It's Almost Christmas!

Time sure does fly this time of year. I need to post about it so I learn my lesson and not procrastinate to much next year. I'll never learn though.
I always have such grand plans and they never completely pan out!
I have made some crafts but not as many as I was going to.
I'll post those as soon as I finish givin' em away! :-)
Kevin and I went to the base Christmas party on Saturday. It was semi formal and for the first time ever it wasn't me buying something to wear- it was Kevin. He just didn't have anything "semi formal" to wear. So on Thursday when I was hosting my Bunco bunch, he and Katie went to find him something to wear. He looked so handsome on Saturday evening in his new duds.

I wore a blouse and skirt from 4 Christmas parties ago. But it was new to South Carolina so I didn't mind. We had fun. Another party this Friday night. But first I take Katie to the airport to get on a plane to Kansas so she can help Brian drive here. They'll be here on Monday and Jake and Megan should be here Wednesday. Then Alli flies in on the 29th.
I am SO excited that the kids are coming!! I can hardly wait!!!
I probably won't be back here until the new year so
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Thanks for stopping by!

Turkey Noodle & Wild Rice

I made this recipe tonight with some of our leftover turkey. It was SO yummy! Creamy and filling. Great for a cold night. It made more than the 3 of us could ever eat. But I am looking forward to having it tomorrow for lunch too!

Turkey Noodle & Wild Rice

1 bag (12 oz) Reames® Homestyle Egg Noodles
10 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 box (6.2 oz.) 5 minute long grain & wild rice mix
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 cups half and half
2 cups turkey, cooked & diced
1/2 cup green onion, thinly sliced

Preparation:
In a large pan or Dutch oven, combine 9 cups of chicken broth and chopped onion. Bring to a boil. Add Reames Home Style Egg Noodles; return to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes (or until noodles are desired tenderness). Add rice and seasoning packet; cook for an additional 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth, flour, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning; stir until smooth. Slowly add flour and broth mixture to cooked noodle and rice mixture, stirring constantly. Bring to boiling; cook 1 minute or until thickened and bubbly. Slowly add half and half to cooked noodle mixture; stirring constantly. Add turkey; heat gently, stirring frequently until heated through. Stir in green onion before serving.

Serves 8-10.

I could not find the long grain and wild rice in instant form so I bought a box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice and cooked it before starting the rest and so I also cut back the broth by one cup. I omitted the 1/2 cup of chopped onion so Katie would eat it, but I did chop up some green onion for Kevin and I to add to our bowls. It was so good.

Enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all my friends and family!

I hope you are all enjoying the season of counting your blessings!
I am grateful for so much including my husband who is working so hard today to make a wonderful meal for Katie, myself and him. He's smoking a turkey breast on the grill and he is making his signature dressing and some mashed potatoes for Katie. Rolls are rising and I am getting ready to make a green bean casserole and cherry chiffon for dessert. I am sure we will be eating this food for days. I do have a new recipe I plan on trying this weekend with the turkey leftovers. Turkey Noodle and Wild Rice Casserole. Sounds yummy. If it turns out, I will post the recipe!
Kevin went out this morning and bought me a newspaper. I can't believe they are charging $3 for the paper. But, I have been looking at the Black Friday ads to see if it is worth going out and fighting the crowds. I think it might be worth the trip to Columbia. We learned last year that going to WalMart in a small town is NOT a good idea for Black Friday. EVERYONE was there.
I better get in the shower.
Have a blessed day and wonderful weekend too!!!
Blessings~
Angel

"Franklin"

I have been babysitting a little girl who is almost 3. (I'll call her *P* for privacy purposes). Her mom brings her over a couple of times a week. One day shortly after I started watching her I picked her up at her house because it worked out that it was easier since I was already on my way to pick up Katie from school. *P* was not happy with the routine change and she cried and cried. I think it was just too different for her.
I picked up Katie at school and we headed home with *P* crying.
We were almost home when Katie noticed a turtle in the middle of the road. I stopped and Katie went and got it and we brought it home. And like magic the tears stopped. We set the turtle down in the yard and watched it for a little while. But we worried about the neighborhood animals getting to it. So, after we ate breakfast we went back out and got the turtle which we had named Franklin. He hadn't gotten very far.
Katie and I decided to take him to Swan Lake and let him out with the million other turtles that live there.
We drove out to Swan Lake and put Franklin out near the water and said good-bye. It was a very pretty day so we went to the playground and let *P* play a little while before coming back home. It was a nice little adventure.
After we came home and ate lunch, *P* took a nice long nap that afternoon.
Aren't they so sweet when they're asleep?

