Could Thanksgiving get any better than this......

Stevie, providing comic relief, during the cooking stretch of the day. She actually really enjoyed her unlimited, uninterrupted "wii " time. She's not quite to that time of life where she pushs mom over and takes over the "process." She enjoys the end result!
I mixed up the rolls, rolled out one batch while showing Ceci how it was done. She then rolled out the three remaining batches. Despite the picture, she really was enjoying herself. She had tried to grate orange peeling for me earlier, not much of a success story. I switched her to zesting them and she liked that much better! I especially like the flour look that she is sporting:)
Half of the "fruit" of her labors. Yummy, can't wait! Inside the oven is the Cranberry cheesecake I made. (Ceci's orange zest included) I should mention that Baxter helped me with the cranberry cheesecake. I had never made a "real" cheese cake, so he and I created a new memory. Gotta love that boy!
Noah's pumpkin pies, he made, were impatiently waiting for the cheesecake to finish and then for the rolls to cook. His practice shot in October really paid off. He didn't even ask for any help. He did however ask me what tawny meant since the recipe is Grandma's Tawny Pumpkin Pie. He finally figured out through some teasing that it is indicative to the color of the pie. I hope to hear him use his new vocabulary word at dinner! Gotta love that boy too! Maybe I just gotta love them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Noah peeling apples for Dutch apple pie. Steven loves apple pie. He found out that I hadn't included it in the menu this year. His crestfallen expression led to one more visit to the store. Baxter begged Grandma to go with him since I was up to my elbows. She seemed happy to go since she needed a couple of things too. Hence the apple pie wasn't done until about 11:30pm.
Steve and Baxter working on thee aforementioned apple pie. The funny thing is that I told Baxter to get 8-10 Granny Smith apples. They just assumed that the recipe would take that many, so they peeled and sliced them all. Steve ended up making two pies and piled them really high, just the way he likes! (I didn't notice since I had my feet up and was playing solitaire on someones i-pod touch)

Steve looking in the freezer and refrigerator and NOT finding anything to eat. Well not anything he could eat last night anyway! Too Funny!!

Lest you think that we gave Zane away, breathe easy. He spend the afternoon and evening with a friend over in Leonardtown. He did help G-pa earlier in the day!

I love Thanksgiving! I enjoy getting everything ready and teaching the kids how to continue our traditions--I even think that they enjoy learning them!

I thought it was going to be light blue?????

My sweet little angel has been telling me over and over that she was going to get a beautiful light blue cast. When given the choices she finally decided on "pink." She was somewhat disappointed that they didn't even HAVE light blue. This picture shows the cast almost done. Now my sweetie is sporting a lovely bright pink cast.
It was pretty cool to watch the casting procedure. The nurse surely had it down to a science. Stevie was enthralled with the whole process.
Beginning of the casting episode.

I'm so excited, I just can't hide it la,la,la,la......

Guess what? I get to go to Utah tooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just call to say.......

It's been a very long time. I visit your blogs often...I love them!

A few thoughts to share:

• Baxter and Steve are going out to Utah this month. Baxter is going to tour some campuses out there. I can't even explain how this makes me feel. I never thought my oldest would grow up and leave me soooo soon. I feel like he is robbing me by graduating a year early. Yes, I am pleased that he knows what he wants to do and is going after it--I just wished it hadn't happened in the blink of an eye. Yesterday I was holding him for the first time--he was an adorable baby that wrapped around my heart instantly and has never let go.
• I celebrated my 42nd birthday yesterday. I ended up staying home from school with three sick kids. Baxter is having muscle spasms in his back from football. Ceci is recovering from spending the weekend at a friend's house in North Carolina. We didn't realize that they were smokers or that they had a cat. Consequence: asthma and big time allergies. Noah, I believe, is catching my wonderful cold that I am just getting rid of, pour thing is coughing his head off. Happily though, I did get my pork chops, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies and strawberry shortcake for dessert (I love mixed veggies and the rest of the family abhors them so they really were for me) all made be my hunk, Steve.
  
