Grey, Rainy Day

Hello my friends. As the title says, it has been a grey, rainy day here in Ohio. I guess it's good that it is raining as we are in a drought but I prefer the sunshine.

 The grey skies and leafless trees look so sad to me. Hopefully, if the weatherman is correct, the flurries we are supposed to get, starting tonight, will cause these poor bare trees to have some white on them. We may even get some accumulating snow over the weekend!

 The gray day does mean I can leave some of my Christmas lights on though. Here the ones on my fence are glowing ever so cheerfully. Makes me happy to see these big ole bulbs shining.

 And you can see the evidence of the rain. The puddles, the grey reflecting in them, and the ripples caused by drippety drops.

 What better to have on rainy days than a big ole pot of chicken soup. Boil your chicken, add carrots, celery, chicken stock, boullion cubes, and whichever spices floats your boat. Boil until veggies are tender, add noodles, boil until they are done and presto...Beautiful chicken soup.

Up close shot...Looks lovely doesn't it. I have to say, tasted mighty lovely too.

Well that is all for today my friends. I am going back to monitoring nightly baths for the kiddos and crocheting on my granny stripe..I hope you all have a wonderful day...Until next time you all please, be blessed.

Popping in....

Hello my friends. I just wanted to pop in and say hello to you all. I hope you enjoy the newly updated layout. I Christmasfied my bloggy just for you! The header picture I found online one day while getting inspiration for my own indoor Christmas wonderland. I mean, it is one thing to put lights up outside..Kind of simple, but when it comes to decorating the inside of one's home, we want it to look warm, inviting, elegant, wonderlandish. So that picture is almost what I imagine when I think of my indoor Christmas decor the only difference is I like colored lights more than white.

In order for me to make my indoor fantasy come true I need a fireplace. Luckily they sale electric fireplaces in stores now. All you do is unpack it, put it together and plug it in. They look realistic and they have a heater for those cold winter days. During the summer you don't have to use the heater if you want to just have a beautiful crackling fire..So within the next week or so, I will have a fireplace in my home..Would you like to see which one?

Ahhh...there you go...The one in this picture has the corner mantle piece on top of it..Mine will not be going in a corner..no sir..Mine will be going...well I will have to update to show you all. I will also be buying some Candy Cane striped candles, some pine garland,  some bits and bobs...Not only for my fireplace but also for the rest of my home. It will be my Christmas dream house. Oh and I will be purchasing a Christmas Tree tote as the box it came in is not protecting it as much as I would like and a few totes to hold all of my indoor and outdoor Christmas decor.

Oh my...this post ended up rambling on and on but YES!! I am so excited for Friday to get here so I can pick up my fireplace and all the house trimmings.

I hope you all enjoy the new Christmasy blog look and I will definately keep you updated with all the goings on here in the Adkins household.

Until next time my friends, Be Blessed.

Thanksgiving!

Hello all my lovely friends out there in blogland. I hope you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving or just day in general if you don't celebrate the holiday. Our family had a great day. I got up early in the morning and put on the turkey. I snuggled back into bed (it was cold and rainy) and watched the news and some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. My hubby sat beside me drinking his coffee until the kiddos decided to get up. Then we all migrated into the livingroom..Except for me, I migrated into the kitchen to start on the rest of our feast.

 Above is a picture of our yummy turkey. Perfectly cooked, moist, savory...Easy as pie to make. I learned this year you cannot rely on those little pop up timers that come in the frozen turkey (I haven't been able to get a fresh one around here yet). Luckily I own a meat thermometer and I made sure the bird was at the perfect temperature to be fully cooked.

 Part 1 of our spread. Here you see the plates and forks, turkey legs, white meat and darkmeat, veggies, cheese ball, deviled eggs and some mashed potatoes....Yummy!

 Part 2 of our feast table. Mashed potatoes, crescent rolls, gravy, jellied cranberry sauce (kiddos don't like the other) baked mac and cheese and some green beans.

 Part 3 of the feast. A good view of the not dry, yummy ooey gooey baked mac and cheese (it was even ooey gooey reheated today), the candied yams, and the stuffing.

 Hete is the whole table taken from the landing above. Almost all of it is homemade some with cheats though. It was so scrumptious.

 My furbabies, hanging out wanting some turkey too. They would look at us as if saying, "Where is our plate?"

 Here is half of the desserts. Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cheesecake, chocolate pie, and pig lickin cake...YUMMY.

 For the first time ever, my mom and step-dad came to our house for dinner. They have been invited every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas but opted to go elsewhere (making me fell bad everytime). So I was suprised they actually came to my house and they were surprised I can cook well..I kept telling them they would enjoy it more than my aunt's way too dry turkey.....Sorry but it is true...;p

 The cheeseball was a hit..half gone here. Easy to make!! Just 2 8 oz packages of cream cheese softened, 1 cup or more if you want of shredded cheese of your choice, I used colby jack, bacon pieces, a packet of hidden valley ranch dressing mix. Mix those ingredients together form into ball and roll in chopped pecans (if you want the pecans...roll in whatever you would like) serve with crackers and crisp bread, whatever you want...Easy peasy.

