FALL . . .

Yesterday was a wonderful day in Texas. The weather was crisp and cool and it reminded me of all the wonderful fall days we had when we were living in Colorado. So as I was sorting through some pictures last night I came across some that my son, Eric, had taken a few years ago when he lived in Colorado. They brought to mind a little poem I had tucked away years ago. So today I want to share these photos with you and one of my favorite poems.

"Come said the wind to the leaves one day,

Come o'er the meadows and we will play.

Put on your dresses of scarlet and gold,

for summer is gone and the days grow cold."  Author Unknown

Enjoy each day to the fullest.

SOME GREAT NEWS . . .

We got the results of the PET scan today and the cancer is confined to the right middle lobe of Norman's lung. He is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday at 7:15am to remove that lobe and then we will find out if there is any need for radiation. This is major surgery so his recovery will be long but we are thrilled and thankful that this is the only area of his body that shows any sign of cancer.

We want to thank everyone that has been praying and sending good thoughts our way.

Now . . . on Sunday I drove over to deliver a shower gift to someone I use to work with (when I worked). She is expecting her first baby and it is a little girl. She showed me the nursery and it was so cute. I thought I would share a few of the pictures with you.

Someone at her work give these adorable boxes to her as a baby gift. The lady purchased the boxes unfinished and then stenciled and/or painted designs on each one.

The bedding for the bed came from Buy Buy Baby in Dallas. The print is really pretty and colorful for a baby.

 The dresser is from an Ikea collection called "Hemnes". She then had someone stencil the design on the drawer fronts to make it a little more decorative.

Her decorator found this table at Stein Mart and had it painted and stenciled to match the other furniture in the room (love the little pig nightlite she found).

Then all she added was a bookcase and a rocker and the room was finished. Just waiting for baby Ava Grace.

A BIG DAY APPROACHING . . .

We have been a little busy around here the last few days. Norman had his PET scan on Wednesday and we are waiting to hear from the doctors with the results. If the cancer is confined to the lung area then they will do surgery on Tuesday to remove just that area. We are praying that that will be the case and that there will be little or no chemo or radiation.

In the meantime, we are preparing for a big day coming up - our little big girlie is turning 3 years old on the 1st of October. It is hard to believe that just a few years ago we were waiting to meet this little gift from God. My how times flies. 

She told me that she wants a pink birthday cake that says "Happy Birthday to Kylie" on it so, of course, we must order one and I know just the place.

She is such a big girlie and we are so blessed to have her in our lives.

CHICKEN NODDLE SOUP RECIPE . . .

When Norman was released from the hospital last Wednesday it was late in the afternoon, naturally, I didn't feel like cooking anything for dinner. However, we were saved by the bell - Norman's sister-in-law, Pat, brought over some delicious soup for us to have for dinner. She said it was quick and easy to make and we loved it (besides it is only 241 calories). The soup is loaded with carrots, chicken, celery and some wonderful spices. I made a salad and garlic bread to go with it and man what a wonderful meal.  

The whole time we were eating all I could think about was how great this soup would be on a winter night, curled up by a fire with a good book. So with that thought I wanted to share the recipe with you in hopes that you might give it a try when you are needing something quick, easy and good to fix for your family.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

4-1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped onion (1 large)

1 cup sliced carrot (2 medium)

1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1-1/2 cups dried medium egg noodles

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken or turkey (I would use rotisserie chicken)

Steps:

In a 3-quart saucepan combine broth, onion, carrot, celery, basil, oregano, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered  for 5 minutes. Stir in uncooked noodles. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 8-10 minutes or until noodles are tender but still firm and vegetables are just tender. Discard bay leaf. Stir in chicken; heat through.

Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Enjoy!

TCU FOOTBALL GAME . . .

Football is big around here on the weekends and for the past three years we have gotten season tickets to the TCU football games. Papa didn't feel like going so I took girlie with me to the sold out 4th ranked TCU Horn Frog game against the Baylor Bears. Of course, it had to hot (and I mean really hot) but we had a great time in spite of the weather and TCU won 45 to 10 (which made it even better).

Girlie wore her new TCU cheerleader outfit that her great grandmother got for her . . . you know a girlie can't go to a football game dressed any old way.

I know it is a little blurry but if you look close you can see the band aid her mommy decorated for her. No other girlie had one like it which made it very special.

The TCU band walks all around the stadium playing the "fight song" so we had to get there early enough to see them.

There were the cheerleaders.

The brass section.

Then the drums - which were very loud.

She even found time to do a little dance to the band music (you can see she is really concentrating on that dance.)

The stadium filled up and girlie enjoyed watching the field as well as the people in the stands.

It was a very hot 95 degrees and she was getting tired so we decided to leave at halftime.

All-in-all a great time was had by the girls.

FIRST FULL DAY AT HOME . . .

We are so glad to be at home and able to sleep in our own bed. We were hoping for a phone call today from the doctor regarding the appointment for a PET scan but we didn't hear anything. However, we are hopeful that we will hear something tomorrow.

This morning I picked up the little man and girlie and took them to school. They were so excited and could hardly wait to get to school so they could start playing with their little friends. After school was out I picked them up and brought them to our house to see their Papa for a few minutes. They could hardly wait to give him a big hug and even though Norman was so very tired he was really excited to see them. Seems like they have grown a foot since we have been with them last.

