Another Change to the Revolving Frame.....

I am loving this frame thang.....(yes, I meant to say THANG...)

I am now adding the Christmas theme to it....

This frame has gone from EEK to GIVE THANKS...and now to this....

I googled vintage Christmas images....and found some that I wanted for the frame.

It is important to remember whether you want the pictures landscape or portrait...don't ask me how I know this very important detail.

I might add some vintage stickers around the border since it is actually plastic and I could easily remove them. Should I...or is it fine like it is?

Of course, I will eventually have greenery around it as well.

What Do I DoWith This?

I acquired this very lovely box of vintage ornaments (Thank You SHERRYand Her Mother)...mostly RED....hmmmmm, what can I do with them.......???

I added this from the Dollar Tree......and the one in the back is from a flea market.....

I added another set from the ever wonderful Goodwill Store......

The ribbon is from the Dollar Tree.....

I bought a straw wreath at Hobby Lobby at 50% off....

I used a little hot glue and began this project......

Stay tuned for the finished project.....hopefully it won't be next Christmas.....

Look at Our New Fangled Farm Playground.....

I'm sure if you add up the price of this FARM PLAYGROUND, it would cost probably as much as a school playground....

Who said kids have to have technology to have fun...??

These kids played ALL DAY on the hay bales...they were even almost disgusted to be FORCED inside to say the blessing and eat the wonderful meal that was so lovingly prepared for their growing little bodies.....

SCCCCRRRREEECHHH......ok, is that a GOAT on the hay bale?

Who is going to win?

"I can get down BY MYSELF THANK YOU!"

PLOTTING

Nope, the goat is really on her own playground....it just looks like she is on the hay bales.

Good ole' fashion' fun....yep, that is what we did on Thanksgiving......

Thanksgiving Preparations.....CHECK

My side of the family started celebrating Thanksgiving on the Saturday BEFORE the traditional Thanksgiving date a few years ago. We made this decision due to more and more of the family was getting married and spent a good part of the day traveling from home to home to home just to get to visit the whole family on BOTH sides.

We also have family that live out of state that often get together on the traditional day as well.

This change has allowed our very LARGE extended family to get together and STILL have a day to get together with the OTHER side of the family on the traditional day.

The kitchen is clean...the countertops are cleared and ready for all the goodies that everyone brings. We divide up the menu through email and begin planning in early November to get everyone to start thinking about what they are going to bring to share with everyone.

The utility cart has been moved to allow for more freedom of movement....and also can be used for extra space for food if needed.

The day was chilly and there was a great fire in the woodstove. For some reason, you can't tell it in this picture.....oh, and while I'm on the subject, I'll try to remember to do a tutorial for cleaning the glass.....very easy and makes it look new again.

A side table is set up with Norman Rockwell's Family Thanksgiving puzzle.

I found this puzzle for a whole $2.00 at a flea market. What is really great about this puzzle is that it is a FAMILY puzzle.....it has small to LARGE pieces so the whole family can participate.

My Uncle Jim managed to get the border completed before he left....now, who am I going to get to finish it? I am NOT a puzzle person! I do want to frame it when it gets finished.

CLUE: CHARLES AND BONNIE....come VISIT!!!!

My scarecrow head is sitting pretty on top of the fridge guarding the kitchen like any good scarecrow would.....

A giant DOUBLE BATCH of Chex Mix...the ORIGINAL....w/ modifications.

I like to use Cheez-its instead of the bagel chips. Also, I'm not to hip on the wheat chex...so, I used honey nut cheerios....which I ended up REALLY LIKING.

Lemon squares are put on the dish I made.....

The ham was purchased at the local meat market and would be ready in the afternoon....we don't eat until about 4:00.....my family would NEVER make it if we had a NOON meal...nope, not going to happen on THIS side.

I made 3 gallons of tea....two pots of coffee....one pitcher of water.

The rest would be brought in by the family....woohooooo......

Make Your Own Thanksgiving Shirt....

I found this shirt HERE and thought I could probably make it myself.

I drew the pattern on BACKWARDS on a sticky stuff I got at Wal-Mart. It comes in a purple and white packet and it is on a roll. You iron it to the wrong side of the material, peel off the back and iron it to the shirt.

Shirt: $5.00

Material: $5.00 total ( I only bought an 1/8 of each material)

Sticky Paper: $5.00 for the entire roll (will last for MANY more projects)

Thread: $1.00 - $2.00

Buttons for Eyes: $1.00

Ok, if you look at the shirt closely...you will see that I completely forgot to finish the beak....hopefully I can get that finished in the next day.
I left a gap at the bottom in case I want to fold up the bottom of the shirt to look more like the original. I don't want to add the turkey footprints....

Also, I could add to the back on the one shouler....a large turkey footprint that is appliqued.

Yes, the eyes are crooked on purpose.....I wanted Tom to look like he is tilting his head.

TOTAL COST: $18.00 at the MOST

If I would have ordered the pattern, it would have been $20.00 plus shirt and shipping.

IF you have a shirt and scraps of material....this could be a very cheap project!!!

My Boyfriend Went to Cozumel and This is What He got ME...

Meet Josh....this is daughter #2's boyfriend.

He just returned from a cruise to Cozumel....

He told daughter that he got her something.....

Clue #1: It is PINK

Clue #2: It is SHINEY

Clue #3: It has horseshoes on it...???

