Holey Moley – 11 years already!!!

Today is my eldest son’s “official” birthday!  Where has the time gone?  Seems like yesterday, his Dad and I brought him home and had no idea even how to change a newborn’s diaper.  Boy, I questioned God’s wisdom on letting us become parents – talk about not being prepared. 
We had to stop at Walgreens on the way home to buy newborn diapers.  I was terrified to be left in the car with this little bundle why my husband quickly went in the store to make the purchase.  I thought, what if he cries, what if I can’t feed him correctly, what if he doesn’t like me, what if I don’t like him, what if I accidently drop him and his little head falls off (I had NEVER been with a newborn before)  - God, are you REALLY sure you meant for me to have this little bundle of joy?

Well, 11 years later and his head has never rolled off.  Although, there has been some days that we have mutually not liked each other.  However, there has been so much love!  I never realized, how much a little one could take up so much of one’s heart. 

He is growing into such a fine Godly young man!  I love his determination, his wisdom, his desire to have others know and love God.  Oh, he is by far my hardest to raise because of his determination, his wisdom, his desire to have others know and love God but God is making him a WORLD CHANGER!

God could have picked anyone to be his parents,
but He chose us and for that I will always be grateful!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy! 

Blessings to you!  You are LOVED!!!

Friend Making Monday - Its Almost December

1. Favorite website - (mine) - Okay, the Sunday School answer would not be that...uh, the other answer is... changes daily...today is Google Search!

2. Favorite color - Cobalt Blue

3. Facebook? Yes, I do...but mine is personal.

4. Favorite Christmas song?  White Christmas - hey we live in Texas and have only had one White Day the entire time we have lived here!


5. Christmas tree: 5 Fake ones...yes, we have 5.  (A kid's one, Mommy's don't touch or you get your hand cut off one, 2 little purple and silver ones, and a girly French one.)

6. Hottest celebrity?  I'm so out of answers on this one...I barely know my kids' names.

7. Favorite restaurant?  I love anytime I don't have to cook or clean!  But, lately it has been a local sushi place!  (Until I can figure out how to make it myself.  Got a good recipe - send me the link puuullleeeeesssse!)

8. Favorite magazine?  I love This Old Schoolhouse, Quick Cooking and decorating mags.

9. Favorite thing to drink around the holidays?  My Grandma's Wassail and Egg Nog

10. Favorite Christmas movie - White Christmas.  I watched it in labor, 11 years ago-today.

That is it for Making Friends Monday!


©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

Glory Glory - It is COOKING day!

I'm a cooking today so I can play tomorrow...(That should really be a song.)

My Thanksgiving Menu
(in case you need a little inspiration. I hope I'm not forgetting anything.)

Appetizers:

Deviled Eggs and Stuffed Celery

Main course:

Fried Turkey
(courteous of my favorite sister in all the world - she sent me this picture via her phone)

The Best Sweet Potato Casserole Ever

Chicken Dressing
(recipe is my Dad's...shut my mouth!
It is not your the typical dried up and yucky kind. It is moist and almost like a bread pudding.  I hope mine is as good as my Dad's.)

Brown Gravy

Green Bean Casserole

Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole (maybe...I forgot to buy the broccoli.)

Cranberry Sauce
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
(This is from my hubby's Granny - oh delish!!!)

My mom is bringing the following...

Bread and Desserts

I'm hoping I'm not forgetting anything!  

I hope you have a precious Thanksgiving!  I'm so thankful for all of my readers!  It is an honor that you would even visit this blog.  Now, I must go back to the kitchen.  My dirty dishes must get clean!!!

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

A new way to use Thanksgiving leftovers – EASY RECIPE…

I actually got this from the Rachael Ray show a couple of years ago.  My family LOVED this more than the traditional meal.  It got a 14 thumbs up…which is a rarity in this house.

Thanksgiving Stromboli 
(Recipe from the Rachael Ray site…tweaked just a bit.)

(Okay, I tweaked it to my liking.  I’m sure Rachael Ray doesn’t mind, if she does she can come to my house and prepare hers for me. Rachael – if you are listening…give me a 2 hour notice so I can do a FLY LADY clean-up job.)
Ingredients:

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough (This is the most expensive part because you should have everything else from leftovers.)

2 tablespoons cornmeal

1 cup leftover cranberry sauce

3 cups leftover turkey, shredded

2 cups leftover stuffing

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Break open the tube of dough and remove it from container. Dust your hands and lightly cover your work surface with flour or cornmeal. Roll or stretch the dough out slightly then cut it lengthwise and across to make four sections.

Spread a spoonful of cranberry sauce across one section on a diagonal.

Layer the turkey and stuffing down the middle of the dough going from one corner to the opposite corner in a diagonal line. Cover the turkey and stuffing with the cheddar. (Be careful not to overstuff the stromboli or they won't wrap up!)

Tuck the two corner edges over the filling -- you should have turkey mixture running down the middle with some filling exposed at each end.

