Thanksgiving Weekend

We had an amazing Thanksgiving weekend!

Thursday we went to my grandparent’s house in Valley Mills, TX and enjoyed a wonderful feast with family!! My dad shot a deer a couple weeks ago and he made me ‘deer jerky’ and I must say this is by far the best deer jerky yet…he also surprised me with cinnamon tic tacs…call me crazy but I love these things, and I haven’t been able to find them anywhere…every store I went in had tic tacs, however not cinnamon, so my dad was very sweet to remember this and get me some when he found them!

Friday we shopped our little hearts out and I am thrilled to say I saved more than I spent and I am ‘almost’ done with everyone’s Christmas…

Saturday, Zach and I cooked up a feast at our house and invited my other grandparents over, as well as my Perk (my grandma), I made amazing sweet potatoes (the best I’ve ever made yet!)…Zach cooked an amazing turkey and cauliflower casserole…and we had several other amazing sides and desserts as well. It’s become a tradition after the meal for everyone to help us put up our inside decorations, it’s nice having the help and getting everything up!!!

Sunday, Zach and I went to church and then went out to eat pancakes at a local place—we came home and played with our dogs, enjoyed our lights and took a nap (we were just a tad bit exhausted)—we woke up to our neighbor stapling lights on his roof…Zach knew that once there lights were up we would have to put ours up, so out we went—in the not so greatest weather---and put up our lights. Zach got all of the lights up on the roof, however his staple gun jammed and the neighbors broke so we had to stop on the trees…those will be done hopefully tonight or this week! I will have to take pictures once the house is all done! We settled in, ate leftovers and watched the Steelers game; it was a very close game that went into overtime and sadly they lost.

All in all we had an amazing four day weekend and holiday, one of the best ones we have ever had! I am so thankful for my husband whom I adore- my family whom is amazing and for my friends whom are the best of the best!

Me and Grandmother

Perk, Me and My mom

Zach and I, exhausted from putting up the Christmas tree...

Our Stockings...

I love our tree!!

Traditions

I love ‘traditions’. Our great friends Rosemary and Derek have been so kind to let us be apart of a Thanksgiving tradition every year…it’s a wonderful reason to just get together and hang out, watch football and eat great food! Derek fry’s a turkey…have y’all ever had a fried turkey? Amazing I tell ya!! We had all sorts of amazing food, from green bean casserole, to corn bread casserole, to delicious pecan bars and we can’t forget my lovely mash potatoes…all 13 pounds of them.

Nope you didn’t read that wrong, there was 13 whopping pounds…how many people were there you ask?? Roughly 14…why so many potatoes you ask?? Because my lovely husband thinks he knows it ‘all’. Seriously, no lie! I normally average a potato a person and then throw in a couple more just for grins in case someone wants more…while I was peeling these Zach asks “how come your not using the whole bag that I bought”… “well honey, that’s a lot of potatoes…I just do a potato a person…”… “no Tiffany, that won’t be enough—I got a ‘pound’ per person”… “Zachary, I can’t eat a ‘pound’ of mash potatoes and I am sure others can’t either…” “Tiffany, that’s how you do it…”…. “mmm hmmm”…

So needless to say, I did it my husbands way…best way to prove them wrong is to ‘show’ them right? So I peeled and cut 13 pounds of potatoes—took me an hour just to do that, I had to boil them in two pots and put them in a huge crock pot to transport them---I did all the above with a lovely grin on my face because I knew even with the appetite the guys have there was no way they were going to eat ALL 13 pounds of potatoes.

So did he realize he doesn’t know ‘all’ when it comes to cooking…yes he did!! I took enough to fill a large tuber ware up with home, and that’s after I made Rosemary keep quite a few also! I think he will listen next time when I tell him it’s a potatoe a person MEN! Haha!

We had a wonderful time over at Rosie and Derek's house and we are glad that they let us be apart of there yearly tradition!!

(Pay close attention...I have horns, ha)

(I will be posting more Thanksgiving post later once I get my pictures uploaded)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you and yours have a HAPPY and BLESSED day!!!

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving."

Something to be Thankful for

With Thanksgiving this week I've really been wanting to write about my life and whom/what I am thankful for...there are many things in life, like Starbucks coffee, my favorite TV shows, or my favorite pair of red high heels.... however there is so much more in life that I am thankful for that I want to share with y'all!

Our Lord and Savior and our church is a huge part of my life. Our God is a loving and forgiving God, who loves me ‘Just as I am’ and continues to transform me into what he wants me to be, and for that I am extremely thankful. Thanks to Him, I can stop and take a deep breath and savor the beauty that surrounds us. God has really made me see the beauty in this journey, he has given me patience and has made me who I am today, I am extremely thankful for knowing and having God in my life…with him everything else just seems to fall into place, the good and the bad! Knowing God is by my side every step of the way is an amazing feeling, and for that I am grateful!

