Thanks for....Dr and Mrs B, and the soon to come Mr and Mrs H

My friend Jami said "I do" this weekend. I'm so proud of her and I love her now husband as well. I first met her in 7th grade and we have been friends ever since. I was honored to be a part of her wedding this weekend. I have included an array of pictures and there are a few stories to go with a few. I'm sure there will be more to come as we all share our pictures with each other.

The bride and her dad

Dr and the soon to be Mrs B

Bride's sister and her boyfriend after getting their cards from the bride.

We had a weepy moment! We got the bride all into her dress and let her go look at herself. She started getting teary eyed but her youngest sister came to the rescue with some left over Halloween candy. Isn't she a LOVELY bride?

See...She really is beautiful!

This turned out to be one of my favorite candid shots of her. I love this girl so much and I'm so proud of her!

This was a few minutes before the start of the wedding. She looks radiant...I looked worried but I so wanted everything to be perfect for her.

Before the wedding we had to entertain the groom's niece. A little DVD player with Toy Story, her thumb and a blanket were all we needed.

These are all a bit out of order now but you get the idea.















Again, another favorite picture of mine.






Here is a picture with a story. I still want to cry telling it but shit happens and at the end of the day they were still married. The lightening at times sucked so this picture is a bit dark but it will put the image in your head to sat up the story. I was responsible for the readings. I was standing in high heels on a carpeted 3 inch high podium. The readings were perfect and I nearly had them memorized so it wasn't a problem. Exiting the podium was! I fell to me knees minus one shoe in front of 100 + people when I turned and stepped off and according to the bride's mom, me heel got caught in the carpet. I wanted to die. I stood up as calmly as I could with the congregation's gasp still echoing through the church, put my shoe back on and walked back to my pew. The crazy part...I had to go back up 10 minutes later to do the next reading! Yes, it was caught on video, Yes, I felt like an ass. Yes, the bride forgave me. Later her own mom fell off a ledge and she actually got bruised a bit so other than my pride I got off easy.

It's official!

We did it!

She almost had the Chicken Dance figured out and then the music ended :(

The bride and groom took the money raised from the dollar dance and the garter auction to donate to the Children's Miracle Network Danceathon that the U did every year and they were both very involved in. I thought that was pretty darn sweet.

The bride was a Theta in college and it is a Theta tradition to be sung too at your wedding. The two bridesmaids are her sisters, a couple of us all went to Gifted camp together and we all knew each other in college.

A congo line made for some fun pictures...

This is the groom's dad, who after my swan dive off the alter gave me the nickname of "Happy Feet" at the dance. For the record, I danced the entire night away with my high heels on and didn't have a stumble at all.

So all in all, a fabulous time resulting in two amazing individuals promising to share their lives together. I love this girl like a sister and the groom has stood by her for the last few years with a heart of gold. I'm thankful I could share in their weekend.


Oh yeah, I was able to go to church with the family this morning as well. Even made it on time...in spite of the very nice State highway patrolman that pulled me over doing 83 in a 65 mph zone. He was kind enough to record it on my ticket as 80 mph and saved me $83 on my ticket :) First time I have ever every been pulled over and I wasn't even on the interstate! Why wasn't he on the interstate...did he forget it was a hoilday weekend and there were hundreds of people driving home on I-90 NOT Hwy 25?

I also have other big news...if you check the title there were two couples mentioned. On Thursday night, before I headed back to SD for the wedding my other best friend called me. We always call each other on holidays. But this time, she had a tear and a giggle all at the same time in her voice...Her boyfriend was a bit late coming to the table with the excuse of having to use the restroom. When her dad gave him a hard time and said they didn't wait just on anyone, he pulled his chair back, got on one knee and asked Heather to marry him. I'm thankful to say she said yes and was presented with this...
JAMI AND HEATHER...I am so thankful to have both of you in my life and I am happy you have both found the one to share your own lives' with. I'm so proud of both of you and am grateful for your friendship through the years. I LOVE YOU!

Thanks for...giving Thanks!

For the last 23 days I have listed something to be thankful for. Some days I was in no mood to be thankful for anything but I had made a statement that I was going to do this and therefore, every day I made a point to stick to my guns. Doing so has made me more ready for the Christmas season I think. My point in the past series was to put off the commercialism of Christmas in an attempt to avoid forgetting about Thanksgiving. Christmas lately seems to start in October. In Christian traditions Christmas is proceeded by a season of preparation and longing, of anticipation and reflection. Taking the time to reflect on what I am thankful for has now made me ready to prepare for Christmas.

