16 years ago........

16 years ago..........We had the trivet here all to ourselves. Unknown to me, the event was being documented and videotaped.

16 years ago, he asked one of the most important questions.......

"Will YOU marry me???"

16 years ago, I answered........YES!!!

Happy Engagement Anniversary ~ to my Prince Charming.

Triptaphan Happy

I personally love the Triptaphan High that comes with a meal like Thanksgiving. Stuffing yourself silly because it all tastes soooooo good.

Having the munchkins excited that the Christmas music can finally flow in our car, as we drive home. Having them so exhausted that they fall asleep before we get home.

Spending time with family is what it is all about.

Now it is Friday, and unlike some, I WON'T go shopping. Today is the day to continue the Thanks. We will clean, watch some movies, and eventually get out the tree ~ but undecorated. Decorating the tree will come later in the weekend. Christmas will slowly come to our house, each new thing one to wonder at, appreciate and get excited over.

But for now, as our bellies are still full from the night before, we just sit in our Thankfulness....

Have a blessed weekend.

Cow Chip Cookies...........

THESE are the most DELICIOUS, AMAZING, STICK IN YOUR MEMORY FOREVER thing in the world ~ and they were mailed to me today!!!! A whole DOZEN just for me, unless I decide my family is worthy enough to share with.

Isn't this box the cutest???? Love it!

Rarely, do I get "Fun" things in the mail. A catalog can be considered fun, but that just usually gives me the "Gimmies". An occasional "Snail mail" comes, but with family living in a 5 mile radius, we here rarely get the fun stuff.

However.....TODAY.......I GOT IT...........

COW CHIP COOKIES!

My friend Laura sent them to me. Here is the funny part though ~ just this week, I have been having a conversation with a cyber friend and fellow Blogger: The Lemonade Makin Mama. She lives close enough, she and some of her girlfriends could go and get some. It would be a trek, but I would do it, especially at Christmas time!

Laura moved away from Cali long ago, but our friendship remains. Even she has moved away from the Emerald City. However, we spent countless days eating away a snack or two, under our totem pole and drinking milk which then matured to Starbucks. This is a food that is eaten with a memory. Never quickly acquired, but savored down to the very last crumb.

If you give a girl a cookie, she'll have memories to go with it. If you give a girl a COW CHIP cookie, you will have changed her week for the better, maybe the entire month!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you thank you, thank you and THANK YOU!!!!

XoXo.

Thankfulness prepares our hearts

So I was over at Lissa's blog: Humble Pie, and read this paraphrase from her friend (Tracy)

"Thanksgiving is the time prepare your heart with gratitude

for the upcoming celebration of Jesus birth."

If that isn't reason enough to be Thankful, I don't know what is. I never have thought of the season of Thanksgiving, in preparing me for Christmas, and having a grateful heart. Now, my family and I will be forever changed.

These are some of the things I find Gratitude in:

• Neighbors that we have a mutual "Sharing of the bounty" with. When one of us cooks something tasty: we share! It goes both ways and is such an outreach, that and super TASTY!


• The laughter of Children


• The look of pure peace on a sleeping child


• Disneyland!


• Dentists and Orthodontist (that my kids LOVE)
• Sunshine
• Cool evenings
• Happy Dogs - that truly look happy
• The smell of freshly bathed babies - oh my niece smells like Heaven!
• Friends: old, new, or from the blog world, walking the adventure of life with me
• The smell of a fire in the fireplace, or better yet on the beach with friends
• A great book
• The simple and amazing fact that my children can read (big with a first grader) and more importantly love reading, and being read to. I see the flip side daily........this is a treasure for sure.

What brings you the spirit of Gratitude this week?

Medical Thankfulness

We are blessed. Truly, truly blessed. My husband is a civil servant in his job. It is an amazing job that he excels at, but his ultimate boss is the governor of our state. So with the ups and downs of Cali government......sometimes his job and paychecks are - shall we say interesting.

However, we are blessed. We have insurance! Wahoo!!!! Now, some of you may be thinking - a blessing yes, but this chick is over the top.

On Wednesday, the kids went to the dentist for cleanings. This is a process, for my little Missy, but as she gets older, it is getting easier. Good news, NO cavities for either child. Bad news - her pockets are really, really deep and is going to have extensive sealants done next week, where anesthesia will be used etc. My portion of this bill, will be to make our dentist cookies.

