Las Posadas Tradition

Last night we continued our tradition of attending Las Posadas in St. Charles. Once again Jack Frost was nipping at our nose. It was cold, but not unbearable. We were once again witness to the beautiful re-enactment of the Spanish tradition finding Mary and Joseph looking for shelter as they process down South Main Street with thousands of visitors carrying luminaries and singing carols.

We found Santa's Trainland, too. I'm glad we did as there was a sign up that said the couple was retired and was having difficulty getting their trailer around these days, and therefore, this would be the last year for Trainland.
This couple has one special Christmas village we were luckily able to see.

This season I just can't enough visits to Main Street.
It is so beautiful.
And so NOT the mall.
I went to the mall Saturday morning and just wanted out. It just doesn't provide all of these lovely establishments.

It has become my tradition to buy an ornament from this boutique every Christmas.
They are very unique and very inexpensive.
Great combination.

This is what we picked out this year.

And here are the ones from Christmas past...

I picked up a cool little cookbook at the library.
Tomorrow I will share a recipe from it.
Perfect for this time of year.

Thanksgiving Recap

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Mike's parents. Grammy kept the kids busy making a gingerbread house so I could prepare our feast. Grandpa and Mike stayed occupied fixing those little things that we never get around to doing. Like the wobbly toilet in the basement, the kids broken play chairs, etc.

Watched some movies. Went Bowling. Grammy made Turkey Soup with the leftovers. Delicious. Put up ALL the Christmas decorations. Ventured over to St. Charles to welcome in the Christmas season. All in all it was a fun-filled long weekend.

I didn't tie the legs together, hence, the giant hole in the turkey.

Carlie reciting Psalm 100 before praying and eating.

Making the Gingerbread House.

Visiting with the Christmas Characters at the St. Charles Christmas Traditions festivities

Cyber Monday

My husband does not have to give me ideas for things he wants for Christmas. I was surfing around on this Cyber Monday and found the perfect gift. He will just love it. (And, if he doesn't he can send it to Tom Brady.) I hope he isn't reading this, or it will ruin the surprise!

Thanksgiving Program

Carlie had her Thanksgiving Program at school today. Her class recited Psalm 100 and sang a song. The program was followed by some fun and fellowship (and pie-eating) in the cafeteria. It was great to visit and get to know several of the parents a bit better. I very much feel a sense of community and think the school is definitely a good fit for us.

The Pampered Chef

I am neither pampered, nor am I a chef, but I did go to a Pampered Chef party the other night. Potato Soup. Delicious. Turtle Caramel Skillet Cake. Double Delicious. The lady had her sales pitch down, but I stuck to my guns and bought the only thing I intended to buy.

The Silicone Basting Brush

I was tired of basting and having the brush hairs come out on my food. Gross. I didn't want them mistaken for my own hairs. Ewww. When I was in Columbus at my SIL's bridal shower, she had one, and I decided then and there that I would buy one at the next opportunity. I don't think it will arrive in time to baste my beautiful turkey, but that's okay.

It's A Shop 'N Save Day

It was No Coupon Thursday today at Shop 'n Save where you get $10 off of any $50 purchase just because they love you. Well that $50 cannot include milk, cigs, lottery tix, gift cards, booze, and stuff I don't buy anyway. We did pretty stellar today, so I thought it would give me something to post about. I was able to get our Thanksgiving turkey (17 pounder) and all of this other wonderful product for (drum roll, please)...



...$36.31!!! I make it a point on No Coupon Thursday to only buy things I have coupons for, and I only shop at Shop 'n Save on NCT because otherwise their prices are insane. If someone went in to purchase all of this on a whim, without coupons, in-store promotions or sale prices, they would have spent $94.89! Yikes! Basically, I got 36 items averaging $1.00/item. Not too shabby for Rachel.

