The Cookies....

So do you have any idea how long it takes to bake 9 dozen cookies? A loooonnggg time. I have a giant cookie sheet (its as big as the oven rack) and it will bake a dozen at a time. Each batch needed to bake for 12 minutes.... Why do I not think of these things BEFORE I dive in? I got a late start so I was trying to get done and get a shower (cause I had walked before baking) and eat some dinner before it was like 8:30 PM! Darrel was home, but working overtime for work and he even helped me babysit the last 2-3 batches. Finally got them done and they were worth the effort. YUM. These cookies are FULL of chocolate. LOOK!















This was one of Darrel's warm from the oven snacks. See these cookies have oatmeal (ground), 2 bags of chocolate chips and 2 cups of chocolate sprinkles. LOTS of chocolate. There are also walnuts and lots of real butter and real vanilla. They are good! I made the full 9 dozen batch so I could take the promised 5 dozen to church and we'd still have some at home. Didn't want Darrel to be neglected right? :)

Did you notice the little balls of cookie dough next to the finished cookies in the first photo? Does everyone do this or just me? When I have lots of cookies to bake, I find it much faster (and more efficient... yes I am all about doing things more efficient...) to lay out a 2nd sheet of parchment and go ahead and scoop out all of my upcoming batches while the first one is cooking. Then as each batch is done, I can quickly take the finished cookies off the pan, place the all ready cookie dough balls on the pan and speedy back into the oven. Maybe its not really faster? But it works in my head....

Anyone interested in the recipe? Here you go.

Double Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies

2 cups butter softened (I use real butter)
2 cups sugar
2 cups packed brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I like watkins real vanilla)
5 cups old fashioned oats
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 cups (24 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli are the best!)
3 cups chopped walnuts
2 cups chocolate sprinkles (you can buy 10 oz containers by the cake decorating supplies)

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Place the oats in a blender or food processor; cover and process until finely ground. Combine oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Transfer to a larger bowl if necessary. Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts and sprinkles. Roll into 1-1/2 in balls (I use a pampered chef med. ss scoop) Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets (I use a cookie sheet with parchment paper). Flatten with a glass. Bake at 350 deg. for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield 9 dozen.

Usually when I make these for just us I halve the recipe. For things like the Harvest Party or church bazaars or bake sales, its great to have a recipe that makes a big batch.

I wanted to post all about date night, and the weekend too but it is late... so I hope to be back tomorrow to tell you all about the great shoe deal I found and the awesome shirt that I thought I had lost out on but didn't! We also had a great time at the harvest party tonight. The kids were so cute! I am sure you are also eager to hear about all the great progress on the bathroom right? Um wrong... We are at a standstill. So not good when you would like to have a fully functioning bathroom IN the house. So tune in tomorrow for all the details... same time... same station. :) Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

So today we are thankful for cookies? Chocolate Chips? Nope. Surprised aren't ya cause that sounds totally like me doesn't it? I had been pondering what to post about today and after spending a good part of the day in my kitchen cleaning, I realized I was feeling thankful for so many things about my kitchen and my enjoyment of baking & cooking in there. I like cooking, but baking even more. I had this recipe book and ingredients sitting out for a batch of cookies I am making for our church Harvest Party on Sunday. Seeing that sitting out got me to thinking about lots of reasons I love my kitchen!

I am thankful for my kitchen because it used to belong to my Mamaw and I can still picture her cooking in there. We'd spend time here in the summer and go to the beach or fishing all day and when we'd come home, she'd have something yummy cooking in the pressure cooker like chicken and noodles (like I just happened to make today) or roast beef or something good. She made this crewel embroidery picture I have hanging in my kitchen now...
















She used to have it in the kitchen too and then it disappeared. When we were cleaning out the house I found it and we put it in a new frame and got it back on the wall where it belongs!

I am thankful for my kitchen because its a room Darrel and I remodeled together. Well OK.. without my husband... there wouldn't be much done. I love the cabinets we had built (beautiful solid hickory). I love the color red on the walls. I love the cherry woodwork molding that Darrel made. I love the antique touches like Mamaws old metal cabinets, and her canisters, the little kitchen table we bought at an antique shop not long after moving here, and my many vintage dishes and cooking supplies. The vintage stuff is the best don't ya know..

I am thankful for how it feels on Thursdays (when I am home) to have my husband come home and find me in the kitchen making our dinner, laundry going in the next room, kitchen warm and cozy and bright; safe from the cool fall temps outside. Love it. I am quite a homebody kind of girl... can you tell?

So thankful for the blessing of our home and kitchen. Remember when I was telling you about the "kitchen" in Haiti? wow.. Reminds me again to be so thankful for my blessings.

Other things I have been thankful for this week are:

• participating in another book tour
• our spare bathroom which has been most needed!
• new bathroom stuff purchased yesterday
• A fun date night last week shopping for our new bathroom
• skirts and boots... yes... again
• Danskos
• my friends
• My bootie shoes
• pedicures... I miss going for them since the summer ended.. seriously considered going tomorrow... but I broke down this evening and did my own.. .what a concept huh?
• watching our favorite TV shows together with Darrel
• a fun birthday party celebration with my family last Sunday
• my camera
• my job
• Jack. Getting more and more attached to him
• The fall decorations on my porch
• our home and shelter from the cool temps outside
• our warm fluffy down comforter and feather bed
• good memories
• God's patience with me
• my sweet husband
• sitting together on the same side of the booth on date night
• the coming holidays
• Darrel's job
• a quick recovery after being ill during the night last night
• my droid phone. LOVE it.
• Bath & Body stuff
• Bare escentuals make up
• pink scarves
• tights - a new fall love
• fresh homemade hot chocolate with whipped cream
• my fitness pal app for my droid
• my vera sunglasses. LOVE them.
• pink stuff... cause I haven't mentioned it in a day or two..

So now that I've done my own pedicure this evening I am happy with my flashbulb fuchsia pink toes... yet missing my pretty flower on my big toe. My head is wondering if I could paint one on there myself. I've watched the pedi place do it enough times. I am toying with this idea.... perhaps I'll have a picture for you next post?

In case you are wondering.. .the cookies I am making are called Double Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies. They have chocolate sprinkles, chocolate chips, oatmeal, walnuts... they are yummy and the recipe makes 9 dozen! There is a section in the cookbook with recipes that make big batches like that for bazaars, bake sales, that kind of thing. If anyone is interested in the recipe, I'll see if I can post it for you next time.

