It's Thanksgiving

In elementary school, they teach us about the Indians and Pilgrims. In middle school or high school, you start looking at it as a few days you don't have to go to school. As a grown up, you look forward to time off work and maybe a good meal with family. It should be more than that, huh? If we really reflected on things, really became thankful, we'd probably have a better outlook on life. I'm thankful for a whole lotta things, and my family is at the top of the heap.

We started celebrating Thanksgiving last weekend with a nice lunch at my inlaws. There was country ham (my personal fave), turkey & dressing, all the sides you could ever want and apple pie and strawberry cobbler for dessert. When the kiddos went outside, of course I (and my camera) followed...

There was basketball (played with a soccer ball - hey, sometimes you gotta improvise), scooter and bike riding, and the boys enjoyed making the wagon trailer go up and down. It was a gorgeous, unseasonably warm day. (And yeah, I took a "good" pic of the kids, but this one makes me smile...and miss childhood)

And it's always nice to get a right nice pic of me and my man... hmm, this one may make it on a Christmas card. . .

Wednesday night we headed to my parents' and chowed down. Turkey & dressing, spiral-sliced sugar cured ham (yummm), lotsa sides and peach cobbler, homemade ice cream, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (from scratch) and my world famous Oreo balls for dessert.  

Dad played on his laptop and got Trevor workin' on it for a bit since he's the family techie. Some of us played Bananagrams, which was really fun. Then we all chatted a while. Then some of us played Triominos. Cullen declared it to be the worst game ever, even though he did pretty well. Camden quit, as usual, about halfway through the game. The big winner was Michelle.

This was the first time most of us have gotten to see Caleb since he went off to college. When I commented on his "facial growth" he said it was "no shave November." I think it kinda makes him look older. Anyhoo, he had been out all night bowling with some buddies the night before so he took a little nappy for a while. ha College kids - gotta love 'em.

This here's me and my sweet little momma (she's vertically challenged at a mere 5' tall, although she may claim tuh be an inch more)....everyone on the planet knows I look just like Daddy, but this pic makes me think she did a little more than just carry me in her womb 9 months... I see a little resemblance.

I'm surely blessed with great family! I'm out - gotta catch some zzzz's before tomorrow's big shoppin' day!

My birthday boy

My hubby is havin' himself a birthday today.

This is the look I get most of the time when I whip out the camera and take his pic...

I catch a good smile on him once in a while though. heehee

I sure do love him!

A champion in the family...

Well, on Monday I got a text from Jen that McKenzie won the spelling bee (there were ~52 students in the contest)... lemme back up a sec - Sunday Kenzie said she was ready for some more of those muffins I made (see my post dated October 18: Yummy goodness without the guilt) and I'll just be honest - I'm a sucker for someone braggin' on somethin' I made. So ... when I heard she WON the BEE I thought hmm... a CHAMP deserves a prize... hehe So I ran on out to my local Kroger and bought the three ingredients required to thereby make them there yummy muffs.

So this morning I got up and baked some of 'em for the CHAMPION in the family... I took 'em right out of the oven and walked 'em over in the rain mind ya (they live next door) and by golly, I was proud... I'll admit it. It felt good to GIVE (for once) and a cute kindergartener, Bryson, met me at the door with a smile. (Only after hollering IT'S LYNDY...after all, who comes knockin' on your door at 6:45 in the mornin, right?) I put them on the kitchen counter and walked right back out. Bry said I thought you were gonna talk for a minute. I think that was the first time I've ever gone in and come right back out. I told him I had to get ready for work. I think he replied with a "see ya."

And just cuz I figure a thin, cute cheerleader gal who's almost 13 didn't need TWO DOZEN muffins, I took the rest of 'em to work. My coworkers loved em; some even asked for the recipe. And now that my head is swollen (from havin' the big head), Anthony's workin' on enlarging all our doorways.
:-P

Turkey day's a-comin'

Well, folks, the eating, er, Thanksgiving season has begun. We had our work lunch this week at my friend Brandi's (beautiful) house. We had a great time grubbin' and gabbin' our lunch hour (or two) away...