Yep, over the top excited because today, all FOUR of us went to the eye doctor (and friend) for check ups. Now, you might be thinking - ah, your friend is your doctor - hook ups! Well, we do get hook ups, like appointments when we want them.....but I don't think its because we are friends, I think its because he is an amazing man and doc. Anyway, all four of us got our eyes checked. Mr. C's and my prescriptions stayed the same. However, the munchkins.........Bubba is fine for now, but Little Missy needs glasses. The sorta funny detail, is her prescription, is exactly the same as mine! So Daddy helped her pick out these adorable pair of glasses (I was finishing up my exam). Now, I am overjoyed because I never knew my little one couldn't see, but in a week, she'll be seeing just fine in class. The majority of the expenses were covered by what? INSURANCE!

Thankful for this week.............

This week, I am thankful for so much. This is one of the reasons I LOVE November, it makes me reflect and focus, on just how blessed I am!

So here is my list for the week.

• That we go to a church where the truth is told, whether you like to hear it or not. Truth is truth, and we get offended by it, only when we are in the wrong.
• The weather is getting "fallish" outside
• The weather is not blistering hot, so it makes me want to cook, bake, and spend time in the kitchen (this makes hubby thankful too)
• My children are playing together and giggling up a storm
• My husband loves me
• My husband is handy, and does things for us like painting the fence (envision Huckleberry Finn here)
• My children are close enough in age and distance to cousins to play, and have a ball
• My almost 10 year old will still snuggle with me on the couch
• When we focus on God's truth, it far surpasses the lies that are trying to fill our brain
• Because our country celebrates it's Veterans, we get a THREE DAY week for school and work.
• We got the opportunity to talk to my brother in law stationed in Iraq this week. Just to hear his voice was reason enough to be extremely THANKFUL.

In stealing the words from Cathy: "All of this and God too!"

What are YOU thankful for?

Our first "Baby" turns 14

This is our first "Baby" Charley the kitty. We got him soon after moving into our first house, right after our first anniversary. He was barely 6 or 7 weeks old, and won over our two very "Non-cat" people's hearts. When we first saw him, I thought "No, way is Mr. C going for this scheme". However, Charley was sly......he climbed right up on Mr. C's lap, curled up, and started to purrrrrrrrrrrr. Now, 14 years later, we still have him curling up on our laps, and hear him purrrrr.

We celebrate birthdays big in this family for many different reasons. So tonight, we ate seafood, in honor of Charley. The kids got KitKats as a treat, and we are watching the Aristocats. A purrrfectly perfect way to celebrate the "Kitty's" birthday.

Oh, and as for the beast next to him......not his first puppy he has whipped into shape. They happily get along as you can tell. However, if Charley were to go out the slider, Koda has permission to bring him back in the house. Protector that he is! Ask anyone, we have the coolest cat in town!

Thankful for...........

IT is November 4th last time I checked the calendar. Being in education of elementary kids, you check it every five minutes when they write the date.

SO.......last week, when completing Missy's costume, I became outraged that one half of the store was clearance of Halloween and the other gearing up for Christmas. CHRISTMAS!!! Now, I am no BUM-Humbug.....but come on!

I will stand, until I die for the season and Holiday of Thanksgiving. I love that we still have pumpkins all around the house. I cherish the fact that my porch has pumpkins with other fall trinkets....... I am so excited that this weekend, a stuffed animal turkey that Mr. C and I got our first Thanksgiving married, will sit on my mantel, and at times chase my kids around "Gobbling" after them with kisses (okay the kisses are from me, but the game is hysterical!)

So.....Here is a list of things I am thankful for out of the spirit of being Thankful this month (in no particular order):

• My God, loved us enough to give us Salvation, when we don't deserve it.
• We live in a country where the people vote for changes, and issues that matter to them as the people.
• Pumpkin Spice Lattes
• The coolness of evening and the warm Fall days
• Although this week, we are really warm with Indian Summer days, we are blessed with the last tastes of summer
• My kids attend a wonderful school with teachers who LOVE them - mentally and spiritually
• Hubby and I have jobs we love, and that work well for this season of our family
• We have an amazing family. Sure we got some quirks, but who doesn't and it adds spice to the pumpkin pie of life!
• Our pets are funny, and truly part of our family
• Our neighbors are friends who gather on the sidewalk or in the street and chat about life

More thankfulness coming next week! What are YOU thankful for?