Our Family Time at Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! And... HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHAE!! Hope you have a great time with your family today:)

Wishing everyone safe travels and a full stomach!

Tagged

I was TAGGED by Phae...

8 t.v. shows I watch
1.Survivor
2. Dr. 90210
3. Dancing With the Stars
4. Girls Next Door
5. Family Feud
6. HGTV
7. Disney
8. Nickelodeon

8 of my favorite restaurants
1. Red Lobster
2. Taco Johns
3. Chinese
4. Runza
5. Apple Bees
6. Arby's
7. Whiskey Creek
8. Olive Garden

8 things that happened today
1. took kids to school
2. went to Chadron to Chiropractor
3. stopped at Wal-mart
4. Went to Post Office
5. Called people for my church for a funeral dinner
6. Talked to my friend Amy who stopped by.
7. Went and got kids from school.
8. Typing this tagged post.

8 things I look forward to
1. my back getting better fast
2. seeing my family tomorrow for Thanksgiving
3. Christmas sales
4. Finishing my book I am reading-it's good!
5. Four days with my family
6. Seeing Josh's side of the family in December
7. Getting a new cell phone
8. Finding the perfect house

8 things on my wish list
1. to move
2. debt free from credit cards
3. a healling back
4. new NICE pots and pans
5. a family vacation far away
6. sick-free winter for my children
7. new bed
8. windows

8 people I tag today
1. Shauna
2. Shay
3. Sara
4. Amy
5. can't think of anyone else
6.
7.
8.

Getting Better...Slowly But Surely

Today I had a chiropractor appointment for my back. I have been very nervous that my discs are getting bad again and that it may be what is causing so much pain. (Last year I had x-rays and my bottom three discs were deteriorating, the very bottom one almost gone.) Well, this time that is not the case, hurray!! Even though I am in pain, I would much rather deal with the mess going on in the middle of my back that is causing the pain to shoot lower down. Dr. Johnson told me today that I will heal up a lot faster with this kind of problem than if it were my discs. I go back tomorrow morning for another treatment before Thanksgiving vacation. I also managed to have a couple of massages done this weekend to help me out. That was nice...

On a better note- my four-day weekend is just around the corner! We are going to Sidney to my sister's house on Thanksgiving to spend the day with my side of the family. My youngest brother and his family don't get to make it due to his work schedule. :( My other three siblings and their families will be there along with my parents. We are going to stay through Friday. Josh wants to hit the Cabela's sales at 7am on Friday. I am always pumped to go shopping on Black Friday (yep, I am one of the crazy ones) and this year I probably won't get to with this darn back issue...so frustrating!

I am eager to get the holiday season here...I love all of it, even the corny Christmas music played 24/7 on the radio. Josh thinks I am nuts but that's okay. This time of year is very special to me. I hope and pray it goes well not only for my family, but yours as well! Have a great Thanksgiving!

Home

Josh is home! We are all super happy about that...My back is hurting really bad so that kind of put our weekend plans on hold of running a lot of places. Sure stinks to feel this way. I have been doing so good for the past 10+ months.

We did the typical grocery shopping today. Josh did most of it. I kind of sat around waiting on him and then we went to his mom's house for awhile, ate lunch, and came home.

Now I am headed to take a nap...and a painkiller.

Headed Out Today

Hurray! I am headed out at 4pm today to go get Josh in Scottsbluff. He doesn't fly in until nearly 9:30pm. I need to get some early Christmas presents bought for my family who will be here for Thanksgiving but not Christmas so we can give them their gifts early and not have to mail them. I also need to look for new shoes.

I jinxed myself big time on my blog about my back being so great... This morning I vacuumed out my Durango and then the kids and I went to Pine Ridge for me to get a pop and them their suckers from Grandma Mary...(tradition every time we go there.) As I was walking into the building my back kind of twinged, and now, I am FREAKING OUT that my back is going back to square one... I have my back brace on, iced it, and now am waiting to see what happens. My back has been good since last Christmas so I pray it will be okay.

Back to Josh...I cannot wait to go pick him up from the airport! I will probably look funny with a huge grin on my face and a big hug waiting for him when he steps off the plane. He took his final test this morning and passed so we were very happy about that.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

I GOT AN AWARD!!

I received a 'Your Blog is Fabulous!" award by Shay. I have to admit, this is the first online award I have ever received...thanks Shay!Here are the terms and conditions...

• You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.
• You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.
• You must copy and paste the rules and instructions below in the post.

Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. To add the award to your post, simply right-click, save image, then "add image" it in your post as a picture so your winners can save it as To add it to your sidebar, add the "picture" gadget. Also, don't forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.

I would like to dedicate this award to:

1.DEB - She may not realize it but she has great advice and a special way with her words in her posts.