Update

Just a short post to say hi to whoever may be checking into this blog to see how I am doing. I am doing good! I look forward to the first week of November as it is Kevin's and my birthday. I think we have been apart for as many birthdays as we have been together due to Kevin's assignments.
This year we are together.
Last Sunday was Kevin's birthday. We went to church and then came home and made queso and chips, hot wings and brownies. Doesn't sound like a perfect combination, but along with the Grolsch beer Kevin loves, it made him happy. We watched the race with him and it was a nice day.
Tomorrow is my birthday and although I am not counting the years anymore, it's still nice to have a day to call your own. My TOPS girls gave me cards and my friend Amy made these awesome cupcakes made with a spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin... that's all. Replace the eggs, oil and water with a can of pumpkin and they are SO yummy. They don't need frosting either. But adding a dollop of the canned whip topping just makes them yummier!I've gotten several cards this week and a few happy mail days.
I'm a Happy girl.
Tomorrow Kevin is taking me out for dinner. I have been SO good at my diet (until yesterday) and am only about 10 pounds from goal. But I do plan on eating whatever I want that comes into my line of vision. Tomorrow.
Oh, and I have a part time job offer.
Alls well.
Blessings~

I've been tagged...

I was tagged by Melissa!

Here we go!
RULES: 1. You can only use ONE word!!!
2. Pass this along to 5 of your favorite bloggers!
3. Alert them that you have given them this award!
4. HAVE FUN!!!***************
1. Where is your cell phone? pocket
2. Your hair? short
3. Your mother? Iowa
4. Your father? Iowa
5. Your fave food? PB
6. Your dream last night? foggy
7. Your fave drink? Chai
8. Your dream/goal? Happiness
9. What room are you in? craft
10. Your hobby? Stamping
11. Your fear? loneliness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Kansas
13. Where you were last night? BEd
14. Something that you aren't? skinny
15. Muffins? pumpkin
16. Wish List Item? paper
17. Where did you grow up? Iowa
18. Last thing you did? emailed
19. What are you wearing? clothes
20. Your TV? off
21. Your Pets? none
22. Friends? awesome
23. Your Life? hold
24. Your Mood? middle
25. Missing Someone? YES
26. Vehicle? Torrent
27. Something you're not wearing? makeup
28. Your fave store? Craft
29. Your fave color? Sky
30. Last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? ?
32. Your best friend? Peg
33. One place that I go to over and over? school
34. One person who emails regularly? mom
35. Fave place to eat? Logans
36. Facebook? Often

I choose Peggy,
Tracy,
Alli,
Megan
and
Kelly.

Thanks, Melissa. That was fun!

Providence

Doing my Bible study this morning, I had another amazing encounter with God.
Confirmation.
I am doing the Beth Moore study on Esther and just finished the final lesson. We'll watch the last video tonight (sniff).
Beth gave us 3 scriptures with which we put onto a triangle.
Here is mine:

From Esther- "It's Tough Being a Woman"
"God not only promises that He "works out everything" (Eph 1.11) "according to His good purpose" (Phil 2.13). He promises that "in all things God works for [our] good" (Romans 8.28). In other words, every time He shifts us here or moves us there on this earthbound chessboard, He's not just fulfilling His own pleasure regardless of its impact on you. He's also working every detail- even the dreadful ones- to your and my good." -Beth Moore

The P in the middle stands for Providence!
I love this part! The definition of providence?

prov⋅i⋅dence –noun
1. the foreseeing care and guidance of God or nature over the creatures of the earth.
2. God, esp. when conceived as omnisciently directing the universe and the affairs of humankind with wise benevolence.
3. a manifestation of divine care or direction.
4. provident or prudent management of resources; prudence.
5. foresight; provident care.

Blessings!

A Future and a Hope....

I just have to blog about church this morning. It was so awesome. And to think I almost missed it because I was cold this morning and had a hard time getting going. SO glad I didn't.
The sermon series is called "Tune In" and is all about prayer. We've missed the last couple of weeks, but I hope to get them on CD and listen. Prayer is something I've already been feeling convicted about. I know I don't spend enough time with my God.
This isn't part of my story, but I have to tell you that we had some excitement towards the end of the message. The speakers and microphone started squealing and making some awful racket. They finally had to turn off the sound system altogether. And then someone noticed that one of the speakers on stage was smoking. Crazy. As they carried it off, I thought they were walking towards the baptistery and half expected them to throw it in, but they didn't.
Anyway, after the sermon which was based on 1 Samuel 3, our preacher told everyone to get into a position of prayer and tell God "Speak God, for your servant is listening". He gave us quite a bit of time and as I prayed I was thinking of the burden that has been on my heart a lot lately which is Kevin's retirement. We've been talking about it and I know Kevin has been considering it, but I've been very skeptical about it. FEAR is a better word. I've been the one talking him out of it, pointing out the bad job market. The fact is the very thought of retirement has me sick to my stomach and gripped in FEAR.
But, I sat there in church this morning and I prayed. I prayed for God to speak to me. And I thought of the card in my Bible that I had seen a few seconds before. I had written Jeremiah 29:11 on it in Bible study. (As if to reinforce this thought, the guy 2 seats in front of us was wearing a football jersey with the number 11 on it. God WILL clarify things for you!)
I can quote this verse from memory and I started to do that, but I felt God saying to me to read that verse and what comes after it. I opened my Bible and read and as I read tears came streaming from my eyes.
This is what I read:
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you home again to your own land."
Jeremiah 29:11-14
WOW!
God spoke.
I think I see retirement in Kevin's near future.

