Pancake Sundays.....

Back to the days when Husband and I were dating, we would have pancakes on Sunday. We used to sleep in, then go to IHOP in big L'town, America. It was something easy and we fell into a routine. Then we had two kids in two years, and all that sleeping in and going out for breakfast came to a screeching halt.

So we started a new family tradition.....on Saturdays Husband gets to sleep in and I get up at the a$$ crack of dawn with the kids. (please tell me at what age they start sleeping in??) Then on Sunday I get to sleep in ...Husband gets up and makes pancakes and sausage with the kids.

During TDY's (Army speak= short trip away from your family, usually a week or so), I always try to keep things as close to our normal routines. Of course this morning, I did this pancake tradition but with a little twist.

I started storing all the seasonal things like Santa pancake molds, Christmas dishes, etc with all the holiday storage. Note to self: do a post on how I organized these things...it makes it so easy this year. This weekend we put the tree up, decorated the fireplace, and little touches of Christmas all through the house.

Anyhow, this morning, I managed to do the whole thing one more time without Husband....I made the cutest little pancakes in the shapes of Santa, stockings, sleds, and a snowman. I am not that much a pancake eater anymore, but I did get in my token cup of coffee with my new Chocolate mocha creamer. Yes, I like girlie coffee.

Happy Sunday, y'all

PS....Boomer Sooner....any time OU beats OSU it is a good weekend!

Friday fill in courtesy of the talented Janet.....whose dad is doing better, I do hope!

1. My stomach has never been the same after having kids 16 months apart. But I am ever so thankful for those kiddos, so I will take a squishy tummy!

2. Stuffing (changed over the years from the notes his mom wrote out years ago. I can't eat pork, so we use turkey sausage) is what I ate the most of on Thursday.

3. The yard is going to look bare with the trampoline put away for the winter.

4. In the presence of laughing kids who are totally being "best friends" is where I'd rather be at any given time.

5. The smell of Root pumpkin spice and mulled cider candles reminds me of fall, Thanksgiving, and the weekend of our wedding.

6. For Will to sleep in until 7AM every day is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to vegging with the family, tomorrow my plans include anniversary dinner at one of those fun Japanese places and Sunday, I want to enjoy the lazy day after I sleep in, of course!

Happy Friday, y'all!

edited to add: I wrote this great post last year about our anniversary: if you want to see 'vintage tommie and Husband" and how we met....go ahead and read it: Happy Anniversary (from 2007)

Happy Thanksgiving

The kids and I were busy today doing the stuff we could the day before Thanksgiving. Husband does most of the cooking. We prepped the bread for the stuffing. We made carrot cake (This is Husband's favorite! We even had carrot cake as the groom's cake at our wedding.) We made pecan tassies (so much better than pecan pie if you ask me!) We snapped the green beans. I am going out on a limb and trying Pioneer Woman's green beans.

Tomorrow morning we will get up bright and early...oh wait, no it won't be bright. Will usually wakes up before or just as the sun gets up! I will make some light breakfast and coffee. Surely I will add peppermint mocha creamer to it.

I have so much to be thankful. Last year at this time, I was still doing a countdown to when Husband would be home from his deployment. It would be the last holiday we wouldn't share with him.

I am thankful...thankful for my Husband, for our kids, for friends near and far, for a home that makes me feel "at home" no matter if it is in KY, TX, KS, OK, CA, AK....okay, you get the point. My home has always been in a state of evolving. But it is a comfort all the time.

I am thankful for this adorable rusty turkey that sits on my porch. I am thankful for the friends that were with me when I went shopping for it (miss you Juliette and Arlene!).

I am thankful for all the people I have "met" through this blog. Thank you for taking time to read and comment each day.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours this holiday season.

Simply Kind Tuesdays

Claudia at On A Limb with Claudia hosts a meme called Simply Kind Tuesdays. Her goal of Simply Kind Tuesdays is to increase awareness of the kindness that surrounds us. Unless of course you are on the Mary Poppins' level of kindness, I seriously don't think you can have too much kindness around you. I continually try to encourage the kids to be kind to each other and to those around them. Some days they are the best of friends. Others...oh me oh my....bicker with a capital B.

