I love Tinker Bell buns

When the girls were little they loved to have their hair put into what we like to call Tinker Bell buns.

To make Tinker Bell buns I would begin to create a ponytail, but instead of pulling the hair all the way through the binder into a ponytail I would stop half way leaving the ends of hair caught in the binder, resulting in what looks like a bun. The ends of the girls hair would stick out all crazy and very cute!


The girls stopped wanting Tinker Bell buns a couple of years ago. 


It made me so sad.


It meant that my girls were growing up. They were getting too grownup and cool for cute Tinker Bell buns.


Until today!


Today they both wanted Tinker Bell buns in their hair!

In my opinion, still too cute for words! And totally cool too!

My babies!

Christine

My very glamorous life

My day began with shopping!


I returned home loaded with shopping bags !

Soon my trainer will start barking at me...

"Time for your weight training!"

Then it will be on to some cardio.


"Move that vacuum and get up all of that fur!"

Once my workout is done, I have an appointment made for a Master spa treatment. I'll throw in a couple of smaller spa treatments too.

With that out of the way, I will try to take a little me time before dashing off to watch one of my favorite sports teams play their final game of the season.

And in all probability, the Family will decide to go out for a fancy dinner after the game.

Tonight as I crawl into bed, the Husband, as he often does, will hug me and say, "Thank you for all you did today!" And I will wonder how I got so blessed to get to live this glamorous life and I will be incredibly thankful!


Christine

Too late

I asked the Family go for a drive this weekend so we could see the Fall colors and so I could get some beautiful photos to share with you.


The Husband called it a blogafari!


To be clear, I only asked the Husband and Miss Emma Bean to go for a drive. Miss Sofi Bug left us on Friday to spend the weekend with a friend at the friend's family's cabin. That's right, she took off to have a good time with her friend leaving the three of us to fend for ourselves! Therefore she was not around to go on a blogafari with us. Sniff!


I was really hoping we'd see some brilliant reds.

Some vibrant oranges!

And some breathtaking yellows.

But we got NOTHIN'!


We saw tons of brown!

Vibrant, brilliant and breathtaking were done. Over. The end!


We were too late!


The bit of color we did see...

was this Volkswagen Bug surrounded by pumpkins. I was too late for that too. Yep, I'm the one who got slugged!


At least I wasn't too late for the bakery. I did get to enjoy this very tasty pumpkin muffin.

Too bad Miss Sofi Bug didn't get a tasty pumpkin muffin. It may have helped her to feel a little better when, while away with her friend at her friend's family's cabin she sent me a photo of a cute kitten...

along with a text asking if she could bring cute kitten home and I had to tell her, "Sorry, you're too late, we already have a dog and three fish!"


Drat! Blogafari was a bust!


Christine

Granny's comfort food

The meals my Granny (my Dad's Mom) made were the definition of comfort food! 


Most of the meals Granny made would cook for hours, filling the house with the most amazing aromas. Aromas that filled us with anticipation for the evening's meal. Aromas that made the house feel warm and inviting. And Granny's meals never failed to deliver on the promise made by those magnificent aromas! 


Today I continue to make some of those same recipes that my Granny made. I love that my children appreciate them as much as I did and still do. 


Granny's Chicken Soup


3 pounds chicken (Granny used chicken breast and thigh, I like to use only chicken breast)


1 med. onion, diced


2 carrots, chopped


3 celery stalks, chopped


2 dried bay leaves


3 cloves garlic, minced


1 teaspoon dried thyme


2 teaspoons dried parsley


1 1/2 teaspoons salt


1/2 teaspoon pepper (Granny's recipes often did not list exact amounts, these are the amounts of salt and pepper I use)


Dash of cayenne pepper (tastes so good and makes sure the soup completely clears out the sinuses!)


Place chicken in dutch oven with onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper and cayenne.

Add cold water to cover all ingredients. (Again that is as specific a measurement as we could get!)

Bring pot to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.


It will smell so good!!


