Giving Thanks!

We went to Prairie Grove, AR to visit my wonderfully sweet mother-in-law Patti for Thanksgiving. I absolutely love going to her house. Check out this view from her front porch!

I could have sat on that swing with my feet propped up for hours....but it was way too cold & windy and there was way too much cooking going on inside! Patti is a wonderful cook and makes some of the best stuffing I've ever had! Rich always fries the turkeys that have been injected with lots of yummy Cajun butter! The fried turkeys have quickly become my favorite. Lucky for us, Patti bought us a turkey fryer for a housewarming gift...so now we can fry our very own turkeys! I think Josh is going to try one out this Christmas - I can't wait! Speaking of turkey......

Check it out!....can you say "delish"?

And of course, lots of sides.

And pies.

But enough about the food. Thanksgiving is about giving thanks, and I have to tell you, I am SO THANKFUL for my in-laws! I am so lucky to have married into such a wonderful, loving family!

Take Lindsey - she is one of the most charismatic, friendly, people-person, funny girls I've ever met. I am so glad that I get to fill the "sister" role in her life and I can't wait for her to be the "fun Aunt" to our children!
Here she is with Patrick. Patrick is one of the most thoughtful, genuine guys I have ever met. He has such a beautiful caring heart!


Patrick & Josh have a special bond that I can only equate with me and my sister. They are truly best friends.


Some new faces to the family this year, Courtney & Jennifer - two very special ladies!
Courtney & Rocky definitely bonded, and I don't even think she was feeding him turkey. : )


Grandpa Jim & Helen made the trip too! And poor Rich has been working very long hard hours in Kentucky. He left very early in the morning to make his way home for Thanksgiving.....don't tell him, but I think he may have been a little bit excited to be home with Patti Ann!


And Patti.....I think if you look at all the wonderful things I've said about her kids, you'll know just what kind of woman she is! She is strong, beautiful, sweet, soft & motherly.


And I must give thanks to this man! If it wasn't for this man, I would have never known true love and I would never have gotten to meet any of these wonderful people!

~I will forever be thankful for the life we share together!~

Pecan Bark

This a super simple recipe that is great for the Holidays!

What You'll Need:

1 box Graham Crackers
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar

What You'll Do:

Line baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Lay graham crackers on baking sheet in single layer (one box of graham crackers is enough to double the recipe). Sprinkle pecans over graham crackers. Melt butter on stove top. When melted, add brown sugar and stir constantly until boiling. Boil 1 minute while stirring. Pour butter mixture over graham crackers. Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes. Immediately remove and put in freezer for 1 hour. Break into pieces and enjoy!

2 New Additions!!

You see this couple.....the cute one right above? Guess what......that girl there on the left is one of my good friends since grade school days, and that boy there on the right is my brother-in-law.....and they're ENGAGED!! I can't take full credit for their relationship because hooking them up was my mom's idea at first, and well....the fact that it worked out perfectly - that was all God's work!! The Man Upstairs sure knows what he's doing, these two are perfect for each other! I am soooo unbelievably happy for them! I can't wait to have Jennifer as a real sister-in-law.....and more importantly, I can't wait for them to make beautiful little red-headed baby nieces/nephews! : )


And if you think that wasn't exciting enough.....let's add this little guy to the family too...
This is my sister and her fiance's new puppy! His name is Brinkley, and he's just the cutest thing ever! Josh & I went over to my parents the other night to meet him.

Uncle Josh and baby Brinkley

Aunt Chelsea and baby Brinkley

Rocky got to meet him too!

THUNDER!

Josh's days off are in the middle of the work week (Tues & Wed), which makes it hard for us to find fun "weekend-ish" things to do when he's off. But, we have been wanting to go to an OKC Thunder basketball game and they play on Tuesday nights! So, we got tickets to the Thunder vs. Lakers game last week! The Thunder almost pulled off a 'W' against the Lakers! We were neck and neck most of the game and went into over-time....but we ended up losing. We had a lot of fun and can't wait to go back!

The Laker's Warming Up

Rumble!!


The Thunder Girls!


This night really felt like old times.....sometimes I miss our "dating" days.

H-A-double L-O-W-double E-N

spells HALLOWEEN!

I scored some free tickets to a Haunted House from my boss, so we rounded up our favorite "date night" couple - Angie & Joe and headed to OKC for some Halloween fun! But, before we left I had to get a couple of pictures of Rocky in his Halloween costume. My friend Natasha gave us this "one-eyed monster" costume....thanks Tasha!! Rocky didn't like wearing the costume too much, especially after he found out that he wasn't actually going to get to go trick-or-treating and get any candy! That boy loves candy!

Welcome to the Ultimate Terrors! Brewahhahahaaaaa!

Practicing our "scared" faces for the haunted house. LOL

Joe had a pretty good "scared" face, but Angie was all smiles! = )

Happy Fall Ya'll!

Fall is here! Actually, it's been here for a while....I'm just now getting around to posting my fall pics. Better late than never, right?

Fireplace Mantle


My beautiful fall wreath that Me-Me made!


She makes gorgeous bows! I hope to one day have a little girl that she can make bows for!
: )


This little guy was a gift from my Aunt Nancy. Isn't he cute?


I made this "Autumn" sign with some of my scrap-booking skills!
; )


Some more fall pretties!


I have had so much fun decorating our house this year! Much more fun than decorating an apartment!


Isn't this lovely? This is from Southern Living at Home; it was a gift from my sweet mother-in-law, Patti.
I will probably leave this out all year and decorate it for the different seasons!


And, last but not least....what is Fall without pumpkins??