friday smiles

friday smiles

 

click for link

painted dreams

I’m painting Ali’s room ( with a super- fun idea… More info to come soon 🙂 and it just occurred to me how much of what is happening right now is truly a dream come true .

More to come soon. I’ve been struggling with WordPress this week. I have a bunch of partial posts … Don’t be surprised if a whole bunch come at once

Lots of pics soon! I’ve been going non stop unpacking and decorating ..

House tour soon!

Oxox

20130615-133827.jpg

home

At long last…..

20130610-192734.jpg

20130610-192800.jpg

20130610-192819.jpg

20130610-192920.jpg

Home

flashback…. Ali’s graduation party

Hello friends 🙂

Our youngest daughter, Alison graduated from high school just 2 weeks ago.. And since we were sooo busy I’m just not getting around to posting about it.

It was a very special time. Both my boys and my daughter in law, Amanda, flew In for this special event.

20130607-103832.jpg

And of course, Scott

It all went by so fast..

We had her party the day after graduation simply because everyone was in town. I spent many hours thinking about the kind of party that I wanted to have for her. ( which was really good for me because it helped to keep my mind focused on that versus my life changes right in front of me)

The weather was less than desirable. In fact, downright miserable. Scott had wanted to have the party at a hall, but Ali and I really wanted a big white tent in the backyard.

Having it at home was also important to us as we knew that only 5 short days after the party we would be completely moved out and that this would be the last time that we would get together with our friends and families in this home.

I ended up calling and having sides to the tent added once I saw the forecast.. And the morning of the party I called and ordered a heater.. ( it was in the 40s, damp, windy and cold)

The heater was the best decision EVER!!

Everyone seemed to have fun ! It was so nice to have the majority of our families there and so many of Ali’s friends and a few of mine

Here are some random pics..

20130607-104748.jpg

20130607-104800.jpg

20130607-104816.jpg

20130607-104828.jpg

Yes.. Flat Dave was the first party guest… With my family, I’m not surprised at all

20130607-110122.jpg

20130607-110152.jpg

Ali with a few of her friends

20130607-110309.jpg

20130607-110400.jpg

20130607-110428.jpg

My adorable niece, Kalli

20130607-110718.jpg

20130607-110731.jpg

Lots of family, including Scott’s 102 year old grandmother!!!

20130607-111046.jpg

A lot of the food I was able to make ahead

I served

Baked ziti
Chicken broccoli Alfredo
Sweet and sour meatballs
Lemon orzo salad
Anniversary chicken ( chicken with bacon and cheddar cheese)
Homemade pickles
Southwestern bean salad

Lots of snacks and drinks including homemade sangria!

I have all of the recipes that I used in case you are interested. Everything was easy to make a head of time and came out great ( I think)

Of course, I have zero pics of the food, except for the cake and cupcakes 😉

20130607-111444.jpg

20130607-111510.jpg

It was everything that I envisioned her party to be.. We are all so proud of her!!

20130607-111907.jpg

20130607-111916.jpg

It may have been cold and raw outside but it didn’t matter… The love inside that tent was awesome… ( not to mention the fabulous heater 😉 )

Oxox

20130607-112916.jpg

20130607-113039.jpg

greetings from cape cod

Well… This is all really happening. In fact we are smack dab in the middle of it ! Our home in Plymouth is no longer ours. The new owners are very nice. They came over the day before we closed and met Ali and I.

They have 2 kids .. A boy and a girl.. Both very close to how old Ryan and Ali were back when we moved in.

Both kids go to sacred heart, the same school that Ali just graduated from!

The little girl who is now living in Ali’s room told her mom that she wanted to set the room up as a classroom for her American girl dolls.. Which was Exactly what Ali did way back when!!

Our stuff is on a big truck and was packed by 2 awesome guys, Vance and James . The relo company also sent me a helper, Karen , who was a godsend. It was like having 2 of me. Simply awesome!

