Meal Planning Monday

This week is going to be BUSY, but this is what we'll be having.

Sunday: Taco Soup

Monday: Pot roast, carrots, red potatoes in crock pot

Tuesday: Left over Taco Soup (I have a Lia Sophia show, so Michael will heat up some soup!)

Wednesday: Whole wheat spaghetti, salad

Thursday: Perogies, broccoli, carrots

Friday: Lia Sophia Open House at our house, so Michael will probably eat out and I will eat a bunch of appetizer type food! Ha!

Saturday: Eat out!

Sorry I still haven't got around to posting recipes, just haven't had the time. I PROMISE it will be soon!!!!

Christmas List Is Almost Complete

So far we are having a good, fun, busy weekend. Last night I couldn't find anything in the pantry that looked good, so we went down to Dalton to Outback and had a good, quiet dinner. By the time we got home, I went to bed. It has been a busy week, I was tired!

This morning I got up, finalized my Christmas shopping list and picked up my mom for a full day of Christmas shopping. We started out at Starbuck's for a Gingerbread latte before hitting up the Christmas stores at Ace Hardware (found some super cute monogrammed Christmas things there!), Pool Place (got some cute chocolate brown things), and a pottery near my house. Then we headed south to Calhoun for some serious outlet shopping!

I managed to find some really good deals, but the deal of the day was my mom's gift, and she knows about it since she was there, a Coach purse for...$83!!!!! Yes, you read that right, with outlet pricing, a coupon, and a sale, I got a $325 purse for $83!!!!! I was super excited and she was too, too bad she has to wait until Christmas!!! :-)

I have almost wiped out my Christmas list. I need to get some small things, Michael's big gift and stocking stuffers, and think of a few things for him to get me. In two weeks my mom and I are planning to head to Lenox Square in Atlanta to shop at Crate and Barrel and J Crew. I'm sure I can find a few things there to finish up my list. I am so happy, I am never close to being done before Thanksgiving. Actually, let me clarify that, I've never really started before Thanksgiving! Ha!

Show Us Your Life...Thanksgiving Traditions

This week on Show Us Your Life, we are showing our Thanksgiving recipes and traditions. Normally we have Michael's family over for lunch then we go to my parent's for dinner around 4. Well, this year we've decided to do things a little differently and have one big Thanksgiving at our house. It should be fun!!!

This is my buffet on the island: turkey, cornbread dressing, deviled eggs, corn, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole (my fav!), and cranberry sauce from Williams and Sonoma. There is also a few other assortments that Michael's grandmother and stepmother brought.

This is how my table looked last year. I pull out the fancy china for Thanksgiving! :-)

This is a new recipe that I have just started making last year and our families loved it! As a matter of fact, I may make one this weekend! :-)

Double Decker Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

1-8oz pkg cream cheese, VERY soft

1 Tsp milk

1 Tsp sugar

1-8oz cool whip (only use 1/2 in the pie)

1 graham cracker crust

1-15 oz can PURE pumpkin (do not use the mix, only the pure pumpkin)

2-3.4 oz pkgs vanilla pudding

1 cup milk

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

First you will want to make the base layer.

Beat cream cheese, 1 Tsp milk, and sugar in a large mixing bowl until blended. Stir in 1/2 tub cool whip. Sread into the crust

Next, you will make the pumpkin part of the pie:

Wisk 1 cup milk, pumpkin mix, pudding mix, and spices AT LEAST two minutes. Mixture should be very thick. Spread over cream base, refrigerate for four hours and you're done!

Blessings!

I don't know if you read Kelly's blog or not (but pretty sure you do, because, seriously, who doesn't?!) but she has been managing a prayer blog for right at a year for those who are waiting on God to bless them with a baby. Well, tonight she announced that God has bless 132 of these families with babies!!!! How awesome is that?!

Please continue to pray for those of us who have not made it to the PRAISE list. I have such hope that we will ALL be there soon, in God's time! (and of course, pray for those that have, they need your prayers too!)

