My two German Snifferdoodles

Our sweet little beagles, Ubu and Dieter, were the recipients of

these German hats from the trip to Leavenworth yesterday.

Aren't they cute?!

Gratitude Friday list...

Here's my gratitude list, included with pictures from today. We drove west to the Bavarian town of Leavenworth. While it's not quite the traditions of the German Christmas Market we're accustomed to, it was a wonderful day. Enjoy the pictures of Leavenworth and the one picture of the puppies at the house, too! Things I am thankful for....

Snifferdoodle blessings. I just love their beagle noses.



Leavenworth, WA!

David and Jen in front of their favorite food place!

Starbucks, anywhere, anytime!

homemade Christmas gifts

Beautiful creations from God! This is up off of Icecicle Road.

12 days of Christmas, Starbucks style!

On the 12th day of Christmas, my Starbucks gave to me...

12 eggnog lattes
11 cappuccinos

10 cups a'brewing

9 cocoas steaming
8 shots a'pouring

7 gingerbread lattes

6 peppermint mochas

5 perfect shots
4 pounds of beans

3 coffee presses
2 cups of tea

and a barista in a green apron

Gratitude

image from: http://www.livewellstitches.com/

My two Snifferdoodles!

My two Snifferdoodles, aka beagles Dieter and Ubu!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

TV reminiscing

"It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes." Sally Field

I loved watching "The Flying Nun." This quote from Sally Field reminded me of the show this morning so I quickly did a Google search and found this picture of the show.

What are TV shows that you miss? I really liked "Room 222" with Karen Valentine! (here's the theme song: http://www.royhooper.com/room222.html)

Adventures in Organization (aka dealing with a mouse!)

Ugh! I went to wash my hands at the kitchen sink this morning, only to find a dead mouse floating in a big bowl full of water. Double ugh! I screamed and haven't been back to the sink yet. David disposed of the mouse and we're hoping it doesn't have any next of kin. If you've been following my story about the mice invasion, you'll know that I've been cleaning tons and re-organizing at my house so that the mice don't have access to any type of food source! The one thing I'm thankful for this season: rubbermaid storage boxes!! (Everyone has a blog these days...check out the Rubbermaid blog "Adventures in Organization") http://blog.rubbermaid.com/home/

Baby, it's cold outside!

I invited Dieter to come outside with me this morning while I was trying to take pictures of the thick frost we had this morning. Nothing worked out for picture taking, except for Dieter and I'm sure he thought it was cold when he was sitting so pretty for this picture. He defintely looks like his mama!

Simple Things....Thanks, Lisa!

It is the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.

--Paulo Coelho

Thanks, Lisa, for the coffee time today!

"The Invisible Woman"

A wonderful five minute video from Nicole Johnson ! Definite words of wisdom here!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Freshbrewedlife

Taken from Nicole's website, "Fresh Brewed Life® is the title of Nicole Johnson's first book, and since then it has become a way of life. Nicole's mission has become to create original entertainment that brings this unique and authentic perspective to women, providing them with hope for the daily grind."

Gratitude Friday list...

1. warm snickerdoodles fresh out of the oven.

2. the ability to help a friend in need.

3. good news from the eye dr that there's no permanent damage to my optic nerve.

4. awesome worship night at church on Wednesday.

5. 18 of the sweetest kindergartners ever!

"We Girls Can Do Anything!"

I love my friend Holly's blog title for today (and the card she's posted on her website!)...it's perfect for all of the things I've learned to do while David has been deployed with the Air Force, on his unaccompanied tours or just because I needed to learn! (still haven't mastered the "catch a mouse" yet, though!) It's true in the military life that the military spouse has the toughest job!!!

Anyways, Holly has a rubberstamping blog that you've got to stop to see! You'll love her card ideas that she posts almost every day. Creavity runs in her family!!

http://hogwildaboutstamping.blogspot.com/

Below is the blog candy that Holly is giving away! You'll want to visit her blog every day and leave a comment, too, to have more chances to win this amazing assortment of crafting goodies! Thanks so much, Holly!!

Holly's blog candy

Too Doggone Cute!!

Here's Dieter, just trying so hard to be good!!

the little things

I found a saying while shopping this weekend and although I'm going to think about it some more before I comment, I'll share it with you this morning.

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day you'll look back and realize that they were the BIG things!

What are the little things you enjoy?

Gratitude Friday list...

...on Saturday! :)

1. Shopping with girlfriends is so much better than shopping alone!

2. Love and laughter!

3. Growing older with girlfriends who have known me since the dorky years! (and they still love me and vice versa!)

4. Having popcorn for dinner while watching a Christmas movie!

5. Starbucks and everywhere we've shopped these past two days! (and don't forget the chocolate stops, either!)

Becky at Starbucks

Cute Christmas sighting....

Everywhere you look, there's Christmas already! David and I were at the Kitchen Station (awesome kitchen store in Spokane http://www.thekitchenengine.com/index.html ) and I spied this latte' mug. Of course, I snapped the picture and left the mug for someone else to purchase. I don't think I'll sing the song "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" the regular way this year!