2.BRANDI- Her blog is very visual with all the great pictures she posts. I love pictures!

3.PHAE- I love how blunt, honest, and down-to-earth she is on her posts. Makes my day.

4.AMY- Her updates on her pregnancy and the "Hot Shot Firefighters" is great!

5.BECKY- She is a very enthusiastic blogger who always has a friendly greeting each morning and I like the repetitive posts.

Here are my addictions:

1. I am an avid fiction-book reader. I have to read EVERYDAY!

2. Smoking cigarettes- I know, I know, I need to quit, so don't even say it.

3. I smell everything. Even the laundry soap I put in the washer on a daily basis.

4. Hmm...this is getting harder...um...texting on my cellphone.

5. Thank you Kaitlin for letting me know an addiction...scratch tickets....LOVE THEM!!!

Recipes

I had an idea for us bloggers to do...anyone else is welcome to join too! I thought we could each share one of our favorite Thanksgiving food recipes on our blogs. It may help add an extra new favorite to your family tradition! I thought I would start with sharing mine...

Cranberry Whip

1 pkg. fresh cranberries
1 c. water
2 c. sugar
1 tub Cool Whip

Boil cranberries according to pkg. directions with the water and sugar.
Let cranberry mixture cool.
Fold in Cool Whip to cranberry mixture and serve.

This is super fast and has always been a favorite recipe at our Thanksgiving Day table.

Just Had To...

I just had to post these pictures of Carter playing dress-up with the kids at daycare. He is very out-numbered on girls so sometimes he plays things besides farming, tractors, cars, trucks, and sports. I am sure Josh will be thrilled (he he) to see this post when he gets home...Uncle Rudy too for that matter! LOL! Carter has been wearing this since 3pm...

Great Weather

Today it is supposed to be a high around 70 degrees! Yay! I love days like these. I already opened all of the windows in the house then had the urge to wash curtains while the house gets some fresh air. Next step, probably all the bedding.

Meanwhile, with such a nice day to be outside, the daycare kids and I are going to head out to the backyard so they can play and burn some energy. I will probably sweep the patio and look for any broken toys, sticks, and leaves to get rid of.

Have a nice day!

Monday Again?!

It seems like every time my Friday nights come around, I somehow wake up and it is already Monday morning again! I sure wish my weekends went as slow as the week days do for me. I know I got a lot accomplished this weekend but I really could have used an extra day off. Hmmm...I know that isn't going to happen so I may as well make the best of my day.

We are now on the downhill stretch of Josh coming home. Yay!! I go pick him up Friday night so I hope this week goes by really fast. We miss him and Carter is really starting to have a hard time with him gone. They do everything together when Josh is not working so it's been kind of tough on the little guy. (Probably the big guy too.)

Hope you all have a great day! Tomorrow is predicting a high of 70 degrees so take advantage of it! =)

Rearranging....Done!

Wow, yesterday afternoon I wanted to shampoo the carpets. Somehow I not only did that, but managed to rearrange Carter's room, and then had this bright idea at 7pm last night to rearrange my bedroom as well. I did the thorough cleaning with it too. I didn't get done until 10pm and was very grateful this morning when I woke up and knew it was all finished.

Since I work at home, people often tell me I change my furniture around too much and paint my walls too often. Think about it though, most of you leave your house daily and venture to work with many things to see along the way. I see the same walls, furniture, and toys scattered on a daily basis so I try and change things often to keep a "new" look. I think the kids like the changes too, even the daycare kids since some are here 9+ hours each day. Of course, they don't always notice changes- I have two little girls in daycare who just noticed on Friday that we no longer have our recliner that was in our living room. We got rid of it in the middle of October. When I told them it had been gone for a month, I think they thought I was joking. LOL

Josh is not a big fan of my rearranging so I KNEW this was a good time to change what I wanted since he is still in Kansas City. He would much rather see the end results than actually participate:)

The best thing I noticed out of this was how strong the core and my lower back are getting. A year ago, I would have struggled much more to move the furniture, and would have been hurting for days...or weeks...but... I FELT GREAT THIS MORNING WHEN I WOKE UP! That's a great feeling after so many years of a horrible back. I thank all of my progress and strength on the Reliv I take. I swear by the stuff. It's the best thing I have done for myself this past year.

Our Saturday

Today is kind of a busy Saturday. Josh is in Kansas City still for another few days. He is currently at the Cabela's store there. (Imagine that!) Carter got up bright and early this morning and went farming with Gramps. Kaitlin, one of Kaitlin's friends, Kylah, and I went to Chadron this morning to see my side of the family. We went to my parents' house and visited with them and my two nieces who came up from Sidney. I managed to sneak off to run errands and stop at Walmart. Then we came home for a birthday party Kaitlin had to be at around 1pm. Kylah is home now with me and we are about to go shampoo carpets....fun....well maybe not so much fun. I am sure Carter will be home soon so I better get started on those carpets.

