Search This Blog

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Happy 11th Birthday!

In our house, December means Christmas, winter, and also birthdays!  Derek and Emily shared their 11th Birthday on December 2, 2011.
     I'm very proud of my twins.....they are both very unique individuals.     Recently, Emily has joined the 5th grade girls basketball team!   She's doing very well and is so fast!    Here are a few pics of her playing.  They won their first 2 games!



        We enjoyed watching her....




     Mom surprised me the other day with my early Christmas present...I have always wanted a lap dog....I have mocha my chocolate lab, and she's is a wonderful dog, the best dog over.  But she's a little too big to be sitting with me!  haha   Anyway, I seen a pictures of some puppies that I thought were just too adorable and Mom decided she wanted me to have one for Christmas!  So here is my little Chihuahua/dachshund mix.  His name is Pickles......
                                             He is a good boy!  
Sharayah started back to work this month after being off for maternity leave.  So I get to spend time a few days a week with Blaize and Lyndie......

               They are so adorable  and behave so well!!


Since this is the Christmas season, we have a lot of things going on.  Last Sunday, Ieshia had her Christmas Program at school....



                               They  did a great job this year!!                                          

Thanksgiving 2011

We had an awesome Thanksgiving this year! 










Every year the food is great, we have a blast playing games, and I enjoy everyone so much!  I love my family!  This year I made one of my Grandma Tinkhams recipes....her lemon dessert!  It reminded us all of how much we miss Grandma, and her dedication on the Holidays to making such a great feast!!  She was an absolutely wonderful cook/baker!!


   Here is Grandma Tinkhams Lemon Dessert
Ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. crushed walnuts (plus a few for sprinkling)
1 stick of butter
1 pkg cream cheese
1 medium container of cool whip
1 c. powdered sugar
2 boxes of instant lemon pudding


Step 1
Combine 1c. Flour
           1/2 c. crushed walnuts
                1 stick of butter (melted)
mix above ingredients and press into a 9X13 pan and bake at 375*
for 15 minutes....set aside to cool.
                                                        
Step 2
Combine 1pkg of softened cream cheese
                1 c. of powdered sugar
                1 c. of cool whip 
spread this mixture over cooled crust mixture
                                                    
Step 3
combine 2 boxes of lemon pudding
               3 c. of milk
 beat this on low for 4 minutes til set and spread over cream cheese mixture.
                                                         
Spread remaining cool whip over the top and sprinkle with crushed walnuts.    
                                                      
                                     ENJOY!!!


                                                            

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Nice Fall Weather..

November is here and we are still having  some beautiful weather here in Illinois.  Yesterday, it was close to 70*.  After school and homework, Derek and Emily want outside to play.  
Derek loves to rake leaves....

   
Emily was practicing her dribbling.   She is doing great with her basketball.  She's very fast at practice.




                                                      
I just love this kind of weather....I'm so happy that they are still able to play outside.                                                  

Friday, November 11, 2011

Book Review

I thought I'd add another book review....
    One of the last books I finished was The Last Child by John Hart
 WHAT IT'S ABOUT.......    
                        John Hart’s New York Times bestselling debut, The King of Lies, announced the arrival of a major talent. With Down River, he surpassed his earlier success, transcending the barrier between thriller and literature and winning the 2008 Edgar Award for best novel. Now, with The Last Child, he achieves his most significant work to date, an intricate, powerful story of loss, hope, and courage in the face of evil.

Thirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon had the perfect life: a warm home and loving parents; a twin sister, Alyssa, with whom he shared an irreplaceable bond. He knew nothing of loss, until the day Alyssa vanished from the side of a lonely street. Now, a year later, Johnny finds himself isolated and alone, failed by the people he’d been taught since birth to trust. No one else believes that Alyssa is still alive, but Johnny is certain that she is---confident in a way that he can never fully explain.

Determined to find his sister, Johnny risks everything to explore the dark side of his hometown. It is a desperate, terrifying search, but Johnny is not as alone as he might think. Detective Clyde Hunt has never stopped looking for Alyssa either, and he has a soft spot for Johnny. He watches over the boy and tries to keep him safe, but when Johnny uncovers a dangerous lead and vows to follow it, Hunt has no choice but to intervene.

Then a second child goes missing . . .

Undeterred by Hunt’s threats or his mother’s pleas, Johnny enlists the help of his last friend, and together they plunge into the wild, to a forgotten place with a history of violence that goes back more than a hundred years. There, they meet a giant of a man, an escaped convict on his own tragic quest. What they learn from him will shatter every notion Johnny had about the fate of his sister; it will lead them to another far place, to a truth that will test both boys to the limit.

MY OPINION.....   
  This was definitely a book that I will think of as one of my favorites.   I honestly couldn't put it down and finished it with in 24 hours of starting it.   This is my first John Hart book and I can't wait to read another.  The Last child really held my interest down til the last word.  It is a very busy book, some suspense, drama, and tragedy.  A must read for all the reading enthusiasts.                      

Monday, November 7, 2011

I had a lovely weekend!  Mom, Sheri and I went to my sister, Teri's house to surprise her for her Birthday!  I was a little skeptical but we pulled it off, Thanks to her husband Jason!  We surprised her one at a time as she went to lunch at MiCasitas.  First Mom walked in and then me, and lastly Sheri!  Once she got over the shock of all of us being there.....We had a fabulous lunch!  Her daughter, Hallie, joined us!  When we were about to leave, the servers sang Happy Birthday to her and gave her the Birthday Sombrero and Fried ice cream!  
    The rest of the day was spent shopping, giving her gifts, and eating wonderful Italian for supper at  a place I think was called Alfonsos.  The Alfredo was fabulous! 

               Teri loved all her gifts but I think her favorite was a beautiful vintage plaque that I recently purchased for her.    I've never seen her so excited....she even had tears of joy!    We got to see her cute little dog named boy..
   Saturday,  Teri had to play and sing for a wedding, so the rest of us went to a little shop in her town called Fry's.  I LOVE this shop and I shop there every chance I get!   We all got a lot of nice things there.   Then Pizza Hut for lunch, and shopping at the mall in Terra Haute.                          
                                                  
  After hours of shopping and lots of good bargains, we went to McKinleys .....very good food, great salads, and desserts!  I loved the decorations....

    Sunday Morning, Mom, Sheri and I started for home.  On the way, We stopped in Tuscola at Amishland.  Here is the link to there facebook page..... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amishland-Big-Red-Barn/211525738871515
    We had such a nice time!  It was also nice to come home and have my family waiting for me!  I am truly blessed!                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Book Review...

I finished the book 'Room' over the weekend....

Room: A Novel





What it's about:
To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

My Thoughts on this book:
For me, this book was another fast reader.   Room, kept me interested and wanting to read more.  As the description says, it is told from the young boy perspective.   I think this book is well worth reading.  Although this is not a true story, it still gives a lot of insight to what someone would go through both during an  abduction, captivity, and the healing process.  I recommend this book.