Tuesday Afternoon Quarterback

I figured it was about time for an update on my fantasy football team. The Magic Loogie is on a tear with a 3 game win streak going into next week's matchup against Koko the Monkey. Last night I was able to secure a victory over Newman! to move to 5-5 overall. I was a little concerned because my QB Drew Brees was on bye this week, and I had to start my sub, Matt Cassel.

(photo from Getty images)

He BLEW UP for over 40 points! Was not expecting that. In case you are wondering what is up with all the team names, it is a Seinfeld theme league. My name came from probably one of the greatest (and one of my favorites) scenes in Seinfeld history...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcaq4ElAJrE

I Think Their Days Are Numbered

OH MY! Days of our Lives is getting pretty desperate these days. I haven't watched this show in years and years, but I read they had been doing A LOT of product placement lately. That is an understatement if you check out youtube. This one definitely takes the cake. The one girl (I don't know who the characters are) looks like she is about to bust out laughing. (And I thought Michael Jordan used to advertise anything.)

Hilarious with a Capital H

I just finished reading

It covers the top 100 style mistakes women make and how to avoid them. I highly recommend it for entertainment value, and you can read the whole book in a matter of hours. Check it out at the local library as it is not one of those style "reference" guides that you would keep on your bookshelf. Unless, of course, you are a culprit of many of these faux pas. Then, by all means, buy it!

Here's a snip-it from our fashion guru, Clinton...

"Now, let's move on to the hoodie, which is basically a sweatshirt with a dangling, useless appendage 'round back. Who let this look become so popular? I might enjoy the concept more if people actually utilized that pouch behind their necks. You could carry your cell phone in there. Or a bag of Cheetos. Or a premature baby... Now that I think about it, I love the idea! You could go to the mall, walk around for a few hours with your pack of underachieving friends, park your butt (my word, not his) on a bench, dig around in your "clothes," then call your baby's daddy while eating cheese curls and nursing little Brit'ny. Ah, the American dream. You can tell yourself you look cute in a hoodie, but we both know you'd be lying."

I think I will go throw out all my hoodies now.

Go pick up a copy to find out what he has to say about The Boca Sandal, Mom Jeans, Flip Flops, the Double Bubble, as well as his specific shout out to those in the Pacific Northwest (which is another "mistake" I make.)

Running Errands

Noah and I spent the better part of Tuesday running errands. After a few quick bank and credit union stops, we arrived here...


...in search of a 120V 10W appliance light bulb for our dryer. Who knew these would be so hard to find? Home Depot? No! Lowe's? No! Walmart? No! Ace Hardware? No! Branneky? No! I even looked online, and the only place I could find one sells them in boxes of 60! Really? Who needs 60 light bulbs of that size? This one lasted over 10 years, so I'm thinking 60 might be 59 too many! I am at a complete loss for where to find this bulb. It looks just like a bulb you would put in a nightlight. Only about 1/2 inch in diameter, if that. Whoever finds me one will get lots of kudos on a future blog post.




Next stop... Wendy's. We were so excited to see that a new Wendy's has finally opened up near us. The previous franchise owner of practically all of them in the area lost them all due to tax fraud or some nonsense like that. Anyway, when we pulled into the parking lot, I quickly learned this was not just any run of the mill Wendy's, but this was a GREEN Wendy's. We'll get to the parking lot story shortly. Everything hanging on the walls has some kind of environmental messaging. I found it a little ridiculous, and odd since I was in Bridgeton--not exactly overflowing with environmentalists.

What I found most odd, and almost lawsuit worthy (ACLU) was in the parking lot. Normally, those coveted top dog parking spots are reserved for people that are handicapped. I don't have a problem with that. This, I have a problem with...



