Rebecca is a teenager!

It has been over 2 weeks since I have written on here. There really is no reason except the busy days of life and also some depression in there too I think. Last time I wrote I was having some physical issues caused by stress. That is all that it was. I had a couple of readers suggest that I go to the ER. I know what the symptoms of a heart attack are, I have taken CPR/First Aid classes, etc. I also know my body. It was a reaction to too much stress. I appreciate their concern though. I would like to say that I am back to 100% but after Thanksgiving yesterday I am back to having back/neck pains caused by stress. 

So what has been going on? A lot of day to day stuff that is keeping all of us super busy. I was able to take 24 hours to get away to Pepper Pike to visit my sister with my mom. We had a blast and was much needed time away. Bill, Jacob and Rebecca have been fighting colds. Yesterday, was Thanksgiving and it was weird, depressing and stressful. I will expand on it later as I still need to process everything. 

Yesterday was also pretty special because Rebecca became a teenager! She is now 13 years old and I am oh so proud of the young lady she is! 

She started her day off early helping me prepare the turkey for the oven. I was in charge of cooking the turkey here. 

She requested waffles for breakfast and pumpkin pie instead of a birthday cake for dinner. She will get her dinner choice tonight ;)

 

We gave her her birthday gifts before we went to my parents for Thanksgiving. We got her a "Rhett and Link- Good Mythical Morning" shirt, the book "The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek" also by Rhett and Link, a fashion sketch book, and a bracelet. She loves designing clothes, sketching, "Good Mythical Morning," spending time doing crafts, reading, etc.  We had her pie and gifts from Grandparents after Thanksgiving dinner. My parents got her a new pair of "Vans" shoes, some fabric, embroidery set, and a new pair of boots she can wear in winter with her jeans. 

She is so smart, loving, kind and loyal to everyone. She made the Power of the Pen team at school. She is involved in her school book club and loves her American Heritage Girls Troop. She spends way too much time playing games on her phone; but also spends hours chatting with her friends. One of the best things in the world is to hear other moms come to me and tell me what a great friend Rebecca is to their child. Really does my heart good. 

I sincerely can't believe that I have a teenager in my house! I can't wait to see what the future holds for her! Happy 13th Birthday Rebecca! We love you! 

This and That

Life has a way of keeping on and being busy and I am finding it hard to keep up with this little space. But I love this space. I do read other's blogs usually while I am grabbing something to eat or as I am laying in bed getting ready to go to sleep. I am usually on my Kindle which isn't very conducive to typing up a post but I have a few minutes today to sit at the old laptop and write out a post. 

So what has been going on in our household?

The other day we came home to find over 25 buzzards flying around in the near distance. They were just congregating. I am thinking there may have been a dead deer in their sites as it is officially that time of year when deer are on the move. It was weird and freaky to see that many birds.

On Election Day, Bill and I took the kids with us when we went to vote. Rebecca stayed with me and the boys went with Bill. We were voting for only a couple of races (mayor, city council, school board and a renewal for the school levy) but I wanted the kids to understand the importance of even voting in a little election year. 

It was snowing on Thursday! It is too early for snow. Thankfully the kids didn't have school due to parent teacher conferences. Speaking of which, we had conferences with the boys' teachers and they are both doing well and their teacher's sang their praises. Always nice to hear especially when they are driving me nuts at home :) 

Cold weather equals beef stew. Thursday I went to the book warehouse and a new to me thrift store with my mom and when we got back it was starting to spit snow. That put me in the mood for beef stew. It was yummy! I wasn't a fan of the cornbread mix that I used; I will stick with my old faithful Jif brand. 

Saturday Rebecca and I were gone all day long at her American Heritage Girls annual craft show. This is one of 2 fundraisers that they do each year. This year Rebecca had her own table and sold scrunchies that she made-- She made $52, but after paying me back money she owed me for supplies, etc, she made $26. I helped out in the snack shack, etc. 

At the craft show, I bought myself a bracelet and my mom bought me another one that I was drawn to. These are "Papparazzi" bracelets and they were only $5 a piece. I love the saying and felt drawn to them. (Especially as shortly after my mom came, I realized that I was missing the diamond out of my engagement ring. My stomach was in knots and I was upset. I had no idea when or where it had fallen off. I figured it was gone forever. HOWEVER, at the end of the day I went to get the money bag out of the snack shack drawer and underneath it surrounded by a handful of quarters was the diamond! It must have gotten snagged on the bag and when it was put in the drawer it was underneath. I truly believe that it was God's hand in me finding it. )

Saturday night I crashed into bed at 7:30 PM as I was exhausted. Sunday I woke up with lots of energy and wanted to do some restful things. I made a new recipe for peanut butter cookies using cake mix that my aunt had shared on Facebook. They turned out pretty good. 