But for my first week of participating (in this meme, not being kind!...I crack myself up!), I was shown some kindness. I have blogged before about my love of tassels before: Livi's little fat pink and green tassel, the artichoke tassel.....the tassel that looks like a sugared pear, fall pumpkin tassel .....All of these are from Angela at The Tassel House. She is so easy to work with. I showed her a few of some girlie ones I liked. Several emails were exchanged. She came up with the amazing little pink and green one for Livi's room.

With that purchase, she included this adorable little one. It hangs in my stairwell on an old medicine cabinet door that I use as a mirror. I can't count how many times I go up and down those stairs everyday. But each time I do, I am reminded of Angela's kindness. Of her effort to take I am sure what were just a few scraps from other projects and brighten my day. That is the kind of kindness I am hoping to do and to model for the kids as well.....the little things that go a long way to make someone smile!

Simply Kind Tuesdays are a meme. Click here to learn more .

On a side note...Live woke up with a fever today. Since Will was sick last week, I didn't want to risk exposing the barf-barf-toot-toots to anyone at their preschool. Just send the thank yous my way now. I know I would be honked if my kid came home sick two days before Thanksgiving!

I am sure by tomorrow she will be back to playing her funky music....and hopefully being kind to her brother and those around her!

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Manic Monday....and some more cookies

Manic Monday is hosted by the talented fleur-de-lisa

Do you ever talk to yourself out loud? Sometimes

What do you talk about? I am most likely saying, "Oh crap!" about something. But with Pete and Repeat never far behind, I have to watch what I am saying.

What stresses you out? When things don't go according to my plan. I am a planner...I have lists....schedules ....and routines. While I can handle it usually, I do not like it!

What are your secret talents? I can pinch with my toes...does that count?

Still in the mode of cookies....we made Peanut Butter Cream Sandwich cookies for muffin Monday. While they were absolutely delicious, they are very rich! Livi showing some love to the ingredients. Anything that has marshmellow cream has got to be good. This is out of this month's Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Ingredients

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (we used creamy)
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
1 recipe Peanut Cream Filling, below

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In bowl beat peanut butter and shortening with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in baking soda, salt, and as much flour as you can. Stir in any remaining flour.

2. Form dough into balls, using a level teaspoon each. (I use the smallest Pampered Chef scoop.)Place 1-1/2 inches apart on ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten by making crisscross marks with tines of fork dipped in sugar. (We didn't dip in sugar...they have plenty of sugar in them!)

3. Bake 7 to 8 (ours took 10 minutes) minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack; cool.

4. Spread one teaspoon Peanut Cream Filling on flat side of half of cookies. Top with remaining cookies. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Freeze unfilled cookies up to 1 month. Makes about 4 dozen sandwich cookies.

Peanut Cream Filling:In medium bowl whisk together 3/4 cup chunky peanut butter, 3/4 cup marshmellow creme, 3 tablespoons milk, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; and 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin. Gradually whisk in 3 tablespoons powdered sugar. (We did NOT put cumin in this cream. I swear that has to be a typo.....but that is what it says in the recipe.)

5. Plate and share with friends.

our weekend

We had a topsy turvy weekend. Friday afternoon Will's face turned an unnatural shade of gray )or is it grey?) Anyhow, luckily we were right by the bathroom. We spent almost the next 24 hours very close to the bathroom after that.

Despite being sick, he still got up at his normal 6ish. Finally just as the sun was coming up, I dragged myself downstairs to get him some toast. I had to grab my camera when I saw the sky. It was like hot pink cotton candy! I guess if you get up at the a$$ crack of dawn, at least you see some gorgeous skies!

