Cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

We are having our Thanksgiving dinner today and I have been cooking since last evening. We will have 2 kids, 2 grandkids and my MIL with us today. We will miss our son, Chance, and other grandson, Jacob. We will be giving thanks for all the wonderful family and friends we are so blessed to have.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

I only have to work until 2pm today and truthfully, I am not working that hard. (Well, right now I am on lunch break.) Many people are off today and the workload is really light.

I will not be cooking Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, as we will be having the full blown dinner on Saturday. Hubby told me that there was no need for me to cook huge meals on both days. I am sure we will find something to eat tomorrow. LOL!

Samantha, her bf John and MIL will be coming to dinner on Saturday. It should be a nice, quiet, comfortable Thanksgiving celebration. I will be serving the standard holiday yummies:

Turkey

Dressing
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Sweet potato casserole
Green bean casserole
Devilled eggs
Rolls
Pumpkin pie
Peach cobbler

MIL will be bringing a corn casserole. I don't know if Sam and John will bring anything. I told them they did not need to. They are still poor college students, so I have sympathy for them. Samantha graduates next month, so next year, she will have to cook something. LOL!

I am so happy we will not be going to the big family shebang where there will surely be some type of drama. It will be nice to have a quiet holiday.

I will be counting my many blessings all weekend long...my wonderful family, wonderful friends, financial stability and goo health. To all my bloggy friends, have a safe and happy holiday!

Why I bought a Nook instead of a Kindle.

                                                 

           Kindle 3                           VS                         Nook

A couple of people asked why I chose my Nook from Barnes and Noble over the Kindle from Amazon. I am a long time Amazon customer and love Amazon, so really thought I would end up with a Kindle. But as with all new toys I want to buy, I did some extensive research. One of the best comparisons I found was here. It is very detailed and was of great help in my decision. Since some people might be buying ebook readers for Christmas, I thought I would share.

I will share the main points that won me over on the Nook:

• The Nook has a user replaceable battery. The battery may last for years, but when it dies I can replace it. If/when the Kindle battery dies, you have to send it back to Amazon to be changed.
• The Nook accepts a microSD card if you want to expand the memory. You can also put music on your memory card to listen to on the Nook.
• LIBRARY EBOOKS. This is the big one. Many library have ebooks you can check out...thye are in the ePub format. Kindle doesn't read ePub. (You have to download these to your computer, then move to your Nook using the USB cable...known as sideloading....but they are FREE to read ebooks.)

Those are the top 3 advantages, for me, of the Nook over the Kindle. I have now had my Nook for 2 months and I love, love, love it. I have about 60 books on it and have not paid for one. Oh, did I forget to mention....FREE EBOOKS. I have found multiple sources for free ebooks usuable on the Nook. The Kindle can read books only from Amazon (at this point in time.)

Both come with WiFi and 3G. I did not see any reason to pay an extra $50 for 3G, so I bought the Nook with WiFi only. It is not a web browser, it is an ebook reader.  I load my books via WiFi at home. I don't foresee that I will have a book emergency and need 3G to download a book "right now." Although, if I did, I could just find a WiFi hotspot and download to my hearts content.

There is a Nook color now, but I was not interested as it does not have the eInk feature of the Nook. If I want to look at a glossy, backlit  color screen, I will use my netbook.

Hope this helped anyone looking to purchase an e-reader.

Sluggy is the winner of the Taco Night Giveaway!

Sluggy, get ready to make some tacos! You won my Taco Night Giveaway! Congratulations!

I will email you from my home address this evening to get your address and phone number, in case you aren't in today. (I don't want to email you from work, then not get your response until Monday.) Or you can send it to me before that. My home emaill addy is fperkins2000 @ yahoo.com.

Congrats again!!

My Taco Night Giveaway ends tonight.

If you haven't entered yet, go here and enter. It ends tonight!

Good luck!

Swagbucks for using coupons!

WooHoo! I just found out that Swagbucks has the feature now where you can print and redeem coupons from Coupons.com and get 10 Swagbucks for each one printed and redeemed! Log into your Swagbucks account, and under Ways to Earn, there is a new button for "Coupons." It will then pull up the coupons.com site. Check it out!
 
How cool is that, earning Swagbucks for something we are already doing!
 
Check out the Swagbucks blog here, for more info.

