The Aftermath

I truly don't think I've ever had so many dishes/stuff on my counters at one time. Holy smokes my kitchen was a mess after Thanksgiving 08.



It was a fun day. I got out of bed at 7:00 to start working with the turkey (meaning dinner, not my husband), got that in the oven, got the kitchen cleaned and ready to go, and our friends arrived at 1:30. It never ceases to amaze me how much time and effort goes into these meals and they're done in 20 minutes tops. But it was fun, and now 3 trash bags and 3 loads of dishes in the dishwasher later it's as if it never happened (except for the left-overs in the fridge).

And now the Christmas madness begins! Not hitting the mall too early tomorrow, but will be shopping since my mom wants to get the boys gifts while she is here, and I want to send some gifts back with her for my nieces & nephews. Oh and I came up with the theme for our Christmas letter this year - start checking your mailbox soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Big Night Tonight, Big Day Tomorrow!

Big stuff going on here at the Anderson house! We lead such exciting lives!

Not only is TONIGHT the Dancing with the Stars finale! But my mom will be here tomorrow night to watch the awarding of the mirror ball trophy with me! Only fitting, since my mom is the one who got me in to the show in the first place. You better believe I'm tuning in tonight AND voting on my phone and online. Go Lance Bass!!

And then, tomorrow, I'm getting my hair cut, and perhaps even a bit of a style. Haircuts are expensive here, so I get my hair cut like twice a year maybe, and frankly I'm a bit sick of it. Still will be long-ish, still curly, still able to pull up in a ponytail, but yes, perhaps a bit different than just hanging down all curly-like. The boys are getting cuts too; Thornley wants his spikey on top - I think he'll look cute that way!

OK - people are yelling, and I must vacuum because YAY my mom and dad arrive tomorrow morning!

My College Game Day

Beavers pulled it out in the final seconds! Dare we dream of the Rose Bowl for my Beavs?! I will be soooo glued in front of the tv next Sat for the Civil War, wearing my orange and black of course!
Cal won, also a good thing.
UW lost the "Crapple" Cup, I don't really care, but am hoping that the Bears don't take them too lightly next week and hand UW their ONLY win of the year.
College hoops will be on tv soon, now that the boys will actually sit and watch and let me explain the game to them, hopefully I can get caught up on a few of my favorite teams!
Now I must clean my kitchen that was neglected while I watched my game.

Busiest Shopping Day of the Year

While some people are anxiously awaiting Black Friday, and have had their shopping plans in place for weeks; this is not the shopping day I'm referring to. I must say, I am excited to see the promo flyers, because I do love a good sale, but I don't love large crowds, so I may forego the deals this year. No, no, I'm referring to hitting the grocery store for the food for Thanksgiving dinner. My parents are coming for the weekend, and I've invited some friends over who don't have family in the area, and as of right now, I have no idea what I'm going to feed them (well, turkey and potatoes will be involved I'm sure). I have been looking thru some magazines for yummy sounding recipes, but I'm not a very good cook, so while they sound delicious in Martha Stewart, they in all likelihood will not turn out delicious on my table.
So today, between going to see Bolt (the boys have been counting down for weeks now), taking Thornley to a birthday party, Thornley's Cub Scout visit to the fire station, and a Pampered Chef party tonight, I will have to find time to sit down, make a menu and generate a shopping list. Maybe if the food is good enough, they won't notice my messy house?

What Jack is Thankful For

Today was Jack's Thanksgiving Feast in class. It worked out great, while my class was at gym I was in Jack's class at his feast. His teacher, Andrea, always does an awesome job with the parent parties. Jack's class has been cooking and working on many Thanksgiving crafts (I may even copy one of them next year:)). True to form, the parents arrive, then the class comes in and sings a few songs - my all time fav the Mr Turkey and Mr Duck song; I look forward to it every year.




Then they go down the line and say what they're thankful for. Jack's list of things he's thankful for...God, and his grammy and papa. Now, I too, am thankful for grammy and papa - they're great, and the boys are so excited to see them this coming week, but HELLO! I didn't even make the list! Here is a picture of Jack and me at his feast (I guess since grammy and papa weren't there he could take a picture with me).

Imitation is the Sincerest form of Flattery

Apparently, I got in trouble the other day, funny thing is, no one actually talked to me about it, they talked to another teacher at the preschool. I guess I copied a craft another teacher uses, which I don't see as a big deal, especially since we don't have the same kids, but apparently I was wrong, and it is a big deal. So, I'm thinking, if you don't want me to do the same crafts as you photocopy your lesson plan book and give it to me at the beginning of the year, so I know what you're doing because when I pick my themes and plan my calendar, I just google my themes and pick and choose my crafts. I copy Andrea's crafts all the time, because they're awesome and she doesn't mind! I've got some sweet Christmas gifts going home this year thanks to Andrea's awesome craft ideas!
I have also copied Matt and given up on the facebook-ness of it all. I would update my facebook far more often than my blog, but one of the problems is my mom doesn't have facebook, but she does check my blog. So hopefully, not spending time on facebook will find me spending more time updating my blog (not necessarily cleaning the house, like some may hope). Today for example, I believe I will have 2 entries! Almost doubled my November posts in one day!
I have to download the pics from Jack's Thanksgiving Feast and start working on that post!

Scout's Honor

I am not a big fan of signing my kids up for this sport, and that class. For one, it costs a stink of a lot of money, and also takes a heck of a lot of time taking them from place to place. This year, however, I did think Thornley would enjoy Cub Scouts and decided to sign him up. He is in a Den with some boys from church, and some boys he went to preschool with. They really are a cute group of boys, and I think the program is right up Thornley's alley. He's already gotten a badge or two; gone to the library for a tour (and got his own card), seen a play, and is going to visit the fire station on Sat. He gets so excited for the meetings and comes home and tells me all about the cool stuff they do. And he gets a uniform, which, if you know Thornley, you know he's ALL about the uniform! Here he is with his Den during their first "official" meeting.

Running Late, but Worth It

Typical Meghan work morning at the Anderson house; running around trying to get everything done (you know, like getting dressed and eating breakfast) and get out the door on time. But we had to pause for this momentous occasion...

Now I have to squeeze in a visit to the bank!

Focus on the Family Would LOVE This One

Happy Halloween one and all! Now, I must say, I don't see what the big deal is about Halloween. Yes, I am a Christian, but no, I don't think Halloween is a big day of the devil celebration. I think it's fun for the kids to dress up, and well, who am I to turn down a candy bar or two. I just truly don't get the big anti-Halloween-ness of some.
I think it's very fitting that this year my boys were Harry Potter and Bibleman. Here is one of my most favorite pictures of them, that those anti-Halloween/anti-Harry Potter, Focus on the Family lovin' people would want to make into a poster. Yes, this is Bibleman crushing Harry Potter...



We hit a few houses in the neighborhood to trick or treat and then headed to the church for their annual Fall Fun Fest. I was on the planning committee this year, so I of course was super sensitive about the event. The boys said they had fun, and overall I heard good feedback. Jack was a bit upset, as he thought Adam should carry him around all evening so he really looked like he was flying on his broom.
Here is a cute pic of the boys trick or treating - don't be surprised if you see it again on a Christmas Card!



Thornley's "Day of the Dead" party turned into a harvest party and he said it was fun. I ended up planning and prepping the craft (cute paperbag scarecrows - if I do say so myself), and the game (harvest bingo - always a hit). Don't know what happened to the mom who was going to plan it all, but I think it turned out better this way!

And now I'm exhausted, but must get ready for the month of November with new calendar numbers and name tags. The joys of preschool!! (really, I love my job, just tired!)