Today I spent the morning watching the Macy's Day Parade and then I went to a friend's house. She and her husband had invited me to join both of their families on this day of gratefulness. My parent's are an 8 hour drive away and the boyfriend's parents invited me too but they are four hours away. My options would have been driving 8 hours starting yesterday afternoon to get to my mom and dad's and then driving 4 hours tomorrow to get to the wedding. The other choice would have been the four hour drive to the boyfriend's family's house only to do the 8 hour drive tomorrow to get to the wedding. So I joined Lisa and her family today.

They welcomed me literally with open arms, treated me like one of their family and it was truly a joyous place to be today. The love, the stories, the laughter, and of course, the food are something I am very grateful for sharing in. For the time to be thankful this past month, I'm grateful. I haven't decided if I am going to finish up the month with "Thanks for.." posts but I did what I sat out to do and I'm happy for that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for...friends and a pedi for HNT

I visited a blogger friend this week...Sandi and I chatted Saturday afternoon away while she gave me a beautiful pedicure in time for this weekend's wedding. The red matches the colors for the wedding as well as the satin underneath the black lace of my dress. I'm thankful Sandi is here in town and I could spend a little time with her this past weekend. Now I owe her a tag, I"ll get to that this weekend when the wedding hubbub has calmed down.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...be grateful for that you have, remember those that have not, and take the time to reflect on both today.

Thanks for...a good glass of wine

...and a great glass to drink it from. I enjoy a nice glass, bottle, or two of wine. I go in streaks with it. This week, I have been on a streak. The local liquor store that still hand carries your goods to your car for you has a wine special that runs all the time. 12 bottles at a time and you get a pretty hefty discount. It takes me a while to get through 12 bottles but I stop in a few times a year to stock up.


I don't have any preference really, I like to mix it up. The stash always includes whites, reds, sweets, dries, well known brands, fun finds. This particular 12 included several bottles from a new favorite Barefoot from California, a bottle by a winery called Three Blind Moose (Duh, you think i could pass that up?), as well as one from Menage a Trois.

I also like to give wine. Since I started my little stampin business I have come up with a new craft. The same hometown feel liquor store gave me a supply of tall skinny paper bags and I have taken to decorating them. This is one I have made for my Thanksgiving Day hostess. There is a bottle of Rawson's Retreat Semillon Chardonnay tucked safely inside.

The goblet is a one of a kind creation. It was a gift from my boss made by his wife. For more of her stuff check out AmyCass Pottery. She does just amazing things and I have started a little collection. These are heavy, chunky and beautiful. Mine is currently filled with a red Zinfendal from Barefoot. I'm going to start a movie, turn off the lights and sip my glass of wine.

For the quiet time to relax before the holiday and reflect on the last month with a nice glass of wine, I'm grateful.

Thanks for...a pair of good shoes

That's not what I'm really thankful today but I had to get a picture of my new kickin' OR shoes in this week. I have been whining about being slow at work for the last three weeks. We have been hidiously slow. Maybe one OR case a day.

Today...not the case. We got a subtalar ankle fracture dislocation that was unreducable in the ER, a car versus semi involving open femur fractures and upper extremity injuries, one septic patient with possible source being his shoulder and wrist, a couple "usual" hip fractures, and a few other things. We were BUSY! Oh yeah, somewhere in the middle of the day I had a patient code too.

These new shoes got to scrub in on TWO surgical cases this afternoon and if I hadn't had a hair cut at 6:45 pm I could have stuck around for the two cases we still have left. So for a busy day that got me into the OR, I'm grateful.

Thanks for...a night with the boyfriend

Tonight, we decided to head out and see an early Christmas light display. This whole month I have been posting about things to be grateful for in an attempt to hold at bay the ever earlier and earlier onset of Christmas celebrations. However, the local NBC news station combines with several other local businesses to convert a local camp ground into a light display from mid-October to the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It isn't so much of a Christmas theme as it is just "Lights in Bluff Valley".

This past weekend I was super busy with the art show, pedicure, and card workshop. I felt like I had short changed the boyfriend in the time I had to spend with him plus I got a bit on the snippy side on Saturday night when I was down to the wire getting things done and he felt like he got a bad rap in the deal. We spent last night watching my Broncos get beat but I started snoozing just after halftime.

So, tonight we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed north to the Lights in Bluff Valley. We drove through the light display, got "lost" in the light maze for a bit, and finished up watching the evening musical group. We took a few pictures and considering we were driving and trying to take night pictures I think they turned out sort of neat. We didn't take a picture of everything but here are a few of our favorites.

For the night alone with my boyfriend on a nice winter evening outdoors, I'm grateful.

