Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope y'all had a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  

& a Happy Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

I swear.. I was NOT meant to spend money this Cyber Monday. I wanted to buy Robby and I stockings from Pottery Barn but they were all out of the ones I wanted. I wanted to buy a Christmas tree skirt but the one I wanted was no longer available. I wanted to buy more of those pumpkin ramekins from World Market and save them for next year (they are on sale for $2.49) but it wouldn't let me add to cart! Grr. So I gave up! 

I was so blessed to have been able to spend time with my sweet family members on Thanksgiving, have delicious food on the table and to have been able to spend the day with my best friend. Next year I may not be able to see him on Thanksgiving or Christmas due to his work schedule =(

I would have to say my favorite part of the night was going around the table and hearing each of us say what we are thankful for. I got teary eyed & I even made Robby tear up a little because I mentioned my miscarriages (I wasn't even planning on mentioning that). I am thankful for trials in life. Well, don't get me wrong, I don't like them at the time but I am thankful for them once my heart heals a little because I grow so much from experiences like that.

I also enjoyed reading our thank you cards Thanksgiving night from our traditional Thankful Box. My brother picked a card out that I forgot I even wrote. He read: "I am thankful dad and I were safe when he ran the red light hehe! ;)" Sorry dad for throwing ya under the bus! Ha!

Some cute ones from some little visitors that spent the night one night:

Meg: "I'm thankful to be in a country where I can go to school. Some kids hate school. School is a privilege." (Wow! She's 9 folks!)

Madi: I am thankful for spending time with my family and spending the night with them." (And then she drew a picture of all of us.. including the dog)

Eric: I am thankful for being with my family.

Those just melt my heart!

 Here are some pictures of the dishes I made for turkey day.

I made the turkey veggie platter with ranch dip & jalapeno ranch dip per husbands request.

 

I wasn't going to make a cheese ball (or in this case a cheese turkey) because I was going to make those pilgrim hats with the reese's peanut butter cups and the Keebler fudge stripe cookies that are all over Pinterest, but when I found out my cousin's wife already bought all the stuff to make the pilgrim hats I had to decide quickly on another festive dish. 

Not the most appealing turkey but people got what it was.. or so I think..?!

The pie to the left is my pumpkin layered cheesecake I have been making every year since we've been married. Robby and I LOVE it and our Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without it. EXCEPT.. this year I messed up on the 'layered' part so it was just a pumpkin cheesecake. Ha! Still taste the same though.

My southern man also requested a homemade pecan pie.. so here is my very FIRST pecan pie! & It was pretty darn good if I say so myself.

  Next year I WILL make my own crust because the ones I bought from the store were not-so-good.

The ONLY picture of us on Thanksgiving. 

I took a mirror picture of my curled hair because.... I hardly ever curl my hair.

  
And here is a painting I added to my shop of a deer head silhouette..

 I've really been into adding black & white to my decor lately.
 I think he would look so hip in a modern nursery or I can even make a red one for Christmas decor or a Christmas themed nursery.

Now it's time to pop either the grinch or the holiday.. in the DVD player and cuddle with the hubby since I only have ONE day left with him before he has to go to work.

4 more days till December!!!

July 4th 2012

  Was I into the 4th of July this year?

Well, to be honest.. um no. I wasn't.

I mean I would have been pumped up and ready for face painting, sparklers, and painting my nails red, white, and blue if it wasn't for the following:

 Second miscarriage. 

Second d&c surgery.

No fireworks nearby due to wildfires here in Colorado.

And the husband wasn't here while I was going through heartache. 

I did however find enough energy in me to make a flag cake. 

I had to do something. I'm a freak for the holidays. Love em' all. Especially, the 4th of July. It's probably my second favorite holiday if I had to number them in order of favorites. I can't let a holiday pass me by without making some kind of craft or special dish. It's just not in my blood to forget about the holidays, no matter what obstacles I'm going through or faced with.

My family and I decided to take a drive up to Loveland which is about an hour away to see the fireworks over the lake. Because let's face it.. the 4th without fireworks is like.. cereal without milk (first thing that came to mind haha).

 Long story short: 

We saw elk in front of someone's house which was the hi-light of my night by the way, walked by a house full of drunks that had signs up saying "If you park here we'll shoot you," saw someone from that house get thrown to the ground by a police officer, had the worse cramps of-my-entire-life, and to top it all off.. once the fireworks started we couldn't even see them. 

An hour of driving for nothing.

 Oh. My. Goodness.

Talk about a pretty crappy 4th.

 (Experimented with this yummy chocolate moose frosting I pinned from a friend off of Pinterest awhile back. Instead of chocolate pudding mix.. I added cheesecake pudding mix so I could get white frosting. So good!)

(Elk wandering into someone's backyard)

(Trying hard to smile)

(In pain)

(My sweet daddy)

(Sunflower with a bee zooming by)

Even though I had a long list of all the negative crap that happened that day.. 
I have learned to count my blessings in all I do, in any given situation.
Blessings: 
FREEDOM & FAMILY.