Happy Things...

I've been tagged!  I'm so excited!

The assignment: name the Top 10 things that make me happy.

The bad news is that I'm going to have to post this after we return

from our Thanksgiving vacation.

I'll be back to blogging the week of December 1st.

HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!!

Thanksgiving: Part I

Things are simple here.

This Step 2 white board is the welcome signage

for all our get togethers, celebrations, birthdays.

Here's the message for today

written by Sweet Cheeks:

We celebrated this day with my in-laws and some friends.

The table was set.

The place cards were made.

We gathered leaves from the front yard.

They were wet so we placed them

inside a large brown grocery sack

and hit them with the hair dryer.

Once dried, the girls took permanent

markers and wrote names down on each.

The food prep was enjoyable.

Finished it the day before, which made for a lot less stress.

My job was our wonderful stuffing, sweet yams and cranberry sauce.

To add some flare to my stuffing, I add sausage.  Sometimes

turkey sausage...but this time I tried chicken basil sausage and it was

delicious!  I also add chopped apple, chopped celery, chopped

onion and walnuts.  It brightens up a basic, boxed stuffing and adds

some extra flavor.

My husband is a good man!  He loves to cook!

He made a new recipe for the turkey and followed a brine recipe

that came in Sunset magazine.  That turkey melted in your mouth!

Helpful hint:  If you follow the brine recipe, I would suggest rinsing

the turkey with water before serving because it was a bit salty for

our tastes.

Sugar Nugget announced several days ago that she wanted

to eat the turkey leg.  Here goes...

Ah, I can't forget about a delicious appetizer that

my Mother-in-law brought.

A delicious cheese ball.

Simple recipe, too.

2 - 8 oz. pkgs low-fat Philadelphia Cream cheese

1 - 8 oz. can crushed pineapple

2 Tbsp. finely chopped green pepper

2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion (optional)

2 Tbsp. finely chopped marishino cherries

Mix above incredients together.

Form into a ball.

Roll ball into finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Serve with Wheat Thins.

Homemade apple and pumpkin pies were devoured.

Thanks, friend.

Let me say that I'm so thankful for my in-laws.

They are great people!

Fun to be around.

I am very thankful because they raised a cool guy

who turned into my wonderful husband.

He is handsome, caring, funny, and most importantly,

a God honoring man.

Thanksgiving...

It's only just begun (can anyone hear Karen Carpenter singing in

the background?) as we head out of State to

spend the holiday with my family.

Can't wait!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Count your blessings as I do mine.

Disclaimer:  This blog is a bit out of order, crazy, mixed-up but done

at the end of the day when this gal is tired....and preparing

to leave town tomorrow.  Had to get it in before I left.

Simple things...Santa Letters

We're a little early on Santa letters this year,

but Santa needs to know what the kiddos want.

And, for Pete's sake, the letters have to be mailed to the North Pole.

It probably takes a while to get there.

His Elves have to make all the stuff in their workshop.

Pack the sleigh.

Plot his route.

Lots to do.

You get the picture.

Sweet Cheeks wrote this letter:

It read...

Dear Santa,

I have been a great girl!

What I want for Christmas is a sewing machine.

If you cannot bring a sewing machine, you can bring me a ZuZu Pet.

I want the brown one.

Thank you Santa for all the presents you have given me.

P.S.  My daddy really wants the movie Star Trek.

My mommy wants fancy earrings.

She drew a Christmas Tree, fireplace, stockings on the fireplace

and presents all around it, too.

Precious!

Sugar Nugget wrote this one:

Dear Santa,

I have been a good girl for a long time.

Here is my Christmas wish list.

1.  little pet shop pig toy.

2.  a diamond that is blue.

3.  Printies.

4.  ZuZu pets.  The white one.

5.  talking pig toy.

But what I wish for from you is Chixos.

Thank you for your happynis.

She drew a Christmas tree with presents,

and the 4 of us standing around it.

Love it!!

Oh, Santa, please bring Sweet Cheeks that sewing machine.

I believe that I'd like to try it out.

Maybe I can get my "craft" on like some of my friends.

My Mom and Nana (Grandma) used to sew many of our clothes.

There were 4 of us girls.

That's a lot of sewing.

(That's a whole different blog.)

Happy Santa Letter writing!

Simple things...Love notes

It's the season to appreciate the simple things in life.

To be thankful.

I am thankful for my 2 beautiful daughters.

My "professional students".

I call them "professional students"

because it's their job to go to school and learn.

I congratulate them on doing a good job at work.

Studying hard.

Getting good grades on their tests.

Doing their best.

Well, my little professional students are gone for 6 hours a day.

I throw in these little love stickies into their lunch boxes.

E-V-E-R-Y   D-A-Y!!

A little encouragement.

('cause elementary school can have some rough social spots)

A little love.

('cause everyone wants to feel loved)

A little reminder that Mom is proud of them

and always thinking about them.

Come to think of it, years ago I would write

T-Bone sticky loves notes.

I'd put them in his briefcase.

I'd stick them to the bathroom mirror.

I'd stick 'em to the steering wheel of his car.

I'd even stick 'em to the potty.

I think it's time to write some stickies for my Love.

I am sooo thankful for him.

I can't imagine life without him.

Grandma is the best!

My Mom is the greatest Grandma!

She lives out of State and visits about 3 times a year.

It's such a treat for the girls when she's here.

You see, my Mom is one of those Grandmas that gets

down on the floor and plays with my girls.

Doesn't matter if it's Barbies, a tea party or singing and dancing.

She's up for anything.

My Mom couldn't be that kind of Mom when I was a kid.

What Mom can be?

