~IT'S HERE....IT'S FINALLY HERE~

JEANS
FLANNEL SHIRT

INDOORS

WOOL COAT & SCARF

(NOTICE THE HAPPINESS)

& A BIT OF SADNESS

WINTER IS HERE!!!!

Get your hats, mittens & scarves ready.

It's finally here!! YEAH!!!

Just imagine...snowball fights, snowmen, snow angels, hot chocolate, Christmas & Hanukkah,

Asher is home for 2 weeks, Haley comes home for a month, going to see the windows downtown,

Santa Claus, sledding, Asher's Birthday, chili, stew, cute scarves, Ugg's, snow blowing, fires in the

fireplace, big cozy sweaters, Christmas tree, my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup,

the

Macy's Day Parade...the list just goes on and on.....

Take a moment to think of all the wonderful things that winter brings into your life!!

~Life Made Easier~

This banner is just a wonderful reminder to me to be THANKFUL everyday. As my DEAR brother, Pat, reminded me there are so many things going on in our world right now. However, there are many things that I am sure of that haven't changed:

1) That I have a family who LOVES each other very much.

2) Today I have HEALTHY kids.

3) I have a warm house on these chilly November days.

4) I wake up everyday to my beautiful son greeting me with a GOOD MORNING KISS.

5) I have a remarkably COOL husband who shows he LOVES me everyday.

6) GOD loves me more than I can ever imagine.

Life for me is truly AWESOME!!!

This is my ipod and speakers. When I am done getting ready in the morning I come downstairs to the kitchen and my music is WAITING for me. I start my day off with a cup of coffee(which Bill makes for me everyday before he leaves for work) and music. I love listening to Hillsong, Antioch Church and Kim Walker. Hard to have a bad day after listening to them. Seriously, try it....

Last but not least....my mixer. One of my conveniences that I have removed from the pantry and plopped on my counter. Why you ask (OK, even if you didn't ask I'm going to tell you).......it reminds me to make delicious surprises for my family. They LOVE all the cookies, cakes & cupcakes that start in this mixer. It reminds me that cooking from scratch reaches their PRECIOUS souls. It makes them happy....which in turn makes me happy!

~Prayer Jar~

So...this is my Prayer Jar...I will also sometimes use it as a Gratitude Jar. All are welcome to add a little something to the jar. It is a daily reminder to me that I can't do this thing called life alone. I can't do it without God. I also can't do it without all my friends and family that I love so dearly. Today I was grateful for the changing of the seasons. It's really starting to feel like winter is right around the corner. How could I ever appreciate all the different seasons without the other ones?? Every time Bradley says it's too hot in the summer I remind him in just a few short months he will be saying it's too cold. Then in the winter when he says it's too cold I remind him that in a few shorts months he will be saying it's too hot. Human nature at it's finest...oh how soon we forget.

~Halloween~

Asher came home from school. He said he needed a costume but didn't know what to be. Bill and I were on it. I told him to get me a pair of old jeans...check....Bill had a shirt he didn't wear anymore...check. I found a bandanna I had from the Avon Breast Cancer 3 day walk....check!!! I then advised him to take the cut up shirt and roll it around in the neighbors yard. Not our yard....we have a dog(ICK!!!).....check. I Put some makeup on his face to make it look dirty(Don't tell his friends.) Costume completed with a toy sword provided my Bradley . He has to be the cutest pirate I have ever set my eyes on. I then immediately kick him out of the house to go get his step-mama some candy. Funny thing is I haven't seen him since. Apparently I forgot to remind him to share. Don't worry...I will find an entire pillow case full of candy in the back of his closet it July. Can you say YUCK??

This is Bill and Bradley starting to trick-or-treat. As you can see Bradley is Superman. I'm telling everyone that Bill was a soccer player. He does have the jersey ya know!! It ALWAYS fills my heart with happiness when I see my boy and his dad together doing something really fun. I'm not sure who LOVES this more....Bill or Bradley???


This holiday is a bit much for Stitch. The doorbell....the kids.....it's all a bit overwhelming for him. He didn't move from this spot from 3-6:30. I had to keep him locked in the kitchen. He has a very big bark. I didn't want him to scare the kids. He is able to love on a child so much that he can lick them to death. Maybe next year I will have Bill bring him trick-or-treating. It would sure make my head feel a lot better.