Sunday night I was making tacos for dinner and I looked out my kitchen window and just thought the moon and the sky was pretty. 

Sunday night after the kids went to bed I decided to get crafty. I always have a welcome type sign on our door. Well I took my Halloween one down and I can't find my Thanksgiving one. I don't know if I donated it over the Summer or what happened to it. I sat down to make a new one and I am totally in love with how it turned out. It felt so good to paint and create. 

Snow came last night. We probably got about 2 inches or so. It is really early in the year to have measurable snow. 

Unfortunately we are also under really cold temperatures. Real feel right now is 3 degrees! So that means the snow and ice isn't going anywhere. Thankfully the sun is out right now so we shall see if that helps. 

I am not sure what today will bring. The kids are off to school. I am not feeling that great. Yesterday I came home from picking Rebecca up from school and I had a strange sensation like I needed to lean toward the left side. My left shoulder blade felt weird---not tingly, or hurting just different. It is hard to explain. I still feel off this morning and my left shoulder area still feels weird. Not sure what is going on. Bill says he thinks it is stress related. I am planning on taking a shower, and maybe laying on the couch and vegging to Netflix until I have to babysit "A." Hope everyone has a great day and is staying warm! 

Tried another new recipe....

So with the weather being colder, rainier and typical crappy weather in Ohio in late October/ early November I have been looking for new soup/stew recipes to try that would be easy for those crazy busy nights. Well last week, I stumbled across a recipe for "Copycat Panera Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup" from Mavis Butterfield's One Hundred Dollars A Month blog. It looked delicious (even though I have never had Panera soup and was also something that I thought Bill and the kids might even like. The reviews on the soup were all very positive so I thought I would give it a try. I originally had planned to make it Sunday night for dinner, but my plans for the day had changed and so it got bumped to Monday night. 

My verdict:: the soup is DELICIOUS!!!! Creamy, yummy and not overpowering in any of the flavors. SO GOOD!!! And everyone in my family loved it! (Bill even requested that I put the leftover soup in his luch for work.) (It should be noted that up until recently my kids have complained on nights that I have tried making soups for dinner...) I served it with warmed up "snowflake" rolls that I had bought on clearance from Kroger. So good! 

So if you are looking for a creamy, hearty, yummy soup perfect for fall and winter make sure you check out Mavis' recipe for "Copycat Panera Cream of Chicken and Wildrice Soup." You won't be disappointed. 

Halloween and Trick or Treating 2019

Last week Halloween was on Thursday. Our town originally had their trick or treat night scheduled for that night as well. Well Mother Nature had other plans. We had rain all day long (over 2+ inches) and then the winds started. We had wind gusts of 45+ miles per hour during the time that trick or treat was supposed to happen. Thankfully, the mayor and city council decided on Wednesday to postpone trick or treat until Saturday. The kids were kind of disappointed but happy too because that meant that I made pancakes and sausage for dinner since we had a free evening. LOL 

Saturday we had an extremely busy day. Bill was working covering cross country state tournament and I was running the kids around-- first to basketball evaluations for the boys for their upcoming Upward season, then to a birthday party, then home to get ready to go trick or treating. Our good friends decided at the last minute to join us so that was fun. 

This year, we had.....

A DEVILED EGG,

(The Wrestler)RIC FLAIR "THE NATURE BOY,"

and (The Wrestler) "Undertaker."

The kids had a blast trick or treating and they got a ton of treats. I literally took one photo during the actual trick or treating as I really wanted to be present and take it all in.

After trick or treating we decided to order pizza from the pizza place across the street and just hung out and chilled. It was a very relaxing trick or treat night. The rest of the weekend was kind of crazy as well.... Yesterday I had a headache all day and felt run down. Today it is raining here and I have another super busy day-- I am watching my niece and nephew so I have been up since 4:30 this morning. After I get my kiddos from school, I will go vote and then the kids have their AHG and Trail Life meetings tonight. Always something going on. Whatever is on tap for you today, remember to get out and vote (if you are in the USA) and try to have a great Tuesday!