Pierre

My big ol sweetie.

I am a major cat lover (much to my dh's chagrin!) and recently adopted this mammoth stray. He is such a dear...very laid back and loving.

My sister's pictures..

she is a wonderful photographer. She took the one of Garrett (below) when she was visiting for Thanksgiving. Here are a few more of my favorites..courtesy of Cherrie...1. Her 9 yr old son Brecken standing on a dock at Southwood park 2. Anna Rose 3. Robin and Cherrie at the Henry Doorley Zoo in Omaha 4. Grandma Linda and Cherrie's son Laken, age 3 Looking at the pictures I can't believe how fast Autumn turned into Winter!

Today is sunny.

and me thinks I just might make it through another Iowa winter if the sun continues to shine...it can be sub-zero and 40 mph winds, but if the sun is shining I will survive. I will never get used to Iowa winters, although I have now lived in Iowa for almost as long as I lived in Texas (well, don't count the 4 winters in Florida-so I guess the south wins anyway). I loved Florida winters and I love Iowa spring and summers, so if I could be a little, old snowbird it would be just perfect.

Garrett

I am in awe that Garrett will turn 6 tomorrow. I was first in awe when I got pregnant with him shortly after a heartbreaking miscarriage in Feb 2003. Next I was in awe to find out that I was having a little boy after 11.5 years and 4 girls:) I couldn't wait to drag out my box of little boy clothes again. Thirdly I was so in awe when he was born on Dec. 29, 2003, 4 days after Christmas, his beautiful little fair face, bright blue eyes and head of downy blonde hair looking so much like an angel. Finally, I continue to be in awe daily of my little man and give thanks for his sunny smile, happy disposition and wonderful imagination. It is just so fun to have him as my son. Happy Birthday Dear Garrett!!!!

More pictures from Christmas

Colton bought a PS3 with his own money before Christmas and I got him a game to play on it. He also got the movie Dark Knight, a flashlight for his car, some mittens and hat from Grandma and some underwear, socks and tee shirts. Carlina got a bed spread, cute owl pillow (she is collecting owls), game for her ds (we opened the game case and it was empty! I called Amazon and they are sending one asap...good thing about using Amazon!), jammie bottoms and socks. Julia got a comfy bathrobe, jammie bottoms, bible and makeup. Alicia got a pretty dark blue DS, DS accessories, game for DS and a webkinz, Katie got a webkinz, stuffed puppy, book, tea set from Grandma, Garrett and Thomas got a race car track that didn't work! Jesse gave it to them Christmas Eve so he could play with them (he had to work on Christmas) . He ran to Target and exchanged it for one that did work (hopefully)...and it did. The boys also got legos, lightning mcqueen semis and a hotwheels set from Grandma. Anna got a Strawberry Shortcake doll and a cute shape sorter. It was a fun Christmas. I enjoyed reading One Wintry Night to the kids. It is an awesome book that tells the Christmas story from the very beginning (Genesis) and has gorgeous illustrations. We had a great Christmas and it went by very quickly as it usually does. I am so thankful that Jesus came to earth to be my Savior and look forward to celebrating His birth each year.

Snowy Christmas

This Christmas is what my children dreamed of for 4 years in Florida...SNOW and lots of it! It started with an ice storm on Wed. We left to go to Grandma's early...we thought we might not make it over if we waited. We went to my mom's (about 10 miles away) for lunch (a delicious meal of enchiladas and tacos) and fun fellowship including a game of Phase 10. Around 5pm we headed over to Jesse's mom's place (another 10 miles further on). The roads were terrible, icy and very slippery. Debi and Jewel were already there and Lori and girls headed over later. Christmas Eve night it began to really snow. We had fun doing white elephant exchanges Christmas Eve and the kids did play for awhile outside, but it was really too windy and miserable. Jesse had managed to get Christmas Eve off and he was really thankful. The guys who made it in Christmas Eve were stuck at the plant for 36 hours! Jesse went to work about 4pm Christmas Day and brought the guys some goodies. Christmas Day was fun....lots of gifts and playing. We had a delicious lunch of prime rib roast and spent most of the 4 days that we were at Grandma's baking goodies. Lori made a gingerbread house and gingerbread stable and manger scene....so cute!

Sunday

Jesse is off to work this morning and I am up preparing for the day (and typing on my blog). I didn't feel very well this morning but am feeling a bit better as the morning goes on. I hope I am not coming down with something before Christmas!