When I was a little girl I would dress up, throw a pillow case over my head and walk down the hall singing ‘Here comes the Bride’…I’ve dreamed of falling in love with my one and only and living happily ever after; I never would have thought it would become a reality. I am so thankful for you Zachary; you are more than I could have ever dreamed of! You are the first to hold me when I am afraid; you are my encourager when I am in doubt, you are my sunshine on a rainy day. Our years have had many bumps, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to experience these bumps with you. I never dreamed I would hear my husband praying over me at night, God threw away the mold when He made you. I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you—THANK YOU Zach, for being my all!

Sometimes I look back to the past and wonder where the time went…I’ve had some amazing memories with my family, memories I am so thankful for!! The love our family shares is heartwarming! I am so thankful for each and everyone one of y’all and our moments…from Easter Egg hunting, to lawn mower rides…to throwing rolls during diner…to showing everyone your ‘see food’…to fishing at the river…or great hamburgers…to driving through the fence on a golf cart…to watching me dance around in the living room to your old records…or teaching me how to drive a standard….my family means so much to me and I am so thankful for our memories! I have also been blessed with amazing inlaws, and for them I am extremely thankful for as well!!!!

When God blessed me with friends he gave me some of the best in the world! Thank you to those who not only helped me walk through this journey, but have walked it WITH me right by my side! I think of the times where I would be so overwhelmed with life, and someone would say a kind word, or send me a sweet email…you will never know how much your friendship means to me! Time might lead me to nowhere and faith might break into pieces at times, but I will always be thankful that once in my life’s journey we became FRIENDS! Thank you all for always being there for me, for being understanding...

At times when I am sad and just want to be alone my puppies refuse to leave me by myself…in fact, they are always there by my side…I can’t tell you the number of times I have just wept until I ran out of tears and they were right by my side, whether it be when I am on the couch, bed or even in the tub…they truly know when I am sad, and they will not leave me alone. I am so thankful for them and even more thankful they know exactly how to put a smile on my face!!

Life can be hard at times, not everything is picture perfect---but this is MY life, and I am extremely blessed and thankful! I am thankful for the many groups of people who have prayed for our family, even some we haven’t ever met in person! ‘Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting’…you all will never know how extremely thankful I am for y’all! I once read somewhere to ‘Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more…if you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough!’ God’s plan for us, and each of you, is so very special…this plan was created for us long before we were born…I know each of us would have changed a few things given we were the option to plan our own life…however this is beyond our control. Sitting here looking back there are so many things I have overcome, so many people I have met, so many wonderful memories with friends and family, and all because of this journey…so although I wouldn’t have picked this plan out myself, I am so thankful God did! Thank you God, for this good life, thank you God for all the blessing and the abundance in my life!

I catch myself many of times counting my blessings and thanking God for my amazing life…but it’s not many days I remember to thank others in my life for being there and being there for me! This year has been one of the hardest through this journey, however it was one of the best as well…I want to personally thank all of my blog readers. You ladies/gentlemen never seize to amaze me…I never in a million years would have expected my boring ol’ life to bring so many friendships my way! I am so thankful for our emails, I am so thankful for the prayers you give my family and I am so thankful for all the sweet comments that you all leave me! I’m beyond grateful for y’all!

This is my life…these people are my everything…This is everything I am thankful for…and there is nowhere else in the world I’d rather be!

This Thanksgiving Day, let's remember what we truly have to be thankful for. Let's take a good, hard look around us and realize that while we may not have everything we want, what we want is not always what we need.

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.”

Feeling Under The Weather

I have horrible allergies, and it never fails that at least one time a year those allergies will be a cause of me getting some type of sickness…

My nose has been runny for the past couple days---yesterday I woke up and generally felt fine, however around 10:00 it hit me like a ton of bricks…my head started immediately feeling stuffy…my nose started burning…I had cold chills moving through my body, I was very dizzy and felt completely discombobulated (just plan out of it!)….

So I went home and went to bed quite early, I took some Cold and Sinus Theraflu…this morning however, I didn’t feel any better, if anything I felt 10 times worse… I went to work, and scheduled a Dr’s appt for as soon as I could get it…

Turns out I have one of the worst sinus infections I’ve ever had, thankfully it’s just a sinus infection and nothing serious—but they are sure not a fun thing to experience…but I will take sinuses over the flu that’s going around ANY DAY!! I also have ‘bubbles’ behind my eardrums, this is caused from me having an excessive amount of drainage (nice huh!?)….these little bubbles are the cause of my dizziness and me feeling confused, out of it and just plan ‘gooooofy’.

They gave me a cortisone shot in the office (which has already helped tremendously) and they also gave me two different nose sprays and some antibiotics….I am going to be ok, but I sure feel like I worn out rag doll!!! :)

Some of y’all saw my facebook and twitter status and have emailed me all day checking on me, THANK YOU…I appreciate y’alls concerns!

Hope you all have an amazing weekend!!!

Happiness

Happiness is being curled up in my new leopard print 'snuggie'.

Happiness is a nice back rub after a long days work....

Happiness is hot coco--with marshmallows on top!

Happiness is waking up in the middle of the night to your husband holding you...

Happiness is three puppies running around ecstatic to have you home...

Happiness is laying in bed quite in each others arms...

