Three Things - 10/20/2011

Three Things I'm Loving This Week:

1.  Bath & Body Works Sales.  I went to Bath & Body this past Sunday with the intention of only buying two of their large candles.  I came out with a couple small anti-bacterial hand gels and this cute Halloween  soap dispenser - and the candles.  I love their deals~!  I am hoping that I can use this through Thanksgiving (I will turn it around to just the plain pumpkin side) and that I can save it for next year & just refill it!

2.  Ebersole Impromptu Get-Togethers.  Jerry's brother Terry was in town with his wife Carol & their son Zachary earlier this week.  On Wednesday night, all of the Ebersole siblings were together along with most of their extended families.  It's a good time with lots of laughs.

3.  Fall is here!  The tree are slowly changing & the temperatures are getting cooler.  The township lost a lot of leaves the past couple of days with the high winds we had, but the colors are so beautiful with what leaves are remaining.  I am finally figuring out how to adjust the setting on our camera to get the perfect late afternoon shot of the mountain across the street.

Three Things I Am Not Loving:

1.  Change of Season Colds.  I am been snuffly, coughy, achy - just yucky for a couple weeks now.  I dislike taking DayQuil because it makes me feel loopy (at least more loopy than usual!).  Now I am stuffed up and have an annoyance cough.  Not fun.

2.  Change.  Even though I am a big cheerleader for change - I don't like it.  I have started watching Oprah's Lifeclass on OWN and I am realizing that I have a lot of inner and outer changes that need to happen.  Ego vs. True Self?  Yeah, it's going to take a lot of changing.

3.  Disorganization.  For the most part, I am pretty organized.  However, I have a couple (as the Flylady would say) "Hotspots" that seem to be a magnet for clutter and paperwork.  It is a problem which needs to be remedied this weekend.  Even though it is not "comfortable" to get rid of clutter, it is most definitely necessary!

Well that's it from Bullfrog Hollow for the week.  Have an amazing weekend!

IT"S OK Thursday

Three weeks in a row...can you say COMMITMENT??

Here's the latest - and it's okay - because I said so.

It's OK!

...to be obsessed with organizing.

...to be sad some days.

...to wonder if this is "it".  Is this the way it's always going to be?

...to want a new car - badly.

...to wonder if I do indeed have a favorite child.

...to want it to snow so badly so we can have a snow day.

...to go to Bible Study for the social time.  (Not really getting a bunch out of this book).

...to wonder if we should go to a marriage counselor.

...to love it when it rains.

...to think about stopping my birthday card sending.

...to hope at least 10 people who I'm not related to read our blog.

That's it I think!

Have a wonderful Thursday!!

Because Fortune Cookies Are Bible...

ACE came home from school yesterday with a fortune from a fortune cookie he got at lunch.

It reads "Something nice is coming to you in the mail".

He thinks this is "Bible" the absolute truth, and that "something nice" is going to magically appear in the mailbox.

I hope he's not disappointed if nothing shows up. 

Maybe I'll just get something & send it to him.

Who I am to crush the hopes of an 11 year-old - pinned on a fortune cookie.

Now to rack my brain to find something nice...

Son #2 & Random

I frequently refer to our youngest son as "Son #2".  His real nickname is ACE (which are his initials).

My sweet boy is growing up so fast, and while there are some of personality traits that I would like to see change as he gets older, there are LOTS that I hope he never loses.

Case in Point #1:  He is not afraid of what his peers think.  Last Friday was Crazy Sock Day at his school.  After a bit of a dramatic incident, I thought of these socks I had (thanks Maggie!) and suggested that he wear these.  He didn't even hesitate.  He sat down on his bedroom floor & threw them on and posed for a couple pictures without much of a fuss.

Case In Point #2: He will stay young at heart. Even though he is 11 (and a lot stronger than me!), he still likes doing things that little kids do. He loved sitting at the Mohnton Halloween Parade and getting lots of CANDY! Secretly I think he loved getting all the candy from kids that know him. I was amazed at all the young girls that would chirp "Hi Aidan!" and throw him candy.  His Mama did not think it was fantastic!  Oh well, I am pretty sure this will not get any better!

He is wearing Shawn's Halloween basket on his head. He makes me smile.

And then just random - the Halloween cookies that I fantasized about making for the party at my friend Wendy's house after the parade. I saw them in a magazine that I get and thought they would be the perfect treat to take. Little did I know that they were going to take so long to frost. My OCD does not handle the tedious process of frosting these cookies.

So there it is a little bit of Tuesday randomness.  After all, I think that word describes us to a "T"!

Weekend Recap

Good morning all! 