I see on the Weather Channel that a big blizzard is hitting East coast. Yikes! I think we are going to be getting some snow this week, I hope it isn't as bad as the last wallop. People in NY are stuck in the airport for awhile it appears....a real life planes, trains and automobiles.

I need to figure out a better idea for my kitties. I've now got 4 of them running around inside and it's making some members of the household crazy! I also feed 2 strays outside! Jesse wants them all outside and I need to figure out a way to keep them warm. I'm thinking about getting a dog house or 2 on the porch.

Well, I need to put my chicken in the oven. Have a great day!

Hair

New hair cut for me!! Ahhh! I am 10 lbs lighter:)

Home

Jesse and I are looking at a house that was built in 1911 (Which happens to be the year an airplane landed on a boat for the first time!). It is a fabulous old house with original electrical wiring, a large billiard room, gorgeous stucco on the outside and an extensive unfinished basement filled with dusty law books. It is just the size of house that a family like ours needs to breath. Don't get me wrong...I have not stopped giving thanks for the house we are in. It was just the ticket for us after surviving bankruptcy in Florida and needing a reasonably priced place to live close to family. But, it does feel a bit tight inside and out. We are praying that God will provide a larger place for us, if it is His will and if not, I am fine with that. We are working on paying off 2 outstanding debts and then we will see what is in store for us. Here is a picture of the place know as the Bennett House.

Cutie

How fast the years go...Garrett will be 6 on Dec. 29th. We celebrated his and Carlina's 16th birthday (on Dec. 4th), on Sunday. He was so excited to open his gifts. His expressions were priceless.

Here is Garrett when he was 4 months old. He was such a happy little guy, always smiling.

Thomas trouble

A couple of days ago my 3-year old choked on an orange. It wasn't too scary..I was right there and helped him yuk it up and spit it out. Since then he has been afraid to eat and swallow. He will drink liquids and I have gotten him to eat yogurt, but nothing else. He seems to be fine (he ate quite a bit of yogurt today), but it is still a worry to me. I hope time will ease his fears and he will start eating regularly soon. I researched on the web and found quite a few similar cases, so I guess it is common. It is new to me though. I would appreciate prayers for Thomas if you see this!

Snow day/tiny house/stir crazy

Everyone is stir crazy! We have been hit with a big blizzard, frigid air and below zero wind chills. As a result we are all inside and driving each other nuts! Our "doll house" is home to 10 people, 4 cats and 1 dog....

On the subject of a small house, I actually don't mind, most of the time. It is fairly quick and easy to clean, but we can't have lots of clutter or it overruns us. If someone wants peace, they may have to retreat to the bathroom (there are actually 2). Noone has their own room except for Colton.

Jesse had to work last night and said his feet were the only things that got cold. His boots are not waterproof and got wet due to walking through the deep snow. It is hard to find waterproof, steel toed boots and he is required to have steel toes. The battery went dead on the suburban, so he had some hardship in that respect.

Slow evening

I am sitting here watching Pixar shorts on ABC family, also babysitting 2 little boys for my friend while she helps out with AWANA. I do that every Wed. night. Pixar is so creative...I loved Up which I just watched for the first time recently. Anna went to sleep, but I don't think she will stay down for the night. She is a terrible sleeper, so much like Colton at that age. He was up every hour for a long time...just a very light sleeper. He still says that he has trouble sleeping at age 17.

Carlina turns 16 on Friday. We took her to Panda Express in Omaha on Monday and it was pretty good. Jesse had the hot and sour soup which was awful, everything else was decent. We are having a combined party on Dec. 13 for her and Garrett who turns 6 on the 29th. Neither child was due in Dec. Carlina was due Nov. 23 and Garrett was due Jan. 3. I sometimes feel that Garrett gets cheated as his birthday is shortly after Christmas, but we try.

Last night I was sitting outside watching the stars in the cold air, waiting for Bible Study. It was such a beautiful night and I felt like God was right there with me. Sometimes I think about all the wonderful things I will do with Him for eternity. I hope and pray that all my family and kids are there too. We will have an amazing time...forever. Like Kay Arthur says "Time is short, but eternity is forever."