Thanks for...this afternoon

This afternoon I spent the day with 7 other woman at the 40 cards in a day workshop that myself and another Stampin' Up demonstrator put on. It was fun to watch everyone put their stuff together. Plus we got several new recipes out of it as well. It was a nice girl orienated afternoon. I don't "do" girl time well. I'm usually too much of a tom boy and I don't like being in large groups of woman. But lately, I've felt like I need a little girl time. I got a good dose this afternoon, and for that I'm grateful.

Now I need to go make dinner and sit down to watch my Broncos game :)

Thanks for...my friends

When I was in junior high and high school I wasn't one of the "cool kids". I played sports but wasn't the sterotypical jock. I was in the band but I wasn't the sterotypical band geek either. School was easy for me. My hometown too small for me. In the summers instead of hanging out with everyone I traveled as much as I could with my grandparents or any school sponsored trip I could. I also spent 2 weeks a summer at Gifted Camp. Yup...nerd fairly comes to mind.

It was here I met my best friend. The one getting married next weekend. I'm so thankful for her as well as the other kids from camp that I made friends with. We have continously moved farther and farther from each other physically and getting to see each other and talk to each other doesn't happen as often as it always does but when we do see each other or get to talk, it's like we just saw each other yesterday and pick up right where we left off.

Then came college and a diasterous semester with my first roommate and a world of worry over the first Christmas break as I waited to meet my new roommate. When I walked in the room and she had COW stuff all over, I knew it would be okay. I urgently called my mom and while crying, wailed "Mom, she likes Cows!". Again, physical distance has us 1200 miles apart but we talk weekly, email almost daily and know what the other is thinking without saying things. There is an unspoken "she's here with me" that we both know about.

There's that big lovable old guy too. It isn't Santa but the guy who stole his blogging start from my blogging start. He's seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of me and stuck around through it all.

I can't forget the new friends, the passing friends, and those that watch out for me whether I know about it or not.

For all of these friends, I'm grateful. For the friends to be made, I'm thankful.

Thanks for...A chance to be busy

The reason Friday's post is getting posted this morning (Saturday) is because I was a bit busy. For the past few weeks at work, things have been pretty slow. I don't like that, I would much rather be busy and scrambling to get things done at the end of the day, then sitting for hours on end trying to find something to do.

Well, work didn't get busy but this weekend sure is and it started last night. I left work around 3:30 and started at the north end of town and worked my way back south running errands. Home Depot for tin and tin snips, Staples for printer cartridges, the mall for a dress and a pair of shoes, Michael's for magnets, glass stones, and ribbon. Once home, I cut the ribbon needed for the workshop on Sunday, started printing the instruction booklets for everyone, showered.

I have a lot to do today and tomorrow morning but I'm looking forward. An idle mind finds crevices to get stuck in. I like being busy and for this weekend's tasks I'm grateful.

Thanks for...a good night's sleep

last night I got one of the best night's sleep I have gotten in a long time. So good that I decided to extend it for an extra hour and skip my 6:45 meeting. No big deal, I'll catch the topic the next time around. now for hopefully another great night...thanks for a good night's sleep.

Thanks for...family

I know I earlier posted about being thankful for the time my mom, sister and I had together this summer. Tonight, I'm thankful for family in general. I know it sounds generic and "politically correct" but i am thankful for my family.

Both sets of grandparents grew up with large familes, particularily on my mom's side (14 kids on the one side and there is one of those great uncles still alive). My grandparents subsequently each had small families...My dad has a sister and my mom has a sister. In the small town where I grew up, grandma and grandpa Kahl were the equivalent of a city block away through the trees or down the country road. I can still vividly remember the nights Grandpa lugged me through the trees to take me back home after I got scared spending the night at their place. But by the time I was in junior high, if Grandma and Grandpa Kahl were traveling I was in the back seat from mid-May through the end of August.

My mom's dad passed away a month before I was born. I don't know much about him other than pictures and stories. But my Grandma Rose was a big part of my childhood inspite of the four hour drive to her house in the country. If you remember the big red barn picture from earlier this year, that was her place. She took care of it by herself. She always had a crystal dish filled with those Neopolitan nougat candies and a tin of dried fruit in the refrigerator. If you ask my dad what he remembers about Grandma Rose is her homemade donuts. We would travel to see her at least once a month when we were little. She passed away when I was about 8 years old, I still have her rosary and use it often.

As far as my two aunts...Dad's sister lived on the way to Grandma Rose's house, she is also how my mom and dad ended up together. She and my mom were both nurses at the same hospital. She and her first husband spoiled me rotten. Even though they separated when I was pretty little, 20 years later I still keep in touch with "Uncle" Lee. My aunt now lives in northern Minnesota and we both go back to the farm whenever we can.

