Happy Thanksgiving

When saying my thanks today, I consider each and everyone of my readers and all those who leave comments as one of my blessings. 

Thank you for being faithful to come back and visit on a regular basis and for taking the time to leave comments. I appreciate each and everyone of you. I know I have a habit of rambling, but you are always faithful in letting me do that. So again, thank you.

Hope you and yours have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Meandering Monday

It's Monday and time to focus on the new week, but my mind is meandering again so here our some of the thoughts running through my head today.

.....Don't think I'm rushing the season because I have changed my blog to Christmas. Here's the thing. I have a full day today and this evening. I have a lot of things to do on Tuesday and Wednesday as well. Add to that the fact that Thanksgiving is Thursday and then some serious Black Friday shopping to do on Friday and Saturday. I am writing some of my blogs in advance and want to have my site changed by Friday but don't know when else I am going to have time to do it. So I'm going Christmas in Blogville starting today.



.....I figured since we have Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's on the horizon I would opt for a Happy Holidays layout for now. I have found about 3 or 4 templates I love for Christmas. So don't be surprised if I change it once a week.


.....I got another cute gift from my Secret Sister on Sunday. Check out the cute basket. Inside was full of juicy red apples.

I hung the little pillow on the side of the rack in the kitchen.

I put the little basket on top of the cabinets with my other baskets. 

I put the apples in the red Pyrex bowl my niece Amy sent me. Don't they look delicious? This bowl is quick becoming one of my favorite pieces of Pyrex. In retrospect, I was thinking that Wednesday is pie and praise at the church. Do you think the apples with the little pillow that says "Sweet as apple pie" was a hint that I should bring an apple pie for my dish that night?

I used my Corelle platter to make some peanut butter candy this weekend. It's candy, not fudge because it is more of a solid dessert then creamy like fudge, but once you bite into it, it melts in your mouth. Mom has made it for years and years and it has always been my favorite. Just 2 cups of sugar, 2/3 cup of milk. Stir and put in a medium pan over medium heat. Cook to the soft ball stage, stirring regularly to avoid scorching. At the soft ball stage, remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter. Beat until it start to set up a little on the side and pour in a greased platter. Let cool. This doesn't need refrigerated. 

Then I made a pan of brownies. No recipe on this since they were just a box of Duncan Hines brownie mix. But they were still delicious.

Guess I just wanted to get a head start on this being a week of favorite foods.

It is already 8:00 a.m. and I haven't stopped for breakfast. I think I hear the brownies and some cold milk calling my name. 

A special birthday wish

Today is my daughter-in-law's birthday. She has been such a blessing to the family. I could not have asked for a better wife for my son nor for a better mother for my grandchildren.

She is so easy to talk to and is always there for me if I need her. She brings an order of calm whenever things get chaotic. She has a great sense of humor which makes her fit in well with the rest of us. And she is a very loyal, loving, devoted wife and mother.

Happy birthday, Jamie. I hope you have an awesome day.

Been Black Friday Scouting

With Black Friday less than a week away, I have been spending some time looking over the online ads. I will still look at them in depth on Thursday when the paper comes out. But I wanted to get a sneak peek. Here are some things that caught my fancy.

These are adorable. You know I love recipe boxes and these are so vintage looking. I may have to pick up some for myself as well as for a few gifts. At $3.00, they are a bargain. Call me crazy but this is the number one item on my wish list.

Another thing I want to pick up on Black Friday is a wreath and some poinsettias that Walmart has on sale. 

The sewing machine I recently was going to buy didn't work good so I didn't get it. This is a good deal but last year they had this deal and they were gone in just a few minutes. 

I am always a sucker for warm plaid jammies. And scottie dogs are always a favorite of mine. I must drop a few hints to hubby about these. 

This is a pretty good deal on this camera. We need a new one. Our went kazonk.




Well, there are some ideas for me to think about and to tell hubby about. Of course, there are times when I want something bad enough and there it sits on the shelf with an awesome deal, I just snatch it up. And when I get home, I leave it in a bag and hand it to hubby and say "Here put this with your other shopping. You are giving it to me for Christmas." Cracks him up every time.