Poor Puppy

Guess who got to go back to the vet for the second time in six months today? That's right, Spencer has another strange skin think going on. Apparently he has something that schnauzers get called schnauzer comedone syndrome. In non-medical talk, puppy acne! It is apparently what caused his last flare up last summer. It is pimple like areas that once they get infected can be quite dangerous, as we know. He also had an ear infection. I feel like such a terrible mommy! Here I've been thinking he wasn't acting quite right, but it's been his face and ear hurt! Bless it's little heart!!! I could tell a big difference in his activity level and personality when I got home. He was back to acting like his old self after only 8 hrs on antibiotics!!!!

We got back on the meal plan tonight. Meatloaf is in the oven, pintos are in the crock pot, and potatoes are about to be boiled! YUM! Also, aren't you proud, this is my fifth day in a row to actually post! I'm trying to do better, even if it is just a little something like this. :-)

After I made my post last night I sat down and made out my list and I even went ahead and bought something for someone on my list! I feel accomplished and I haven't even made it out to the mall yet!!! Woohoo!

Christmas Shopping

I have been doing some thinking today about the fact that due to a few obligations, I will only have 4 Saturdays between now and Christmas to shop! AHHHHHH!!!!! So, I decided this year may be a year I do a lot of shopping online. My mom and I are going outlet shopping this weekend and hope to go to Atlanta to visit Crate and Barrel and J Crew in two weeks. I have ALWAYS gone the day after Thanksgiving, but this year I think I would rather stay at home and concentrate on my tree and decorations. I am debating pulling them out a little early, but I just can't. It has always been my tradition (even at home when I was younger, and I mean middle school age!) to put my tree up the day after Thanksgiving, so I'll wait.

So, anyway, back to the theme of this post, what do you do to get the best deals on what you are looking for? I am thinking about doing online, free shipping, day after Thanksgiving shopping or even the Monday after (isn't that supposed to be the best online day????).

Today was a LONG day that completely wore me out, so I varied from the meal plan. Ha! This just sounded so much better than perogies by the time 6:00 rolled around! Got to love some Cracker Barrel!

Now I am going to go take a hot bath and curl up with Spencer in the bed while I browse catalogs for Christmas ideas!

Hope

Overall I've had a pretty good day for a Monday! Had a busy morning at work doing paperwork and charts, but had a good office with Dr. Smith this afternoon. Also, since time changed, Michael gets off work at 6:00 instead of 7:00, so that definitely made me happy!!! Tonight I had to run over to my parents to bring a few things to my mom, so we made a quick Starbuck's run! Forget pumpkin spice, I am IN LOVE with this delicious drink. I'm pretty sure I could sustain on just this for the rest of my life! Ha!

We are now finished with cycle 20 ad we have decided to go a different direction that I will tell you about when the time comes, but just please continue to pray for us and our journey. I still have a lot of hope in my heart and from everything I've been through over the past two years, I've learned if you have ANYTHING, you must have HOPE!

I was so excited tonight when Michael went out to get the mail he came in with this package that was on our doorstep. THANK YOU to my good friend Lauren for sending me this. I LOVE it!!!!! It is already the centerpiece on my wine cabinet! I'm thinking it will be PERFECT in a nursery one day to remind me of the verse that got me through some of my darkest days.

I also found this pretty little reminder to have HOPE Saturday while at Hobby Lobby. I put it on my countertop next to my aspirin and folic acid to remind me to have hope when I take

everyday.

“But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day." Habakkuk 2:3

Meal Planning Monday

I saw this on The Brock's Rock and loved the idea and thought it would be fun to try to make my weekly meal plan. Too bad I usually don't stick to it!

Monday: chicken tacos (cook chicken in crock pot all day in taco seasoning and salsa, shred and serve!)

Tuesday: perogies (I buy a box of perogies in the frozen food section and we love them. Boil for 5 minutes! Perfect weeknight meal!) and steamed vegetables (usually broccoli and carrots)

Wednesday: Meatloaf (finally found a recipe my husband will eat!!!! I still need to post the recipe, I will, I promise, just haven't had the time.), mashed potatoes, and pinto beans (cook in crock pot all day)

Thursday: Wednesday's leftovers, but substitute mac and cheese (1 box elbow noodles, 1/2 block Velveeta, and a little milk) for the potatoes

Friday: Frozen pizza and salad

Saturday: Taco Soup (again, be patient, the recipe is coming!)