Well, tomorrow I am going shopping with the church ladies. Will be picked up at 7am sharp. Anna is going along, I hope she makes it. It is a marathon time. Jesse is picking me up in town at 7:30 pm. I won't be able to keep going to midnight or whenever they stop. We are having lunch at the Olive Garden...yum!

December rush begins...

I am trying to complete at least one Christmas job every day. Yesterday I got 17 Christmas cards off. I have more that I need to work on, but it felt good to get some off. We are keeping our gift giving pretty basic so shopping shouldn't be too hard. The kids will get one larger gift and 1-2 smaller ones. Colton wants a video game, he is planning on buying a PS3 with his own money. Carlina wants a new bedspread, Julia is getting a cookie press from Pampered Chef and a new Bible, Alicia wants a Nintendo DS (she is putting $70 of her own money towards it), Katie wants a Webkinz and a Tamagotchi, Garrett & Thomas are getting a racecar set and Anna will be getting a book from Usborne. Jesse would like the Bible on CD. We still need to get a tree and get some lights up and then its baking time!!!!

Sardis

We studied the Church of Sardis tonight at Bible Study. It was a dead church filled with unbelievers. They cared more for material wealth than spiritual wealth. They were concerned with social issues but neglected salvation, even their own. Their society was much like ours...very wealthy and craving luxury and ease.

I wonder how many churches exist like that today in America? I imagine quite a few. Here is an interesting article about how a church should disciple and change those around them:

CHURCH

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am so thankful that for the last 6 days I have gotten to spend time with my sister, her husband and their 4 kids! They live in Central Oregon and we haven't been together with them in years! We had a wonderful time!!!! We ate lots of food, went to a movie, went roller skating, played lots of board games, went to the zoo and had a terrific time visiting. They flew back home today and I will miss them all so much!!!

Decisions...

Colton will be graduating this Spring and is starting to make decisions regarding his future. He is only 17 and I am sure it will be some time before he actually settles on a permanent career. He is going to get a year of technical training as an electrician's apprentice (at a community college), first of all. He really wants to be a writer but it will be so nice to have a job (where you can earn pretty good money) to fall back on. He will take some writing classes on the side. It is so strange to think that this phase (high school) of his life is almost over. He was in public school for 8 years (not including one year of part-time preschool) and began homeschooling in the 8th grade. He is a really smart guy, although he does struggle a bit in math. He loves to argue! Start talking time travel, old earth/new earth, etc with him and he gets riled up. His ACT results should be coming back soon and they will help determine what classes he is required to take. I have always said that I don't care what path my kids take *career-wise*, if they try to follow God's leading in their life. I want them to serve God in whatever they do; not an easy thing in this dark world.

Gorgeous days...

We have been having amazing November days. Today is incredible again....I know it won't last.

Colton had 3 wisdom teeth out last week and is recovering. So far noone else has been sick. Mondays are always crazy, today was no exception. Katie was getting baking soda down from a cabinet (standing on a chair) and knocked the cooking oil out, lid broke and spilled everywhere. She fell off the chair but wasn't injured.

Jesse is home trying to sleep...I stress "trying". He works 3 more nights and then will be off for 8 days.

More about decluttering....

Here is another helpful article about the subject:

DECLUTTER

Decluttering toys..

This is a good article about getting rid of excess toys. She says the secret is to be ruthless! I have been working on this for a few days. Trying to narrow down the clutter and it is a wonderful, freeing feeling!

Happy November!

2009 is flying by...soon it will be 2010. I am flabbergasted that I will be turning 40 this month, celebrate 20 years of marriage in July 2010 and also have one graduating in the Spring. The girls and I love to look at old photo albums and reminisce about years past. When I had 4, ages 5 and under, I thought some days lasted forever...now those 4 are all in their teens (almost). I have been blessed beyond measure and I just want to savor each day that God has given me.

Last day of October...

Where did the month go? Hopefully November will be as nice as October as been, for the most part. It was kind of a frantic day today, although I don't really know why. Jesse slept and the kids ran around and played like crazy. We went to the store ( 2 different ones) 4 separate times to pick up....candy, water, glue, and a few assorted other items. Luckily we live right in town (or maybe unluckily for the wallet).

Colton made delicious chicken alfredo for dinner and we are snacking on Halloween candy (m&m's and reeses pieces.

