The Reason

What does Christmas mean to you? In our home, we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus robed Himself in flesh and was born of a woman to save His people from their sins. This is not a story or a myth, it is Truth.

I am not going to tell you that it's wrong to have a 10' inflatable Santa Claus in your front yard. (It's just annoying to your neighbors.) I am not going to preach at you to tell you it's a sin to have a Christmas tree in your home or that you are raising hellion children by allowing them to open presents on Christmas Day. In our home, we have a healthy balance pertaining to Christmas.

I don't think God minds if we enjoy the celebration of the season. I don't think He has a giant dart board on a cloud in Heaven somewhere that He uses to throw darts at Santa's face. I think He accepts our celebration of Christmas, as long as we value the true meaning and remember to teach it to our children each year.

We have a beautiful lit tree in our living room. But underneath it is a Nativity scene honoring the birth of Christ. We buy an insane amount of gifts for our children each year. But we tell them about how the Wise Men brought gifts to honor the birth of the Savior. We listen to Christmas music, but make sure that we also have religious carols mixed in. We do the whole shebang, but make sure that we have true understanding of Christmas in our hearts.

I am thankful for a God who cares so much about me that He made the ultimate sacrifice for me. And I'm thankful that I still live in a country that allows me to celebrate this freely each year.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:11-14

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If you didn't get one of those fabulous Black Friday deals, such as a laptop for a penny, don't dismay! Have I got a deal for you! For a limited time, Shutterfly.com is offering 50 Christmas cards to bloggers for FREE! If you are not familiar with Shutterfly, shame on you (ha ha)! If you're a reader of my blog, you know that I have a slight obsession with this website. Their digital scrapbooks are second to none and I have a small collection of my own.

I've never used Shutterfly's personalized photo cards before, as I typically make my own. But I must admit that theirs blow mine away and will also save me so much time! I enjoy sending out a photo card of my kids every year as much as I enjoy getting Christmas photos from my friends. I keep them for years to come and flip through them from time to time. The nice thing about Shutterfly's photo cards is how many designs they have to choose from. More than likely you won't end up sending the same card that ten of your friends sent out. You will surely find something that fits your taste. I am a minimalist and will probably use a simple design like this one.

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I can't wait to get started on my card! I am also currently working on photo book so I will probably spend some time working on both projects by the light of the Christmas tree. I hope you take advantage of this offer...how can you beat FREE??? For more information on this promotion, click here.

Also, thanks to Theresa at Our Life in Words for turning me on to this wonderful promotion.

Thankful...

I thank God for all His blessings in my life.

I am thankful for my husband and my children...without them my life would be meaningless.

I am thankful for my church, a place where I can worship freely and feel the Spirit of God each time I enter through the doors.

I am thankful for my home, a safe place to rest my head.

I am thankful for food on my table and clean water to drink.

I am thankful for the opportunity to stay home and raise my family.

I am thankful that my husband was blessed with a job he enjoys that provides for our family.

I am thankful that I never have to worry where my next meal will come from, if my heat and electricity bills will be paid, or if my car will last another day.

I am thankful that my children are healthy and smart.

I am thankful that my children are safe and have never had to endure the pain of abuse or harm.

I am thankful that I am happy. I don't have to rely on drugs, alcohol, or partying to bring me happiness.

I am thankful for nature. I enjoy God's beautiful creation, the sunshine, and the seasons.

I am thankful for this beautiful view outside my window...I could be seeing horrible conditions.

I am privileged beyond measure and I am thankful I know that.

I am glad that I am thankful 365 days a year, not just today.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Just Me - Rantin' & Ravin'

Wow, this is so crazy I just had to share it. I just received a phone call from a lab where Hubby recently had blood work. The first thing that irritated me about the phone call was the automated opening line: "Please hold for an important business call." Maybe it's just me but that totally irks me. If your company can't identify itself in the introduction or trust its callers to actually dial the phone themselves, then I don't feel required to take the call. I almost hung up but curiosity got the best of me.

The purpose of the call was to tell me that they just sent out a statement, which I haven't received yet, and to ask why I haven't paid it. Are you serious? I mean, come on! You're telling me you just sent out the statement and you're calling for payment already? I politely informed her that the bill will be paid when the statement is received and not before. She's just really lucky I wasn't PMS-ing because I would not be held responsible for the way I would have received the phone call. Either someone has too much time on their hands or the company has way too many employees with not enough work. I don't think it's good business practice to pay someone to call patients for payment before they ever receive a bill. Am I just touchy today???

