A Thanksgiving Poem...

Twas the day before Thanksgiving,
and for weeks and weeks,
Mama was greatly anticipating,
A great pre-Thanksgiving day feast.

The turkey was purchased,
The fridge full and merry,
Sparkling white checked off the list,
As well as red, mulling spices, and cranberries.

Yes, all would be festive,
Filled with holiday cheer,
Fresh crispy green beans, mashed potatoes,
And Great Lakes Christmas Ale beer.

But over the weekend, there arose such a flurry,
Little Brooke's nose was snotty...
Of course we were worried.

And the snotty nose became a chest cold,
And then came the fever,
And yes, we share germs...
I am not a deceiver.

So then Connor was plagued,
And Mommy was beaten,
Daddy didn't feel so hot either,
And no turkey was eaten.

But despite all the germies,
The yucky noses galore,
Despite the body aches and fevers,
and the lack of decor...

We are thankful, you see for each other today.
And for all of you too,
no matter how many miles away.

The Lord has richly blessed us,
with a roof over our heads,
With wonderful friends,
And warm cozy beds.

So we'll pray that tomorrow,
we wake up feeling refreshed.
That the fevers are gone,
And we're back to our best.

That turkey will roast,
and we'll cook those cranberries,
We'll see our dear friends and family,
and all will be merry!

So Happy Thanksgiving,
to all near and dear,
We love you dear friends and readers,
And wish you were here!

You might hear me exclaim,
With all of my might,
"Happy Thanksgiving to All,
And to all a GOOD NIGHT"!!!!

On the Potty...

Brooke has been obsessed with the potty recently...she does go, though I'm not really "pushing it" yet...basically because I'M not mentally ready to potty train! ;) Check out our little diva in training though--her favorite thing to look at on the porcelin throne is the newest Hanna Anderson catalog! ;)

GIVE AWAY!!!!

Happy holidays, Happy holidays!!! It's that time of year, and here's a holiday give-away too good not to share! Hop on over to The Entertaining House to enter!!! ;)

XOXO!!!

Some Day I'll Get One!!!

A Christmas card picture, that is! ;)

My friend Steph launched her new business a couple of months ago, and I'm so excited to have her design our Christmas cards...trouble is, it's REALLY STINKIN' HARD to get a picture of both of kids...together...smiling at the same time! I was literally CHASING Brooke around the yard on Saturday, trying to get THE shot...Connor was great, since I promised him a "treat" if he cooperated, however, Brooke had free-reign (or so she thought) of the front yard (usually off limits to her), so she was in seventh heaven! Here are a few pics from Saturday...we'll have "round two" after I rest-up and recover a little bit! ;)

Three Weeks....

They say it takes three weeks to form a habit...three weeks to get into a routine...three weeks of doing something on a regular basis to really have it become a part of your day to day living. Yesterday marked three weeks since I began running again. At first, I was a bit skeptical. I had begun again last summer, but my knee really started to act up so I didn't make it very long, at all.

But, alas, my wonderful husband has been diligently running this summer, and inspiring me (better late than never, right? :) He wanted to run The Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning...a 5K that raises money for the local food bank and takes place in our town. I thought about it, and decided that I, too, would trot along...I needed a goal, something to aspire to! So, three weeks ago yesterday, I went to a little shop downtown that specializes in running shoes. Spent a lot of time in there, trying to find the perfect pair (and ended up with a pair of Mizunos, which I love :), got some new running attire at Target, and got back in the saddle again!

Sooooo, it's been three weeks of running five days a week. I've increased my stamina to 3 1/2 miles, and it feels soooo good. I've missed the burn, and the feeling of satisfaction I get when I break a sweat, stay focused, and actually make it all the way up that hill without stopping to catch my breath!!! I have great ideas, now...I want to run a half marathon next summer!!! I know it's a lofty goal, and I don't do too well running in the cold, so it will be hard to train this winter (of course we got rid of our treadmill last year...ugh!) But, it is another goal, and we'll see how it goes!!! The good thing is, unlike my lovely husband, I am soooo not competitive, so any goal I have is just for myself. I have no time in mind, no records I want to break, I just want to keep up this habit...it's such an awesome time to de-stress, think, and pray!!!

Of course, I haven't lost a pound, but that might be due to having this dang Halloween candy around! :)

Halloween...is Ovah!!!

And, I'm glad. :) Don't get me wrong, it was fun and all, but our kids aren't the best with costumes (Connor finally wanted to wear a costume this year, but Brookie down-right refused to put on anything except for her cute tutu--thanks Jo ;)--and, I just don't do "scary". Not really a fan. But, we had fun. We Trick-or-Treated, and Connor had a costume parade at pre-school which was pretty darn adorable, and now we have an incredible mound of candy that forces me to run at least three miles a day to negate the effects of. Ugh!!!

How excited am I though, that now we are OFFICIALLY into the HOLIDAY SEASON..(if, like I do, you understand the beginning of the "holidays" to start the first of November. ;) Woohooo!!!!