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Friday Favorites

It has been a busy week!

Richard, Emily, and the baby girls came to Jacksonville Saturday to spend the weekend and share in our annual Sunday before Thanksgiving Dinner.

A Saturday night slumber party commenced.  Lydia and Rory slept in Glammy’s room.  And they managed to get [maybe] six hours of sleep.  They were being OH So quiet Sunday morning; I thought they were getting some much needed sleep.

But when I sat up in bed I saw two little sets of bright eyes, wide awake and ready to PLAY

Favorite # ONE

Lively Little Girls

I assumed I would wake up and tiptoe out of the bedroom leaving them to have sweet dreams, but they were quick to jump up.  As I made my stop into the kitchen to make coffee they headed to the “Barbie room”.  It wasn’t long before they quickly returned to ask “Glammy won’t you come play Barbies?”

Well YES!

And we played various things throughout the day.  There was one “game” I particularly enjoyed

Favorite # TWO

Playing Sous-Chef

This little one assisted several times in the kitchen, she aided in egg cracking for breakfast, she [nearly] single-handedly prepared a corn casserole, and arranged the appetizer platter.

And because pumpkin pie and pecan bars were not acceptable choices for dessert that evening, she made chocolate pudding.

When all was finished she asked “what can we do next?”

We can do dinner!

Table setting courtesy of Emily

Favorite # THREE

Sunday before Thanksgiving Dinner

I love the almost traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the sides.

And nobody can carve a turkey like LB!

Favorite # FOUR

Leftovers on Monday

it was back to work as usual – I took leftovers for lunch

and LB enjoyed leftovers for dinner.I didn’t take a picture of my lunch as it was much less impressive.

Tuesday

was typical with the exception of an impromptu taco dinner party with Stephanie and Amanda.

Wednesday

was an exceptional day which included very light traffic, very light work, and a visit to the theater later that evening to see

Favorite # FIVE

Wicked

seated right behind the orchestraIt was an exciting way to begin our Thanksgiving holiday vacation!

~

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

What’s Up Wednesday

is a recap of everything that has been going on this month…

and as always, What’s up Wednesday begins with the very important topic:

What we’re eating

Today was Thanksgiving at work – my team participated in a pot luck dinner. 

There was mac & cheese, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, pecan pie bars, and ham.

I love ham.

It is the best part of Easter Sunday dinner.

However Thanksgiving is a time for turkey.  So I made a turkey and dressing casserole.

What I’m loving

Turkey and Dressing Casserole

It is GOOD!

Turkey and Dressing Casserole

  • Servings: 10
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

INGREDIENTS

4 to 5 cups diced turkey

1 10.75 ounce can cream of mushroom soup

1 8-ounce carton sour cream

3 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb-seasoned stuffing mix

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 13 by 9 inch glass casserole dish with vegetable oil cooking spray

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the turkey, soup and sour cream

3. Place the mixture in the prepared dish and pat down evenly with the back of a spoon

4. In a clean medium bowl, stir together the stuffing mix, butter, and broth. Spread evenly over the turkey mixture

5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the stuffing topping is browning and the casserole is hot and bubbly

prettyis.me

This will be a great way to use your leftover turkey!

~

What we’ve been up to

The one thing that comes to mind is a re-focus on family.  LB and I have each experienced a loss very recently.  There have been two funerals.

Most recently LB’s Dad passed away.

LB has spent the last couple of years concentrating on spending  time with his Dad, who has been in poor health, and went to be with Jesus on November 8th.

Also, on the subject of family focus… I am absorbed with thoughts of Glammy-hood and how I can get to those Glam-babies.  Last week Emily came to town for a family event related to a wedding and also came to spend time with her family-in-law.

Glammy got to see the babies!

What I’m looking forward to

Richard is coming to town this weekend.  It made me feel special when he faced-timed me on Sunday.  It also made me realize how much I miss him.

~

What I’ve been working on

There has been a lot of focus on trying to get the house back in order.  Since recently painting, taking down curtains, and replacing furniture, it seems like I can’t get organized.  There is stuff everywhere!  With the fast-approaching holiday season, things may not be organized until 2020.

~

What I’m excited about

An upcoming trip to tour the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina.

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What I’m dreading

I’m dreading next Monday.

Although you’d never know it by the smile on my face!

What I’m wearing

These are this week’s sunrise shots in the daily parking space (my garage).