This here is a pic of the ladies I work with...
well, the one on the back row with the dark green sweater went and retired on us last year, but we love her so much, we invite her back to our little parties. Her name is Mary Lou and she's one of the coolest ladies you'll ever meet. I tell her HER social life way outranks mine. Lou- if you're readin' this, lotsa love to ya!

This little cutie is Brandi's little girl. (She snuck into our pic above heehee) She's 2 and a sweetie pie, lemme tell ya. I keep threatenin' to steal her. I think she'd like livin' with me and Anthony (and Tinsley...cuz she's an animal lover and her mean ole parents don't have any pets for her to play with ;-)

 Look at the little ballerina with her daddy - ain't she a peach?!

I took pics of all four of Brandi's fully decorated Christmas trees, but I ain't a-postin' em on this blog because then, if I were to post pics of my tree you'd be comparing mine to hers and I don't want that. ha I call Brandi our resident Martha Stewart and Betty Crocker cuz the girl can sure decorate and do just about anything crafty she puts her mind to and she is quite the cook! If she's readin' this, she's probably mad at me right now cuz she doesn't like to be in the spotlight. But any the hoooooo...

I'm very blessed to work with a fine group of gals. I'm thankful for my job and for these ladies. It's easier to face the sometimes rough work day/week knowing what great people I work with...

Random stuff...mostly cat stuff

- Okay, so it's been over a week since we got back from our anniversary weekend in the mountains... but every night since we got home, EVERY NIGHT I SAY, this kitty has been in my lap. You say okay, Lyndy, so what? Cats like to sit in laps. But you don't understand - we call Tinsley our teenager because a lot of nights when we get home from work she stays upstairs "in her room" and ignores us (no, she doesn't really have her own room). But seriously, Tinsley has been in my lap, up my tail every night since we got back... on me like wet on a dog... she loves me. And I love her.
(She's in my lap as I type this...)

- This is how purty my mums got in October. . . I never got around to posting the pic as promised... and the pink cuties - they're my begonias I planted back in the spring and because of my faithful watering (A LOT of it in the mornings before I showered and got ready for work, mind ya) and sun, oh and the good Lord above, they grew to be full and pretty. Maybe you think PINK and YELLER don't go together, but shucks, I don't even care. I was proud of my little blooms. Ya see, these here were the first uns I ever tried at this house...

- This little cutie is my mother-in-law's cat Matty. When she named her, she didn't know if she was a he or a she, so she did one o' them gender bender names. She's very sweet and playful. Oh - I should tell you her story. My MIL's coworker had a litter of kittens and was trying to talk my MIL into taking one. And she was considering it. Anyway, the coworker lives about 15-20 minutes away from their work and one day she had come to work, gone out for lunch, returned and been back at work a while when she went out for a break. Noticed something under the car and there was one of her kittens...um, it had ridden to work (and out to lunch) with her apparently. Destiny? Yeah, I guess. The little squirt went home with my MIL that night and there she has stayed. She's a part of the fam now. And I'm glad. She's ALMOST as cool as Tinsley. hehe

- This big guy is my mom and dad's cat Max. He has a story, too. Dad was preaching a revival and some folks at the church had a new litter of kittens. Well, Mom fell in love with one and decided to take it home. IT....well, HER...Mom thought she was a she. She named her Maddie. Welllll, when the time came for Maddie to go to Mr. Vetty it was determined that Maddie was... you guessed it: a BOY! So Maddie had her name legally changed to Max. ;-) And that fits him anyhoo cuz he's a hoss! He's so long and tall. His tail is 13 inches long (Mom measured it). I think he's officially taken my place as the baby in the family cuz he gets to go camping with Mom and Dad now...

Lyndy's almost legal disclaimer (in case Tinsley ever acquires reading abilities): Tinsley is the best, most wonderful, prettiest, sweetest cat in the whole wide world. No cat compares to her!

