Catchin' Up

 Now that the 'ole blog is back up, I am dumping all my phone pics. 

Stuart and I walked/ran a 4 mile run on Thanksgiving morning. I beat my record from last year by about a minute. 

It was the perfect start to a day filled with food and family (and no pictures).

On Saturday, Stu and his brothers went and got our tree. 

Real trees are a pain, but so worth it! 

Abby and I had a blast getting all of our Christmas decorations out. 

And of course it was necessary to put the stockings on. 

Then Stu and his brothers went and got Abby's new bed. 

They put it together super fast......

Abby was so happy and just adores her big girl bed! 

Ready for bed! 

She has done really well in the bed. Other than dropping things out and screaming for me to come get them in the middle of the night! 

A few other happenings:

• Our washing machine is broken. We have google'd, You Tube'd and pretty much done all research we can. We have taken it apart, cleaned it, tested hoses....still not working. So I will be at my parents for the better part of the weekend doing laundry. 
• Speaking of my parents. A little drama this week. Their dog's electric collar broke so before they could get it fixed, she got out and ate a neighbor's chicken. Why there are chickens in a residential neighborhood is a whole other issue. Neighbor got pissed and long story short, they put the dog to sleep :( I still haven't told Abby. I am not looking forward to it when we go over there tomorrow. 
•  We leave for Disney in 10 days!!!! I am so excited, yet of course freaking out that I will forget something. I am a natural worrier. Oh, and we "kinda" told Abby about it. She knows it takes a plane ride to get there. But she did tell me that Minnie, Buzz Lightyear and Ariel live in DisneyWorld. Not sure why she picked those, but whatever.
• Tomorrow we go to a classmate's party. Cinderella is making a surprise appearance. I really hope Abby does well as it will be an indication of our trip! 

And for my own memory:

Tonight, Abby wanted to play "bedtime". So I crawled in her bed and she put me to sleep. Turned on the music, tucked me in and said "Now, I am not coming back in here". I died with laughter, I love what she picks up on. 

Then Daddy came in and asked to play, she said "No, you need to go to work". 

I swear, I enjoy every minute with her. I love her age and her imagination. 

Thankful

I am thankful that I figured out how to load pictures again (Tip: Upgrade to Blogger +). 

And Abby is thankful for the below things:

So sweet. 

I will catch up this week sometime....

*SOB* Blog Help

Hello All! 

I hope this weekend finds you eating leftovers and putting up Christmas decorations. 

I know that is what I am doing! 

But I need help/advice!!!

Blogger is telling me that I am out of space. And can't put more pictures on my blog. My options are to pay $2.49 a month to up my space. 

Has anyone encountered this? Did you pay it?

I tried to create a Picasa account (which is what Blogger uses to store pics), but I just can't figure it out.

Anywoo, bear with me while I figure this out!

Friday night randoms:

• We leave for Disney in 17 days. That makes my heart beat harder and palms get sweaty. We got our "Official" paperwork and luggage tags today. We booked through an agent and she sent Abby an autograph book for the characters. So sweet! 
• We had a real Christmas tree last year. It worked out perfectly since we put it in the dining room, where we don't go that much. This year, since we now have a dining room table, we are putting it in the living room. I am dreading the 1 million pine needles that will be in my house. 
• I plan on buying a fake one as soon as they go on sale after Christmas. I am thinking pre-lit. 
• Christmas tree = wrapping presents. Oh yea, starting it now. 
• 20/20 Breaking Polygamy is riveting. I don't know why (well, I am weird), but this just fascinates me.
• Finally.....I bought Abby's bed tonight. Stu is picking it up tomorrow and we bought her new sheets/comforter today. When I can, I will put up pictures. I love it!

 Happy Turkey Day Weekend!

Preparing for Thanksgiving

Abby's Essay for School:

her answers are underlined

How to Prepare a Thanksgiving Turkey

By Abby

First you take a girl turkey that is about 4 pounds. Then,  you put it in a pan and rub butter all over it and sprinkle sprinkles on the top. 

Put it in the microwave on 3 degrees. Bake it for 5 minutes. Serve it with ketchup and honey mustard. 

Yum Yum!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Weekend Photos

It was a gorgeous weekend here...even got some yardwork done!! 