I'm supposed to be thankful for this?

This should be how my family looks on Thanksgiving Day:

Alas, that will not happen. I will try not to write a book......

Since I married Hubby, we have always gone to his parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes it would be on Thanksgiving and sometimes it would be on the Friday after. Hubby's mom and sisters always decided what day and we were told to be there. And we were.

A couple of years, the parents in law went camping and we would drive to the state park to have Thanksgiving with them. One year, SIL decided she wanted to have it at her house....an hour away from us. Okay.....we went. Then one year, the same SIL decided that it would be at her daughter's house....over an hour away. Okay....we went.

This year, that SIL decided she wanted to have it at her son's house. (Yes, these are our neice and nephew. I am just trying to make it less confusing.) MIL said that would be great, as she wants to see his house. He just bought it about 6 months ago. Said nephew is a single guy who we don't think cooks a lot, so that means everyone has to bring all the food. Now, we all always bring dishes and don't make anyone do all the work. BUT you would expect that the host would do some of it. Like say the turkey. But we found out MIL will be making and bringing the turkey. Transporting a turkey is a lot different than a few casserole dishes.

Anyway, trying to get back to the point...Hubby does not want to go all the way to nephew's house. I don't really care to. Samantha doesn't want to and she is our only kid that will be in town that week. She asked if we could just have dinner at our place. We all thought that was a fine idea.

So, when SIL sent me a message telling me to bring devilled eggs and 2 pies, last week, I replied that we would not be coming. You would think that it is not acceptable to decide not to attend and she made some very snippy remarks. Then Samantha and her bf found out that bf's family wanted to have dinner on Thursday since it is bf's birthday, so she asked if we could eat at our place on Saturday. I said it was fine.

Well, SIL found out Samantha is not coming here on Thursday and she jumped all over me about how Hubby could just not be bothered. When I asked why she assumed that about Hubby instead of thinking that maybe our plans were changed, she got ugly asking if I even knew my own husband.

She was nasty. I tried not to be. We were messaging through Facebook, and I was responding to her very cordially since I learned long ago not to write anything down that you didn't want a judge to see. LOL!

I told Hubby what was going on and he got really irritated, since both of his sisters think it is perfectly acceptable to be rude and mean to everyone and we are all supposed to put up with it. Generally, our side of the family tries to ignore their behavior to keep the peace and not upset MIL. So, Hubby called SIL on Monday and apparently had a huge fight and told each other that they didn't want anything to do with the other anymore.

Hubby is okay with it. He is just fed up with their crap. But SIL is now making comments on FB about how our side of the family won't be at the family dinner and that Thanksgiving is all about family drama. Since Hubby and I don't tend to air our dirty laundry to everyone like she does, of course everyone will only have her side of the story. That part kinds sucks.

Oh, yeah and then there will be Christmas with the family. (Rolling eyes)

We will still have a nice Thanksgiving and we will be thankful for all the blessings that we have. But it will be hard to be thankful for all of our family.

I actually sewed this weekend.

As, I have posted before, our son Chance is currently serving in Afghanistan. One night on Facebook, he commented that it was really chilly and he could use a blanket and hot chocolate. I sent a message asking if the Army didn't provide blankets. LOL! He responded that they did, but he was still cold, so I offered to make him a blanket. I had told him that I would for Christmas, but decided I would do it early. He thought that was a wonderful idea.

So, last weekend, I went to Hancock Fabrics, my closest fabric store, and spent 30 minutes looking at all the fleece. I just couldn't find exactly what I wanted. But I looked at every bolt, some of them multiple times and finally settled on this one...

I didn't want to get camo, since I figured Chance was sick of camo, but I really like this one with the peace signs on it. It is not really a camo pattern, just has some camo colors. There is also some blue in it. I really like it. I bought 2 1/2 yards, since Chance is 6'4" and was really glad that it was on sale. It is the good stuff! Regular price $12.99/yard!

Sunday, I pulled out my sewing machine and after trimming off the rough selvages, sewed a hem around it, using a zig zag stick for strength. It was a totally easy finish and much quicker than any fringing method. I have made tied fleece blankets, but they take a lot longer and I wanted to get this done and sent.

