LADIES CHRISTMAS PARTY INVITES

Let me just say I am so excited about my annual ladies Christmas Party. It should be a lot of fun this year. Looking forward to it. I did a cheesy theme this year and I can hardly hold back my enthusiasm. I just know this party will make for some awesome pictures!!

34th BIRTHDAY

Feeling super lazy today. Not my husband. He "was" on a mission. Got the Christmas lights all spread out in the front yard and ready to hang on the house. As soon as he gets on the roof it started raining. Has not quit most of the morning/afternoon. To me this makes for a perfect lazy day to lounge at the casa. All I long to do is watch TV, nap, put my Christmas decor up, nap and stay inside to spend time with my boys. Did I mention nap??


I went into the living room and my husband had wrapped me a gift from my boys. Best part it was wrapped in newspaper with masking tape. AWESOME :) It was my Paula Deen cooking set that I have really been wanting. I have not had a matching set of nice cookware. These are so pretty I just want to sit and stare at them. Feeling like a pretty lucky girl!





I baked a WONDERFUL YUMMY BIRTHDAY CAKE! Actually it's so good you can take it for any occasion or event. It's so dang DELICIOUS~ I am almost sure it's FAT FREE TOO. *I better get no comments about how wrong I am on this* I have seen and heard several variations of this cake including the name....

~~BETTER THAN SEX CAKE~~
You make it and you be the judge!

BETTER THAN SEX CAKE

1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix 1 jar of caramel ice cream topping 1 can sweetened condensed milk 12 oz. Cool Whip 3 or 5 Heath Bar candy bars (you can buy packages if this instead of individual bars) Prepare German chocolate cake mix according to package directions. As soon as you take the cake out of the oven - poke holes in the cake (lots of holes, I used wooden spoon handle) and pour the can of sweetened condensed milk over the entire cake. As even as possible. Then pour the caramel ice cream topping over the entire cake. Refrigerate immediately. When cake is completely cool; top with Cool Whip and crushed Heath Bar candy. If you love caramel add more all over the top of the cool whip before adding the crushed Heath bars. KEEP REFRIGERATED!

HAPPY TURKEY DAY

My Thanksgiving festivities kicked off Wednesday night. Got to see my siblings and that felt really good since we don't hang out all that much. Keisha keeps busy with her job (works for the state & travels all over Oklahoma), Juli lives in Arkansas (buyer for Dillard's) & my baby brother J keeps busy with his job and a lot of hunting, since it is that season. There was defiantly a full house at the Anderson's! All of Mike's (step-dad) family was there. After several attempts we finally got a half way decent family photo.

Above: Liam with Pat's hat on ~ Charlene with her great-granddaughter

Thursday~ Got a chance to actually sleep in and prepare myself for turkey feast #2. This time we went to Wendy's (Hubby's oldest sister) to spend time with his side of our family. I must tell you we had 7 kids there total. 5 boys & 2 girls, all under age 9. The boys just love to wrestle Uncle Mike. I got a good pic of this below

MATHIS BOYS: Ryan, Noah, Ashton, Brody ~ Check out Cameron & Brody :)

Miss Lilly with her Uncle Mike ~ Her first Thanksgiving

Oh Miss Breighlee ~What a doll with her Grandma Shirley. PIGTAILS ROCK!!

The only thing missing was Stephanie, Tony, Natalie & Kaleb. They moved to Texas this year and due to their jobs were unable to make it. Hopefully we will see them at Christmas.

We got to talk to Kyle today and see how his Thanksgiving was going. He said they had some turkey and ham (he swears it was spam in disguise). He had also been outside a lot enjoying the weather. It was actually warmer than normal and made for a beautiful THANKSGIVING! We let him know how much we all love and miss him.

I am thankful for all the people I was surrounded by the last few days. I am thankful my boys are both healthy and know how much I love them. I am thankful my husband and I both have our health minus needing to lose some weight ;) It could be much worse.

After the eating we caught a couple of early black Friday sales (Michael's & Old Navy) then went to have a few drinks with our friends. I must get me a shower & a power nap so I can get my shop on.......I have a strange feeling I will have a story to share about that later.

RAMBLE ON SISTER

I have 100% fallen in love with a photo editing website. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!
PICNIK

I wish I could get paid to create. How outstanding would that be?!?
Not sure what else I can bring to the table today since my time is limited~

I have work to get caught up on (since that is what they pay me for), birthday today for the boss man, Thanksgiving dinner preparation for "The Anderson Family Gathering" being held tomorrow night and more baking (going to be a late night) in addition to date night with the hubs tonight. Did I mention date with the hubs includes Jim Brickman?? This makes late night holiday preparation worth it.