More Fall pics

All clear....

everyone is better today....so one day sickness free. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

It rained off and on all day. I love the Fall smell. Julia and I took a walk in the drizzle (it was warm-57 degrees) and I breathed it all in deeply. Soon it will smell like winter and burn my lungs with the frigid air.

Jesse went back to work tonight. He works so hard when he is home. He cooks alot, which I love. Sitting in the crockpot is the most delicious chili mac which he "composed" yesterday.

Went to Bible Study tonight--Living By the Book by Howard Hendricks--learning how to study the Bible in depth.

Life..

continues on with the flu. Colton and Carlina are still sick, although Carlina seemed somewhat better today. Still have fevers and chills. Thomas has a cough now, too. I sure hope the little ones can avoid the flu.

We (Julia, Alicia, Katie, Garrett, Thomas, Anna & I) went to Mom's for dinner. She made a delicious chicken dinner and we enjoyed visiting for awhile. At one point Anna climbed halfway up the stairs before we even realized she was missing. She is so speedy. We came home about 6 to get ready for Awana.

I have a new kitty who I love. He is a big stray Tom cat that showed up about 2 weeks ago. I call him Pierre. Cherrie-you would adore him! He is so loveable.

Turkey and Iran...

Read Joel Rosenberg's column about interesting happenings with end-time revelance:

Here

Flu

Yes, we have it here now. Colton has been very sick for the past 3 days and Carlina, sick, but not as bad. Colton has been extremely miserable today. We had to postpone having his wisdom teeth removed, of course and he has missed 2 days of work. Now it is a waiting game to see who will get sick next. I thought it was going to be Thomas. He was flushed with a slight fever last night, but seems to be fine today. We don't plan on getting any flu shots.

It was a gorgeous Fall day and Julia, Alicia, Katie, Anna and I walked to the library. We took Jake who got loose at one point and chased squirrels in the park. He also barked viciously at a man walking out of the library.

Hello

I've been neglecting you, blog...so sorry!

It is a cold and rainy morning. We have a new stray cat that stays around now. He is a huge tabby that we named Pierre. Very sweet. I don't know if someone dropped him off, or where he came from. We have let him in several times. I asked my mom if she would take him, otherwise I will keep feeding him and maybe adopt him as an outdoor kitty.

Our yard is covered with leaves. The trees are almost bare. It is sad a dreary to see them go. There is still some color left and I am relishing the last bit of it. I am having fun feeding a baby squirrel. He comes every day and eats corn from the feeder. Yesterday he tried to drag a huge ear of corn back up to his nest. It was funny to watch him try.

Swine flu is prevalent around here. My niece in Oregon has it, as well! She has been home from school for a few days now. So far we have managed to avoid it, but I'm sure we can't forever. My mom has been sick with the seasonal flu, I haven't seen her in 2 weeks and have been missing her.

Colton gets his 3 wisdom teeth removed on Monday. I pray that all goes well. He gets to take the whole week off of work, so that will be helpful. He will be in no mood to work for awhile.

Birthday girl...

Well, I am up at 2am with the little birthday girl on my lap. She sat up about an hour ago and suddenly threw up 2 times. Poor little thing, to be sick on her birthday! She seems to be doing okay now...maybe a slight temp.

Last year at this time, I was also up at 2am...in labor. Anna arrived at 7:43 am, so I still had awhile to go. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA ROSE!!!!

Fall weather

This week I've been feeling a bit burned out so we took a couple of days off. On Wednesday we went to our favorite park (about 10 miles away). It was a gorgeous day....70 degrees and bright sunny skies. We hiked, took pictures, let Jake run around and enjoyed some time away from the books.

Today--Friday--is our art day. All the kids painted pictures and then we had a unit study on World WarI. Later we talked about the evolutionist versus creationist idea of "Ardi". It was fun to do something together and less structured.

What can save me?

I've been thinking about this topic alot lately. If you are a Lord of the Rings fan you will remember the quote "This quest stands on the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail......". I think of this when I ponder life here on earth. It is so precarious. Our houses, food, clothes, loved ones... are all things that we cling to on this planet. We think we are so secure and comfortable but, in reality, we are on the edge of a knife. Nuclear threats, biological threats, illnesses, accidents...life is unpredictable. This may sound gloomy but it has a stellar ending. None of the physical things that we cling to can save us. We may one day lose it all. We can't count on anything from day to day...anything except for One thing...the Lord Jesus Christ. If we have trusted Him as our Savior, we have no worries, no fears..all loss is gain.

