Another Great Christmas Giveaway!

Here is another great Christmas Giveaway from MamaSpeaks! Take at look at the Holiday Gift Guide 2007--there are lots of neat items for the Fresh and Green, the Rockin' Tots, the Girly Girls, Daddy Dearest, Knocked Up, Toy Joy, Baby Makes Three, Deck the Halls, and last but not least Making a List Checking It Twice. So many neat goodies!

Hope you enjoy!

Memory Moments on Monday

BABY--The Dog

About a year after Frank and I got married, we bought a house. Little did we know that along with the house came a stray dog...and her puppies.

A stray dog started hanging around our house and she looked like just a pup herself and she was scared to death--of EVERYTHING. She looked like she hadn't eaten in forever and I couldn't even tell that she was pregnant. I felt so sorry for her that I started feeding her. I would put food on our doorstep and go inside and watch her sheepishly come to the door and gobble the food so quickly that she turned the bowl over and scatter food everywhere! After a week or two, she finally began to realize that we were not going to hurt her. So then we started coaxing her into the house (what were we thinking??) She came inside and loved it, although she was still scared. I enjoyed her company at night because Frank was working 3rd shift at the time. One day when I came home from work, she didn't come to the door and I got a little worried about her. She stayed gone for a couple of days (oh and by this time we knew she was pregnant), but finally came back to eat and then left again. A week or so went by of this routine. Then one day she came out from the woods and with her came a little puppy, and another and another, 7 puppies in all. As sickly as she had looked, I really didn't think any of the puppies could have possibly survived, but they were very healthy! We ended up giving them all away to homes that lots of land for them to play on, since they looked as if they would be pretty big dogs and need the room. Well, Baby turned out to be one of the best dogs anyone could ever ask for. She lived 14 years. She died around this time of year 3 years ago. Every one should be so lucky to have a dog like her as a friend and companion.

Thanksgiving Dinner--A little early!

Well, last year we tried something new...we went to Cracker Barrel for Thanksgiving Dinner. Normally we have always gotten together with my family and Frank's family (yes, all of us together--we actually all get along well enough to have dinner together!) and had the traditional Thanksgiving meal with each of us contributing something. But for some reason we changed the tradition last year. Well, we went about 4:00 in the afternoon and just as they seated us, they informed us that they had run out of turkey and dressing. What???!!!! Ran out???? On Thanksgiving??? So they offered free pumpkin pie to make up for it. Well, I wasn't to thrilled about it, but stayed anyway. My parents wanted their turkey and dressing and so did Conner, so they left and went to another restaurant. So Thanksgiving didn't turn out like we really like it. Somehow the decision got made to go to Cracker Barrel again this year, but we are going around 11:00 instead. I figure that they should have turkey and dressing still available at that time. However, my sweet, quiet husband, didn't speak up until the other day to let me know that he didn't really like this decision that we had made. He wanted to have Thanksgiving dinner at home they way we have always done it. Of course it is really a little late in the game to change our plans now, so I decided to "The Meal" myself. This is a first for me. I usually bring 3-4 items, but my mother always does the turkey and dressing. So I attempted it! I bought a turkey breast (instead of the whole turkey) and my mother came over yesterday and taught me how to do the turkey and how to make the dressing. I made mac-n-cheese, green beans, broccoli cheese casserole, pink cherry salad, and rolls to top it off. For dessert I made a pumpkin pie (a diabetic one at that!!) and chocolate chip cookies for the kids. Normally we do have a lot more when it is all of bringing items, but these were the foods that Frank requested. I must say he was so sweet about it and thanked me several times for making the meal just for him.

I will come back and add the recipes for several of the items tomorrow (probably).

Share Something Sweet

As I have mentioned before, one of the blogs I enjoy visiting is http://www.adventuresinbabywearing.com/. On her site, Stephanie shared that the Ferrero company (you know the one that makes that wonderfully, delicious and beautiful chocolates!) has partnered with Share Our Strength (SOS), one of the nation's leading organizations working to end childhood hunger in America, has created a Web site called Share Something Sweet.With this site, you can send virtual electronic snow globes to friends and family that can be customized by uploading photographs as well as personal messages. As part of its work on SOS, Ferrero will be donating $20,000 to the charity. You can share, too, by sending a personalized e-card snow globe and spreading the word.

It's fun and it's sweet! : )

Oh and by the way, here is a link to a FREE sample of their newest chocolate! Hurry--it's a limited time offer! http://www.ivillage.com/0,,c6rr989t,00.html

Wordless Wednesday

Memory Moments on Monday

I wonder as I wander

Out under the sky

How Jesus the Savior

Did come for die

For poor ornry people like you and like I

I wonder as I wander

Out under the sky

Ok, so I am dying to get my Christmas tree and decorations out, but I have always held to thought that you must wait until after Thanksgiving to put them up!! The "holiday" season starts at the beginning of November to me and I like to make sure that I include them all. Please don't get all upset when I say "holiday" season...I say that phrase because I truly include Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all in it, although Christmas is definitely the most special. But I don't like to see Thanksgiving getting passed up by the retail end of Christmas. I want to enjoy ALL of it! So that has always been my reason to not put my tree up until at least the weekend after Thanksgiving, but I am not so sure that I will make it this year! I guess add in the fact that I fear that the further along I get in my pregnancy the less I will feel like putting an decorations up, also makes me want to go ahead and do it now. Other than my own made up tradition of when to do it, the only other thing stopping me is that all of our decorations are in storage at Frank's office, so I have to have his help!

So back to the picture....I always liked this picture of Mari Cate and Conner. I think it makes them look sweet and innocent (notice I said "look"--haha!!). Seriously the picture is from Christmas 2005 and I hope you enjoy taking a "memory moment" with me on this Monday.

Check out the great giveaways at 5minutesformom.com ! This is a great blog to check out!