Sunday Six...Thanks & Giving

This week to be honest was not all fun, some of the time I wasn't feeling very thankful.But as often is the case, flowers grow among the thorns and every rain brings rainbows. So I am focused on the good and found much joy!

1-As I mentioned before I am SO thankful to Chloe for coming and staying a few days! She truly is an angel.Our dinner was fabulous and everything tasted amazing!She did the stuffing, potatoes,jello,and she make a wonderful pumpkin dessert. She did however forget the sugar!!So we told the Greeks she made a "sugar free" dessert just for them. They loved it and felt so touched that she went out of her way. We laughed about it for hours.Steve's turkey was so tender and good and they all commented how happy they were that I was resting and letting them do the work. So even if I'm better, you bet I'm gonna haul the brace out for Christmas dinner : ) But I will shed it to do the dishes because my sweet Tietta did every dish and pan with Chloes help. I am quite sure they went to sleep that night completely exhausted. I will always appreciate having such a loving,giving family!



2-I am reminded how when you face a certain struggle it makes you so much more compassionate for others in the same situation. I will never take for granted feeling healthy and being able to walk up my stairs. And if I ever see someone on crutches I promise to ask if they need any help. It is so much more difficult than I ever imagined. Just putting on those leopard thong panties I wear is such a bummer (gotta find the joy..)

3-I was such a wreck to call in sick at my new store & right on the busiest day of the year! I was adjusting perfectly and they are so darn good to me! The guilt was unbearable. So I stopped by on my way home from the doctor and talked to my boss! He and the bookkeeper came out and completely put my heart at ease,covered all my shifts and sent me off with a big hug and wish to feel better soon. I cant tell you how much their kindness meant to me. Even my new front end manager called the next day and was so precious and sweet! I am most grateful!!

4-Sunday morning I woke up to this on my porch!
My friend Trish dropped it off for me and it was like heaven!My favorite iced coffee and croissant! She and Jamie have also come by twice to walk Brody! Sweet friends are the BEST!! Again I am overwhelmed with thanks for their giving~

5-Chad and Steve went away on a boys trip and are having a BLAST! Steve felt bad for leaving me but I assured them I was going to be on the couch with my leg propped watching movies all weekend. (although once or twice I have thought what was I thinking??) But they have called a lot and every time I hear from them I am so glad they went.Good quality "dad" time is so rare and Steve sounds so happy!

6-Travis spent Thanksgiving with Ashlyns family again this year and even though we miss them I am so glad that his life includes her sweet family and grandparents. New traditions and a whole new group of family who love and embrace him. Her precious grams lovingly makes all the food and Trav said it's amazing! I am thankful that they love their son in law the way I do Ash! They are blessed indeed.

What a great week it has been in spite of some bummers! I have so much to be thankful for and with a Grate-"full" heart I say " Thank you"
Wishing you a wonderful week filled with love, joy and giggles!

First Thanksgiving!

And everyone fell in love with him! Some of my relatives had not met our new baby and he was adorable all day long! I tell ya this dog has the sweetest temperament of anyone I know. And those eyes just smile all day long....

Happy Thanksgiving!

I promise to share the joys of this Thanksgiving soon after the family leaves and the dust settles. But for now I am most thankful for my darling niece who drove out after hearing about my knee injury and has taken over the cooking with Steve. They have been busy since yesterday cooking and cleaning while I sit on the couch barking orders. I feel like she is working in "hells kitchen" and I am Gordon Ramsey (ok maybe not that bad,but I can be kinda bossy and am having a hard time not doing all the usual prep) But I guess the Lord wants me to give up some control and enjoy the day without worrying about every detail. I am just SO thankful for my family's help. I was thinking of ordering out a Mexican feast for dinner. But thanks to many hands pitching in we will be having turkey with all the trimmings. Just like it should be! Wishing you a Beautiful Thanksgiving with your family and time to sit and enjoy the surroundings and conversations. I would blow you kisses but both hands are clutching my crutches to stay upright! That should certainly give me the sympathy vote with the Greeks don't ya think?
With a grateful heart....Blessings to you all!

Sunday Six...

With this being the week of Thanksgiving I find myself extra thankful for all my blessings! I am looking forward to a great holiday with my family. And I am extra thankful that the Greeks are all coming. They get so excited about our gatherings! I'm so happy that I was raised with a family who cherished each holiday and always got together no matter how far they had to travel.
Here are six blessings of my week when I smiled and said thanks....