Heading to the big city tomorrow for date night. Looking forward to it! Hope you have a good Friday! Goodnight for now and until the weekend I wish you blessings!

Blogging For Books Book Tour

Yes, its time for another book tour! This time we are reading The Miracle of Mercy Land by River Jordan. Here is a summary from the publisher:

What if you had the power to amend choices you made in the past? Would you do it even if it changed everything?

Mercy Land has made some unexpected choices for a young woman in the 1930's. The sheltered daughter of a traveling preacher, she chooses to leave her rural community to move to nearby Bay City on the warm, gulf-waters of southern Alabama. There she finds a job at the local paper and spends seven years making herself indispensable to old Doc Phillips, the publisher and editor. Then she gets a frantic call at dawn - it's the biggest news story of her life, and she can't print a word of it.

Doc has come into possession of a curious book that maps the lives of everyone in Bay City - decisions they've made in the past, and how those choices affect the future. Mercy and doc are consumed by the mystery locked between the pages - Doc because he hopes to right a very old wrong, and Mercy because she wants to fulfill the book's strange purpose. But when a mystery from Mercy's past arrives by train, she begins to understand that she will have to make choices that will deeply affect everyone she loves - forever.

Intriguing right? This was a good read. I was a little surprised because at first I found the idea of this "curious book" a bit far fetched. However as I kept reading I really found myself drawn into the story and... it really made me think. I found myself impacted by this idea of the choices we make in our lives and how far reaching they can be. It asks the reader questions like what if the choices we make affect all the other lives around us? What if we changed those choices? How different would our story, our life be? The main character Mercy Land was my favorite. She was a strong women, sure of herself and her abilities, and had a strong bond to her family, friends and loved ones. I liked how her family, especially her parents and her Aunt Ida really instilled in her a sense of who she was and why she was valuable and important and the confidence this gave her. I liked her strong sense of loyalty and her morals. Near the end of the book she is reminded of what true beauty is and this really struck a chord with me because its a topic I struggle with. Her Aunt reminds her not to be swayed by appearance; that appearance can be all glitter and disguise. Knowing who you are, made up of real stuff, that is where truth and beauty can begin. Very thought provoking. If you are into symbolism and that kind of thing, there is a lot here to sift through and think on. I found myself jotting down a few notes which is always a good sign of a good read. I also was eager to keep reading, especially from the middle of the book through the end to find out what happens!

As for any negatives, all I would say is that I did wish it had a little stronger element of faith and that some of the ideas about the book in the story were a bit too fantasy for me and "far fetched" as I mentioned. Still a good story that drew me in even with these few small things I've mentioned.

Until the next Blogging for Books Book Tour.. blessings!

(This book was provided for review by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing.)

Ten On Tuesday

1) Well... OK technically its 12:04 so I guess it's Wednesday but let's pretend it hasn't been another really long day and I am actually getting this done on time. Works for me.

2) This is my niece Lindsay. Official new teenager, 13 year old birthday girl. We celebrated her birthday on Sunday. Her Aunt Deanna brought her a colossal cupcake to enjoy all by her very own self. Why? Because I think all birthday's should be celebrated with gusto.. and calories do not count so much cake and icing should be enjoyed. Especially a giant cupcake. These are one of my new favorite birthday things since my friend Lori bestowed one on me on my birthday. It was YUMMY. Yellow cake and the non-dairy cool whip type of icing which is my FAV. YUM. Wondering if I should celebrate my 1/2 birthday and have myself another one of those!

3) Our gift to Lindsay, besides the cupcake, was knee socks from Gordman's and PJ pants. Not to mention a bag full of bubble gum and gummy bears as requested. Did you know you can buy knee socks for JR's in a 4 pack which one would think is 2 pairs... but Nope... it is 4 individual mix and match socks, no two exactly alike. This must be a new concept my old head cannot understand because it would totally BUG me to have non matching socks on OK? Guess I am officially OLD.















4) It was also my parent's wedding anniversary (46 years) and my sister's birthday on Sunday. I figured we could not let her birthday pass un-celebrated... I am like not capable of that... so Darrel and I bought her a "more corners brownie pan" (since she is all about the corners... now for me.. give me a big ol' piece totally out of the center) and I baked a pan of brownies in it. We took that, candles, Mrs Richardson's Hot Fudge and ice cream so she could have herself a brownie sundae. They were yummy... I might have had some.

5) OK.. it's now 12:11 pm and I have not yet checked to see what QVC's shoe of the day is... I am restraining myself. All month I have this compulsion at midnight to run and see! I have ordered 2 pairs... I have returned both of them. Perhaps this should be a sign that I should stop this huh?

6) Today was an interesting work day. I got to work late after having a bad night with little sleep. About the time I was going to get down to business and get my newsletter done, the power surged.. .twice. After this, most things seemed OK, however we quickly discovered that certain lights, the copier and the sound system were like dead... not good. We spent the next 1/2 hour checking breakers and trying to get things working.. only to then have all the power go out. GRRRR We then find out a pole with a transformer is down in town. At that point it was time to come home and work because I didn't think I would enjoy handwriting the newsletter. Last I heard.. the power was restored and the copier was working so I am hoping this means all things are working and fine and will be functional in the morning.

7) I have taken it upon myself to totally revamp our church newsletter this month. I am S I C K of the old one.. and every month I tell myself it needs redoing and every month I am down to the wire on time and don't get it done. Well tonight I dove into changing it. Hoping I will not regret this decision now as time is short as usual to get things completed. So far, so good, but I have 4 more pages to design and complete tomorrow and um putting together the newsletter is so like putting together a puzzle and puzzles.... well they are not my thing.

8) Tomorrow, the plan is for Darrel to hit Lowe's after work and order/buy the vanity, sink, tile, a window and the medicine cabinet. I believe the tile has to be ordered, but the rest should be coming home with him. SO excited about that. We still are undecided and having a debate about the medicine cabinet choice and whether or not it will be too big to be in proportion for the room. We are thinking the only way to settle the debate is to buy the thing and check it out in the room and with the vanity. If it doesn't work... well... we can always return and try again right?

