Turkey for you and turkey for me...

Have a wonderful day!

Thankful for so many things...

yes, still here. Just a little busy. In my heart, I am thankful, just not typing it....Thankful my Christmas decorations are almost done, kinda. I know it is early, but instead of spending Thanksgiving weekend decorating, I like to have everything ready and just have the family tree to decorate. It is up and ready for the ornaments. We will watch Elf and wear the Buddy outfit, and hang ornaments after our Thanksgiving feast. This is supposed to be our "Elf premiere" but we snuck it in last night... we just couldn't wait!

Here are the pics from last year, looking forward to Thursday!

Thankful...

my baby boy is a nerd??? I'll have to share some pictures when I get them. The school talent show was last night, and Tyler had a starring role as a nerd. He was goood. Very funny and even took a pie in the face! I am thankful to have a funny, happy child.

Thankful...

today for my blog friends!

I know you are out there, and I always appreciate the comments and emails. A couple of you have emailed about my blog list...Sorry, I accidentally DELETED it!!! NOT happy : (

When reloading I thought I would give this new list a try. Mary Jo uses it and it is pretty cool. I will add more. The word on the streets is, I have messed up some folks blog hops. Again, sorry and THANKS!

I am Thankful for my friend John...

and it's his Birthday! Happy Birthday John!

John, Jimmy and Bob in Cozumel. Good friends, good times.

(thankful for Bob too : )

I am thankful...

I went to see the Pioneer Woman! It was a fun evening, and I'm happy to have gone.
I am thankful that Barb and Becky let me tag along, and I am thankful to have met up with Ruth, visited with Emily and enjoyed mingling with some other men, women and the security guy too! Fun evening. I LOVE my book and Ree is the BEST!

Happy Birthday Dad!

I was so thankful for so many things this weekend...
~Dad's birthday breakfast celebration. The company was great, the food was good.
~My first attempt at the PW Cinnamon Rolls was almost a success. (yeast issues, but still delicious)
~You can see Kirsten was home, always a treat.
~I am thankful I had to work late Saturday night, which was good because the family went to the show to see Paranormal Activity . NOT my thing.
~I could say I am thankful to have everyone home sleeping in their beds, but in my house...everyone was in mine!
This is what I found in my room upon my return home...
~For this too, I am thankful.


Hope your Birthday is wonderful Dad.
Love you,
xo

I am thankful...

That I have bought my first Christmas gift!

And it's a good one...

Today I am thankful...

that I was able to enjoy a nice walk with the dogs while there were still some colorful fall leaves on the trees. I had a little extra time because the lunch lady thing is starting to run pretty smoothly...MOST of the time, which I am also thankful for.

Speaking of the dogs...how funny is this? These are the puppies Kirsten took with her to school so she wouldn't miss Slinky and Bailey so much..

I am thankful...

that I was able to spend an enlightening evening with my son at a Confirmation Retreat this week. It was a wonderful experience and it lightened my heavy heart immensely.

Thankful...

I'm joining in the Facebook/blog list of sorts.

Each day until Thanksgiving, post something I am grateful for.

so for today~

I am thankful for the men and women who have served, and our serving our country, along with their families who have given so much.

Thank You.

Recipe Class/Pioneer Woman~ November 17

There was some discussion on the November Recipe Class conflicting with "THE" book signing. The Pioneer Woman is stopping in St. Louis to sign her new cookbook. She is awesome! Check out her blog. The cookbook is great, I have read it cover to cover. It is packed full of stories and recipes, NOT a repeat of her blog recipes. There are a ton of recipes that I have not seen yet. Her recipes are very doable, as I have prepared a few myself. She is a Rock Star in Blogland. So, the 2:00 class remains the same. The evening class will begin at 5:30 and end early in order to visit the PW. FKS has a bus trip set up leaving at 6pm. which will probably be a good idea, her signings are packing them in. Parking and getting in at all could be a problem if it is like the other cities she has visited.
The recipe's this month are for Thanksgiving leftovers...cute, eh? They are not quite ready but I wanted to share a peek.
Hope to see you there.
Tuesday Nov 17
2pm or 5:30pm
$18
FKS
314.487.8131

Happy Anniversary

I can't believe it, but it has been 21 years!

They have been happy years, we have been blessed.

Happy Anniversary babe.

xo

Happy Hallo~Weenie!

Halloween was a real TREAT! Around 4ish, Jimmy popped his head in the kitchen door and announced he had a surprise for me...Kirsten! Dad was working outside in the front yard, (sticking Grandma in the ground) when Kirsten's roommate pulled up in the driveway, and out jumped Kirsten. This made a wonderful weekend even more fun. Nothing like having the family together for the Holidays :)

There's Grandma...

Danny & Sandy

Tyler's Haunted Cave.

Playing dress-up...