1-I love social weeks that are filled with fun! First a great lunch with Trish and Rhonda and lots of time to catch up and be together. I'm so thankful that we continue to keep in touch and will always be great friends! Then I had bunco at Carol's on Wednesday and it was amazing. She had the most beautiful table settings and treated us all to a fabulous dinner! Her home is so beautiful and always decorated perfectly. It was a small group and we never even played, but had such a good time just being together! Then last night a fun impromptu dinner with three other couples.The girls played dominoes while the guys shot pool. We made homemade pizza and salad and I made brownies.When you put it all together it was a easy, perfect dinner with friends. It was a great night! Thank you Daigles for putting the plan together.We love you all!

2- One day this week my facebook status was "I am thankful for my new family and that my store feels more and more like home everyday" I am so grateful that my heart feels this way. There are so many great people there and my boss is awesome! Change is never easy but there are new adventures around every corner!

3- CHLOE PASSED HER TEST!!! She had to fly to Seattle for a HUGE test. It was four hours long and most people take it at least twice because it is so extensive. It's for her certification as a child life specialist. But not our girl~ She passed the first time! She is so darn smart and we are so proud of her. She has been getting so many kudos at work and many doctors request her for procedures because she is so great at her job. I am one proud auntie! Chloe hopefully you can hear us cheering for you from here!!

4-Christmas music! I love to listen to the music of this season. There are so many beautiful carols about Christs birth. I find myself singing along in my car with a heart bursting with joy!

5-I love Freebies! And this week my was full of fun free treats. Vistaprint had an offer of 250 free address labels for Christmas. I ordered some,they arrived and are darling! Totally free! Then edible arrangements had a coupon for a box of free dipped fruit. So we had 6 chocolate dipped strawberries that were so yummy! Yesterday we printed coupons for a free lunch at Wahoos because it was their birthday. We shared a soda and left a good tip and only spent 5 bucks! And of course I still love packages in the mail and lots of those came too for free samples and treats. Here are two of my favorite sites for freebies! Visit everyday and get some goodies too.
Free Samples
Free Savings Blog

6-I got lots of shopping done for Christmas! I love to search for the perfect gift for those I love. And when I find things that I know they will like I get so excited! I even wrapped and have things all stacked and ready to go under the tree. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with friends, family,love and joy. And a grateful heart for all that we have been given. Like the poem I shared last year reads " I am drinking from my saucer cause my cup has overflowed! This year I can honestly say the same is true !
Blessings and love....Karen~

If you see five ladies in velour jumpsuits run!

I was inspired by my friend Kathy's blog post about book club so I thought I would write about it too! Once again you cant make this stuff up! We decided to go to the Pala buffet because they remodeled and it's much nicer than it was. Frankly I didn't really notice cause once you walk in and see the dessert station, you lose all focus.It's like the "mother ship" calling me home. There must have been at least 50 kinds of desserts and two HUGE chocolate fountains (no we did not toss coins or frolic in it) But before dessert we had to eat dinner. So we decided to crack a little crab! Wow that's a lot of work,and more than once a crab leg was hurled across the room by crazy women who didn't know how to use the crackers! And I am quite sure I may have squirted Kathy in the eye once or twice.So we gave that up and had all kinds of random things instead. Tamales...potstickers...sausage...broccoli ? How did broccoli get on my plate? The regular buffet attendees of our group informed us to order water so you don't get full from any carbonation then you could have room for dessert. We were also told to wear your "turkey eating" pants! Oh good Lord turkey pants? We did pretty good and didn't eat too much.
Until.....
THE DESSERT.....
Then it got ugly! Not only was there cheesecake but it was dipped in chocolate and put on cute lolly pop sticks! And tiramisu in darling little cafe cups, cookies galore,pies, cakes, ice cream,and chocolate everywhere!! And it was all you can eat. Lets just say we did Paula Deen proud! After 30 minutes of complaining how full we were, we thought perhaps pineapple would help dissolve all the sugar so we went back for fresh fruit?? I swear you lose all sense of normalcy when faced with all those choices. We decided if we ever went again we wouldn't go so far as to wear turkey pants but maybe we should buy velour sweat suits(which makes us just one step way from taking the senior shuttle for the early bird specials) All in all it was a great night.Funny ladies, funny conversations and funny sounds coming from my stomach all night long. I text Nancy and said if we have any more book clubs at buffets I will simply have to quit! I'm all for widening my literary knowledge but have no room to widen my girth! Maybe next month we will meet at the coffee shop for just some iced tea? Oh wait,next month is the cookie exchange! OK well come January....

