The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I gave myself a makeover. Do you like it? Before you go calling me a Scrooge, I am decorating my house and my blog because I'll be away for Thanksgiving when I usually do it, so let's just say I'm getting ahead! I love this time of year more than anything. I might have said the same thing about the Fall, too, but really...I LOVE this time of year, too! I have loved Christmas since as early as I can remember. Just to get full of Christmas memories today, I pulled out my baby photo album and pulled out my favorite Christmas pictures of me as a little girl. Throughout the next few weeks, I look forward to sharing many family memories with you, as well as all the new memories we will surely be making this year. May your Thanksgiving and Christmas season be filled with so much joy that you will bust with joy from it all! ~Amy~
I've always loved a good present!

Back in my Ride 'em Cowgirl days!

Who doesn't love a fake fireplace picture?!
You will see me in this pose EVERY Christmas...right over the food!

Catching Up!

We have had some very eventful days here lately, and while I haven't really captured everything in pictures, I thought I would share a few of our favorite moments of the last couple of weeks.Avery pulled a front tooth...the Tooth Fairy gave her $5! What???!!!

Our Beautiful Bailey girl! She'll be nine next month!

Quinn is begging her Daddy for coffee..."Pleeeeeeez."

Quinn loved visiting with Mema and Papa.

Couldn't get her to sit still with Papa!
Check out my Papa's hat...He proudly served our country in the Navy in WWII! Thank you, Papa!


Guess what Quinn has taken a fancy to eating! Ugh!

Suggestion Box

I am in the midst of writing out Christmas lists. I pretty much know what I want to buy my girls, but I need some ideas for the rest of my family. What are you buying your parents, in-laws, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews this year? I am stumped!
I need help. I know my mom and my mother-in-law read this blog, so if you are reading today, I need ideas for you!!! I love to shop for other people but I think I've hit that big brick wall this year. I just don't know in which direction to get started. I have four teenagers to buy for this year, too. What in the world do they like? Keep in mind I'm working with a budget! "Drop" your suggestions in my blog comment "box." I can't wait to read what you're thinking.
My goal is to NOT be stressed out this year, but I deeply desire to stick to doing what I enjoy during this season - spending time with friends and family, baking, wrapping presents with my girls, and worshiping our Savior.

On a side note, I have not made my menus this week either, which is why they are not posted. We had so much food leftover from last week that I stretched the week a little, but let me tell ya...we saved money by not eating out with the exception of Sunday. Anyway, let me tell you what our stand out favorites were last week. We loved the Pork Chops and the Autumn Cheesecake. The chops were so tender you could cut them with your fork. The cheesecake truly was just right. Try it! I look to post menus hopefully tomorrow. Since we didn't do the Potato Soup on Sunday, that's what we are having today. Judging by the temps outside, we need a hot bowl of soup today!

Check back for new pictures to be posted soon of what we've been doing lately. I am slack in the blogging area lately, but I'll try to play catch up.

Have a great week!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

I am anxious to make this today. Thought I would share this recipe with you. If you love Sopapilla from the Mexican restaurant, then you will definitely love this! Enjoy!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Ingredients:
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
2 (8 oz) packages refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (combine about 1/2 cup sugar with 1 TBS cinnamon)

1) Using a 9x13 baking pan, unroll one package of refrigerated crescent rolls and line the bottom of the pan.
2) Flatten.
3) Mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and extract.
4) Spread over the crescent rolls.
5) Unroll the other can of crescent rolls and place on top of cream cheese mixture.
6) Pour one stick of melted butter or margarine over the top and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
7) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Menus for November 9th-November 17th

I thought I would start sharing my menus for the weeks. Back in the day, I was positively "religious" about doing menus, but lately, I've been slack. I usually know what we'll be having for dinner, but here lately, I have gotten way off track and we've been doing too much running to and from the store. I hope that this will help discipline us back as we were. I like to share my ideas for making your home a more comfortable and smooth place to live, so feel free to borrow my ideas. I borrow them from all over.

Sunday: Lunch - Shepherd's Pie, Tossed Salad, Green Beans, Butterfingers Cake
Dinner - Paninis with assorted Deli Meat, Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Mayonnaise

Monday: Dinner plans outside of our home

Tuesday: LifeGroup - I'll be making black beans to go with Allison's King Ranch Chicken; I'm also taking a Sopapilla Cheesecake (I'll post this recipe later this week!)

