Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Belated Thanksgiving

Some of you know that holidays are kinda a big deal in my family! Kinda such a big deal we did Thanksgiving again at my mom's on Sunday cause she had to work the actual holiday
{hug a health care provider today!}
It turned into quite simply a perfect day:

getting introduced to the making of friendship bracelets
teasing and giggling and teasing and giggling
reminders of my {german} grandparents who are no longer on this earth but have things for us to remember them by
working together both young and younger to get dinner ready
enjoying a stroll around the neighborhood in the crisp fall breeze
gawking at flock of birds hurriedly making their way to warmer weather
watching a classic movie
{this was a family tradition when i grew up.....watching this thanksgiving night}
And crafting with my baby sister! I got this idea here and it turned into such a FUN project for us to do together! Just in time for Christmas!
1. Got the "hay" wreaths at a thrift store for $1. 2. Yarn from Michaels using a 40% off coupon for the fuzzy yarn and the regular yarn was on sale. 3. Retro xmas balls {sandwich ziplock full for 59 cents} from thrift store {although we both decided we were just going to place some simple cranberry's on them instead}
Yet another reminder of how MUCH I have......my FAMILY! That's HUGE! Family that loves me and accepts me for me! That is irreplaceable.
Now bring it December! I think I'm ready for you! You will bring me possibly the busiest month of the year but I WILL soak you up.....every minute every second of you.....whatever it is I may be doing...EVEN SLEEP! AWWWW SWEET SLEEP!

Thanksgiving

We returned home after the Grateful Gobbler & after catching the last few floats of the infamous Macy's Day Parade we cleaned ourselves up and headed to the in law's
{mine, not his}!

It's still quite summery here .....well maybe that's pushing it a bit {a few of us required a sweater} but none the less perfect weather for enjoying some outside time while awaiting all the guests to arrive. I caught up on some Southern Living while visiting with mamaw and the kids {Jon included!} enjoyed scootering around the cul-de-sac!
I am yet grateful again this year that my family and Jon's family can be under the same roof AND have fun! Not saying we're perfect and don't have some dysfunction.....we all do right?? RIGHT? Well we'll claim it!
And per usual for Thanksgiving we cooked too much food and stuffed ourselves silly
Some with real turkey and those veggies dined on some "Wellington Surprise" {a new recipe graciously given to me by a friend and despite it being my first attempt at making pastry dough it was delicious if I can say so myself!}
The evening ended in snuggling with my oldest and hair primping by my youngest!
I truly have more what I need and BEYOND what I want! I am 1 lucky girl!
THANKFUL- I almost need a bigger word for how I feel! Oh well you get it!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Jon's Birthday

The man of this house had a birthday 1 week ago! We celebrated him all day long!
We got dressed up and went to church
{please note 2 things: my oldest who will be in heels by the time she's able to fit into them and my youngest who is forever making us laugh!}
Then made our way to my mom's where she cooked up a yummy meal for this guy which included wasabi peas and some real meat!
Card opening
{and of complete importance but not caught on camera: Taylor {niece} picked out ALL BY HERSELF the most precious card. Words on the front stated "My Uncle, My Friend"....he was crying by the time he was finished reading it as we all were which is why I completely forgot to catch it on camera.
1 of the gifts he received.....a mosquito net {from mom} in preparation of our trip to Yellowstone next summer......those little bugs ADORE him!
And that night we had lots of friends over to celebrate him! We OF course had food which included some meat for this deprived man! My mom made him some "sliders" with the REAL stuff! That's a big deal cause I don't do meat in this house! {you can feel sorry for him if you want, it won't hurt my feelings}

He's not a big sweet person so his slider turned into his birthday cake and our house was filled with "Happy Birthday" tunes!
Some of you know that my camera stays at my side but strangely enough it did not that night......maybe that's cause I was having too much fun celebrating him, and that's ok! It was a fun night and thankful for all of his friends and my sister who came to cheer him on into a new, healthy, happy year! LOVE YOU JON B HUGHES....FOREVER!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Grateful Gobbler '10

Happy Thanksgiving!!
We started our morning out with a walk to support the Homeless/Hungry. Always a good reminder for me and my family as to how MUCH we really have. Really.

Chattanooga bright and early
beautiful sister and niece
my sleepy family
reason to be happy. food. funny girl.
my twin.....i think we're connected to our cord still
my love
a sea of blue quickly filled downtown. love it!
a live and cooked turkey even showed up
enjoyed some color along our stroll
AND it was a must to stop off at the hospital and say Hi and Happy Thanksgiving to this beautiful lady who gave us life and gave us her all! Lucky girls we are to have her!
Hope you have a delicious day......full of good family/friends and FOOD!
Gobble Gobble

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

I am thankful on this eve of Thanksgiving to come home after a long day at work to prepare food for tomorrow! And even though I'm not a night person I'm thankful for a job and thankful that I have food to prepare.

thankful for 2 little people eagerly awaiting my arrival and excited to use the food processor
a stove that works since our microwave is still out of commission
little toddler hands
a jar from my grandma which sweetly reminds me of her tonight as i cook away.....oh she would be proud that ALL of her jars have been put to good use
an extra set of hands
a new vegetarian recipe for me and my girls to substitute the big bird
AND my right hand man who washed and washed to keep the dishes at bay
1115 pm: the house is in order, food prepared, and i'm getting ready to enjoy some quiet time with my husband.
thankful.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Remembering last year.....

