It's Christmas time....

Hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We had a fantastic day full of good food, good memories, and many blessings. Today I'm pulling out the Christmas decorations and getting started on decorating the house for Christmas, YAY! Sending my love and hugs to y'all.

Warm up those ovens, y'all!!!

Yesterday I shopped and shopped for the perfect turkey. It's just the two of us so we obviously don't need a 13 lbs. bird. I normally try to find a 3-5 lbs. turkey and usually don't have a difficult time tracking one down. For the past 5 years I've lived in Austin so I knew exactly where to get one but this year I'm in a whole new city. I thought to myself, "how many people would be looking for a small turkey?" Well, it was hard to find y'all. I had to go to three different grocery stores to find one. And the crowds!!! I'm just relieved we have a small bird this year. That's something to be thankful for.

Tomorrow the sequel to the big Turkey day. I'm gathering all my recipes and tomorrow I begin to prep for the big day. I know most people wouldn't put that much effort into a meal for two people. Although it's just the two of us I want our holiday to be just as special as if we had a huge crowd of people gathered around the table. I think it doesn't matter where you're at, who you're with, what you'll be eating to make a holiday special. I think it's about attitude. Many people ask if we are going home for the holidays each year and when I tell them no they make that expression (like they feel sorry for us). What they don't realize is how much fun we have. We watch our Thankgiving parade, eat orange cinnamon rolls, stuff ourselves with holiday dishes, watch our favorite Christmas movies, and decorate our Christmas cookies. We have a blast. So, for those who might not be celebrating the way you traditionally celebrated in the past; remember that it's all about your attitude. You can make any situation fun by making it your own.

Happy Friday Y'all

Hubs is on his way home from work. Every Friday night we drive down to our favorite 50's style hamburger place and order shakes. It's our way of catching up and talking about the past weekly events. It's a nice way to unwind while listening to some 50's bee bop. It has become our weekly routine and I love it. It sets the mood for the whole weekend. Gotta run, I've got a strawberry shake waiting on me. Have a awesome weekend!

Blonde Episodes

I just recieved an award from Kori over at Blonde Episodes http://blondeepisodes.blogspot.com/ She has the most adorable blog. Really fun to read and great retro pictures. Y'all need to stop by her blog when you get an opportunity. She's a real sweetie. Thanks for the award, Kori!!!

And it's only 10 o'clock in the morning

This pretty much sums up my day. I have a ton of house work because the trip to Dallas put me behind. I try to keep a daily cleaning schedule and I'm still trying to catch up. I even doubled up on my chores Monday and Tuesday but I'm still overwhelmed Wednesday. However, I did manage to fit some baking in. Last night I finished baking my Christmas cookies and they are now in the freezer. That takes a huge weight off my shoulders knowing that my cookies are ready to be defrosted/decorated in time for the holidays. I made over two dozen Alligator, Fleur De Lis, and Lil' Cajuns. The Alligator and Fleur De Lis cookies are sugar but our Lil' Cajuns are actually gingerbread men. We just call them Lil' Cajuns to go with our New Orleans themed Christmas.

This Friday I'm going to try to fit in some Christmas shopping. There's a few things I can't order online. I thought since I was out I might pick up a turkey and throw it in the deep freeze. Last year the selection was so slim and I went early that holiday week. This Thanksgiving I'm planning on getting the perfect bird. That reminds me that I have to start on my Thanksgiving menu this evening. I'm already exhausted and it's only 10 am. Hope y'all are having a fabulous hump day.

Weekend in Dallas

I just returned from a quick trip to Dallas. My husband had a speaking engagement at a conference and I decided to tag along. We decided to stay through the weekend and make it a small get away. I had so much fun. Dallas has so many adorable and fun boutiques. I found all sorts of cool stuff. And my hubby was happy when he spotted a Razoo's. The trees were beautiful and quite different from those down in Houston. It definitely put me in the holiday mood. This week I'm starting to organize for the holidays. I'm planning on whipping up some of my Christmas cookie's to freeze for decorating in December. What are y'all doing to prep for the holidays?

My Favorite Thanksgiving Tradition

I get up early every Thanksgiving morning and make my homemade orange walnut cinnamon rolls. They are so delish and I promise I'll post them on my cooking blog http://gigikitchen.blogspot.com/ later this week. The house smells of orange cinnamon yummy goodness and it doesn't take long for my husband to make his way to the kitchen. He's like a little kid checking on the rolls as he opens and closes the oven door. I begin to prep for our holiday dinner while he turns on the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Soon we pull out the rolls and find ourselves snuggled on the couch as we vote on which float we like the most. It's so much fun watching the floats and marching bands. It really helps us feel festive for the approaching day. I don't think it could be Thanksgiving without the Macy's Thanksgiving parade.

This weekend

I've been feeling very domestic lately. I'm taking full advantage of this fabulous weather and I'm working in the yards this weekend. I also found some fantastic new recipes and I'm baking some blueberry muffins and chocolate chip cookies. I might even start my holiday baking early and freeze some of my gingerbread/sugar cookies for December. Can you believe the holidays are so close? I'm so behind buying gifts. I'm usually finishing up around this time of year. Today I purchased my first Christmas gift. I better get out there before the stores get REALLY crowded. Has anyone started their shopping yet?

A Beautiful Fall Afternoon

Fall weather is fantastic but all my flowers start to die (boo hoo). I decided to take a quick snap shot of all my hard work this summer wilting away.

I've been seeing this adorable little brown bunny on the greenbelts near my house. I decided that I would grab my camera and see if I would get lucky this afternoon. Just when I had given up on catching a snap shot of my little furry friend I turned the corner and he was feasting on shrubs. He let me get really close before I spooked him. I LOVE bunnies and this one is a cutie. He has the little white fuzzy tail and all.

On my way back home I pass this house. It's down the street from mine and I'm in love with it. It so Southern and the yard is beautiful. I've only been in my house for little less than 8 months so I'm still learning about the region. Austin was completely different so I'm constantly looking around the neighborhood for good gardening ideas. This house speaks to me, LOL!

What are some of your favorite flowers/plants?