Black Friday

Thanksgiving was wonderful!!

I came home on Wednesday night sans hubs to celebrate my dad's 50th birthday. My mom donned her wig and my sister, dad, and I ate at the new Japanese Hibachi restaurant in Dyersburg and then watched The Blind Side. That movie was wonderful and I enjoyed the time spent with family.

Thursday morning, my sister cook sausage pinwheels, which is a Holiday morning tradition. I then cooked Pineapple Casserole for my family's Thanksgiving meal. Andrew drove to Dyersburg that morning and I met him at his family's for their Thanksgiving. Andrew's family is always fun because at one point our nephew Jacob was being punished in the backroom, niece Anna was upset because Jacob had messed up her toys, Andrew's developmentally delayed sister Stephanie was also crying for some reason. Andrew did a wonderful job of calming his 28 year old sister down. The food was great, and then we immediately left for my family's Thanksgiving. I played Spinner Dominoes and Skip-bo with my sister, cousin, and grandmother. We had a wonderful time! Andrew had to leave that evening to head back to work.

Then Friday hit.

My dad had to get back on the road (truck driver) at 12:00am. When the truck was backing out of our driveway at 1:00am, Portia (my wonderful dog) started barking and growling at the huge lights at the cab. I fussed at her, she stopped. I went back to bed. Then she started again. I grabbed her and brought her into my bedroom. Portia did not want to stay in the room and fussed and whined. I then decided that if she wanted to be outside, she would go OUTSIDE! My original plan was to put her into the garage, but because of how my mom's van was parked I couldn't close the garage. At this point I didn't care, I threw the dog outside. I went to bed, not feeling guilty until I started thinking," What if she starts to chase a deer and runs too far away?" or "What if a bobcat gets her?" Thankfully, I woke up with her safely laying on the couch. I could wipe the sweat off of my brow. 

My mom had a rough Friday morning. She said that she woke up feeling great and she knew that it was going to be a pretty good day. She shared with me that with chemo, not only did she lose the hair on her head, but her nose hairs as well. Because of that, she has no barrier to hold in any boogers or to stop her nose from running. Her eyes also water all the time. This particular morning, my mom was taking her liquid vitamin and suddenly had to run to the bathroom to throw up. My mom keeps using positive self-talk. All morning I heard her saying things to herself like:

1. Only 3 more [Chemo treatments] left. Only 3 more left.

2. You are not going to get sick. You are not going to get sick.

3. You will not throw up again. You will not throw up again. 

4. You will get through this. You will get through this.

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for family support. I never would have thought that this year would be like this. I'm ready for 2010 to get here and the chemo treatments to be in the past. 

Wendi Aarons

I love Wendi Aarons! I have been following her blog for a while. Sometimes her stuff is absolutely hilarious, and at other times it inappropriate. I realize that, but I still think that she is so funny. Here is her latest blog post from www.wendiaarons.com

Dear Mrs. Aarons,

Well, it’s that time of year again. Time for our school to put together its annual “Holiday Family Recipe” book. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how very special this book is to both parents and children alike. After all, what could be a more glorious way to celebrate the spirit of the season than by sharing our favorite family recipes with each other? I know my family’s Christmas Eve night wouldn’t be complete without “Joshua B.’s Favorite Egg Noggy” or “Madison R.’s Sugar Cookies.” (Although between you and me, “Ethan G.’s Pork Kabobs” never seem to agree with me.)

The school staff knows that you’ve enthusiastically participated in this project over the years, and we thank you for that. However, seeing as how there have been some, well, issues with most or all of your contributions, this year the administration has decided to give you some better guidelines as to what exactly constitutes a “traditional” holiday recipe. We hope that this will help give you a better understanding of what we deem appropriate for our very special book.

Acceptable Recipes:

Grandma’s Chocolate Cookies

Aunt Sally’s Cornbread

The Peterson’s Pumpkin Pie

Unacceptable Recipes:

A label of ingredients torn off a package of Double Stuffed Oreos

The phone number to Wang’s Chinese Kitchen

“The Aarons Family’s Mindwiper Punch”(Even if the recipe has been in your family for over three generations, this is still not acceptable.)

Recipes stolen from well-known chefs with their names crossed out in Sharpie

A piece of paper upon which is written, “When You’ve Got A Rack Like Mine, You Don’t Have to Cook, Yo”

50% off coupons for the Hoodia Rush appetite suppressant for “all the ladies who need to drop a few” and/or “all the ladies who like a good holiday buzz, y’all”

A recipe for “A Night of Animal Passion” ripped out of Cosmo magazine(We can’t even begin to tell you how unacceptable this is, and trust me when I say the members of our staff who made multiple photocopies of it have been dealt with accordingly.)

And finally, a photograph of a live turkey with the caption, “Bang!”

Mrs. Aarons, we sincerely hope you’ll take these suggestions to heart. We hope you’ll submit something that can actually include this year’s book, rather than once again be put through our industrial shredder. Let’s make this a happy holiday for all.
Sincerely,
The School Staff

Cooking Lately?

I have to preface this by saying that God has blessed me with wonderful clients. They are so funny and so strong. I learn a lot about life from them.

There is one particular client who is overweight. This is important to know. She is wonderful and has done a great job with her granddaughter and niece that she has custody of. This particular client loves me as well. She should, I (Carl Perkins Center) have paid her rent and utilities and I have found her a new house (my old house).

Last night at our monthly support group, she randomly made the statement that I looked as if I had been cooking more.

What?