All the responsibilities of being a wife, mom of 4, taxi driver

for the kids and business woman left little time

for a lot of fun with her kids.

I'm not complaining about my childhood because it was a great one!

Mamasita, as I lovingly call her, takes a totally

different approach at being a Grandma.

She COMPLETELY loves every minute that she spends with my girls.

Mamasita often reminds me to slow down and appreciate my girls.

Right now.  Where they are today.

When she comes to visit, she...

inspires the girls to do art...

puzzles...

hands-on cooking...

Here's Sugar Nugget and Grandma making meatballs.

Look at that beautiful snack plate that

Sweet Cheeks made for all of us!

Gotta love the umbrella.

The best day ever, as Sugar Nugget would say,

was taking Grandma to Disneyland with us.

The happiest place on earth!

Mamasita hadn't been to Disneyland for quite some time.

She looked like a big kid walking around with a HUGE smile on her face.

Grandma is special!

She is loved.

Can't wait to see her for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year!

What were they thinking?

It's Saturday night and we're hanging out in our PJ's just playing

a game of Scrabble Jr. as a family.

We hear something crunching below us.

Sweet Cheeks reached down underneath the dining room table to

retrieve whatever our puppy, Carly, was chewing on.

Here's what Sweet Cheeks found.

A catalog that was opened at this page.

Sugar Nugget immediately noticed the butt cheek piggy bank and laughed.

T-Bone then noticed the ad for the Women of the Bible book.

Did the people who created this magazine strategically place both ads on the same page?

Will people really pay $3 more for this piggy bank over the book?

Are both of those products geared to the same demographic?

Do the type of person who flocks to a butt-cheek piggy bank really

want to investigate the Women of the Bible?

Inquiring minds want to know.

It was a funny end to a wonderful day.

Give Thanks

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I stepped out of my comfort zone

to do this project with my girls....and it came out cute.

Our "Give Thanks" home-spun craft!

(stolen from Nancy)

Just stepping into Joann's Fabrics made me nervous.

Picking the coordinating scrapbook papers made me feel nauseous.

So, I had to call my 411 for help.

"Hello, Nancy.  How many pieces of scrapbook paper do I need?"

She talked me down and helped me through the stress of shopping for crafy items.

My girls love this stuff...

I can do this....

So, we painted, cut, glued and had fun!

It's some good, old-fashioned crafty time that the girls need.

It's that special time with them that I adore.

Sweet Cheeks wrote 3 thankful notes today:

thankful for her friends,

thankful for her family,

thankful for her house.

Sugar Nugget wrote 2 thankful notes today:

thankful for her 3 doggies,

thankful for her family.

I wrote one thankful note:

thankful for my handsome, kind, funny husband,

thankful for my healthy, beautiful daughters.

I have soooo much to be thankful for.

Don't know if there are enough feathers to show it.

Simple pleasures

I love it when my girls enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

No TV.
No toys.
No fighting.

Good, clean, outdoor fun...

Took some beautiful leaves from our neighbor's yard.

Brought them to our yard.

Throw.

Re-rake and throw.

Re-rake and bury someone.

again...

and, again...

and, again...

Can't forget about the dog...

Bailey is the best dog ever!!!
(Maybe it's because she's 12 and just doesn't care.)
We just love her.

Continue the fun until the leaves begin to crumble.

Friends.
Fresh air.
Nature.
Good times!!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

My deepest appreciation and thanks go out to all the Veterans

who are still in active duty and all who have retired.

My Dad was a Veteran.

My Father-in-law is a Veteran.

God Bless America and all it stands for!

I was born a poor black child...

Well, not really.

That was actually from the movie "The Jerk" with Steve Martin.

But I feel like I fit into that culture very well.

In fact, last week while on the set of Better Off Ted with Sweet Cheeks,

I totally.....and, I mean totally,

fit in with two fantastic women of color.

My demeanor changed.

I became a black chick (in a very white-chick body) just by sitting and talking with them.

I was swaying my head left to right.

Saying "ummmm-huh" with attitude.

Workin' the "that's right, girl!" when appropriate.

I noticed that these Ladies exuded such an heir of confidence about them.

An "I deserve the best" attitude.

A "look at me" ummmm-huh posture.

On the other hand, they show a fiery side.

A "don't mess with me, girl" aura.

A "noooo you did-n't" viewpoint.

I just love that!

All this while strutting their baby-got-back figures.

It's no wonder I fit in.

Hollywood here we come...

Unbelievable week.

Crazy, busy schedule.

This crazy idea of Sweet Cheeks to be on TV, perform and act came over 2 years ago.

As a Mom, I kept putting it off thinking that it wasn't for "us".

She continued to ask.

I continued to ignore it.

Finally our neighbors told us about a company who manages kids as "extras"

on TV shows, commercials, movies, videos, etc.

So I finally signed the girls up.

Less than one week later, Sweet Cheeks accepted a gig on

Desperate Housewives, Better Off Ted and Parks and Recreation.

The Desperate Housewives water.

The Desperate Housewives outfit.

Gorgeous hair flower clip compliments of Nancy, The Goat and The Kid.

Thank you!!

Let me tell you that this business is crazy.

Completely out of our normalcy, which I  L-O-V-E!!

She had 6:30 and 7am call times which meant yours truly was waking up at 4:30.

My sweet girl had to wake up at 5....and we left the house in the late 5 o'clock hour.

T-Bone and I were so proud of how she handled this new venture.

There are no pictures allowed on set.

There are no autographs given.

She simply went and waited, did school work and went on set, when called.

This is a great opportunity for her.

She loved it!

She made friends.

She laughed a lot.

She smiled a lot.

We'll see what the future brings for our cutie pie.