*DATE NIGHT*

I need my spirits lifted a little so maybe this just might do the trick.
Oh and my attention is being pulled over to my annual ladies Christmas party planning. Better get in the spirit quickly cause December 15th is knocking at my door.

PECAN TOFFEE TASSIES

Okay - so I attempted to expand my baking portfolio tonight. It usually consists of pre-packaged, pre-cut throw in the oven type of cookies and very limited cakes. Limited meaning right out of the pretty box with the beautifully displayed cake that mine never seemed to mimic. I'd also like to make an awesome pie. Something I am known for and people long for until the next get together.
I can buy some awesome tasties like nobody's business.
I'll add a couple of links of my favorite local cake shops (for your viewing pleasure).
YOUR WELCOME!
www.JohnniesBakery.com
If you live in the OKC/Metro area you are aware of Raspberries N' Creme unfortunately they do not have a website *SHAME*
I have copy & pasted the recipe below using www.pauladeen.com

Pecan Toffee Tassies

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts
1 (10-ounce) package almond brickle chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll piecrusts onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into 2 (15-inch) circles. Cut out 48 circles using a 1 3/4-inch fluted or round cookie cutter, re-rolling dough as needed. Place in 1 3/4-inch muffin pans, pressing on bottom and up the sides of each of the mini-muffin cups. Combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and eggs in a large bowl, mixing well. Add vanilla. Stir in pecans and brickle chips. Spoon pecan filling evenly into pie shells. Bake for 25 minutes, or until filling is set and crust is lightly browned. Cool in pans on wire racks.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

Servings: 4 dozen
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Difficulty: Easy

MY MAN MIKE

April 3, 1999
MICHAEL & ANDREA ASH

Don't marry the person you think you can live with.
Marry the person you think you can't live without!

~Favorite photo with MY MAN MIKE~

Ever sit and wonder how in the world you ended up with the person you are married to? I often do. If you say you don't I think you are fooling yourself! I could name off all the things that bug the hell out of me about this man but they will NEVER equal all the things I LOVE about him. Nothing is perfect about our marriage. Not by any stretch of the imagination. We have our trials and tribulations but the great thing about it all is we keep making it out of them TOGETHER.

REACHING YOUR DREAM TAKES COURAGE

This is something I found and LOVED! I sent this to my Kyle in hopes he takes something from it as well.

Courage is admitting that you're afraid and facing that fear directly. It's being strong enough to ask for help and humble enough to accept it.

Courage is standing up for what you believe in without worrying about the opinions of others. It's following your own heart, living your own life, and settling for nothing less than the best for yourself.

Courage is daring to take a first step, a big leap, or a different path. It's attempting to do something that no one has done before and all others thought impossible.

Courage is keeping heart in the face of disappointment and looking at defeat not as an end but as a new beginning. It's believing that things will ultimately get better even as they get worse.

Courage is being responsible for your own actions and admitting your own mistakes without placing blame on others. It's relying not on others for your success, but on your own skills and efforts.

Courage is refusing to quit even when you're intimidated by impossibility. It's choosing a goal, sticking with it, and finding solutions to the problems.

Courage is thinking big, aiming high, and shooting far. It's taking a dream and doing anything, risking everything, and stopping at nothing to it make it a reality.

COUGAR ON THE MEND

So, last night we were in Putnam City with the Cougars playing in the All City Playoffs. This was our first game of hopefully 3. During the 4th qtr after a tackle Cameron was injured. He was crying like I've never heard so I knew it was more than just a bump or bruise. 2+ hours in the ER at Deaconess it's confirmed he has broken both bones, just above the left wrist. They ER doc said it looked pretty clean but we would need to follow up with the orthopedic specialist in 3-4 days after the swelling goes down. Let me just tell you the amazing support this little dude has. Since we had to leave the game early we kept receiving texts updating us on the game and to let us know when the boys would go into the huddle they said Cameron's name on 3. After a team prayer was said for him too. Then almost the entire team stopped by the ER on their way home just to give Cameron a hug and say hi. Sweetest thing ever. I was moved to tears. As if that's not enough, we get home after midnight to our front door decorated in writing from his friend Noah (Momma Cyndi helped too) & a cute gift from Bryce and his family. It had candy and a handy dandy football pillow that will be perfect for elevating the arm. Everyone was over the top thoughtful and it spoke volumes to us.

* * WE LOVE OUR COUGAR FAMILY * *

Cameron will be out 6 weeks but his team will be playing in game #2 because they ended up winning the game 23-0.

Little guy was in some pain. Deaconess ER was awesome!