On Saturday, I made him stay in his bed. We took the portable TV/DVD player up there so he could watch movies. Later on in the afternoon when he was feeling better, he was sad that the TV was going back into storage! He kept saying, "This is the best day ever!" uummm yeah....best day= barely holding down toast, apples and watered down ginger ale + NONSTOP movies in his room. Oh yeah, that is the definition of a five year old's best day!

I am just so glad that no one else got sick! That is my best day.

By today, all was well. It was gorgeous day outside. There are finally enough leaves on the ground to make a mini-pile. With a little help, they had a small pile of leaves. Enough to hide Livi in....

Happy Sunday, y'all....did you do something fun?

Photohunt: reflection

Photohunt is hosted by TNchick

Digging into my archives for this shot....but it remains one of my favorites. We went on an RV trip with friends. Will was about 4 months old. He was still nursing every four hours or so. The people we shared the RV with had two kids under three. Oh yeah...fun times. This picture was taken in Homer, Alaska.

The same Homer as the Poopdeck Ave. Alaska remains one of my favorite places we have lived. I even have thirteen favorite things about living in Alaska. I think the thing I liked best about living there was the friendships we formed there. Everyone was thousands of miles from family and friends. So, you either got involved with the battalion or you whined and griped for three years. We made some awesome friends. The kind you can call at the drop of a hat and pick right back up where you left off.

Next week's theme: metal

Happy weekend, y'all!

Friday Fill In

Friday fill in courtesy of the talented Janet

1. The last band I saw live was ....oh man, I think it has to be a concert in Alaska...can't even remember who it was. I do know I almost got into a fight because some girl kept swishing her hair in my face. (I use the word fight loosely...I just exchanged mean glares.)

2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is ...watching parades, of course the food, and scouring the ads to see if it is worth it to get up way before the a$$ crack of dawn for some good sales!. (if you don't celebrate thanksgiving, insert your favorite holiday)

3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is about half way done....the kids, husband, and that is it.

4. Thoughts of my little boy fill my head. Late this afternoon he told me his belly was hurting, "Oh, mommy, it hurts real bad. " We just so happen to be by the bathroom downstairs. We had just enough time to turn towards the toilet when ...well, use your imagination. Just want it noted I am so thankful we were in the bathroom. That would have been disgusting to clean up!

5. I wish I could wear wide leg pants. But when you are barely 5'3"...those pants just aren't your friend.

6. Bagpipes ....love love love the sound of them.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hoping Will is done with the barfing, tomorrow my plans include bringing the portable TV/DVD player up to his room to baby him all day and Sunday, I want to take a guess.....sleep in!

Happy weekend y'all....oh yeah, no snow accumulation, but it was chilly all day!

Photostory Friday-snow snow, it really is snow!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Though this picture was taken this past March when we lived in Texas.... guess what is falling here....here in Kentucky! This evening around dinner time, itty bitty flurries started turning into mongo sized flakes. The kids tried to go outside and catch them on their tongue. Went outside BAREFOOTED....so needless to say, before I could even grab the camera (which was an arm's length away), they were ready to come back inside the house! Maybe there will be enough snow in the morning to get a few shots. But for now, well, all I have is a recycled picture...kind of like re-gifting, but nicer.

Happy Thursday, y'all.

Thursday 13, the letter X

In keeping with the ABC theme, I give you the letter X.....

1. X-ray- I turned the magic age to have to go have my "girls" x-rayed... poked, prodded, stretched and squished. Yeah me!

2. XM Radio- Both Husband and I received an XM radio a few years ago. With the Ipod now, we never renewed the subscription.....besides who am I kidding? The kids are usually watching a movie if we are on a long trip!


3. X- Kind of reaching here, X is the 24th letter.....when I was 24 years old, I was teaching in big Ltown, America. It was my first year to teach there. I loved it, even if it was junior high!


4. Xerox- is that what those copied papers were when I was in elementary school (late 70's)...you know, they smelled GOOD and were cool to the touch! Oh yeah, fond memories....or does that mean most of first grade I was high off copy fumes?? Makes me wonder??

