Speed Bumps

I think I have finally recovered from Thanksgiving. It was really that stressful, but just busy. Thursday we hosted dinner here for Rob's family (7 adults, 2 kids...not bad). We got to cook the turkey, much to Rob's delight, since he loves to wake up to the smell of the baking bird in the morning. Yes, we cook the thing overnight...his family has always done it that way and thus, we do too. Everything came out great and tasted even better! I forgot to take pictures of the whole event though. Oh well.

Saturday was our second dinner at my parents' house. It was also good, although later I got to hear comparisons of "their food" vs. ''our food". Who cares? It's all good in my book.

I mention speed bumps because that was the theme of the sermon at church yesterday, which is something I'm going to remember all through the Advent season. Things get so busy this time of year, and going to church is a sort of "speed bump" to slow us down and help us to reflect on the season's true meaning. It may sound cliche, but I do think it is necessary. Especially after I venture into a store and come out feeling comatose. Do they pump something into the air to make you completely veg out while you are in the store??

We got our tree up last night, and will decorate it tonight. I highly recommend an artificial, pre-lit tree. Up and beautiful in 30 minutes or less! I have my card designed too, and the photo taken...now I just have to put the two together and we'll be in business. I'm going to try WinkFlash this year and see how it goes, on the recommendation of about 100 of my closest digiscrapping buddies. LOL

I'll post pics when I get motivated enough to unhook my computer from my new kick butt setup and hook in into my printer so I can download them. And maybe one of these days I'll make a layout...

Walk Slowly, Stop Often

Have you ever heard such a profound quote before? I certainly hadn't. I didn't realize that my dear friend Nicole was so full of wisdom. It's funny what you learn about people after a bunch of beers! LOL

We had a gathering for the biggest football game of the year...the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. The rivalry is one of the biggest in all of college sports, and living in Toledo is a blast during this game because it's in between Ann Arbor and Columbus. Unfortunately, I was the only Michigan fan in our house. But, I had fun anyway, as you can see...

Aren't we a cute looking bunch of girls? Sometimes I still feel like I'm 16.

The guys had a good time too, but they had to sit down for it. They just don't have as much energy as the girls do!

See what I mean? What's a football party without a little bit of ballet?

I should elaborate, but I need to go to bed now. My parents kept the kids overnight (lucky us).

Bye now!

I didn't realize it had been so long since I've updated this blog! Guess that means I've finally gotten a life, eh? LOL

Halloween was a blast. We did more that day than I can believe.

Credits: Doodles by Melissa Renfro, Orange paper by Audra Little, Striped paper by Melany Violette, Plaid paper by Kim Smith, Black glass and antique paper alphas by Meredith Fenwick, Date stamp by TMARU

Credits: Fall Day QuickPage by Mish Gasser, available at 1HourScrap; Stamped Alpha by Lisa Whitney; Cardboard Leftovers by Melinda Staley; Font: Accoustic Bass

After the Halloween festivities died down, I got sick...with my quarterly case of bronchitis/sinus infection. Yuck! Fortunately, my doc gave me some antibiotics and I'm feeling much better. That cough still wants to hang on though...same thing for Heidi. Guess we better drink more orange juice!

Yesterday I had the chance to go to Ann Arbor with my friend who plays in their community band and hear their concert. They performed in an old, renovated theater downtown. It was just gorgeous…navy blue, crimson and gold color scheme, and very ornate décor. The band played my all-time favorite band piece – Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger – and performed it very well. Afterward we had dinner and a local pub (yes, I did order a local beer, and boy was it good!). What a nice getaway it was. The kids went to Mom and Dad’s, and Rob FINALLY got our bathroom walls sanded and primed. Funny how having a party will make you finish projects in the house.

Oh yeah...party. Did I mention we are having a huge football party on Saturday? Ohio State is playing University of Michigan, and in my neck of the woods (which is about 1 hour south of Ann Arbor, home of U of M, and 2.5 hours northwest of Columbus, home of OSU) it is always a big deal. We even have a store here in town called "Buckeye and Wolverine Shop" (the mascots of the two teams). Our neighbors are having a party too, so the fun is bound to burst out of the two houses and become really crazy. :-) I don't ever remember the game being THIS huge, since both teams are undefeated and ranked 1-2 in the national ratings. This event should make for a great layout.

I forgot to say that I'm a huge Michigan fan and DH is an OSU fan. Makes this interesting!!

Until next time...