I didn't quite understand and then she politely informed me that I had gained weight (which I know). This lady called me out on being fat!!!! Even though I'm technically not fat, but I am on the fast track to Ruby status if I don't get my growing butt into gear.

I'm pretty sure that my client thought that she was complimenting me on my weight gain, but I've never ever been close to anorexic. I have always been a curvy girl. If my boodabongas (boobs) grow any larger, they will need their own zipcode. They are even larger than Ruby's in this picture. I'm not bragging. I'm disgusted!!

So,needless to say, as soon as I got home from the support group I threw my running shoes on, took a good deep puff on the inhaler and got to treadmillin'. I walked briskly while watching Talladega Nights and ran during the commercials. I just kept thinking if Ricky Bobby could go back to racing, I could get on the treadmill (not really).

Speaking of Ricky Bobby, I don't even like the movie that much. With Andrew and my 1 yr wedding anniversary around the corner, I have become sentimental. Talladega Nights reminds me of our honeymoon because it was on TV when at the hotel while we ate the food that the caterers packed in a basket for us. Random, but we were tired and very hungry.

For today - Friday, November 13, 2009

Outside my window - Sunny and cool. It's a beautiful day!

I am thinking - About the Women's Retreat I'm about to go on

I am thankful - That my husband and I both have jobs

I am wearing - Jeans and our Turkey Trot t-shirt. It's a Friday!

I am remembering - My eight pager pager due on Monday

I am creating - Nothing. I hope to make some homemade gifts to save money for Christmas this year though

I am going - To get my paperwork done today. Correction-This MORNING!

I am reading - A new Jodi Picoult book

I am hoping - To get some Christmas shopping done this weekend

On my mind - A lot of my friends from high school are becoming pregnant. I'm surrounded!

Pondering these words - When you do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world. ~George Washington Carver

From the kitchen - Leftover Poppy seed Chicken Casserole from last night

Around the house - Once again, my house needs cleaning. It's a never ending cycle

One of my favorite things - Watching The Office with my husband

A few plans for the rest of the week - Women's Retreat this weekend, work on my paper, take a test, and get some Christmas shopping done.

http://danaandandrew.blogspot.com/

Okay, I did it and I'm not ashamed. Stephanie, you can stop rolling your eyes now!!!! I was really bored at work and I created a blog for Andrew and I that our families can read. I hope that I can get Andrew to write a few blogs on there. We have become one of those, but I truely enjoy reading my friends' newlywed blogs with the recipes and stuff. I don't really have any receipes to add, but I will find some!!

"He said, 'Take now your son...'" Genesis 22:2

God's command is,"Take now," not later. Isn't it incredible how we debate with God? When God wants us to do something or to follow him, it really isn't negotiable.
"So Abraham rose early in the morning...and went to the place of which God had told him" (22:3).
Oh, the wonderful simplicity of Abraham! When God spoke, he did it. He didn't call his friends and discuss or analyze. Abraham didn't even get to choose what his sacrifice was going to be. He wasn't like,"God, I know my son is wonderful, bbuuutt look at that purty little flawless lamb or pig or goat or gorilla over there." During my devotional today, I read this: If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; or even if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential will of God means a hard and difficult time for you, go through it. But never decide the place of your own martydrom as if to say, "I will only go to there,, but no farther."

Happiness and Passions

I am overflowing with happiness today. One of the reasons is that Meredith Westomoreland is supposed to have her baby today. What is so exciting about this is because it will be their first girl!! I'm really not sure why I am THIS excited about it. I mean, I haven't seen them since Emily and Dennis's wedding and I don't frequent Martin for any reason, so I don't know when I will be able to see Baby Girl. I'm just excited for them as a family.

I'm also really excited because my work friend is pregnant!!! I just found out this morning when her husband and her came to my center to get some things to take to her county. She was lifting a box and her husband gently reminded her not to lift anything she wasn't supposed to. WHAT?? She then informed me that she was 11 weeks preggers!!! I'm really excited for her and I can't wait to see what sort of mom she is going to be.

The excitement of all this get my biological clock ticking. Tick Tick Tick. I want to be a mother so bad, but I know that I need to wait until Andrew is more comfortable with the idea (he does have SOME say) and I want to be done with grad school. My cousin is going to school to be a Nurse Practioner and she was driving around town last week trying to find someone to watch her 1 year old because she had a paper due that day and she can't really take her eyes off of her toddler. She advised me to wait until I was done with school.


Adoption!!!! We had a speaker at our church discuss adoption this past Sunday. I honestly wouldn't mind adopting or being a foster parent. Andrew is not so keen on the idea. It takes someone with a special heart that will love a child as equally as a child they give birth to. I know that I would. It is expensive to adopt and my heart and prayers have been going out to Daniel and Emily Doss. This goes into my next passion (blog stalking). Emily and Daniel were chosen by a birthmother to adopt her baby, Jeremiah. With 10 weeks left in her pregnancy, the birthfather showed up and his parents didn't want their grandchild to be given up for adoption, which is understandable. Because of this, the birthmother stopped the adoption and Emily and Daniel (who had already painted Jeremiah's room) aren't getting the baby. I cried for them when I read her blog and I have never met her. I would love to work with adoptions someday. There is a place called Bethany Christian Services, which has a location in Memphis. I would love to see the look on a family's face when they see their child for the first time.

Blog Stalking (Blurking)
One of my favorite new blogs-Bryan Allain asked people to comment on his blog and give him their favorite blogs. WOWZA!! Jackpot!!! I have found some good ones. It's good because Jenny from Addison Road hasn't been able to post regularly and Amy Grant is boring.