Cute Old Guys

Because I work in a nursing home, I get to know lots of older people, and there are quite a few that we classify "cute"! 
I saw this video, and thought these guys fit the description.  Watch it and I'm sure they'll give you a smile!

Cooking Thursday

I had friends over for supper and wanted to serve a salad, but I wanted to be able to have it ready to eat.  I found this recipe for a chopped salad and we all loved it.  It's called an Autumn salad, but it could be served anytime.
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Chopped Autumn Salad

6 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and broken into small pieces
2 apples, cored and chopped (I used Honeycrisp)
1/3 cup craisins
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup cojack cheese, cut in small pieces
Poppyseed dressing
Stir together all but the dressing, then stir in enough dressing salad.
Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

 

We have a winner!

Last week I did a post on a Goose Creek Candle Giveaway.
I used a random number generator and it chose #2, who is Sara of make Music from your Heart to the Lord.
She chose the Orange Clove scent which sounds really nice!
Thanks to all who entered, and congratulations to Sara.
You can still get 25% off if you want to purchase a candle,  using code 1050 at checkout.
Thanks also to Goose Creek Candles for sponsoring this!

Thanksgiving

This year I had Thanksgiving off and we had my side of the family over for dinner.  The whole bunch was here except for Andy who didn't get leave.  That made 19 in all, and a full house!

I saw a cute idea on Pinterest that I used this year.  It was called Blessings Mix, and I put a little bag of it on everyone's plate along with this tag that explained what each ingredient meant.
 

Blessings Mix
Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.
Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.
Candy corn: Sacrifices of the Pilgrims' first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.
Nuts or seeds: Promise of a a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.
Dried fruits: Harvest gifts of our bountiful land.
M&Ms: Memories of those who came before us to guide us to a blessed future.
Hershey's Kiss: The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.

As you can see, we were blessed with an abundance of food and family too!
 

We all enjoyed watching Alaina enjoy her turkey!
We had a great day together, and we give thanks to God for all He has done for us.

Candle Giveaway

I have a giveaway going on right now.  Go here to sign up for it!

Thanksgiving

Wishing you and yours a blessed day!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Alaina's One year pictures

Laura and Aaron had some pictures taken for Alaina's first birthday. She just gave me the CD and I had to share some of these cute pictures with you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I sure do love this little darling!

Goose Creek Candle Giveaway!

 

I was recently contacted by the Goose Creek Candle company with an offer to try out one of their jar candles and then review it and give another one away to one of my readers.
This was perfect for me, because I'm always burning candles!  I love the ambiance of a burning candle and I'm a big fan of scented candles, changing them according to the season.
I got to choose the scent I wanted and I chose Autumn breeze, since it was October.
When I opened the box, I immediately noticed the fluted shape of the jar.  It's from the American Heirloom collection and comes with a silver embossed cover, so it looks nice even when it's just setting out.
I also like the fact that it has 2 wicks, which allows it to burn more evenly.
And then there is the scent!  I've tried numerous candles, and I can truly say the scent from this one has to be the best!  It's not just the fact that it smells nice, but the fact that it spreads without being overpowering.
I've had several people over while it was burning who've remarked at how good my house smells and they wondered where I got that candle.
The candle is also long lasting.  I've been burning mine for several weeks and it's barely down a quarter.
Now it's your chance to try one out.  Go to Goose Creek Candles and check out their American Heirloom Collection.  Pick out the scent you would like and leave me that information and a way to contact you if you win.   I'll do a drawing next week and the candle will be shipped to the winner.

But wait - there's more!  They also gave me a coupon code for 25% off your entire purchase.  The code is 1050.  These candles would make great gifts, and I plan to buy a few more for myself, as well!

Disclaimer - I was given no payment for this review, other than the candle to try and one to give away.  I'm sharing my honest opinion on these candles, which is - I love them!

Happy Birthday Laura!

It's my daughter Laura's birthday on Saturday.  She's going to be 30 and has been saying it sounds so old.  I asked her - "How do you think it feels to be the mother of someone who's 30?"
Well, aside from feeling a little older and wondering where those years went, I feel blessed!
I've been blessed with a daughter who is smart and sweet.  She's loving and talented.  She's a wonderful daughter, wife and mother - and I think Heather and Andy would agree that she's a pretty great sister too.
I'm thanking God for one of the greatest gifts He ever gave Bob and I!
Happy Birthday Laura!

Cooking Thursday

It's time to share another recipe, and since Thanksgiving is coming right up, I thought I would share one we like, that works well for leftover turkey.
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

 Chicken Alfredo Biscuit Casserole

1 T butter
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce
1/4 cup milk
2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
2 cups frozen broccoli florets, or green beans, thawed
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 can (7.5 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 T butter, melted
1 T grated Parmesan cheese


Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. 
 