Wednesday: Jessica Simpson's Chicken and Dumplings, Turnip Greens, Rice

Thursday: Glazed Pork Chops, Cheese Potato Puff, Green Beans

Friday: Vegetable Soup, Grilled Cheese

Saturday: Party at my sister's house, so Jeff and the girls are eating Chicken Tender Sandwiches

Sunday: Potato Soup, Ham Delights, Autumn Cheesecake Pie

Monday - Provolone Chicken, Artichoke Pasta, Salad

I Entered a Giveaway...And So Can You!

Who doesn't love a giveaway? AND, who doesn't love a giveaway in the Christmas kind of way? Check out these pics and go visit the artist's blog.
Let me know if you win. I want to win though, and you all know how competitive I am! :)

Wordless Wednesday

A Worthy Read

Sometimes others write the words that are on your heart, so I won't blog today about how I feel, but rather, I'll direct you to Beth Moore's blog today. Read it and take it seriously. As I said yesterday, we still are commanded to respect the "governing authorities" and that is where my heart lies this morning. After you read this, I'll remain wordless today! :)

Voting

I'm adding my voice today and saying, "Go Vote!" It is an honor that we shouldn't take lightly today. I have prayed about who I will be casting my vote for, and I'm trusting my God as He is not a God of confusion. I do not believe He tells some of us who follow Him to vote for "this one" and some to go and vote for "that one." In the end, I'm always voting with HIM! I believe He has His hand on our country and always and irregardless, I'm voting with my Saviour.
I have a confession to make. When I came back to go to college, I was just plain lazy and I never went and registered to vote. I, therefore, had no voice. Take your responsibility to vote today seriously, and no matter who is elected today, pray for the "governing authorities." They are going to need a strength unlike any other in the years to come.
So, I hope to post my "I Voted" picture later on today. Write me and tell me about your voting experience. How were the lines? How was the demeanor of those around you? Was it a good day?
Happy Voting!!

"If my people, which are called by my name,

shall humble themselves, and pray,

and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways;

then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin,

and will heal their land."

II Chronicles 7:14

More weekend photos

(My niece Ashlyn)

(night time setting on my camera)

(this family really made the night exciting)

(the baby shower table setting)

(the spread of food)

(a table set up for extra bling!)

(my sweet friend and mom to be, Bonnie)


(my new favorite baby gift...scripture monogrammed on a crib sheet)

And the results are...

Well, many of you voted, and there was not even a prize to be had. So, here are the results of what my girls were for Halloween. I have heard many of your guesses when I ran into you over the weekend, but here are the answers for the rest of you who have been checking in all weekend on the edge of your seats hoping I would post the results! (Really, I hope that is not you!).

(McKenna as an athlete...soccer player, to be exact...sorry, I didn't take a full body shot)

(Bailey as a cheerleader...Goooooo, Bailey!)

(Avery as the most unhappy Hannah Montana ever! She despised the wig, and took it off 10 minutes after this picture was made!)

(My little butterfly fairy)

We had a good weekend. It was so, so, so busy. Friday night we really enjoyed Trick or Treating in the village here in our town. Our church fed 802 people hot dogs, but many, many more came by our food truck, so there was some contact made with many more than that number.
My sister, Missy, brought her two youngest daughters, Madyson and Ashlyn, to hang out with us while we all trick or treated. We had such a good time. She and I are just alike - stay an hour and then head over to the Burger King and go home and eat in peace! That is just what we did.
The kids had their fill of going house to house, so we enjoyed the rest of the night in peace...somewhat. Mind you, the kids were jacked up on candy. ;)

On Saturday, I helped with a very special baby shower for a dear friend of mine, Bonnie. She had a very intimate, Tiffany jewelry themed, baby shower. All the ladies dressed up in their black outfits and we bling, blinged ourselves out! I, somewhat, catered, the affair, but I am the Queen of cheating, so I didn't make everything. It was yummy, though.

I rushed back from the shower and took my girls - minus Quinn- to see High School Musical 3. I admit it...I was riveted to the screen. It's a very cute movie. I would have totally gotten up in the theater and danced if my girls would've let me. The music was....catchy! ;)

Church was awesome yesterday, too. We saw over 320 people attend yesterday. Surely I don't have to point out that we're not about the numbers, but we know that number means more lives are being touched, so we're excited to count each Sunday. Jeff began a series on Body Fit. That's all I'm sayin'. It's going to be a very convicting next five weeks! I don't like to think body fitness at all this time of year with what...all the soups, the pumpkin pie blizzards, the casseroles..the holidays!!! Stop me now!!!!!

Hope your weekend was great. I'm going to try and post more pictures of my weekend. For some reason, I reached my quota with those last pictures.

Polling is Closed

Check back soon for pictures of the girls' costumes and see if you were right.