I actually have talked to her about getting a job like that for myself. She flies around the country and assists in relocation moves. Making sure all goes smoothly. She was going to talk to her boss about me 🙂

Our stuff has arrived in Denver and is being held in storage until we get there next week.

The boys have had the couch delivered so at least they have something other than the folding chairs to sit on ( I had a whole post about the chairs and the reason bend that bottle of wine and lost it 😦 I may retype in the next day or two.. I love that story)

20130606-132852.jpg

See miss Fenway laying there so comfy wondering where her deadbeat mom is

Ali found this….

20130606-140739.jpg

How adorable!!

We were looking for a place to stay so that we could be here for lexies graduation ( tomorrow) and friends of ours offered us their summer cottage on the cape.

It’s funny.. I’ve lived on the cape for much of my adult life but its so different being here but not living here. We are so grateful for this. We would have hated to miss Alexis’ graduation.

I’ve never really been a beach girl .. I like it and all.. But really just for short bits of time.

I’ve tried a few watersports .. Once Scott and hid dad took me waterskiing.

It took me forever to get up and ski.
Which I did for maybe a minute?

Then I fell… But here’s the thing… No one ever told me to let go of the ropes . I was dragged for about 5 minutes ( felt like 20) with my face being pounded against the water.

Funny now.. But back then it wasn’t

This is what I’ve spent my time doing here

20130606-142947.jpg

I’m addicted to my little hexagons… They have to be sewn by hand, which I find very therapeutic 😉

Let me know if you want a tutorial.. They are very easy and you don’t really need to know how to sew to get started.

I just love the 1930 s reproduction fabric
)

20130606-143237.jpg

East coast friends… Ill be back in 2 weeks for alis pc orientation. Let me know if you’d like to get together. I’m free 27th- 30th. Just let me know 🙂

Ok.. Time to stretch and get more tea …

Oxox

20130606-143620.jpg

weekend snapshot part 2

So I left you at Saturday night. I forgot to mention that we did a little furniture window shopping saturday afternoon, We currently have 2 sectionals, one in our living room and one in our finished basement .

Our new house is considerably smaller than our current house so we need to do major downsizing ( which is perfectly ok by me ) neither of our sofas will fit in our new living room so we will be selling one, and buying a smaller sofa.

I found one that I really liked. The floor model had it in off white ( which I loved) but with a black haired dog, I new it wasn’t practical. ( isn’t it protocol for empty – nesters to run out and buy a white sofa 😉 ). Just kidding….actually, I’m not.. I loved the white but It also comes in a granite color, so I think that’s what we will go with.

At first Scott liked it, then he said he didn’t ( I think he was just razzing me) but in the end he sent me the dimensions of the living room to make sure it will fit.

He had to go into the office on Sunday, so I was on my own. Which was ok, because I had developed either a

Head cold
Allergies
Sinus infection or
Altitude issues.
Or maybe a little bit of each …

either way, it really knocked me down. I’m sure the fact that I’ve been going a mile a minute for 6 weeks then just stopped didn’t help

I spent the day cleaning the apartment, doing laundry, dishes and going through magazines for decorating ideas and checking out websites for ideas.
All while watching 80’s movies in the background.

It was actually fun to clean the small space! Almost like playing house 😉

I have 2 Queen Anne chairs that I love, but the slipcovers are worn. Like beyond saving- worn.
But the slipcovers themselves are soo expensive! I did a little research and I think I’m going to attempt making my own slipcovers. Ill make a prototype using inexpensive fabric to start and if all goes well, then ill splurge on a fabric that I like. * wish me luck!!*

I’ve been looking at fabric collections and found a few that I really like!

 

IMG_0267

I love co-ordinating fabrics and how they can feel so cozy.

The other thing that I’m going to do Is attempt roman shades ( also in coordinating fabric) for my kitchen. I did a lot of reading on how to make them and again, I think I can…. I think I can… I think I can……..