After an hour, when you can barely stand to wait any longer, remove chicken from pot. Allow chicken to cool enough to remove meat from bones. Discard skin! Chop meat into bite sized chunks.


Remove and discard bay leaves. I also like to skim any fat or gunk from the soup.


Here is where my soup varies from Granny's. Granny would make the most delicious dumplings! I think they're delicious anyway. The Family, not so much. No, they are not fans of the dumpling. Sometimes I make them anyway because I am a big fan of the dumpling, but typically I make my soup with noodles. 


I like to use Stelline noodles. Yep, stars! The Family really likes the stars! Go figure!

At this point bring the pot back to a boil. Add pasta and cook per package instructions. Add in your cut up chicken a few minutes before the pasta is done. Serve!

That my friend's is comfort food, the way Granny used to make!


Christine

It's all a matter of perspective

I enjoy the fall season so much!


Wrapping up in cozy sweaters!


The beautiful colored leaves!

Apples and pumpkins!


S'mores!

Actually, I am not a huge fan of s'mores...unless they're made with strawberry marshmallows! Have you tried strawberry marshmallows? Yum Yum!  But I haven't been able to find strawberry marshmallows this year. Drat!


I also prefer my s'mores made with the Keebler Deluxe Grahams. Now that's a good s'more!

I like unsticky fingers too. Hello Kleenex Splash wipes! (unsticky is not a real word, I know)


Once the s'mores are eaten it's so nice to sit and relax warmed by the bonfire!

There's so much to like about Fall!


Well, there would be so much to like about Fall, if Fall had hung around awhile and summer had not returned!


It has been in the 80s here almost all week! It should be in the 60s! The cool crisp 60s that make you want to snuggle up in a cozy sweater or around a fire. 


It should not be in the 80s, with everyone wearing shorts! NO, NO, NO!!


I wanted summer to go away!


Until yesterday.


Yesterday we had someone out to give our furnace a routine cleaning and inspection. It's been 3 years since it was last done. We figured we should have it looked at before we start using it this year.


I have never before had the furnace inspector begin the inspection with the words, "Oh no!"


Those words pretty much sum up the inspection.


It was not good!


Water has been leaking into our furnace!


It looks like this!

All of that rust...that's bad!


The poor inspector really tried to avoid telling me that we would need to replace our furnace.


He really tried to get me to grasp the need to replace it without having to say those exact words.


I was in denial! The furnace had been fine a moment ago!


He finally had to say it.


"You need to replace your furnace."


I was totally taken by surprise!


And not like a good surprise...like when my girlfriends gave me a surprise luncheon for my 40th birthday. No, not like that at all!


It was a bad surprise...like when you read a really good book, one you are really enjoying, and the end is terrible! So terrible that you read the ending again because you are not sure if you read it correctly. Like that kind of surprise! BAD!


The Husband and I had to go look at the rusted out furnace a couple of times to convince ourselves that yep, it's really how the story ends. Bummer!


Today I think it would be fantastic if the 80s continued for 2 or even 3 more months. What's not to like about summer right?


Christine


P.S. I think I know what I'm getting for my birthday this year! Surprise!!

In a word, loss SUCKS

I do not like loss! 


I did not like when as a teenager, I lost my car privileges! That stunk! But fortunately, I could earn them back.


I do not like when the remote is lost! Walking over to the television to turn it on and change the channel? What? That's really inconvenient!! For this reason, I keep close tabs on the remote!


I do not like when a friend moves far away. That is a very difficult loss! It's a loss that is a little easier to bear when the friend that moved returns for visits, or if I am able to go visit the friend, or if the friend and I make the effort to keep in touch. Facebook helps! It is a very sad loss though when the friend moves, and then moves again, and moves again, and we lose track of each other. The friend cannot be found on Facebook! I most likely will never see that friend again. It causes me great sadness!


In a word, loss SUCKS!


Though these losses can be frustrating, annoying and sad they do not compare to the deep heartache of the loss caused by death.