My mom's sister is more of a mystery. She left SD as soon as she could and I don't remember her much, nor have much interaction with her. However, her daughter and I are 13 yrs, 364 days apart in age and she use to come to the farm every summer. We aren't as close now as we once were but I'm still grateful for my small family.

My mom, dad, and sister still live in the farm house where I mostly grew up. Initially, dad's parents lived in the farm house but all farmers "retire", which simply means by a house in town and drive out to the farm everyday. When that happened, we got rid of the trailer house and moved into the big farm house. Grandma and Grandpa's house in town was in the perfect location...two blockets from the community center/gym, two blocks from the school, and one block from the Catholic church. We always had a place to go as kids.

I only have my Grandma Kahl left and this Tuesday she is having a mastectomy because of a malignant breast tumor too large to remove with just a resection. As most of you know, my mom has ovarian cancer and time is precious there. So even though it's a bit cliche', I'm thankful for my little family.

Thanks for...a good eyebrow wax

Seems a bit cheesy but it can make you feel wonderful. I hate plucking and over the last few months have just not made the time to stop in for an eyebrow wax. Since I'm in a wedding coming up next week I thought I better get it taken care of. Man, the eyebrows look a heck of a lot better. For that, I'm thankful today.

Thanks for...a creative release

I'm about to sit down for a bit of an evening project. This next weekend I am co-hosting a "40 cards in an afternoon" Stampin' Up workshop. Each participant is provided with a pre-fabricated Christmas kit including cardstock and stickers plus all the extra cardstock, adhesive, ribbon, etc they need to produce 40 Christmas Cards in one afternoon. It should be fun.

I have a couple candles lit, my crafts spread out on the table and I'm ready to start cutting. I'm thankful I have a few creative bones in my body to allow me to take a chilly night like tonight and turn it into a creative release. By the time I go to bed I will have cut out 160 card bases plus all the bits to make them work.

I have a few other creative Christmas projects up my sleeve but details will have to wait or I'll spoil the surprise :)

Happy Monday!

Thanks for...my boys :)

Currently the boys are tormenting a lone box elder bug on the living room floor. I'm not sure they are sure what to do with it. But today I'm thankful for my cats...Reggie (orange) and Romeo (gray). I adopted the brothers from the local human society in February of 2004. They have evolved into true companions. They know when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I need to cuddle, when I want to play. They never judge me, they look at me with adoring eyes and they make me laugh. I could write more but I want to watch the wrestling match between them and the bug so I will leave you with a few photos instead.

Thanks for...a lazy day in bed

Seriously people, sleeping in for me is 7 am or later. So today's 11:30 wake up with a crawl back into bed at 12:30 until 3:45 was a serious change for me. I was wiped out. Also woke up with a huge headache the first time so that's why I was back into bed later. I'm thankful I was able to do that and grateful for the time to relax, let my headache meds go to work, and happy my headache is finally fading. And thankful the boy agreed to drive me around to run shopping errands.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Thanks for...The First Snow

UPDATE: 11.8 inches of snow today!


Thanks for...THE FIRST DAY OF REAL SNOW!! This is my favorite non-holiday, non-birthday, non-scheduled special day of the year. I absolutely love the first day of a good snow. And as you can see we are getting dumped on. All that rain in the Pacific Northwest made it to the cold midwest and is dumping currently around 7 inches of thick, heavy white stuff on southern Minnesota. Isn't it pretty?

Now I'm going to help the neighbor get his car up the driveway :)

Thanks for....uhhmmm (HNT)

Today was tough. I had a very long night, little sleep, and I still don't feel all that great. I have no motivation to do HNT either today. I could give you a shot of my red, raw nose, or my cracked, peeling lips. but instead I'll try to find a few things I'm thankful for today instead and go from there.

I'm thankful for my best friend Heather. She's 1800 miles away and on a day like this even a little email from her can set my unrest at ease.

I'm thankful for my coworkers...I have an amazing medical secretary and appointment secretary. They are more like moms than coworkers. My desk staff makes me smile when I have frown, includes me in their parties so I have some woman to hang out with, and help every single day to make the day go better for all of us.

I'm thankful for my ability to communicate with others...if I couldn't connect with my patients in one way or another, my job would be a lot harder. Now, if I could just do that in my personal relationships a bit better.

I'm thankful for a few moments this evening with a new friend here in town....for the time to spend alone with each other just chatting.

For these things I'm thankful. Even if today was a challenge from the get go. Have a great night


EDIT: This was my attempt to make myself feel better...a hot shower, putting on decent make-up and fixing my hair. When I flipped my head back up after blow drying it, I realized I can be thankful for my hair. Sounds cheesy but I'm having a good hair night and if that's the only good part about today, I'm sharing it...Happy HNT

Thanks for...a sense of humor

I had to laugh today. We had a busy clinic, my head feels like it is completely impacted with snot, and those on our list today were some of our more "special" patients. On clinic days I dress nicely...today a pair of slim fit straight leg chocolate dress pants, a button down white shirt from New York and Company and a red suede jacket. Gold jewelry, high heeled brown pointed toe boots. And I was having a very good curly hair day. Didn't think I looked too darn bad considering I felt awful.