Now for the rest, I am having to use "ex-" I even consulted my dictionary...there are only TWO pages of X definitions in the whole dictionary. I don't even take xanax, so I couldn't even use that one.


So.....


5. exact- I know pretty much the exact location of any item in my pantry, because you know they are in properly labeled baskets by theme.

6. example- I am not creative, but I can copy an example I see of pretty much anything....a flower container garden, a scrapbook page, a room in a magazine.

7. exceptional- I like to think I am an exceptional cook...bread baker -definitely not....but pretty much anything else.

8. expert- I can pretty much organize anything....does that make me an expert or just anal? I prefer expert, I call it like I see it!

9. explore- I am finally learning my way around town to my favorite places....so now I am ready to explore shortcuts and fun little places.

10. extra- ALWAYS buy extra toilet paper.....Never running out of toilet paper is just a little "I love you enough to have paper to wipe your hiney."

11. extraordinary- I believe I live an extraordinary life....extra ordinary....I am just a stay at home mom with two preschool age kids and a wonderful husband who just so happens to be in the military. We survived a deployment.....but so many other wives. I find that to be extraordinary.

12. excited- I am very excited for the holidays...from Thanksgiving to Christmas! I love this time of year.

13. expressive- I think the kids have the most expressive faces...

Will can make those little eyebrows do some unnatural things....but they definitely convey his mood.

Livi can make her cheeks, forehead, and eyebrows do those same moves as Will's....in this pic, a duck had lunged at her at the duck pond. Rather than the normal mom reaction, I had to capture the Kodak moment. Trust me, no ducks or child was harmed in the process!

Three things overheard in the Tuesday Update household

1. Will likes to read the weather forecast page of the newspaper. We were talking about a blizzard in Nebraska.....Will asked, "Why is there a lizard in Alaska?" Still makes me laugh just thinking about it.

2. More weather.....just about a hurricane. Will heard, "Is is like the hern-a-cane that blew our trampoline across the yard?"

3. We have been battling Livi's nasty habit of sucking on her hair. I already bobbed it off, but she can still reach the little piggy that hangs on the side. Today her teacher suggested that I put a pony on the crown of her head rather than on the side. So, just for grins and giggles this afternoon I tried it. It actually worked....we put a pigtail in the back, along with her token matching bow. At dinner tonight, she was telling Husband that she liked her hair like this because Ellie (a girl in the pre-K class) wears her hair like this.....BUT she is not a princess because she doesn't wear a bow. I had to crack up just a little bit!

My little princess is growing up!

Happy Tuesday, y'all

Manic Monday.....and some yummilicious cookies

Manic Monday is hosted by the talented fleur-de-lisa

Do you believe people are basically good? I like to think they are....but then again, look at history. There are definitely some evil people.

If you could change the custom of shaking hands, what would you replace it with? Let's go for the thumbs up. No contact, no germs transferred, no desire to run and squirt a bit of Purell into my palm.

What is something that you enjoy that is a chore for most other people? Cleaning...ironing. Yes, it is a sickness.

With the holiday season soon to be in full gear, we decided to start making some cookies instead of muffins. These cookies are so soft and chewy! I normally do not like molasses, but in this recipe it works!

Amish Ginger Cookies

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. molasses

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour (we use 1 1/2 c whole wheat, 1 c. all-purpose)

1 t. ground ginger

1 t. ground cloves

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 t. baking soda

extra granulated sugar

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and molasses, beat until combined. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. ( I use the smallest Pampered Chef scoop.) Roll in the extra sugar. Place the balls on ungreased cookie sheets. (We smooched them just a bit to flatten them.) Bake 5-7 min. (Ours took 9 minutes.) until barely turning brown. Cool for 1 minute on baking sheet and them remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Or just pop a warm one in your mouth! Oh yeah, they are that good!

Plate and share with friends and neighbors.

Take 6- weekend update

Six things from the weekend......