A huge part of the Halloween fun is making costumes! I thought I would share a mish-mash of costumes in honor of Halloween. Some were from Halloween, others for Mardi Gras, a school report, a school play, and even Christmas. Dressing up is fuuuun! Do you have your costume ready?

One of my favorites...

Yikes! Didn't love this...

Even Slinky gets in on the fun... Doesn't she look thrilled?

17 years old and dressing up as Hannah Montana? I like it!

Peter Pan Pirate

This is a PARTY!

To infinity and beyond...Spencer borrows the Buzz costume that Tyler wore, when he was about FIVE!

It's almost time to bring out Buddy the Elf!!!!

This was an A+ and we really enjoyed this assignment.

Annual Halloween Party. Always fun, lots of laughs and scares...

Happy Halloween!

Fabulous Night at the Fox!

Good friend, good theatre, (is that correct? not sure why i am worried about grammar now...a little late for THAT, huh?) good fun! Nancy showed me a good time at the Fox Sunday night. Phantom of the Opera! I had never seen the show before and wasn't sure what to expect. It is one of ??? or maybe even Nancy's MOST favorite??? Not sure but she knew every move and word! I know Wicked is right up there too...Which is it Nanc? Anyway, it was a wonderful evening. It was the final night and the trucks were parked outside when we arrived, ready to break down as soon as the show was over. When we left the Fox, the parking lot was already full of crates that they had begun packing. It was pretty awesome but it made Nancy REALLY sad. Don't worry Nancy, the Phantom will be back for ya!

Peeking in the back stage door we could see a piece from the Masquerade set. I think that was my favorite part. The costumes were AMAZING! The details were incredible and the fabric...to die for. Just gorgeous.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Nancy, not just for an incredible evening, but for a wonderful memory!

The Darkness...

After spending hours and hours last week watching Haunted House marathon on the Travel Channel, we decided to pack up and check out America's Scariest Haunted House right here in Soulard, downtown St. Louis. Kind of cool, we saw a lot of the characters and props that were on the t.v. show.

Just after I snapped this photo, the one armed ghoul scared the crap out of Kirsten. It was prettty funny.
This was my scariest moment. (one of them) Standing in line, you began to hear the brush rustle and before you had time to figure out what was going on, this guy was running across the hillside heading straight for us. Afterwards, he hit the ground and stayed there, buried in the tall grass for quite some time, waiting for his next victim.
Once we were inside, none of us took a breath for about the first 10 minutes. It was that scary. Tyler visited Creepy World in Fenton, and preferred that haunt to The Darkness.

As for me, I can say...

been there,

done that,

that's all for me folks!

Some Halloween creations to send to the college students...

I grabbed a pack of Basic Gray Halloween Chipboard Stickers and for like $5 or $6 bucks, there were a TON of chipboard pieces. I still have some for next year. Some coordinating paper, and a bunch of fun Halloween goodies collected over time, voila! I hope they enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating...mowahaaaa!!!!

Happy Halloween Creating!

Day of the Dead Shrine...

This all began about FIVE years ago. Remember girls? A group of about 5 or 6 of us gathered Kris' house to create DOTD shrines. It is the same day I met Angelica. Angelica's probably saying, that was you?"- right about now! Yep, my buddy Carol who I haven't seen in months was there, and a few others too. I did NOTHING that day, even though the gathering was my idea. I work better in my little corner of the world, usually when I am alone. Well, I pulled out the little black box this year and played a little bit, and then a little bit more. It was great! I am pleased with it. I sent it to school with Kirsten, the outside of the box still unfinished. Maybe in another 5 or so years I will finish that too.

This is on Debby's blog today...

Classes for November and December!!! Whoohoooo! I'm in!
We are soooooo lucky!
Debby's blog.
For Keeps Sake
314.487.8131

Heere's Debby!

DON'T MISS OUT!

We are So lucky to have Debby coming to town next month to teach some incredible classes. I will finally get a chance to meet her in real life! Barb went all the way to Nashville, (I think) to take some of her classes, and said it was worth every penny and every minute. Here is Barb with a picture of me, so that I could have a picture with Debby...did you follow that? Anyway, all YOU have to do is head over to For Keeps Sake Scrapbook Store, right here in town. (out of towners welcome too!) I found Debby a while back in Blogland and have been nuts about her work, style and personality from the beginning. The FKS gals were fortunate enough to take some classes with her a couple of months ago....fortunate for ALL of us, as they too, fell in love with her.

Get out your calendars & mark them now!

Friday, Saturday & Sunday, November 20, 21 & 22

Debby Schuh is teaching @ For Keeps Sake!
She is bringing us 4 different workshops & you will want to take them all!

Check out the store blog for more details.

For Keeps Sake

See you there!

Happy Birthday baby bro...

He's a liiiiittle bit older now :)

Great photo I grabbed this off facebook. I have never seen this one before. 8th grade, maybe? love the background. hehe.

once a cutie- always a cutie.

