PICK YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY/CHRISTMAS TABLE SETTING

Bobbie Cottleston Pie 

barely let me lick the whipped cream off my lips

from my last piece of pumpkin pie 

before she wondered-

WHEN ARE YOU DOING A CHRISTMAS

PICK YOUR TABLE POST?

Huh- Do I look like I have hours to spend just searching

and looking at all these picture perfect tables?

Huh?  Well, I do! (ha-I am such a liar).

You KNOW I love ya, Bobbie, and I only tease

those I love!

Anyway,

I'll let YOU look and pick your favorite.

Ready?

#1

Green, Green Wants To Be Seen

#2

Rustic Modern

#3

A Rose For Everyone

(No bachelor is going home tonight

for those of you that watch The Bachelor on TV)

#4

Blue For You

#5

Silvery Snowflakes

#6

Green & Gold

GO PACK GO!

#7

I Plead For Plaid

#8

Whisper Of White

Well, I don't know HOW you all 

are gonna pick just one..

BUT--THAT IS the rule!

You do remember that, don't you?  lol

Some of you have a really hard time picking

JUST ONE(you brats)!

So, pick a table 

and we will fill it with all your best friends.

 I hope there's a place for me there, too!

Well----don't just sit there---

VOTE!

For those that give a hoot,

I will be in Chicago with my 

two daughters and 4 grandgirls for the weekend

and spending an evening at another blogger's home.

More about that later-if I survive!

Have a great weekend!!!!

PRAYER REQUEST UPDATE-TED & SUSIE

Thanks to all of you that are praying for

(or sending good thoughts and well wishes)

to

TED (Susie's She Junks)

I wanted to give you an update.

While we were down visiting my daughter, 

Mimi, and her family for Thanksgiving

in Indiana,

MyHero and I drove about 20 minute south

to the hospital where Ted is a patient.

As many of you know,

MyHero works with cancer patients 

at a local hospital.

He is also a survivor of cancer.

He has been treated 3 times 

for 3 different types of cancer

and has beat the odds.

So, he understands

exactly what Ted is going through.

Ted does not look sick at all.

He looks healthy and young for his age.

He is eating well 

and has tolerated chemo quite well.

He just finished his first round of chemo.

His immune system is at ZERO-

a scary place to be.

They will run some tests in a few days

and see what is happening.

He has been told he will be hospitalized for

NINETY DAYS!

That is a long time for him and for Susie.

She does not drive in the city so is dependent

on others to get her there every day.

She lives about an hour or so 

north of the hospital.

Please keep them wrapped in your heart

and continue to pray 

and/or send healing thought

and good wishes.

Thank you all so much 

for your outpouring

of love and caring.

I know Susie and Ted appreciate

each and every one of you.

Have a great rest of the week!

YOUR SUNDAY SMILE--POST THANKSGIVING~

Good Morning!

Did you eat too much?

I did NOT myself.

Anyway---

My father,

God rest his soul,

was a humorist.

Noooooo..

you're saying...

Not YOUR Dad.

Well, he was!

One of the things he absolutely

LOVED

was poetry.

He read a lot of poetry to

me when I was a child.

Most of it way beyond

my understanding.

One of the ones that I

remember most vividly is

the one below.

It is short..

and I guarantee it will

put a smile on your face...

especially if you are thinking

about going out and having

a few little drinks

as we head into the holidays

It is called

JUDGED BY THE COMPANY ONE KEEPS

One night in late December,

When I was far from sober,

Returning with my load of manly pride,

My feet began to stutter,

So I lay down in the gutter,

And a pig came near 

and lay down by my side;

A lady passing by was heard to say:

"You can tell a man who boozes,

By the company he chooses,"

And the pig got up and slowly walked away.

                              Unknown author

Happy Sunday!

Don't eat too many leftovers

and pick your companions well!

See you soon and I will give you an

update on Ted & Susie (She Junks)

Ummm--need I remind you that

CHRISTMAS 

is one month from today?

You're welcome!

A PRAYER REQUEST FOR SUSIE'S (She Junks) TED!!!

I was working at the office

a few minutes ago

when I got a text

from Susie.

ALL of you know our sweet SUSIE

from She Junks!

I was lucky enough to meet her in person

last year and, let me tell you,

she is as dear in person as she is in blogland.

I told Susie I would do the request tonight

when I got home but I feel like

I need to do it 

NOW!

Her dear, sweet 

TEDDY BEAR

was diagnosed TODAY with

ACUTE LEUKEMIA.

He was hospitalized immediately

and starts chemo tomorrow.

He is in the closest city to their home

but Susie doesn't do city driving...

so she is planning on staying there

with him.  

He will be hospitalized for 

at least a month.

Please pray that the 

CHEMO is SUCCESSFUL.

Also pray for peace of mind for

TED &SUSIE!

As we well know, when our loved ones

are ill we worry and

many times we just feel helpless.

For those of you that are not pray-ers,

please send healing thoughts and 

best wishes their way

and leave a sweet comment for Susie 

on my blog if you have the time.

Sending you love, Susie~

Thank all of you so much!

POKE ME WITH A FORK-I THINK I'M DONE!

Does anyone remember that commercial?

The one with the line that went-

Poke me with a fork I think I'm done?

Well, I remember hearing the ad and it was

often repeated by a little neighbor boy, Brett.

Brett also carried a NAKED blond Barbie doll around 

AND he called it Mrs.Kosmoski!

SERIOUSLY!

.....and now you know my real name.....

Anyway- That might have been 

a tad too much information

so let's move along to cooking, shall we?

It's all about turkey right now

but if you are looking for an

EASY recipe to use leading up to

THANKSGIVING--

this might work!