We also need to do some re arranging of our bedroom sets. Ali’s set won’t fit in her room. My current thought is to keep the dresser and nightstand and desk ( all white) but put her full headboard away and get her a twin white headboard instead.

Scott’s armoire won’t fit in our room so my thought is to put it in Ryan’s room and find a full wooden headboard that coordinates and use Ali’s full mattress in there.

I’m going to start hitting up yard sales and furniture consignment shops this weekend.

Monday I went back to super target to buy groceries for Scott since he doesn’t have a car there once I leave ( something else we are trying to figure out)

I went back to the apartment and made home a big batch of kale soup for a few dinners,

 

IMG_1560

 

and stocked his freezer and cabinets with food for the next 3 weeks.

Our open house went well .. Our real estate agent said there was lots of positive feedback, which is nice considering how hard I worked to get the house to where it is now.

By the time you read this I will be home and ready to hit the ground running again. I have. Furniture to bring to a consignment store, as well as sports equipment, clothes, etc…..

In the next 6 weeks I will have

Bought a house in Colorado
* hopefully* sold a house in Massachusetts ( updated… We are under contract!!!!)
Shipped my beloved Zola to Colorado
Have Ali’s senior prom
Cheer Ali and lex on as they walk 40 miles for breast cancer
Have all of my kids home for 1 week ( graduation week)
Watch my daughter graduate high school
Celebrate Scott and my 24 th wedding anniversary
* hopefully* find a place for Ali and I to live for June and July
Remember to breathe 😉

I’m starting right now with that last one. The only way I’m getting through all of this is one day at a time.

As I leave I just wanted to share this pic. The events at the finish line of the Boston marathon hit too close to home. I had friends sitting in the stands where one of the bombs that did not go off were found. Too scary. And the crazy manhunt and additional death and injury of the policemen.. There are no words…

Even though I’m ready to make a new life in the Rocky Mountains, my heart will always be in Boston …

20130421-145832.jpg

weekend snapshot part 1

Hiya friends and family! Here I am from 30,000 feet in the air again ( I think I’m getting used to this 😉 )

 

20130417-195624.jpg

Since I told you all I was going to use this blog as a way to share in this life-changing experience I thought I’d take these 2,000 miles to chat with you

* breathe, Sista, breathe * it’s less than 4 hours from Denver to Boston 🙂

Smooch!

I arrived Thursday night to a very hungry Scott waiting for me. I barely had time to put down my luggage and we were off to eat dinner at the restaurant that is attached to his corporate apartment, Earl’s. If you are friends with me on Facebook then you saw the picture that I posted. Although I that he is getting tired of eating at Earl’s, I just love it!

 

20130417-195747.jpg

On the second floor the windows come out, making it almost a balcony to the outside. Earls overlooks 16th mall which is an entire cobblestone street where no cars are allowed, just a motorized shuttle that goes up and down the street all day long. In the center of the street are little food carts, chess tables, and in the summer colorful pianos everywhere encouraging anyone to play at any time. There are stores and restaurants lining the entire length of the street . It’s got a super- fun vibe!

This was the first time that I ate there with the windows open.. And even though there was a blizzard the day before, it was still comfortable because they have heating lamps that shine down on the tables, so you have that fresh,crisp air with the warmth of the lamps.

I had the chicken tacos. In fact I’ve been there 3 times and always order the chicken tacos. Thy are made with soft corn tortillas, shredded chicken, corn, Mexican cheese and pico de gallo. Served with a side salad that has basil shreds mixed in as well as fresh mozzarella! Yum !

The other thing that I like about eating there is that they have Dreaming Tree wines by the glass or bottle. Dreaming Tree wines are wines made at a vineyard owned by Dave Matthews! The labels of the wines are drawn by Dave and the names of the wines are titles of his songs. ( Scott is a huge DMB fan). But here’s the thing… The wines are really really good!!

