The Week Ahead

It has been a while!  I would like to think I will be a regular blogger, but only time will tell! I do think about it often, it just doesn't happen. But I have a plan and hope to be able to follow thorough!

I love looking at  others menus. I like to know what people eat, and I like to get different ideas for meals for my family! My family is truly appreciative of the meals I cook. That makes it  easy to cook for them!

On the menu this week:

Lunches:
leftovers
tuna
lunchmeat-cold and grilled sandwiches
sausage gravy and biscuits

Suppers:
Monday- French Dip Sandwiches, Macaroni Salad

Tuesday- Paula Deen's Chuck Roast, Smashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Wednesday- Chicken, Broccoli, Carrots and Rice Casserole

Thursday- YOYO (You're On Your Own)

Friday- Brined Grilled Pork Chops, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Cauliflower

Saturday- Breakfast Egg Casserole, French Toast Bake

Sunday- Chicken & Homemade Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots, Broccoli, Cherry Delight

 

 

Some of the most important conversations I have ever had

have occurred at my dinner table.

-Bob Ehrlich

It's Been A While!

I love autumn. The colors of autumn just make me smile, inside and out. The dark orange shades, deep reds with hints of green and a background of deep umber and caramel... ahh, they just make me want to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate! And the tastes of autumn are a special treat! I love all things pumpkin. A new favorite this year is pumpkin coffee cake. I may post about it the next time I make it. Another fall favorite is Harvest Cheesecake Bars. Yummy cheesecake with a cinnamony strudel on top! yum. My kids love it when pumpkin bread is baking in the oven.  Actually, they prefer mini muffins so they can just pop them in their mouth! Another autumn love is all textures that come with the season.  And, of course, that leads to clothing... who doesn't love a good sweater!

This year has been a rough year for me physically.  I may go into that later, but it was just killing me to think I wouldn't get to decorate for fall.  So, I had Ryan bring down all of my totes for autumn decorating... I only have 7!  But I decided to keep it simple this year and not do much.  It is my favorite season and I can get carried away.  When Rachel saw what was done, she said, "I thought you were gonna keep it simple?" ~giggle~ silly girl.... I did!

The top of my dining room hutch was inspired from something I pinned on Pinterest. I already had most pieces. I got the mirror at a yard sale and had to make the banner.  The little pumpkins are just cheap plastic ones I bought and then painted.  If it had been another year I may have spent more time on them and the banner, but I got the look I was going for. 

 

Being thankful for all of our blessings isn't something we want to focus on just once a year.  I want my whole life to be on of thankfulness to God... you see, I have MUCH to be thankful for!

 

 







This is another Pin inspired arrangement.  I did have to buy the pine cones from WM and they are a nice cinnamon scent. Cinnamon really isn't my favorite, but these were subtle enough for me to enjoy.

The pumpkin was also purchased, of course... It was supposed to have the word 'autumn' on it in cardboard letters and three little burlap rosettes, but that didn't happen. Maybe next year!

Again, if it had been a different year these may have been a tad better, but I do like them.  There are 2 monograms because my daughter, her husband and sweet little girl live with us and we couldn't leave them out!!

I thought I had posted last year's fall decorating and I do like last year's fireplace mantle arrangement better, but heaven forbid I do anything the same! The lantern was from a post someone knocked off on the job and so Larry kept it in case the owner wanted it instead of getting a new one.  I was telling Ryan about what I had in mind for that spot and he mention that latern out in the trash! So we pulled it out and there it sits!

Hmmm... for some reason I didn't arrange these very well... we are back in the dining room.  This is the table centerpiece.  I bought the teired stand from a party one time and it is one of my favorite things to use for any season.

 

This goose is another favorite. Don't know why, just is.

 

 

My friend, Shelly, is an interior decorator and she had posted a picture of  teired bowls with pumpkins in it and I remembered I had this one. Hmmm, maybe I owe her dinner or something for the decorating idea!

Last week I walked out of our room and was just awe struck. The house was clean.... believe me that is enough to be amazed.... but all the oranges and autumny goodness was just glowing.  If I knew how to edit properly I could make them stand out. That is something that has already made it to my 2013 Goal List... learn how to take better pictues and edit properly! Thinking I will need a new camera for that!

