Cuddly in Camo....

These tough guys in their camouflage aren't fooling anybody...... I love this picture :)

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Yeah! It was a very big deal to actually put long sleeves on and hurry outside to play. Actually - I also wanted an excuse to play with my new camera (VERY Merry Christmas present from Jason that I begged to have early for the holidays!)

I'm still playing with some settings on the new camera. *Thanks for the recommendation, Alex*

Turkey Day in the Taylor House

That was Sunday, November the 23rd for those of you that didn't know.


The meal was a big success. I decided on the turkey recipe from Alton Brown and I DVR'd his special "romancing the bird" and watched it about 4 times. We soaked the turkey in a brine and it really did make a difference. I think the only thing I'd do differently is to leave it at the high setting a little longer or take the little cover over the breast off earlier so it would have gotten browner on top. Other than that - it was juicy and great - not too bad for a 1st attempt.


Besides the bird hoopla, it was really fun to be with my husband, son, mom, and sisters. Everyone pitched in and the food was great. I blew my "diet" but I'm back on the wagon again. At least until Thursday when we do it all again at my mother-in-laws.

My first (and maybe last) TURKEY

It's finally here. The day is fast approaching when I will cook my first turkey. I don't feel prepared at all...... It may seem odd, but it's true - in my 30 years I have never even attempted to cook a turkey. I've cooked a little chicken before, but even that didn't turn out so great.

Sunday (yes THIS Sunday) my family is coming over and I'm making Thanksgiving dinner. My mom is helping of course, but when we were discussing the plans, I heard myself volunteering to take care of everything including the turkey. What was I thinking?

Anyway - Jason (who is a great cook) has volunteered to help and I've been researching some faves at www.foodnetwork.com, but any great tips or helpful hints some of you more experienced chefs can give is very welcome. Take advantage - I don't ask for other people's input very often ;)

And the wife of the year award goes to.......

Well - it's safe to say not me ;) BUT - I deserve to be nominated for this. For those of you that don't know, Jason is a HUGE Dallas Cowboys fan and he's NEVER been to one of their games. So this little lady picked up some home health patients on the side for extra $$$ and bought these tickets to the LAST cowboys game in Texas Stadium EVER! I won major brownie points for this :) So look for us December 20th on TV!!!

Is it Fall Yet?

As you can tell, we haven't gotten around to raking our leaves yet. I like to use the excuse that we are 'saving' them for our child to make happy memories in.

Trick or Treat!

Jackson went trick or treating for the 1st time Friday night! I came home early from work so it would still be light out......and he fell asleep and took a nap when I was so ready to get him dressed! Finally he got up, we got him dressed, and he started seeing the kiddos come to the door which he was LOVING.

We only took him to one of our neighbors' houses which is basically across the street (that journey took about 15 minutes) He wanted to run, then pick every speck of anything off the road, then run back towards the house, etc, etc. When he finally got there he took some candy out of Chris' big bowl and put some in his little pumpkin bag. He must have thought that he took too much - because then he put a few pieces back in the big bowl. :)

We made it through without injury or tears which I'm happy with! *I know the top pic is blurry but his face was too cute....he was so excited running down the driveway!*

Making Halloween Memories......or Emotional Scars?

I sure hope Halloween goes better for Jackson than the preparations for the holiday..... We started with making some pumpkin shaped sugar cookies (many thanks to the Nestle corporation.) Well soon after this happy pic - Jackson somehow managed to fall off the chair he's standing on. He didn't hit his head, but tears were plentiful.

THEN - a few nights later we decided it was time to carve the pumpkin. I found a really cool haunted house design online (I'm not paying $5 for a picture) and Jason bought a strobe light to go inside. Jackson was into it and we were letting him use a PLASTIC spoon to scoop out some seeds. He managed to slice his finger on a little sharp edge that only he could find. More tears, a band-aid, and some kisses.

Here is the final result - we were pretty proud. (Jason did all the work) Hopefully tomorrow will come and go without any tears shed. Wish us luck!

My 1st blog: Catching up on shots!

Here goes nothing - my fledgling attempt at blogging:

Today Jackson got his 12 month AND 15 month shots since he was sick when I took him for the one-year check-up. (Yes - I'm just now taking care of this - please don't judge) I was working this morning, but since Jackson was traumatized at the doctor with FOUR SHOTS and the ordeal of an "ear bath" I decided to call in the rest of the day and let him sleep it off at home. I'm starting this web-page while my little angel is in his peaceful tylenol-induced slumber.

Speaking of the doctor - Jackson weighed 27 pounds, 4 oz today and was 32 1/2 inches tall - the doc said he was in the 81st percentile! He was also showing off for her......pointing, talking (saying words I KNOW he's never said before) and so she was very impressed. He's such a performer.....

I had to literally pin him against the french door for this pic - I wanted to see the band-aid on his arm (1st shot in the arm) and of course he smiled which made it too cute.