Blessed

Thanksgiving was a time to reflect on how truly blessed I am. I not only have my St. Louis family but my Little Rock family as well to be thankful for.

First, I am so thankful for Jimmy, Alex and Olivia. You three are my world and mean so much to me. I am truly blessed to be a wife to a great husband and the mother to the most amazing and beautiful children! Alex and Olivia, you two had my heart before you both were born and each day brings more and more joy as I watch you grow. Thank you all for choosing me!

On Thursday, we went to my Aunt Debbie's to celebrate with my aunt and uncle, my mom and dad, my sister and bro-in-law, my bro and sis-in-law and my cousin and his girlfriend. The food was excellent and in abundance! I made a new appetizer...Atomic Buffalo Turds. I know, a wacko name but let me say, if you like stuffed jalopenos -- then dont even worry about the name...these are heaven!! I got the recipe from my "girlfriend" Stephen. It's a long story on why I call him my "girlfriend" so just go with it. Anyway, Stephen made these amazing ABT's on Halloween night. I had to have the recipe and since I so graciously shared my recipe for BLT Dip, he obliged my request. Thanks Stephen! So, yes, they were still amazing and I think I had about 10 of them! The one thing I love and one reason I feel so blessed being with my family is that the laughs were a plenty. We always manage to have a good time together. After a few rounds of guitar hero, we ended the day playing the dice game Left, Right, Center. It was a great time. I am so thankful for my family and friends. After losing some very important people in my life the last few years, I have really tried to let those that I love really know that I love them and am so very grateful and blessed to have them in my life! I am also grateful for all those new found family and friends. You all have offered me the opportunity to grow in ways that I didn't believe was possible! Thank you to everyone. I love you.

On Friday morning, we headed to Little Rock to spend the weekend with the Morgan family. When we left here, it was sunny and beautiful. Usually every time (and I really do mean almost every time) I go to Little Rock, it rains. Of course, that means I get blamed for the weather. So as we headed south, the weather started turning bleak. Maybe I need to trick the weather by saying I am never going to Little Rock again and then pack my bag at the last minute and jump in the car. Yeah, I don't think that will work either. Oh well, those in Little Rock just aught to be thankful I don't live there! When we got in, everyone was waiting for us. We were going to make a "family" dinner but I nixed that and asked if we couldn't go easy. Ham sandwiches, cheese dip, leftover stuffing and a store bought apple pie. The Morgan's are known for always having a house full of family and friends and Saturday night was going to be the night so why tire ourselves out 2 nights in a row. It was perfect. After dinner, Michelle, Brian, Jimmy and I played many hands of a card game called Sergeant Major. It was lots of fun! The kids just played and played. I have such great memories of times with my cousins and love when my kids see their cousins and just pick right up where they left off. So Saturday morning, I got up and decided to do some baking! I love to bake. I made my famous pumpkin muffins. Everyone seems to love them. When we left today, there was an insistance that the remaining muffins stay in Little Rock. Definite compliments to the chef! Thank you. I also made a double batch of gooey butter cookies and a batch of Mary's "Butter" cookies. There really is no butter in that recipe but, they are my father-in-laws favorite. Unfortunately, this morning when everyone came over they started to get eaten. Many growls and grumbings went on to leave his cookies alone. Another compliment to the chef! I also made a chess pie that was my father-in-law's grandmother's recipe. It didn't get time to set after cooking but I got lots of compliments on it. Woo hoo! Just call me little chef! In between all this baking and before we had a house full of company, my sis-in-law, Aunt Margaret and I snuck off for a few hours without the kids and went to a cute little sewing store. I picked up some smocking pieces while there. I am going to give this a try. While at this quaint little store, I found a pattern to make the most adorable cloth stacking rings for babies. You remember those plastic stacking rings we had as kids. Well, this one is made of cloth and 10 times cuter. I can't wait to make one!! Also, after dinner on Saturday night, Margaret gave a lesson on making hair bows for girls. I made one and let me say it is really hard. Oh, OK, so I have a Type A personality and everything has to be perfect but I did manage to get one made. Actually, it was a collaboration. Tessie (a long time friend of the Morgan's) made the bottom bow and I made the top bow. It turned out really cute. Now, I just can't wait to go to the fabric store and get some ribbon! I am thinking maybe I could do my own Etsy store...jewelry, quilts, hair bows, stacking rings, embroidery and hopefully I can add smocking to that!


