Black Friday

The Friday after Thanksgiving is perhaps the biggest shopping day of the year. Some people don't leave their house because the stores are crowded and the roads are jammed. I for one love the day. There is such excitement in the air. I get my first taste of the spirit of Christmas. Of course there are long lines, you say. You know it never bothered me. I am a daydreamer by nature. So, I can while away the time thinking about other thoughts. What cookies should Mom and I make this year? What am I going to buy my grandma? Always a dilemma because she doesn't want anything. The ideas I come up with, I feel like are the same ideas I have every year. Who wants to be predictable? I think about how am I going to get everything done. I always do, but waiting in lines is a chance to mentally organize myself. Unless the line is outrageous. One Black Friday, Jimmy, my grandma and I got up at some ungodly hour to go out shopping. We went to one of the local malls, then Best Buy and then another mall. So we make it to Best Buy. There were so many people I couldn't see straight. I think the line went around the store three times. It was incredible. We left and went out for breakfast. Lines, thousands of people and eating out for breakfast ~ it doesn't get any better :)

Dad

My dad sent me some pictures of the fishing trip with the guys down to the Outer Banks, NC. I liked this one the best. You can see how much fun he is having!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Thanksgiving is almost here. Thanksgiving is usually my first indicator of how fast the school year is going. If you say, "wow I can't believe Thanksgiving is already here", it is going really fast. If you say, "I thought Thanksgiving would never come", then the school year is going at a snail's pace. Let me tell you it is going at warp speed. In my estimation, it should only be about the middle of October but here is near the end of November.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. You spend time with your family, eat yourself silly, and lounge around watching football games and talking to the ones you love most in the world. What could be better ~ not much. This year, it is going to be My mom and dad, grandma, my cousin and her family, and Jimmy and me. Diane and Doc won't be with us this year. We will miss Diane and her lively conversation. We will see them next year.

Everyone has their favorite part of the meal. Some people would love to main line gravy if they could. Some enjoy the mashed potatoes. Others, it is the sweet potatoes. For still others, they love corn bread. Almost everyone loves the tryptophan filled turkey. I like all of those except for maybe the mashed potatoes. Sorry people I just don't like them. What I do like most of the Thanksgiving meal is the Stuffing. I fill about half my plate is filled with stuffing. Nothing better than my mom's stuffing.

So I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here are the recipes that I am going to make for Thanksgiving at my Mom and Dad's.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes and Bananas with Honey


You can roast the potatoes and bananas ahead of time, then put it all together just before serving. Then heat it up in the oven.
5 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed 4 bananas, unpeeled 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/4 cup honey Kosher salt 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, put them in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes. Toss the bananas into the pan and continue roasting for 10 to 15 minutes, until both the bananas and potatoes are very soft. Remove the pan from the oven but don't turn the oven off.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh into a large mixing bowl. Peel the bananas and add them to the bowl along with 1 stick of the butter, and the honey. Season with salt and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until everything's well combined and the mixture is fluffy. Spoon into an oven-proof serving bowl and smooth the top.
In a separate mixing bowl, use your fingers to rub together the remaining stick of butter, the brown sugar, flour, and pecans until the mixture is the consistency of coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the sweet potatoes and return to the oven. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the crumbs are golden. Serve hot

Cranberry – Pistachio Muffins

1 corn muffin mix
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped unsalted pistachios
1 ½ tsp. grated orange zest
Garnish: dried cranberries and chopped pistachios

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 6 star shaped disposable foil baking cups or 6 muffins cups with non-stick spray.
2. Prepare muffin mix with the egg and milk as the package directs. Stir in cranberries, pistachios and zest just until blended.
3. Evenly spoon batter into prepared cups. (If using foil baking cups, place on baking sheet.) Sprinkle cranberries and pistachios on top.
4. Bake 15 minutes or until golden and wood pick inserted in centers comes out clean.

Doughnut Cake?

As many of you know, I have a sweet tooth. When Birthday treats come around, I usually partake. In fact, Jill always tells the kids to save the piece with the most icing for me. So anyway, one day, a friend of mine was telling me about this bakery in Butler(Stanley's) that makes a doughnut cake. I was intrigued. So on Monday morning, Julie brought me a piece of the doughnut cake. It was a doughnut only 50 times larger. It was a glazed doughnut on steriods. Then decorated up like a cake. The best part was it was sinfully delicious! Yum-o!!!! Thanks Julie :)

Election Day

Don't forget to vote today!

Sad Halloween

Last Halloween, my next door neighbor was about to celebrate her first wedding anniversary and about to deliver her first baby. Through all the tricker-or-treaters, we talked about the baby and my adoption. We were excited about how much fun it will be this year to take Brady and Sofia around to the neighbors in their costumes. We even made a pact that the husbands would have to stay behind and hand out the candy while we went around together. What a difference a year makes. Sofia never came. Brady came and what a joy it has been to see him grow and change. Then in February, his dad (Corrine's husband) went in to the hospital. He had a tumor on his esophogas and spots on his liver. He went through chemo treatments. It looked like things were headed in the right direction. He was looking healthy. He had to go in for surgery. Once they opened him up, they sewed him back up and said the cancer is back. He would have to go through chemo again. They were hopeful until this Saturday. He was taken to the hospital. He might not live to next week. So this Halloween, Corrine did not get to take her son trick-or treating on his first Halloween. She is facing something no one should face at such a young age. Their life together was just beginning. Everytime I think of how tragic it is, it is all I can do, not to cry. He is only 35 years old. They have only been married for two years. His son is only one years old. He was one of the good ones. He was a gentle giant. He was tall and robust. He was friendly. Our kitchen windows face each other. During the winter, when I couldn't see Brady all the time, Chet would bring him to the window so I could see him. He always had a smile and a kind word. Life is so precious. It makes you stop think about how we should live in such a way that we don't take life's moments for granted. You never know when your life might be cut short. So don't forget to say "I love you" to your someone special and tell them that you are glad they are part of your memories.

Girls Weekend Pictures

Dana, Julie, Jessie, Jill, Me and Carol

Jessie playing the bird whistle

Feeding the Horses

Jessie feeding the horses

Girl's Weekend

Almost a week, has gone by and I haven't written about Girl's Weekend. I guess some weeks are like that. My friends and I went for a getaway weekend. We were able to use my parent's house in Slippery Rock because they were away visiting my brother in Seattle. We had a blast! On Saturday afternoon, we took a walk down to a neighbor's barn. At first Jessie (Jill's little girl) was a little scared of the horses but once she warmed up she loved it. We went into the barn. She was fascinated by all the cats that kept showing up. We headed back up to the house were we whiled away the hours talking. Then we decided it was time for karaoke. Although I can not sing well, I like to act like a goof and sing karaoke. It was so cute Jessie would sing into the microphone. In the evening we played games and talked some more. About 9 o'clock, we decided it was time to make our campfire in the firepit. Unfortunately when we went outside, it was raining. All we could think was no smores no mountain pies. How sad are we, after we spent the day gorging ourselves we still wanted to eat smores and mountain pies. So the day was saved when we just brought our outdoor activities inside. We made a cozy fire and soon the fire was blazing enough for smores and mountain pies. With our bellies full, we called it a night. The next day, we got up early so we could make it back to watch the Steelers beat the Bengals!!!

Family Photos

Nate with his Eiffel Tower made from Legos
Camille and Grammy with Halloween Gingerbread House

My Niece Camille with her Halloween Gingerbread House