The boss sent me into a room to finalize some tests and appointments as well as complete some paperwork on a somewhat uhmmm...difficult patient. My plan to be quick, efficient, no small talk, put in my orders and tell them to have a nice day. Screw that!

I walk in and the first thing out of my patient's mouth with a big excited smile on their face, "OHHHH...are you pregnant!"

I wanted to die. I know my abs are my "issue" but I go to the gym. I work out with a BOSU ball and mat routine for my ab program. I cycle, use the elliptical, and most recently, have taken up running. I'm not "skinny" but I'm not overweight either. My arms are pretty darn strong, my calves look like runner calves, my hips and tummy are on the downslide of in progress. I frickin' wear a size 6, 8, or 10 long pant depending on the brand. BUT MY GOD!!!! I DO NOT LOOK PREGNANT! NOR AM I PREGNANT!

So with a big smile on my face, I said no, "have to have a husband first" and proceeded to enter the patient's tests, follow-up and fill out their paperwork before efficiently whisking them on their way for the day. Then I made sure to quicly ask my all MALE team of docs if I looked pregnant.

Smart group of guys I got...they all said an adament no :) Had to laugh over that one and for that, I'm thankful.

Thanks for...home delivery chicken soup

Monday nights are traditionally Monday Night Football nights at my boyfriend's house. He has a projector instead of a TV so we can watch the games on an 8 foot by 10 foot screen. Yesterday I was home very early from work and put my jammies on right away. I planted myself on the couch with day time TV, the cats, and the Kleenex box. So when it came time for the game around 7 pm, I was not feeling much like going anywhere. Instead, my boyfriend brought me chicken noodle soup from Panera and stayed at my house to watch the game on my much smaller (but still hi-def) 35 inch TV. Thanks babe!

Thanks for...a slow run at work

I work in a high stress job. I love my job though. I was fairly picky about which positions I applied for and then subsequently interviewed. Physician Assistants are trained in a family practice based curriculum, which basically means we cover cardiology, respiratory, and diseases like diabetes and other "common" illnesses quite heavily and sort of get "introduced" to subspecialities along the way. Going into PA school, I knew I wanted to do orthopedic surgery. So when I applied for jobs I applied for orthopedic positions or ER positions. Both high demand, both challenging. That's what I wanted. I was lucky enough to land a sweet job in Orthopedic Trauma.

The summer months are chaos, to say the least in Trauma. Fast toys, more road trips, alcohol...all give us in Ortho Trauma a reason to come to work. The "Redneck Triple Crown" runs from Memorial Day Weekend, includes the 4th of July, and caps off with Labor Day Weekend. From the end of May to the beginning of September we are hopping! It isn't uncommon for me to work from 7 am (6:30 am one day a week) until 7 or 8 pm at night during these months. I don't complain though because it's what I chose to do. I enjoy doing it.

But, today I'm thankful for a bit of a slow down at work. As summer transitions into fall, everyone is home from summer vacation, it's getting too cold for motorcycles, the waterskis are hung in the garage, the fast cars are put away BUT there isn't snow yet so no snowmobiles, icy interstates, little old ladies on ice, skiers. So that means we are a bit slow. I will complain occasionally on weeks like this at work but lately it's been nice to have a bit of a break and to get home early. I have used the time to reflect a bit on where I am in life, where I'm going, and just relax doing things like reading, playing with my cats, a little "fall" cleaning, working on my new Stampin' Up business venture, those sorts of things.

So until that drunken snowmobiler rolls into the ER to start off the season, I've got a bit of a lull and I'm enjoying the extra time to myself. And no, these aren't "real" patients of mine but very similar to much of what we see...I snagged these from the web :)

...and football

Since I'm home with my Sudafed head and blanket I might was well be thankful for Sunday Football too! It's my favorite sport to watch on TV and currently my Broncos are winning so I'm doubly happy!

Thanks for...Sudafed

On days like this it is hard to find something to be thankful for. My left ear and frontal sinus feel ready to explode, my eyes are all red and burning. Last night the boy and I went out to celebrate my little accomplishment this week to a nice dinner and a movie. It was a great night. Half way through the night I woke up all stuffy with a bit of a sore throat. By morning, my ear and face hurt. But...you know what, I'm thankful for the dose of Sudafed and Tylenol I'm about to take and for the heating pad I'm going to put upside my head and for the excuse to lay around and read all day.