I have so much to be thankful for this year......2 of which being my sister and niece whose lives were spared in a terrible accident last year this week. I never did blog about it at the time because it was just too traumatic, one of those things that I chose to tuck away in the very back back back of my memory.....yet almost impossible because we drove on the road daily where the accident occurred. Last year Sunday it was raining pretty bad and for those of you not familiar with the road we live off of it's pretty hilly and curvy. Add some rain and night time to that and you can have a dangerous ride home! Which proved to be the case for Kristi and Taylor last year. She was coming up a small hill and as she came to the top she had to slam on her brakes because there was a car stopped to turn into their driveway. This caused her to hydroplane into oncoming traffic and she hit a Saturn SUV head on.....ugghhh just typing this out makes me want to loose my breakfast. Sorry. Moving on. Her car finally came to a stop but the SUV flipped over her car and landed on it's top.....skidding for several feet. Jon and I just happened to be going home just a minute {literally} behind her and she was able to call me. At best I was FREAKING OUT. I think I scarred my kids due to being so upset. We arrived at the scene and I jumped out of the truck......running up to the SUV 1st. There was woman driving the car {no one else in the vehicle. thank goodness.} and her body was twisted in a way I can't really describe. I knelt down by her head asking if she was ok and she had just "come to" and could talk.....saying "yes". Relief. I then ran through the rain and millions of car lights and people to find my sister and niece who were both OK but in complete state of shock. I brought them up to Jon and the girls to wait for an ambulance and police and then ran back to the lady. I, again, knelt down beside her head and started talking to her {strangely enough there were a LOT of people out there but no one was talking to this lady} again and when I happened to glance up my eyes connected with a Bible. I asked her immediately if I could pray with her and she said "yes". I'm not sure what I said and it was God who prayed through me because I was so completely nervous for her well being that I didn't think I could focus enough to say a prayer. Police and ambulance arrived, they had to use the "jaws of life" to get her door opened and safely remove her. She was taken to Erlanger via ambulance. Kristi and Taylor were checked out by the paramedics and encouraged to go to the hospital but an ambulance ride was not necessary. After shuffling kids around I drove them to Erlanger to be evaluated. Taylor was 1st and did not even have a scratch on her being. We then moved over to the adult ER where Kristi was evaluated and was released with only some minor hand damage which would heal without surgery. During the waiting period of Kristi to be seen I was in my typical people watching nosey mode and saw family members who I thought could possibly be with the lady in the other car. I went up to them and started talking, sure enough they were her daughters. I explained that Kristi and Taylor were in the other vehicle and wanted to know there mother's status......unsure if they would punch me in between the eyes out of anger! Their mother was FINE!! She was about to be discharged!!! They were SOOOOO kind and SOOO worried about Kristi and Taylor. They came to where Kristi and Tay were and said hi and we were all tearful and thankful that everyone was ok. A scary accident indeed but everyone would be going home. Several minutes later we experienced GOD up close and personal......the lady in the other vehicle was not only ALIVE but WALKED out of the er all by herself!! I ran up to her and wanted to hug and kiss her face off but she was in pain.....and I was, after all, a complete stranger. I told her who I was and that we had been praying for a good outcome and soooo thankful she would be with her family for Thanksgiving. GLORIOUS day or night that was to witness this!! See 1 of the policeman, at the scene of the accident, told us he had not a SINGLE clue how this lady was even alive much less Kristi and Taylor walking away from the scene......someone if not ALL of the girls should have died in this type of accident. Yet again, typing this takes my breath away. So you see, we felt extra blessed to have Kristi and Taylor with us last year and as I reminisce about this accident I am quickly reminded again how precious life is and how I often take if for granted. LIFE it's what I'm thankful for this year.....among a bazillion other things!

Taylor waiting to be evaluated in the Children's ER
The SUV of the other driver

Friday, November 19, 2010

The BIG 3-0

My "baby" sister turned 30 last weekend! Any birthday is worth celebrating BIG but then there are those milestone birthdays which require some extra special celebrating and this was one of them! I have enjoyed the 30's......it's been a little passage way into really growing up and I think she feels the same!
She was quite excited about saying she was 30!
It was a beautiful day for flying balloons
sparkly strawberry cupcakes
decorating
{1. italian soda matching the color theme. 2. hung bunches of pictures on wire using spray painted clothes pins. 3. bought vintage books, cut out circles and sewed them together for "garland". 4. same at 1.}
chalkboard menu, flowers
{painted a canvas with chalkboard paint and then jon wrote out her birthday menu}
and FOOD!!!
{you know the Zimmerman girls are always good for some food}
So we dressed up
put on our party shoes
and spent the afternoon having some fun with her friends
{and she's made some really great/fun ones}
and family!
I am sooooo very proud to call her my sister!! She's worked very hard to make it to year 30 and I pray that God will richly bless the next many many years of her life! She is a beautiful girl both inside and out!
{not that ANYONE cares but my mind was so focused on making sure that we had everything packed for the party that I failed to pack my party clothes! uggghh!! don't you just hate an outfit mishap?!}