Baby Mama

A dear friend of mine was in the hospital all weekend. She recently relocated here with no family around to help. Her parents and in-laws all live out of the country. So when she was admitted, I was called upon to care for her children. After all, I have four already...what's two more? So all weekend, I was the mother of six, ages 11, 9, 6, 6, 2, and 3 months. The two 6-year-olds immediately became twins with different skin colors, dressing in matching outfits. But the most enjoyable part for me was being a Baby Mama again. I loved holding and feeding the 3-month-old so much that my uterus ached. It's out of commission though so no more biological babies will be coming my way. Thankfully, my friend was discharged last night. But I'm going through baby withdrawal. Maybe I'll roam the streets in search of a baby who needs a little love from a new Mama.

The "Beach"

For years, our family has enjoyed this sunny spot on the living room floor. We call it The Beach. On lazy Saturday afternoons in the winter, we enjoy lying on the floor to take in the sun's warmth. If you close your eyes, you can escape from the harsh Midwest cold and imagine that you're lying on the beach. All we need is a crashing waves sound machine and we'll be all set!

I noticed that The Beach was here today and I allowed myself to enjoy it for but a moment. As if he knew, Hubby called and asked what I was doing. Back to reality. That's why cell phones do not belong at the beach.

Day of Rest

I'm so thankful for a day of rest!

Genesis 2:2 "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made."

Some people rest in different places:

At the beach,

At the playground,

In the backyard

With kids climbing all over,

And even while babysitting.

Wherever you may be today, enjoy your rest.

Black Friday - Crazy Friday!

Black Friday - do you do it? Each year, Black Friday seems to get more hype. So many of my friends stand in lines in the freezing cold to get those few special deals they talk about for months and months. I just can't make myself get out of my warm bed to partake in the chaos. I spend all day Thanksgiving on my feet, preparing a delicious meal. So I'm exhausted by the time they all get in line.

I'm a planner, so if I did decide to go out into the craziness, I would have to have a detailed plan. As I said before, I'm so busy all day Thanksgiving that I wouldn't have time to study the ads and make my list. Fortunately, there's a site out there that advertises the Black Friday deals early. I'm sure this is a great resource to some. Last year, I wondered about its accuracy. So I checked my newspaper ads with the site. They were identical. So if you indulge in Black Friday, be careful and have a great time!

Easy Peanut Butter Pie

I haven't posted a recipe in a while so I thought I would share this one. I was watching a movie last night with my kids when I saw someone eating peanut butter. The taste of this pie suddenly came to memory, even though it had been five years since I've had it. After checking the pantry, I realized I had enough ingredients for one pie. So my craving was soon fed!


Peanut Butter Pie

16 oz. Cool Whip
1 C peanut butter
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 C powdered sugar
2 graham cracker crusts

Beat all ingredients together until fluffy. Pour into pie shells and refrigerate until set.

It doesn't get much simpler than that! I didn't have a store-bought pie crust so I made my own. This recipe is definitely enough for 2 pies, possibly with some to spare.

Graham Cracker Crust

14 full-sized graham crackers (2 1/2 C crushed)
1/2 C butter, melted
1/2 C sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Crush graham crackers well. Add butter and sugar; mix well. Press into pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Dry Hands, Fried Brain

Welcome to the dry season. My hands have already taken it very hard this year. I'm a frequent washer, due in part to the fact that I'm always cooking up something in the kitchen. That mixed with potty training has me washing quite frequently. I received a travel size sample of lotion with a package of bar soap I recently purchased. I decided to keep the lotion in the kitchen where I do a great deal of my hand washing. I was really happy with the way the lotion softened my hands. It just came out really fast from the bottle! After a few uses, I decided to take a closer look at the bottle to find out what it was called...I might be interested in purchasing a full-sized bottle. Upon closer inspection, I noticed it was hair conditioner! Duh! I can't believe I used it multiple times without noticing! My brain must really be fried!

Dove conditioner...may soften hair, definitely softens skin!

Adventures in Potty Training

I began my adventures in the dreaded journey of potty training this week. Baby Girl is 26 months old, the same age as my first son when he was trained. The middle two were a bit older. But Baby Girl has shown many signs that she's ready so I decided to give it a go.