Saturday night I got to hang out my besties for our annual Thanksgiving dinner. These are the best girls ever (one of whom thought it funny to hand me a pumpkin 2 seconds before the picture was taken). 

Abby came with me and spent her time doing this......

Seriously, found this gal upstairs all decked out cooking for the kiddos. 

She had so much fun that this happened as soon as we got in the car. 

Sunday morning we got up and met my mom at Percy Warner Park. It was so pretty, but I didn't get many pictures. Abby did love climbing on this statue thing. 

We came to cheer my bro on as he ran his first marathon (and one of the hardest). We finally saw him (in the yellow) about mile 18. I was so proud of him! 

After that, we briefly met up with some work people to run a 5K in downtown Nashville. I lost them before the race even started, but had a great time with Abby and my mom. Again, another beautiful day! 

Abby has discovered the "turn around" function on my phone/camera. I found about 20 of these pictures on my phone today. 

She knows how to use that phone better than I do!

Book Club Friday

The Racketeer by John Grisham

Summary:

 Given the importance of what they do, and the controversies that often surround them, and the violent people they sometimes confront, it is remarkable that in the history of this country only four active federal judges have been murdered.

Judge Raymond Fawcett has just become number five.Who is the Racketeer? And what does he have to do with the judge’s untimely demise? His name, for the moment, is Malcolm Bannister. Job status? Former attorney. Current residence? The Federal Prison Camp near Frostburg, Maryland.

On paper, Malcolm’s situation isn’t looking too good these days, but he’s got an ace up his sleeve. He knows who killed Judge Fawcett, and he knows why. The judge’s body was found in his remote lakeside cabin. There was no forced entry, no struggle, just two dead bodies: Judge Fawcett and his young secretary. And one large, state-of-the-art, extremely secure safe, opened and emptied.

What was in the safe? The FBI would love to know. And Malcolm Bannister would love to tell them. But everything has a price—especially information as explosive as the sequence of events that led to Judge Fawcett’s death. And the Racketeer wasn’t born yesterday . . .

Nothing is as it seems and everything’s fair game in this wickedly clever new novel from John Grisham, the undisputed master of the legal thriller.

Review:

I absolutely love John Grisham novels. I actually bought this book (with last week's book  - I got a deal on Amazon) which is very rare. It has been about 18 months since his last book and this was so worth the wait. Malcolm was an excellent character, I loved that I was "inside" his story, but not really. The story took some turns that I NEVER expected. It is definitely a book that you can't just randomly pick up and read. I think I read the whole thing in like 3 days. If you have read any of his books and liked them, then you will like this as well. Not a light read though! 

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Wordless Wednesday

Love!

Circle Time

 I love Abby's imagination.

3 (almost 4) is my favorite age. 

Some random things:

Tonight she set up her stool in front of the TV for "circle time" and read us a story. Complete with asking questions and telling us "Good Job" if we answered correctly. 

She told us that her friends at school told her that her shirt was ugly. She said that she liked it though, so she would keep wearing it.

Last night, she made up a song in the bathtub. It was the same thing over and over "I have to put soap on you first, because that is how you get clean". She used different voices and sang it to her fish that is over her faucet, singing it to her. I videoed, but since she is in the bathtub, I won't post it. But it was hilarious. 

She has a color chart at school, ranging from red that is a call to the parents to purple that is a treat in the treasure chest. She usually stays on green (average) to blue (above green). Yesterday, she was yellow for being "sassy". 

We went to a furniture store on Sunday and ordered her mattress (still need a bed frame though, sigh). We were in the office checking out and she had my phone. The place was slammed, but Abby felt it necessary to go through all my pictures and tell the lady checking us out what every picture was. This poor woman was so patient. And I was shocked that Abby was talking to a stranger as that never happens! 

Princess Abby

 Abby told me tonight to stay in the kitchen as she had "stuff" to do in her room. 

She came out and told me that she was now "Princess Abby" and I needed to call her that! 

Other Princess News:

• Abby has seen a new commercial for Disney World a few times. Every time it comes on, she talks about going to see that "real" castle that comes on at the beginning of her movies. Translation: Cinderella's Castle
• She has no idea we are going to Disney in about a month. 
• We are invited to one of Abby's classmates birthday party in a few weeks. Normally, I don't go to these since I don't know that many of the other parents. But it is a Princess Party...and Cinderella is making an appearance! I think we are going to do it.
• And hopefully this party will be a good indication of how she will do meeting the characters at Disney.