Thanks for...A bit of a warm up

It's been bitter cold here this week and those who know me well know I love winter. I love the snow, I like to ski, I HATE the heat. But this week between the actual air temperatures and the wind it was really bitter cold and gray. No pretty white stuff to make the streets and trees glisten. It was just cold. Today it started out a bit on the rainy side but that means it was finally above freezing! Now it's a pleasant 50 degrees out and the sun is shining a little bit. I'm thankful for that.

Thanks for....courage

Three years ago I went through a really nasty divorce. I'm thankful I survived, literally. Os and my friend Heather can vouch that that was questionable at times. For the last three years a lot of things have been done by just getting by. I'm working to do more than just get by and without a lot of details, yesterday I took a big step in doing more than getting by. It's a step but it might just make a big difference in the long run. I'm thankful I have had the courage to get through some of the obstacles in my life for the last three years.

Thanks for...The Kahl Girls

We are all showing a little skin in this one...it was 112 degrees out! That's me, my mommy, and my baby sister at a family picnic this July. We are collectively known as The Kahl (pronounced CALL) girls by those in the area. I'm thankful that we were all three able to make this picnic for many reasons...it was a long drive for all three of us, it was super hot, but most importantly because my mom had been in and out of the hospital as recently as three weeks prior to this picture. I'm thankful we all made it and had a great weekend together.

Happy HNT!

Thanks for...My home

As the wind blows at 20 mph and the air temp hovers between 30 and 35 degrees, I am thankful for my own home. With the various "issues" i have had in life, owning my own home didn't seem like much of a possibility. But about a year and a half ago I met with the bank (I HATE banks/bankers/money) but I met with them and was able to get financing to purchase my first home. I sit now with the lights aglow, my feet up on my coffee table and when I'm done posting I'm going to curl up with my big warm sweatshirt and a good book knowing that I have a warm, secure place to call my own. Take a moment to think of those trying to stay warm this winter in much much less.

Thanks for my home.

Don't forget to be Thankful

It's Halloween night and if you broke yourself away from the little kiddies in their costomes at your door to head to Walmart, Target or any major department store you will likely already find yourself immersed in sparkles of red and green with Christmas tunes overhead.

I'm not a scrooge. I enjoy Christmas. I like spending time with my family, the anticipation still associated with Christmas morning, the smell of a holiday meal cooking . BUT...I despise the ever earlier and earlier hoopla prior to the Christmas season.

So, in protest of Christmas in November, I'm going to post everyday of the month from tomorrow until Thanksgiving something to be thankful for and I challenge the rest of you to do the same. It might be something simple like hitting all green lights on your way to work (I did this morning!) or more profound like being grateful my mom is still alive (I am, there has been more than once in the past year where she severely ill). Whatever the case may be, don't forget Thanksgiving this upcoming month before getting yourself all wrapped up in Christmas!

Good night!

Kitty Litter Cake Recipe

Per request...here is the recipe for the frightful masterpiece of a cake for all your Halloween party needs :)

1 german chocolate cake mix baked per box instructions
1 white cake mix baked per box instructions
1 large package instant vanilla pudding made per box instructions
1 package vanilla sandwich cookies, crushed
Sat aside one cup of crushed cookies and color with green food coloring
12-15 tootsie rolls

After baking each of the two cakes, allow to cool to room temperature. Pudding should be chilled and set up. Once cakes are cool, crumble together into a large bowl. Add in pudding and mix well to make the entire mixture moist. Add half of the white cookies to the mix as well. Place mixture into a NEW kitty litter box. Microwave 8 to 10 tootsie rolls just long enough to make "moldable". Roll and blunt ends to resemble poop :) Hide in the litter box. Then sprinkle the remainder of the white crumbles and all the green crumbles onto the top of the mixture. Microwave remaining tootsie rolls and drop on top and along edges of box. Serve with a NEW kitty litter scoop. Place on top of a newspaper to make "misses" an easy clean-up.

Happy Halloween!

Whirlwind Weekend

It's finally Sunday night and I have had a whirlwind of a weekend. I ran from one event to the next starting Friday night and ending about 20 minutes ago when i got home from the last meeting. But as promised here is a picture of the kitty litter cake I made. It was a big success...one gal was so convinced that she managed to eat the cake but couldn't get her tootsie roll down :)


I had to "smuggle" some hospital supplies out as well to help the boy get dressed for a Halloween themed Ultimate Frisbee tournament yesterday morning before I had to head to an early morning baby shower. He's my Jamician Doctor! Isn't he sexy?