Everyone knows that if you live in Texas you just have to love football . . . it doesn't make any difference whether it is high school, college or professional you just have to love it. We both love football so for several years now we have gotten season tickets to our local university, TCU (4th ranked TCU). This weekend the Frogs are playing the Baylor Bears to a sold out crowd so I decided to take the girlie with me to the game. Naturally, she just had to have a little TCU cheerleader outfit so thanks to her Beejee (my mother) she now can go dressed in style.

Over the weekend the little man got a big boy's haircut and today was the first time we had seen him with his new "do". He looks so big now.

I just find it so amazing just how fast they grow . . . seems like you blink your eyes and they are big boys and girls. It's too bad we can keep them young a little longer.

WE ARE FINALLY HOME . . .

After a eight days listening to nurses talk and laugh at all hours of the day and night, CareFlight helicopters flying overhead, tests and more tests we have finally been let go from the hospital. Home never looked so good. We still have a long road ahead of us but in the next few days we will know where we go from here.

Norman is scheduled for a PET scan and depending on those results it is either surgery to remove the cancer from his right lung and radiation or just radiation (if cancer is located in other areas of his body). We pray that that is not the case.

Later this week I will post some of the views we had from his room. That was something we really enjoyed. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. We are so fortunate to have so many friends and family members who care.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA . . .

We use to buy several boxes of granola at one time until I decided I needed to find a recipe that made a big batch. I had heard Norman's brother talk about how much he enjoyed his wife's granola and was quite excited when I was finally able to get her to share that recipe with me. It has been a huge hit at our house and now I will share it with you in hopes that you too will love it.

First mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Next place all the wet ingredients into your blender and blend well.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry and place on cookie sheets.

You will find that there is nothing better than good old homemade granola and the satisfaction it brings to know that you made it.

GRANOLA

12 cups quick oats

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup flaked coconut

2 or more cups assorted nuts and seeds, i.e., slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds

Thoroughly mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the following ingredients in a blender and blend until thoroughly mixed (do not blend too long as it will get too thick):

2/3 cups water

2/3 cups oil

1 cup dry powder milk

1 cup sweetened condensed milk (I use fat free)

1 teaspoon maple flavoring

1 teaspoon vanilla

Slowly add mixture to dry ingredients, make sure to mix well.

Spread mixture onto 2 or 3 cookie sheets (or roasting pans) and bake for 2 hours (until golden brown) at 200 degrees. Stir mixture every 30-60 minutes.

Try it sometime you will love it too.

OUR SUMMER GUEST . . .

With the cool, crisp mornings we have had in the last week or so Fall can't be far behind. That means that our summer guest will be leaving, hopefully to return next year. We have enjoyed watching our little friend drink from the feeder and much to our surprise we have discovered not only do we have one but two hummingbirds that have brought us joy over these long, hot summer days.

I recently saw a book of poems written by Kristine O'Connell George entitled "Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems" and thought I would share one with you.

"A spark, a glint, a glimpse of pixie tidbit. Bright flits, brisk zips, a green-gray blur, wings, zings and whrrr--

I just heard a humming of bird."

Last summer we had a bird feeder in the front flower bed so that we could watch the different birds stop to eat. This year we decided not to have one. We couldn't help but wonder if the birds remembered that we had one last year or just wanted a place to land to rest for a minute or two before flying on to their next stop because we had a great view watching some of them look around for food. One morning there was a darling little bird that decided to take a rest and I just had to snap a picture.

Isn't nature wonderful?

I LOVE BARGAINS . . .

The other day I had to return a dress to T J Maxx that I had purchased for the little girlie and decided to browse the aisles in the housewares department. You never know what little goodies await you. I didn't have anything in particular I was searching for or anything that I needed but I am always on the lookout for that "special" little something.

Anyway, I spotted some adorable lamps that I thought my son could use in his bedroom. I thought I could go back later in the week if he was interested. He was so I hurried back and, of course, they were gone. However, the same lamps were there in a tan color so I scooped them up before anyone else could spy them and hurried home with my bargains.

While they are a little modern for my taste, I knew they would fit perfectly in his room and they did. He loved them!

HAPPY LABOR DAY . . .

I spent two days last week at my daughter's house helping her with the children so I had to play catch-up at my house this weekend plus nursing Norman who found out last week that he has a partial collapsed lung.

After cleaning the house I decided to make some cookies (hoping that would make him feel better). My friend, Jan, gave me this recipe years ago and my children loved them so I thought I would share the recipe with you.

Good Cookies

1 cup Wesson oil

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 egg, beaten

1 cup corn flakes

1 cup quick oatmeal

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

3-1/2 cups flour

Mix all ingredients together. Form into small balls and flatten each ball with a glass that has been dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. (makes 8 dozen cookies)

There is nothing better than a plate full of crunchy, homemade cookies.

Enjoy!

Bargains, Bargains, Bargains . . .

After I picked up the girlie and little man this morning I had to make a pit stop at Walmart for milk, lunch meat, etc. While I was there I decided to stop in the children's department to see what I could find for the baby (she is so small that the 0-3 months are too big for her). Man did I hit the mother lode.

These are for later - 3-6 months and 6-9 months.

These are newborns.

Would you believe that everything in these pictures where just $1 each and I even scored a cute pair of shorts for the little man. I love bargains!