Will you look at that... Wednesday

I will share with you all about our food and other fun from Easter weekend... First the food... I made a smaller then meal then usual... Tried to keep it simple... So, I made Spiral Sliced Honey Glazed Ham, Stuffing, Red Garlic Mashed Potatoes (skins on), Gravy, Carrots, Broccoli, Green Bean Casserole, Applesauce, Cranberry Sauce and Biscuits... Here are a few PICS of the spread... My hubby likes to tease me because every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas... I insist on taking a PIC of just the food all lined up on the counter... He calls it my 'Martha Stewart' moment...Yummy...Just another angle... :-) See, I even look like Martha Stewart... I'm kidding... ::wink:: Hubby helping with the children... See he was here on Easter too... Just not as easy to catch on film as the children... ::grin::Linebacker patiently waiting for prayers and then it's time to eat! Story time after dinner with Mommy... We read 5 Little Bunnies by Linda Hayward... It is a First Little Golden Book; Copyright 1985... Children enjoying the weather... Playing late into the day (shadow showing outline of the house, this is looking East)... This was taken from the window as not to disturb their play...

Labor Day

For Labor Day despite the rainy weather... We went on a road trip to Fort Abercrombie... Here is a bit of info...

Known historically as "the Gateway to the Dakotas," Fort Abercrombie was the first permanent United States military fort established in what was to become North Dakota. It was also the only post in the area to be besieged by Dakota (Sioux) warriors for more than six weeks during the Dakota conflict of 1862. During the Dakota Conflict, Minnesota Volunteer soldiers manned the fort when area settlers sought shelter there. The "regular" U.S. Army soldiers had been withdrawn during the Civil War and had been replaced by the Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. The fort was not protected by blockhouses or a palisade during the siege, but these defensive structures were constructed soon afterward. The fort guarded the oxcart trails of the later fur trade era, military supply wagon trains, stagecoach routes, and steamboat traffic on the Red River. It also was a supply base for two major gold-seeking expeditions across Dakota into Montana. Fort Abercrombie served as a hub for several major transportation routes through the northern plains. After the fort was abandoned in 1877, fort buildings were sold and removed from the site. A Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in 1939-1940 reconstructed three blockhouses and the stockade and returned the original military guardhouse to the site. Beginning in the summer of 2001, a project to refurbish major portions of the WPA project and to reinterpret the site was initiated.

Check out the link for more... We took a PIC inside the 'interpretive center'... Our last trip there was in 2007... Just before they built the new interpretive center...

To Do List Thursday

I had many things on my to do list today... This morning I made garlic mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts in a butter sauce to go with our hamburgers I made last night... I made a few phone calls... My husband had a dental visit (routine check up)... Monkey and Peanut had Speech... I chatted with my neighbor next door... She is 80 this year (born in 1929)... I will be 30 in less then a month... She calls me 'kid' instead of by my name... Always saying how beautiful the children are and that they keep her young... She has 3 grown children and several grandchildren (all school age)... We were talking how Engineer will be in 4th grade this year and Monkey in 1st grade... When we bought the house Engineer was 2 years and 7 months old, Monkey wouldn't arrive for another 5 months, and I had just turned 23... Look how our family has grown! I didn't do any sewing because I'm more tired then I thought I would be... Guess the week is catching up to me... I knitted some more on Peanut's hat... It should be done soon... I then can start working on the boys' hats and then scarves...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Here is our Thanksgiving... ENJOY!

Prep for Thanksgiving is HARD work!

Moved to a more comfortable spot...
Turkey: One wing stuck out from under the foil after we covered to prevent over browning...
Table All Set (minus noted items below)...
Here is our healthy, happy, and very Thankful family...
Myhusband always reads Proclamation of Thanksgiving by Abraham Lincoln that they print in the paper ever year...
My husband has the honor of carving the turkey...

Our fridge full of 'leftovers'...

Our Menu:
Cheddar Potato Soup
13 lb Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Squash / Onions sauteed in butter
Green Bean Casserole
(doubled)
Carrots/Peas
Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Deviled Eggs
Cranberry Sauce

(not pictured see bread note)
Cornbread
Bread

(not pictured forgot to remove from pan till after photos)
Apple Crisp
2 - Sweet Potato Pies
Pumpkin Pie

Thank you for all those who helped to make our Thanksgiving Bountiful!

1st Day Of Christmas

I spent a good part of the day sorting through the gifts... I also spent a good part of the day removing gifts from their boxes and putting them together... I took my oldest to the doctor... He goes for a test in January and then a follow up appointment the day after to discuss what they find out... My husband took him in for his bi-yearly blood tests... He also ran some errands with my oldest while the little ones and I napped... I had to return only one gift... So, I ran out quick to do that... It was actually somethingI had bought... LOL!!! I didn't realize how much peanut had grown and she will out grow it before it is warm... It was a clearance summer outfit I picked out for her to wear in the spring... So, I exchanged it for a shirt she can use now... We were out of milk, eggs, cheese, PB, cereal and juice... So, I picked those up... It was a quiet day at home picking up after Christmas... We bagged everything up for trash day tomorrow and put it out to the curb for pick up... We finished the Lord of the Rings Trilogy... All in all it was a quiet day at home with family...

Christmas Shopping - Frustrated!

I stopped at the library and learned our 8th Anniversary Theme is Bronze... I'm trying to figure out what and where to buy items made out of Bronze for my husband... I found some little bronze turtles I think DH would like but only online or eBay... I don't have time to wait for something to be shipped... I goofed and didn't think about how I needed to know the theme so I could shop... DUH! I also need to shop for DH's birthday which is Sunday... Eeekk!!! Not to mention Christmas for him and spend any money family sends for myself and the children... Which leads me to my frustration! I have no clue what to tell people who are buying gifts... I'm also not really sure what to buy myself either for those who just send the spending power... I spent so many months running up CC bills for things I had to have at that moment and now I just don't want to shop... Even if it is 100% paid for and no bill will be coming... I have been on a Cash only system for a while now not using my CC for anything... If I could have anything it would be a debt free Christmas but I'm too far gone for that... I can only dream of a nearly debt free tax refund... We did shop for the children's "Santa" gifts yesterday... I ran in to pick up our daughter's first doll house... That was sooo very exciting!!! DH ran in for the boys... I need to go see what he bought so I know what to buy from relatives... It is sooo easy for me to buy the children or dh all kinds of wonderful things but struggle with what I want... ::sigh:: Praying for some peace...