Folks, we have a winner

In the 1-2 year old boys category contestant #3, aka Riley is a WINNER... for Most Photogenic AND the cutest little guy in the contest... which means he can ride in the Christmas parade with a banner proclaiming to one and all that he's got a title now. ha

Yes friends, he charmed the judges... he gave the thumbs up, he waved and smiled ever so cutely, and even blew 'em some kisses.  

He wouldn't be still long enough for me to get a good pic of him in his cool guy outfit and TWO trophies...I think it was because the Dimetapp had kicked in. LOL He was a little hyper for a while...

 Who knew you could do snow angels on a concrete floor. :-P

Eventually, between the Dimetapp (I guess) and the excitement of the morning.... ZZZZZ

A fun time with my little buddy.

Better than cleaning house and doing laundry, which is normally my Saturday morning routine.

We met Chris Sanders

Last night we attended a recording of a local Christian tv network show. My brother got a group together because if you bring 50 people, the network donates $1,000 to your church/ministry/worthy cause. So the $ will go toward the adoption of Kerby and Kerlandy (from Haiti)... cool!

Anyway, we had never been to one of these and you know how you sometimes go into something with preconceived notions... The host was Jason Crabb (of the Crabb Family, a southern gospel singing group) and it was a Christmas themed show (to be aired in December). They started out talking with the Bowling Family (part of whom are Crabb Family folk). Back in the summer, their tour bus crashed into the back of a semi on an interstate in NC. Thankfully, everyone survived, but one of the gals was in a body cast for like three months and doctors didn't know if she'd ever walk again. There were others with injuries, including their little girl who had to have surgery, but everyone has recovered. Even after all that, they're still praisin' God and serving Him. They're going back on the road in January.

A guy who used to be with Gold City came out and sang and he had a great tenor voice (Steve Ladd). Then "Sisters" came out, which are the Ruppes, minus the mother. I'm obviously behind on the southern gospel scene. ;-) They had beautiful harmony and they sang "Your Presence" (a Christmas tune talking about needing God's presence in the midst of the holiday rush and things that don't matter and are not what Christmas is about, etc.). Definitely gotta get that soundtrack! Two of my gal pals may be summoned for a lil trio come Christmas time, but they don't know it yet.. hehe

Well, the biggest surprise of the night was when former Titans player Chris Sanders preached. Wow! He was awesome. I won't repreach his sermon here, but suffice it to say he had plenty to say and definitely had the crowd going (for God). There were several things he touched on in his message that I'll remember for a long time. He spoke from his heart with a passion for God and about reaching those who don't know Him.

After service, Chris hung out and talked with everyone. I got a pic of him with Anthony.

Happy anniversary (to us)

Saturday was our 11th anniversary. <3 We spent the weekend in Pigeon Forge to celebrate. A certain kitty thought she was going to sneak into the suitcase...

We did a lot of resting. I read two books and Anthony watched some football. We slept late every day and I think I squeezed in a nap or two (remember: "Judge not, lest ye be judged.") It was nice to just get away for a few days... here's kinda the rundown of our fun!

Friday night "Big Daddy's Pizzeria" caught our eye. And happy we were.... the menu said they were so serious about using only fresh ingredients, that you won't even find a freezer on the premises. Is your mouth watering yet? Cuz it should be. That pizza was delish! 

On Saturday night (our anniversary), we decided to go the Italian route and we tried a place called Carino's Italian Restaurant. I had a divine grilled chicken bowtie pasta "festival" dish (complete with asiago cheese sauce-smack me now!) and Anthony had what appeared to be a plate full of cheese. ha It was some kind of tortelloni with six cheeses (shouldn't that be illegal or something?!)... Anyway, it was a nice place and the food was very tasty. Our waiter nicely took our pic ~ for my scrapbook :-)

Sunday we decided to ride up the tramway to Ober Gatlinburg. Here's the view from the tram. It was so pretty. There was still so much color up there in the trees. We were also excited that we could see snow on the mountain tops (in the distance).
*I'll refrain from talking about what a chicken Anthony was in the tram. He is, after all, my sweet beloved...

When we came back down the mountain, we walked....and walked....and walked some more. Had to check out what was happenin' in the 'burg... we worked up an appetite and shared a foot long corn dog. MMMM!