9) Headed out for my walk today and decided I totally deserve extra credit for not only walking but fighting the wind. Wow.. it was like Wizard of Oz out there. It is totally harder to walk when you add in wind resistance. But, I made it, 3.5 miles, 4 lbs of weights in hand and, wind and all I had an excellent pace! Not bad for a girl that was pretty tired and totally pushing herself the whole entire time!

10) One of the pairs of shoes I am returning to QVC was a pair of Mary Jane Danskos that were 1/2 price. SO wish they had been OK, but they totally do not fit right and actually HURT. I am thinking this is not a good thing for shoes that are supposed to be extra comfy. They just fit quite different than my pink ones because of the strap and the Mary Jane cut. I am going to try these instead. I wanted to get another patent pair, but now that I am seeing that scratching the patent leather is not a good thing... I was thinking this might be a better way to go.

I am off to bed. BUSY day tomorrow with work and grocery shopping later. I also need to get my blog tour posted. Hoping to do that late tomorrow night so be sure to check back! Until then, blessings!

Date Night Report

So date night....weekend... I figured we'd go in reverse order here... somewhat.... and start with something pretty. We ended the evening at Schnucks (on Friday) where we had stopped to pick up some of our favorite fudge topping for my sister for her birthday and since we were there Darrel also bought me this beautiful rose. No.... its not pink... but it was one of the best looking ones they had and I swear its like 2-1/2 feet... yes feet... tall! LOVE it.















So we started the evening with dinner at Logans. It was yummy. We got there early because of the hour time difference so we got right in, got served quickly and out we went. Next stop was Gordman's for a birthday gift for our niece. I'll share more about that tomorrow. Did you know you can buy a pack of socks for a teen that has 4 mix and match socks... no two are alike? I must be really getting old because I had not heard of this concept... Anyway... After that we headed for the mall. We needed to hit the jewelery store to pick up some of my things they had for repair, Hallmark, Dillards, the kitchen store, Bath & Body Works, and Macy's! Whew... we did all that in like less than an hour. Apparently we are GOOD shoppers! Ha!! We were on a time limit because we were still trying to hit Menards, Home Depot and Lowe's to shop and compare our bathroom choices so we could decide what direction we are headed bathroom remodeling wise. We did good! First we hit Menards. We found nothing we liked there. Not.. one.. thing. We did not spend much time there. Next we headed to Home Depot. We found our tub there! It will be plain and simple. White, porcelain over cast iron. We thought we had a cast iron tub, but it turned out it was steel so.. now we shall correct this. Other than that, we were still liking the things we saw at Lowe's last week the best. So here is where we are at. The picture up above is the tile we fell in love with! Isn't it awesome? We looked at ceramic, granite, marble... then we saw this one. Does it not scream vintage... and my name for that matter! ha!! We will get it with the black hexagon's added so it will look something like this picture.




















See initially we were thinking wood floor and the bathroom mostly white. There was going to be a white pedestal sink. White tub, toilet, sink. White wainscoting. Painted walls above the wainscot. Lots of white. Then, while shopping we got to talking and realized we were both having 2nd thoughts about the pedestal sink, and we were both also liking a dark espresso wood vanity. We loved this one and have decided to get it.





















LOVE this. So excited. Apparently I like a shaker style door because we have it in our kitchen, and I keep picking it out without realizing it. We worried would the dark wood look OK with all the white? Then we saw that picture above with the dark tub, black and white floor, blue wall and knew we'd be fine because it was exactly what we were thinking! Love that combo!!




















If we determine this medicine cabinet is not too large, this may be the one we go with. So the med. cabinet, vanity, and linen cupboard will be the dark wood. Floor black and white hexagon tile. Walls 1/2 wainscoting painted white, chair rail, and then a blue above on the wall. Tub will be white with white subway tiles surrounding the shower area. Then the blue, taupe and chocolate brown will be the colors I am going to pull in for towels, shower curtain, rug, etc. Here was another pic we saw that really shows the style we are going for.















Here they have the dark floor, but it was another good example to show me how the colors would look together. SOOOOO EXCITED to get this done. We hope to buy/order some of the things we've decided on this week so we will have things ready when we need them. We also looked at lighting fixtures and exhaust fans. We will need both and are adding some outlets and light switches as well. We also have a window to replace. It's an old crank type now that um no longer cranks. Not helpful.















Here is how the bathroom looks at this point. We are finishing pulling off the old lath. After that we need to fix and replace a few of the studs there below the window that have mold and water damage.




















Here I am once again showing off my Tim Taylor skills while helping to remove lath and nails. A rather strenuous job. Please excuse my beauty... I had just come home from walking 3.5 miles, carrying 4 lbs of weights and then was doing construction work.. I am so good right? Ha ha ha... Kidding... Here is Darrel hard at work.

Trust me.. I was very happy he was working on this wall. It has insulation to deal with and the plaster/lath is like cemented on, on this wall. He needed a hammer and a pry bar to get these pieces off.




















When he removed what used to be the baseboard from when the room was a closet prior to being a bathroom look what he found. This old bingo card. It turns out it is quite a treasure because look at the back!

My Dad wrote that when he was a little boy!!! The bathroom was put in around 1951. Dad said he used to play in a chest that was in the closet, right where we found the card. I thought his sister, my Aunt Mary, had written this, but he told me tonight it was his handwriting and he had written it. How cool is that? I love finding little pieces of my family hidden in this house!

So this week we hope to finish the demo, and get started on the wall repairs. After that we replace the window and insulation then I think Darrel said electric and plumbing come next. Hoping it goes quickly because having a shower in the house would be such a nice luxury to have back don't ya think?

Still not getting anywhere here on my 52 layouts challenge. Have spent any spare time pitching in on the remodeling. I do plan to do this and still hope to get at least one layout done this week so please hang in there with me. Besides... I hate giving up on something I've said I am going to do!

