Love this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY

Their on their way home!!

My sweet babies are on their way home today. They have spent 8 days, EIGHT days away from their momma and I can't take another day. My children are blessed with such great grandparents who took them on a vacation of a lifetime! They spent Thanksgiving with Mickey and the gang. Thanks to high-tech blackberries my sister-n-law kept me updated daily with pictures. My husband and I couldn't swing the trip this year but we were so excited that the kids were invited to go with the rest of the family.

Some may think - a whole week without kids - awesome! That's not me. I have enjoyed the time my husband and I have had this past week. We had the opportunity to talk, have real conversation without interruptions and enjoy the quite at home. But late a night things just didn't seem quite right. My babies weren't home to tuck them in bed. Maybe I feel this way because my son's almost 16 and I see the writing on the wall way to soon. He's going to be leaving the nest soon (I know I still have a few years, but these past 15 have flown by and a few years will seem like a blink!). My daughter is growing up so fast - there's more pressure for girls to do that.

While they were gone I guess God was trying to teach me something. I heard a tremendous sermon one day about Hannah. She had prayed for a child and promised to give him back if God would answer her prayer. I only gave my children up for 8 days. She gave her son up at a very young age and it was for his lifetime. She only got to see him once year when she would visit the temple. Could I have done that!? A couple of other days I came across some devotions about ... Hannah. Hannah, Hannah Hannah!!

I'll admit I didn't care about Hannah, I didn't want to put my big girl pants on and "deal with it". I wasn't happy about having to let my kids be away from home, especially on a holiday, but God patiently and tenderly kept after me. He want me to know about Hannah, really understanding her story and the sacrifice she made and I told God - ok I get it. I can't hold on so tight and never allow them to live a life without me. I know that it meant a lot to the grandparents to spend this time with them. They know their getting older and they want to enjoy their grandkids as much as possible. So what did I really give up? A few days - not a lifetime.

Since I had so much time on my hands I spent a good bit of it on the computer. I came across this. It is a wonderful idea and this momma is a blessed woman to have such a thoughtful husband.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Disney or bust

I think the girls will bust before they get to Disney. The guide book gave us a count down to Disney tips. One of the things we were suppose to do was make our own Mickey Mouse ears. I think it came out pretty cute. The sign was just an added extra. We want to share the joy of our trip with those we zoom past on the highway... you know before we bust!

Fall into Flavor

It's week 4 for Fall into Flavor. I missed week 2 and 3 but wanted to contribute this week:

Here's one of our favorite snacks while watching the big game.




Mexican Cheese Crackers
1 box (14-1/2 oz) cheese crackers (the square ones work well)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place crackers in a large shallow baking pan. In a small bowl, combine butter, taco seasoning mix, Worcestershire, and salt. Pour butter mixtures over crackers, stir well. Bake 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes. Pour onto waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container. Yields: approx. 6 cups

Having lunch at school - embarrsing my kid

Alright, the weekend is finally here. Today is family picnic day with sweet baby girl. It's always fun and the kids are so happy that they don't have to eat cafeteria food! And they are actually happy that their parents come to have lunch with them. Unlike my high schooler who would die if I showed up to have lunch with him! I tried to trick him and his friends last week. I had to get some extra football tickets for the game and the secretary in the athletic office was on an early lunch. So I had to go to the school cafeteria to buy the tickets. Being the loving doting mother I am, I was so excited that I was going to get to see my baby at lunch. Unfortunately my timing wasn't perfect and they were already finished and getting ready to go to class. But if you could have seen their faces when I walked up. I told one of the boys I had come to have lunch with them and he almost choked. I acted really disappointed that they were not happy to see me. Of course my son tried to act like he didn't know me, like his friends don't know me!! Ha. Anyway it's fun to be a parent - most of the time.

100 years of football continues. Tonight we will honor players from the 1980's - my "era". Hope to see some old friends and their families. Cruisin' the Coast will wind down this weekend. I hope to get out and see some of those Ford Mustang and Chevy Camero cars that I "covet". Forgive me Lord - I am truly thankful for the Windstar mini-van!!

The Very Hungry Catipillars

So glad tomorrow's Friday. Baby girl home not feeling well today. Maybe I can catch up on domestic duties around the house in between lots of lovin' and nose blowing. Last evening we were out in the backyard, and discovered some of God's beautiful creatures having quite a party. We counted about 20 of them. You can see how much they have eaten already by the stripped branches in the background. What would Martha say?! This is not a good thing.

Fall into Flavor with Sweet Potato Casserole

Linda at 2nd cup of coffee shared a favorite comfort food recipe. Here is one of my family's favorite dish we serve during the holidays. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together and put in casserole dish.

Topping:
1/3 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans

Mix topping together. This will be crumbly. If you think topping is too dry, you may add more melted butter. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes.


Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 30 minutes until topping is brown.

So yummy and sweet you might think it's dessert!