I had to take a card to swap for my Stampin' Up meeting today but what I didn't know was that it could be 10 of the same card. So here are the 10 cards I took with me to the meeting. It was fun to see everyone else's ideas and pick up some tricks. I'll have some time this week to make a few new things. I'll see what I can come up with.

















Have a great week everyone!

Old Halloween HNT

This photo is from a couple Halloween's ago but after cooking all week, then just finishing up cleaning up after everyone let an hour ago, I'm beat so I'm recycling. Yes, that's a wine stain, uhm...there...on the right. It was a GREAT party :)

I'm off to bed...Happy HNT!

Half done

The chicken club melt turned out okay on Monday night. My cheese melted too much and spread out but it still tasted awful good.

Now I have the meatballs baked and in the crock pot so tomorrow all I have to do is add the sauce when I get home from work. The artichoke crab dip is mixed and in it's baker so it can go in the oven about a half hour before everyone gets here. The pumpkin cream cheese bars are in the oven and should be done in about 20 minutes. That leaves the wassel and warm wine for tomorrow plus assembling the various cheese trays. Not bad.

I also got myself four new tires today. Now I'm ready for the snow to fly, and ice too. I sure do miss being able to put on studded tires but Minnesota says they damage the roads. Out West we put them to work, climbing a windy icy pass on I-90 feels a lot better with metal studs in your tires than not.

A friend's mom is nearing the end of her fight with cancer. Please keep her in your prayers. I'll be there one day soon probably too so my heart goes out to her.

Well, the week's half over and I still have a lot to do. Hope all is well!

A week in the kitchen...

It's going to be a long week. Not so bad at work. We are only on call tomorrow so it shouldn't be too bad. Thank goodness...I have a ton of cooking to do this week. Oh yeah, and tomorrow I will be outside at the high school football game b/c the team i have been with all season won last week...it's currently 37 degrees out, WITHOUT the windchill calculated in yet. Could be a chilly time.

So, what's on the menu?

Tonight...Chicken Club Wreath

Thursday Bunco Night...Hot Artichoke and Crab Dip with Pita Chips, Aunt Lorie's Meatballs (hamburger, carrot, potato, onion soup mix bathed in a mixture of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup), Pumpkin Cream Cheese Squares, Wassail, Bisschopswijn (a hot sweet spiced wine mixture), Cheese and Cracker Tray, Baked Brie and Green Apples

Saturday Women's Ministry Movie Night...Kitty Litter Cake (I'll have a picture for you when it's all done)

God love HyVee! Fridge is stocked, order of preparation is planned. Now I'm off to start dinner.

Have a great week everyone!

HNT...The eyes have it

It was time to ditch the contacts and give the eyes a breather this week. I use to wear my glasses a great deal...I get up pretty early most mornings of the week and getting my eyes open far enough to get my contacts in was always a pain. Then i switched to lenses I could wear 24/7 for 30 days in a row and I was a changed woman! This month I went about four weeks past my usual lense schedule (yup, I wore them for two months). This past weekend I ordered new boxes and once I got the shipping confirmation I tossed the current pair and have worn a different pair of glasses every day this week. I have fun with glasses, I would like to get a few more frames without prescription lenses so I can wear them more often. So here you have three of my sets of frames. I love my Irish eyes!

have a great weekend. Happy HNT!

Catchin' Up

Man, one long week of work, meetings, and workshops and it is taking me three days to catch up. Now I have a headache that won't seem to budge. Last week I put in some seriously long hours and it didn't end on Friday. I had a Stampin' Up Workshop at my house on Saturday (oh yeah, I have added being a Stampin' Up demonstrator to my list of "things I do") so I spent all morning getting ready for it and afterwards cleaning up.

Sunday I slept nearly the entire day. Don't know what my hang up was. Ate breakfast late, took a two hour nap after breakfast, another 45 minute nap that afternoon and fell asleep half way through my Broncos victory over the Raiders. At least I didn't much in the second half!

Yesterday was another long day at work and today I was home before noon! What have I accomplished? Not a hell of a lot. I cleaned out my work bag, took two naps, switched a load of laundry, watched three episodes of Oprah. Now, my head hurts like crazy. Ugh...I must be getting old or something.

Friday Night Football

35 degree windchill with 15 mph winds, snow flurries, long underwear, smashing helmets...It's Friday Night Football in Minnesota, folks!

That's right, I got out my long underwear, insulated Russell's, cuddleduds, hoodie, Columbia coat, and a big down vest from Cabela's along with my wool socks and hiking boots. The best part of the game? Getting to run around the end zone to get to the other side line to take care of a player and then getting to run from the side line to the middle of the field to get a cramping player off the field. At least I got my heart rate to beat faster than 60 bpm for about 30 seconds.

