Right Now..

I'm loving my white tree in the dining room

trimmed with jewel tones!

 We're happy that Buddy the elf is back!

I'm proud!

Stephen received the  Outstanding Sportsmanship award 

at his rowing banquet.

It's warm.

Too warm.

I want snow!

We're knee deep in Nutcracker performances.

We've got 16 of them this year!

...I'm wearing out the Christmas Radio station on Pandora.

And my George Winston December CD..

...I'm happy!

Happy it's December!

Happy to be

decorating

planning

shopping

wrapping

cooking

baking

crafting

for all things Christmas!!

A Thankful Weekend of...

Cooking

Baking

Entertaining

Decorating

Dancing

Dog Walking

Raking

Cleaning

Sleeping

Volunteering

Mothering

Cheers!

May you be

happy

healthy

safe

and warm

:)

A Winner..and We've been

Ok

I have no idea how to do the random generator thing

so I picked a name and

Five Little Moberly's won! 

:)

Can you email me with your address

and I'll (finally) get the book off to you!

I hope you like it!

I'm trying so many new recipes from it!

Life has been crazy lately.

Like really busy crazy.

Steve just got home Saturday night 

after being gone for two weeks.

Vietnam, India and Dubai.

We are so happy he's home.

And looking forward to some 

much needed family time.

I've been busy preparing for Thanksgiving.

I love all the preparations.

My dining room is

once again

upside down.

Last year

we were painting the walls.

This year 

I'm painting the chairs. 

I started with the chartreuse..

wasn't crazy about it. 

So,

I brought

my sweater

(in Burnished Olive)

to my local paint store and had them

match it.

Love it.

It looks so good with the red walls

and all my teal accents!

We're also busy with Nutcracker.

Hannah is a soldier this year

and double casted.

Which means 16 performances.

Wow.

Even though our lives are 

so full and busy right now,

I'm trying to stop and relax

and enjoy these days in my life.

I often think about the years to come,

when I don't have a house full of children

to care for.

I know I'll long for these days.

Even the crazy busy ones.

I have much to be thankful for.

Making Me Smile Today...

....Our Thankful leaves.

....DOGGY DAY CARE 

.....The smell of Murphy's oil soap

....painting my dining room chairs chartreuse!

.....my starbucks peppermint mocha latte.

.....the holidays are here!

....my rosemary plant

....watching an episode of Mad Men while Griffy naps

.....magazines filled with ideas

....the playground with Griffy 

....doing all my Christmas shopping online

.....Steve is almost home.

Plimouth Plantation and I'm Giving

The kids had no school on Monday.

I thought it was a great day to go to 

Plimoth Plantation

It's literally 15 minutes from my house.

And it's the first time I've taken the kids.

Will has gone on a field trip with school

but the other kids hadn't been.

We had such a great day!

Learning how to make a boat in the Wampanoag village

The Indians and Pilgrims are all in full character.

She was making a belt.

I said to her.."wow, that's a big belt"

she just kind of stared at me.

Visiting the huts.

When we got to the Pilgrim's village

I said to the kids..."oh I could totally live here!"

Seriously, look at that view.

Can't you just see the Mayflower sailing in?

Bad picture

but I had to show her open shelving.

Love that.

wonder what her view from her kitchen sink is.

Stephen loves history.

And was pretty much quizzing me on the way home.

We ate lunch there

and of course visited the gift shops.

I bought this cookbook.

I love it! 

So many great photos and stories and recipes.

It was on sale

so I got two.

Want one?

Leave a comment telling me

if you make your own pie crust or cheat and buy the frozen kind.

:)

Weekending

My mom and sister

and her 3 kids came to visit this weekend.

We have so much fun when we're all together.

We celebrated little Richie's 7th birthday

with a candy cake!

I made salmon for dinner with 

this yummy couscous salad.

Sunday morning we all piled in to two cars

and went to Michael's. 

Who takes 6 kids into Michael's?

My 50% off Martha Stewart coupon

was just burning a whole in my pocket.

I bought the star punch to make luminaries.

I am so psyched!

(sad, I know)

Then we all went out to lunch

and my mom bought me an early birthday present.

Woohoo!

Thanks Mom!

My feet are happy!

And 

thanks for coming to visit!

The house is just too quiet.

:)

Veteran's Day

Wow we were young..

only married about 2 months

and had seen him about 1 week.

Oh if I only knew then

how hard it would be to 

be a military wife.

A pilot's wife.

For the next 8 years

our life revolved around

deployments and being "out in the field"

the PX and class 6

dity moves and The Stars and Stripes.

Steve flew apache helicopters in the Army.

He went to Bosnia for 6 months when Stephen was just a baby.

