Thanksgiving 2009!

Hayley and Garrett came for Thanksgiving this year. We had lots of fun AND lots of treats. She EVEN made homemade Oreos!! Yum. No Mom and Dad this year, Mom's back is really bad and she couldn't fly. We missed you Mom and Dad. G and H brought the Great Dalmudi and we had fun playing that.

This is our new little baby....Rocky. My Uncle Ron's dog was the Dad (he was born is CO, hence the name...ROCKY!) My Uncle Ron's dog had a litter of puppies in January, and at Hayley's wedding he asked if we wanted one. Scout was sick, and I told him no. But I started getting a hankering really bad. I called my Dad up and asked if he knew if Ron had anymore puppies coming...he said yeah I think he just had some. So, I called my Uncle and the rest is history. We picked Rocky up on Friday and have been busy ever since. Lucky for us, my Uncle was driving to see my Aunt in Northern Washington, so he brought him to Hermiston, OR and we met outside a gas station.

The Thanksgiving table. My friend Shelly was over, her kids were with their Dad for Thanksgiving, so she joined us. I tell you this, because she is taking the picture, and you might kind of wonder.

Hannah made these cute name cards for everyone. Hey, if I'm not scrap booking, at lease we can use that paper for something cute hahaha.

Hayden and Rocky. He has been really cute with Rocky. He really wants Rocky to LOVE him.

This is me hold Rocky for the first time. Hannah took this picture. I cried when I saw him he was so cute and little.

Public Service Announcment

This "stuff" works. I'm sure you have all seen Brooke Shields in those adds for Latisse, the medicine that grows eye lashes. I always wondered if it really worked. Well, I saw a friend the other night that I hadn't seen for about a month or so. I noticed her eyelashes...they were SO long. So long, in fact, we teased her about her eyelid getting tired because they had to blink those looooong lashes. So long, in fact, that they seriously cast a shadow upon her face. She told me she had been using a generic for Latisse for about 12 weeks or so. Well, it worked that's for sure. I came home and did a little research on the side effects because I had heard it can turn your light eyes brown. It can indeed to that, it's called permanent iris pigmentation. It can also cause: lid pigmentation (darkening of the eyelid), hair growth outside the treatment area, and eye inflammation. She did say her eyes had been a little burny and red. Hmmmm, too bad I like my green eyes. They need to do a little more work on the formula for me to become a user. But WOW her eyelashes were sure long! The things were are willing to do/risk for beauty, isn't it amazing??

recipe club

I have a minute. Scott went on Hayden's field trip this morning. Hope is downstairs, she just finished up a "fashion show". My friend gave her a bag of clothes. Most are still too big AND summer dresses...but she does not care one bit. She is just like me when I was little. My Mom tells me I changed clothes a million times a day. So does she, her room is proof :) She is now downstairs playing dolls, and she was tucking her dolls in (on top of the Costco toilet paper package). I told her she was a good Mommy. She said she wasn't a Mommy, she was a girl. Then she said she was a "toy mom" at least she knows fact vs fiction. **Oh and do you let your 3 year old, who was already dressed in clothes that fit, wear her slightly too big summer dress to the gym because she wants to AND because she dressed herself? I don't know. I fear my standards are lowering :) **

I went to recipe club last night. It's where a bunch of girls get together, bring a recipe to share and sit around and chat (and of course EAT!). I love recipe club. Anyway, last night's theme was Holiday Favorites. My friend Denise brought this recipe for stuffing. I thought it was delicious and thought I'd share. I'm always looking for new and better recipes for the holiday tradition. I'm kind of picky about stuffing, I'll be honest, usually I think Stove Top tastes better than a lot of stuffing. But not this, it was tasty!

Spicy and Sweet Sausage Stuffing

2 sticks real butter
1 onion
4-5 celery sticks
3 pkg cubed seasoned stuffing mix (I used the Marie Calendars brand)
2 Rolls of Jimmy Dean Bold Sausage (If you can't find bold, do 1 regular, 1 hot) brown, crumble and drain on paper towels.
1/2 c. sliced almonds
3 1/2 cups chicken broth or more if you like it more moist

Saute the onion and celery in the butter. Add in rest of ingredients. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and add 2 pkg chopped craisens and 4 peeled, cored and chopped granny smith apples.

Whobody knew?

A shout out to Carrie and Hayley for being my remote IT support! Thanks for the advice ladies. Who knew?? :) Obviously Carrie and Hayley and probably everybody else but me hahaha.

Anyway, I will tell you a funny little story about Hope. The other day she was playing with her little princess figures. All of a sudden she is saying very loudly, "Whobody moved my Cinderella?" Translation: somebody moved Cinderella, who was it? She invented a new word. I do miss when kids grow up and stop saying cute little mispronounced words/made up words.

**Just a side note, Hope's look on the picture above, is approximately the same look as when she was saying "whobody did it?"** Just thought you should know + I needed to test out my new computer skill.

So, I will blab here!

Please tell me you are all watching Modern Family! I do so enjoy that show. Also, did you catch the remake of "V"? I must admit I did an eye roll when Scott and Hunter said they wanted to watch, BUT it was rather entertaining.

I posted some lovely photos in the previous post. I hate now how on the posting page when you put pictures up...it doesn't show the picture, it's the picture code or whatever. Do you have that, too? It is rather a bother, and I can't really blab about each picture like I'd like to. Grrr.

So, I will blab right here. Hayden was 007 this year for Halloween. Really, he just wanted to carry an airsoft gun (not loaded of course) Hope, was many things (lots of different dressing up parties this year) but for the actual night she put on a Barbie dress-up and some wings. I even put on a little make-up, she was in heaven. Hannah was a hippie A large group of her friends gathered and they went out together, with the rest of the street kids (and some parents) following along (Hope included) I think she wanted to go all by herself, but oh well. Hunter stayed home and passed out candy. He was being a party pooper...what? you'd think he had a broken ankle or something.

Speaking of the broken ankle, he did get his cast off a day or so ago. Believe it or not! After 4 short weeks the doctor said "kids are amazing". They really do heal so fast. He is, however, having a harder time walking than he thought. I think he thought he would immediately start playing basketball or something. Darn it all. I have been using some of my PT skillz on him though. He should be better in no time. You know it.

Anyhoo, I must warm up dinner. Leftover chili is on the menu, I love leftovers. I did make fresh corn bread though. Today was the official start of "the season" for me. I wanted to play Christmas songs on the piano. I'm getting in the mood. Hot chocolate is sounding good. Not to mention, I saw a Golden Retriever puppy picture on the back of a Target add today, and ran up to show Scott how cute he was. He rolled his eyes (big time) and said "NO DOG!" Oh course not now silly, but someday :)

October pictures

Here are some pictures for you. Hope's birthday party, Hope helping to make her cupcakes, Halloween, Hopey's 3 year old pictures!!