Hope to post tomorrow, but may not see you till 10 on Tuesday so until then... have a great week! Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Me. Christmas 2007. 2 months before I began working on my weight loss. Why would I want to look at this let alone post it? Is that what you are wondering? I am posting it because today I am very aware that I am thankful for where I have come from. It's not because I am at the finish line or because I have this all figured out either. Far from it. I have lost 97 lbs so far, but for the last I guess 3 months I have really been floundering. You'd think you'd get to 97 and practically go on a fast to get the last 3 lbs off and reach 100 right? That isn't what happened. Since hitting 97 I've been going up and down in the same 8-10 lb range. Basically maintaining I guess. Not losing. Why? Well, I tell myself I am doing all the right stuff and it just isn't working like its supposed to and then I get mad and frustrated and have myself a little temper tantrum. Then I try again... then I start moving forward. Then.. the proper response to that is to relax and goof up again right? Well wrong.. but that is what I keep doing. As I mentioned in my last post I've had a serious talk with myself this week and am feeling much more settled and focused and positive and am back in that place where I am trying my best to do whatever its going to take to get this show moving again.

You'd think I'd be unhappy (and I do have those moments) to not be at my goal after so much time. I lost 63 lbs the first year. 24 lbs the 2nd year and then so far this year 10 lbs. Not so good. Honestly, I have been pretty mad about that at times and sometimes quite panicked like there is some time limit to lose the weight and I'm almost out of time. But this week, I've realized I am thankful I haven't hit that goal yet. Why? Because I still have a lot to learn and I still see that God has some refining and changing to do in me. If I were at the goal now I see how easily I could turn around and head right back the other way... full speed. I still have some letting go to do. I still have some food to give up. I still have some me to give up. I still have lots of wanting it my way... which would be to eat all I want and be the size I want to be... to give up. It's good that I am still on the journey because I am still learning from the journey. If I am accepting God's plan in this, then I also have to accept His timing.

I am also thankful for where I've come from and that even though I'm not at goal, I feel so much better, I am happier with how I look (well... some days... still working on that how I think about myself thing too and that self esteem that can be perpetually in the gutter...) , and I've learned so much about myself and in God's strength what I am capable of. If I hadn't walked onto this path I would have never found out that it can feel good to work out and that I actually like it. There have been so many blessings in just getting this far. New and smaller clothes. Helping others on this same path. Being able to sit in a booth at a restaurant again. Being able to walk in from the parking lot without being out of breath. Fitting in cool shoes again. Being able to wear a seat belt. And I can't begin to tell you how this has affected my relationship with my husband. It's better than when we were young. Like falling in love and dating each other all over again. I am thankful for every part of this journey. The good, the bad, the difficult, the painful... and I am even thankful for more of those same emotions that I am sure I will still be going thru. God is good. All the credit to Him.

Other things I am thankful for this week are:

• During my walk today, a grounds keeper at the campground followed me on his lawn mower and stopped me to ask how much weight I had lost. When I told him 97 lbs he got the biggest smile on his face and stuck out his hand to shake my hand! It was so cool. He said he could tell during the summer that I had lost a bunch and just had to ask. It was awesome encouragement that I needed and received at just the right time.
• Progress on the bathroom remodeling
• Pink Nail Polish!
• Awesome walking this week. I've realized I'd gotten complacent about it and wasn't pushing myself like I used to. So this week I've walked as hard and fast as I could while carrying hand weights and I've had my best pace per mile ever!
• Autumn
• Boots and skirts!
• Covered Bridge Day with Darrel
• 2 days with Darrel's parents and family
• Diet Cherry Vanilla DR Pepper
• Tervis Tumblers. I now own TWO that say Princess on them in PINK and one was free! I had ordered one personalized with my name in fuchsia. It came unpersonalized so they told me to keep it and sent a 2nd one free!
• A new book tour.
• preparing a new duet with Darrel
• Milkshakes at the little diner in Bedford
• Jack and Pebbles (the tiny little dog from next door) They were chasing each other and playing in the yard today and it was very cute.
• Darrel's Mom. Every time I see her she tells me she loves me and how thankful she is Darrel has me. This visit she was telling Darrel he was lucky to have me and she could see how much I loved him. Yep... that put a big ol' smile on my face.
• Apples and chocolate fudge pop tarts...not necessarily in that order...
• my newly painted car!
• My beautifully fall decorated porch
• the history of this house we live in .... I'll have to tell you what we found when we removed the tub...
• My parents
• My hard working husband. He has so much going on at work right now and is working so hard at home too.
• That the bathroom walls and floor are in MUCH better shape than we expected. We thought we'd have bad water damage/mold from water seepage. There is only one section of wall needing replaced. The walls and floor under the tub had NO damage. We were very pleasantly surprised!

I could go on and on.... but its late and the bed calls. Work early tomorrow and then headed to the big city for date night. We have a ton of stores to hit and errands to run but we are going to make it as much a date as we can. The way I see it all that is required is enjoying being together and having fun no matter what we are doing!

Tune in on the weekend and I'll try and get some time to post a bathroom update... doesn't that sound riveting? :) Blessings!

Ten On Tuesday

1) This.... is what home improvement looks like. Should I continue to be doing my Tim Taylor routine, then I am thinking I will be in need of some pink safety glasses, pink respirator... tool belt... pry bar... (which was my tool of choice this evening) You know like on Extreme Home Makeover, that girl Paige has pink tools. I am sure pink stuff works much better.

2) Here is the current state of the bathroom. I spent an hour and a half or so this evening ripping 90 year old plaster off of the walls. The plaster is under like 19 layers of paint and wallpaper. I am thinking the wallpaper today is not nearly the same thing.. .cause um this stuff? It is still holding the plaster together. You can beat the plaster off the wall and still have to peel it away from the paper!

3) Speaking of plaster.... Darrel showed me what to do, and then he went to the basement to deal with shutting water pipes on/off so we can get the sink and tub out. As I am yanking hunks of plaster off the wall I am noticing it looks like it has hairs in it. I am thinking um why is there hair in the plaster or is it just some kind of fiber that looks like hair? My husband comes back and informs me it is hair.... HORSE hair. Apparently it was (or is) a common thing to mix horse hair into the plaster to help it hold together. Do they wash the horse hair first? Cause I am thinking EWWWWWW

4) When Darrel shows me what to do, he says I pull the plaster off the wall and put it in this 5 gallon bucket which he will then take outside and empty. He goes down to the basement for what seems like a week or two and I go about making myself useful and see how much I can get done. Did not take me long to fill the bucket. So what do I do now? Um well did you ever try to lift a 5 gallon bucket full of plaster? Well that wasn't happening... So when he comes back he starts laughing because he returns to find an overflowing bucket... a pile next to the bucket.. plaster on the floor... plaster behind the toilet... I was a busy girl while he was gone. Hey... just trying to be helpful.














