More on being Thankful

I forgot to tell you about this tradition we do every year.

The matriarch (Grandma) passes out three little pieces of un-popped popcorn to each person.  Then a jar is passed around, each peep drops their popcorn in as they say what they're thankful for.

My kids answers this year:

Gary--Family, Emmy & Lilly, a house and basketball

Emmy--My family, my school, and my friends

Lilly--My family, my food and Disneyland.

Personally, I think Lilly's rocks the socks! Not only does she love the happiest place on earth, she is so going to the beat of her own drum.  My three year old is the most independent thinker in the fam.  Good or no so good? you decide ;)

Theeeeen, on Sunday for the Birthday girl...

Lilly had told Emmy she'd get her a present, a specific one in fact...luckily, I found out and picked up a littlest pet shop set (that stuff is not cheap!).  

Gary helped Lilly wrap it (they have some mad wrapping skillz)...Lilly ran out yelling, "Emmy I got you a..."

luckily Gary can run fast too and caught her before she could tell...granted, Lilly proceeded to whisper the upcoming present continually.  It was quite entertaining!

So thankful for the little things.

Today is Gary's first basketball game--hooray! Go Falcons!

Weekend of Celebrating!

Here at this swim house we had a bizzzzzeee weekend!  I hope your Thanksgiving was really great.

On Wednesday, my lovely ladies had their feast, complete with turkey tunes sung by the 3-6 set.  You could just die at the cuteness.

On Thursday we did the unthinkable!  We didn't cook! We didn't eat Turkey!  Nope my folks ordered a prime rib dinner from Safeway.  It was ex.cell.ent!  I did make these. And like she says--they are awesomesauce! (I'm eating the last one right now!)

Then yesterday is the big day of celebrating around these parts...we cooked a turkey finally, but way mucho more important is Emmy, my Birdie, turned one whole hand!  Yep, somehow she is now five! 5! Yikes!  

She wanted to decorate her own cake and of course LB helped (I cannot guarantee the prior whereabouts of those sprinkles).

We had a small family party at home--like we were going to go anywhere when we had royalty around hehehe

 I seriously am amazed she is five!

 I tried to tell her she has to be 4 for two years and she laughed that one off.  So then I cam at another angle..."You know Emmy, when you're 5 you have to get a job" Again with the laughter!  Her reply "Mommy, I have a job, I go to school!" Man oh man, is she a smarty farty.  Adore that kid!

 Adore all these little peeps that call me mom. 

 They really are the greatest!

Oh and since I know you're wondering--I survived triumphed on Black Friday and got the kiddos a giant trampoline-with an enclosure!  Let's hope my neuroses don't get the best of me and I let the kids enjoy knocking themselves around and hopefully wear themselves out... 

Hope your weekend was as blessed as mine was!

Makin' Stuff: Turkey Cupcakes!

I went to Zumba today. Oh how I love Zumba! The teacher at the Y is awesomesauce! She rawks!  I felt so energized (and wooo-ooorked out) after class. 

I had promised to take the ladies to the store for cookies. Add those two factors together and waddaya get?

Turkey cupcakes--Duh!

Not that it had anything to do with the ladies having a feast at their school tomorrow and my unnecessary, neurotic pressure on myself to make something groovy to take...

can you guess which egg bean destroyed with her bare hands cracked?

the girls love to 'help' in the kitchen, but

they hate to wait (side note: do you remember that ad campaign from the 80s?  My grandpa was hilarious and would always draw on those ads and send them to me)

we hhaaaaadd to sample after the bath

I had found this idea on the ever awesome pinterest, there they were made with candy eyes, but I just used gel food coloring that I already had, easy peasy!

I couldn't find candy corn in the store anymore (also from the pinspiration) so I used reese's pieces.  They were cute, but didn't stick in the oreos very well...

 Also, I think it works better on larger cupcakes, some of the smaller ones fell apart--boo

I think they came out darn cute!  Although, someone did ask me if they were chickens?!  Yikes!

 I guess they are both birds? 

Happy almost Turkey Day!!! May you be blessed and surrounded by those special to you!

Manic Monday

Today isn't really awful. just sorta blarghy

I am making this for dinner--right now it doesn't look to be going very well...

I am hoping to fit in a workout at the Y, even though there are three loads of laundry full on yelling at me to be folded.

Do you ever feel like your life is getting in the way of your dreams?  I'm so tired and busy, that I can't really get anything I want to get done done.

Perhaps that 7 habits book should be on my Xmas list?  Speaking of Xmas, I must have 700 or maybe just 7 windows open with Black Friday ads open.  Trying to compare prices with Amazon is making me tired.  Do you shop on Black Friday?  I used to be all about it, but last year I was in a 'working-toward-single' funk and this year is a post 'big D' funk maybe?  who knows...

We had our church thanksgiving yesterday--lots of peeps, not enough stuffing or pie!  I like to think of the turkey as merely a vehicle for the side dishes. My fav?  sweet potato anything.

Now can I blame these blahs on the tryptophan in the turkey?

 I just love her joy focused or not--it's SO her :)