1. I went to another scrapbook thingy....again, in an effort to catch up on Livi's scrapbook. I can finally say she is finally past week 35! Seeing all the creativity in that room was really inspiring. Annie and her mom hosted a three day workshop for a fundraiser for multiple sclerosis. With a little more than 20 people in attendance, they were able to raise $1500!

2. Many of the women spent the night at the hotel...I did not. I am a home girl! Driving at midnight in this town was wierd or is it weird? Either way, kind of scared me who was out that late.

3. I did get to sleep in today. I love me some sleepin' in ......then waking up to the smell of peppermint coffee.

4. I showed the kids how to make a turkey by tracing their hand. Will took a picture of his to put in Husband's digital frame! I was going to tell him to make sure he zoomed in...he had already done it. I am very impressed with how good he is getting with the camera!

5. It was thirty seven degrees when I woke up.....BUT it didn't snow. The kids were so looking forward to snow....oh well, I am sure it will be here all too soon.

6. Finally, I was given award from AVT Coach. I am supposed to list six things that make me happy...

*rainy days

*flavored coffee

*a clean house

*the "to be ironed" pile..when it is all done

*cheap gas prices

*and finally, a good jammie day!

Happy weekend, y'all, I do hope something, anything made you happy. If so, what was it??

Friday Fill in....and a little giggle

Friday fill in courtesy of the talented Janet

1. Please feel free to enjoy yourself.

2. When I use the good balsamic vinegar I can't help sniffing it occasionally.

3. My favorite thing to cook is Greek penne pasta. (and it uses the good balsamic!)

4.May sound cliche, but hugs and kisses from my kiddos is something I can't get enough of.

5. That's the thing I love most about husband.....he does really think about my feelings!.

6. People griping/whining/bitc*hing about things they can change with a little bit of effort always makes me think to myself, what the heck?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to vegging once the kids go to bed, tomorrow my plans include can you believe it, another scrapping thing!! and Sunday, I want to take a guess.....oh yeah, sleep in.....and enjoy my latest coffee....chocolate velvet with chocolate mint creamer!

just because I am in the need of grins and giggles: Carmi at Written Inc has a Thematic Photographic of "rows"...

I give you......oh yeah, get ready to either go ''eeeewww"....or laugh until your belly hurts!

A row of belly guys.....These guys march in the fourth of July local hometown parade every year! As gross as they are, I laugh every time!

Photostory Friday- I'm So Excited

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I am digging back to this past summer's pictures...

This past summer we had a hectic transition from TX to KY. This picture was taken during the month long stint of living with my mom. There is this awesome park in the big town next to my podunk America town. Totally worth the drive into town for a little fun. This park had towers, bridges, swings, things to climb on, ramps to run down, and just about every fun thing a kid could have fun. Will would try to walk down this rope bridge every single time we went. Will is more cautious than Livi. But finally by the end of our month in OK, he mastered this bridge. He would practically run down the little ropes.

Just like this rope bridge, we have been in KY for almost three months now. He is excelling at preschool. He is starting to read. He is excited about learning addition. He is making friends. He loves the days when he they don't have time to finish some work. Then he gets to finish "homework". Seeing him master these basic skills is so exciting!

He is mastering just one more rope bridge in his little life. That is what makes me excited!

Thursday 13, the letter W

Keeping with my ABC theme....the letter W

1. Will-Of course my favorite W of all time. This is actually in Will's Tuesdays with Will book . He is nine months old here. It is still one of my favorite shots of him!

2. Wreath-I pretty much always have a wreath on the door. Now there is one with multicolored eucalyptus one.

3. Warm- I like my coffee luke warm, not quite cold...but warm. My new flavor is chocolate mint. yummi-licious!

4. Water- I go to sleep to a playlist on my Ipod called Nature sounds...it is like mellow orchestra music mixed in with rain.

5. more Water- I took this with the kids' camera...driving down the road. Well, I wasn't really driving. I was stopped, waiting for traffic so I could turn. Love the water droplets on the window!