5) Judging from the look of my glasses I am thinking it was a really good idea to be wearing glasses. I mean would all this plaster dust now be in my eyes? This does not sound comfy!

6) So this evening I came home and walked 3.5 miles, while carrying 4 lbs worth of hand weights and I had my fastest pace ever. I then came home and Darrel and I got dinner made together. Then I spent the rest of the evening ripping plaster off the wall. Um this is not an easy job. It may be 90+ years old but for the most part it is not just falling off the wall. I am thinking I have earned the sore legs and arms I have now....

7) I have a deep scratch in the patent leather in my pretty pink Danskos. I am NOT happy about this. Quite bummed actually. I knew they wouldn't stay perfect forever. Still not liking it. I have looked online a bit and I see something about "patent leather restorer" that is supposed to seal it, and possibly even color it if you can find the right color. I cannot however find out where to buy this stuff. Anyone know? Any ideas? Help!

8) Darrel and I have a duet coming up in church on Nov. 7th. We have picked this song.... and I am soooooo stinkin' excited about singing it together! LOVE singing with my husband!

9) There is a Blogging for Books book tour next week! The featured book will be The Miracle of Mercy Land by River Jordan. Be sure not to miss it!

10) Did not do so well on the special K challenge... I did 2 days. Why? Cause the minute you tell me you can only eat the things on this list... well then the things on that list are the LAST thing that I want. I do much better with counting points or calories and eating what I want, just smaller portions and less of it! For me that is the only thing that will work for me long term too. I totally blew the weekend... however this week I have had a serious come to Jesus kind of talk with myself. Instead of feeling upset and discouraged I am feeling like I have a fresh start. I am positive, focused and motivated and doing my best to give this my best effort and move forward. I WILL get there. I will NOT go back. EVER. I'll give up eating all together before I let that happen....

It is now midnight and I must take my sore arms, legs, hiney, tired self off to bed. Until Thursday... Blessings!

Covered Bridge Date

I am thinking I would have liked a 3rd day to the weekend this week so I could recover and actually be ready for Monday. Well... OK... I am never ready for Monday. It's like the morning of the week and I am so not a morning person. Have I mentioned that? Yes? I thought so. Well since I did manage to get up and function thru another Monday even after a busy weekend, I wanted to take a moment and give you the scoop!

We had an awesome time at Covered Bridge in Bridgeton Indiana. I've been to Covered Bridge Festival several times, but never to the Bridgeton area. Oh my goodness...what was I waiting for? Bridgeton was awesome! It was like right thru this whole little town which had a beautiful covered bridge and mill right at the edge of town.















Most all of the bridges in the county are old, but this one was built in 2006 due to an arson fire on the original bridge. Isn't that sad? They did a beautiful job of rebuilding!

Here is a shot of the inside. And then the outside from the side.















So pretty with the water going over the dam and the beautiful fall colors surrounding everything.

Normally we go to Mansfield, but it has a lot of flea market type stuff, "as seen on TV" stuff, socks, sweatshirts, cooking stuff, that kind of thing. Bridgeton was lots of antiques... which I love... gift shop kind of stuff, craft stuff, and some vendors with some of the same kinds of things as Mansfield too. It was a much nicer mix at Bridgeton. We had heard it was smaller, but every time we thought we'd seen everything we'd come across yet another building full of vendors. We spent a good part of the day there. We didn't buy a lot. We got a sign to put on the wall that says "and they lived happily ever after" Awwwwww... I also got a pink pashmina scarf. We had some yummy food including.... an official Chicago Hot Dog!















Well, OK it looked official, but the ones from Chicago still taste better, especially Joe's hot dogs in Joliet! YUM. I miss that place! We also shared this yummy homemade cinnamon roll.















It was really yummy but it could have used some more icing because lets face it... it's all about the icing right? Darrel had some homemade chicken and noodles that he said was quite good. We shared some mini donuts, however the ones I had at Mansfield were better. I was tempted to drive the 5 miles back there just to get some! We walked the whole town which is where we saw this gorgeous tree.

When we finished seeing all we wanted to, we still had some time so we headed to Rockville next. They had some booths and food vendors also, but it seemed a much smaller scale. I believe Rockville is supposed to be the "headquarters" of the county festivals.

I had a hard time picking an outfit for the day. It was supposed to be cooler, but also sunny and could not decide if I'd be too hot or too cold or what! Finally went with the denim jacket and skirt with leggings and a 3/4 sleeve t-shirt. Felt pretty comfy, all though I did need my gloves a little at the beginning... I also got to use my new Vera cross body black purse I showed you the other day. So here I am walking around with my Vera purse feeling like it looks all cute and chic.... only to discover 1/2 way thru the day that I had left the plastic on the snaps on the two outside front pockets. Yep... that is such a good chic kind of look to walk around with plastic on your purse.. Goodness... should have just left the price tag on too huh?! Ha!!!

When we finished up there, we decided to head back to Terre Haute. We stopped at a Chinese Buffet there and had a nice dinner and then spent some time cruising the mall. I think the only thing I bought there was a few things from Bath & Body. They have their new Christmas Hand Sanitizers out so of course I needed a few right?

We got home pretty late, just in time to fall in bed and then jump back up again and head to Bedford to spend the day with Darrel's parents and cousin Sue. We had a nice visit with them, went and visited with some other cousins, stopped at a benefit for a local cemetery and then it was time to head home. We made a quick stop at that little diner with the yummy milkshakes for a bit and then home to bed. Then we had to jump back up EARLY for church since we were on sound and video. Left right from church back to Bedford for lunch with the parents and family and then spent some more time visiting that afternoon. It was good to see them, however I am realizing now I don't think I got a single picture. How did that happen?

As for the 52 layouts challenge... SO GLAD I am on the self imposed Hiatus because there was no scrapping happening around here last week. Life was WAY too busy. I should have some time this week, if the bathroom remodel isn't all consuming, so hopefully by next week we can get back on schedule. I have two to do to catch up so I'll give it my best shot. Please hang in there with me! I don't want to give up and don't plan to.

