I am thankfull.

I am thankfull for family.

I am thankfull.

I am thankfull for peace and quiet.

Something to be thankfull for.

I am thankfull for laughter. My kids are hilarious, and I gotta say so if my husband when he wants to be.

Happy Tuesday!!

How can you not be happy when these little varmints are your peeps. I am truly blessed to have healthy, happy, and funny kids. I have now applied to Hollins and hope to know soon if I will be accepted or not. I pray that I qualify for financial assistance through Hollins and now must start looking for all sorts of grants or scholarships. I am totally excited. The campus is absolutely beautiful and small enough to not get lost, but the aura of camaraderie amongst the ladies I met last night stunned me. It was as if they really cared about one another and understood that everyone has different hurdles to jump or rivers to cross just to be there. I liked that it is a small environment and I fell in love with their library. Please wish me luck and send up prayers that they take me and my husband becomes more supportive about the whole thing! My only regret is that my Grandma isn't here to talk too.

I'm yours

http://www.deezer.com/music/joey-b/i-won-t-wait-237770?provider=website I love this song!

Here come the Christmas Bells.

I love Cristmas carols. There I said it and it didn't even hurt. However when I hear them I get all teary eyed and sometimes sob.I cried today just trying to sing along with a Walmart commercial. I guess it's because I remember all my childhood. We were not a wealthy family growing up, much like my own household now, but oh the excitement I always felt around the Holidays! I am excited to teach my children the meaning of Christmas. We enjoy decorating our tree the first week of December. My children know that we always get a tree because Jesus died on a cross for us. We have what I would call a minimalist gift exchange. At home we get each child 2-3 gifts and normally my mother in law stuffs their stockings. We have our coffee and cinnamon rolls and take turns opening one gift at a time. It seems to build excitement, and you feel good being able to watch someone open the gift you bought or made them. The kids are happy and we are happy knowing that we are helping our kids to not depend on materialism for happiness. Throw all that into the fact that we don't have the money to blow and it makes for a good Christmas. I always read the Christmas story to our kids and this past year my husband actually read it from the Bible. When I was little my mom would allow each of us one gift to shake, gently to see if we could guess what it was. Ofcourse we never did get it right, but it was just the magic of the season. My mom would set out her fancy candy dish and fill it up with hard candy and chocolate covered cherries. My Dad would sit and crack nuts for us kids to munch on, which we now do for our own kids. I want them to remember the family time not what they got for Christmas. So as the Holiday Season unfolds I wish you all a wonderful one filled with laughter, love, and no debt.

Helen's real italian pizza sauce.

This recipe was given to me by a lady named Margret that works at the Troutville Thriftway. I had told her one day that I love homemade pizza better than store bought because it tasted better and was healthier. The next time I went in she had made me a copy of this recipe, that was shared with her years before by a friend in her church. It's the little things like this that really makes you appreciate friendships. Just the fact that she took the time and made the effort to share a recipe makes me smile, and makes me want to pass it on.

3 TBSP olive oil or mazola oil
4 cups tomato juice
1 can tomato paste (6oz)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Bring all liquid ingredients to a boil then add all dry ingredients. Boil over medium heat until thick. Around 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally. Add 2 TBSP parmesan cheese and boil 10 minutes longer.