No Scissors!

I was a sub in a first grade class the other day. We read a story and then the kids were supposed to make their own totem poles. I gave them a piece of paper with everything on it. All they had to do was cut the pieces out and glue them to construction paper. I had a little girl tell me, right when I told them they would have to cut, "I don't have any scissors." Not too much earlier she had also told me that she didn't have a pencil either. So my response to both questions were the same..."Ask one of your friends around you if you could borrow theirs." When I told her that about the scissors, several of the students heard me. In turn, 4 or 5 students willingly offered up their scissors for her to use. A few minutes later she comes back to me and says that there are too many people that offered and she doesn't know who to borrow from. "OK, you'll just have to pick someone." She comes back again saying she still doesn't know who to pick because there are so many. This little girl ended up coming to me a total of 3 times just to tell me that she didn't know who to borrow from....and I thought I was bad with decision making!

Where's the Salt and Pepper?

We sat down to our thanksgiving meal and a few minutes after everyone started eating I figured I would let them know that there was butter at the table and salt and pepper. I guess with the center piece or just the fact that I was eating with a bunch of guys...they didn't think that there was any at the table. I always get onto S. Whenever I cook anything, he goes straight for the salt and pepper and/or hot sauce. "You haven't even tasted it yet!" is something I say very often at our dinner table. I think S. had a feeling that I didn't want anyone to add salt or pepper without having tried their food first so I just didn't put any on the table. When actually, the salt and pepper were just "camouflaged."

Our First Married Turkey Day

This Thanksgiving had a few firsts. Being that S. was d*eployed last thanksgiving, this was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. It was also the first thanksgiving that I was pregnant. Let me tell you cooking all day long and being pregnant...not so nice to the feet and joints. And lastly, it was the first thanksgiving being away from my mom, dad, and sisters. It wasn't the easiest because my family is very close, but I made it through only crying a few times.
Our dinner turned out very nicely though. S. invited a couple of the single guys that he works with over to eat with us. It was very nice being able to prepare thanksgiving dinner for all of us. Thankfully, I didn't have to prepare a turkey...my husband took care of that. He just had to fry a turkey this year. His plan was to use his uncles recipe. Well, he didn't get me a list of things he needed before I went to the grocery store to pick everything up. The day before he wanted to prepare this turkey he had done a 12 mile "march" (having to do it in under 3 hours makes it more of a run) with a 50 pound pack on his back and had crashed on the couch once he got home. I ended up having to call his uncle to get the recipe and venture out to pick everything up. To keep this long story a little shorter...I ended up having to go to 4 different grocery stores to find everything that was needed! It was worth it though, the turkey was delicious. The best part: it only took 30 minutes to fry and I didn't even have to do anything.
When I asked S. what time he had told the guys to come over, he said between 3 and 4. What? I would like the opinion of everyone on this subject. My family, for every holiday, has always gotten together at 2pm. Everybody always says they don't know what time...let me check with your gramma, let me check with your mother, but the time always always ends up being 2pm. That's just the way we do it. So we ended up eating around 4:30 this year, because the food is never ready on time whether it's your first time preparing it or not and no matter if you have everyone over at 2 or 4. That's just how it works out. Things worked out well. Dan and Andy even showed up with flowers and a chocolate cake. I thought that was very sweet...duh, you can't bring a pregnant women wine! It ended up being a very nice night. We sent lots of left overs home with the guys and they were very grateful saying if they hadn't come over they probably would have stayed home and ate cheerios. I'm so glad they shared Thanksgiving with us.

Crazy silly spoiled girl with homemade rolls!

I have always been spoiled on any holiday having homemade rolls....from scratch. This was my first Thanksgiving away from my mom. :( This time I had to make my own rolls. Not an easy task. Needless to say....15 calls to my mom, 2 recipes, and 15 cups of flour later...we had homemade rolls!

No fun to be sick!

