Thanksgiving Weekend

It's already the week after Thanksgiving? WOW! We had a busy weekend. Thursday we had some friends over for Turkey dinner. I tried my grandmothers stuffing recipe for the first time. Not bad. Grandmother would have definitely criticized my lumpy mashed potatoes that everyone loved. I was raised with no lumps but everyone downed the toxins (potatoes change and become not healthy when cooked) covered in my lump less homemade gravy. Max eats almost anything...be it from 'Hell's Kitchen' (the ship) or Burnt Paradise (my kitchen) but didn't take much interest in my home made cranberries this year. I'm thinking of finding a way to puree and can them myself. Canning! How crunchy is that?! But really did you expect any different from me? I swear I have to be creative and sneak things like wheat germ into his salsa for nutrition. Amber made awesome sweet potatoes that one of our church friends recently dug up from his garden. Another thing I would love to learn how to can. We all love sweet potatoes...so much that I make sweet potato pancakes! We had a typical military family dinner....and it was wonderful to have another evening of fellowship prior to Amber's departure.

Friday morning my neighbor and I got out of the house about 3:30. We made it to Wal-Mart and got a map of what pallet of merchandise was where. Made our game plan and worked as a team to get what we needed when the bell rang at 5:00... paid for our stuff and walked back to the car at 5:18. Toys R Us was next...only 3 items and a 15 minute wait. Off to Target to get Max his gift. I'll tell you what it is because I know he will only read the first and last line of this blog...if at all. Besides the fact, he picked it out. I got him a new ship camera that can fit in his pocket. I can see the eyebrows of non-military raising so let me explain. When he is deployed he needs a camera too. I'm tired of getting motion sick looking at his blurry pictures from his 6 year old camera that has been dropped countless times in foreign ports. I was so ready to spend the $89.00. Target is in the mall here so we also wandered Children's Place, Family Christian Bookstore which had fantastic door buster deals, and I even got a secret from Victoria. Two coffee stops later we called it quits and made it back home by 10ish. Max got the kids ready and was standing at the door keys in hand to 'pick up a few things for under the kitchen sink' from Lowes. Yeah, I'm not that stupid. His motive was power tools, large tool box, and anything with a laser light or an 18 volt battery. I took his wallet and handed him $20. OK, no I didn't...but it sounded good. Friday afternoon we stopped by our friends house to say one last 'see you later'. She left Saturday morning.

Saturday Max and our friend Romy started on our back splash in the kitchen. A little grout and caulking left and everything is done. As far as my kitchen ceiling... the warehouse effect is kinda growing on me. Who needs sheet rock?

Fast forward to today- I started wrapping presents. Bear walked in and tried to look under the blanket.
Me: What do you think your doing?
Bear: I want to see under that.
Me: No
Bear: Mooooooom, I want to see if I like it. (jumping up and down starting a tantrum)
Kalee: I didn't see anything Mom (talking fast as if she's guilty)
Me: Good cuz' I don't want you telling Sydney and Harley what Mrs. Susan has me holding for them for Christmas.
Kalee: Oh. (pause) Is Sydney getting the Moon Sand? Or Harley?
Me: Uh-huh...get outta here!

She realized she got caught. I think I can only pull that off for another year or so. My Mom did it way too long. I even remember reversing it "Mom, I think Candice would like that."

Off to research sales on Leap Frog products.