Happy Birthday!

i did it...

it's that time of year and we wanted some fresh apple pie.

i called my pie baker and it seemed she was too busy to bake us a pie. (even at her busiest, she DID offer.) i think i might be able to do it with some baking advice.

so we set out sunday afternoon for a little apple picking...picking the apples up from jen's house that is! when calling for advice, jen offered up some farm fresh apples they picked just last weekend.

with a little help from my expert pie baker, her recipe, her tips and tricks, and even the apples, off i went. i have to say, the pie is good. jimmy said, "it's no jenny pie, but it is a really good pie." i'll take it. doesn't it look pretty? i had to do a little piecing because i couldn't get the top crust on without breaking it a little. just don't look to close :)

this is another reason i enjoy fall so much.

Mama's got a brand new bag...

Ain't i LUCKY???
Just kidding Sis, it's yours...
maybe.

Spooky Saturday...

10-12ish Halloween Book with me.

2-4 Awesome technique packed book with Sue.

Fright Fest!
2 classes!
Spend the day with Sue and I and enjoy a spooky fun-filled day of Halloween classes.
10 & /or 2!
FKS 314.487.8131

Call today, the kit making has begun!

miley cancelled :(

my girl was home and had three requests...
toy story 3D.
steak n' shake.
taco bell.

she came home for the BIG concert event.
unfortunately hannah montana had strep and the concert was re-scheduled...to mid-term time. she will miss that one. she saw miley last year so i think she will survive and it will be nice to have her $180 back!!! yep, you heard me right TWO tickets. yikes!

toy story was great in 3D. the memories came flooding back...and so did the tears. this was the movie that played non-stop in our home for years, and still pops out on family movie night from time to time. tyler has been buzz and woody for halloween and we have tons of toy story gear floating around the house, still! the movie started with the preview to the long awaited toy story 3, short and simple, andy goes to college...

October MTR

two page seasonal layout to display your favorite october photos.

2 spots remain.
tuesday oct 6
6pm
$18
FKS ~ 314.487.8131

wendy has left the building...

but her inspiration carries on...

just a little something to put in the mail for someone special.
someone that is coming home this weekend!

weekend highlights...

a great time was had by ALL! stamps, classes, demos, shopping...paradise!

wendy rocked...no surprise there.
timi and nancy did a wonderful job putting together an awesome, action packed weekend. thanks girls!





ted and michelle, the creative wonders behind stampers anonymous. loads of fun and talent.



an extra treat of a beautiful rainbow, the most gorgeous i have ever seen. it was a double rainbow and we saw it touch the ground just ahead of us. looked like you could reach out and touch it. the end of the rainbow...

truck o' stamps...CALLING ALL SCRAPPER & STAMPERS!!!!

TODAY! Saturday September 26th!
ted and michelle arrived with the truck last night all the way from cleveland full of Stampers Anonymous STAMPS!!! card making templates to die for too! the store is full to the brim with tim holtz (new CRACkLE and CRACKLE STICKLES!) products. maya road! wendy lovin' stuff...and wendy will be arriving at 12:30 to sign her BOOK! don't miss out! you WILL be sorry!
did i mention there is a TON of wendy's beautiful artwork to inspire???
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!! hehe
See you there!

you're gonna need a cocktail after spending this blockbuster day at FKS! it's the BEST!

lunch lady...

yep. i have a dream job working in the BEST scrapbook store in town, teaching and sharing! and now, i have another dream job. seriously, i have talked about being a lunch lady for years. the hours are great, the vacation time...AWESOME, and being able to get a sneak peek into my son's school day...the best! at the start of the school year, i had the opportunity to work a couple of days a week in the cafeteria. i thought i would give it a try. i have been busy learning the ropes of being a lunch lady. this has kept me a little busy.


today was the best day yet- after what?...4 weeks? anyway, the money balanced, the tray count balanced, the kids were so sweet and funny today AND, a 6th grade teacher made it a point to stop and tell me that she overheard her students saying that the new lunch lady was REALLY nice! when i went to school this morning to start my day, the girls had been busy for hours making bread dough to roll the pigs in a blanket, FROM SCRATCH! yes, i was shocked and as if that wasn't enough, after counting the lunch money this morning, i headed back to the kitchen where the girls were preparing lunch. the smell of cinnamon filled the hallway. much to my surprise, the main lunch lady, helen, had baked a whooping pan of cinnamon rolls! this too, FROM SCRATCH! looked like something you would see on the food channel! well, her leftover dough was used to make some goodies for the teachers lounge. this is also a lunch she prepares for the kiddos from time to time. lucky kids! lucky me! yum...

now the last dream job of mine...open a hotdog stand.
someday...

one last note, i thought i would leave you with an adam sandler SNL skit. you know he is my favorite. in my house, we always sing the sloppy joe song WHENEVER we eat sloppy joes. so now this song has even greater meaning.
enjoy!