6. West-This is the farthest western state I have lived. I LOVE the seasons here so far.

7. Write- I have never kept up with a written paper journal. But I enjoy blogging so much. I started this blog when Husband was deployed. He has been back from a 15 month deployment almost a year....and I am still at it.

8. Wheat- I could eat frosted mini wheats cereal for breakfast most days!

9. Whoo Hoo! When I saw this sign coming home from the commissary, I pulled in to fill up, even though I had half a tank. You know I was saying "whoo hoo!!"

10. whimsical- I try add a little whimsical piece in each room of my home. Kind of a little funky in each room.

11. Wipe- I wipe down my sink with Windex (another reminder of My Big Fat Greek Wedding!) every night....I love me some shiny sink.

12. Wild- I don't think I was ever the wild child....nope, not me!

13. Wake - One child or the other wakes up every single solitary night. While I don't want to rush these preschool years....I am was HONKIN' excited for those lazy sleeping teen years! But I think that might be one of the only thing I like about those years...so I am not rushing it!

Ipod Meme

Got this at Janet's of Fond of Snape who got this from Heather’s

Thirteen things my iPod (using shuffle mode) says about me

1. What would best describe your personality? Good Enough - Sarah Mclachlan

2. What do you like in a guy/girl? Warm Love - Van Morrison

3. What is your life’s purpose? I Could Write A Book - Harry Connick Jr.

4. What do your friends think of you? Never Say Die - Dixie Chicks

5. What is your life story? Nothings Changed - Chris Isaak

6. What do you think when you see the person you like? Have A Drink on Me - ACDC

7. What do your parents think of you? If You're Happy and You Know It- Truckful of Tunes (Yes, the kids have several play lists!)

8. What will you dance to at your wedding? Fire- Red Hot Chili Peppers

9. What will they play at your funeral? Never Is A Promise- Fiona Apple

10. What is your hobby/interest? Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost - Jimmy Buffet

11. What is your biggest secret? Plush- Stone Temple Pilots

12. What should you post this as? White Trash Wedding- Dixie Chicks

13. What do you think of yourself? My Favorite Mistake- Sheryl Crow

Since no post is complete without a picture, have a wish on me!

Weekend Update

We had a great weekend. Friday Husband came home with his fun new set of wheels. It is almost sad that the weather is getting cooler. But we did get to take it out. Let me just say, it might have been a wee bit too cold to really put the top down!

Saturday I went to a scrapbook thingy. My neighbor is like a scrap guru. I was sitting amongst some very creative girlies! I had so much fun. I laughed until I snorted more than once. Despite being Husband's birthday day, I was glad he encouraged me to go. We have been here since late summer and these are the first group of females where I could honestly see being friends with....friends you can go grab a cup of coffee with, go shopping with, and just hanging out!

We celebrated Husband's birthday on Sunday. Of course we made the chocolate chocolate chip cake ever. We made it into the bundt cake.....(I still think of My Big Fat Greek Wedding..every single solitary time I say Bundt...!)

I had custom ordered the most adorable tassel for Livi's room from The Tassel House. I showed her pics of Livi's room. She made the most adorable little fat tassel for the door on her armoire. As a little bonus, she tucked in a little tassel. I didn't get a chance to take a pic, but I will later this week

.

Anyhow, great busy weekend. Also, I think winter is almost here. It was 29 degrees this morning! Happy Monday, y'all.

Friday Fill In

Friday fill in courtesy of the talented Janet


1. My blueprint for success includes hard work and believing in yourself.

2. Goumas hand dipped chocolates was the last candy I ate. Yes, just a little bite of heaven.

3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is Bobbi Brown protective face lotion with SPF15.

4. Blogging can be good therapy.

5. I'd like to tell you about how Tuesday Update got its name.

6. This is a hard one....I would say organization or my ability to adapt to most anything is my strongest characteristic.