Teeter Totter

Friendships are such an amazing gift from God. Life would be no fun without the right perspective and advice from friends. Last night was our moms dinner which we do once a month. Sometimes it's all laughs and good news and sometimes one of us is hurting and needs support and tender care. And truthfully both nights are just as enriching. Either way it happens to be, you walk away thinking how lucky we are to have each other. Without someone to teeter with, we might be stuck on the ground needing to be lifted up. But with friends the next thing you know you are sailing through the sky with your arms raised up , filled again with joy and the problems of this life don't seem so bad after all.If you are ever sad I sure hope you call me! I will drop everything to come out and play!

Sunday Six...

It's been a while since I shared my Sunday Six and as always I have much to be thankful for! So here are six joys from the past week....

1- A fun sleepover with Travis and Ashlyn. They called and wanted to come home for the weekend and nothing makes us happier than that! We played cards, went out to dinner, took our pups on a long walk and just enjoyed being together! My sweet mom used to always say she was happiest with all her chicks in the coop. I know just what she meant....

2-The work girls met up for dinner.I miss being able to see them every day! We had a great time and even Kirk came by to join in the fun. We are excited to keep our little tradition going of meeting up monthly to chat and catch up! I'm already looking forward to next months dinner


3-We went to a fun party Friday night at our friends house for an outdoor concert. They found a new artist that they love and invited her to come and perform for their friends. Lucky us to be included! It was a great night sitting in lawn chairs, seeing old friends and listening to good music.

4-My sweet husband always makes me feel safe and loved. He just says the kindest things that give me such a feeling of peace and well being. How blessed I am to have a man who I adore! And now I see that same tenderness with Ashlyn. He sure loves his daughter in law and she can do no wrong! He tenderly reminds Travis to always be a sweet and thoughtful husband, but I think he has modeled it more than anything.

5-Today is Kenny's birthday and I am so grateful to have such a GREAT brother! He and Lindsay are such good friends to Steve and I and we never tire of seeing them. We had a chance to celebrate with them this week at his favorite restaurant and I baked him a really ugly birthday cake(It tasted yummy but I failed miserably at the decorating) Kenny you are such a wonderful, kindhearted, funny, loyal man and how lucky I am to have you for a brother! Happy Birthday Honey! (my mom said since I couldn't say my K's when I was little I always just called him honey) You are still my honey and I adore you!
6-I am so thankful for my computer! It eases my load and keeps me connected with friends and family! I pay all my bills online so I am never late, never have to buy stamps and always know whats due. I love being able to keep up with my friends and family with their blogs and facebook.Dave will send me a email pic of something fun or of Sara smiling ear to ear. I love being able to share in those moments even though we are separated by way too many miles.I really love email so you can quickly touch base even if it's late at night and cant call. What a blessing to keep in touch!

I wish you all a great week filled with love joy and giggles. Remember to be always mindful of Gods amazing grace! We have more blessings than I could ever imagine and with all my heart I say "Thank You"

Memory Lane~

One of my all time favorite pictures! My mom would read the kids "Twas the night before Christmas" every single Christmas Eve. Of course she would first give them their new Christmas PJ's. For some reason the look on Chads face just makes me laugh. Little whipper snapper is trying hard to be excited about it.And my mom looks so darn serious,I'm quite sure she was concentrating hard on her best Santa voice! She told the story with so much love and joy! I cherish these memories!

I am lovin....

(this pic is totally unrelated but who wouldn't love these)

*Honeycrisp apples! I bought a 12 pack at Costco and they are ahhhmazing! They have a very short season so they are kinda expensive but worth every penny.Crispy,juicy and when you eat all those apples you can almost feel the weight falling off.

*My internal clock waking me up at 3am(since that's when I used to get up for work)But being able to hit my internal snooze and sleep until 6 or later is awesome! I think I'm liking my new store more and more with every cozy roll over.

*I now have five Christmas gifts bought and stashed.I really want to wrap them but my husband keeps giving me weird looks when I ask him to get the Christmas boxes down?