It was a wonderful welcome to my new city.. And let me tell you, I was exhausted. It was so much work getting our house not only listed, but spotless and I left for a week one way, the girls left another direction, and having it be perfect for an open house that was this weekend.

IMG_1531

On Friday Scott had to work, so once I slept in I went to the gym, then ventured out to drive by my new HOME!

It looked all purty sitting there 😉

Then I went to whole foods to get some healthy food ( I’ve been very bad with my eating habits lately and it shows… I’ve vowed to change this)

So I walked Into the store, and the funniest thing happened, I got . Nervous. Really nervous.. Like this is where I will be shopping a lot ( for the sales,produce and lentils). I actually had a little panic attack! Weird, eh?

I bought some tea, veggies, apples, lentils, kombucha ( they had a local hibiscus and elderberry flavor) eggs and milk for tea.

I went back to the apartment and enjoyed a ( well- deserved ) quiet afternoon.

On Saturday, Scott and I once again ventured to our new neighborhood, parked the car ( were from Boston. So we paaaakkked the caaaa) and walked to a cute little coffee shop called Wash Perk. Then we walked. And walked and walked. 6.5 miles actually. Just trying to get the lay of the land, time out distance to places that we will be going to. The fact that it was 66 degrees didn’t hurt. It was such a beautiful day in the park. I found myself really missing Fenway 😦

IMG_1547

can you beat this view????

 

We walked to a pizza place for lunch. They have wood- fired pizza and calzones and amazing salads! It was fun to eat alfresco and watch all of the people walking by!

 

IMG_1511

We then went to super-target to buy wine ( YES , our new Targeee the French store sells wine!) and a few odds and ends for the apartment ( laundry detergent, tt, paper towels, etc….)

Am I boring you yet? I know none of this sounds all that exciting but since its all new to me, I’m just tickled 🙂

Saturday night we walked down to LoDo, which is short for lower downtown. There are white lights strung above the streets from telephone pole to telephone pole.

 

 

IMG_0841So pretty!! We had a
fabulous Mediterranean meal at Rioja and enjoyed the walk to and from. He bought me the cookbook from the restaurant and the chef/ owner. Chef Jen signed it for me! We had a Spanish white wine and I had the artichoke and goat cheese ravioli . They were like little pillows that melted in your mouth… And now, I have the recipe!!!! Who wants to try some???

It may seem like we are eating out a lot, and we are, but Scott has a dining budget and he has not been using it so that he could wait until I was there and we could enjoy together.. We took advantage of it while we could, but once we close on our new house ( 2 weeks from tonight) that will be no more.

More about the weekend soon !

re-post… i’m thankful

In this time of extreme change for me, I have spent hours upon hours remembering what life has been like and envisioning what life will be.  All of the soul searching has had me thinking. A lot.

 

I found myself laying in bed the other night, re reading old posts, trying to decide what direction that I want the blog to go in ( I had contemplating quitting it altogether, but have changed my mind.)

 

Anyway.. I read this post from this past Thanksgiving. Although it’s not an old post, I feel like it bears repeating.  It’s very easy in life to think about what we don’t have, or how how difficult something might seem when we are in the midst of journeying through something… but we always come out the other side, usually with great lessons learned. Priceless, really.

So if you have already  read this, please forgive me…

 

I feel in my heart that it is important to remember what we are thankful for all year ’round…

 

❤ me

 

 

i”m thankful.

 

*for my mom and my dad ~or bringing me into this world, and for being there when I really need them.. the advice & support that you both have given me ( the same btw) will guide me… thank you.. I love you both

* for my sista~ I’ve known you the longest and lord knows growing up was a challenge, but I love you dearly and wouldn’t change you for the world. you are simply amazing! SMOOOOCCH!