Tune in tomorrow for 10 on Tuesday. Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Yes, you've seen this picture before. It's like my favorite picture of my husband right now so yep, you get to see it again! Why? Because I am thankful for my husband today. I know, I know, I've used that one before... but honestly I could use that one every day. You knew that right? Today is for a different reason though. I am thankful for my husband and his abilities. He is so stinkin' smart and he is like good at everything. For instance, lets talk about our car. Our car had 2 accidents and needed some serious body work. Did he take it to the body shop? No. Although he has never painted a car before, he decides that he can buy parts off the Internet, fit them on the car, learn how to paint a car, and then do the work himself. You know what? He did it! He did it awesome. You would never know that he had never painted a car before. It looks amazing.

Let's talk about our house. He has remodeled our kitchen and our bedroom and is now working on the bathroom. He has had some help from our awesome friends and family, but has done a lot of the work himself too. If we need drywall, he does that. Electric, he knows how to do that. He has run phone lines. He has refinished the wood floors. He is an expert painter. He put a new roof on the garage. It just always seems like whatever we need he either knows how to do it, or he learns it and then does it like an expert first time out of the gate. I love that about him and I love how he takes such good care of us, of me, of our home. He saves us so much money and by him doing it, we also know it was done well and right. He is pretty amazing... and yes... I know I am probably being too mushy gushy for ya.. but I just love him and I am SO thankful for my husband.

Other things I've been thankful for this week are:

• A day at Covered Bridge Festival
• Starting our bathroom remodel
• candy corn and peanuts
• my pink danskos - they were so comfy at Covered Bridge
• hot fresh mini donuts at the festival. YUM
• my new Vera purse - love the new squared away style
• our spare bathroom... much appreciated in the middle of the bathroom remodel..well OK.. the beginning of the bathroom remodel
• Fall temps
• tervis tumblers
• healing from my infection
• good friends and family who pray for me
• date night last week with pizza and movies at home
• leading worship at church this past week
• our weekly lunch at La Caretta
• having my Kindle available on my Android

Well time for bed. Tomorrow we are headed back to Covered Bridge just me and the amazing husband! Can't wait. May not be back to post until Monday because we have a busy weekend as well. I hope you have an awesome weekend! Blessings!

Make Up Day for Ten on Tuesday

1) So yesterday was the big Covered Bridge day. We had beautiful weather. Last year I had like 9 layers of clothes on and spent the day trying to keep icicles from forming on my nose. This year? I could have gone with the shorts and sleeveless top I considered wearing and been totally fine. We usually stop midday for lunch after we cross over the official covered bridge and this of course is also usually the official time for the all important group photo. Lauryn has her eyes closed... but this is the photo we have so we shall embrace it. Since someone was kind enough to take a group photo for us, I was thinking it would not be too polite to insist that they take 15 of them until we were happy with one! Ha! Besides, on the digi camera display, it can be hard to tell if everyone is looking their best.















2) This is my Mom and sister. I told them they needed to say "I love Deanna" instead of like cheese... I am thinking they don't look happy enough if they really love me.... bwa ha ha ha...














3) This is my niece Lauryn primping after lunch. Just prior to stopping for lunch, we had hit the huge Avon tent and I think she and her sister did their best to clean them out of makeup. I am not sure however if this was new lip gloss or if it made the trip with us. Isn't she cute? I cannot believe she is 15 years old. I didn't get older, how did she grow up so much?















4) Here we have my other niece Lindsay and her Mom Stacy. See they look way happier then Mom and Jen did and I did not tell them to say anything about me.... I didn't realize how much the two of them look alike until I saw this photo.















5) Still trudging along on the weight loss journey. Actually its like being on a treadmill cause I keep going and going and trying and trying and ok... messing up and messing up and its like 1 step forward and 3 steps back..... I plan to lose my mind soon if something doesn't show some serious improvement. So... thinking along the trying not to lose my mind lines... I started the "Special K Challenge" today. It is not a full time all the time kind of thing, but I thought I'd do it as much as I am able for the next week or two (they suggest 2 weeks) and see if it won't give me a jump start.














6) I mentioned the Vera sale the other day right? Well my order arrived yesterday! I can't show you all of it because several items are intended Christmas gifts. However... it was totally no fun to not drop a few things in the cart for myself right? I got a curling iron cover in Raspberry Fizz, this absoultely ADOREABLE little pink frill wristlet in Make Me Blush, and then this cross body nylon bag. I love that bag. I was needing a smaller black purse and this is perfect! The strap has white patent leather trim. Its got great hardware and I love the size! Can't wait to use it. All 3 things were less than 1/2 price and free shipping with the sale.

7) The bathroom remodeling has become all consuming... and camping out in one's own home continues to be an adventure. Would you believe I almost forgot to brush my teeth again today? If my Mom hadn't stayed over after Covered Bridge, and I hadn't heard her brushing her teeth at the kitchen sink.... um I totally would have spaced it for the second time this week. I am beginning to wonder if I can be trusted to leave the house. Darrel is suggesting I make myself a daily check list which will now include the brushing of the teeth as well as all the OCD questions like did I turn off the flat iron..... He said I can just cross them off my list, carry my list with me... and then later when I am obsessing.... I can just check to see if I crossed them off. He says the beauty of this plan is that I get to cross things off a list since he knows how I love that.

8) The bathroom project has now even made laundry more complicated. Um life is complicated enough... I don't need even the laundry to be complex. See now when you are ready to do laundry you have to remember to make the trip across the yard to the spare room to also collect towels and laundry from there. Then later you get to make the trip back... I am thinking just about the time I get good at this, we will have our project completed.

9) I am now sitting here wondering if the special K challenge meant to mention that it was a good idea to eat a few mini reeses before bed? I mean if its not on the plan, I am thinking it should be don't you? However I am pretty sure they left that off for a reason huh?

10) Did I tell you I get to go to Covered Bridge for a 2nd day? yay! Darrel is taking me to some different areas of the festival for our date on Friday! We've never gone just the two of us so I am very excited about this and wishing tomorrow was the day...

Haven't even hit the bed yet and its already feeling like work will come way too early in the morning... so with that I bid you goodnight! Blessings!