Miss Sofi Bug and her classmates have been coping with the tragic deaths of more than one student and more than one family member of students at her school this year. It has been heart wrenching! Families in our community are grieving.

by Ann Tristani

There is only one way to have peace and hope through the loss brought by death. It is similar to when a friend moves away. It is knowing that I will see the person again! Not only see the person, but knowing I will spend eternity with the person in God's presence!


Death has no sting, no hold on those who proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Upon death, those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior enter the gates of Heaven! Those of us who are left behind, who agree in faith, though we grieve, our grief is only the heartache of one who has to patiently wait until they get to see their friend again. It is not the heartbreaking grief of permanent loss.


I'm aware that there are some who do not agree with me. I realize there are some who may be very angry and no longer read the blog because I hold this belief. I will be sad if that is what you choose, but I will be heartbroken if, because I never shared this truth with you, we are separated forever. 


You see the gates of Heaven are not open to those who do not proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior. I know many find that difficult to accept. Many want to believe that a loving God would not shut the gates of Heaven to them because they believe they are good people. But how do we justify entrance into God's presence if we spend our lives with our backs turned to Him, refusing to acknowledge Him?


Have you ever witnessed, or maybe been, a child who angrily screamed at a parent the words I HATE YOU, I don't need you?


I don't think there is anything that crushes a parent's heart the way that phrase does.


Fortunately, most children when they shout those words shout them out of anger and quickly repent and mend the break it can cause in their relationship with the parent. 


Imagine if the child shouts this phrase in anger, turns their back on the parent, never to repent of the wrong or reconcile the relationship, then one...parent or child...dies. There is no longer an opportunity for redemption. For some, this is their relationship with God. They believe they don't need Him. They may even hate Him and those who love Him. Yet they think because He is loving it will not matter that they refuse to acknowledged Him. It matters! Oh how it matters! How can we expect Him to acknowledge us upon our death, if we refuse in our lifetime to acknowledge Him?


My friends, each one of us gets a limited time on this earth. Each one of us will die. Do you know where you will spend eternity? Do you know if it will be with those you love? Will you spend it with Almighty God? I know I would like nothing more than to know I will spend it with you! 


When I say let's be best friends forever, I actually mean forever!


Christine


P.S. Not just because I said so. If you want to know more...Peace with God.

He said/She said 3

She's always been fearless when it comes to a new hairdo!


Bungee jumping...skydiving...TERRIFIED! Not going to happen! But a new hair style...a new hair color...NO FEAR! Let's do it!


He has always been completely supportive...encouraging even when she would say, "I think it's time for a new hairstyle!"


She said, "80's "BIG" hair?" 


He said, "Totally! For sure!"

She said, "Chin length bob?"


He said, "Do it!"

She said, "Straight hair with bangs?"


He said, "That'll look great!"

And if it will look great for one, why not all? We were matchers!

She said, "How about short? And red?"


He said, "Go for it!"

Paper hats were sold separately! They did not come as a deal with the hair!

She said, "Blond?"


He said, "Oh yeah!!"

Okay, so she couldn't find a single photo of her hair when it was this blond, but since she pretty much looked like this, she will use this photo for illustration! Yep, pretty much the same! Almost identical!!


Whether long, short, curly or straight, he has always been very supportive of whatever hairstyle she chose. She has loved him for it!


Recently she said, "I think I might allow my natural color grow out and see what it looks like."

He said, "You don't think you'll be bothered by the gray?"


A very reasonable question because she has complained and bemoaned her coming gray hair for a few years now.


She said, "You know, as it's growing out it really doesn't bother me."


He said, "I think you should get it colored." 


She said, "Why? Does it bother you that I would let my gray hair show?"


He was silent.


They have been silent since that conversation.


She will be making an appointment this week to get her hair colored, because until now he has always been supportive and she loves him for it!


Christine


P.S. He approved this post.


P.P.S. She isn't really upset. But she does find it amusing that he is the one bothered by her gray hair! And she will refrain from referring to his hair color as sparkly brown.