This & That

Just to check in before the weekend. I've got a busy couple of weeks coming up.
I am still involved with TOPS and go every Thursday. I hope to be halfway to goal next week!
But, you can read about my weight loss journey at my weight loss blog so I won't go into details about that. EXCEPT to say that I've found something better than a candy bar. I eat it EVERY day and it has about 200 calories! It's an apple with peanut butter! YUM!

I've started babysitting an adorable little girl who is almost 3 years old. I hope to put this money away for Christmas. I'll be asking her mom if I can post pics, but until then I better not even mention her name.
And then I've got a few stamping deadlines right on top of eachother coming up that are going to take up quite a bit of my free time. I'm afraid I won't be blogging much.
Oh...our little base and community made the news today. Did you see? It wasn't good and will probably mean LONG hours for my overworked and underpaid husband. You can read about that here.
Have a blessed weekend!

Quality Family Time

We had a fabulous time last weekend when our younger son Brian and his adorable girlfriend Alli flew in from Kansas to visit us. It was Kevin's first time meeting Alli and it's unanimous... we ALL love her.
The two of them arrived in Charlotte at about 9:30 Friday evening. It's about a 2 hour drive, so we got home pretty late. The next day, we all slept in a bit and then I made waffles for breakfast. The kids wanted to visit Swan Lake so we hopped in the car and drove over there.
That evening Katie had to babysit, but the rest of us had fun playing games. We taught Alli how to play Pennsylvania Dutch Rummy and Spades!
Sunday morning we woke up and went to church. (Great sermon by the way.) Then we came home, had lunch and drove out to Poinsett State Park for a 3 miles hike. More games for Sunday evening. And then sadly we had to drive back to the airport on Monday afternoon.
It was a great weekend. It just flew by as all good ones do. I kept wishing that Jake and Megan could have been here too. But, I am looking forward to everyone being here for Christmas!!!

Brian posing at Swan Lake.

Brian gives Alli a piggyback ride. Good thing she's tiny!

Katie Alli and Brian at Swan Lake.

Katie and Brian at Poinsett State Park.

The kids making lunch.

(That is bagel bites surrounding a little pizza in case you were wondering.)

Brian and Alli at beautiful Poinsett State Park.

Brian and Alli at the Charlotte Airport as they got ready to go back to cold Kansas!

October Pinkness

I usually try to turn my blog pink for October. Haven't had time yet this month though.
But, I wanted to let you all know that my friend Peg is offering up some goodies at her blog- Webbmania in order to spread the word about Breast Cancer Awareness.
Coincidentally I have a mammogram scheduled!

Poinsett State Park

Yesterday was a gorgeous day and Kevin suggested we check out Poinsett State Park. South Carolina has the prettiest parks! I was excited to find out they rent out cabins at this park. Really cool cabins that were built in the 1930s. I hinted to Kevin that it would be a nice birthday weekend retreat. Hopefully he takes the hint.
We went to the park and walked the Coquina trail which was a little over one and a half miles. They have several trails and I can't wait to go try another. This park is only about 10 miles from our house.
There are alligators at this park. I thought I saw one, but can't be sure. That was scary. The funniest thing happened this morning. Kevin and Katie were on their way out the front door. He was taking her to school. They were surprised to see a hummingbird that seemed to be disoriented and kept bouncing off the ceiling of the porch. Kevin tried getting her to go off the porch, but she wouldn't. He was late leaving and had to go, but before he left he gave me a branch and told me to try and get her to land on it and then move her off the porch that way. So, I tried it and it worked Poor little thing. She probably had a pretty good headache after that. I didn't get any pictures, but here is a some pics of one of our little hummingbirds from this week. We also took a pic last week of these 2 hummingbirds on the back deck. THey were acting quite strange. And kept hitting eachother's beaks. And then one seemed to be sitting on the others' head. Kevin actually snapped a pic of it from the back door.
Not sure what that was about. Silly birds!
Brian and Alli are coming to visit in 2 days! I am beyond excited!!!
Blessings!