Happiness is laughing at each other!!

Happiness is friends, and getting to experience amazing moments with them!

Happiness is a form of courage!

Happiness is being able to dance in the rain, without an umbrella...

Happiness is when your mind is thinking through your heart...

Happiness comes only from appreciating what you have right now, and by appreciating your troubles because they are helping to build your character!

Happiness for me is knowing that my life has meaning and purpose, and knowing that every day my life touches others in a positive way...whether it's by making someone laugh or smile!!

What is Happiness to you?

The Unknown

The unknown can be extremely scary. No matter the situation it's regarding...Whether it's not knowing how you did on the big test at school, or your yearly review at work, or the economy...



Alot of journey's have an 'unknown' ending...unknown doesn't necessarily mean it's bad, it's just not known by us ...some cases the unknown can turn out to be quite beautiful; like a sunset on a night it's supposed to storm!

It's often we want God to reveal the future...I know in my journey to a baby, Zach and I have really wanted to 'know' the future...but like most other things, this future is unknown. Pain of going through these struggles can increase through the agony of not knowing when it will end and why God has allowed it. However, God has a glorious plan, there is NO unknown in His hands...He knows it ALL.

We want God to reveal the future--He wants us to reveal Him throughout our struggles. It's easy to ask God why things are happening....I am guilty as day!! However, Faith is the light that guides you through the darkness--you do not have to see the whole staircase to take the first step---Let God guide you through the rest, if you trust in him he will take you to a magnificent place!

Lord teach us to cling to You! Bless our waiting by revealing glimpses of Your love for us. Show us how powerful You are, above any circumstance or enemy that threatens us. As we wait for Your deliverance, help us to trust You for the exact date and time that our 'unknown' will be revealed. Help us to trust You with the quest of "why". Grant us the courage to embrace the chaos and confusion of our suffering, knowing that You remain in control and never out of reach.

Amen

(Thanks for listening to my rambling...sometimes my fingers just type and I wonder if what my mind is thinking even makes sense...)

Who are The Pifers…

Let me introduce The Pifer’s to you and tell you some things you may or may not know about them…

She is deathly afraid of spiders…deathly! Her husband thinks it’s quite funny, extremely funny to be exact!!!

She can’t stand it when people don’t use blinkers…her husband can be one of those people, it drives her nuts—She absolutely can’t stand to drive … She also has no sense of directions; he on the other hand is amazing with directions.

He loves old cars, she hates them…he has a 75’ Chevy impala…she begs him to sale it…he thinks the car is amazing…she things it’s ‘poop brown’ and the ugliest thing she’s ever seen; however He is willing to sale it to help save money for a baby---that’s love! :)

She loves flowers, he loves giving them to her…she used to like roses, he picks the unusual flowers like sunburst lilies…which are her new favorite now... He says those type of flowers brighten someone’s day and that’s why they are important to give to your loved ones, because they show them that you brighten their lives…if he wouldn’t be embarrassed she would send him tons of sunburst lilies so he would know how much he brightens her life.

He is a major goof ball; she is the serious one…he runs around the house chasing her…She hides. He likes to tickle her, she hates to be tickled…he thinks it’s funny and he laughs so hard, she in return laughs at his laugh…

She loves her dogs…she had to beg him for them until he finally gave in; he wanted a ‘huge manly’ dog…not these little petite dogs…now there ‘his’ babies…all of them. His friends make fun of him because he has ‘sissy’ dogs…he stands up for his ‘sissy’ dogs, and he loves them very much---mommy loves them so much too—and thinks it’s cute when he cuddles on the couch with his ‘sissy’ dogs!

She loves to cook, but she never gets to because he is ‘the’ cook. His father cooks a lot and that’s where his ‘knack’ for cooking from him. He is an amazing cook. She thinks it’s pretty darn cool that he likes to cook so much—gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘kiss the cook’… :)

He is very adventurous and lives on the edge, she is very laid back and has to plan ahead…he likes to be spontaneous…she is very calm…he doesn’t make a list, he just throws everything in his suitcase, she has to have a list made out and check off as she packs…he is carefree…she panics…he is forgetful…she doesn’t go a day without making a to-do list. She is very shy, he is very outgoing…

He loves shopping…she loves that they have that in common. However she is very indecisive in what she wants, he gets in and gets out. She tends to ‘walk in circles’…which drives him nuts!

He loves scary movies; she loves the suspense but covers her face when she watches them. She loves chick flicks…he isn’t too fond, but he watches them with her anyways. :)

He stops and helps strangers on the side of the road who are broke down, she thinks that is so sweet and kind of him, but she is to scared to stop and assist people, he sees the good in everyone, she is scared they will hurt her…he has a huge heart…she has a huge heart too, she is just a chicken!!!

We are complete opposites…but one thing we have in common that will never change is our love for each other. He is my everything, and I am his world…he is my sweetie and I am his honey…he picks on me and I give him a hard time, but all in the meaning of love. I would be lost without him—he is truly my soul mate! He is my rock…and he is the reason why I keep trucking down this journey with a smile on my face!!