Brush with EVOO then sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and pat them into the dough. I used a pamper chef cooking stone and bake for 20-25 minutes, until evenly golden.

She used gravy to dip hers in but you don’t need to…tastes great without it.

YUMMY!!!

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

Friend Making Monday - Thanksgiving Edition...

1. Turkey or Ham?  YUMMY - FRIED TURKEY from my precious brother in law, Nay and sweet sister Poo.

2. Favorite side dish.  EASY Sweet Potato Casserole

3. Favorite dessert.  EASY and Simple Cran-Apple Cobbler

4. Black Friday: Are you going or not?  Yes, but with an awesome plan.


5. If so, what's on the top of your list?  Already, bought it.  But, shoes would be nice.


6. Going out of town or staying close to home?  In my casa.


7. Hosting or helping?  Hosting baby!

8. Name one family tradition at Thanksgiving.  Going round the table and saying what you are most thankful for.  LOVE THIS!!!


9. What do you do after dinner?  Watch football and play games!!!  42 is the game this year! 


10. What are you most thankful for this year?  That the Lord has blessed us with more than we deserve. 

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

Guess what I found....Black FRIDAY SALES

Guess what I found??? 

Websites that have all the BLACK FRIDAY sales up! 

• Black Friday.net
• B-fads 
• Black Friday info
• The Black Friday
  

Is your adventure- spirit- blood bubbling?

I'm making a zoom in and zoom out plan!  This is going to be a 3 person job.  One driver, one who stands in line, and one product finder (me).    My step-father and husband are the other two people.  (For some reason, my mom has graciously stepped up to babysit at 3:00 in the morning.)

However, when my hubby found out my plan - he found a better deal already at the same place...go figure! 

SEARS - if you are listening - you are ruining my adventure!  Why, would you put something on sale (that is a good price - mind you), if you already have a better normal deal on your site, WHY???

Craftsman 10 inch Miter Saw - Regular price $123.49  Black Friday Sale:  $69.99

(Savings:  $53.50)

Right now you can buy: 

Regular Price:  $159.99  On sale now:  Craftsman 10 inch Miter Saw with stand for $99.99

(Savings:  $60.00)

Okay, the price is a little higher but you are getting a better package that includes a stand AND you don't have to fight the crowds at the mall.
 

So, Sears is no longer on my adventure plan!

He bought his Christmas present last night.  (A week before Thanksgiving with no adventure spirit!)    Yes, I'm happy he got what he wanted at a fantastic price however it is missing something without the thrill of fighting an angry mob. 

Okay, maybe when I put it like that - I'm beginning to see reason...NOPE! 

I'm singing...Going shopping is on my mind...to the tune of Willie Nelson's song "Always on my mind".

Blessings to you!!!   You are loved!!!



©www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com

Joy in my heart....IT's MY SITs' DAY, again...

(Yes, I'm having another SITs' Day due to an error.  If you made it to the last SIT's DAY take a look at my latest post THE OFFICE - TOTAL MAKEOVER!)

For my regular readers, this day is a treat!  It is my SITs’ DAY!

For visitors – WELCOME to the blog of chaos – just like our house!  Chaos in a good way – where there is love, laundry and Lego’s  EVERYWHERE!

This is me  - my name is:
Lana like BANANA.

(The paragraph below is about my blog…if you are in a hurry just keep scrolling down and find out what your objective is – yes, I have an objective for the comments. 
Please do NOT write – Happy Sit’s Day!) 
{If you write that – everyone will know that you have not read this post.}

At my refuge aka blog – I like to write about:   

• our crazy remodeling that we are doing to our house, including our kitchen re-do.
• Easy Easy Easy Recipes (did I mention EASY?)
• Ways to spend my money wisely (in fact I have 77 ways)
• our home education adventure (with special rules and hints)
• Family Trips (we are on a quest to visit The World’s Largest everything.)
• Did I mention my sweet hubby loves to make things?  He just finished this fort, this cat jungle gym, and even cornices for my living room.  He’s all mine!  :)
• I also Twitter – it is pretty new to me – so I’m still in learning mode.  Okay, I really don’t write about twitter – I just was passing on some information…
• Mostly, I write because of  and for my kids.  Yep, I have 5 of them babies.  (That is so funny because I really didn’t want any kids.  Maybe that is not really funny – maybe it is just poetic justice.  I’m truly thankful for God changing my heart and giving them to me.  Yes – everyone of them is a gift and I’m so grateful that God has blessed my husband and me with them.

Just if you liked my blog:

My Follower Buttons are at then end of this page or you could subscribe to my blog by emails in the sidebar. 

That would just bless my heart.

Okay, enough about me….

For those in a hurry STOP Here!  This is the objective!

I want to know what you are thankful for, why and where you celebrate Thanksgiving!  

If you did this the first time around, tell me what is the perfect gift you have ever given or received
. 
(Yes, I need new ideas.)

My hubby’s family has the neatest tradition for Thanksgiving and since we are not going to be with them this year, I’d like to do it here.