The first step was to gather my supplies:

• Potty chair (no clue what happened to the one I used last time)


• Adorable panties (she chose Yo Gabba Gabba and Dora the Explorer themes, which she insisted on wearing on her head through TJ Maxx - thanks for that, Daddy! Excuse the crappy cell phone pic of this lovely display of undies)


• My copy of Toilet Training in Less than a Day by Nathan H. Azrin, Ph.D. and Richard M. Foxx, Ph.D (it's a little outdated, mentioning things like Captain Kangaroo, but the method is still highly effective)


• M&Ms and mini marshmallows (for reward purposes....I promise, I didn't eat even one!)


• Sippy cups full of various drinks (no fruit juice...I didn't want to diarrhea train at the same time)


• A slew of toys to keep the trainee occupied and confined to the kitchen (potty is much easier to clean up on the kitchen floor than on carpet!)


• Lysol wipes (wow....they didn't have these when I trained the other kids...they really came in handy!)

Yesterday morning was D-Day. I don't know why I was dreading this challenge. You'd think I'd be a pro by now...I've successfully trained three other kids. But I was kind of freaking out about this. Maybe it's because this event confirms that my final child is no longer a baby. I struggle with the fact that I'll never cradle a newborn of my own again.

To put it mildly, the beginning was pretty rough. The first half hour, Baby Girl was enthralled with the new potty, she wanted to sit, stand, sit, stand and open and shut the lid. I was paranoid she was going to spill the few tablespoons of liquid already in the potty...she was not thrilled with me emptying it after every little tinkle. Then, she got to the point where she refused to sit on the potty or wear panties. I became firm and demanded that it was one or the other. She finally resorted and did both, alternately. I longed for her nap time to arrive for a much needed sanity break! Of course, I put her back in a diaper for nap...we don't have Pull-Ups yet (I hate them anyway).

After nap, things went extremely well. She had very limited accidents and finally started to pick up on the fact that she was rewarded with a mini marshmallow every time she did itty-bitty tinkles on the potty. Then it was time to pick up her siblings from school. I debated about how to handle this task. If I put her in a diaper, I just might ruin all my work up to this point. So I decided to take a chance with panties. I did grab a baby lap pad to place between those tiny panties and her car seat. To my amazement, she made it there and back without an accident (twice...junior high gets out before elementary school)! But once the kids were home, things took a turn for the worse. She was too focused on playing with them and started having frequent accidents. I finally banned them from the first floor of the house and told them to leave us alone. That worked.

She had her last accident of the night around 5:30 PM; she even made it through dinner. But she was hesitant to go potty after dinner so probably let out a bladderful as soon as I diapered her for the night.

I was very proud of our success up to this point. The key is perseverance. You don't know how tired I was of sitting on that hard wood floor all day. There were so many things I knew I could be doing. She tried my patience on multiple occasions but I didn't throw in the towel. Hopefully today will go even better and we will be on the road to a DIAPER-FREE HOME soon!!! OK, those three words were enough to give me the necessary strength to make it through this!!!

Bells Will Be Ringing...

Alright, I gave it a shot but I failed. I was not able to stifle my Christmas spirit until December first. It's not my fault though. It's all those radio stations that are playing Christmas music, the decorated trees in stores, and the fact that it's all anyone is talking about!

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is a special song that Son #2 and I share: Please Come Home for Christmas. When he was a baby and I was still fighting off the postpartum depression, this song always seemed to come on the radio when things were tough. I remember holding and snuggling with him while swaying back and forth to this Christmas song. It was a special moment, a bond between mother and son. Then the song disappeared from my thoughts for 11 months. Next Christmas, he was almost 1 and a half - a very busy toddler. I heard the sweet rhythm of this song and took the opportunity to cradle him again to try and settle him down. Then somehow, the song became Our Dancing Song. The next year, he loved hearing Our Dancing Song. He would stand on a chair or the kitchen counter, with him arm properly extended, and would dance with Mama. His favorite parts of the dance were twirling and dipping. Then he got older. It wasn't fun any more to dance with Mama. If big brother caught him, he knew he was in for it. So there was quite a bit of resistance there. I knew I had to give up on Our Dancing Song, even though it would remain in my memory for the duration of my life.

Last evening, Son #2 came into my bedroom and said, "You need to come into the baby's room - quick!" Oh no, I thought. What in the world has she done now? I ran into her room to see my sweet son standing near the radio, smiling. The music that filled the room sang, Bells will be ringing this sad, sad news...Oh what a Christmas to have the blues. "It's Our Dancing Song, Mama." It may sound totally sappy but joy filled my heart at that moment! I hugged him and started swaying back and forth, although he is now almost up to my shoulder. The moment lasted for only that - a moment. Big brother walked by and questioned "What are you doing?" The dancing immediately stopped. Oh well. I'll take my moment; I probably don't have many like that left.

