I'm Sceered: Make Me Laugh Monday

I didn't even have to make the turkey from start to finish and I looked this petrified. I didn't want to end up with a Clark Griswold turkey.

Luckily the turkey was amazing....even if we barely made a dent.

Linking up with Kristen at A Little Something For Me....

Thanksgiving

DH and I spent Thanksgiving with his dad and family and then on our own and then with his mom and family.

We made it through three meals and still fit in our pants. I did take a bunch of pictures of the Thanksgiving meal we made at his place. It was pretty traditional as far as my family goes - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, rolls, gravy and pies. We forwent (is that a word like "forgoes"?) the sweet potatoes simply because my mom never made them - and aunt did - and we're only two people. We can only eat so much, even when we're talking Thanksgiving. Below are some of the pictures of the prep and the meal.

And maybe the most gratifying part of creating a meal as a couple? Cleaning up as a couple. He even wanted me to just go relax - love him.

DH's mom's family lives in a great rural area and we spent most of our day after Thanksgiving up there. They have these...

Luckily no one lost any fingers; they say Mikey and Caroline are biters.
P.S. I finally found a pie crust recipe that lives up to the "no fail" part of it's name!!!! I found it HERE and shall never stray again. Don't let the many steps or the smashing of the butter phase you...

Pre-Thanksgiving Thoughts

I am thankful for having baking skills. I am also thankful for DH who will eat my pies no matter what they look like. Y'all, I'm scared of pie crust. I'm trying yet another one this week. And I'm making my first ever pecan pie. Shaking in my pants scared.

I'm thankful for a running partner who doesn't let me stop. I wish she would come over tomorrow and rub my sore calves. Those hills can bite me. Sigh...actually, after a couple more weeks we'll OWN those hills. Or at least be running them a little more consistently.

I'm thankful for family. I can't wait to talk with them on Thursday. I'll be missing my family, gathered around my parents dining room table. I'll probably cry for my mom at some point while making dinner for DH and I. She knows all the tricks. But I can't call her every 10 minutes when she's making her own feast for everyone.

I'm thankful for a break from work and a chance to plan for our Door Decorating contest after this break. I'm having fun just trying to figure out what the other teams are doing...especially the Circle Team. I'm incredibly tempted to cut just one circle into a square. Just one! I think it would be detrimental to my health though as Circle Cutting girl may cut me if I do that!

I'm thankful for grace, perspective, love, family, friends, running shoes, coffee, good books and pumpkin pie. But not pie crust.

He's Treasure Trove of Funny: Make Me Laugh Monday

I promise I'll try to remember to check my jump drive for pictures that are A) Funny and B) Of me. But until then, I'm so glad I have DH to supply material for me.

His idea of a "smile"...this reminds me of the scene from How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. You know, that scene with Kate and Matt....oh, that's the whole movie, huh.

My Favorite Futeristic Device...

...would be one that could take the thoughts out of my head and transpose them directly onto my blog. I have all these great ideas for posts and things I want to say and I don't have the time or materials to write them down and flesh them out. And then they're gone, into the ether of my mind. Some snippets of posts or ideas that this phantom device would have caught...

I feel like a really awful horrible friend sometimes when I realize that I haven't talked to the people who helped make me who I am in far too long. Girls that, whether they know it or not, help keep me focused on who I am and that I take strength and comfort from that who I am is pretty dang awesome because they never forget it about themselves. These women span my life from before elementary school to the present.

I despair at this time of year because while I love giving presents I hate trying to figure out what the right present is. I agonized over what to get DH for his birthday, was affirmed by things he mentioned that I had indeed picked the right present, and then wasn't convinced until we were sitting rink-side while a hockey fight was taking place in the 3rd period. His Christmas present, by the way, is a no-brainer...this year. But I'm almost frozen with trepidation when looking for others. I take it personally when a present isn't the right one, like I've somehow dropped the friendship ball because I didn't get the exact perfect gift.

I just finished Chris Bohjalian's newest book The Night Strangers. If this book were a movie I would not have been able to watch it, it's that much of a thriller. It was amazing and agonizing and brilliant all at once. I couldn't stop reading to find out what happened but I didn't want to know either. The ending was, as always, true to life. I love a book where not everyone is happy as a clam at the end. When does that ever happen in real life? If we are to lose ourselves in a book then make it realistic or not at all. When the two mix I have a really hard time believing the characters. If this sounds a little too much to start with, read his Midwives or The Double Bind to ease into him as an author.

This week is my favorite week of the year. Thanksgiving!!!! I can't wait to make DH and I our very first Thanksgiving meal...a tradition that we intend on keeping for years to come.

And while the rest of the world is attuned to Bella and Edward, I am looking forward to THIS!!!!!


It's the best birthday present I could ever ask for. I only have 5 months to wait for it!

That's all I've got tonight.

Can He Do It?: Make Me Laugh Monday

As hard as it looks...

Linking up with Kristen and A Little Something For Me

Mustache Bash

It was a birthday weekend for DH! Long story short (and picture heavy) I threw him a 'Stache Bash. There were mustaches a plenty for everyone to wear, including a special one for the Birthday Man. There was tons of food, a variety of beer, Glazed Donut Muffins (thank you Pinterest) and one special game....I'll let the pictures tell the story.

I never thought about the process of drinking beer wearing a mustache.

The incredible bendable stache!

Sisters who share everything, including the upper lip caterpillar.

J and I looking fierce in our 'staches, but not as fierce as T.

And then deuces started flying.

 
A fine looking group of 'stache wearing ladies.

DH's sister and her guy

My Texas Person demonstrating how to take a self-portrait without the neck strain look I always achieve.

And finally....Pin the Mustache on Burt Reynolds. DH's sister was named honorary Bandit for landing the stache right where it goes!

My only question - how the heck am I going to top this next year?!?!?