S. and I have been sick for the last week or so. It started with feeling congested...I can deal with that. Yesterday I felt sick to my stomach all day. Yuck! Being pregnant and having your stomach out of whack is not fun at all! Now not only do you have stomach cramps, but you've a little squirrel that keeps kicking it because it's making funny noises! S. is a hypochondriac, so of course all night he kept asking if he needed to take me to the doctor. Poor guy...I must have been a little whinny. Thankfully today we are both feeling better. Hopefully it will stay that way.

Planning Ahead

I'm trying to plan ahead for Thanksgiving day. S. has invited a couple of guys that he works with over to the house. I have decided on a few things to make and thought I would get on top of things and prepare a few dishes today. I found a recipe for "Frozen Cranberry Banana Salad." Now, I don't really like cranberry salad all that much. I come from a family that just made it because the table didn't look right without it, but no one ever ate it. My grandmothers have always made it with nuts and celery. Gag! My husband said he wanted it though. The bananas and coolwhip made this recipe sound better to me. Well...I made it today and I'm a little nervous that A: I'll have to buy more stuff to make it. or B: We won't be eating it on Thanksgiving day. HA! It is very very good! I don't know if it's just because I'm pregnant or if it really is wonderful! I'll give you the recipe just in case you'd like to try it, but I'm sure this won't sit on the table for very long!
Frozen Cranberry Banana Salad
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 20 oz can pineapple tidbits
5 med firm bananas cut length wise then sliced
1/2 c sugar
1 12 oz container coolwhip
1/2 c chopped walnuts
Drain juice from can of pineapple into a medium bowl. Set pineapple aside. Add bananas to juice, let sit. In a large bowl, combine cranberry sauce and sugar. Drain and discard juice from bananas. Add bananas to cranberry mix. Stir in pineapple, coolwhip and nuts. Put into a 9x13 and freeze. Take out 15 minutes before serving.
Let me tell you, it is yummy yummy yummy!

Home again, home again!

I know it's been a little while. I've been out and about the last couple of weeks. S. and I went down to L*ouisiana for our new nephew's christening. I got home from Louisiana and my mother and sister called and said they found a ticket to come out to Colorado for cheap, so I couldn't pass it up. I'm so glad I got to see so many people. I do hate the fact that I just missed Gramma Marlene, Brynn, Derek and the boys. They had just left Colorado a couple of days before I got there.
While we were in Louisiana we got to see just about all of that gang. S.'s mom and aunt even came down from Canada. His father was out on the water, so we didn't get to see him at all this trip. Hopefully sometime soon, though. S.'s family had a wonderful surprise baby shower for us when we were down there. I am so blessed to have married into such a thoughtful and generous family. I'm so thankful to have each and every one of them in my life.
Colorado was a short trip, but I still enjoyed it. Not the flying to or from, but I managed. I feel terrible for the man sitting next to me on the way to N*ashville. I kinda got a little sick. Fun fun! I could have taken d*ramamine, but I just don't like to take a whole lot of medications having the little kangaroo on board. Mom, K*isti, John, Maren and I spent a few days together. Katie and Eli came over to K*isti and John's for a short visit as well. It was very nice to see everyone. Maren is growing up so much. John was carrying her around the house one morning and they saw a ladybug. John pointed and said, "Ladybug." Being the parrot that she is at 16 months, Maren said preciously, "Babybutt." So cute! We were walking around a store later that day and she just kept saying it over and over. Mom kept saying, "That's right, ladybug!"

Colorado

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures when I went to Colorado. The time went by so quickly I don't know what I had time to take it out! Here are some of Katie and me and then her little girl, Sammy Jo, playing with Maren. And just a note to everyone, I am the only one with the privilege of calling Samantha "Sammy Jo." hehe Oh, and Katie is also 18 weeks or so pregnant.

Caleb and Kyle

Caleb playing outside and Kyle the night we spent just the two of us. Every one ditched us and went to Sesame Street live.

Our Shower

Kyle's Christening