LOOKING BACK......

Just wanted to share some of my favorite pics of my boys!
These were actually taken by me at local park March 2008.

For a snapshop..... THIS IS A FAVORITE!

PIECES OF ME

Today I have ventured out and become a blogger. Figured it's an easy inexpensive way of venting not to mention keeping people caught up. Maybe others will learn something from my mistakes/journeys/daily battles. Or better yet offer advice or constructive criticism for me to learn from. I feel like I am struggling with this balancing act I currently call my life. Marriage, 17 & 9 year old BOYS, full time office manager, little league sports, extended family and all their opinions.....people this list could go on and on.

If you are family or a close friend you know that our oldest son Kyle is not living at home with us. He became involved with drugs and made some life altering decisions that he now is paying for. He is about to be 18 in January. He has been given a second chance with the juvenile program he is in. He's still a kid that wants to act out to authority and thinks he knows better than everyone else around him. I honestly don't know many boys that age that don't act the very same way and even some grown men (attend a little league sporting event) especially when they don't get their way. He's now being forced to grow up and quickly! He let the most memorable times of his youth slip away and as a parent that breaks my heart. Meaning missing out on High School days, driving, playing sports, girlfriends, proms, dances, parties and graduating with his friends. All of these things are meaningless especially if he would have ended up dead in a ditch somewhere due to drugs and violence that could have followed.

Understand I try to count my blessings instead of always seeing the bad in the situation. It's just incredibly hard sometimes. It's natural to want your kids to succeed. To want them to feel important and watch them achieve their goals. I just wish I could stress to him the importance of finishing this program so he can be back with the family. He has had several bumps along the way even in this program. Believe me, it's NOT just Kyle with the bumps in the road although at times it seems he has given up on himself and that feeling alone kills me as his mother. I'm almost at a loss of words because I have no idea how to reach out to him other than all the phone calls, having people write him, my lengthy letters, sending encouraging cards, books, pictures and anything else they will allow him to have. We visit 2-3 weekends a month. As often as we can. He is only allowed limited people. So aunts, uncles, cousins & most friends have not seen him in over a year. During a visit we usually get 3 full hours. We make the most of it and fill our family time with card games, chess, slap jack (personal favorite of Cameron) & UNO.

I always find an encouraging thing to say or remind him how deeply he is missed and loved by SO MANY! I try to stay strong not just for Kyle but for my youngest Cameron too. Cameron is about to turn 10 in 2010. WOW. *That was strange to type* He too has had his little world tilted actually turned completely upside down!! He often cries and talks about missing his big brother. It usually happens before bed and I will be in the living room and hear him crying. You tell me how you stay strong during those conversations when all you want to do is break down and cry or throw up. I do what comes natural to me. Allow tears to fall, holding Cameron tightly allowing him to let out his feelings and frustrations. Rubbing his soft cheeks and looking into those beautiful brown eyes (also filled with tears). You really start to feel like a failure and catch yourself wondering where you went wrong as a parent, could I have changed something along the way that would have saved him from this? What can you do to make it better? What if this and what if that are constantly running through your head. Then you deal with stuff like~ How do I prevent Cameron from not going down a similar road in his future or how do I keep the balance between being a mother for Cameron now and a mother for Kyle away. It's hard to focus sometimes because one requires so much more with attorneys, counselors, daily updates, fears of what he is doing, fears of what he is not doing etc. Cameron is very active in school, sports and his friends. No different than Kyle was at that age. Cameron needs/deserves undivided attention and parenting too. Then the guilt comes of will Kyle feel left out? Will he think I don't love his as much cause our lives are still continuing on without him home?

I tell you I fret about all the pictures where Kyle's face is not present not to mention all the events he's been absent from. The holidays seem to be the worst. Not just on my but our whole family. People are afraid to talk to me in fear they will hurt my feelings or maybe they just don't know what to say. It's endless what I deal with emotionally. There again I should be happy I still have two boys ALIVE & HEALTHY to be so concerned with. That's a blessing. Somehow I am still married!!! Another blessing :) See, I am trying to keep my focus more positive. It's a daily challenge and I will prevail. WE WILL PREVAIL AS A FAMILY!! I know there is a much deeper message in all this. I know there is a lesson we are all suppose to gain out of this but for the life of me, I have not been able to put my finger on it. Everyone says "things happen for a reason". I guess it's all in God's timing and out of my control. I believe we as a family are deserving of better things. I believe my boys are capable of ANYTHING and will become stronger from their experiences. Keeping that in mind, please do not think my blog will always be depressing and full of sadness.

There is so much out there ~ we have yet to skim the surface!