The Cold virus is living in my nose.....

Wash my hands.... sneeze. Wash hands again. Try to prepare food. Feel another sneeze coming on, run out of the kitchen, and sneeze, sneeze. Rub nose raw with Kleenex. Wash hands, again, and again, and again. Wipe, disinfect doorknobs, phones, keyboards. Sit down, try to breathe, stuffy sinus, headache... am I really sick for Thanksgiving? I mean, really? Looks that way... gotta go.. need to wash my hands for the millionth time! Gotta love life... everything is an experience...right!

That Time of Year....

Turkey, and baking, decorating, and hustling and bustling.. it is already here! Anyway I already feel like I am running out of time. I am excited to feast with my family for Thanksgiving, to be thankful for all that God has blessed me with. I want to bake cookies to share with people. I want to decorate my house beautiful, I want to light my Yankee Autumn candles that make my house smell just like Christmas. I want to listen to Christmas carols, and watch The Nativity Story. I want to drink hot chocolate, and stare at my Christmas tree while my cat, and dogs snooze in the coziness. I want to hug, and laugh, and love with my family and take pictures, and make memories, and wish for snow.

Soon, I will decorate this tree again.



And while I am decorating it I will either have Home Alone on tv, or I will be listening to Christmas carols. And my cat, will be beneath my feet, sniffing and investigating all the boxes that will be strewn all over the place. And my hands will be sore from wrestling with the prickly tree, fluffing, and framing it just right... but it will be so worth it!

Old Fashioned Mac and Cheese

Sometimes you come home from work, and you just want to be comforted. You want to put on some comfortable sweat pants that have holes in them. You want to hug your spouse, and tell them that no matter what happened today, you are glad that you are lucky enough to come home to them. Lucky enough to be wrapped in strong arms, and smell that familiar cologne smell. And after that wonderful realization that you are home, you want to make dinner for your husband. Because that is what a good wife does, right? So on these days when Monday really feels like Monday, and cooking dinner is just really not on the top of the list, I make what I call "Old fashioned Mac and Cheese" And it is so good, and so comforting. My husband loves it, which comforts me even more. It really isn't calorie friendly.... but you know sometimes, it's okay. God's got your back, and he knows what kind of day you've had.

Old Fashioned Mac & Cheese (For Two)

1/2 pound of pasta any kind, I like Barilla elbow
1 1/2 Cup of Grated Cheddar Cheese (medium Cheddar Tillamok)
3 tablespoons of real butter
1 small can tomato sauce
Salt
Pepper
2 slices of bread

Fill a medium pot with water, and boil.
Add a tablespoon of salt to water
Add pasta to boiling water
Let boil for about 12 minutes until al dente
Drain pasta, and add pasta back into warm pot
Add butter, cheese, and tomato sauce
Stir and mix together, until mixed well
Add pepper to your liking
Toast bread, and butter
Serve mac and cheese in a bowl with buttered toast

Enjoy, relax, and realize how much you love these moments. Realize how no matter what goes on in your day, you can always get back home. Know you are lucky enough to have such a happy home life. Savor that mac and cheese, and be glad you have it as your secret comfort just when you need it!

Cancer Strikes Again

On Tuesday night my friend at work found out that her mother's cancer came back. Two years later after rejoicing that her cancer had gone away, now her mother faces the same feelings she had before. I have had close people to me deal with cancer, and the fight that takes place. I can only imagine what it feels like to know that something in your body is trying to take over. Not only is it a physical fight it is a mentally emotional fight. Those worries, and concerns of wondering if you are going to die. Worrying about your loved ones, and how they will cope if they lose you to cancer. Wondering how to get through it, when fear is embedded in every thought. I just don't know how people that are faced with it do it. If you beat cancer, that worry and fear of it returning is always there, I am sure.

There is a feeling of helplessness that comes when I have heard of loved ones faced with cancer, or even strangers. I wish I could do something, I wish I could help them. I wish that I could make it go away. I prayed this past weekend for my friend's mother. I prayed that the news the doctors had to tell her were nothing involving cancer. And then when my friend came to work, I saw in her face that the cancer had returned. I see her worry, I see her feeling helpless. And it makes me sad. It makes me sad, and it makes me feel lucky at the sametime. Lucky that I am healthy. It makes me feel scared that we never know what lies ahead on the road of our life. It makes me cling to God, in prayers, in hope, and in relief that he is there to tame my worries, and fears.

Cancer. It is a scary word, a scary reality for so many people. Please, pray for all of those who are dealing with it. That is one way each and everyone can help. God listens, all day, everyday.

Birthday Dinner

This past weekend my mother in law celebrated her 50th birthday. She is such a sweet person, always doing wonderful things for the people she loves. You ask, and she is there. We wanted to make her birthday special, and nice for her. She stated to my father in law that she did not want a big birthday party, but he knew that celebrating her birthday with her family would be something she would love. So we got together and schemed a dinner party at our house. Char, Paula's bestfriend was such a big help. Randy got Paula a massage on the day of her birthday at La Bella. After the massage he told her they were going to our house to pick up Cory and I, and then we would go to dinner, and Casey would meet us. But instead we had dinner all ready for her at our house. I wish that I would have taken pictures... the one flaw of the night. We set the table really pretty with flowers and candles. Had flowers in the living room, with some balloons, and a Happy Birthday sign. When she rang the door bell, we opened the door, and she saw the birthday banner, and then noticed the flowers, and then Casey and Char jumped out of the laundry room and yelled Happy Birthday. She just had the biggest smile. On the dinner menu was Baby Back Ribs, Baked beans, salad, and baked potatoes. Char's mom made Paula a carrot cake from scratch, which was delicious. The whole dinner, if I say so myself was so good. Everything came out just right. But the best thing was how happy Paula was. She loved it, and that was our goal.

He Patiently Waits for me to Get It...

Everything comes from God. Everything. Ourselves, our loved ones, our life, the things we accumulate to live our lives. God knows our desires, he knows our fears, he knows everything..Everything. And how he loves us. Then why do I worry still?? Why do I fret? Why knowing all this do I still find myself trying to control things.. when really I can control little. Thank you God for shaking me when I need it, thank you for reminding me that you are there, that you are here, and that you are everything. It amazes me how I can get myself in a frenzy trying so hard to fix things, and then it snaps, that I only need to talk to God, and let him in, and realize that he has had control the whole time. Sometimes I forget to look at the big picture. Silly, silly me.