HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I have a confession to make. I have never had pumpkin pie. As a matter of fact. I dont think I've ever tasted a pumpkin or had pumpkin anything (maybe a pumpkin spice latte)?? I'm a sweet potato girl. From the South so I guess that's just how I was raised. Additionally, although we are going over to a friends for Thanksgiving, I am insisting on making an entire Thanksgiving Feast. I prepped everything yesterday and am ready to get this party started at 5:30 a.m. Oddly, I'm kinda excited about it. I guess that's just how I was raised too. So I'll be basting, and baking, and roasting today and thinking of my family back home and my little family here in Atlanta... and how THANKFUL I am for really just everything.  

Munchkin got her first "report card" and her marks were stellar. Yes I'm bragging:-/ You would have thought I was opening her SAT scores, I was so nervous, HA! As a reward for being such a good student, and listener at school, H is taking her and a couple of her chums to see Disneys' FROZEN and have some frozen treats next door at the Johnny Rockets:-)

H is doing SO WELL at work. He's getting good marks too:-) and I am SUPER proud of him:-) I wonder what type of reward I should give him?

And this little h. Such a handful, and I mean it. Boys are something different. You can usually find me running behind him in various places around town. "Who's little boy is this?" I hear in the distance as I catch up out of breath and round the corner. I thank GOD for his active, inquisitive, terrible, terrificness.

We are all healthy. Not too many sniffles and fevers and such. I know that sounds trivial, when there are people fighting so  much more. But for now, and for us, we are well. Which reminds me to pray for healing for everyone who needs it.

I am continuing to make this house our home. Little by little, I am transforming every little nook and cranny and making our mark on our special place.

I LOVE this pic of me and the munchkin. Can I say that??!! Part of some family photos a friend took of us a a couple of weeks ago.  I think she has my cheeks but thats about it:-) I'm certain I gave birth to her though. 20 years from now it will be classic right?

Last year, my family came to town and we were doing this and this (quick and easy place cards)!! And this year we'll be nibbling and watching the Macy's Parade and then heading over to spend time being thankful for GOOD FRIENDS.

The babes are up, coffee in hand... Let the Games Begin!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Come and see what we are up to over on Instagram and such.. I'd love to see what you are up to too!!

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P.S. A very special birthday wish to my Me-Ma whom I miss very much and cant wait to see at Christmas!

Me Ma's are the bestest!

Down and Out in Bunnieville

Ive been a little out of sorts this holiday as the little h is down with a cold. actually a rather terrifying cough that i am praying is not asthma. Ive been up til the wee hours of the morning monitoring, administering, praying him back to sleep. 

oh how i love the fall and winter seasons and all of the joy and merriment they bring. but underneath is always the dread of the blow to these little immune systems I'm charged to protect and the colds and coughs I'll have to battle...

thankfully, in the interim. I have the folks to help out at least for a little while.

 (thats grand daddy - yes, we are southern:-) sorry for the wonky pic. 

in other news..
Thanksgiving was a success and the trimmings turned out marvelous. i think my favorite was the fresh cranberry sauce and also the sweet potato pie I've been having for breakfast every morning (its a vegetable right?).

pajama set

We were able to awaken from our food coma just enough to do a little Black Friday shopping. I bought a rug for my family room that I had been salivating over (finally!!) online. i hope i will love her just as much when i meet her in person (the rug) and I stocked up on PJ's at the Target - my favorite stocking stuffer, and made sure to pick up some to donate to the Pajama Program event I'm helping out with on December 1st.

We'll be tailgaiting all day in preparation for the big Notre Dame Game! Good thing we are still stocked with lots of food, snacks and drinks! H and h have been up tailgating (and coughing) since 5 a.m.

Go Irish!

Today I'm hoping to muster up enough strength (and eyeliner) to take some family photos and go pick out the Christmas tree from our favorite lot (here) in Midtown. We've been going there since H and I were dating.

I hope you were able to enjoy great times with friends and family and that they leave just in time to let you recoup a bit before heading back to the real world.

*all photography courtesy of instagram/hdieselsolo (hubby)

xx,

Thanksgiving Prep - Check!

A little Martha Stewart for some planning and entertaining inspiration.

I finally finished preparing for the week. Now I just have to check off my to do list!

Menu and shopping list complete.

I settled on a traditional Southern menu. I went with favorites that my mom usually makes and a few of my own traditions as well. No Thanksgiving is complete without my Grandma Bessie's Sweet Potato pie. Although she is no longer here. Her pie is a hearty and sweet as I remember her to be.

Cant wait to use these new (thrifted) dishes I scored a few weeks back along with these bowls!!

Munchkin is helping with the place settings.

Will need to do a condensed cleaning schedule. I wasn't coordinated enough to schedule some help here:-/

My favorite and handy Heather Bailey Memo Planner that I picked up from Target at the end of the summer.

Ready, Set, Go!!

Any tips on making this week go more smoothly? 

Any traditions you'll be incorporating this holiday?

Hope you're having a great Monday!!

Thankful for Friends

 binoculars and adventure map in hand scaling the alligator bridge.

She says I'm her best friend. That makes me smile (Crossing my fingers that she feels that way in 30 years). 

adventure gear - sleeping bag, pencils, a journal, warm clothes, daddy's back pack.

I'm finding as I get older how much my friendships have changed. Some fade. Different life stages at different times reak havoc on what you have in common. The conversations are different, fewer, farther in between. Life and schedules get in the way. It actually hurts a little. I mean a gal needs her pals.

But I have also found that your friends. Your true friends. The ones who really get you (and always have). Faults and all (no judgements) - will be there. You find common ground. You love each other. You are there for each other when the chips are high and low. No matter what. I am very thankful to have a few.

tree climbing with her handy rope (and daddy)

Including this one. I admire her so. Such an adventurer. I'm trying really hard not to live too vicariously through her.  I know she'll probably out grow me. At least for a little while.

In the meantime, I'll do my best to be a good friend. So we can find our way back to each other again.

happy belated thanksgiving?!

okay, so this blogging thing was a little easier to do when the munchkin was an infant. now when she's awake, i have to entertain, read, color, paint, make snacks, i cant remember if it was always that way.. it's all a blur.. at any rate, contrary to appearances i really love to update my little blog, and let the friends and family know what we've been up to around here in Bunnieville.

So last weekend:

 we got the tree a little early this year. we usually pick it up at Big John's Trees the Sunday after Thanksgiving but this year, we got it a whole week before.. althought it took us a week to decorate it. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, decorating for the holidays... 

but it can be quite an undertaking (if you do it right:-)

hubbys parents came for the week!

and of course we prepared the Thanksgiving Feast..

I made sure that everyone pitched in...

Ta Da! And here is my masterpiece.. Thanks to Martha's recipe for Maple Glazed Turkey, this little beauty was the bell of the ball... Pretty good if I may say so myself..

Can anyone tell me how to get this pan clean?

At least someone got to work some of that food off!  Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are working on some fun stuff for the holidays!