* for John, and Dick and Phyllis… for loving me like your own

*for my aunt~ a sweet woman with a huge heart and so much love. and an uncanny way of knowing the exact moment that I needed to talk.. and being that phone call

*for Scott~ married almost 24 years now, and although it has not always been easy, we are still here.. About to become empty nesters… With a whole lot of adventure in front of us :). Just think… We may end up in an osteo bi flex commercial or something 🙂 oxox

* for my oldest son, Jason~ the boy who changed my direction in life. I am SO proud of you and am thankful every day for what an amazing man that you have become..

* for my second child, Ryan~ who taught me in an instant that you can love 2 children with the same amount of undying love. For teaching me that you have to peel an onion so to speak to get to someones’ true self… never judge a book by its cover, the world is full of all types of people, and that its ok.. that there is NO obstacle in life that you can’t over come if you want to.. and that having a part of my heart across the country actually feels ok.. because I know he is happy and THAT makes me unexplainablly happy.

* for  Ali~ my ali…. Im thankful for the wonderful compassionate young woman that you  have grown in to. I dont know of anyone else who thinks of others as much as you do .  You  will go far in life .. and be surrounded by people who love you … always

*for Amanda Sue~ Jason’s wife.. my wonderful daughter in law. I may not have given birth to her, but I love you  like you are my own. You are  a hard worker with a lot ahead of you  and and you have an amazing attitude.

*for Kim~ thank you for sharing Amanda with me 🙂

*for our grandparents~ gone too soon, this is a holiday that they are greatly missed, ( meme, pepe, papa, babchi, dzaciiek) but knowing they are in heaven looking down on us makes me smile :

* for my ‘shared ‘ sisters and brother … Krista, Bryan, Audra and Val… We may have grown up with different lives. But siblings we are .. And we’ll always have each other:).

* for Tian~ my exchange daughter from Hong Kong.. for opening my eyes to what life in China is like

* for my nieces and nephews~ watching them grow and become extentions of who we are is mind – blowing. It makes me think al the time about the circle of life… YOu are all amazing people and have bright futures ahead of you

*for my in laws- Linda and Pete… For helping Scott and I get a head start early in our marriage.. and all of your help along the way 🙂

*for Scott’s extended family~ I’m thankful that they raised a man with such drive and adimance… and with such love for his family

* for Erika~~ I love that I can just show up and have a cup of tea at your counter unannouced. and feel warm and welcomed and loved.. and I feel that i am an extended part of your family. I love Leah and Grif like they are my own.. it’s been a pleasure watching them grow…

* for Celia~ my closest friend that is so far away….. I love that you are in my life <;;3

*for Kara~ thank you for all of your help recently… it’s so nice to know that you have insight and can help talk me through some of this….. and the fact that we both love lunch doesn’t stink 😉

*for my ‘ho’ friends~ you know who you are. I love that they have been there always for me, and they are proof positive that real relationships are not affect but distance. they have become some of my very best friends.. and I look forward to someday traveling the country to meet up with all of them…. these are truly wonderful ladies

*for my ‘old time’ friends~ the friends that I went years without seeing, or even in contact with… this past week has had me in awe of how many of you reached out to me and really care. It has had me thinking at length about old relationships. and times spent together .. and about how lucky I am to have had you all in my life. YOu are all a huge part of who I am today… I feel so blessed whenever I hear from one of you..

* for Ali’s friends…the really special ones that make me feel loved every day. Sara and emmy I love that you know that our home is your home… Thank you for making her smile.. And Colleen. Because you know how much I love you !!!!.. And Alyssa… Ali’s younger sister and my second daughter…I love you girls!!