Bountiful September...

I am so sad to say goodbye to September. It has been a gorgeous month. This time of year makes me feel alive and I am so thankful for it. I feel blessed to be living in the Midwest again during Autumn. Mom and Terry have some amazing apple trees which really did produce well. Terry is an expert when it comes to taking care of fruit trees and with his special pruning they are exceedingly abundant. We also picked a bunch of raspberries and froze some. I made a huge cobbler with them and Jesse made a delicious sorbet. Jesse dug a ton of potatoes today at some friends of ours. He made scalloped potatoes for dinner which were delish!!! I am so thankful for a husband who cooks!

More fun pics...

Alicia...

turned 12 on September 27th. She enjoyed several parties (one earlier in the month with daddy--who turned 42 on September 12th) and one the day before her birthday at Grandma's. We also took her out to Subway (her favorite restaurant) on her actual day and went to Walmart to shop with her birthday money. She only bought a wallet to hold her money:) She is saving up the rest to put towards a nintendo ds at Christmas time. Alicia is my computer girl and will spend all her time on there if I don't limit her. She is very creative, artistic and is just a happy person most all of the time. Julia made her the cute bubble gum machine cake.

Don't limit God..

Here is an article I recently submitted to our Woman's Newsletter at church:

“Mom, guess what?” I prayed that this would go all the way to China!” These were Katie’s words on Sunday as she showed me a paper airplane that she had decorated. It was covere d with an 8-year old’s words of evangelism in small wavy print and surrounded by colorful pictures of crosses, birds, kittens and little girls waving. “I’m going to send this into the air and pray that it reaches someone who doesn’t know God…maybe even to China!” she repeated.

Later, it struck me…she didn’t have any reservations or hesitations about the paper airplane flying all the way to China. She had faith that if God willed, He would send it to China. I thought of Philippians 4:13..”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” How often we limit ourselves by forgetting to call on the Lord and attempting to do for ourselves. Jesus gives us the strength, not only for our daily activities, but for wonderful and amazing things that we would never dream of accomplishing without Him.

Warren Berkley says in his Expository Files “ To get the impact of this (v erse), stop and think about what you could not do without Him”. We are nothing without Him, yet often we try and go it alone. We then wonder why we fail or our accomplishments seem hollow and empty.

How we limit the Almighty God! When we take the time to study the petal of a flower or the delicate wings of a dragonfly, we are astonished. When we view a majestic mountain peak or the thundering ocean waves we can really understand Jeremiah 32:27 which says “I am the Lord, the God of the whole human race. Is anything too hard for me?”

So many times have I gotten up and faced the day without asking Him for help. As I wrestle and struggle forward, each minute seems like an eternity. Fear and anxiety are my companions when I attempt to live without God’s help. With God I can move forward in His will with peace and contentment. I can tell my neighbors and people I meet about God and am not surprised when wondrous and miraculous things occur….maybe even a small paper airplane crossing the mighty sea!

Get your Christmas Shoe boxes ready!!!

Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child

Roll with it...

one must take the challenges that life throws at us (large or small) and keep moving forward. Today I was up very early. DH gets up at 5am to go to work and I don't usually get up that early, however, today I was up shortly after and could not go back to sleep. I got up and did chores to prepare for church. Laundry, dishes, ironing, puppy and bunny chores, etc. I made my birthday girl a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and hot cocoa with marshmallows. Got the kids up about 7:30 and began the mad rush of dressing and eating before church. Colton took off for work and we went out to get in the suburban which was DEAD! Yikes! I have the permanent Sunday School nursery position and have to get there. Luckily we live very close. I hooked up the battery charger and off we walked...we made it in plenty of time and it was a gorgeous morning for a walk!

Fascinated...

with the news. I have always loved watching what is going on in the world, following the Middle East and Israel in particular. The world continues to do nothing about Iran and Israel will probably be forced to act soon...especially with the discovery of the new nuclear facilities. Here is a good article on Fox News about this issue.

We had a nice day at Grandma's. Went over there about 11 and played, ate lunch (delicious pot roast and potatoes) and had a yummy homemade sour cream chocolate cake for Alicia's 12th birthday which is tomorrow. Alicia received some birthday money and a soft blanket with pillows from Grandma. We had to leave about 3 to get Julia to a party and Carlina & Alicia to babysit. Katie stayed with Grandma for the night.