Fall Times

Myspace Tickers, Thanksgiving Tickers

Carter is Spending the Day With Gramps

Carter woke up this morning excited to go with his grandpa (aka Gramps) to Chadron. He hurried and found his clothes he wanted to wear and eagerly waited for Gramps to come to town to pick him up. Gramps decided to take Kaitlin to school so we snuck her out the door. Then Carter heard Gramps's diesel roar up and take off up the street. He was panic-stricken for a moment. He had a shocked look on his face thinking he was left behind. I explained that Gramps would be back soon to get him and to take Kylah to school on their way out of town to Chadron. He calmed down enough and then hurried to get his shoes and coat on for their trip. Sure enough, shortly after we heard the diesel coming up to the house again and Carter was happy. I got Kylah into the pick-up and quickly put Carter's carseat in. I barely got a quick kiss and a "bye mom!" before he was ready to go. So, Carter's been gone since 8:30am and I am sure having a great time with his Gramps:)

Josh's Flight

The kids and I took Josh to Scottsbluff this morning for him to catch his flight to Kansas City. It seems like yesterday he was gone on his last trip there but it's been 8 wks. already since he got home. So...he will be gone for almost 2wks. again...Bummer! (We miss him already!) We watched him fly out on the plane and then we went and bought Kaitlin some new shoes and ate lunch. Then we headed home. It's been a nice afternoon for us. We sat down at the coffee table and colored on a giant-paged coloring book that Carter got. Then the kids played a video game while I worked on a blanket I am crocheting for one of my daycare girls. This little girl loves pink so PINK IT IS! It can be blinding at times if I look at the blanket too long. I think (and hope) she likes it when I get done with it. The kids just had a bath and are going to play for awhile. I need to keep them busy with Dad gone. Kaitlin and Carter seem to have a hard time with him away. Kylah kind of goes with the flow about it all. Now they are anxiously awaiting his nightly phone call they receive. I hope you each have had a great weekend. Ours went by way too fast!

Haircut

Tonight Josh had to get everything ready for another two-week trip to Kansas City. He leaves tomorrow so he finished packing and double checking that he didn't forget anything. One thing on the agenda before he leaves is a haircut. Tonight Carter wanted to "help" his dad trim his hair so he got out the clippers and went to work. He concentrated very hard and even told Dad to fold his ear over so he didn't cut it. We had a few laughs because Dad said OUCH a couple times as the clippers snagged his head. Dad survived the ordeal and Carter loved every minute of it. Now I need to hide the clippers so he doesn't try to cut his own hair.

He's Home!

Josh managed to catch a ride with a snow plow to get back home tonight after leaving at 5:30 this morning. He got home at 6:30 tonight. What a relief! He looks exhausted. He told me he has a very high respect for the snow plows after seeing how hard their job can be in white-out, icy conditions. I am glad he made it home. I made him vegetable beef stew and am sending him to bed. He has to be up at 3am to ride back down with the snow plow to try and get our Durango dug out...

Josh is Stranded...

Well my hopes of Josh coming home to enjoy a movie with me this afternoon dwindled. He is still stuck on the side of the hwy about a half mile from Hemingford. He has been there along with three other cars since 7:30 this morning. A loader came out to dig out the 6 ft drift blocking the hwy. but couldn't get it completely dug out. So...here he is, sitting and waiting. The snow plows are no longer on the hwys, but will hopefully be back out and about later today to clear some of the roads off. I do have to tell you though, he is in much better spirits about this than I would be if I were the one waiting. I am not a patient person when it comes to waiting around. He told me on the phone that if I was the one who had to be in his place I would be livid. Yep, he is totally right on that one! Too bad he only has a couple of the kids' movies with him or he could watch a DVD or two while waiting. Well, school is closed for the day so I only have four daycare children and my three here at home. I think we will watch a movie and eat popcorn this afternoon. Stay warm!

The Weather Has Hit Here!

What horrible winds and blowing snow we have here! Hwy 385 is closed south of Chadron. Josh left at 5:30 this morning to head to Alliance for work. He made it to almost to Hemingford before knowing the stretch of 385 he had to get on was closed. So now he is on his way back home. It is scary because it took him from 5:30 until 6:40 to get to Lone Church which is only 27 miles of traveling. Now I have my fingers crossed and some prayers sent up for him to make it back home safely. We have a late start here at 10am today for school. Hopefully they will close completely. Any of you traveling today, BE VERY CAREFUL!