We are now at the end of our long Thanksgiving weekend. I am thankful for a fun trip to Little Rock and I am thankful we made it home in one piece. I am so thankful for all my family and friends. You all mean the world to me. I am so blessed to know each and every one of you!!

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

Quiet

It's quiet here...too quiet. It's the kind of quiet when you know no kids are around! Alex and Olivia are spending the night at their favorite Deb Do's house tonight. Olivia is off school tomorrow and both Jimmy and I could not take off work. So I asked Deb Do if she would mind watching the kids. To make it easier on everyone, she offered to have them spend the night tonight. They both loved the idea! Olivia was so excited when I picked her up from school and announced we needed to leave so we could get ready to go to Deb Do's. She promptly told all her teachers and friends where she was going. They didn't understand what Deb Do's was and one girl said "you mean you're going to Ted Drewes?" First though, we had to pick Alex up from swimming. We rushed home, packed a bag, scarfed down a quick bite to eat, headed to St. Ambrose for soccer uniform turn in and basketball uniform pick up. Then, finally to Deb Do's. As I rounded the last corner on Deb Do's street, Olivia proudly proclaimed..."we are almost there." She loves Deb Do. Once we got inside, she wanted to show her what she packed...Ellie (her elephant) and her robe (that is a size 18 months that she still wears!) Olivia kept telling me to go. She knew I was leaving and that she was staying. She even opened the door to usher me out. Love that she is so secure! Love that Deb Do! So, Jimmy and I are settling in for the night in this quiet house. I am saying a silent prayer that Olivia sleeps through the night, that Alex doesn't worry about falling asleep and hoping that both know just how much I love them and miss them! Thanks Deb Do for taking care of the 2 people who mean the world to me!

Bridal Shower photos

Bridal Shower

Saturday was Liz's Bridal Shower. I think it was a success. People said they had a good time and things looked good. However, I always think I could do more. In fact, I wish I could have done more but I am proud of the things I did accomplish. I had lots of help from family and friends which contributed to the successful shower. I delegated a few tasks (something that doesn't come easy for this Type A control freak) and such was a wonderful Saturday afternoon.

Since my sister is the Princess, I went with a Cinderella theme...sparkling gems, flowers, glass slippers, a three-tiered cake (of course, made by the wonderful Grandma Glo!), a sparkly Cinderella and her Prince dancing picture frame, two kinds of punch and lots of good food. To end the shower, my sis-in-law made the most adorable cookies for everyone. They were so cute and delicious! This was the first shower in quite some time that I did not choose which games to play. I delegated that duty to Liz's other matron-of-honor. Shayna did a great job. Everyone loved and really got into designing a wedding dress from toilet paper. My cousin Gayle won most original and my cousin's daughter Amber also won for best dress. So creative and fun!

Liz got some great gifts. When I saw Bryan that night, it tickled me because he was just as excited about them and couldn't believe how many they got! While I always love to plan parties, at 5 p.m. I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders...whew, Done. Now I can't wait for the wedding! I hope everyone had a good time!! If you'd like me to plan your next party...totally kidding!! ;)

On the Mend!

