Favorite Five

Favorites....we all have them.

Some people have their favorite drinks. Others favorite jeans. We might even have a favorite child...but we would never admit that or even confess to it. I do not have a favorite child. I dislike them all the same. I kid....I love them all equally. Really, I do.

But I have had some recent things that have become my favorites, things that I look forward to, love, use as therapy. Hey, don't judge. 5 months without the sun is a long time, okay.

1. Suits

I've always been a sucker for lawyer shows. And cute men. So this is a perfect blend of the two. Plus, I love Donna because...well...she's Donna. (Disclaimer: lots of language in this one. But no F-bombs so that's a plus.)

2. Cherry Cordial Kisses

Every year at Christmas, we kids would buy my dad cherry chocolates. And then we would eat them. But I always hated the cherry in the middle. These kisses are the best. All the yummy minus the cherry. Love them.

3. Act of Congress, "O Holy Night

I am a lover of the unusual or not-typical Christmas music. This is my favorite this year. I love the guitar and that it isn't the typical slow tempo. It's upbeat without losing the message of the song.

4. My son driving

Now that I have gotten over the initial freak-out, it is fantastic that he can drive himself to early morning practices and he can run and get the dog food, etc. I. Love. It.

5. Exercise pants/leggings

Yeah. These things are the most comfortable pieces of clothing I own. Not the most flattering, but definitely the most comfortable. Sometimes I wear them to embarrass my children. That too makes me happy.

What about you? Got any favorites lately?

This SCREAMS Thanksgiving

I can't remember where I got this recipe, but...

Oh.

My.

Gosh!

It is the best way to have a pumpkin pie.

Delicious!

If that doesn't make you want Thanksgiving to be here already,

nothing will.

Ginger-Streusel Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• 1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry
• 3 Eggland's Best Eggs
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• STREUSEL:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Directions

• On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry. Transfer pastry to a
• 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond edge of plate; flute
• edges.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, cream, sugars, cinnamon,
• salt, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at
• 350° for 40 minutes.

• In a small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until
• crumbly. Stir in walnuts and ginger. Gently sprinkle over filling.
• Bake 15-25 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center
• comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield:
• 8 servings.

Nutritional Facts: 1 piece equals 684 calories, 42 g fat (21 g saturated fat), 176 mg cholesterol, 388 mg sodium, 73 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 9 g protein.

If I could be that fortunate

What fortune would you want to get from a fortune cookie?

 

Photo found here.

A real one.

Hold on....

Holding on to the days of changing leaves and cool weather. 

Not sure I'm ready for the snow and no sun...

But at least I get to listen to Christmas music.

So there is that!

Please. no.

I don't hate animals.

We have a dog. And I love my dog. He is the best. He is fun. Playful. Protective. I will always have a dog in my home. I do love dogs. But probably not to the level of other people.

I don't kiss my dog...my kids do. I don't often play with him...my kids do. I don't pet him every day....my kids do. I do talk to him. I buy his food and feed him. I let him outside and inside. I clean up his accidents when he has them. I take him to the doctor, pay for his shots and his surgery to remove the cancer from his foot. (Although, I would not do that again if I had to do it again.) See, I love him.

So if you ask me, "If you could be any animal, what animal would it be?" I can not answer that question. But I will tell you what question I can answer. "What animal would you never want to be."

A cat.

I can honestly say that I hate cats. Not your cat, because I have never met him. But if you don't want me to hate your cat, please don't tell me that you have one.

Cats bother me. They rub up against your leg when you don't want them to. They think that your lap is their bed. They poop inside your house and you let them. And if they aren't pooping in your house, they are out pooping in other people's sand boxes. When something smells bad it is said to smell "like cat pee." Ugh! They eat mice. They have claws and hiss at you when you are little and wake up in the middle of the night from a bad dream and you try to walk to your parents' bedroom in the dark for comfort. That or they randomly go insane and attack you with those claws for no reason.

I have cat issues.

Cats are bad.

Photo found here.

Never want to be a cat. 

Repost: Smudges

Step away from the Windex....

Smudges.

Evidence that children fill my house. Evidence that most of my time is spent with my children. Making their hands dirty. Evidence that I am a little more casual about cleaning their hands after I spend time with them.

Smudges. All over my sliding glass window.

Evidence that my children love to play in my back yard. On the trampoline. On the swings. In the sandbox. On the grass. In the trees. Occasionally stepping in some of Rufus' love notes. Slipping and sliding. Shooting hoops and riding bikes. Picking greenish tomatoes and blooming flowers.

Smudges on the inside. Smudges on the outside.

I should wipe them off. Most people do. My wonderful mother-in-law almost did once but quickly decided not to because she was afraid my kids might think the door was open and may result in a trip to the Urgent Care. Good call.

Smudges. The marks my children have made on my life.

Smudges on the inside. Smudges on the outside.

Evidence of the impact they have made on my life. Anticipation. Pain. Love. Happiness. Frustration. Excitement. Pride. Embarrassment. Laughter. Complete joy.

Yeah, I know my window is dirty.

But if you will excuse me, I have some smudges to make!

A Night Divided

"A Night Divided" by Jennifer A. Neilson

Goodreads Summary:
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen comes a stunning thriller about a girl who must escape to freedom after the Berlin Wall divides her family between east and west.

With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta finds her family divided overnight. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think forbidden thoughts of freedom, yet she can't help herself. She sees the East German soldiers with their guns trained on their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors and friends are prisoners in their own city.

But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that her father wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?

My Review:
I loved this book. I haven't read a whole lot about the Berlin wall and what all happened during that time. I remember when it came down, because it was during my lifetime. And I remember watching a movie about a family escaping in a hot air balloon, but that was it. This book gave a basic idea of what went on, but has piqued my interest to learn more. This is a great book for all ages. Kids, youth, adults. It shows that when a family is divided and freedom is taken, people will do anything it takes to get them back. I love the relationships in this story. Parent to child. Brother to sister. Friend to Friend. Loyalist to patriot. It is a great book.

Is it just me??

Is this a problem that only this mother has?

Three boys. One bathroom. Eight toothbrushes.

Why?

But the bigger question is why, when I tell them to go brush their teeth, they tell me they can't find their toothbrush.

Huh?

"It's gotta be one of the 8 in the toothbrush holder," I say.
"No. None of those are mine."

What the... Are you kidding me?? Why?

I think I have figured it out.

My guests keep taking my kids toothbrushes. It's the only thing that makes sense. Surely my kids would never hide or conveniently lose their brushes just to avoid cleaning their teeth. Those sneaky guests.

But what they don't know is that I have theirs.
And I'm forcing my children to use them.

Ha ha! Take that, you pesky visitors.

He likes girly food

I went out to lunch with my friends the other day.

We went to Apple and Spice Café Bakery. Really yummy food.

 

It's a lot like Paradise Bakery

 

Or Panera Bread.

 

They make fresh bread.

 

And killer sandwiches.

 

And delicious salads.

 

And comfort soups.

 

And super yummy.

And because we like super yummy food,

that is where my friends and I decided to go.

 

One of them mentioned that when she told her husband where we were going

he said something like,

"Oh, to the girly food restaurant."

 

Huh...I guess I have never thought of it that way.

 

Probably because it is Hubs' favorite type of restaurant.

 

I guess he's always been a little girly.

 

**Don't tell him I said that.