 

This is looking the other direction.  My other friend, Joanna, loves to paint so I am thinking I need to let her have fun in my dining room! Hey, what are friends for, anyway!

 

 

This is the Superman that lugged all the totes out of the attic!  On Wednesday night they could dress up for youth service as long as it wasn't gorey, scary or evil. Look at those dimples... he's my baby.

One of the desserts for Sunday dinner was Snickerdoodle cupcakes.  They are soo good! I am not for sure where I got the recipe for them, but I first made Snickerdoodle cake last fall. It is now a fall must-have!

Well, I hope to be more consistent with my blogging.  It is easier than it was a year ago.  I do love Pinterest and we do try new recipes almost weekly.  And of course there are all of my Pins that need to be done just for creativity's sake! As well, as all the family fun we enjoy...

Till next time, I will leave with this thought:

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

brings peace for today,

and creates a vision for tomorrow.

~ Melody Beattie

 

 

It was such a pretty table....

Rachel picked out the inspiration for our Easter table from the newest Celebrate! magazine.

It is more of a casual table for us, but so pretty!

The gold nests were made from a glittered netting ribbon that I crimped and turned into little nests.


The eggs are just decorative eggs that I got from FF. As I was placing them in the nests I remembered that they make eggs that look like that and are edible!!!! Where was my head!!
I wanted to use purple napkins, but couldn't find any. These are from Target.
I used the white dishes that was a gift from my Mother-in-law, my brushed silverware set, and the napkin rings are the ones from the clearance rack of BBB.
They are silver-plated and are tarnishing... I kinda like that look.

I usually use stemware for dinners, but to keep it more on the casual side

I used the swirl tumblers that I got for Christmas.

For the centerpiece I used the large brandy sniffer that Rachel got me for Christmas. I have to admit that I have never been crazy about those glass pieces, but I think it is perfect for this arrangement!

This is one of my favorite tablecloths. It is reversable. The top side for this table is more gold and french country looking. The other side is more formal looking with the satiny cream side with the gold scrolls and border.

Our Easter pictures before church turned out blurry. We invited Brandon's parents and sister for Easter Dinner. They don't have set yearly plans and neither do we so we wanted to celebrate with our new family members! I thought we would take some pictures when they were here, but our plans kinda changed. As you saw, the table was set, the food in the oven and as they choir was singing my Larry got a coughing spell. It lasted a bit and then at one point when it was in full force he got a sudden severe headache and felt something 'pop' in his forhead. The pain was so intense and he thought it would go away quickly, but it didn't so when the choir selections ended he made his way off the platform. I was already on my way out and met him in the hall as he staggered out. Dear friend Sara, a retired nurse, came out also and she took care of him as I got the car and Rachel and I decided which hospital to take him to. Sara rode with us to the hospital in case his sitaution took a turn for the worse... thankfully it did not. His blood pressure was 178/124 when his vitals were taken. They ordered a CTscan, ekg, chest xray and a lumbar puncture. All tests came back negative,except he does have a sinus infection. For that we are soo thankful. They gave him 2 doses of morphine while in the ER and so when we got home he went to bed. Today we had the follow-up appt. with his doctor. He is now on 2 bp meds and some other meds. He still has a headache and has been in bed most of today.

We have discovered that some otc meds he was taking for the chest congestion he has been having probably caused his bp to go up. So we will read labels from now on!!

We feel so blessed that this chapter in the story of our lives had this outcome. It could have been so different. We are looking at it as a wake-up call. Some things just can't be replaced... and Mr. Fye is one of them.

Wild Ride

The last several months have been far from normal and it has been a wild ride for sure! But it was a good ride... Last August when Brandon sat down with us and told us that he wanted to make our little girl his wife we were thrilled. Brandon had already won our hearts. If you know me you know I like lists and planning and decorating and in weddings general, but for my Rachel all that fun was taken up a several notches!! We didn't meet our original goal date for having everything finished, but by March 8 I had everything done that could be done. I had a family and friend shower for her on March 10 and so after that my refrigerator looked like this! As we completed a job we took the paper of the fridge so we could see our to do list become a ta-da! list.