~

What I’m watching/reading

We have subscribed to The Walt Disney Company’s streaming  service (Disney+).  So far we have watched Lady and the Tramp (2019) and Lady and the Tramp (1955).  The more recent of the two presented a few unappreciated deviations from the 1955 version.

But overall, it was a sweet movie.

 

~

What I’m doing this weekend

This Sunday I will host my annual Sunday Before Thanksgiving Dinner.  It is going to be a bit different this year as LB and I attempt to remove our 60” round table and bring in temporary replacement tables to accommodate the large group.

~

What I’m looking forward to next month

Christmas!

Although I am nowhere close to being ready, I’m always excited when it arrives.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

We experienced a cold front in Florida this week which was perfect timing as I’ve begun to experience personal hot flash heat waves on a fairly regular basis.

Not kidding.

Keeping a positive attitude is a challenge to say the least, but I’m going to give it the old college try.

Favorite # ONE

This stuff

I read some of the reviews first, and the positive reviews were more impressive than the negative reviews.  According to the reviews it either works VERY WELL or not at all.

so what do I have to lose?

Fortunately it seems to be helping.  If anyone has a better suggestion I’ll be grateful to hear about it!

I was hesitant to add this to my favorites, but who am I kidding, it IS a favorite today.

And apparently nothing is off limits on this blog.

~

To celebrate the arrival of colder-than-usual weather, I pulled out some of my fall/winter favorites including these

Favorite # TWO

Corduroy Pants

Top // Pants // Shoes

and

Favorite # THREE

Velvet Pants

Top // Pants // Shoes

~

The weather is somewhat of an inspiration to begin thinking about the upcoming holidays, but with our recent painting endeavor, I’m behind schedule with the fall décor!

Favorite # FOUR

Fall Décor

Let’s see if I can do something with this stuff!

~

There are several weeks left before we say goodbye to this year, but I recently came across a post on social media that makes 2020 a year to look forward to

Favorite # FIVE

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Thank You for Your Service

Veterans Day

is observed annually on November 11.

It is a day set aside to honor our military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Unlike Memorial Day, which honors those who died while in service, Veterans Day honors all military veterans, including those still with us.  Veterans Day encourages us to value our veterans for their service and sacrifice.  It is a reminder to all of us to stop and reflect on the value of peace in our country and in our lives.

I can’t help but think about my Grandpa today.  As I’ve mentioned quite a few times in earlier posts, my Grandpa was in the Army and served in WWII.

Grandpa didn’t lose his life while in service, but he returned home and enjoyed a long life that allowed him to raise children and later develop relationships with grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

It hasn’t been a month since he left us to be with Jesus.  At his funeral service there was an American flag draped over his casket, as is customary for a deceased veteran who has served honorably in the military.

It was at his service that I first experienced the

Folding of the American flag

I can’t explain why, but it touched my heart

Typically, the American flag is given to the next-of-kin, as a keepsake after its use during a funeral service.  And in this case, it was presented to Grandpa’s only surviving child, my Aunt Debbie.

~

After attending the service and later seeing the photos LB took, I was compelled to do a little research on the flag folding.

“Traditional flag etiquette recommends that before an American flag is stored or presented, its handlers should twice fold it in half lengthwise; then (from the end opposite the blue field) make a triangular fold, continuing to fold it in triangles until the other end is reached. This makes a triangular “pillow” of the flag with only the blue starred field showing on the outside, and it takes thirteen folds to produce: two lengthwise folds and eleven triangular ones.” (source)

Fold-us-flag-animated.gif

I thought there may be meaning behind the way the flag is folded.  While there is no official flag-folding ceremony script (offering the meaning to each of the folds), there are scripts which could be used.

As an example, one ceremony script includes this:

“The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of [his] life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.” (source)

Very appropriate for today as an homage to all Veterans who have given “a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world”.

Thank you.

~

And thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Once upon a time there was a little boy

…who called me Ma

His little hands stole my heart, and his little feet ran away with it.

My sweet baby boy.And although he is no longer a baby, he is still the baby of the family.

Richard

came into the world 30 years ago today.  At the time we had been blessed with little girls, so to have a baby boy join the circle was an exciting event.

Those little girls weren’t completely excited about that event Although they changed their tune when they discovered it was fun to dress him up like a princess with a purseThey soon learned that they love him dearlyToday they are inseparable.

~

Richard had no interest in playing the part of the princess, but instead preferred to play the part of Batman

And still likes to play the part of Batman.

~

He had a handful of special friends as a little boy

Who continued to be friends through the years, and remain good friends to this day.

