M got the job!  Yippee! They like him, His 1st official day will be the 21st.  He will begin yet another 90 day probationary period, but as a permanent employee and not a temp and making $2.00 more per hour... Yay!!!!

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Night-Night, Little Pookie (Pookie Books)

Sandra Boynton

Sandra Boynton, oh how I love you!  This is my ultra favorite Bed Time Book.  It generates the much needed giggles to make us very tired.  The look on the mother piggy's face is priceless.  It is super entertaining to read with voices.  Miss M now does the voice of the Little Pookie, as she is very familiar with the book now.  I love how the mother piggy asks Pookie if he would like to wear the pajamas with stars or pajamas with cars and like my children, he picks the top to one and the bottom to another and responds, "Stars and Cars"....  Love it!!!  This is a must have.

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We picked out our tree and began decorating the house.  This year it only took three pictures to make our Christmas card. 

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I'm really torn in my decisions for gifts for Miss M.  Although she is 2 years old, her developing mind is moving towards needing toys geared for a 3 and 4 year old.  We have been enjoying Memory and Candy Land.  The other day I had to ask Mary if a shape was a hexagon or an octagon.  Miss M explained to me the difference between 8 sides and 6 sides.  Last Sunday she and I went shopping at the book store for her little friend, Audrey.   Audrey is turning two and Miss M wants to get her little friend some books for her birthday.  As we are browsing the shelfs, Miss M finds a Dora the Explorer board book she would like to get for her friend.  I ask her how much it is and she turns the book over and says, it's four, ninety-nine.  To my surprise and other passsers by observing the tiny Miss M, and her wide vocabulary, she was indeed correct on the price of the book.  Miss M is a surprising little character with her language skills at such a young age.  I was driving home about a month ago and must have had a worried look on my face.  She asked me from the back seat, "Mommy what's wrong?"  I responded, "Oh, I'm just thinking..." "She said are you worried about the tires on the car?"  I explained yes, because the car had been making a knocking noise.  She pays very good attention to conversations between the Daddy, myself, her older brother, and older sister.  She listens and often comments on something that she knows has to do with what we are talking about.  My older kiddos have a half sibling that is 2 years older than Miss M.  They were telling me that she has an imaginary pet dog that she calls puppy.  Miss M is listening to the conversation and comments that we have a real dog named Chloe. 

This past Sunday I was getting bombarded with telemarketing calls and began just letting the answering machine get it.  One call rang and Miss M perked her ears up before the answering machine picked up, she commented, "You should answer this one because it is Mom-Mom (grandma, my mother)... " and she was exactly right.  She is so in tune with things, it can cause one's eyebrows to rise with awe. 

If we can get the potty training thing down, I would like to enroll her in Pre-school next year in September.  Mentally she is ready.  She understands the concept of potty training, she is not ultimately motivated to do so on a consistent basis.  

Tonight she wanted to help me wrap presents.  I don't know who she has observed or how she knew but she decided she wanted to put the bows on.  She knew exactly how to tear the scotch tape off and she knew that when she picked out the bow that it would be sticky on the back if she removed the card board piece.  I asked her how she knew how to do this and she said Daddy showed her, but I just checked with my husband and he hasn't shown her at all.  So I'm stumped at how she knows how to do this.  She is really something.  I'm not trying to sound braggy, I just want to document the moment, so I can look back at dates and milestones.  Everyone who ever encounters Miss M's presence is really taken by her and her advanced vocabulary.  People consistently are amazed that she is just two, and will not be three until June.  I recently asked a neighbor to babysit Miss M, as my full time baby sitter was ill.  When I picked Miss M up, the sitter just kept asking me if I was aware of how bright and smart Miss M is.  I explained yes, that she amazes me every day.  The sitter had commented that she had brought out some magnetic letters and was stunned that Miss M could put letters together to spell her name and other small words.  When I'm shopping at the store and the lady behind the register asks for my phone number, Miss M spouts out the info. 

Earlier this evening she took out some Tinker Toys and made pretend lollipops.  When I pretended to eat them, she pulled it away from me and explained that I shouldn't really eat them, that they were just pretend.  I told her I knew but thanked her just the same.  

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On December 1st we were greeted by our Annual visitors, "The Christmas Elves"  Toby, Tabby, Tina, Tim, Nanny Bell and our newest Elf Twinkle.  As some of you know Nanny Bell is in the retirement stage due to much love and a hip replacement.  She watches over the family from the shelf.  Twinkle is a sturdy little elf who offers the necessary cuddling to Little Miss M.  We've heard tales from our friends that Elves have a tendency to be mischievious, I'm happy to say our Elves are very well behaved. 

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I decided to move the Living room couch into the family room to lighten things up a bit and make room for the tree. 

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My Son is taking an 8th Grade Art Class in which he loves.  The first pictured mug is his impression of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas, which is his favorite.  The second picture is from G.  Her assignment was to take two animals and combine them into a mythical creature.  This is her impression of a Borse Hat.  In other words her combined creature is that of a horse and a bat.  The third image is a holiday mug by G. 

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Hungry, Hungry Hippo!