I am basically lazy when it comes to meals.

There- I've said it.  It's true!

So, that means 

I LOVE EASY MEALS.

Does this look EASY?

Well, it is.

Brown 4 pork chops in 1 Tablespoon of butter over 

Medium-high heat.

Kinda fuzzy picture, huh? 

Hey!  You want perfect pictures?

Buy a magazine!

Or visit a blog with a better photographer.

I'll work on it.

While those are browning,

Core and slice about 5 - 6 apples.

I used 2 big Honey Crisp and 

3 or 4 Braeburns that I had.

Use more apples than you think you will want 

because they cook down.

Throw them in the crockpot.

Sprinkle heavily with cinnamon 

(or Apple Pie Spice-that's what I used)

and 1/3 cup brown sugar.

Place browned pork chops on top of apples.

Salt and pepper them to taste.

Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.

I served ours with rice and broccoli

and coffee in a Pumpkin cup.

Trust me- there will NOT be any leftovers!

So- Here's the recipe-

Slow Cooker Pork Chops & Apples

4 boneless pork chops

4-5 large apples of choice

Cinnamon  or Apple Pie Spice

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup apple juice or apple cider.

(I used cranberry juice this time)

Salt & Pepper 

Brown pork chops over medium high heat in 1T melted butter.

Core and slice apples and toss them in crock pot.

Sprinkle with Apple Pie Spice or Cinnamon

(I would estimate I used 3 or 4 teaspoons)

Sprinkle with the brown sugar.

Pour apple juice over it.

(I didn't have any apple juice/cider so I used Cranberry juice and it was delicious)

Layer on the pork chops.

Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.

Enjoy!

AND - if you see one of THESE lying around

naked please DO NOT call it

Mrs. Kosmoski!!!

I don't want the neighbors to talk.

CHRISTMAS FANTASY HOUSE!!!

While the momma's away

the girls will play!Momma Cat is off on a 

belated honeymoon

(in Canada)

Yeah- I know- who goes to Canada

this time of year, right?

I am staying with the girls

while their mom is gone.

On Saturday, I took two 

of the girls 

to the 

Christmas Fantasy House in

Milwaukee, WI.

Grandgirl#3 was engaged in

 tryouts with her dad.

All proceeds from the walk go to the 

RONALD McDONALD HOUSE!

Always before it has been a
mom/daughter/daughter-in-law
Christmas walk here in our own town.
Sadly, they have cancelled the
Christmas walk the last two year...
so--on to a new tradition, I guess.

Ready for a peek?

Bear with me on the pictures.

I am having a terrible time with the new

PicMonkey---don't get me started.

Anyone else having problems?

Anyway- the 

~FANTASY HOUSE~

was beyond amazing.

Each decorator took a different room

in the multi-million dollar home.

Here are some of the things we saw:

Staircase side of the living room.

The bows on the stairwell post

The living room was lovely-

The kitchen was decorated by:

READY?

Goodwill!!!!  LOL

Yes. It.Was.

There were garden stakes behind the headboard in 

one of the guest bedrooms:

and that guest bathroom was delightful.

A dress form dressed for Christmas

A trio of trees in a bedroom

A little girls's room in pink and silver

There were elves in the laundry room

They had hung their clothes to dry:

 There were elf wreaths on hangers, too.

Every little boy's room needs a 

Christmas teepee, right?

There was so much more to see-

but I won't overload you with pictures.

I don't decorate for Christmas until after

THANKSGIVING

but it was fun to look and dream and plan.

Oh--and just so you know--

I did NOT wash my hands in 

THIS SINK!!!!

Would you believe that I did not get a 

picture of the two girls together?

BAD NANA!!!

And for those of you that 

DRINK A LOT OF WINE-

Save those corks.

Then you, too, can make

ornaments like these!

uh..huh...

just don't be working with the hot glue gun

to make these

WHILE YOU ARE DRINKING WINE.

You're welcome!

I may take up drinking myself---

I have 3 teen/pre-teen girls to

"lead to good decisions"

for the week!

Lordy--pray for me, will ya?

A THANK YOU TO OUR VETERANS

I am ashamed to say

that I don't

always think about what the cost

is for my freedom.

source

I don't always think about

the person that laid

down their life so that

I can enjoy the freedoms

this country allows.

I don't always think about

the day-to-day struggles that

some of our veterans must deal with...

the physical, emotional, spiritual end

of it.

I do think about my Father,

a vet of WWI (yes-WWI)-

He was a young man in the service

and an old man when I was born (53).

I do think about my Uncle Samuel,

that fought in the Korean War~

but I don't ever remember him

mentioning it.

I do think about my foster brother, Gene,

that was part of the Vietnam war years...

the war that wasn't a war,

or so they say.

I do think about my nephew, Scott,

that suffered permanent damage

when he was fired on as

he guarded one of

Sadam's palaces.

And, I do think about a man

that has a blog..

A man that I met in my blog travels...

you know when you hit that

Next Blog button on the top..

This is a man that gave it all

for his country...

and is now but a shadow

of his former self, on the outside..

Inside- he is a fighter of the

greatest magnitude.

I have a soft spot for 

Kurt The Krippled Warrior.

He lives a hard life but asks

for no pity or sympathy.

I also think about my 

old classmate, Tom,

that was a chief petty officer

in the Navy.

I haven't seen him in years but

I remember his infectious laugh.

I am sure he kept his

Navy friends laughing

with his wit and humor.

The only picture I could find of him

(along with his lovely wife)

Today, I raise a salute 

to EVERY man or woman

that fights (or has fought) for all of us.

God Bless Our Veterans

and those that are serving

our country today.

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Without them- we have no hope.