After he became part of the High School Ministry at First Baptist Jacksonville, Rich had the opportunity to participate in a few mission trips, including a trip Nicaragua to help minister to a small community and church there.  As the years passed his focus continued to be spiritual.

 After graduating from high school he earned a degree from Liberty University.  He then began working on a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, while he served as a Collegiate Missionary at Campus Church UNF Today he is living in South Carolina, managing a Maple Street Biscuit Company or two.

~

He is married to a beautiful young lady; His own Mama, couldn’t have chosen a more perfect mate for him. And now he has babies of his own.

Happy Birthday to My Baby!

I’ll Love You Forever.

I’ll Like You For Always.

As Long As I’m Living…

My Baby You’ll Be.

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

The first full week of November began with a challenge from my November 1st  Birthday Girl

Stephanie

She sent me a pin on Pinterest which was a link to the current birthday cake of her dreams.

This qualifies as one of my Friday Favorites!

 🎂

Favorite # ONE

The Birthday Cake Challenge

I’m always up for a baking challenge and I’d likely be more successful if I’d follow the recipe.

The Frosted Animal Cookie Cake with four layers of cake, three layers of filling, and white chocolate buttercream frosting topped with pink ganache (pause to catch breath) took me three evenings to complete.

For the most part, I followed this recipe from lifeloveandsugar.com, however in order to finish quickly, I used a box white cake mix:I think she likes it!

Bonus information: 1,088 calories in 1 slice of a 14 serving cake

😱

Favorite # TWO

A

Birthday Dinner

with three of my favorite ladies

The family was scattered on Stephanie’s birthday and we weren’t able to gather together to celebrate.  In an attempt to make her day special, I had Mama, Stephanie, and Amanda come to my house for dinner.

We had something I never imagined I would include in my blog

🍟

Favorite # THREE

Poutine

It sounds weird and it is weird, but it was Stephanie’s request.

The meaning of the word poutine is from a Québécois slang word meaning “mess”.

It is fries with gravy and cheese curds and MUST be eaten with a fork.

THIS RECIPE is a good one!

~

Favorite # FOUR

Face-Time

While we were together, Emily and the baby girls face timed Stephanie to wish her a happy birthday.

We all enjoyed a teeny little visit together.

It is essential to stay in touch with family!

Moments after I left for work today, LB received the news that his Dad passed away early this morning.

For the past few years LB has made regular visits with his Dad, typically on Friday afternoons.  Although this is a heartbreaking time for him, LB is happy for making time to visit and maintain a close relationship with his Dad.

We have attended church with him on Father’s Day a few times and it was on one of those occasions that I snapped this photo

Favorite # FIVE

A picture is worth a  thousand words but the memories are priceless!

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites

November GIF

November is an exciting month because there are so many events to look forward to!

However there is one event to look back on that took place on October 31st.

LB and I went to the annual Ballasso Halloween Party last night where we encountered every kind of character you could imagine.

Dressing up is one of my favorite things; almost everyone enjoys getting into costume for Halloween.

Favorite # ONE

Dressing Up

Here are some members of my family who showed their Halloween spirit this year:

Sydney as Sally

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Dillon as the Joker

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Levi as Owen of Jurassic World

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Thea as Princess Anna from Arendelle

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Chynnaand her lil’ pumpkin

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Gina and Sydney a Classic Halloween Witch and her Black Cat

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Lydiaas Glinda the Good Witch

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Rory as Dorothy Gale with her bothersome ruby slippers

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and even McCartney (Amanda’s dog)there’s a dinosaur mask around here somewhere.

~

They are all fabulous!

One costume that I thought turned out particularly well is my

Favorite # TWO

LB as Woody

This may be the best costume LB has ever donned!

~

Favorite # THREE

Costume Concepts

The inspiration for this year’s Halloween costume came from a recently watched movie

Toy Story 4I had my heart set on being Bo Peep, but there were no Bo Peep costumes to be found.

Since LB already had his heart set on being WOODY, I chose to dress up as

Jessie the cowgirl.~

Richard, Emily, Lydia, and Rory were inspired by the Wizard of OZ

~

Favorite # FOUR

Trick or Treat

One of my favorite TREATS  this year is this ORANGE KIT KAT.Since it is TRICK-y to remove and replace my plastic mouthpieces, I’ve only had one…

but it was tasty!

~

 I would be remiss if I submitted a post on November 1st without mentioning  my firstborn.

Last but certainly not least

Favorite # FIVE

StephanieHappy Birthday Dear Stephanie!

 

~

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

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