Never underestimate

Nothing is impossible, and NEVER, EVER underestimate the power of a few motivated people!!! Because today I watched a 26 foot moving truck go from EMPTY to full in just under 5 hours. And watch a large majority of the contents of my home go out one of four doors to get to that point!

Sadly, we are NOT done. Tomorrow we get the trailer, and we HOPEFULLY finish up this bad boy. If you live in the local area, watch my facebook for curb alerts for the items we are NOT keeping! :)

THANK YOU to my awesome church family for all your help: Pastor Van, Albertine, Abraham, Micheal, Reggie, Josiah, Kim, Andrew, Lonre, and Nelson. Also thank you to Kathy who volunteered to watch the kids for us, we just never got the chance to get there!! :)

Also THANK YOU to my friends who came, or tried to come: Katherine (who was here til LATE last night boxing up with us), Henry, Chrissy (girl, I know ya tried), and Carey (I know you'll help tomorrow!).

And of course, my family: Brian, Dez, L, C, and R, you ALL busted backside today!! And A, B, E, and S, for trying so hard!!! Little boxes have to be carried too, and sometimes YOUR logic is better than mine!!

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Last Day at Work

Tonight is my last night at work. :( I'm sad about leaving. I really like working there. I have worked there longer than anywhere.

I know I am leaving for all the right reasons. It's been a good ride, I have learned SO MUCH while I've been there. It has been a wonderful growing experience for me. I feel that I've become a better employee, more rounded and have so much more experience. They gave me supervisory experience, which I am completely grateful for. That opens a world of possibilities for me as I move forward.

And I have made fabulous friends there. Really, friends I love to invite over for cupcakes, friends who come and fight battles with Spark Plug 6 with me, and friends I am HAPPY to drive to go pick up to get them to work on time. :) I will miss them all, and I hope they have a chance to come visit me in Utah. :) And hopefully a little way down the road I will be able to come visit them again here in Massachusetts. :)

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Not so typical Tuesday...

Bullet points of my day:
-wake up, breakfast
-pack boxes
-friend arrives to help
-pack a LOT of boxes
-make some lunch
-pack some more boxes
-take BFF to doctor's appointment
-Swing by tire place to set up appointments for both of our cars to get what they need done.
-go to grocery store to get stuff for dinner for kids
-make dinner for kids (and contemplate packing)
-head out for dinner out with adults I didn't want to say goodbye to
-come home, and remember that really, I need to pack more boxes... but it's late, and I have to have BFF's car at the tire place by 8 am, so NO. LOL

Worst part? There's still a TON of work to be done, loads to be packed. I'm at the "overwhelmed" stage now. I feel like it will never end, even though I know it's not true. :(

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Night out with friends

Every now and then it is good to just get out with my good friends. Tonight BFF, Kmae, and I went out. We started out at Fugakyu to enjoy some WONDERFUL sushi!! mmmmmmm I ordered the smoked salmon sushi, an avocado roll and an Idaho Roll. Yum.

Then we moved on to Sweets Cupcakes in Worcester. We enjoyed a delicious desert and conversation, followed by ordering some cupcakes to go. :) I will certainly enjoy THAT tomorrow!!! :)

The best part for me is just the talking. I love talking with them. I love getting all caught up on what's going on with Kmae. And tonight she even told me that she's already planning her first trip to visit us when we "don't move" to Utah. LOL (we aren't moving according to Kmae. We are only putting every scrap of our belongings in a truck so we can clean the carpets in the house.)

It hammers it home a little more that we really are going. This wasn't a good-bye dinner, not by any stretch!!! It just makes me realize how much I will miss certain people. I never felt this way leaving California, and while I felt a good tug when I left Tennessee, I was hurting so badly, I NEEDED to get away. But this is SO different. I have some very close friends here.

