The Last Day of the Year of Jill

All good things have to come to an end. It's been a great time, but after today it is over. I wish I could say that I spent this day doing something exciting, but I'm afraid it was just like any other day. I did make a pot of turkey and sausage gumbo for the first time which was something new, but other than that - nothing exceptional.

Tomorrow starts The Year of Mike. We already have several ideas ahead for him so be on the lookout for those pictures and stories. I am going to help him to have fun - like he did for me.

Only 1 Day Left . . .

in the Year of Jill. :)

Mike Wanted to Fry a Turkey . .

and the girls got to see a real live fire truck! :)

Only 2 Days Left . . .

in the Year of Jill! :)

Only 3 Days Left . . .

in the Year of Jill!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were supposed to be at my mom's house right now eating a fried turkey and spiral ham, but unfortunately our plans got changed Tuesday evening. So, Logan and I ran to the grocery Tuesday night at 8:30, grabbed some stuff to cook, and today we had ham (which I already had bought) and a bunch of other sides that the kids helped me make.

It has not been the same, but as long as the 5 of us are together I am happy.

Time for some football and a nap. :)

For My Sister, Jackie

Ma and I found this pin at the Craftsmen's Classic we went to a couple of weeks ago. I have been wearing it this month for you. :)

For the Control Freak - Like Me

Being the Control Freak that I am, the holidays are always hard for me because I want everything to go a certain way. In a family of 5 people who have their own ideas, that can cause me major frustration.

Every day I get this daily devotional email and this prayer was in this morning's message:

Dear Lord, reveal to me the roles that I tend to control because of my own perfectionist tendencies or other’s expectations. Teach me to release some of the control I hold in our family’s holiday traditions. Teach me to share the work, the time, and the joy. Help us as a family to work together and enjoy each other’s company. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

It's like it was written for me specifically. I have kept it with me all day. It has helped me through the turkey cookies that don't look like turkeys. It has helped me through the egg cracking that took 5 minutes along with shells I had to pull out. And it has helped me keep in mind how much fun my children can have if I let go and let them.

Just thought I would share - I know a few other Control Freaks check this Blog. Not naming names - you know who you are. :)

My Little Turkeys

So, I saw on my friend Stacey's blog that she had decorated some cookies with her son and made them into turkeys. I thought that was a great idea. After the girls got home from school today, they put their aprons on and helped me make a sweet potato pie for Mike. Then, they decorated cookies. They had a lot of fun doing it, and I think they look cute as anything in my aprons. :)

Only 4 Days Left . . .

in the Year of Jill.

Only 5 Days Left . . .

in the Year of Jill. :)

Me - Only Not Me

A few weeks ago I met a woman at the girls' bus stop. I noticed right away that she had a set of identical twin girls - I mean, they're indentical - how could I not notice. So, we start to talk and I find out that her girls are in 2nd grade - a year ahead of my girls. Then, I find out that she has a son who is 18 years old - a year ahead of Logan. She's me - only next year me. Anyways, she gave me a huge bag of clothes today for Madeline and Amanda. I haven't gone through it yet, but her gals are clotheshorses so I am sure there is plenty in there to make my girls happy. This is only the second time that I have had anyone give me clothes for my girls - and the fact that she dresses her girls like I do - similar only in different colors - makes me really excited. :)

6 Days Left in the Year of Jill

The countdown has begun!

Birthday Dinner

So, for my birthday, I told Mike that I wanted to get some friends of ours together and go out to dinner. We went last night, and I had so much fun! The LIMO (yes - I said limo) got here at 6:00. James (yes, our driver's name really was James) rolled out a red carpet for us and we were on our way. We picked up the other people and headed to Maggiano's. I loved it! Everything was exactly what I wanted it to be, and it was one of the best birthday presents Mike has ever given me. Katie's husband, Kyle, couldn't be there, so I took a picture of him and glued it over the face of Elvis on this cardboard cut-out I have. We had a lot of laughs about Mini-Kyle.:) This is the last week of the Year of Jill , and this dinner is one happy memory I will have for a long time.

It's OVER!

After weeks of phone calls and meetings and everything else that went with it --the MOPS Craft Fair is finally over! I know it was all for a good cause, but it was very stressful. You would think people that handmake crafts would be friendly and intelligent. You would be wrong. Enough said.

I can say that it was successful - our most successful fundraiser to date. I am happy about that. And I got to work with the great gals who are on the MOPS Steering team with me, so that was a blessing.

I'm going back to bed now. :)