The entire Morgan family has been sick the past few weeks. Olivia started it...and has since ended up with a double ear infection. That girl is amazing when she is sick. She never complains. My only sign that something is not right is when she stops eating. She is definitely on the mend and back to her onery self!! Alex started with the cough and stuffy nose and is still recouping...he missed his swim meet on Sunday due to this cold. We just didn't feel that it would be fair to him to compete when he wasn't feeling 100%. Then late last week, I start feeling sick...I knew having a 4 year old coughing in my face and countless drinks from these two sick kids out of my glass would eventually lead me to the same place they are. However, Mommy doesn't get to be sick...life must go on and everyone still needs Mommy. Heaven forbid Mommy take a day to just lay in bed and rest. Jimmy did treat me on Sunday by doing all the dishes and straightening the house and keeping up with the laundry so I could recoup. Thanks, honey! I am also so busy at work that I can't afford to be sick! Lots of Motrin and Mucinex have really helped me.

I am really looking forward to this weekend. It's Liz's Bridal Shower. The theme is Cinderella. I am so excited and can't wait for her to see some of the stuff. I hope she has a good time!

Also, this weekend is the premiere of the movie Twilight!! I can't wait to go see it. I loved the books and prefer read the books before seeing the movie. I hope it doesn't disappoint!


We also have a new addition to the Inman family. My cousin Whitnie had her baby girl Ava yesterday. She is so sweet! Welcome to the family little Ava! We can be crazy at times but we sure have lots of love to give!! Can't wait to meet you!

Pictures from the Lake!

Olivia getting close with nature!

As close as she would get to the big bear!

Melis, Liz and Alex getting ready to shoot for the first time
with Rach.


Liz a little nervous to shoot for the first time!

Liz getting her lesson from Rachel.

Liz feeling EMPOWERED after shooting!

Alex waiting and ready!

Alex's lesson from Rachel.

Alex shooting a Glock 9mm for the first time.

Me shooting for the first time.

Liz, Melis, Deb Do and Pamie!

One of our many laughing spells!

(I think Olivia was trying to take this picture!)

All of us (Alex was taking the picture!)

Liz sitting on Rachel's high heel chair!

The Lake

So I get a free Saturday and think...hmm let's go to the Lake of the Ozarks for the day and let's ask Liz to go with us! That's not really how it went down but that's how it seemed. Liz and I were laughing as we were on our way to the Lake to leave it up to us to drive out of town and not know where we are going! Ever since going to the Lake for the Girls Weekend over the summer, I have been wanting to go back and visit with Pamie and shop at the outlet mall. Olivia has outgrown all her fall/winter clothes and I thought the outlet mall would bring some big savings...not so much. I didn't find anything...bummer, guess I'll be going to Target after all. Deb Do, Samantha and CJ were also at the Lake which made for more fun!

Anyway, we finally made it to the Lake around 4:30 p.m. - I know, also leave it up to me and Liz to not get an early start! We went straight to Pamie's store. As soon as we walked in, Alex's whole face just beamed. I wished Jimmy could have been there to see him. Before we left, I asked Jimmy to give me some examples of guns he wants to look at. He only told me what kind of gun he wants for Alex. And of course, Alex picked up on it. So while we were off making our potty breaks, Alex was off with the sales guy looking for the kind of gun that Jimmy wants him to have. He couldn't get enough of the store. Rachel asked if Alex had ever shot a gun before. I told her no and that I have never shot a gun either. Liz also chimed in that she hasn't either. Rachel decided we need to become de-virginized (is that even a word?) and go down to the range and shoot one. Olivia then says "I want to shoot!" Typical that this little girl would want to do something so daring and fearless! At first, I didn't want her to see us shoot so Deb Do kept her upstairs and then she came down for a few minutes. She was too interested in looking at all the animals and such that I don't think she witnessed us shooting. Liz was hilarious. She was nervous about shooting. Of course being the big sister, I said "just do it!" Rachel gave us each a lesson on how to shoot the Glock 9mm she picked out for us. Liz felt very empowered after shooting. I was so nervous when Alex shot but he did a good job. He even shot the orange center a few times. Crazy!! When it was my turn, I couldn't believe how powerful that gun was. It really had a kick. Thanks Rach, for teaching us! We had a good time!