 The remnants of the turkey. He was a good bird while he lasted. Caused a good bout of turkeyitus..

 Here is part of the mess that was left after the eating was over. My darling hubby half forced me to nap after company left and the food was put in the fridge. When I woke up he ran me a nice hot bath, and he and our great kiddos cleaned up the dinner mess. I was so shocked and in awe. I love them so much.

Then as the evening progressed, I got a phone call from my mom who decided she would like some dessert, so I cut some pies and cake for her and drove it to her. It was still raining and cold. I also got a call from and old friend and enjoyed catching up on the happenings over the past few years. Then I was ready for some sleep. As I layed down I noticed the rain just didn't look right out of my bedroom window. I got up and looked and guess what I saw...................

 It was snowing....This was taken this morning. It was only a dusting but it was the first snow of the season for us. I could sit all day or night long in our bay window watching the snow flutter, glisten, all the glorious things snow does falling from the sky.

Last but not least. Today is one of my furbabies' birthday. Today, Tinkerbell who is looking nicely into my camera lense is 2 years old. We got her when she was just a tiny little thing that would fit in the palm of your hand. I had told my husband at that time that I didn't want any animals as we always found new homes for them after a few months. I sent him to the grocery store one evening and on the bulletin board in the store was a picture of a sweet, sad little puppy face. Well he came home, peaked in the door and said "You are gonna kill me" I was wondering why.....He sat this little puppy beside me. She was cute, so sad looking. She curled up in the crook of my arm and went to sleep. How was I supposed to say no to that?!?!?!?

Thank you all for your kind comments. Please keep them coming. I enjoy reading them so much. I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday/ weekend. Until next time my friends, Be Blessed.

Thanksgiving cooking day 1, some randomness, and Ta-dah

Hello loyal friends. I must say I have been a busy little bee lately. Tidying, preparing, tinkering, picture taking, some crocheting. First thing I want to say is a big THANK YOU for all your lovely comments. I love seeing I have new comments. It is a happy moment in my day for me.

The kiddos are out of school for the next few days for the holidays so I'm not too sure if I will be able to do much so I figured I would show you somethings that were hanging out in my camera.

Over the weekend we spotted this little guy out of our kitchen window. There is a walnut tree down the alley next to our house. This guy was making quick work of the walnuts that had made their way to the empty lot next to us.

 Here is a great shot of my hubby and son wrestling. My son joined wrestling for the first time this year. Of course my hubby is overjoyed. Since my hubby was perty good when he was in high school, he has been showing the little one some tips and tricks.

Thanksgiving is only a couple days away. This little guy has been hanging in family central (the kitchen) next to our bulletin board since I finished him. I absolutely love this cute little wreath. The circle part is just green yarn wrapped around a frisbee.

Since my hubby and kiddos are frothing at the mouth (literally :p) to get thier hands on goodies, I decided to make some cookies. Here is some of the Cowboy cookies that came out of the oven today. The kiddos love them and they are so simple to make..

Our last trip to the grocery store, my #2 daughter pointed at these turkey cookies and said "Awwwww..these are so cute mom, can we get them for turkey day". So you can see, her puppy eyes made me get them...I have to admit they are kindof cute.

In the midst of my baking and cleaning today I came into the living room too spy this guy under the tree. I think this is his new favorite spot. He also loves to knock the ornaments off the tree. Sometimes when I get up in the morning the ornaments are all over the living room and even in the kitchen. 

Now, are you ready for the ta-dah moment? Over on the attic24 blog, there is a lovely pattern for hexigons. I fell in love with the pattern and made a bunch over a few days. They just sat there. I didn't want to make more as I have so many things I am still trying to finish so I decided to see if I had enough for a baby blanket....And....

Ta-dah!!!! I did have enough. I put 2 rows of dc clusters as the edging and called it done. I whipped stitched the hexigons together. I love it!!!!! Now I am thinking once all my other things get finished (including some things family members want) I may have to make tons and tons of hexigons and make a blanket of my very own.

Here is some of the hexigons up close. The colors are so vibrant and bright, this picture doesn't do it much justice. I know I will find a good home for this lovely blanket.

Well friends, I must get off the computer and continue my cleaning and get some dinner cooked.

Thank you for taking the time to read and look at the pictures.

And until next time friends, Be Blessed.

An Award Just For Me?!?!?!

How lovely is it to be reading through some of your favorite blogs and you realize you have won an award. I was given this gift from Mrs. Teresa Kasner. Thank you very much!

Now I am supposed to give 10 whole facts about myself. I am so ordinary I don't know if there is anything interesting enough to qualify but I will certainly try.