My new Bible Carrier

I recently told you about Thirty-One's new Timeless Beauty Bag and showed you a picture of mine. But I haven't been on any trips nor am I planning any right now and I really love the bag and can't wait to use it. 

Someone on Facebook said she uses hers for a bible carrier. I loved that idea and decided to try it out this past Sunday. In one pocket, I put my calendars and a notebook since I design the church website and attend most of the church events. I am also in process of helping plan the 2nd Annual Kodak Christmas Parade and helping plan the pre-K Sunday School class program It's a "Grand" Christmas for the grandparents. So I guess you can see why I need a notebook and calendars for church. 

And I always carry gum and mints for church. It's just a thing my mom always did and something I have always done. 

I put a few of my favorite pens in the make up brush slot....just in case somebody needs to borrow one or one runs out. 

My bible fit perfectly in the other zipper pocket. I have an older bible that is a little bigger than this one and it fit as well, but it is getting a little rough from wear so I usually only use it at home. 

This is what the inside looked like when I was done. 

So I folder one side in. 

Then the next side and pulled the elastic snap over to snap it closed. 

Wah-lah. I now have a new bible carrier. I loved it. It worked out great Sunday. This is a great gift idea. 

And the really great part is that on Sunday morning when I have crafts to take to class, I can just drop the Bible bag in my Organizing Utility Tote and head off to class with everything in one place.  

The Voice

I love music of any genre. I am constantly surfing stations on my radio and love to have CMT playing while I clean house. 

I am addicted to The Voice. I can't miss it. If I do, I watch it the next night with On Demand. This year, my three favorites have made it to the Playoffs. I really like Trevon Hunt and Nicholas David.

But Terry McDermott got my vote the minute he hit the stage and opened his mouth for the first note. I really liked his voice.



Then he really grabbed my attention when he did Carry on My Wayward Son for the Knockout Rounds. He aced it and became my favorite at that moment. 

But Monday night, he absolutely stole my heart with More than a Feeling. I mean he is seriously awesome. Unless something major changes, I am keeping him as my number 1 pick. Love his voice. 

Some things I want to share....

I have a few things I want to share with you from the past couple of weeks that I hadn't shared yet. 

First, my niece Amy sent me this beautiful piece of Pyrex. I am collecting the primary colors bowls. She found the red one in an antique shop near her home and snatched it up to send me. I love it. 

Now I have three of the four pieces. Just keeping my eyes open for the green one and I'll have the complete set. I love when there is some wear and tear. It shows how much the piece was used. I like to think about all the things that were mixed or served in these old bowls. 

I recently posted that I would love to find the Corelle Indian Summer plate. On a recent trip to Heartland Antiques, they not only had the plates but they had the cups as well. So I now have one set for myself. Hubby still wants to stick with his favorite plate. However, they had over 20 of the plates and over 20 of the cups. Even had some of the saucers. I may go back and pick up a few more so I can have them for the grandkids to eat on when they visit. 

I'm reading a book that I had bought not too long ago. I wanted to put it up and read it during the Christmas holidays. But the longer I waited the more I wanted to read it so I started reading it yesterday. It is the 20th book from The Virgin River series. I have read every single one of them. I feel like I personally know everyone in town and would love to vacation there. 

This past Saturday when I was running around with my sister, she stopped in Rack Room shoes. Check out these boots. I fell in love with them. I may have to add these to my wish list. They are just too cute for words. 

I have been looking at my Pyrex collection. When I started it, I just collected anything I found that was a reasonable price. Since then, I realized how much I love to actually use what I bought. Since I am limited on how much room I have to store things, I have decided to part with a couple of pieces. That way I can make room for more of the bowls that I like. I thought I would like the divided vegetable serving dishes, but I don't. So I'm going to part with the Square Flowers Verde dish.

And the Early American dish with the lid. Now I just have to figure out the best way to sale them and a reasonable price for them. 

I had a comment yesterday asking if my new tea books had any scone recipes. They happened to have two different ones so I thought I would share them. 

Have a happy over the hump day.