It was pretty "fluffy" so would fill the priority mail box, but I had the brilliant idea to package it up using my Seal a Meal and it worked! I was able to shrink it down to quarter size, so could fit a bunch of other goodies in the box, including hot chocolate mix and marshmallows.

I love making stuff for my family.

"Family Taco Night" Giveaway!

My family loves tacos! Of course we do....we live in Texas. We regularly eat tacos as our house as it is a really easy “go-to” meal that is quick to prepare and we all love them. The kids loved taco night when they lived at home and are really excited, even now, when they happen to come over and we are having tacos. Hubby makes some great tacos! Heck, even I make great tacos. Seriously, we have them about once a week.

Old El Paso wants everyone to enjoy taco night, so why not set aside time at least once a month for “Family Taco Night?” Old El Paso offers a variety of seasonings, sides, sauces, and meal kits as simple solutions for a night of catching up with the family over a delicious taco dinner. To satisfy your Mexican style cravings, the Old El Paso® line up of products includes chilies, dinner kits, dips and sides, enchilada sauce, refried beans, seasoning mixes, shells, taco sauce and salsa. The Old El Paso taco seasoning mix selection includes flavors like Burrito, Cheesy Taco, Chili, Fajita, Taco, Mild Taco and even a seasoning with 40% less sodium. For a fun twist on Taco Night, be sure to try one of the delicious recipes below.

Double Layer Tacos
Old El Paso Favorite Recipe! Layered taco shells and tortillas create the "double" in beef- and bean-stuffed tacos.

Chicken Ranch Tacos
Need a new idea for a 30-minute dinner? Here's a twist on tacos using precooked chicken.

To keep your family laughing at the dinner table, have some fun with El Tacodor™, the world’s only Family Taco Night Game. With El Tacodor, your family can share a special night at home by challenging one another to quick fire trivia, wordplay and pantomime. Visit http://www.eltacodor.com/ today to download instructions, a score card, and a challenge sheet for even more fun on Family Taco Night!

Visit Old El Paso for news and great tips, recipes and more. Take a minute to share family fiesta photos and videos from Family Taco Nights on the El Tacodor Family Spotlight!

In addition, you can visit http://www.myblogspark.com/uc/main/b069/to download a printable coupon for $0.60 off any two Old El Paso products today!

Thanks to Old El Paso and MyBlogSpark, one of my readers will win an Old El Paso “Family Taco Night” prize pack which includes a packet of original Old El Paso Taco Seasoning, a Cactus Chip & Dip Serving dish, a set of 3 Fiesta Chili Pepper serving dishes and a $10 gift card to purchase your taco fixings.
How do you win??? Easy!

• Share why you think your family would enjoy Family Taco Night. See, told you it was easy!
• You can get a second entry if you follow my blog. Just leave a separate comment to let me know that you are a follower.

Winner will be chosen, by random drawing, on Thursday, November 18 and notified by email.

Please note: My pack and the prize pack I am giving away were both provided by Old El Paso and MyBlogSpark.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Last Friday was my birthday! I turned 53. Today, I do not feel a day older than I did in my 20s. Is that weird?

I took Friday off, since I just didn't feel like working on my birthday like I have most years. I celebrated by sleeping late. Ahhhhhhhh...... Then Hubby and I went to a pizza buffet (Pizza Hut...my fave.) It was not really my birthday choice, but we always go eat pizza when I take a day off, as the pizza place does not have the buffet on weekends.

Then we went by the thrift store, where the only thing I picked up was a book for the grandsons' toy box at our house. Hubby found a few items to sell on ebay. Then we stopped at the petstore on the way home and bought some fish to add to our aquarium. We haven't bought any in a while and since we had lost some fish, the remaining ones were looking lonely. LOL! They are all happy now.

The rest of the day we just hung out at home, relaxing. Hubby did not make me a birthday dinner, as he was too stuffed from lunch to eat dinner, so I told him not to worry about it. He did bring my flowers, though. He is a good hubby.

I already had my gift. I got it early in September. I got a Nook. I don't know if you remember way back when I was trying to decide between a Kindle and a Net book, at which time I ended up getting my netbook that I wrote about here. Now I still love my little netbook! It is cute, it does what I want and it is totally portable. I actually have ended up using it more than I use our desktop pc and it is one kick-ass pc.