He loved every minute of it.

I think he misses it.

I don't.

I'm still in contact with some friends we made

all those years ago in the military.

Some of them are still in.

Some of them have lost a spouse.

It's them that I think about today.

When we were nearing the end of our tour in Germany

Steve put in for an extension.

We loved living overseas.

It was denied.

A few months later

while getting stationed in Ft. Knox KY

Steve heard that the guy who took his slot in Germany

was killed in his helicopter.

Steve's helicopter.

I think of his wife and children today.

Thank you.

To all who have served our country.

Today...

...It was 66 degrees and sunny

Perfect day for a walk and catch falling leaves.

(photo taken using the instagram app on my iphone)

...I'm roasting chicken for dinner

with mashed potatoes

and stuffing 

and gravy

I guess I couldn't wait until Thanksgiving.

...My patience is running thin with the dog.

Yesterday between running him to the vet and Hannah to the pediatrician

he puked all over the car.

And that's not even the worst of it.

Because you know what he did next?

He ate it.

And then I almost threw up.

...A friend sent me this message..

"if Michelle Duggar can have baby #20 at 45

there's hope for us"

Our Annual Christmas Card Photo Shoot Smack Down

Ok I'm kinda obsessed with cranberries lately.

Seriously..the pumpkin had October.

Let's give the cranberry some love.

I found this goat cheese wrapped in cranberries at Trader Joe's

It has basically been my dinner for the past few nights.

My sister in law emailed me a recipe for lemon cranberry muffins that I need to try.

And who doesn't love a Cape Codder every now and then?

Loving all things cranberry right now.

So, we had our annual "Christmas card photo shoot smack down"

at the beach this past weekend.

I say smack down because with out a doubt

every year

there is a smack down.

Someone with out a doubt

ends up

fighting

 crying

ticked off

embarrassed.

But...

Every year I BEG and PLEAD

(me tickling Will so he'll smile)

And BEG and PLEAD

(Stephen wanting to leave because he see's someone he knows)

And BEG and PLEAD

(Griffy sneezing

Hannah wiping it off her leg

Steve telling her to relax it's just your brothers baby snot.)

Believe me..

I could go on and on with the photos

but I'll spare my family the embarrassment.

I sit them down and say...

once a year..

seriously..

once a year

you need to stand next to us and smile

Is it too much to ask?

Ah....

the holidays are here.

And my Christmas card is done.

:)

Weekending

Friday night Pizza

Cars 2

Glass of wine with Kate

Walks on the cranberry bog

yardwork

Lots of ballet

Lots of piano playing

thankful leaves

baking

Steve cooking dinner all weekend

Christmas card photo shoot

I have to add this.

Every weekend I start freaking out about 

all that needs to get done.

Steve is usually packing for a trip

and I'm screaming..

"but the yard work..

the dump..

who is driving to Cambridge..

the Christmas picture needs to be taken..

and on and on and on.

And every weekend Steve looks at me

and says..."it'll get done"

And it always does.

He's my rock.

And I'm thankful for him.

trying to get it together

I cannot get my act together.

And I'm blaming it all on the dog.

Basic things like

keeping my house clean

making out my weekly menus

cooking dinner

taking a shower...

they've all taken a back seat to the dog.

When people see that we have a puppy

they all compare it to having a newborn.

To me it's nothing like a newborn.

I LOOOOOVE newborns.

I'm not loving this dog right now.

Maybe someday I will.

Right now I'm still trying to 

adjust to having an animal in my home.

Damn Dog.

Halloween was fun.

Different now though.

Stephen doesn't go out.

Hannah goes out with her friends.

Griffy had no interest in wearing a costume.

Will (9) is the perfect age if you ask me.

This is Will going to school.

Normally I don't buy junk cereal..

we usually save it for New Years Eve..

but I thought, "what the heck"

they're going to be booted up on sugar anyway.

What's a little more for breakfast.

So on Sunday I decided I was tired of winging it every night

for dinner and needed to get back to my menus.

Can I tell you how psyched I am that I know

what we're having for dinner for the next week?

Weird I know, but it makes me happy.

Griffin and I even made my Nana's 

cranberry nut bread yesterday.

I love making that bread.

Hazel was smiling down at me yesterday..

I just know it.

It's so good with a bit of cream cheese on it

and a cup of tea of course.

Dinner tonight

2 Soups and a salad.

I made a Minestrone in my crockpot this morning

and tried a new Butternut squash soup.

This one is from the Morning Glory Farm Cookbook

(it's on my sidebar)

It's one of my favorites now.

Loving the drizzle of Pumpkin Seed Oil for garnish.

:)