About 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, Aunt Debbie sends out invitations for Thanksgiving day.  It all starts with an early Turkey Bowl game (it is usually COLD and rainy) where men and women of all ages go and play “flag” football that usually turns into CONTACT sport.  I think that Tylenol and Ibuprofen becomes a sweet friend during this time of agony.  Then everyone goes home to clean up.

Around 2:00 or so, everyone comes back and meets in the tight-fitting  but warm and cozy basement.  Before ANYONE eats, everyone goes around the table and tells of something that they are thankful for.  Usually many tissues are needed from birth announcements, to wedding plans, to simple love for a brother or sister.  I love his family and this tradition – it truly reminds me of an Hallmark movie.  (One year there were around 65 people who attended.  That year there were 2 eating sessions.)

Something else I truly love, is that everyone is made to feel like family no matter if you blood related or not.

So, back to the objective.

Tell me something that you are truly thankful for and why.  Then tell me something you do that makes this holiday special – if you don’t celebrate it - just tell me something you are thankful for!

BTW – Next week, I’ll be posting our Thanksgiving decor including the Thanksgiving Tree and ideas we have -  to truly be thankful in all circumstances.

 

Did you notice I got a new header?  

Sharon at

  did it! 
I absolutely love it. 
She just wanted to give something out of the
abundance of her heart which is filled with the Love of God.  

Right now, she is hosting an awesome blog party, which is Just the JOY of it.  Just spreading some JOY around!

That’s all folks!  Thanks so much for making my SIT's DAY so special!!!

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

The Office – complete season. (It's a TOTAL MAKEOVER)

Warning:  This post is unusually long with tons of picts.  Really, I mean A LOT of picts.  But, keep scrolling down to see the finished product - it really is a must see!

Well, this is a story that never has an ending.
We are in the middle of our KITCHEN REMODEL at the moment...please go see that as well.  (We are doing it all.)

Our 70’s home – coming in to the new millennium.

It started like this…I went away to Dallas for a convention in  the Fall of 2008.   
Apparently, my hubby was bored and needed a project.

He never liked the wall between our bedroom and the office.  So, the bricks started to come off.

He had helpers.

They learned how to tear down walls.

Even the princesses.

I think they enjoyed themselves.

Now for the bedroom side…

We don’t let them cut their own meat but…
Then, an accident occurs…makes me glad I’m in Dallas.
Thankfully, no injuries.

Well, the window…but he was leaving anyway.
Okay, glass is cleared up.  Big hole in wall.
Kids are so proud of themselves.
Curtains always makes things seem right.

Now for stage 2:  (Spring)

We took off the ugly wood paneling.  And started to add sheetrock in some places.

We had to take out the huge windows that had no seals and were anything but energy efficient.

We usually don't encourage our sons to hit windows with hammers...

We also had to take off the ugly siding and add nice siding.
The black paper is a weather barrier and it
STINKS!!!

          
See my hubby’s socks (Yeah, he probably won't appreciate this picture).  They mean he either - just got off work and the whites were not clean (like that would ever happen - hehe) or he couldn’t wait to work on the room.   Hmmm....

Window is in…

From this side…he looks like a peeping Tom.

Stage 3:

Again, our Princess Helper…

We need to take out these windows…again, not energy efficient.
This had to be done with extreme caution…
Because under the window…

was a precious gem.
  
Our sweet friend B. came over!

He was paid with a pancake supper.  I’m telling you – those pancakes are delicious – he was begging for more work.  Well, that is how I remember it.
The gem (Amaryllis) bloomed like the next week.

Stage 4: (Summer)

Apparently, my hubby hung up all the dry wall and I didn’t bother getting pictures.  We took off in the summer because it was TOO HOT. 

FALL came…
Then we both tape and floated.  I will say, this was not my favorite part.  My least favorite was the SANDING!  Oh, the dust!!!!

Stage 5:

Texturing

Here is his brush…

Here is his brush working…

I love when he is smiling when he is working.  He was not smiling while we were tape and floating.

May I just say…

this exercise “thang” was pretty scary in the middle of the night.

I really liked this part.  It just almost smelled done.

Plus, it meant I was going to have a “finished” project really “finished.”

Doesn’t this goo just look gross?  I don’t care, it symbolizes something.
Like peace and tranquility.  Or really just our room completed.  Which is peace in my book.

Oh, did I tell you…these used to be “popcorn” ceilings.  I love the new lights!

Final Stage:

In November 2009…

Ta DA!!!!
I painted it while hubby was at work.  He was surprised.
Cider Toddy from Lowes.

We really like it.  It is very warm and neutral.
Remember the lights, aren’t they fantastic?
 
We are so happy!
 
Yes, it finished.  
(Well, except for the trim, wall decor and curtains.) 

Stay tuned…

Can you keep a  secret…we are going to put in a secret door.

Oh, I can hardly wait!!!

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

Linked to:

This works for me!!! 

Mustard Seed Creations

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