Life. Family. Love.

11.05.2012

Thirty Days of Thanks - Day Five

Today I'm thankful for my dad. He's worked hard for as long as I can remember to ensure he could give us everything he possibly could, making sacrifices most would be unwilling to make in order to provide for us. He always has a joke to tell, and his impersonations are gut-achingly hilarious. Thanks Dad, for the life you've provided for us and for always keeping us laughing.

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11.04.2012

Thirty Days of Thanks - Day Four

My momma is the one person I know I can go to any time I need advice, understanding or just a good laugh. I remember when I was little climbing into her lap, stroking her face and breathing in her scent - she always smelled so good to me and her hugs brought me so much comfort. Or watching countless hours of I Love Lucy reruns and laughing until we cried (Esagebah!!) I strive every day to be more like her, and if I'm even half the mother she is to me I will consider it a victory.

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11.03.2012

Thirty Days of Thanks - Day Three

Today I am thankful for my lovely, spoiled fur-babies, Dixie and Layla. Dixie is fifteen years old; noble, calm, quiet. Layla is two years old; crazy, goofy, and boisterous.

Dixie always knows when you need her most and has a very comforting soul. She has these big doe eyes that are so kind and understanding. She sleeps on the blanket I made her next to our bed every night, and loves to give kisses and cuddle up - she thinks she's a lap dog!

Layla is goofy, playful and full of puppy energy. She sleeps snuggled up to Mackenzie every night, and her cooky ways always keep us laughing. She adores her Princess Ariel cell phone toy (which Kenzie lovingly gave her after she became attached to it) , and carries it around for hours. She even pushes the buttons with her nose!

As far apart in age as they are, and also as different, they sure do love each other, and we are so grateful for them!

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Pasta Alfredo w/Peas & Crab

Fettuccine noodles, creamy Alfredo sauce, crisp green peas and sweet lump crab meat will quickly make this dish a family favorite.

What you'll need:
1 (12 oz.) package Fettuccine Noodles
1 jar of your favorite Alfredo Sauce
1/2 bag frozen sweet peas
1 1/4 cups fresh cooked or imitation pre-cooked lump crab meat (Such as Louis Kemp)
Sprinkle of fresh Parmesan Cheese

Preparation:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a medium saucepan, add Alfredo sauce, peas, and crab meat. Warm through over medium heat. Toss with cooked pasta, plenty of black pepper, and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

Halloween

I know I'm kinda late in the game {hubby had surgery on Thursday and we've been a tad busy} but I'm finally getting around to sharing some of our pictures from Halloween. Kenzie decided she wanted to be a "pretty witch" this year. I pondered how we would pull this off for a bit, then while shopping at Wal-Mart one afternoon I came upon a pair of purple and black striped tights and immediately had a vision for her costume.

This is the third year I've put her costume together myself, and I have to say this one is by far my favorite. Last year she was a purple unicorn, and I still have nightmares of my attempts at hand-sewing a massive mane and tail onto the back of a hand-dyed purple hoodie sweatshirt. Can you say stressful? It was so bad, Dusty bought me my first sewing machine for Christmas that year in hopes he would never have to deal with me in that kind of situation again. ;) Things went much smoother this year.

When she came back from trick-or-treating she said she must've gotten "a hundred million" compliments on it, and she was proud that when asked where she got it she could smile and say, "My mama made it!". Hearing that sure did make my heart smile. Those are the kinds of memories I'll remember most, and it makes the time and effort put into a handmade costume 100% worth it.

The witch hat was purchased at Target ($2.50), the tights from Wal-Mart ($3.99), the tulle (8 yards for $16) as well as the elastic waist band (about $2.49/yard) came from Hancock Fabrics. I purchased her black long sleeve shirt ($6.99) and the transfer paper (about $2.00/sheet - I used 1) from Ben Franklin. I'm sure I probably could have found most of this all in one spot, but I just picked it up little by little as I came across it or was out and about. Maybe I'll set up a tutu tutorial (say that five times fast!). I love the way it turned out and I'm so glad she loved it, too. :)

Hope your Halloween was Happy!

11.02.2012

Thirty Days of Thanks - Day Two

Today I am thankful for my beautiful, intelligent, and witty daughter. I love how Mackenzie is her own person - she's passionate and strong willed. She knows what she likes and she stands up for what she believes in. She continues to impress me each and every day with her caring nature, creative mind, abounding energy and artistic talent {something she definitely didn't get from me}. I am so honored to be her mama and to have the privilege of watching her grow into such a fantastic young lady. I love you, Kenziebear!

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11.01.2012

Thirty Days of Thanks - Day One

This month, I've decided to do a series of Thirty Days of Thanks. Each day, I'll be sharing with you something I'm thankful for - not just in the month of November, but always.

It still amazes me that I am one of the lucky ones. I think back now and it's actually kind of sad - I had stopped believing in the possibility that real love existed. I had convinced myself that when it came to romantic relationships, true, long lasting love was an illusion. I had stopped believing it was even possible to find someone who not only said they loved you, but proved it on a consistent basis by treating you with dignity and respect.

Dusty came into my life when I least expected it, and within two hours of knowing him, I knew that no matter what became of the the two of us, I was changed forever. I will be forever grateful that God brought us together. It was as if we belonged together all along - he was an immediate best friend and support system, he makes me laugh, but always knows when to be a serious and provide support. Through him I've found a comfort that I never knew. With him, I have a life that I once only dreamed of, yet had stopped believing in. So today {and every day} I'm thankful for my amazing husband.

What are you thankful for today?

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10.29.2012

Mission: Organization - Week 2

Hello my lovelies -it's almost November! Can you believe it? I've been workin' hard on some menu plans for y'all, and I've managed to compile three menus, each with a month's worth of recipes. It took awhile but my weekly shopping has already become so much easier having the menu plans out of the way. I used to sit, research, and contemplate what to eat for the week for hours before shopping, and each week was a struggle. I would get frustrated, give up and just buy the same 'ol things - so we ended up eating the same meals week after week. I plan on whipping up a few more menus, and I'll continue to post recipes as well.

You can find last week's printable menu here.

Now, onto......

Now that you've created a menu, the hardest part is out of the way and you can write out your grocery list. Wonder why I'm dedicating an entire week towards writing out a simple little grocery list? It's not always so easy - I often forget what I do or don't have in my pantry already, or heaven forbid I go to the store without a list and completely blow my budget buying a bunch of junk we don't need and won't eat.

Mission: Create a Weekly Grocery List

Action Steps

Compile all of the recipes needed for this week's menu.
Double check your pantry for any items you may already have.
Create your weekly grocery list. I have certain order I always shop in - so I always write my list in order by section so I don't miss anything and have to walk all the way back to the other end of the store - and that's just plain ol' annoying if you ask me.
SHOP! Stick to your list and never shop hungry. Diverting from your list is the #1 thing that will blow your budget.

To participate in this week's mission:

1) Complete the mission (and blog about your experience, if you'd like - I'd love to hear how it works for you). I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!
2) Grab a Button (below) post into your blog post by copying the code below it, or simply inlude a link back to my blog in your post..
3) Link up your mission so others an see your progress and participate, too!

***New to Mission: Organization? You can find all of the weekly missions here. Start anywhere and share your progress - the linky parties will remain open!***