*We are attending a party tonight and I am making these. Now I am warning you!! They not only are a Paula Deen recipe but the ingredients include sausage, cheese, and bisquick. So basically they're a "cardiac platter" But they are the most yummy little appetizers ever! And since I make mine into small balls they hardly count. Plus I omit the dip which deducts even more calories from each ball eaten.

*Stride Gum, "nonstop mint" Seriously the best gum ever! I am addicted

*Blog comments which I have not been getting near enough of (hint hint)

*Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Soda....Very refreshing and yummy! Tastes like a Shirley Temple and those remind me of my Daddy! He would always order me one when we went out and I felt so special sipping them. ♥

*Etsy.com - if you have never shopped online here try it today! They have the sweetest things that are mostly all hand made. It makes shopping for gifts so easy and special! I bought Sara the cutest necklace and had it stamped "Silly Sara" which I have always called her! I know she will love it and I love supporting crafters. If you need darling little girl bows or headbands visit "Shining Stars Boutique" which is my friend Jessica's shop. Very talented and oh so cute! Also my friend Nancy's daughter makes the cutest knit hats! Click here to see her things!

*I was at Holly's for Bunco and she was wearing her cute little slippers which got us talking about them.I have always been more of a 'cozy sock' kind of girl,but after seeing how cozy she was in hers and how much she loved them I decided to get some too! So at Khols the other day they had them for ten dollars and I've hardly had them off my feet! So cute and easy to slip on.I am just lovin my slippers!


What do you love? Any fun new finds to share? If so leave me a comment. I would love to know what you are loving these day!

Agnes and Eunice together again!

I had the BEST day Sunday hanging out with my dear friend who I grew up with! Renee and I lived on the same street and were inseparable all through high school. If you line up all my happy school memories Renee would be a huge part of them! We were such good girls, but any mischief we did get into was because we were together. We loved to skip last period to go home and watch General Hospital,We drove by boys houses hoping for a glimpse of them outside. Her high school crush"Micky" worked at Food Giant so we made more trips to that darn market than any two girls ought to. (She reminded me that we stole the big ole Food Giant banner and hung it in her room,bird doo and all) We took our very first road trip together to Santa Barbara when we turned 16. We spent the weekend riding bikes along the board walk and had such a fun adventure. If you were to ask our families about Renee and I they would certainly mention the "New York" accents we spoke with all through high school. She was "Agnes Goober" and I was "Eunice Burns" I vividly remember my mom saying"will you girls please just talk normal" but I think we forgot how! We would kibitz all day long.We were simply kindred spirits who loved each other like sisters and never tired of each others company!
Well a few weeks ago she mentioned that she was moving to the area where Kenny and Lindsay live and how she was looking for a church. She had no idea that Ken was a pastor at one right in her own back yard. So we agreed to meet at church and then go have a nice long lunch and catch up! I almost cried holding her hand in church remembering back to being together 30 years ago during youth group. Kenny still had to remind us to not giggle and pass notes! There truly is no substitute for a old friend and I am so thankful that I still have mine! A three hour lunch was still not enough time to scratch the surface and catch up so we are hoping to meet again soon. I adore you Agnes and always will! Love and hugs....Eunice~

A ghoulish good time!

We had a Monster Bash.....and did the Monster Mash..
Here's a montage of photos from our fun night! I think we all look Spooktactular!

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Random Portuguese Tidbits!

I cant say any names but I have a best friend who is Portuguese and she cracks me up! Most days when I answer the phone she just starts talking.No hello, just mid sentence about what she found at Çostco or some random thing. I come home to the funniest messages and I love them! I can picture her cooking or cleaning and thinking"I'm gonna call Karen real quick" Here are just a few "Sandyisms" recently found on my machine. I know they lose a little in translation but I cant help but share.

"Its me...since you're not home I'm turning the Dr Phil show on..They are talking about family massacres so I guess life can always be worse"

"I cant afford to buy both my hormone medication and blood pressure pills. So do I want to go crazy or have a stroke?"

"Where are you? I want to share some of my recent escapades with you. Call me" (who uses the word escapades?)

"Hi it's me....did you ever have days when you really didn't like your teenagers? Ok call me"

"Oh my gosh I just ate a can of tomato soup. Then realized that I still had 1/2 sleeve of crackers left so I made a second can. I have never in my life eaten two cans of Campbells soup. What is wrong with me today"

Aren't you glad we all have somebody to bounce the most random of thoughts off. Like Seinfeld says "just the daily menusha of life" Sandy I am glad that we are friends for the BIG and little things!