This is Baby M's beloved Hippo.  Aunt Susan bought Hippo and brought it to the hospital when Baby M was first born.  Hippo has a device in it's leg that giggles.  Hippo sleeps with Baby M each night.  Sometime around 3am when the babe that slumbers rolls over, multiple giggles can be heard over the baby monitor.  Before bedtime I discovered the dinner prep that Baby M had cooked up for the "Hungry Hippo".  She described the menu like this:  A milk shake made with a scoop of pretend ice cream.  a slice of bacon.  Some Alphabet soup with corn, A can of Hormel Chilli, a French Fry, and a pot holder for a bib.  You will be shocked and amazed that the play high chair was mine when I was little and belonged to my Raggedy Ann Doll. My mom painted over the peeling Raggedy Ann decal.   

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Busy me forgot to capture the moment on film.  I hosted Thanksgiving for both my family and my husbands family for a total number of 12 plus Baby M.  Unfortunately my older kiddos spent Thanksgiving with their daddy.  I'm so excited they will be back home tomorrow.  (Yay!)...  I have met G at every opportunity at her school to have lunch together.  I haven't seen my son since November 22nd, and he's only called me once... (sniffle, sniffle)...signs of him getting older. ahhh the teenage years.

Anyhow I should have taken a picture of my Turkey.  That Turkey was drop dead gorgeous and turned out to perfection. I'm sorry it probably sounds like I'm bragging it up, but I can't help it.  If you only new how many websites, cookbooks, and phone calls to my mother to ensure the damn bird would turn out perfect, then you would understand that it totally paid off.  I tell you I blessed prayed and all but asked God to come down from the heavens and cook this bird for me. 

Now my favorite hassle free bird of choice is a Good 'ol Jenny O oven ready, but their turkeys only come in the largest size of 13lbs and I have twelve to feed, not to mention those suckers are expensive as all get out.  So if I were to buy two of those birds to feed my family, I would be in the hole for almost $70. and there is no way I'm budgeted to spend that much on a Turkey.  So I head to Walmart.  Now I really don't care to shop there, but when you are poor, you can feed a small army on about $20.  So I took advantage of the Turkeys that were selling for between .20cents and .40cents a pound and was able to get a 22lb Turkey for a little over $8.00 yes correct eight dollars. 

He was frozen solid so I bought him on a Sunday and thawed him out in the fridge.  I was blessed to be able to use my grandmothers stand alone Roaster.  That oven is a miracle in itself. 

On Thanksgiving Day.  I set my alarm for 3:45am in order to get up and start cooking Big Bird for him to be eaten by family at noon.  However I overslept and jumped from the bed to realize it was 4:30am and I had overslept.  I went to the refrigerator to retrieve the 22lb Tom Turkey and gagged and wrestled and washed him.  Absolutely gross.  I don't deal real well with carcass, but I agreed to host this and I wanted to impress my guests. So I removed his neck, (I think that's what it was)... and his umm gross stuff and rinsed him inside and out.  Thank God he fit in the immense roaster.  I had read online about all the different ways to brine, fry, bake, herb this, baste that... and decided to keep it simple.  so I got out my Mayonaise made with olive oil and squeezed a hand full of mayo into my palm and I greased and lathered the bird, like he was about to head to the beach. then I salted and peppered him and I put 1/4 stick of softened butter around the breasts and inside.  I did not stuff him and I did not fasten his legs back.  I basted him with his own juice after his 1st hour of cooking and the 2nd hour of cooking.  At 10:30am he was so tender and juicy his legs fell off.  He was golden brown, beautiful and ready to eat at 11:30am.  My family raved about his flavor and how tendor he was.

For funsies I purchased a Tofurky Turkey stuffed with wild rice.  In addition I prepared a Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad, whose recipe can be found in the "Skinny Bitch" cook book.  I substitued walnuts for pecans and red wine vinegar for the cider vinegar.  I made hot german potatoe salad, mashed potatoes, and I made stuffing with sausage, celery, and water chestnuts.  I also had pomegranate seeds out.  My mother in law mad a jello fruit dish and sweet potatoes.  My sister in law brought deviled eggs and green bean casserole.  My other sister in law brought rolls, cranberry sauce, apple pie, cherry pie, and pumpkin pie.  My mother brought corn casserole and pumpkin pie.  It was like a buffet. 

I bought my table covers and table runner at Walmart as well.  We served faux wine.  (aka sparkling grape juice.)

To be a humorous daughter in law for my meat and potatoe mother in law, just before the blessing I told her I had burned the Turkey and she would have to eat the Tofurky Turkey... Her face sank and eyes rolled and I laughed and said just kidding.  To be a good sport, she did try the Tofurkey and was impressed how truly delicious it was. 

Blessings and Thankfulness! 

• So lessons learned :  
• You don't have to buy an expensive Turkey to Deliver an impressive meal. (Be prepared to de-thaw days in advance)
• Salt, Pepper, and a hand full of Mayonaise
• An independent Roaster with lid. 
• Prayer, prayer, prayer...                                                                                                                  

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So glad it is Friday!  Haven't done a whole lot of blogging.  I think I've been doing more reading of blogs than writing them.  To catch you up to date:

• The Daddy is working as a tech support person through a Temp agency.  We are praying they offer him a full time position. 
• We just had to invest in a new furnace.  We had been without a furnace since last February, running it on emergency heat.  
• J had to get braces
• G had to get glasses
• Finances are stretched beyond elasticity. 
• My Bestest Friend gave birth to a litle boy yesterday, I'm hoping to go and meet the little bugger today during my lunch. 
• I will be hosting Thanksgiving at our house for M's and My Family.  I will be preparing the Turkey for approximately 12 people.  My older kiddos will be with their daddy and the cousin's will be with their daddy.  So the only bored little kiddo will be Little Miss M.   

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