Book Club Friday

Young House Love by John & Sherry Petersik

Summary:

Design ideas for every style, skill level, and budget, from the beloved couple behind YoungHouseLove.com

This debut book by bloggers Sherry and John Petersik is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up a home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts, 5 million blog hits per month, and an ever-growing audience since the launch of Young House Love in 2007, Sherry and John are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Whether an experienced decorator or a total novice, on a tight budget or with money to spend, a any homeowner or apartment dweller will find ideas for his or her own home makeovers here. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.

Packed with 243 tips and ideas--both classic and unexpected--every project pictured was exclusively executed for the book. With more than 400 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Adding a little wow factor to your home has never been more fun!

Review:

I ADORE their blog. You can find a link to it here. If I even had a pinky's worth of their creativity, my house would look completely different. This is not really a book that you sit down and read, but I have been randomly leafing through it for a week so far. The one downfall...it is smaller than I thought it would be (about the size of a normal book). But it has some great ideas on ways to spruce up your living space. And since they are true DIY's - most of the ideas are easy on the wallet. 

And even if you don't get the book, I suggest checking out their site for some great ideas!

 Linking Up Here:

Book Club Friday

Book Club Friday - 2 Books!

Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews

Summary:

Annajane Hudgens truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason Bayless.  They’ve been divorced for four years, she’s engaged to a new, terrific guy, and she’s ready to leave the small town where she and Mason had so much history.  She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding to the beautiful, intelligent, delightful Celia.  But when fate intervenes and the wedding is called to a halt as the bride is literally walking down the aisle, Annajane begins to realize that maybe she’s been given a second chance.  Maybe everything happens for a reason.  And maybe, just maybe, she wants Mason back.  But there are secrets afoot in this small southern town.  On the peaceful surface of Hideaway Lake, Annajane discovers that the past is never really gone.  Even if there are people determined to keep Annajane from getting what she wants, happiness might be hers for the taking, and the life she once had with Mason in this sleepy lake town might be in her future.

Review:

I really, really liked this book. I thought it was a great story and kept me interested. There were multiple stories going on and although you suspect the ending (as most chic-lit stories end the same), it still kept me guessing exactly how it would end. I would recommend it and will be looking up other books by this author that I haven't read. 

Friends Forever by Danielle Steele

Summary:

Five children meet on the first day of kindergarten. In the years that follow, they become friends and more than friends. Together, they will find strength, meet challenges, face life’s adventures, endure loss, face stark realities, and open their hearts. In this moving novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel traces their unforgettable journey—full of tests and trials—as three boys and two girls discover the vital bonds that will last a lifetime.

Gabby, Billy, Izzie, Andy, and Sean—each bursting with their own personality, strikingly different looks and talents, in sports, science, and the arts. Each drawn by the magical spark of connection that happens to the young. At the exclusive Atwood School, on a bright September day, starting in kindergarten they become an inseparable group known to outsiders as the Big Five. In this rarefied world, five families grow closer, and five children bloom beside one another, unaware of the storms gathering around them.

As they turn from grade-schoolers to teenagers, seemingly perfect lives are buffeted by unraveling families, unfortunate missteps, and losses and victories great and small. And, one by one, they turn back to the Big Five to regain their footing and steady their course. But as they emerge from Atwood and enter the college years, the way forward is neither safe nor clear. As their lives separate and diverge, the challenges and risks become greater, the losses sharper, and the right paths harder to choose, in a journey of friendship, survival, and love.

In what may be her most intricate and emotionally powerful novel yet, Danielle Steel tells a heart-wrenching, ultimately triumphant story that spans decades, weaves together a vivid cast of characters, and captures the challenges we face in life—sometimes, if we’re lucky, with a friend forever by our side. 

Review:

I love Danielle Steele and am pretty sure I have read every book she has written. Honestly, they all seem to have the same theme - death, love, happy endings. 

So, this one BLEW me away. It still had the death and love. But everything else was just shocking. This book had more surprises than any Danielle Steele book I have ever read. It was just awesome, so even if you aren't a fan of her novels, I would recommend reading this one! 

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