Keep the change

I hate change...always have. I could stay in the same house with the same neighbors, work the same job with the same friends and be happy as a clam. But life doesn't work that way, and this week especially the changes were so sad. I have shared before about our group at work and how much they mean to me. After 11 years they are part of my family. And this will be my last week with them! Our company is shifting and they took my store, put it in a snow globe and shook.When things settled not only was Kirk gone but a few more of us too. We have been crying all week about being separated. Trish and I met one morning at the time clock and we both had tears streaming down our faces. But in true "girlfriend" style they sent me off with fun princess goodies.It sure made me smile, but it doesn't help the knot in my stomach wondering what daily life will be like without each other.What if they don't like me? What if they think I'm a crazy girl who talks about her puppy like it's her child,cries at the drop of a hat, who does the "superstar" and talks in different accents,uses the name "Sophia" at Starbucks and stares at white cake with adoration. And I know they'll think I'm crazy when I show up with my tiara and princess lunch pail? Oh goodness please don't make me go! Guess I will use the Costco philosophy" I'm large, not very fancy but I dare ya not to like me"
To the girls.....I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such good pals! You made work so much fun! I know I'm going to miss you every minute of every day! Years ago when Rhonda and I were separated she gave me a bag of peppermints and told me when I was sad they would make me feel better. Through the years we have had lots of occasions to share peppermints with each other. So for this goodbye she filled a jug of them for me.I could eat them all, but there's no making this better. I adore you guys, Keep giggling and remember we're Superstars for life!

Finding Joy

It's been kinda a bummer week and I have been fighting being sad. As I was organizing my photos I came across this precious video of Mekenna and I the last time she was here. It sure made me smile! There is nothing like the unconditional love of a child. I called her mommy and asked if I could take her for a play day Monday and she said Mekenna was thrilled about the idea. So I think we'll get our nails done, go to lunch, of course the park, and maybe a trip to build a bear. I love that one of my best friends is five!

My heart aches...

I have posted before about my best friends daughter "Shea" and what a terrific girl she is.This post is one of the most serious ones I have done and it is the MOST important. I have Sandy's blessing because she and her husband Dennis are determined to get the word out. Shea was 16 when her doctor suggested that she receive the HPV virus shots. Sandy didn't agree because Shea was not going to be sexually active. Each time she saw the Dr for cheer physicals or checkups they would push the importance of young girls receiving the immunization to guard against cervical cancer.She was told "all the doctors give it their own kids" So she agreed. Within two months Shea was experiencing side effects, and within a year she was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Sandy never put the two together until she just happened to meet a lady who had Rheumatoid Arthritis.Sandy shared with her that Shea had just been diagnosed. The lady asked if Shea had received the Gardisal shots? Sandy replied yes why? The lady had a very serious look and told Sandy to go home and Google it. Sandy did and the results were shocking and devastating! There are thousands of young girls who have horrid side effects and Erin Brockovich is heading up a class action law suit. But yet the commercials keep playing...And the doctors are still pushing the immunization. I realize that not all young ladies who receive Gardisal will have these side effects but it is crucial that everyone knows the risks involved!
Sandy has shed many tears about allowing her daughter to immunized. This morning while we talked we both cried as she was describing Shea's prognosis. Her arthritis has worsened so much that she is now on heavy duty pills to keep her hands from becoming disfigured and to keep the arthritis at bay. She has many days when she is in so much pain she cant even get out of bed. This was a healthy girl who ran track and would ride her bike to the beach and back with friends. It is absolutely heartbreaking!
I know many of you who read my blog believe in the power of prayer so I ask you to please keep them in your prayers! Pray that the Lord would sustain Shea and strengthen her system to fight off this disease. Pray for Dennis and Sandy as they pursue the best doctors for the perfect treatments. The side effects of all the drugs she now needs to take are taking their toll on her little body too.Last week her migraines were unbearable. And please if you know anyone who is thinking about giving their daughter Gardisal please tell them to do their homework first and not simply follow their Doctors advice. My heart is so heavy today as I write this, but I am hopeful that we all will keep them in our prayers and that God has her in His mighty grip!


Gardisal In the News
Gardisal In the News