Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving is always a long day and this year was no exception! We left home at 11:30 had lunch with my Mom's family at lunch.  We left there at around 4pm to stop by my Aunt Kay & Uncle Doug's house to visit for awhile. Then it was off to Searcy to see Jarrod's family. We got back home around 11ish. So we were tired!! I wonder how in the world we are going to do that journey with kids!

Friday my mom and dad came to Jonesboro. Mom and I shopped while my dad and Jarrod stayed at our house and watched the Arkansas/LSU game. I'm not sure who was more worn out at the end of the day, us girls who'd been shopping all day or the boys who'd been sitting on the edge of their seats through 3 overtimes!!

It wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be, there were plenty of people out and about but it wasn't bad at all. I actually got a lot of my Christmas shopping finished! I hope to get the rest done this weekend at Branson.

I have a work conference at the Chateau on the Lake in Branson on Thursday-Saturday, so we will definitely be doing some holiday bargain shopping at the outlet mall at some point.

 I love the Chateau, it is something I look forward to all year!! It's so pretty at Christmas time!!

The Graham Girls Visit

Monday November 12th, I had house guests! Kristen & Kate stopped by to visit us on their way to Branson for Thanksgiving . She was traveling with her Mom & Dad and had dropped them off at her grandma's in Lepanto, before coming to Jonesboro to spend some time with us.  Kate was asleep when they got here, it was about 8 o'clock, but she woke up and was in a great mood. Kristen sat Kate down in the living room to floor to play with Jarrod while I gave her the house tour. When we returned to the living room we found Kate in  Jarrod's lap with her arm around him. . . it was too cute.

These are the only two picture I got of Kate. It was late when they arrived and Tuesday morning we stayed in our jammies until time to go to lunch. So we weren't really in a picture taking mood.

Kristen and I stayed up until after 1am catching up!! That is the latest I have been up in a while!! We got up around 7am and had breakfast and coffee and played with Kate and watched some TV. We just hung out until time to meet Kristen's parents for lunch. After lunch at McAllister's they got back on the road.

It was a really special visit, too short, of course, but we had fun catching up and getting to spend time with Kate was great too! Kate is not only beautiful, but she's such a fun and happy baby, I know Kristen and Brett are so proud.

Another room is done!

Last night after supper and a little "Dancing with the Stars", Jarrod and I worked on hanging the remaining pictures throughout the house.

The thing that took the longest was the office. Jarrod couldn't decide where he wanted to put his deer. He figured it out and we are finally done! Yay!

It kind of creeps me out, when you walk in it's staring right at you! I'm going to have to put some sunglasses on him or something.

We have big plans for this room. We want to eventually put a futon and TV in so that's it's more of a den. A place where Jarrod can look around at the things he's killed on the walls and really reflect on life. . . . or watch football, whatever works.

The Staggs Inn, now open for business. . .

I am supposed to be having company next Monday. . . . my best friend Kristen and her 11 mo. old baby, Kate are going to be stopping by for the night! I am so excited to have them come visit. It's not very often we get to see each other since they live in D.C.!

So, this weekend I worked on cleaning, organizing and re-arranging our "guest room". Like most guest rooms it had become sort of a dumping ground for stuff we didn't know what to do with. Now, however, it is clean and tidy and free of cat hair. Since Kristen is allergic to cats, we are keeping the door shut. This bed happens to be one of Taki's favorite napping spots!

 

O'Charley's Prime Rib Pasta. . .

Sunday Jarrod & I had lunch at O'Charley's and I got one of their new steak dishes. It was so good! You've got to try it! We also got the "Three Cheese Shrimp Dip" for the first time and it was excellent as well ! YUM-O!!

 

Here's the description from the menu. . .if this doesn't get your mouth watering, I don't know what will!

Prime Rib Pasta: Tender slices of Prime Rib tossed with penne pasta, bacon, fresh asparagus, mushrooms, and our signature Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo sauce. Then for an extra little kick, we finish it with a zesty Cajun Horseradish sauce.

Papa's Puppy Search

Papa has mentioned to several of us lately that he would like to get another Jack Russell Terrier, a female so his male Jack Russell "Stubby" could have a "friend". Since his Birthday is November 5th and we were having a party for him Saturday night we all decided to go together and buy him a new puppy.  Surprising him with a puppy might sound fun at first, but there's always the chance that he might not like the dog we picked, so to be on the safe side I called Papa on Friday and asked him about us going together and getting him a puppy for his birthday. Of course he was excited and liked the idea, but he wanted to pick it out himself to ensure that he got one that looks like Stubby.   Saturday morning I met Papa and took him to the only pet store in Jonesboro that had Jack Russell puppies.  After many questions, and a call to the litter's breeder, Papa decided that he wanted to wait and look around before he makes a final decision. I had a blast playing with the puppies, they were all very cute and very hyper!

After the puppy store adventure I assisted Papa with his grocery shopping before he headed home. I was a little disappointed that he didn't find a new puppy, but I want him to be happy. So, I guess the search will continue! For his birthday most of us gave him money to go towards the purchase of his puppy when he finds "the one".  So, if you know of anyone selling, or breeding Jack Russell Terriers in the area, please let me know!

Our First Halloween in Jonesboro

We had been advised by several people that live in Jonesboro that the area kiddies can clean house when it comes to trick-or-treating, so we got just two large bags of candy and decided that when we ran out we'd just turn out the lights and be done.  I was a little skeptical, I didn't think we'd have many, just because we don't know many people that live in the subdivision.

When I got home from work it was already past 5:30, We hurriedly got the candy ready, turned on our lights, turned on our fountain and lit the candles up the sidewalk. I assumed I'd be hearing the doorbell ring anytime. I cooked supper, we ate supper, we sat at the kitchen table and talked. . .and waited. . .and talked. . . and waited. . . and finally I gave up and started cleaning up the kitchen. About 7:30 we had our first visitor. After that a few more trickled by but not many. It was not definitely not the mob of children that I had anticipated!

We were a little disappointed that we didn't have more trick-or-treaters. Especially since the house looked so cute with decorations Jarrod had worked so hard on. I think we had a grand total of 10 or 12. We were the only one in our cul-de-sac that had lights on for a long time, and there just a few houses in the area that are completely finished and have residents. So I can see how the dark area and new construction sites might have deterred some from heading up our direction. But now we have LOTS of left over candy!

Uncle Brian and Christina brought the girls over to see us and they both looked very cute! A Cheetah and a Cheetah Girl!

I stole the above picture from Christina. You can see more of her pictures by going to her blog.  Isn't it funny that Isabella has to use both hands to carry her trick-or-treat bucket!!