* for my pup, Fenway~~ I just love her to pieces and no matter where I am.. she is *right there*

* for my grandpuppies, bruin & Kallie…. because they love me so much and I can;t wait to make them home made frosty treats 🙂

*for yoga~ yoga has brought not only a ‘peace’ to my life, but a biggest understanding that the path that we are on is exactly the path that we are supposed to be on.. don’t always knock the broken road.. that’s usually the one that is getting you to where you are supposed to go…

*for Bruce Springsteen~ yes I went there……. I love this man’s amazing voice, talent, poetry, etc…… as long as I live I could never explain what his music does to me… I swear it hits a little lost part of my soul… I am thankful that I always can turn to his music.. no matter my mood

*for my blog readers~ you are what makes me want to keep on writing… you comments always make my day and I am thankful that you take time from your lives to read whatever was on my mind today. This is what makes us friends

;

and lastly…… I’m thankful for the moon. because throughout my life, it has always been there… and I know that wherever I am, wherever I may be.. I can always look up.. and have the moon with me… and know that each and every one of you, wherever you may be.. will be under the same moon. possibly looking up at it, and thinking of me <;;3

;

happy thanksgiving, friends.

;

creamy roasted tomato and garlic soup.. and a story

hiya!

Many of you know by now, and if not, then I am here to tell ya, that later this year, when our youngest graduates from high school  Scott , Fenway and I will be re- locating to Colorado. In fact, he is already there and has been since last June.

When I went full- force  (more forceful, rather) with this blog it was because I knew that this was in our future, and I wanted to set this up to be able to share my experiences with my family and friends.  I couldn’t tell you all that back then, but I can now 😉

This will be a huge adventure for us on many different levels.

1~ we’ve never lived out of New England

2~ Our entire families are back here in Massachusetts

3~ Our children Ryan, Alison, Jason and Amanda will be in 3 separate corners of the country, with Scott Fen and I in the center.  We have always been a pretty tight family as far as families go, so this will take some adjusting.

4~ Scott and I have never lived alone! We had Jason so early in life that we were a ready -made family right from the start..

Jay and Shel wedding day Scott and jay wedding day

 

 

 

So we will be empty nesters at the ripe ages of 42&43 in a completely new part of the country for us!

so after knowing all of this, I have now shared it with you….  the next few months will most likely be the craziest of my life ( and TRUST me, I’ve had crazy times) but it will also be fun. I intend to MAKE it fun 🙂 And share much of our adventure ( including a cross-country drive with Fen in my jeep)

 

In the meantime, I have a recipe for you. I developed this by using my favorite way of cooking. Look at what I have in house and try to be creative.

Last week cherry tomatos were buy one get one free at my grocery store. When you can get free maters in the dead of winter, you take  get them.  And if you are like me you hide them, especially if you have someone ( no names) who might possibly eat that whole container at once…… And then if you are really like me, then you forget that  you hid them… and when you find them, well, they look less than desirable.

THAT is how I came up with this recipe.  ( the tomatoes weren’t rotten or anything, just starting to shrivel… feel free to use perfectly plump tomatoes in the recipe if you want to skip the dumb blonde** step of forgetting that you hid them)

 

creamy roasted tomato and garlic soup

 

2 pints of cherry tomatoes
1 head of garlic
1 large onion
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup cooked cannelloni beans
2 cups low sodium chicken broth ( use veg broth to make vegetarian/ vegan)
salt, pepper. dried thyme

 

Preheat oven to 375.

rinse tomatoes and pat dry. pu them on a non-stick cookie sheet. Cut up onion and toss with the tomatoes.
Cut the head off of the garlic and place in a small piece of aluminum foil.

Spilt the olive oil between the garlic head and the tomato -onion mixture. Close up the top of the aluminum foil and squeeze tightly. Place garlic in in center of tomato onion- mixture and sprinkle with salt, peper and dried thyme.

Roast veggies for about 20-25 minutes. Remoce garlic from foil ( carefully, it will be hot) and squeeze all of the cloves ( now delisciously sweet) into a blender.