1. I am married to my best high school friend. Honestly, he was always around my group and I thought he was full of himself and I tolerated him as he dated some of my best girlfriends. I realized later his arrogance was him showing off to me because he had been "in love" with me since he saw me walk into that 9th grade classroom.

2. I have dealt with anxiety and panic attacks since December 2003. I spent a whole year in my bed and spent most of my time at my home. I have been "getting out" for a little over 2 years now and I feel like I am learning to be part of the world again. Boy do I have lots to learn.

3. I got pregnant with my 4th child when I was 25. This was a miracle as my husband had a vasectomy some time before that. It was even more a miracle because 1. it forced me to get out of my house and 2. I found out during that time I had cervical cancer. If I hadn't been preggers, I wouldn't have known and possibly would not be here today.

4. I only fear 2 things. I am afraid of failure and I am afraid of people vomiting. Even on tv it freaks me out!

5. My husband and I bought our 1st ever home nearly 2 years ago. We got it for a steal and I love that I can do what I want to it when I want to. Don't have to ask landlords.

6. I was born in Ohio but I grew up in Georgia. My mom moved me down there when she and my dad divorced when I was 5. My hubby, kids, and I moved back to Ohio after my hubby's parents passed away so our children can have grandparents around.

7. My mom refuses to come in and sit down in my house. I have no idea why as I am OCD about my home being clean and tidy. It gives me a complex..lol

8. I love all holidays. I love to see fireworks, Easter pastels, Christmas warmth, Thanksgiving pilgrims. Everything. Since I do own my own home now I will definately be buying decorations for everything..My house will celebrate inside and out.

9. I am not a girly girl. I do wear makeup and do my hair but it is very basic. I have to look up videos on how to do certain things like Straighten my hair with a flat iron or do a smoky eye look. I am a little embarrassed to admit that but...Hey I told you I am ordinary.

10. My all-time favorite poem ever is Footprints. I find it so inspirational. I want to get it tattooed on my side as those words have helped me in many a dark hour.

Ahhh that wasn't as hard as I thought! So now to nominate a few people.

Just-Do

smoothfox

yardsalesandcrochet

littlebirdiesecrets

L is for love

urbantortoise

tecrin

Manda's Challenges

You are receving the wonderful blogger award..Congratulations.

Until we meet again. Be blessed.

All Ready for Christmas (lots of pictures)

Hello Friends. I have been a busy little bee taking care of the kiddos and preparing for Thanksgiving. Today I was running here there and everywhere to get the rest of the things I needed for the Thanksgiving dinner. Let me tell you, by the time I got home I was wore out. I think everyone was out trying to get what they needed for their dinners.

This is some of the food I had to get. Can you see some of my cheats in there? If you don't tell I wont :)

Here is my Thanksgiving menu: veggie tray with celery, broccoli, baby carrots, bell pepper slices, baby dill pickles, olives, and a dill veggie dip; cheese ball with crackers, deviled eggs, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, baked macaroni and cheese with little smokies on top, candied yams, crescent rolls, pig lickin cake, pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, pecan pie, cheese cake, water, diet coke, sierra mist, coke, diet mountain dew, sweet tea, and kool-aid.

That is alot of food isn't it? The sad part is every year I invite my mom and her husband and some other family members to eat with us and they always go somewhere else. So my hubby, the kids and I will eat very well for a few days. 

Doesn't this look yummy? This is my first time ever making banana bread...It was a big hit with my family. I will definately have to make more soon.

Here is my Christmas tree all put up. I put the tree together, the lights on and the big bow (only because the tip of the tree touches the ceiling) and the tensil on. The kiddos placed all of the ornaments on the tree.

Another more up close picture.

The above piccies are some of the handmade ornaments on my tree. Mrs. Teresa Kasner's heart pattern is the bright red crocheted heart. I loved it.

I see this and I laugh..It is supposed to be Santa in a skiing accident. He just happened to hit our tree..

Around the other tree in my front yard.

The tree all lit up. It sits in front of my bay window.

My front porch from the road we live on. I love it...and I want to add more lights...but prolly not til next year.

 

This is my hubby's favorite decoration..The golfing santa inflatable.

This is my house from the main road through our town. There was once a house in the lot beside us but now it is an empty spot and you can perfectly see the side of my house from the road.

Gazebo in the back yard. I think it needs more lights.

From the alley beside my house looking toward the front porch. It wraps around this side...So bright and festive.

And finally...this is looking from my kitchen into my dining room. (nevermind my daughters scarves in the floor..;p) I have lights on the banister, the lights across the celing are snowflakes that play music, and some  lights around the dining room window.

I am all ready for these holidays. I will be very busy the next few days tidying up, baking, and getting things prepared for the holiday. I promise there will be piccies of the Thanksgiving feast!

Thank you all for reading my blog and leaving your kind comments. Until we meet again. Be blessed.