Wow,

I've been neglecting my blog lately. Jesse has been on his "8 days off" and we have been keeping very occupied. We had a wonderful day today. Had a picnic lunch at our favorite park and then did some driving around enjoying the countryside. Jesse and I love to just drive about and look at things and the kids seem to enjoy it, as well. Jake had a magnificent time running around in the park and then hanging his head out the window feeling the breeze. It is the most perfect time of the year(weather wise), as far as I'm concerned.

We stumbled upon a vineyard and were given an impromptu tour. Only the Catawba grapes were yet to be harvested...they looked fake hanging on the vine. We saw the beautiful bottles with custom labels, giant vats where the wine ferments and various other things they use to make the wine.

Stolen Identity!

Watch this funny video that my kids made about losing your identity: Stolen Identity

Fun books...

My younger kids love these Seek and Find books from Usborne...Here is a neat Christmas one:

I'm back briefly...

Had a wonderful Friday night and Saturday morning attending our church's annual Woman's Retreat. It was held at a church member's house out in the country. We had a dinner, wonderful speaker (we sat around a campfire in the perfect September evening) and cheesecake dessert. Carlina, Julia and Anna came along with me. The older girls were invited to help out. They ended up staying up all night talking!

On another note, Carlina got a job working at the local restaurant. She will be busing tables until she is old enough to waitress (16). I am so excited for her! Now I have 2 working teens, so hard to believe.

September has been perfect...the trees are starting to change, days are warm and evenings are cool.

Taking a break...

I am taking a small computer break to focus on other things.......will be back in a week or so!

Random Meme...

Here is a fun one from 2nd cup of coffee:

. When you go to Wowmart, what one thing do you get every single time, besides a funky-wheeled squeaking cart full of frustration?
Diapers (and a giant pizza...shhhh, I picked 2)

2. What is something that people are currently "into" that you just don't get or appreciate?
fancy cell phones






3. What is something that really hoists your sail that other people might feel "ho-hum" about?
see picture





4. Favorite song to sing in the shower or car?
Anything by Journey.


5. A really great salad must have this ingredient:
Any fruit.

6. Advice in a nutshell to new bloggers (one or two sentences):
Don't compare yourself to other bloggers...do it for you!

7. What was the alternate name that your parents almost named you? Do you wish they had chosen it instead of the one they gave you?
Jennifer and no.

8. What in your life are you waiting for?
Each day!

9. You get a package in the mail. What is it, and who is it from?
Box of books from Usborne!!!

10. Today--what song represents you?
?????



11. What is one thing that blogging has taught you about yourself?
Writers block is my friend.

12. How are you going to (or how did you) choose the clothes you're wearing today? What do they say about you in general or specifically how you're feeling today?
It was clean and in my closet.

Is my fish sandwich hokie?

Mcdonald's Fish sandwich at risk?

Those sandwiches are my absolute favorite when I am pregnant (which I am currently not)...I love them with milk. YUM!

Halirious birthday card made by Carlina...

Tomorrow is hubby's 42nd birthday.....on the inside it says "Hope your birthday is full of adventure"!

Pride

It is insidious, lurking, wedging itself in odd places, popping out uncontrollably and violently. I want to be humble because I am humble...lowly, unrighteous except for Jesus. There is nothing great about me except for Him. Help me God to serve others and not look down on anyone. Do I take pride in my house (most often messy)? My kids( rebellious sinners, as I am)? Homeschooling(imperfect!!!)? Help me to take pride in only You.

Introspection

Her books always make me feel introspective...slightly sad...reminiscent and wishing I could really write. I think of time, loss, family, God, life.....her writing is a gift to me, a gift from God. I really can't imagine life without a good book and they are few and far between. I guess that is why I read the classics over and over. I don't like excessive violence, graphic sex, adult themes. I read lots of children's literature, but I am so thrilled when I find a novel that I can savor...

Easy, yummy Lemonade Pie

Mix 2 packages of instant vanilla pudding with 1 2/3 cups of milk. Stir for 1 minute. Add 6 oz of frozen lemonade concentrate (thawed). Stir. Add a regular sized carton of cool whip. Stir. Put into a graham cracker crust. Chill. Garnish with lemons and dollops of cool whip. YUM!!!!!

New hair cuts...