In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.  Cook mushrooms and onion in butter, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in Alfredo sauce, milk, chicken, broccoli or beans and basil.  Cook until mixture is thoroughly heated and bubbly, stirring constantly.  Spoon into baking dish.
 
Separate dough into 10 biscuits.  Cut each biscuit in half crosswise.  Arrange around edge of baking dish, overlapping slightly.  Drizzle biscuits with melted butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
 
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.
 
Makes 5 servings.

Wordless Wednesday

 

UP

UP
Read until the end ... you'll laugh.

This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is 'UP.' It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election (if there is a tie, it is a toss UP) and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.
At other times, this little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is blocked UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with (UP to) a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it soaks UP the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now . . . my time is UP!

Oh . . . one more thing: What is the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?
U

P!
Did that one crack you UP?......

Now I'll shut UP

Family pictures

About a month ago, when Andy was home, we had family pictures taken.

We haven't had family pictures done since Laura and Aaron's wedding,  so it's nice to have updated pictures in the house!

Our photographer was a friend of Laura's.  She did a great job and we had a hard time picking which ones to get. 

Here's a few of the pictures we had to choose from.

  This was a candid picture she took while we were supposed to be getting ready for another shot.

Laura, Alaina and Aaron

I got this one for our living room.

Another candid shot!

Grandpa and Grandma loving on our little darling!

This is one of my favorites.  Alaina is patting Aaron on the head and laughing.  :)

The end...

The tragedy of First position

I never took ballet as a child, but if I did it would have looked a lot like this!

Cooking Thursday

The apple harvest isn't too good here this year. Many of the apples in Michigan were killed by crazy weather this Spring.  It's made them much more expensive than usual, but we're enjoying the ones we have, and of course, we can also eat the ones that are shipped here.
I made a yummy Apple Crisp last week.  It's a recipe I've had for a long time and it's a good one!
For more recipes, visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Apple Crisp

8 large apples, sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter

Spread apples in greased 9x13 pan.  Combine cinnamon and brown sugar.  Sprinkle 1/2 over apples.  Combine  white sugar, baking powder, flour and salt.  Mix with egg.
Spread mix over apples.  Sprinkle with remaining brown sugar/cinnamon mix.
Drizzle melted butter over top.
Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until apples are tender.
 

Wordless Wednesday

(There is still a little color around here!)

Colors of Community

Last month I posted about an annual event in Grand Rapids called Artprize.  There is a church in my town that is doing a small scale version of that for the next few weeks.  There are businesses sponsoring this and profits will go to helping a boy from Guatemala get a cochlear implant!

They signed up artists from the community to share 4 pieces of their work.  I don't know how many people are involved but there is a lot of art shown through their halls right now.
People get to walk around and look at all the art, then choose their top three.  There will be winners in the popular vote and there will also be judges selecting their favorites.
Here are a few pieces I enjoyed.


This is a painting of Grand Rapids at night.

I really like this photo.  The artist calls it "Reunited", as the leaves are reunited with the branches in the reflection.

A beautiful painting of a civil war soldier.

This mosaic is called "The Tree of Life".    It doesn't show in this picture, but there are tiles with words scattered through the leaves.

Here are a few familiar pieces.  Bob has some of his carvings on display.

Here are the other 3 pieces.

It's fun looking at all the art and also seeing his on display!

Shopping Day!

 

Those of you who are long time readers know that my sisters and I have a tradition of going on a shopping trip early in November.  This is when we do our Christmas shopping.
Friday was the day this year!  We left in the morning, shopped all day, went out for a nice supper and got into our hotel around 7.
You can see some of our bags spread around the room here.
We've noticed that as our kids get older, the packages get smaller, which isn't all bad.  If only the price got smaller as well.  :)
About 10 pm, my sister Terri mentioned something she forget so we headed back to the store for a little more shopping.  (We were surprised to find our 80 something Aunt and Uncle out shopping at that time!)
As usual, we had a great time and lots of laughs were had!
I am finished with my shopping except for a few things for work.  What a good feeling!

The winner is...

I did a drawing for this book and the winner is # 8...

Momma Roar from Learning to Live and Living to Learn!

Congratulations Leigh Ann.  I know your family will enjoy this book.

I won't be around to visit you all on Friday.  I'm off on the annual Sisters Christmas shopping trip.  If you hear the sound of laughter in a store near you, that would be us!

Sticky Post

I have a giveaway going on right now.  Go here to sign up!
Scroll down to see newer posts.