Sunday: too soon to tell! Ha!

The good news is, Michael is getting off work at 6 instead of 7 now that the time has changed, so we actually get to eat dinner at a decent hour and not 8:00!

Playing Catch Up

If any of you are one of the hundred or so emails/facebook messages I have waiting on me, I am so sorry, I am slowly working through them all. I am humbled and amazed at how many people (including people I have known in different stages of my life) have found my blog and are praying for us. THANK YOU so much!!!!!!!

I promise, I am going to write back, I just haven't had time, but hoping to get caught up within the next couple of weeks. Please don't think that you are being ignored! I love you all!

Halloween 2009

We had a busy, full day yesterday. I started the day with a manicure/pedicure then I came home to put on taco soup for dinner before going back out to meet my mom for some retail therapy (read: Christmas decoration shopping). On my way back out I saw a bad wreck right at the TN/GA state line. The nurse in me knew that I had to stop and help. By the time I got out in the rain and called 911 I realized the two drivers were hurt. So, I called Dr. Barker who was on call, told him I knew that at least two patients were coming in and gave him the same details I gave 911 while trying to keep the other witnesses from pulling the two drivers out of the cars (that should only be done by EMS after securing their neck and head in case they have a spinal injury). I am anxious to get to work tomorrow to see how they are doing.

I came home a few hours later and picked up the house and finished getting things ready for Rodney and Sarah to come over to watch the game, as well as a few friends that I knew would be by for Halloween. Then it was time to turn on the porch light, get the candy ready, and have some fun!

We had 70 trick or treaters by 6:30 and the two $10 bags of candy I bought a Walmart last week were GONE! It was a candy emergency!!!! So, I ran to Ingles and restocked!

Spencer got in costume and even I put on my Halloween shirt!

Fairy Princess Addi from down the street came by, but it was so busy when she was here that we didn't have time to take her picture, so I stole this one off her mom's facebook! :-)

Cinderella, I mean McKinley, came by to visit. She even had pretty silver shoes!

Today, we had one last trick or treater, Jackson from across the street came by to show me his super cute lego costume! Awesome idea, Andrea, I LOVE it! (he was out of town last night)

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Spencer has had a few Halloween costumes: a pumpkin, lion, and a UT football player, but sadly I cannot find pictures of that ANYWHERE!!!! I am so sad, but here is this year's pumpkin shirt...

Now, for the future costumes around our house. We are hoping that by next year we will have a cute little snuggly baby to dress up, so I am thinking something like this...

Isn't that too precious!!!

We are expecting a few friends to come by tonight for taco soup, football, and of course, show off their trick or treaters! Come back tomorrow for some pictures of the cuties that came by!

Catching The Fever

Can you believe that one month from YESTERDAY will the be the day I do this...

I am starting to catch my usual case of Christmas Fever. I usually get it so bad I just can't hardly stand it, but this year it is even worse, I can feel it coming on! As you know I had JUST finished decorating our house last year when we had our fire, so this year I am SUPER excited to go all out and decorate even better (which will be hard to beat, because I LOVED LOVED LOVED my tree last year!).

This came in the mail today and it just solidified the fact I THOUGHT I was catching the fever! Ha! This Southern girl LOVES some Paula Deen!

Next decision I am trying to make (because I am an OCD, over planner) is where to order Christmas cards. This is last year's card, which I LOVED. It came from Tiny Prints, but the direction I was wanting to go really wasn't on there. I am thinking a brown and red damask or maybe something fun and whimsical, not sure????

I better go cook spaghetti so I can relax with my Christmas magazines after dinner! Ha!

Results

And the results are in: Day 21 Progesterone is 34.6!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully that is a good sign! I am trying to not get too excited, but that is better than I had once when pregnant!

I'll be back later tonight from home with a post to talk about Christmas and Christmas cards. Look for some yummy recipes to come your way this weekend also!