... Four spots closest to the door are reserved for vehicles like Smart Cars and Volts. I wonder how many people in Bridgeton they think own those vehicles. Probably fewer than they have spaces reserved for. And, right next to those 4 spaces are 2 more spaces reserved for Carpooling Vehicles Only. Yes, you read that correctly. Not handicapped people, Not New Moms or Stroller Moms, but Carpooling Vehicles. In case you are wondering, they basically said "Screw you" to the handicapped people and reserved them two spaces at the back of the building where people yell out their drive-thru order. Anyway, they are really lucky I like their Frosty's.

Founder's Day

Yes, this post is about one month late, but I finally got the photos off this camera. We celebrated Kappa Delta Founder's Day this year at GC Food & Brewery. I had never been there, and it was definitely good enough to go back. Even better, there is a coupon for it in the latest Entertainment Book.

Some of our Nautilus Circle members--those who have been KD's for 25 years or more.

Sara and Ruth-- Ruthie is one of our Emerald Circle members, 60 years or more as a KD. She is just a few short years away from Diamond Circle, 75 years + as a KD. The great thing about Ruthie is she still loves to cheer for those Fighting Illini--even 70 years later!!

My friend Chelsea, who just days before, found out her second attempt at IVF was successful (Yeah!), and she is expecting twins (Double Yeah!!)

Hey Jerry, What Took You So Long?

Seeing as how the Boys are now 1-7, it was only a matter of time before heads to started to roll. Wade should have been gone at least 4 games ago. If the Rams would have listened to me and got rid of Mike Martz 3 seasons before they did, they never would have been the joke of a team they were for the past 6-7 years.

Now, we must look to next year. The answer to Jerry's problem is really quite simple. Hire this guy...



When you charge $90 for a pizza in your stadium suites, you can afford him. And, he won't be Jerry's lap dog. This team needs discipline and someone to light a fire under them. One more thing besides hiring Bill, they must get rid of Tony Romo. I'm sure Tony is a nice guy and all, or maybe he's total jerk (I'll call Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson and ask them.) I don't know him, but I do know, he is no Roger Staubach, Danny White, or Troy Aikman. Can you tell I'm very frustrated? When your husband is making of you because the Browns have a better record, you have to vent a little.

I would vent more, but the kids need me to find the crayons...

To the Symphony We Will Go

Tuesday, I participated in the 1st-3rd grade field trip at Carlie's school. Since my uncultured self had never been to the symphony, I was definitely fascinated with the opportunity. It surpassed my expectations, and I am ready to return. Powell Symphony Hall is stunningly beautiful.

While there I noticed Michael W. Smith will be performing a Christmas concert. That would sure be a treat to see. I've seen him in a Christmas concert before with Amy Grant and Point of Grace, and he is just fabulous. (For any of you reading between the lines, this is a gift idea for those less able to catch my subtleness.)

The kids will be returning again in February for another field trip, so I think I will be signing up to drive for that one as well.

Wedding Recap

Okay. I don't have a ton of wedding pics to post because they didn't turn out all that great. I was having lighting issues with the extra bright sunlight. And, during the ceremony I was standing up there as a bridesmaid and would have looked quite ridiculous if I was snapping pics. Oh well. Here's hoping the wedding photographer got some good pics for us all.

Carlie was, of course, fabulous as the flower girl. She also liked the thank-you gifts that came with the position... silly bands, personalized bracelet, glow sticks. We did have wonderful weather (despite the glaring sunlight and the falling acorns that hit a groomsman right in the middle of the ceremony.) Casey looked beautiful, and Doug cleans up well. I think it's the first time I've seen him in something other than Cleveland Browns or Indians attire-- Go Tribe!

I wasn't at the reception long as Noah fell asleep during dinner, and I had to take him back to the cabin and put him to bed. It was great to see a lot of extended family even though I didn't get to visit with them long. Congrats, Doug and Casey!!

The Waiting Game

Dropping Petals

The Happy Couple

I don't know how Tiff made it down the grassy aisle in these shoes. No kidding, they were over 5 inch heels!!

Noah and Hunter

The Harpist

Carlie and Momma

The Cupcake Tower