7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to putting together my stuff to go to a scrapbook thingy, tomorrow my plans include finally finishing Saturdays with Olivia (her weekly scrapbook from birth to first birthday and Sunday, I want to celebrating Husband's birthday.....Yes, he is celebrating a day late since I will be at the scrap thingy all day tomorrow, totally his idea! He's great like that.....it also may be because this is what pulled into our driveway this afternoon! Happy Birthday Husband, you so deserve it I love you!

Photostory Friday

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Lately in the afternoon, the kids and I have been going on a walk in the neighborhood. Livi got a big girl bike for her birthday. She has taken a few spills on some sloped driveways, but she gets right back on and keeps going. A couple of days ago, Will stopped under this huge tree. Since a gentle breeze was blowing, it was like it was raining leaves. We don't have huge piles of leaves in our yard, so it was fun to stop and play. I almost want to ask the homeowner if I can rake his leaves so the kids can play in the piles. They had so much fun playing in them this past spring when we lived in TX.

I finally remembered to take my camera on the walk.....while I didn't catch any falling, I do like the oranges against the still green one in the back. I absolutely love this time of year. The mornings are cold enough to we are a jacket. The afternoons are in the low 70's.

Happy fall, y'all!

Thursday 13- the letter V

In my quest to finish my ABC Thursday 13s.....the letter V.

1. Van Morrison- had to go to my Ipod to see what V popped up...."Brown Eyed Girl" ....how appropriate!

2. view- from my perspective

3. vacuum cleaner- Love love love mine...I have the purple Dyson. I like to think I am an extremely clean neat person. But every time I dump that thing, I am so grossed out!

4. vague-If I don't want to deal with confrontation, I give a vague answer....can you say passive aggressive?

5. Valdez, Alaska-one of the many gorgeous places we have been to in Alaska.

6. valet-If we go out to eat at a restaurant and they have valet parking, I am so using it. Most likely I wore some pointy toed witch boots and my feet will hurt before we leave! I will look cute, but my feet will hurt!

7. valentine-I like to take creative desserts to the kids' school parties. I made pink heart shaped rice krispie treats for Valentines day last year.

8. vanilla-I have a huge bottle of Mexican vanilla that I have lugged from Oklahoma to California to Kansas to Texas and finally to Kentucky! The packers won't pack it and I love it enough to pack in the few kitchen essentials that go in the cars with us! It is almost empty...I wonder if I know anyone going to Mexico soon.

9. Vitamin-I take a vitamin every day. I am a good girl like that!

10. vegetables-I eat vegetables every day...see #9. Also, the kids do too.

11. Vidalia-I had a penpal when I lived in Alaska. She was from GA. She sent me Vidalia onions because I couldn't find them when we lived there! (this was in 1998)

12. verbose-I was a very verbose child. Livi is too.....guess she learned by example.

13. vocal- I was kicked out of vocal music in junior high. She said I talked too much (No, what she said was "I cannot offer Tommie the structured environment she needs in order to succeed.")...WTH?? I used to have the class change paper that said that. I think that meant I talked too much.....see #12.

welcome to my night

Carmi at Written Inc has a new Thematic Photographic: night

I am truly a night person. Always have been for as long as I can remember. Stay up late and sleep in....then throw in two kids in two years. All that came to a screeching halt! Finally at ages 4 and 5, I can stay up a wee bit later.

Since the whole spring forward, fall backward thing... the kids have been to in bed by 7:45 or so.

Once the kids are in bed, I used to run around and clean up the stuff I didn't get done during the day. But as they have gotten older, we can all do room rescues and it stays pretty well clean. So now once they are in bed, I just veg. Seriously, I catch up on any trashy reality shows I have on DVR. I light a little tealight in this cool hanging lantern. It is a deep cranberry red. During the morning light, it sends little sparkles all over the room. I have recently found scented tea lights. Now I am burning one called Ember...kind of a spicy fall scent.

Just a little bit of my night. I love the night...quiet, peaceful, thinking of nothing.

Happy Tuesday, y'all