Veterans' Day

We always laugh at our house and tell our favorite veteran (my husband, Retired Master Sergeant David York, USAF) that we're thankful for the day off from school while we remember his dedication to service. Then we make him get to work around the house! Lest you think that we're not being very reverent to our veterans, this family is the most patriotic family that has ever been! After being an active duty family for 24+ years in the United States Air Force, we have learned the true meaning of patriotism. Our blood runs red, white and blue 24-7! We are proud of what David has done for his country and we salute him and all of the other veterans. We stop and think of those friends and family members that are not with us in person anymore. Not just today, but often. (David's dad was a World War II veteran who passed away in 2005.) We also remember those ladies and gentlemen serving today on American soil and foreign land. Our flag is flying at our house this morning! Take time to thank a veteran for your continued freedom here in the United States of America!

November's 10 on 10

We had company today! My cousin and her husband were traveling back home to Vancouver, BC and they stopped for the night in Spokane. We took them down to Riverside State Park to show them our suspension bridge over the Spokane River. Years ago I had spent time with them at their home and they took me to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. http://www.capbridge.com/ Fun memories! We realized it'd been at least 25 years since we've seen each other. So tonight we made new memories. It was really starting to get dark so we didn't get a lot of pictures and we'll take them back today in the daylight! The last two pictures are of the cats and dog who kept us entertained.

Geof and Jean

Riverside State Park suspension bridge

walking across the bridge

looking downriver



David and Kerri

at the overlook at Bowl and Pitcher (in the dark!)

underneath the full moon

Jean and Kerri

Lydia and Klaus

Dieter the beagle dog (pooped out after a full day of keeping us entertained!)

"This is your life...."

"...are you who you want to be?" I was listening to the song by Switchfoot (it's on my playlist) and just kinda melancholy tonight about the whole subject.

Are you who you want to be? I don't think I am. But I don't know who or what I want to be, either. Crum. Thankfully, though, I know Who I belong to and He has the plan for me.

Good news!

Today's ultrasound and mammogram showed no new growth and they really think the lump that's been in me for three months is just a fatty nodule. I'll have my next check up in 9 months! Here's how I am celebrating the great results this morning -- you may drive to your nearest Starbucks, order your favorite drink (mine is a venti, non fat, extra hot vanilla latte) and celebrate with me in spirit! :)

Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style -- My Recipes

After you've checked out my recipes, jump over to Overwhelmed with Joy for more yummy holiday recipes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 2/3 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 Tblesp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 cup margarine, melted

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Grease muffin tins. Mix together dry ingredients and set aside. In mixing bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and margarine. Fold in dry ingredients, stirring until just moist. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Enjoy!

Broccoli Casserole

20 ounces of cut broccoli (frozen or fresh)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 can cream of potato soup

8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Cook broccoli til just tender. Drain and spread in casserole dish. In separate bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise and soup. Spread over broccoli. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. (Leftovers from this make a great topper for a baked potato!)

Gratitude Friday list...

1. for my friends Violet and Alister living in Scotland. I was able to chat with her a little bit this morning via AIM. David and I had visited them last January at their home. I am always grateful for their friendship and the many cuppas we shared in our time together.

2. for continued teaching jobs. I've had a full week of teaching!

3. for Dieter. I took him to school this morning and shared him with my teaching friends. He wiggled his way into their hearts! It was great to watch them just melt.

4. for drs' wisdom. I have a mammogram/ultrasound tomorrow morning to see if the lump inside of me is growing. Please be praying....I would like to get a biopsy done asap and be done with it.

5. for a warm cup of coffee. My cup is full this morning and I'm enjoying it as I'm typing up my gratitude list. Yesterday it was very rainy and foggy -- I just wanted to grab a cup and sit by a fireplace with a friend. It didn't happen, but I can enjoy the cup now while it's still raining and I'll meet up with another friend for lunch before I teach Kindergarten.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!

Recipe Exchange

Take a look at what is happening over at Overwhelmed with Joy. She's got a great holiday recipe exchange and a giveaway on November 7th. Hey, that's tomorrow!!! Go take a look and see! I'm always up for new holiday recipes!! I'm excited about this. There's already 115 recipes from other peoples' blogs. WOW!!!

The Dawning of a New Day

I was reading a book that was given to me four years ago (and I've read it MANY times!) -- "Living Again in God's Abundance" by Susanne Dale Ezell -- and I stumbled on the following passage, which goes with yesterday's post.

I have learned that with God's help, I can - and I will - stand on my own two feet. I have walked through the valley of deep darkness, and now I can move on to the green pastures and still waters. In the depth of my being, I can now feel a stillness, a calm and a strength. I am ready to embrace whatever life has to offer! There are good days ahead!

The author continued by listing positive statements like "I will smile more, I will continue to pamper myself, I will grow more interesting with age, I will let go of things I cannot change, etc."

My question tonight is "What positive statements -- an 'I WILL' statement -- would you include in this list?"

Psalm 23 for Busy People

Yesterday at church Pastor Mike spoke on busyness and he shared this version of Psalm 23 for busy people! The pictures included are ones that I took of today as I was up at Painted Rock in Spokane. The Little Spokane River is beautiful any day of the year, but especially pretty in the late fall afternoon.

Enjoy the poem and join me in learning to relax because He's in control!

Psalm 23 for Busy People

The Lord is my pace setter, I shall not rush.
He makes me to stop and rest for quiet intervals.
He provides me with images of stillness, which restores my serenity.
He leads me in ways of efficiency, through calmness of mind.

And His guidance is my peace.
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day
I will not fret, for His presence is here.
His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance.

He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity
By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquillity.
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hour,
For I shall walk in the pace of the Lord and dwell in His house forever.

York family photo

Here's our new family photo of David and I with our "fur" kids!! Dieter the dog and Klaus the cat have settled nicely into our household. Both are about 9 weeks old.