BUT the netbook did not work the way I would like as an ebook reader, so I started researching and ended up getting a Nook from Barnes and Noble. Well, I really bought it from Best Buy, since they had a deal on at the time. I just love, love, love my new Nook. I have loaded almost 60 books on it, have read quite a few and have not paid for one! Yes, I have found a ton of free ebooks on the web, readable by my little baby. this is not a review post. If anyone wants to know why I chose the Nook over the Kindle, just let me know. I will be happy to share.

The rest of the weekend was a relaxation celebration. I had threatened Hubby with all sorts of evil if he bought me anything else but flowers for my birthday and was very pleased that he didn't. He cooked a lovely birthday dinner for me on Saturday. Of course we  had cake. And it was a totally wonderful weekend!

I drank coffee this morning.

I NEVER drink coffee. I don't like it. But I need it today.

I think I jinxed myself, yesterday, when my girlfriend and I were working out. She said that she can only sleep about 7 hours a night....blames it on perimenopause. I said that I would not be able to function on only 7 hours of sleep a night. I need a good 8 to feel good.

So, last night, I went to bed and could NOT fall asleep. So I turned the light back on and read until I was bleary-eyed. I finally conked out sometime after midnight.

Then and electrical storm hit around 3:30 and woke me up. I can sleep through rain, heavy rain and even thunder sometimes, but this was LOUD. I was pretty dingy, but thought that the storm was pretty strong and I might lose power, so dug my cell phone out of my purse and set the alarm. Then I went back to bed.

Then A CAT decided I needed to be up before 6 and started licking my face! Arrrggghhhhh!! Our cats, Max and Mini, usually sleep in "their room" as Hubby doesn't like cats on the bed when he is sleeping because they bug him. But Hubby has been on a camping trip and I let them sleep where ever they want when he is not home. Mini does not like to sleep in our bed. I don't know where she sleeps, but I know where she doesn't. Max loves to sleep in our bed has been really good all week and not woken me up during the night. He was BAD today.

It is a good thing he is so pretty.

Both alarms went off at 6 and I stumbled out of bed, got ready for work and made it in to the office.

I am really tired. Iced tea isn’t doing it, so I just drank a cup of coffee WITH hot chocolate mixed in. If that is not enough caffeine to wake me up, then there isn’t enough. LOL!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I was ruthless!

I have been wanting to buy new clothes for a couple of months now. Why? Because I am bored with what I wear and realized I was wearing the same things over and over again, even though I have a closet full of clothes.

Hubby tells me "Go shopping if you want." We can afford it. As a matter of fact, I have $250 in a prepaid Visa and an American Express Gift Check that I got as incentives from work. I could buy  pretty good wardrobe for $250. (Yes, I am a clothing bargain shopper as well.)

One problem is that it is hard for me to get motivated. The biggest reason being that I have to try on  a LOT of clothes to find things I like and that fit well. Though, I discovered Fashion Bug about 6 months ago and their clothing sizes seemed to be more consistent. I used to be a JCPenney fan, but every brand there is sized differently. Oh, and it is always really crowded.

Another problem I had was that my part of the closet was PACKED. Well, not jam-packed. I could move the hangers back and forth, but still pretty packed. I kept telling my self that I needed to get rid of some clothes, but just hadn't done it.

Then yesterday, I walked in the closet to get the laundry and saw a sleeve hanging out and thought, "I don't like that anymore." So, I took it off the hanger and tossed it out of the closet. Then I started pulling more out. "Don't like it." "Why did I even buy this." "Too raggedy." and on and on.

When I was done, I had a BIG 2 foot high pile of clothes outside the closet door. I should have taken a pic, but didn't even think about it. So, I climbed over the pile and went and got a trash bag and the laundry basket. Then I started sorting into dark donate, light donate and too crappy to even give away. The too crappy bag ended up full (It was a 13 gallong kitchen bag.) and went to the dumpster today. I washed the dark load and it is all folded into a second bag. And the white load is in the dryer...I left it going when I went to bed...and I will unload and bag them up tonight.

So, my closet is much emptier and I have a ton of empty hangers. I will  NOT be buying that many clothes, so we will probably get rid of some hangers as well.

Hubby has been camping and I think he will be shocked when he comes home to see my much depleted clothing supply. LOL!

I think I will go shopping this weekend.