Add all veggies and any bits that may have accumulated on the pan.
Add the beans, and broth and blend on low for 2 minute, then increase speed to high for 2 minutes

( if you use hot broth, then make sure you take the little glass insert out of the top of the blender and cover with a kitchen towel to prevent hot splattering liquid… I used the broth cold as well as the beans and just reheated the soup once it was done)
Once soup is blended, test for seasonings and adjust salt & pepper as needed.

enjoy! I promise you you will never know that there is not any cream in it!

I served mine with a dollop of Non fat Greek Yogurt

 

serves 3

190 calories per serving

5 grams of fat per serving

 

 

 

DSC_1406

 

DSC_1407

 

roasted tomato and garlic soup

 

 

enjoy!  and thanks for coming along for the ride !

 

**dumb blonde comment…. someone is no longer blonde 😉

 

oxoxox

there’s a turkey in the backseat…

howdy friends!

I know that Thanksgiving seems like it was sooooooo far away, giving the shopping weekend that followed, but I had a few things to share with you and couldn’t get around to it until now, so do me a favor.. fire up the Delorean and come back to Turkey day with me… just for a minute ( or 10 )

;

a few of you have asked me what I did with Theo after his 2 day salt spa bath….. when I was ready to put him in the oven, I removed hime form the brine.. rinsed him and patted him very dry with paper towels. I place some carrots, celery, onions and fresh herbs in the bottom of a roasting dish , the placed a roasting rack on top ( this makes the gravy extra yummy ) I stuffed the cavity with fresh herbs, onions, lemon and clemetines. Trussed him, then stuck a few fresh sage leaves between the skin and the breast an brushed melted butter all over him. Season with salt and pepper.

;

place on bottom shelf ove 425 degree oven for 30 minutes… then reduce heat to 325 and tent with aluminium foil…Roast for a few hours ( depending on the size ) basting every 45 minutes or so….

;

;

oops….. dont hold it in the oven too long…. 😉

remove the bird when the internal temp in the leg is 165… then let rest.

;

ok.. so I have a story…. pull up a chair.. ( I LOVE storytime!)

Every year, after the dinner, we bundle up and take a walk.. ( like everyone else does 😉 So about 4 or 5 years ago, we were walking in downtown plymouth when we saw a rollerblader. Unusual? hmm.. not so much.

;

but the station-wagon chasing her ( clearly a family member) well… that was a bit odd.

;

The driver of the car was screaming at her ” get in the car…. I’ve got the turkey in the back seat” and she in turn was rollerblading as fast as she could screaming back to the driver ” I’m trying to get away form you.. can’t you see that?” and again…. ” but the turkey is in the back seat…

;

now I know we all have some sort of drama around the holidays ( myself included ).. and although I’m not making fun of what was happening…. when all was said and done… we all just looked at each other and said, did that just happen?

;

so our standard thing to say was ” there’s a turkey in the backseat”..

;

then I found this card…

;

ugh.. the pic is horrible.. but it is a station wagon full of turkeys!

So the following year, as we headed out for our walk . we were remembering the crazy walk from the year prior and discussed how we wouldn’t see anything that crazy that year….. so we decided to change that. We began the ‘Thanksgiving walk o Shame”

we all dress up in crazy attire and sing and dance and ‘decorate’ the downtown

;

this is a pic from last year

;

you can’t miss us… trust me 🙂 Its fun and like I said, we sing a dance around and remember all the little things that we are thankful for !

the pic is dark, but here is Jo & i from this year 🙂

;

I love crazy traditions… SO MUCH!!

;

so I’ll leave you with a few pics from our holiday…

;

;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-2580" title="Thanskgiving table with flowers form my kiddos

;

and lastly… I found this on the web… and decided to tackle it…. I am super proud of it..

;

It’s entirely edible!! I made it out of bread!!!!

;

one very last note.. you may want to re read I’m Thankful again…. I was afraid that I would leave some out and it turns out that I did….. and half of the paragraph about Scott disapeared… it made me sound heartless, really..

;

so I have updated it 🙂 smoooches!

;

;

now.. head back to the future! it’s Cyber Monday! .