Undercover Boss

Hubby & I have recently become fans of Undercover Boss. He always says he would love for his company's CEO to see what one day in his shoes feels like!

On last night's episode, a worker named Devin talked about his Christian musician father. Nosy little me just had to know who the musician was. So I did a little investigating. Turns out, his father is Bryan Duncan, someone I have definitely heard of. Bryan and Devin Duncan even recorded a song together. If you watched the show, you will definitely recognize Devin's picture. I was proud of myself for my awesome detective skills!

Indian Summer

Dear Indians,

I just wanted to share how much I love Indian summer...the most wonderful time of fall! And thanks for Thanksgiving....a holiday where Americans can gorge themselves with food and not feel guilty. Oh, I'm very sorry that the white people stole your land.

Love,

~she~

Addiction

My boys have a smoothie addiction. Every time we go to the Target plaza, they ask if they can go to Smoothie King. And we go to Target A LOT. There is also a Chipotle in the plaza, which is what I have an addiction to. So we have this discussion often. At first, they thought that Hubby should treat them to a $4 smoothie twice a week. Then they got smart and started bringing their wallets. "Well, if you have the money, then I don't care if you get one," was my initial response. Then it got ridiculous. My kids were spending all their birthday money, Christmas money, and hard-earned lawn mowing money on smoothies! I had to put my foot down. "I thought you were going to save your lawn mowing money for a car? You'll be 16 before you know it!" Well, that logic didn't work on them. I got a glimpse into the future. I saw my boys at 35 years old, living in a shack with dirty children and lawn furniture in the living room. But there are plenty of Smoothie King cups in the trash can. If I don't teach my kids how to make good decisions now and how to resist the urge for unnecessary pleasures in life, how will they ever grow up to be responsible adults. Then it happened...Smoothie King left the plaza! Glory be! The fight is over now, right? Wrong.

It was a recent family trip to Target when the boys realized Smoothie King was gone. I tried to show my support and pretend like I was devastated. But I was smiling on the inside. This is the first step I need to teach my children how to be fiscally responsible. (And all the Dave Ramsey fans say "Amen.") So while I was paying for diapers at Target, I saw the worst possible thing: my son in line at STARBUCKS! No, not Starbucks! They are even more addictive than Smoothie King! People lose their homes over Starbucks! So I finished checking out and went to inquire what in the world he was doing in that line. "Dad said I could." Grrr....I hate that bit. Dad says yes to everything! My kids purposely wait until I'm as far away as possible so that the only option is asking Dad. "What did you order?" I asked. "Hot chocolate." With a dirty look I replied, "We have free hot chocolate at home." But that didn't matter. This was so important to him for some reason. Why? I don't know. Maybe he will go to school tomorrow and tell his friends how he went to Starbucks last night. Maybe he thinks he'll meet a hot girl there. (Yes, he's only 11.) Whatever the reason, it was over. They were making his drink. Then I heard a voice call out "White chocolate mocha." It's 8:00 at night. "You got a white chocolate mocha???" A drink made with espresso, full of caffeine (which we try to avoid totally). "I don't know, I just ordered white chocolate." My blood was boiling now. "How much did you pay for that?" But of course He claimed he didn't know. So now I've got this kid who is $3-and-something poorer, holding a coffee. Maybe Smoothie King leaving the plaza was not a blessing after all. I made him give the coffee to my mother and hoped he learned his lesson the hard way. Maybe we should just avoid Target altogether. Lots of addictions get fed in that plaza.

Trunk-or-Treat

An activity our church does every year is Trunk-or-Treat for the kids. I didn't get the opportunity to blog about it yet. But I stumbled upon this picture today and had to share the story.

Around the church parking lot, cars line up with their trunks or hatchbacks open to offer candy to children in costume. Many people spend hours decorating their trunks, hoping to be the best attraction of the night. But there is a group of guys that always wins. A couple years ago, they backed up a pickup-truck and dressed as hillbillies. They had bluegrass music playing, lawn chairs and trash all over the bed of the truck, and one of the girls was "pregnant" with missing teeth. They always take the cake. This year, they didn't bother with a trunk. They walked in, fashionably late, with their shopping carts and set up in the middle of it all. They sat down with their coffee cups, dirty clothes, and trash bags and very much looked the "homeless" part they were portraying. They even purposely spilled their candy out on the ground for the kids. It was a big laugh, even if they did show me up. And no, I'm not bitter.