• We had said strawberry shortcake for two reasons: 1st, Noah decided a few weeks ago that we needed pumpkin pie (two weeks early since we always have the first pumpkin pie of the season on my b-day) He wanted it so bad that he even made the crust himself. G-ma gave him a hint to only roll out once for a flaky crust. He listened and had the funniest crust I ever saw, but it was delicious and so flaky. The pies were WONDERFUL! 2nd, I bought strawberries for Steve's b-day because he loves angel food cake for his b-day. Well I ran out of time so we had store bought apple pie. Hence my birthday treat, Grandma Young's yellow cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Delicious:)
  
• Eating Grandma's yellow cake brought back memories of going into her kitchen lifting the lid of her cake pan and snitching a piece. Yum, Yum, Yum!
• My cinquain that I wrote in class as an example this week:

Pumpkin
Round, Orange
Thinking, Designing, Cutting
Slimy Strings and Seeds
Jack-O-Lantern

• The poem was inspired by Noah's party. G and G, the Stevens, and ourselves got together and carved pumpkins and ate soup and breadsticks. Noah received his much wanted i-pod touch. Grandpa played with it a little last night. He was telling the kids that it was just an electronic form of the games he used to play as a child, a plastic box with a maze and a small steel ball. He told them he really liked it when the said box had a lever to make the ball spring forth. So Steve being Steve quickly downloaded a pinball application. Not sure if G-pa ever got to play it though. Amazing how much this little world has changed in such a short period of time.
• Other good news: Steve started the pellet stove yesterday. I woke up this morning and didn't feel like any of my appendages were going to fall off!!! He also said that the hopper that G-pa designed and mostly built worked like a dream. He opened the little door, filled up his bucket, closed the door and wha-laa heat in the house. Yipee!!!
  

Lazy Days

I'm sitting here in my bed, in my pj's and it's 9am. I have had one of the laziest spring breaks ever. I think I have read six or seven books. The book I enjoyed the most was called, "Saving Cece Honeycutt." It was a story of a 12 year old girl who had grown up to this point with a mother that was mentally somewhere else and a father that was almost never present. Her mother dies and her great aunt swoops in and takes her to Savannah, Georgia where she is "saved" by five or six courageous, eclectic women. I really enjoyed it.
I also watched my children stay up late and sleep in late each day. They are hooked on CSI, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and Biggest Loser. They have been keeping the dvr busy recording and watching shows. They youngers have also been playing outside a lot and playing with the dog. Stevie sure does love Bubbles--dogs sure can be a girls best friend.
Baxter made me proud by going out and tilling up the garden spot. Steve is gone with work and so Bax has been wearing around his shoes.
I have also against my better judgement for my weight loss plan made cookies a few times. The kids were sure happy, but I just can't stay away from cookies so I'll have to work extra hard now to lose those extra pounds. While I was making the sugar cookies, I had just rolled out the first batch to go in the oven. Baxter walked in from tilling and told me to wait. He washed his hands and took OVER. He rolled out the rest and kept the pans full for me to cook them. He was so excited!!! Noah then walked in while I was making the frosting, he took OVER. He told me that he would be happy to make it, so he did. I then sat down to start frosting them and low and behold Baxter, Noah, Ceci, and Stevie showed up to help frost and apply sprinkles. I started a long project and it was made short by many hands and smiles all around. Zane did come in and eat the first cookie much to everyone chagrin.
Now that I don't have anymore books to read, I guess I'll have to do some work around here and catch up on some grading for school. I sure have enjoyed my lazy time though and I know my kiddies have too.

My dreams come true!

Well as many of you know we have had record snows in Maryland. I honestly really enjoyed the time off work and the time spent with my hubby and kiddies. However, I must admit that with the x-box going twenty-four seven that I did start to question my sanity. I awoke from a dream part way through what I term the "snow break" with visions of painting my kitchen. I shared my dream with Steven and being the wonderful man that he is he suggested we make it reality---so off to the paint store we did go to purchase paint. While there I got carried away and suggested that we also paint the upstairs bathroom. I was a bit surprised by the total, but decided to grin and bear it. For the next three days children and parents alike were involved in a different past time. I know the kids were wishing for their x-box, ds's and computer time, but I was enjoying the break from them. I now have a beautiful kitchen and a bright bathroom. Yeah!!! Now we just need to finish the trim. We have been replacing the trim with a more craftsman style as we have updated the rooms. We just need time to sand and stain or paint as the case may be. Even unfinished it is muy bien. The refrigerator felt bad that the walls got all the attention so it died yesterday. We now have a lovely new one that I found for a great deal!!!! I do wish that the other hadn't pooped out though--unplanned expenses are never fun.