Makenzi could hardly wait to try on her purple dress! Purple is her favorite color so the dress was a hit! Here she is with her very handsome Daddy. My Mom always says Rob is very distinguished looking. ;o)

Here's the Bride and Groom on the rehearsal night. That night and the wedding day deserve a post all of their own. The end result was that we got to witness this man make my baby girl a very happy woman.

They are so in love and it shows. I love that.

On Saturday we met Larry's family at Golden Corral. Not exactly my favorite place to eat... one member of my family wouldn't even go in the restaurant.. the baby was conveniently hungry at that time! This is Larry's Mom and her husband of all of 5 months! He told us last summer that his weight stays the same, but this time he says he has gained weight! He said he found out that if Ann knew he liked something he'd get lots of it. One summer she made Larry 15 reubarb pies because he mentioned he liked them... He finally had to tell her he'd had enough!

She likes to make her family happy!

This Larry's oldest sister, Debbie. Rachel gets her personality from her Aunt Debbie. She is a take charge kind of girl! No grass grows under their feet! Also, in the picture is Milton and Anna.

Crystal is the oldest of the Fye grandchildren. She came up from NC with her Mom. We missed Randy and Steven, but were happy that Deb and Crys came. Mr. Trenton has finally quit closing his eyes when we go to take a picture of him! His Mommy is going to have a baby brother or sister for him and Chloe in October.

In this picture are Curtis (Donna and Milton's oldest) Ryan, Trenton and Donna, Larry's younger sister.

After meeting at the restaurant we went back to the hotel where everyone stayed, since my house was soooooo not up for company! We played games by the pool...

and then later moved in to the breakfast room. We played Phase 10 for hours!!!!! It was so much fun... I love that game. The "kid's table" played Risk and Stock Market.... Fye Family Favorites! Stradegy games.

This picture is out of order but that night when we came back to the house I kicked off my shoes in the kitchen and Kenzi came in and said, "Look Mamaw, I put myshoes with yours!" That was after she ran in the house and said, "Mamaw! Mamaw! I have candy! For me and you!" She was so excited... and I loved it!

Trenton asked me to take a picture of him and Chloe. Aren't they cuties?

And he asked me to take a picture of him "in the hilarious hat!" He's a funny one!

And here's my sweet, sweet Maddison. Aren't baby yawns adorable?

At first I thought she looked just like Kristi's Mom, but she changed in the week she was here. I ended up seeing some of Rob in her and in one picture (my FB profile picture) she looks just like Rachel did as a newborn.

Whoever she looks like she is adorable!

Kenzi in her travelin' clothes... she wanted to help so she pulled this out to onto the porch and then down the stairs and right on out to the car. All by herself. She loves to help with whatever is going on. When Rob put the dishwasher in at Christmas she was right there watching every move!

Uncle Ryan getting in a last snuggle before they head out.

I love being a Mamaw!

Kisses and hugs from Kenzi! (Please don't focus on the mess in the house... but sadly, it still looks like a storage unit!)

Papaw drinking it in... I loved seeing this man hold our babies and now seeing him hold our grandbabies is just extra special.

In March our family grew by 2, we got to see Larry's family, we got to see my family. It was a good month.

ahhh, fall is here

I love autumn. The colors. The scents. The food. The coziness of it all. I probably look forward to autumn more than any other time of the year. I did get my fall decor up the week before Labor Day. Even Mr. Fye said he enjoys this season's decor additions most. This year I have a thing for peaches! I say "this year", but really I go through cravings where I eat one thing for a while and then I am over it... all year long. Right now, it is peaches! Succulent, flavorful, juicy peaches! You'll notice this dish seems to be missing one..... really, it is missing two!

Yesterday was Rachel's 23rd birthday. It was here before I knew it! We had a steak dinner for her. Don'tcha think the McD's cups add that special touch to the table? I did think about removing them for the picture but decided to go for reality.