Adventures in Bathroom Remodeling

But first... am I the only geek... or should I say girl.. who has been checking out the FFANY shoe of the day on QVC? Every week day during the month of Oct. they have a shoe special for the "shoes on sale" thing to raise money for breast cancer research. This was today's shoe and the second time I've been way tempted to order. How cute are these? OK, I confess... I looked to see what today's shoe was before I even got out of bed this morning.... does that mean I have a shoe problem? By the time I got up and got back in from my shower and looked again... all the size 9's in all the colors had sold out! Guess that answers my question about if I am the only one looking! Ha!! I love that blue... but not sure what I'd wear it with. Like the black too... You won't believe this! While I was looking up the info. to add the link for you, a size 9 black suddenly appeared! I might have grabbed it... I might have got the only pair, cause now... no size 9's again... guess we will see what happens with that. :)

Apparently I am about to flunk out of my own challenge for the 52 layouts challenge. I am not happy about this. I am WAY too much of an overachiever kind of girl to be OK with that. I did not get last week's challenge done. Let's just say the infection to end all infections was all consuming and definitely consumed my week. That and the bathroom remodeling and housecleaning that is behind and 100 other things. This week will be worse. I don't have a day at home. I am out of town 2 days to Covered Bridge and 2 days to Bedford to see Darrel's parents... Not looking good for scrapping time for this week either. So here is the plan. I will not be posting a new challenge today. Not sure about next Monday. I would like to get caught up first. So the hiatus will be 1-2 weeks or until I get caught up... whatever comes first... and then we will move forward. If you have been scrapping with me, please don't give up on me and please hang in there. I do fully intend to complete the challenge. I'm enjoying it. I want to continue enjoying it and not turn it into a stressful, 1 more obligation kind of thing... which would be the reason for the small hiatus. Sounds good?

We are only on like what... day 3 of the bathroom remodel and I already have tales to tell. Did I tell you our 2nd bathroom is in our spare room which is behind our garage? It's not like an outhouse or anything OK? It's a nice bedroom and bath and is now also where the pool table is. There was a water pipe break out there 2 winters ago and we finally got it repaired and put back together. Pool table is done. So Saturday we spent time getting it rearranged and cleaned up so we could move in to that bathroom while moving out of the house bathroom. Since that shower is not often used, we turn the water heater off when not in use to save on electricity. A fact that we did not think of while spending several hours cleaning the room. When did we discover this? When the cleaning was done, when we were moved out of the house bathroom and had started demo so we could no longer use that shower, when I was out there standing waiting for the water to warm up so I could take a shower. Then we discovered it... So now its late, dinner is in the oven, needing to wash my hair and clean up... and I get to go wait 20-30 minutes so I don't have to take a cold shower...

Adventure #2... while cleaning the spare bathroom, I was having trouble scrubbing some lime stains out of the toilet bowl... sorry... tmi? So I asked Darrel to give his strong arm a try at it. He succeeded in getting the stain out, but while doing this, the head to the scrubber came off and went down the toilet. It was one of those Clorox toilet wand thingys. It went all the way down... no sign of it. OK.. great... now what right? Now that we NEED to use this bathroom... we go and plug up the bowl with a scrubber head. Darrel tries a plumbers snake. It wouldn't go thru. He tried plunging... nope... Would not flush right. He ends up having to drain and remove the toilet to find and remove the scrubber head. Just what we need to add to our to do list and why does this only happen the moment we are dependent upon the spare bathroom?

Adventure #3... Think about getting ready in the morning when you suddenly have to figure out what you need to take out to the bathroom with you, etc. It's like camping out at your own house. We mostly moved everything that we normally need to the spare room so we could just go out there and get ready. Except we decided to leave the electric toothbrush and some other things in the kitchen, for when we just need a sink. Not a bad idea right? Well... until today when it's like 8 pm and I see the toothbrush sitting there and suddenly realize I did NOT brush my teeth today and it did not occur to me till that moment. Why is it that all it takes is to get out of routine and I forgot things? See I went out this morning and showered. Came back in the house and headed for my vanity to finish getting ready... never even realized I forgot a step... Can you even believe I am admitting this? Is your opinion of me plummeting? Don't answer that. Aren't you just wondering what other stupid things we will do along the way?

Better head to bed. Covered Bridge Festival tomorrow! I may not be home in time to post for 10 on Tuesday so be sure to check back on Wednesday for all the details. And ok.. yes.. it just clicked past midnight and I have already checked the new shoe of the day... I definitely have a sickness.... Blessings!

Home Improvement

Is this not the most beautiful like spa like bathroom you've ever seen? No? Me either... This folks is our OLD current bathroom. I'm brave to post a picture aren't I? Ha. ha... We live in a house that used to belong to my grandparents. The house is approx. 90 years old. The bathroom feels like its been here in its current state since like day 1... even though it wasn't put in until several years after the house was built. Well today.... Today we moved out of the bathroom and began to gut this little old ugly room... Trust me, even gutted will be better than it is now! ha!! See that vanity cabinet? I hate that thing... I'd like for Darrel to drag it out into the yard and take a sledge hammer to it... assuming it doesn't just fall apart in pieces in his hands first! That tub... cast iron, original tub. We aren't sure if we are refinishing/resurfacing it or getting a new one. Guess we will make this up as we go along. The current plans however do include a bathroom that will be pale kind of ice/spa blue, taupe and chocolate brown. It will have wainscoting 1/2 way up the wall with a molding on top. All of that will be painted white. Drywall above, in either the blue or taupe. Pedestal sink. New linen/storage cabinet in the corner. White subway tiles around the tub and shower. New lighting. Crown molding. Not sure what we are doing with the ceiling and floor. Considered going with the hardwood that is down there somewhere... but not sure if tile will be better with a bathroom and its moisture. It's a very small bathroom so we could probably do a really nice tile or something on the floor for very little cost. We wouldn't need much. Stay tuned for more photos and details as we go.

OK... I need to STOP seeing the commercials for the new season of Guiuliana & Bill on the style channel. Have you seen them? They are currently dealing with infertility and are at the point where they are deciding about doing IVF (in-vitro). Darrel and I deal with infertility. The point where we decided we needed to take a step back was the point they are at now with the IVF.... I've seen the commercials a bunch lately and yes... they tug at my heart. I didn't realize how much till I started saying something to Darrel about it today and found myself in tears. Seeing them with their shopping bags full of meds, and needles... is way to real to us. Been there. Seeing her in tears saying "why are we being punished..." Very real.. .been there too. Makes me wonder if the pain of infertility ever goes away? We are so happy. We love our life. I wouldn't change things if I could... but this issue... well it can still hurt, even to see other people that are going thru it.

