Little Monkey...

showing off...

Love you...

It's December 1st...

the thermostat is turned down to save on electricity, its really not too bad, my internal thermostat has definitely changed since my surgery!

the laundry is hung on the clothesline...

boy do I need to weed!

and this is the exterior temperature...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...

it looks like she's been helping Mom out in the kitchen...

but actually she's been teething, see her two front teeth...

the finished product...

Pecan-cream cheese pie with homemade pie crust.

the ads are here...

It has become some what of a tradition for Amanda and I to go out shopping, early, the day after Thanksgiving.

Here is one web site which is showing just some of the deals out there. This year retailers aren't even waiting until Friday, some of the sale prices started a couple days ago, check out some of the ads here and remember its not a good deal if you end up charging it and paying interest!

Keep track of spending and make it a fun holiday experience not one you regret next month when the bills come due.

Black Friday: Guide to the best deals and sales

Learning...

what's that???

let's take a closer look...

I can do this...

see...

I told you I could do it!!!

Farmer in training...

Lillie...

November 2009...

With all the rain in October the elephant ear is really growing this year.

see the lemon and lime trees I plan on bringing them in the house this winter.

Kenneth is still picking jalapenos from the garden and also...

yellow squash.

the cosmo flowers seeds which came free in the mail have taken over and are growing everywhere!

I still have peppermint growing and have planted some sage to grow with it.

Good Morning...

Morning Kisses...


surrounded! She's watching us...

A purrrrfect night...

she got to go on her first hay ride...

and eat her first hot dog...

she was one of the trick-or-treaters...

she ate "smarties"

she had a wonderful time...

(thank you aunt courtney for the costume)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN...

The idea of the Jack O’Lantern and pumpkin carving is derived from Irish folklore. Despite the different variations, the basis of all the mythical stories center around an Irishman nicknamed Stingy Jack who played tricks on everyone, including the devil. Whether he was having a drink with the devil and not paying his fair share or he was tricking the devil into climbing up a tree where Jack had carved crosses, preventing the devil from climbing down, Stingy Jack ultimately made a compromise with the devil. In order for the devil to be freed from Stingy Jack's tricks, the Devil had to promise him that he would never take his soul.

As the story goes, Stingy Jack eventually died. Because of his sinful ways, he was not accepted into heaven. And, true to the devil’s promise, Stingy Jack was not allowed into hell either. He was left all alone in the dark with nowhere to go. The devil then gave him an ember with eternal flames from hell to walk with. He carved a turnip and placed the light inside of it to help him as he wandered through the darkness for eternity.

As the story continued to be told throughout history, people began carving scary faces and characters on different vegetables holding burning coals for protection against the dark spirits, just like Stingy Jack. After people started immigrating to America, pumpkins were discovered easier to carve and candles replaced coal. Still, the tradition of the Jack O’Lantern continued.

After you finish carving your pumpkin, save the seeds and bake them. Pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, are an easy and tasty snack that is perfect for the fall. I remember my mom always had treats for us after carving, so I asked her how she makes them.

Pumpkin Seed Recipe

• One pumpkin
• Bowl
• Water
• Cookie sheet
• Olive oil or butter
• Herbal seasonings, such as salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper

1. Rinse the pumpkin seeds and remove all the pulp. To help get the pulp off, put the seeds in bowl of water—most should come off that way.

2. Spread the seeds out on a cookie sheet and let dry. (The seeds taste best if you soak them in salted water the night before.)

3. Toss the seeds with olive oil, or butter, and sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, or any other herbs you think would taste best.

4. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, continually tossing the seeds.

5. Cook until golden brown.

excerpt from "The Herb Companion" magazine

Cabela's cont...

they had a room with full size animal displays...

albino fish...

Visiting...

While visiting Charles and Amanda last time we drove up to Missouri and ate BBQ and went to a downtown fresh vegetqable market where we ate an an Italian cafe. We also visited Cabela's.

huge full size statue

a duck pond

live fish aquarium...4' flat head catfish

cont...

Waiting...

Kenneth took this picture of the dogs the other night...
they were laying on the kitchen rug by the back door waiting for me to get home from work...

We went visiting...

we went to see Emily and she really likes her new red car...

she came up to see what I was doing... see the bubbles on her tongue!

we went shopping...

what are you doing Grammy?

Storms...

We had a storm come through last week with 75 mph wind... after the at least 12" plus of rain in the last month, that includes the 6" we got last week...we lost two more big limbs off the pecan tree in the back yard and electricity for 36 hours, due to pine trees being blown over at the houses north of us, I'm so glad we don't have that problem anymore.

A big "thank you" to Leon for his help in talking Kenneth through how to hook the generator up to the house so we could get the refrigerator and freezer back up and running.

more burn piles in the backyard, and it blew over the bird feeders too.

We had one loss...the bird bath was broken while Kenneth was cleaning up the limbs. Oh well, we get to make a trip to Marshall Pottery sometime soon. We might also see about a drawbridge to put across the mote around the back patio.