I forgot to take a picture of the cupcakes we had. I got them at a bakery that we are considering for her wedding. She said I was multi-tasking. For those who have seen the pictures of Brandon when he shaved his head, it looks like he misses the mohawk look. Hopefully, he wasn't trying out his wedding hairstyle!!

Kenny, Becky, Laura, Steve, and Me

The last several times I posted pictures I had to load them backwards so they would go on right.... sooo, I did that this time and look! They went on the way I loaded them..... urrrgg! Anway, my Mom, sister Becky, and brother Steve came up from Texas for the week of Labor Day. Mom and Steve came last year and so it was great to have Bec join them this year! This picture is the Platts cousins. There were 3 Platts brothers. Uncle Bill, Daddy and Uncle Don. Uncle Bill had a daughter, Cheryl, but I don't recall ever metting her. Kenny and Laura had a brother, Gary, that died last year from melanoma. And we had an older sister, Debbi, who died 10 years ago next month. It was great to see visit with them, hear family stories and catch up with each other.

We used to spend Christmas Eve with Uncle Don and Aunt Pat and they would always give us those huge candy cane sticks. Bec talked to Aunt Pat about getting together she said she wanted us to come for dinner, that she had a surprise for us. My first thought was the candy canes... maybe she had some for us to bring back a great memory. Then I had a second thought and well, let's just say that was it and it was ok that it wasn't the candy canes! She made the traditional Platts Family Christmas Dinner of rump roast, Grandpa Platts's Yorkshire Pudding, mashed potatoes
and gravy, green beans, jello salad, applesauce and pumpkin pie and homemade carrot cake. It was such a wonderful meal and so thoughtful!

Back at Anut Barbara'a we celebrated some of the family's September birthdays... this year was for my cousin Leslie, Mom and cousin Tim. Any excuse for more sweets! We do love our sweets! My sister came to stay a couple of days with me, so we went to get donuts at Dunkin' Donuts, since they don't have them in Texas. Of course, I had to get some from Long's to show her how much better they are and then a couple of days later we patronized Jack's Donuts in New Castle because they are the very best! Jack's has been there as long as I can remember. We just went there for memory's sake..... yeah, right!

In photo: Brenda, Denny, Ted,

Karen, Tim, Steve,

Aunt Barbara, Becky, Leslie, me, Mom (Gloria)

These are the Turpin cousins with Mom and Aunt Barbara. We missed Aunt Harriett and again, my sister Debbi. The cousins are arranged by age. Debbi was the oldest so she would have been top left. It was a fun "photo shoot" and it was fun to catch up with the Turpin side, too! When we go to Aunt Barbara's we expect homemade ham salad and coke cake. She didn't disappoint us!

Cousin Karen hosted a family cookout. She and her husband Nick have a nice big farmhouse east of New Castle that would hold all of us if it had rained. But the weather was absolutely beautiful! Pretty windy, but wind is better than extreme heat! Steve was the Grill Master for the day and Larry and Ryan were there giving their two cents worth I am sure.

The Sherry Three. I lived with Aunt Harriett and Uncle Paul from age 13-18. So these three and combination cousin/siblings for me.

One of the food tables... I have to admit I have a slight twinge of coveting when I see this table. There was one other table/desk like it when they bought it in PA (for $15 no less!!!) and so it isn't like I can go get one like it... thus the "coveting." The other end looks like this end and the center is filled with drawers on both sides! LOVE it!

I had planned on having a photographer friend come and take pictures, but timing got mixed up and it didn't happen. It was a great place for pictures! The barn had this cute little window in it. So we filled it with a cute little girl and a cute big guy!

Then her Poppy had to get in there! Poor Brandon.

Our family... Ryan, me, Larry and Rachel.

Our family plus one... Brandon! Next year he will have to claim us!

I love generation photos.

My Mom and her children. Steve and Becky look like Mom... Me... I am a Daddy's girl!

I love this piture of Mom and Aunt Barbara. Oh, the stories we heard! I now know where a child or two of mine gets their "rules are just suggestions" attitude. ;o)

Isn't family great?!