"Mama, I Tink."

I think it's time. But I'm beating around the bush because I'm just not ready to do it. But it has to be done sooner or later. Eventually I'm going to have to potty train my daughter. She just turned 2 in September so it's not like she's ready to enroll in Kindergarten or anything. But here's how I know it's time...

When she is due for a diaper change, she will bring me a diaper, the box of wipes, and if she's poopy she also brings the diaper rash cream. And if that's not enough to convince you, she recently climbed upon her diaper changing table, layed down, and took off her diaper. When I went into her room, there she was with her legs straight up in the air, waiting for me to change her. "I tink," she said. If that's still not enough to prove that she's ready to be potty trained, I will tell you about what happened last night. She took off all her clothes and threw her diaper in the trash. Then she pooped on the floor. She attempted to put on a new diaper by herself. When she realized she wasn't able, she threw the new diaper in a box of too-small clothes and put her pants back on. Only she had both legs in the same leg hole. It was quite a sight to behold. I was only able to put these events together when I discovered A) the wet diaper in the trash, B) a wad of poop on the floor, and C) a dry diaper, smeared with poop.

So yes, it's time. Little tiny pairs of Dora panties await us.

A Heated Debate

The biggest ongoing fight Hubby and I are involved in is the Saga of the Electric Blanket. This self-heating square of fuzzy, blue fleece is putting a strain on our marriage. First, you have to know a little bit about the make up of the two of us. I am always hot. I overheat easily and refuse to wear a coat until the temperature is below freezing. Hubby, on the other hand, is always freezing. He wears gloves from September to May and dons pitiful looking long johns under his Sunday suits. So when it comes time to say goodnight, I in my flannel pajamas and he in only his undies don't exactly get along. He cranks the blanket up to "H" every night and leaves it on. In retaliation, I flip over all my blankets on his side, giving him double the warmth. That just makes him happier. In time, we may resort to the I Love Lucy style of matching twin beds. But then where would I put my cold feet at night, the only part of my body that does occasionally resemble ice cubes?

'Tis the Season?

I am a person who does not like to rush holidays. I still have my Halloween decorations up (well, that's just laziness) and I've barely started thinking about Thanksgiving. Well, the other day in the car, dear Hubby jumped the gun. He surprised me by playing Bruce Springsteen's Santa Claus is Coming to Town. We have agreed that this song kicks off the Christmas season and it's the first Christmas song we listen to every year. Great, thanks a lot...now I'm in the Christmas spirit! But I'm not ready yet! If I start now, how long can I hold out? How many times can I watch Elf, Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story? Is it time to buy wrapping paper? Who is on my list? Are they naughty or nice? Should I bring up the tree, hang the pine wreath on the door, and unpack the Nativity Scene? No! It's just not time yet! It's only November ninth and I'm a stickler for waiting until December first. So for now, I will do my best to push aside my Christmas spirit and keep it hidden for another couple weeks. But I'll still watch out, I won't cry, and I won't pout. Because I know that, soon enough, Santa Claus IS coming to town.

Random Act of Kindness

My husband IS a random act of kindness! He spreads joy everywhere he goes. I don't think there's anyone who doesn't like him and I strive to be more like him. Here is his random act of kindness from over the weekend.

We were dining Saturday afternoon in the highly upscale eatery at our local mall. (It's just a food court; I'm over-dramatizing.) While I feasted on a gourmet chicken sandwich, Hubby & Son enjoyed the delicacy of pepperoni pizza. A Supermom, who was alone with her 3 kids, was attempting to push a stroller, direct her older kids, and balance a plastic tray carrying their afternoon meal. Well, Supermoms fall. She somehow dropped the cup of French fries from her tray, spilling them all over the floor. I didn't notice the event until she was picking up the last of the fries. I felt bad for not noticing sooner and helping her. I've been there and done that. It's hard not to cry when faced with such frustration. I told Hubby about it who decided he must spring into action. He went back to the kiosk and bought her another cup of fries. When he took them over to her table (where she sat not eating, having thrown her lunch in the trash), I enjoyed seeing her look of sheer surprise. He didn't expect a thank you or anything in return. He just wanted to be a nice guy. It made her day. It made my day. I'm just thankful for people in this world who still care. And I'm very grateful to be married to one. He's a hero to some. He's a hero to me.

