Festival of Lights Parade

Last Saturday we went Downtown Rapid City for the big tree lighting ceremony and the Festival of Lights Parade.  

Downtown was just beautiful!  At the stage they had people singing carols....

People were ice skating.... They had a big countdown to the tree lighting... it was just plain perfect!  

 After the tree was lit, the parade started.  It was chilly.  Like around 30 degrees... but atleast it wasn't snowy.

 The horses and motorcycles decked in lights reminded me we are in South Dakota here....The rodeo will be back in a month or two... and Sturgis will have me locked in my house again before I know it... LOL 

 Giant snow plows decorated reminded me blizzards really happen here....I'm waaaaiting.

 And the Ellsworth AFB float, which was greeted with lots of cheering and applause while it passed by, was really cool.  But it also reminded me of why last Christmas really sucked....

.... but the fire department's smoking float reminded me of this.....

..... and this is my favorite thing right now.... so when I saw the smoke I got to exclaim,"Oh Lord Jesus it's afirre!" And all was right in the world again...and the night was just plain wonderful!

The Birthday Girl

One year old today! 

 My how she has grown eh?  

Iwant to kill her sometimes I love this girl!

Getting ready

 I am cooking Thanksgiving this year.  It will be nice to go into the holiday season with Dave HOME!   I'm making the whole dinner.  Nate and I made the cranberry sauce and the Chex Mix this morning.  Nate really really wanted to try a cranberry.....

 He thought it would be yummy.

 It kinda wasn't   He had to spit it out.... but not in the cranberry sauce of course.  

 He had a lot of fun adding the cereal and nuts to the chex mix.  

I love this time of year!!  Making the chex mix, and my constant reminder to Nate to leave it alone reminds me of our last Thanksgiving together.... in New Mexico!

Alot has changed.... but its still the same. Weird. 

Whats for Breakfast?

The heat has been on for at least a month here at our house.  When Dave was working the flight-line in years past I would definitely buy him oatmeal to have for breakfast instead of cold cereal.  I never realized how expensive the packets of instant oatmeal were until I realized how cheap a big ol container of instant oatmeal is.  I saw a pinterest pin that you can easily make your own instant oatmeal packets!  DUH SMART!  

you have to use the quick oats. 

I bought the big ol drum of instant oats, planned on making Dave packets.... But I couldn't get myself to use 20+ ziploc baggies. 

 After Dave started hounding me I realized I have a big stack of freezer jam jars in my pantry.  They would work perfectly!  Not only would they be perfect, but Dave could dump the oat/sugar mix in his bowl and use the jam jar to measure the water!  Light Bulb! No measuring cup needed!

 So I just dump 1/2 cup quick oats in with 1Tbls sugar.

 I screw the lid on and shake them up a little.  Nate likes to help.

1/2 cup oats + 1 Tbls Sugar + 3/4-1 cup water  **Nuke for 1 minute 

The big drum of oatmeal made more than 25 adult size portions. Two bucks for the big drum of oats, that's 8 cents per breakfast, with a few cents of sugar.  For real.  The half cup of oats is perfect for Dave.  He has told me he doesn't get as hungry as quickly, and those store bought packets only have 1/4 cup and that's really more reasonable for a child.  Nate had 1/4 cup portion this morning and ate it all up!  I guess I need to package some for Dave and some for Nathan!  

They take about 4 minutes to assemble 20.  Cheap and easy!  Can't beat that!  

Family Game Night

gotta love this kid, even with caramel on his face 

 Nathan LOVES to play games.  When we finish dinner every night he announces It's game time!  Well, Dave and I like games, but not every night.  Sometimes you just want to watch AFV and relax.  So we've had to start penning in a Family Game Night to pacify him during the week.  This way we can remind him "Thursday is game night remember".  It works.  Thankfully.

 So after dinner we pop popcorn. Get out a game and get to it!  

 Last night we played Hungry Hungry Hippos.

stuffing their faces with popcorn 

 I don't want to brag, but I won every round. BOOYA

After we played several rounds we taught Nate how to play 'Go Fish'.  He caught on really quickly and after one practice round was able to manage his own hand and ask on his own.  Dave and I were really impressed, even if he kept asking for As, Ks, Qs, or Js.... I'm sure he will get that soon.  At least we know he knows his letters :) 

Long Lines

Fact. I like to read

Fact. I read a lot

Fact. I will wait in line for more than 7 hours to get a book signed by a favorite author

Fact.  They have both been redheads so far... weird.

Fact.  I appear to have the same, stand by the author pose

Fact. my new glasses do look better on me

Fact. I have a giant forehead if my hair is up.

Fact. I have a giant forehead if my hair is down

Me with Ree Drummond aka Pioneer Woman fall 2012

Me with Janet Evanovich -fall 2010

Fact.  Here is another post with me in all of the photos!  Its a new way of life I guess.  

Other authors I will drive forever and wait forever for... Kristen Hannah, Debbie Macomber, Lorna Landvik.  That's a fact.

The Sheriff

 Nathan was Sheriff Woody this year for Halloween. 

 Our neighborhood was full of trick or treaters and excitement!

He made out pretty well, filling a pillowcase half way!   I stayed home and handed out candy and RAN OUT!  Good thing I still had a bag of organic suckers in the pantry!  Next year I know to buy atleast 6 bags, maybe 7!