Thank goodness this is the age we live in at least! I have the internet, facebook, email, and a healthy cell phone plan to keep in touch with. :)

I'll miss my friends here, yet I still look forward to the move, and making new close friends in Utah! :)

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Rain, cows, and hot dogs: Camp Meeting Wednesday

Bullet point day:
-go to camp meeting
-drop kids off
-go to ABC for snacks
-try to find a dry place to sit
-go to van to find dry place
-go to pick up girls, it is NOT really raining
-while waiting for girls rain starts and continues to get harder
-and harder
-and harder
-walk in pouring rain (no coats, no umbrellas) to bathroom
-walk in pouring rain to get boys
-walk in pouring rain to car
-drive to pick up friend
-throw girls toys to them
-miss getting cow to one girl
-pick up friend
-give girls go-gurts
-unknowingly lose cow
-drive friend to work
-try to find cow to give to girl, discover it is missing
-drive to Target to replace toy cow
-eat all beef hot dogs
-get toy panda as no cows are available
-drive home planning trip to laundromat
-rain comes on crazy hard
-have to drive around tree
-decide NOT to do laundromat due to weather
-relaxing at home waiting for friend to arrive.

Okay, so not relaxing, doing laundry, packing boxes, and otherwise creating mischief!

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Pumpkin Cheesecake

The last of KG's Holiday recipes! Another delicious concoction!!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 8oz cream cheese packages
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 15oz can Pumpkin puree
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanila extract
1 tbsp all purpose flour
2 graham cracker crusts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Beat together cream cheese and sugar. Add the pumpkin and spices. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add salt and flour. Beat until creamy. Pour batter evenly into 2 graham cracker crusts.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until knife slide into center comes out clean. Let cool and top with cool whip or whipped cream.

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Pumpkin Roll

Another one of KG's favorite recipes!!

Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter
8 ounces cream cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a jellyroll pan (large cookie sheet with sides).
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs on high for five minutes. Gradually add white sugar,and pumpkin. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and ginger. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle pecans evenly on top, and press lightly into batter.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until it springs back when touched. Loosen edges with a knife. Turn out on two dishtowels that have been sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll up cake, and let cool for about 20 minutes.

To Make Filling: Mix confectioners' sugar, vanilla, butter or margarine, and cream cheese together till smooth.

Un-roll pumpkin cake when cool, and spread with filling. Re-roll, and push aside the dishtowel. Unroll long sheet of waxed paper. Put pumpkin roll on waxed paper. Dust pumpkin roll with powdered sugar. Twist ends of waxed paper like a piece of candy. Put pumpkin roll in refrigerator and chill overnight. Before slicing, dust with powdered sugar. Serve chilled.

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Ricotta Cheese Cookies

This recipe comes courtesy of one of my old neighbors who is an awesome friend. KG will be her name (unless she outs herself, cuz if you've been reading my blog for any time you know I don't use real names!!!!) I LOVED LOVED LOVED these cookies when she made them for me several Christmases ago. This year she has shared several of her recipes with me and granted me permission to share them with my blogging world! :) ENJOY!!!

Ricotta Cheese Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 pound butter
1 3/4 cups white sugar
2 eggs
15 ounces ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:
5 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup colored candy sprinkles

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream together butter, sugar, eggs, ricotta cheese, and vanilla extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; blend into the creamed mixture, mixing in additional flour as necessary to form a workable dough. Drop dough into teaspoon-sized balls, on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned.

In a medium bowl, beat milk, confectioners' sugar, and almond extract until smooth. Spoon over warm cookies, and sprinkle with colored candy sprinkles.

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Snow

50 days ago I reported our first snow flakes of the season, but it didn't stick. It was pretty to watch it coming down while watching our awesome New Orleans Saints win a game though! :)

2 days ago the weather was 70 degrees and we made all the kids go outside to play because we weren't sure how much longer Indian Summer would last (yes, technically it wasn't Indian Summer because snow had already fallen, but the snow the freak thing!).

I just got home from the store, it is snowing, and this is no joke snow. It is COLD, and it is expected to stick and accumulate. It is expected to be the "first plowable" snow of the season with an accumulation of 2-5 inches overnight.

I'm excited about our first real snow, and that this means we just might have a white Christmas. But it's going to make getting to work tomorrow a bit interesting. People always drive a little crazy that first day after. Hopefully all the roads will have been plowed by the time I need to go to work too.

In just a little while BFF and I are heading out for a Tupperware party at a friend's house. Snow is NOT stopping us! LOL

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