The worst part? The home team ran over the opponent yet again and continues to improve their record so they will likely be hosting playoff games in November! Doesn't that sound like fun.

Have a great weekend!

Another year...

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes. Os did hi-jack my site...I think that is why he has had so many computer problems--it's his punishment for his internet piracy :)

I am a year older but I'm a year shy of 30 yet. Not sure where I want to be at in my life, hopefully a bit closer to having it "all put together". This weekend was a big step towards that, or at least I think it was. From a standpoint of my birthday it wasn't all that special. I got the usual cards, gifts and well wishes. The bigger news was my "presentation", which I had previously mentioned.

That's right...this weekend I was "presented" to "the parents". I'm happy to report it went far better than poor Gaylord Focker's experience. I did meet a cat but there were no spilled ashes, there were beautiful fall leaves to be seen but no burning gazebos. I did take a carry on suitcase but nobody searched through it. His parents knew what I do for a living and they didn't call me a nurse. Oh yeah, and the old sweet guy in the choir called me pretty, gave me a hug, and showed me the wrapped gash on his leg which he put there with his chain saw. All in all, a big step and survived by all.

It was a beautiful 70 degree weekend with fall colors in all their glory. It was a bit of a roadtrip but the anticipation of meeting the family kept me awake. I think the next big adventure will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the gang. At least I've done that before and even been known to get a few compliments on my turkey making skills.

Have a great week!

IT'S HER BIRTHDAY!!

Os, here. I've hijacked Moose's blog since she's not the type to toot her own horn. And since that's sort of what I do on a daily basis, I'll do it for her! Today is her birthday! All I'll say here is that she's not turning 30--she's still a pup. Happy Birthday, babe!! Love ya!

"Presented"

Tomorrow I'm attending a wedding with the boy. Last night he asked "Are you going to dress nice so I can present you?" I asked who to and he just grinned and said "I don't know who is going to be there." Guess I better clean myself up. I'm a bit nervous

HNT...A nice relaxing bath

I haven't taken the time to soak in a hot bubble bath for months. Last night I was tired, I'm sick (i have a head cold) and I was nearly done with my book so I decided to pour myself a bath, add a little gardenia lily bubble bath and breathe in the heavy steam while finishing my book. Felt great to relax a bit. Then to bed in my nice flannel sheets. A girl's dream! Happy HNT

I must expect too much

I only say this because lately I seem to be let down by a lot of things. Maybe it's because I am expecting too much. In my own life, I have always strived to do better, be the best, work hard, keep learning, be polite, stand up for myself. Is that too much to ask of other people?

For example...you visit the bank to establish a new account. You already have two other accounts with this same bank. You want to open a new checking account with a debit card and electronic funds transferring capabilities. No need for paper checks. Simple enough. You already have a standard account number with the bank and according to the banker sitting across from you, you will only need to add a simple four digit number to the end of this previously existing account number. So you do that.

You then begin using said account for your new small at home business. You place your first order from this business. Order ships without a problem. The weekend comes and goes and you get a call first thing Monday morning from said business stating they did not receive payment because the bank told them your previously mentioned new account doesn't exist. Now how can that be? You had used the debit card you were assigned, it worked. You had made deposits in person at the bank, those worked.

You call said bank. You ask for checking account number. The teller tells you the account number. Remember those 4 digits you were told...yeah, the banker told you them BACKWARDS. What the hell! Talk about embarrassing.

So I fix bones. Luckily, a higher power gave us a mirror image set of almost every bone in the body for those of us visual learners that need to look at things to study them. I can look at the left AND the right to see where things are wrong. Imagine if I made a similar mistake to what my banker did to me...you know what happens? I operate on, cut off, screw, or rod THE WRONG ANKLE/ARM/HIP/KNEE/SHOULDER and I GET SUED.

What happened when the banker gave me the new addition to my account number backwards? A scolding from a teller that tripped over herself apologizing to me after she gave me the correct order of numbers. Me, I called my new business back and made the correction all while my face was cherry red with embarrassment and frustration.

People, pay attention to the details of your job. They really ARE important.

She's getting married!

On Friday night I took off from Rochester with a secret! I was driving to South Dakota to surprise my best friend from grade school at her bridal shower and bacherolette party. Her parents, two sisters, brother, sibling's significant others...they all knew but she didn't have a clue. I walked into the house and she was literally speechless and even shed a few tears. A perfect success.

This wonderfully intelligent, beautiful, strong woman is getting married in 6 weeks and I wasn't going to miss all of this in the world. I 'm reading at the wedding but I had to make the "pre-party" functions. The weekend flew by and I'm home now but it was so great to see her. We live a long ways apart and don't get to see each other very often so this was special.