sick with strep throat and ear infections… Amanda sending app to OU…

Photos

(haven’t loaded them off my sd card yet)