We had a fun-filled weekend:

A soup & sandwich sale at the fire company, making cookie treats, Halloween Parade, Halloween Party, Bath & Body Works for the last day of their candle sale (for this month), lacrosse training camp, Little Caesar's pizza & crazy bread, Pop-Pop Ebersole's - bed...aahhhh...

Here's a couple pictures of the delicious candles I got.  My computer is being silly, so I will have to post the other pictures later - maybe tomorrow.

Three Things - 10/14/2011

Three Things I Am Loving This Week:

1. Pampered Chef.  My Pampered Chef order came yesterday.  Actually it came twice.  The first time the Fed-Ex truck pulled up, they delivered two boxes.  Both had stoneware in them, but the little gadgets were M-I-A.  After a quick call to my sister/consultant, she explained that the third box would probably be here on Friday.   I would have to wait until tomorrow to get the rest of my goodies.  Then, what's this?  SURPRISE!!  The Fed-Ex truck pulled up again - with my third box.  Squeals of delight & a haphazard opening commenced.  I loved all the products & wished I could keep them all!  Now I can't wait to try them all out.

2.  CVS Extra Care Card.  I had the ultimate rush last night.  I had CVS Extra Cash Back dollars to use by October 13.  I had a scenario worked out in my head, but I wasn't sure if it was really going to work out.  So off I went.  I bought four bags of M&M's (which they had on sale - 2/$5).  I had $7.00 ECB to spend, PLUS I had (2) $1.00 off coupons for the Pretzel M&M's and $1.00 off two bags of any M&M's.  So in the end...

...the four bags of M&M's were FREE!!  And in actuality, I made $3.00 because I got $3.00 ECB for purchasing $10.00 worth of Mars products.

                          

Four bags of deliciousness - for FUH-REE!!!

3.  Homemade Applesauce.  We bought a peck of apples for $3.00.  Came home, peeled & cored them.  Threw them in the crock pot with 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar and one teaspoon of cinnamon (for 10 apples).  The crock pot setting was High for the first batch and it took about 4 hours for the apples to cook down to deliciousness.  I just used my hand potato masher to break the apples down a little more and it was the perfect tool.  It reminds me of my Gramma Myers' applesauce.  The second batch we doubled and started it at 11:00 at night.  I just put it on warm overnight and then cranked the heat up when I got up the next morning.  The second batch had more pieces f skin & seed casing in it, so I just ran the cooled sauce through my Kitchen Aid Mixer fruit & vegetable strainer.  It worked like a charm.  I am sure we will get more apples because the sauce won't last long in our house!

Three Things I Am Not Loving This Week:

1.  It's October.  Now don't get me wrong, I love fall.  BUT it's already the middle of October people!  I have so many fun Halloween things I want to do and time is running out!  I guess I better get a move on it and get those Halloween activities completed.

2.  The "Volunteer" Fire Department.  My husband has been a volunteer firefighter for umpteen years.  This past week it has worked on my last nerve.  He was out on a search detail for over six hours.  I probably wouldn't have minded it, but it I had an EGD done that morning and wasn't feeling the best and he just left. 

I am coming to the realization that it takes a really wonderful person to be a volunteer firefighter, but it takes exceptional people to be a firefighter's family.

3.  Last Days.  Today is a dear co-worker of mine's last day at work.  She and her family are moving and it would not be convenient for her to continue to work at our school.  She has become a wonderful friend to me and I will truly miss seeing her each day. 

Good luck Ali!  I sincerely hope to see you in the future!

IT'S OK Thursday

My second edition of IT'S OK Thursdays!  How bout it?  It's like my own little therapy session - without the co-pay!

IT'S OK...



To be sad that a dear friend is leaving our little workplace

To be excited about starting my own adventure - all by myself

To be pissed off that my husband seems to find time to be out at fire calls, but can't seem to get chores done around the house

To LOVE rainy days - I embrace them.  I just want to throw on a pair of yoga pants & watch DVR'd stuff with a blanket wrapped around me - of course!!

To love the adrenaline rush of calling 911

To try not to be annoyed with certain people who go on, and on, and on - about something they told me AT LEAST 5 times

To want to listen to Pastor Keith McGarvey's sermons over and over in the car.  I will not be a Bible moron forever!

To be annoyed that the new Apple update is taking so freaking long to install on my iPad

To be super pumped that the Mohnton Great Halloween Parade is this weekend.  I am making the cutest cookies to share at the party we are going to - in a funeral home!!

To wonder what our lives would be like if we had moved to Erie County

Okay - I think that's it.  Going to link up with A Complete Waste of Makeup and then continue to watch the minutes slowly creep down on my iPad update (insert Pirate ARGHHHHHH!!!)