Our Thanksgiving

We spent our Thanksgiving in MN with Damon's family. We went up Wednesday night and stayed until Sunday. We had a very relaxing time, thank you Mom & Dad! We enjoyed:

• A little shopping
• Leaf blowing (Grandpa) & playing outside (Brett)
• Lots of food
• part of a Phase 10 Game that got late & kept getting interrupted
• washer/dryer project (Jon & Dad)
• Talked with Karla
• Made centerpieces & place setting decorations
• Playing with Stormy & Spirit
• Reading, online time, napping
• Leftovers
• Just being together

I didn't take many pictures this time ~ this is about all!

Fun this morning

One of Brett's friends at school said his muscles are squishy. He looks like all bones to me!

Stormy getting a drink

Stormy decided to take a drink of my water. I thought the glass was empty so I didn't worry about him checking it out, but I guess he was thirsty! He has his own water and drinks a lot, it's surprising how much.  He seems to know if we have milk and he cries for it. Even Brett's banana pudding the other night.  Crazy cat.

Thanksgiving Projects

It's not Thanksgiving without a handprint turkey! Loved these "thankful turkeys" too. Other kids said they were thankful for friends, mom, and a dart gun.

Brett's Turkeys

Brett brought these home from school yesterday. I think they have such personality!

Brett's Candy Drawer

Tonight Brett was eating candy out of his "candy drawer".  Most of it's compliments of Auntie Shanda for this birthday.  He doesn't eat candy all that much. I guess he just doesn't think of it very often or it would be a problem!  Usually he has a little in the drawer, something special from Grandmas or Aunties, but now there's a ridiculous amount of candy in there!  Who needs spray candy? Gross!

One I Missed from Halloween

I ♥ it!

Leaf Wallhangings

Today this is what we made -a leaf wallhanging. We used silk leaves glued to burlap and wood beads threaded onto pipecleaners for the hanger. I love the colors & parents are really liking them.

Lazy Bones

Turkey Dinner Song

PLEASE SEE THE POST HERE FOR TEMPLATE & UPDATED SONG CARD

We've been learning this fun song for Thanksgiving.  Yesterday we did a little project to go along with it.
Turkey Dinner Song Card

Stuff Stormy Does

1. Homework with Brett (not very willingly)
2.  Snuggle with Brett in our bed (more willingly)
3. Plays with all the toys
4.  Now sleeps on top of the dryer when he gets put in his room. How does he get up there?? **I figured it out - he claws onto my NICE LEATHER PURSE that hangs on a hook next to the dryer and pulls himself up!!

Stormy's Bear

He gets a little crazy!

Stormy Playing with Hot Wheels

He loves playing this game!

Monday

It's Monday again but we had a nice weekend !

• I enjoyed a changed of scenery & pace on Saturday when I met a friend in Appleton to go shopping & out for dinner. I dropped Brett off on the way at Grandma's (Grandpa was working) so he had a great time. I'm sure Damon enjoyed the peace and quiet here and took care of a few things too.
• This is Stormy's home now. It didn't take him long to adjust. He ate and used the litter box just fine and he seems to like us a lot. In fact, I think he's liking being with me a lot. Brett really wants him to sleep on his bed but he won't.  I think Stormy has gotten used to being by me and he isn't ready to sleep anyway when Brett goes to bed.  Only thing we have to watch is that he discovered my walk in shower stall - it's a step up & about the same color as his litter box....I caught him scratching in there... He likes his cube and sleeps great in there at night or duirng the day when he needs to get away from the kids.  He's great with the kids too.
• I'm working on development assessments and little progress reports for my day care kids. The teacher parents asked how their daughter was doing so I put together a form for each kid.  I've done them before in a different format but I really like this way best. Almost done!  It's good for me too to see the results.
• I'm down one day care boy. That's OK, it was a change that needed to happen. I regret how I handled it, but sometimes you really can't see these things coming.  I've learned from every situation.
• I had two interviews scheduled. Both called to reschedule. One is tomorrow morning and the other hasn't called back yet. I'm not sure I will fill the spot anyway. We'll see.
• Brett still has a cough. It was better for a few weeks and this last week, it was worse again. We might take him in this week but I anticipate hearing that it just needs to run it's course.
• I scheduled my last two vacation days! I'm looking forward to Mom coming to help me work on organizing on the 30th.
• I can't wait for Thanksgiving days off to relax!

Sunday

Saturday

Brett spent the afternoon with Grandma Hesebeck.  Here he is with Dayna (left) & Jack (right).

Stormy Today

Brett with Stormy before he left for school today.
This is where Stormy is right now. He loves to sit on my shoulders and bury himself in my hair.  It was up before and he was still trying to get at it!  This is just a Webcam picture so it's not very good quality.

More Stormy Pictures

Reading with Brett after school!
Here's something I never thought I'd see!

This is the life!

Our New Kitten

Today we drove to Coon Valley to pick up our kitten. He's 2.5 months old.  He is a seal color point Ragdoll.  We love him already! He's sooo soft and very playful. Just a baby yet and so cute.

Ragdolls (as their name implies) are extremely "laid-back," docile, non-aggressive cats. They tend to relax when held. They are said to possess a non-fighting instinct, which means that if attacked, they do not defend themselves. They are very "people" oriented and love to be around others, which often finds them greeting guests and/or following their owners around in a fashion similar to a puppy. Slower to mature than most other breeds, ragdolls don’t achieve their full coat colouring until they are approximately two years of age, and they don’t reach their full size until they are four human years old.  Ragdolls have big paws, bushy tails, large blue eyes, and dense fur. They are usually large and strong, topping the scales at 15-20 pounds for males.

Make these!

As soon as I saw this recipe, I decided to try it. It's super easy & they turned out great. Mine were quite large though, maybe I let them sit too long before baking. And if you haven't seen Little Birdie Secrets yet, check it out! Great blog.

Little Birdies' Homemade Crescent Rolls

 2 c. warm water, 110-115°

2 Tbsp. rapid rise yeast (aka bread machine yeast)

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. powdered milk

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. salt

5-6 c. bread flour

Softened butter

Pour water in a bowl and sprinkle yeast over the top. Allow to soften about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Dough will be a little sticky, but if it's really sticky add a little more flour. Allow to rise in bowl for 45 minutes. Punch down and allow to rise for another 45 minutes. Break into two equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll out each chunk into a large circle. Spread softened butter (not melted) onto entire circle. Cut into wedges with pizza cutter. (I do 12 for smaller rolls, or 8 for larger.) Starting with wide end of triangles, roll up like a crescent roll. Place on cookie sheets with pointed end tucked underneath (so it doesn’t pop open during baking) and bake at 400° for 10-14 minutes, or until just golden on top.

Little Visitor

This morning a little raccoon came right up our sidewalk to the front door. I'm sure he would have come in if I had let him!  Poor thing is looking for food but what's he doing in our neighborhood?  Actually this is the second time we've had raccoons show up. The last time was a few years ago in the backyard. That time I trapped him and Damon released him in a woods.  I had to scare this little guy away to get a kid on the bus so I'm not sure where he went.

Halloween Weekend

Ron & Jeanine's costumes were great!

Brett, Trevor &Jolene Trick-or-Treating

It's hard to share a chair with Chili!