Had a great date night here at home last night. We had pizza and bread sticks from town, rented a few movies and cozied up on the couch. We even had some pretty good movie popcorn that I got at the rental place. We watched The Killers, and Inkheart. Both were better than I expected.

Did you hear about the great sale Vera had yesterday? They had an additional 30% off of all sale merchandise and free shipping on orders over $50. I might have did a little Christmas shopping... well OK... a thing or two for me might have fallen in my cart too..

Ready to head for bed. Leading worship at church tomorrow and I have a solo. The solo is a bit scary for me... subject is a personal one which almost had me chickening out of even singing it a time or two this week. Praying God will get me thru all of it tomorrow. I know He will be there! He always is. Hope your weekend is going well. Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Can you guess what I've been doing today? Yes.. I finally got some cleaning done and got my fall decorations out today. This is my dining room table. My sweet Mother-in-law made the doily for me for my birthday years ago. I just love her. The leaf table cloth was a Martha Stewart thing from K-mart I think... also years ago, when we lived in IL. The 2 pumpkins are from Bath & Body Works in previous years and the leaf dish? Can't remember where I picked that up. I am thinking its sorely in need of some fall wrapped reeses!














This is on my hutch. I love, love that leaf plate. Darrel bought it for me on vacation 2 years ago from a shop in the big city called Ivy Cottage. I made this doily... thanks to some pointers from my sweet Mother-in-law. The acorn was from Bath & Body Works last year and the other candles and things I've collected over the years. Darrel found the little Indian corn at a produce stand a couple of years ago... am I supposed to keep it this long I wonder?















This is the window between our kitchen and dining room/living room. We added it when we remodeled the kitchen and Darrel made the woodwork there out of cherry. Isn't it pretty? I made the leaf garland from supplies I won on Nora Griffin's blog a year or two ago. Is that not the cutest? It's just jute and felt leaves cut out on the sizzix. Why do I not think of these things? The larger pumpkin on the right is from... yes.. you guessed it... Bath & Body Works. Apparently I have shopped there once or twice. I bought the little leaf lamp tea light holder I think in Gatlinburg/Piegon Forge when we went there on vacation several years ago.















My favorite fall blocks! I LOVE these... and no, its not because I made them.. well OK, maybe just a little. When I was doing DT work for The Scrapping Spot, one of the other girls made a set of blocks with the then current kit. I loved hers and showed them to Darrel and asked if he could cut me some blocks from wood he had. He did.. I got to work and decorated them and viola! Fall blocks. I have a Christmas set that says JOY too.














Here is the coffee table. Another doily made by me. :) My favorite one. I crocheted it from a antique pattern. It won a blue ribbon when we lived in IL. The pumpkin is from.... yes... BBW again. The glass pumpkin came from walmart and it is the one I love to fill up with peanuts and candy corn every year. The box there on the left is my music box that Darrel made for me for our 20th Anniversary. That is definitely a prized possession. Love that he did that for me.

So am I allowed to be thankful for my fall things for 2 weeks in a row? I figure I love the fall season enough to warrant at least 2 weeks of being thankful.. if not more. It just makes me feel warm and cozy and peaceful to have my fall things out and around me. I love the smells of the fall candles burning right now. I love the feel of the fall air coming in the window. I love getting out my boots and this year I am enjoying tights and leggings and skirts with them. I love getting out the sweaters and my new denim jacket. I love fall baking and will be whipping up a pumpkin pie and a persimmon pudding here soon because I promised them to my husband for sweetest day. (My sweetest day gift was my pink Vera purse!) I like that we are going to the Covered Bridge Festival next week. I love that the trees are starting to turn now and the glorious colors God comes up with. I love the sound of the leaves crunching under my feet as I go on my walks. Love, love, love the autumn and so thankful to have my decorations out now on the porch and in the house. Just makes me smile.

The other thing I am thankful for this week is healing. I just wasn't sure how to take a picture of that! Ha Ha. I had a nasty abscess infection this week which required the aforementioned antibiotic shot, as well as oral meds I am still taking. I was just miserable on Tuesday & Wednesday this week. Was in quite a bit of pain, and the infection was not making me feel so fabulous overall. When I saw the DR on Tuesday AM, he told me that the infection was either going to get worse over the next 2 days, or if we caught it in time with the antibiotics, it might begin to heal. If it didn't I was going to have to go back in for a rather painful procedure. Well I had some prayers going up for me and late Wednesday things started to improve. Praise the Lord! The pain was bad enough before that I was starting to freak out a bit and was not handling the pain so well. On Wednesday it was obviously not a good idea to look at me or ask me how I was because I cried for everyone that did that... ha ha... I feel SO MUCH better today, I thought I might do a few cartwheels. I totally believe it was answered prayers that brought improvement when it came. Thank you again Lord for taking such good care of me!

Other things I've been thankful for this week are:

• A wonderful DR who got me in when he had no openings and then took good care of me.
• Pink nail polish... especially OPI
• Kindle books! I scored 10 free ones a few nights ago.
• A husband who amazes me with the love he shows me. When I was in so much pain, to look at him, you'd swear he was the one feeling the pain. Apparently he doesn't do so well with my being in pain and I just love him for that.
• A fun Fishnic (picnic/fish fry) at church this past Sunday.
• A great Saturday with Darrel after missing the last few.
• A car that is all nice and pretty and new now!
• pancakes handmade by my husband
• Boots, sweaters, skirts and tights!
• Chocolate Mousse Royale Ice Cream
• Date Night
• Beanie Babies... remember those? I used to collect them and still have my collection in storage. We went thru them this week to donate some to church for our Operation Christmas Child shoebox drive. I kept some because they remind me of my friend Becky. She was my boss at my job in IL and her and the other girls in accounting with me also were into the beanie craze. It was fun, and looking at my Beanie Bears now.. it makes me smile and think of her. Becky passed away several years ago after we moved to Indiana. Still can't believe she is gone!
• reading on the porch swing
• Jack. His antics make me smile every day.
• good friends
• my family
• getting ready to remodel the bathroom! Demolition begins Saturday!
• my new "punch" workout

And now.. I shall head to bed. Looking forward to work tomorrow and then date night! We are doing pizza and movies at home. Can't wait! Hope your week has been good! Blessings.