I was a good girl yesterday

I cleaned out the Appliance Garage in my kitchen! It was beyond messy! When we remodeled our kitchen, I was so excited about this new little cubby. I can keep my Oster mixer in here since it's so heavy and I don't have to leave it out on the counter top any more! Well, you can only leave the mixer in the Garage if there's enough room for it in there! But instead, this small space has been crammed full of school newsletters (that I needed to keep for reference reasons), pictures colored especially for me by the kids (who could ever throw out a hand-drawn rose with "To Mom" at the top?), last year's Christmas cards (people worked really hard on these...I can't throw them out!), and the list goes on and on!

Hello, my name is She and I'm a hoarder. (In unison here) "Hi She!"

But I was good yesterday. I finally made myself clean it out. And yes, I threw out many treasures. But I can't remember now what any of them were so I think I'll survive. I hate to even show you, but here are the BEFORE and AFTER pics:

The Football Thief

True Story:

Yesterday afternoon, my boys were playing golf in the front yard. My oldest ran in the house and said that some kids just stole a football out of our yard. They threw their $2.50 football into our yard and grabbed our nice leather ball. Right in broad daylight, right in front of my kids. In the past year and half, we have had two bikes stolen. Nice bikes. So this angered me to no end. I marched outside in my bare feet just to see the kids turning the corner at the end of the street. I grabbed my shoes and went to my aunt's house. She has three tall, 20-somethings living in her house so I solicited their help. Of course, the cousin who was available is the one who just tore his ACL. I demanded that my little cousin go home and watch the kids while his 6'3" brother and I took off down the street. Because of his hobbling, I didn't think we would ever catch up with them. We rounded the corner at the grocery store and I caught sight of them throwing up our football into the air. Would they run? Would they tackle the 34-year-old lady and Gimpy, the handicapped guy? Would they shoot us? No. When we got within 20' of them, the one with the football turned and extended his arm, offering the football to us. Gimpy tossed the K-Mart football back to him and took ours back. My hero! So, one of two things will happen now: either they will target our house and totally trash it or they will know they'd better stay away from us. I hope it's the latter.

Thanksgiving Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite recipes, tried and tested throughout the years.

Thanksgiving Stuffing
1 bag plain stuffing
1 bag sage & onion stuffing
2 cans cream of chicken
1 pint sour cream
2-4 cans chicken broth
Sauteed onions and celery

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, using enough broth to make stuffing very moist, almost soupy. Pour into a greased baking dish. (Make sure it's not too thick or it will be mushy in the middle.) Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.


Sweet Potato Casserole
1 (40 oz.) can sweet potatoes, drained
3/4 C sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C milk
1/2 t salt
1/3 stick butter
1 t vanilla
1 scant t cinnamon

Mash sweet potatoes. Add other ingredients and put in a greased 9x13" baking dish.

Topping:
1 C brown sugar
1 C flour
1 C chopped pecans
1/3 C butter, melted

Mix flour and sugar. Add butter and pecans. If too soft, add more flour. Spread on top of potatoes. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes.


Pie Crust
(makes one 2-layer crust or two 1-layer crusts)
1 C flour
1 C Crisco
1 t salt
1/4 - 1/2 C cold water

Cut together flour, Crisco, and salt using a pastry cutter or two butter knives. Add cold water, the less the better, until dough is workable. Handle dough as little as possible to prevent it from warming. Roll out half of dough at a time. Turn your pie plate upside down on the dough to check the size. Fold dough in half, lift it carefully into your pie plate, and gently unfold. Cut off excess dough around edges. Fill. Prepare top crust if necessary. Brush milk on top crust and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Flute the edges. Bake according to recipe directions.

Turkey Month

Well, Pumpkin Month is officially over and we have now entered Turkey Day Month! I am very excited about this month...Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday, only behind Christmas.

In our family, we do the whole spread: roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, Mom's homemade noodles, my sweet potato casserole, Grandpa's home frozen corn, dinner rolls, salad, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and more. I would love to hear about your family traditions!

Another Thanksgiving tradition we share is the Stuffing War. My mother and I make the best stuffing in the world. I'm not bragging; it's just a fact. We begged the recipe from an older woman in our church who is the best cook we know. So I guess I should say that HER stuffing is the best in the world. However, my Southern aunt thinks her cornbread stuffing is the best. I don't care for the taste of cornbread. So we both make our own stuffing; half of the family eats ours and half eats hers. We each roll our eyes at the people who don't prefer our recipe.

This is my 99th post on She Says! To make number one hundred noteworthy and special, I will post some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes, including the very best stuffing!

It's almost over...

I'm thankful that, after today, all the horrible political phone calls are over and all the tacky signs are down. Until next election...

Go out and vote!