When we finished, the store was closing so we parted ways and headed over to the mall for our shopping excursion. We met up again at Applebee's for dinner. After dinner, we decided to go over to Pamie's and visit a little before heading back. 3 hours later, we finally left. We had the best time! We laughed and laughed. I swear, I haven't laughed that hard in so long. We went up and sat in Rachel's room since Jim and CJ were asleep downstairs. Liz had her camera so Alex tried to get pictures of us. The 4 of us posed and waiting with our smiles so big and then...nothing. Alex would make a big sigh! We started cracking up. Finally, we figured out the problem and he took a few pictures. By that time, we started getting slap happy. Everything started to be so funny. Then, we found out we could go downstairs and we thought it was time to head out...yeah right. Samantha and Rachel returned from the movie and brought popcorn home. So we sat around the kitchen island talking some more, eating popcorn and quenching our thirst. We told stories and laughed and laughed some more. What a great time. What great memories. I love my family!! Pamie kept insisting we spend the night and we kept insisting we would be fine. However, I think next time we might just stay. The ride home was uneventful except for Liz deciding she knew the way and getting off on some exit to head towards Columbia. Of course, big sister knew the way along with back up from the GPS. We got back on track and made it home in 2.5 hours. It was a great, great day. I love spending the day with the people I love and who mean so much to me! Let's do it again!!!

Halloween

Happy Kal-la-neen as I used to say! Halloween was so jammed packed with fun events and wouldn't you know it, my camera battery gave out at the beginning of them. Darn it.

Halloween morning started off with taking Olivia to school. I am the head room parent for Olivia's class so I had to organize everything for the party -- good thing there are all girls in Olivia's class so it made it so easy. I made cute little halloween bags embroidered with each of the girl's names on them. I thought these might be more of a keepsake than just the throw away treat bags. I had to get the snacks, pick a craft and pick 2 games to play. For snack, the girl's had popcorn and cookies with juice. Seemed to be a hit. For the craft, I decided on ghost necklaces. I got a bucket of beads and had Alex separate all the orange, black, white and yellow ones -- he loved me for making him do that. I then cut out little white foam ghosts and punched holes in their arms so they could string it onto their necklace. We had some really cute necklaces! For the games, we played pin the nose on the pumpkin and ghost bowling. I was only at school for an hour and when I left, I was exhausted. All I can say is I feel truly blessed that Olivia has such a wonderful teacher and school to attend. I truly honor all teachers!!

After the party, I had to go back to work for a few hours. It was kind of pointless since I didn't get much accomplished. When I left the party, I had the makings of a headache. By the time I got to work, it was a full blown migraine. I didn't have anything with me to take but I found a few packets of cold relief and tylenol to take. I tried to relax and it finally subsided enough that I could function again. Before heading home, I stopped off at the store and picked me up some Motrin. So add 3 more of those to what was already in my system in order to allow me to function. We had such a great evening planned that I didn't want a migraine to ruin it.

At 6 p.m., we headed over to the Spear household! We were so excited to trick or treat with Brendon! Olivia and Alex haven't seen Brendon since the end of September when we got together for his walk. Brendon Boo was a bat and such a cutie. We had a fabulous time with fabulous friends. Stephen made some awesome "atomic turds" (I said he needed a new name for them but disagreed). I don't even know what all was in these...all I know is that it was a bacon wrapped hollowed out jalopeno stuffed with cream cheese and something else. These were the BOMB!! So after quickly filling our belly's with some hot dogs and such, the kiddos were ready to hit the house for some candy. Olivia didn't have a joke and trying to teach her about joke-telling wasn't working. However, once she heard Brendon tell his joke, she promptly got the idea and then STOLE his joke! I couldn't believe it. Such a stinker. After going around to a few houses, the kids were done and so were we. Back to the Spear residence for some good ol' fashion fun. We partied with the neighbors until the wee hours. I truly envy my friends. They have such a great group of neighbors and just sit outside talking and having fun. Maybe one day we can live on a street as cool as Coral Drive. Thank you Spear's for such an awesome Halloween. We look forward to doing it with you again next year!