Usually every Halloween I sit down in between trick-or-treaters and I do my Christmas cards. However, this year I helped Bill's office with the annual Thanksgiving cards (800 to be exact). I brought them home from the office to finish up. I made Bill sit and help me. He just kept watching me....it's was a bit bothersome. Hey Bill...next time...note to self....don't watch Amy work. She will get a tad upset and put you to work. Hope he doesn't remember that next year. Now I have to find time to do our Christmas cards.





THE END!!!!!

~Things I just Love~

I just love, love , love to have candy out in these adorable pumpkin jars. I don't know why but I don't have candy jars for any other holiday. Huh??? Every year on October 1st I go in the basement and pull out all my bins of halloween decorations. For some reason I always seem to forget about these jars. Then I open the bins and I get so happy when I see them. I drop everything I am doing just to get them soaking in warm, soapy water. I then put up all the other decorations. Then off to Target I go to get the candy to fill them. I always fill the jars with M&M's, Hershey Kisses and Candy Corn. It's weird though...everyone says they don't like candy corn but that is the only jar I have to refill...another HUH?? I guess these jars just mean I can eat as much chocolate as I want. YEAH!!

Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels. EVERY time I go I am drawn to the sweet's isle (I think I see a pattern here). The cart just pulls me. We also LOVE the Chocolate Covered Raisins(sorry I don't have a picture...you will just have to imagine)....YUMMY!!!

Bringing sunshine in my house have always been a sweet experience for me. These flowers called out my name. They are so beautiful. For some reason they remind me of Easter. As you can see it is such a cute shade of pink. Can flowers get sweeter than this???

This is just a couple of pictures I had that I wanted to share. I hope you all find time to bring little things into your life that bring you happiness. It doesn't take much for me as you can see.

Bill's Aunt Sally turned 100 this week. I will post pictures from the party tomorrow. She is an amazing woman. Can't wait to spend time sharing her with you tomorrow!!

~My New Favorite Thing~

On Saturday Bill was gone for a chunk of the day. I decided to go to one of my new favorite stores, Lola B's Boutique, in St Charles (http://www.lolabboutique.com/). It's such a cute girlie store. Selling things from jewelry to furniture to aprons to handles for furniture to picture frames. It's a wonderful store. The owner, Kasey, is a doll.

Let me try to paint this picture for you....here I am in the amazing store filled with lots of breakables and fragile things. Guess who was with me...that's right my sweet, energetic little boy, BRADLEY. Not exactly the ideal store to bring him in but a girl has to do what a girl has to do.

He was such an angel in the car. I mean 30 minutes of pure joy. We get into the store and he decides that he has never been in and out of a door before. There he goes in and out....in and out...in and out. I'm trying hard to act like the patient mother. However, my father came out in me. I was there giving him the death stare while gritting my teeth and telling him that had better be the last time he does that. As mother of the year, I can tell you that he continued to go in and out...in and out....in and out. Thank goodness Kasey is so sweet. She sent him on a mission to find leaves in the front yard.

Anyway.....in the midst of all this I find THIS beauty. I just love her. How about those handles??? Right??? I also purchased the bell jar to display some knick knacks....can you see the adorable bird nest?? I also purchased the jewelry stand on Sunday. Perfect for the end of the day when I am tired and I just need to throw my jewelry somewhere.

I sometimes just appreciate the things that bring joy to my heart. Whenever I look at it (which I try to walk past it hourly)it just makes me think of my new friend, my new favorite store and how lucky I am to have this super cute dresser~

Today is A Wonderful Day

My boy getting ready for Halloween:

Today is just wonderful. I know that it is a bit cooler than we like but the sun in SHINING!!

Does it get better than this?

I just keeping hoping for all the children who wait ALL year for Halloween that the weather hold up. I know that I try to prepare Bradley for Halloween every year. I tell him this is the one day a year that he is allowed to get candy. I mean, really people, these kids need to get out there and not come home until the job is done. If that means blisters, so be it.

We have already started our festivities. Bill and I took Bradley to Halloween party last Saturday night. See the pics above. The first one is Bradley showing off his newly carved pumpkin. The second one is Bradley going through a hay maze, and the last picture is Bill and Bradley carving a pumpkin.

I think the thing I love most about Halloween is that it is truly about the kids. There is no gift giving. Just pushing your kids out the door to have some innocent fun.

I know that I am preparing for this awesome holiday. Hope you are too!!!