Walkin' sure makes a body hawngry... I had a hankerin' for a fresh baked cookie. Well, let me tell ya - if ya want fudge, caramel corn, taffy, the 'burg has got it. But cookies? Not so much. We were referred to the Donut Friar (in the Village). Well bless his heart the Friar had cookies AND donuts...had me one of each, yes sirree. Will worry about the calories consumed later....eh, maybe...

Sometimes when ya go shopping, do you ever find a silly hat YOU JUST HAVE TO TRY ON?! This one did it for me. And don't think I didn't consider purchasing this little treasure. He's just adorable, isn't he?! (Are you doing your best Kermit THE frog impression right now? It's not easy bein' green!)

And that, my friends, is a summary of our anniversary weekend up in "the mountains." I'm very thankful to celebrate an 11th anniversary with this handsome fella who is my hubby. He makes me happy EVERY day and I love him more than just about anything.

Halloween 2010

After everyone got past the confusion of which night the kids were "supposed to" trick or treat... it ended up being Sunday night that our little goblins were out and about... we decided to head down to Anthony's mom's house cuz she gets more ghouls and cuties than we do.

McKenzie was Elle Woods from Legally Blonde and Bryson was a hobo. His shoes even show his poor dirty little toes. ;-)

   Riley was Diego. A perfect costume for him!      Dawson was a werewolf.

At work, my friend Kelly brought her 4 year old by. Gavin was a pirate, but I didn't see him makin' anyone walk the plank. Isn't he adorable?!

And now to explain me .... for a week or two, I had a costume idea in mind I found via my BFF, Google. It was a "homemade" thing, not a store bought getup. But on Thursday night, I changed my mind. At 10:30 pm, I finally settled on dressing up as ....
            a FRESHMAN.
   I grabbed my backpack, a pom pom and my UNC visor and threw on some sweats and flops and POOF, I was magically transformed into a college freshman. All I needed to top off the look was a Student ID badge, a campus map (which I found courtesy of Google - geez they should pay me for all these endorsements) and a look of bewilderment & confusion (which is easy for me to pull off). At first, I felt like I had let down my fans... but the people at work really got a kick out of my creativity. I kept asking people where the Peabody building was because I was late for class.

Today at work one of the IS guys asked me if I ever found my class. LOL

As you can see (above) I eventually gave up.

I'm fully aware that I will probably NEVER top Halloween 08's costume:

I still get asked about this...our pic even made it in our local newspaper that year. "Joe the Plumber" topped it off nicely. But Sarah's either gonna have to whack her hair off like mine or I'm gonna need a wig if I'm gonna repeat this one in 2012 (IF she runs for Prez)....



1st annual pumpkin carving...

I love my nephews, in case ya didn't know... besides the fact they're so CUTE (like their aunt) they're sweet boys. And my brother, he's pretty cool, too. The great thing is, he married a gal that became my best friend. Awww. Anyhoo, Friday night they came over and we had some grub and then I made the boys do a recipe all by themselves. It was homemade, from scratch-oh yeah, chocolate chip cookies. And here's the way it went -

 Ingredients? Check. Willing participants? Check. Let's do this~

 We halfed the recipe so Sissy (that's what they call me) snuck in some math along with the cooking lesson. hehe

Cullen was quick to inform me that he had used an electric mixer before. He did great with it. (Better than me, I must say...I'm such a messy chef...)

 Stir, stir, stir Camden!

 Plop and drop em on the cookie sheet!

 YUMMMM they were so tasty.

The next order of business was PUMPKIN CARVING! Well, Leslie and I ended up being the carvers. ;-)

Um, Les, you don't need to eat the goop from the inside of the pumpkin! That's gross! ;-)

We decided to carve 'em in the garage because folks, it was COLD Friday night! But sittin' on a concrete floor carvin' a punkin for 2 hours was worth it when ya see the final result...

And it took me FOREVER to get this pic of 'em glowing in the freezing cold, but I'm so glad I made the extra effort. Aren't they the coolest lookin' jack-o-lanterns ya ever did see?!