Clue #4: It is about 3 ft. WIDE....???

Yeah, are you as stumped as we were?

Go ahead, GUESS.....then scroll down.....

DID YOU GET IT RIGHT?

We sure didn't.....ba haaaa....gotta give him credit for being CREATIVE!!!

She loves it and I'm sure she'll probably be wearing it more than it will be decorating her wall....

What I got for my birthday....

My dear hubby took me on a romantic date to see The Rat Pack Live at the Sands!!! You know this gal had to wear her vintage-looking dress and faux fur coat....I call it a BARBIE coat!! I'm so glad it was VERY COLD last night!! My birthday was the 19th....and I got to celebrate for THREE DAYS!!!

Ok, this isn't the best picture...my daughter had to take it and didn't really know how to use the camera....I didn't have time to look to see that I looked like a total dork w/ my expression.....oh well, I'm sharing it with you anyway....it is the only one I got that night.

We had a wonderful feast at The Spaghetti Warehouse before the show. It was such a great show, the gentleman that played Sammy Davis Jr., hit the nail on the head......I actually felt like I was really seeing him on stage.

What is funny about this show, they are all from the UK....complete w/ accents. One wouldn't know this if they just saw the show.....I happened to see them on the morning news show.

How Much Does Your Wal-Mart Charge for This?

I heard something....our local Wal-Mart is one of the highest in the USA....so, I'm going to conduct a "scientific to me" study....

If you shop at Wal-Mart, would you please see how much this item is at your Wal-Mart.

When you get the price, please come back here and post the state and price. If you want to get really into this....you can even post about it on your blog.

In Oklahoma, this jar of Great Value Onions and Garlic pasta sauce is $1.25. I remember the good ole days when it was just $1.00....that was BEFORE the only other grocery store went out of business.....immediately most prices shot up at least a dime.

Meet MOOSE....

This is ANOTHER stray.....

He sort of looks like a Cheasapeake....

Does anyone know what this dog is?

He is NOT large framed like a lab....might be part lab.

Moose likes my porch swing....arrrggghhh.

Moose is easily distracted....so, I constantly hear the swing hitting the wall....he gets on the swing....gets all comfortable....

then....

something calls his attention elsewhere....like a moth to the light.

Of course, he can't just CRAWL off the swing....he has to do "THE TIGGER" and BOUNCE off the swing...causing it to BOUNCE off the wall of the house!!!

Another reason why TRACI can't have that PICTURE PERFECT MAGAZINE PORCH.....sigh.....

Sacrificing for Their Nanny.....

As most of you know, my mother, aka Nanny, will be starting chemo for colon cancer next week. The Dr. suggested that all family who come in contact with her get the flu shot.

Well, while we were at our church's annual spaghetti dinner....a nurse just so happened to be there to give HER family flu shots.....

Then she graciously decided to offer them to others who needed it...until she ran out.

This picture below is NOT one of my children.....the person standing BEHIND the boy IS REGAN.....yep, she is FREAKING herself out by WATCHING the torture of others....ba haaaaa.

Ok, this is Regan. Take note of the hand she is holding.....no, that is NOT MY HAND....I'm taking the pictures, silly.

Note the color of the hand......note the look on Regan's face.....and she hasn't even got the shot yet.

(NOTE: The boy is NOW watching Regan get her TORTURE)

Now the shot.....I think she squeezed the blood out of poor Tresa's arm.....lol.

This is Sydni.....completely stressing herself out over the SIZE OF THE NEEDLE.....why do they feel compelled to look?

Also, I didn't get a picture of her face when she found out that the nurse ran out of flu shots.....

This is also the face she is making when she found out there were REALLY still shots for those UNDER 18!!!



If she closes her eyes....maybe she won't feel it......

Breathe!!! Breathe!!!! Breathe!!!!!

I'm not going to show you the pictures of in the bathroom....crying because of the stress, not the pain.....lol.

Carly just zipped in there and took her shot and I didn't get a picture......and it was hard for me to take a picture of myself getting the shot......

Now, we are going to chase my hubby with a needle until he gets his shot....he was conveniently gone before we knew about the shots.

Walgreen's Paid ME to Shop Their Store.....

Ok, I'm addicted....no doubt about it!!!

If you want more information on saving at Walgreen's, check out

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/walgreens_deals/

Progresso Soups--on sale 4/$5 after in-ad couponUse $1.10/1 printable coupon

$0.15 per can after coupons = .60/4 cans

Coffee Mate Creamer--on sale B1G1 (2 for $2.49 after in-ad coupon)Use 2 $1/1 printable coupons

$0.49 for two after coupons = .98/2 bottles

Buy 4 Select Kelloggs cereal (on sale 4/$10), Get $2 in Register Rewards When You Buy 4Use $1/1 internet printable

$1 each after coupons and register rewards = $1.00/box AFTER I get $2.00 rebate

L'Oreal Age Perfect Pro Calcium Radiance Perfector--up to $19.99 rebate

free after full rebate (There was also a coupon that I didn't have that could have made this have $2.00 overage)

Total Out of Pocket = $19.60

(from which I used my card from previous shopping rebates)

I will get BACK $21.99 in rebates

They PAID ME $2.39 to shop WALGREEN'S this week!

Oh! I also had spend $20.00 and get $5.00 off...plus an extra $1.00 coupon from a previous trip.