Thanksgiving At The Ranch

I appreciate the guest post, Jenny Caldwell

A lot of people have thanksgiving dinner traditions but few of them include a trail ride, cattle round-up, and grilling steaks outside on Thanksgiving. While the grilling part might be fairly common I'm certain the other things are rather unique to my family. We're cattle raising folk and while it's not necessary we love to do a little work in the morning while our special ladies cook a good down home meal for us. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, I drool thinking about it half the time.

We go out while dinner is cooking and we trail ride on horse back. Some of this is for fun and some of it is to check out the other pastures since we normally move the cows and horses around this time. The grass is largely dying in the larger pastures and it's easier to feed them in the smaller ones.

Once we're done messing around with the animals we come in, get cleaned up, and have a good time with the family. Half the time the house is filled with people we haven't seen all year. After dinner we sit down and watch direct star Tv, usually a ball game. Eventually we get together and just talk or play games, depending on what we feel like. The best part of the day is just getting together with people I haven't seen since the last Thanksgiving. It's nice to get in touch with the family.

shoes

I was thinking about buying new shoes today. I went for a run and was having more trouble with the arches of my feet than usual- inflammation, like plantar faciitis-type pain. Plus, I've had these shoes for awhile so I need to replace them before too much longer anyway.

Finding new shoes is so frustrating sometimes, though. It's trial and error, which can VERY expensive, and then once you've found a pair you like, it becomes incredibly hard to find that type of shoe again! Thank goodness there are good online shoe stores with huge selections. Sometimes I am not sure if I would have any shoes without them!

home ownership

I am not a homeowner. I think owning a home would be neat, but at the same time, I don't look forward to all the responsibilities that would come with home ownership, like taking care of a lawn or taking care of the home in general. Not to mention, around here, I'd have to worry about flooding, and then I'd have to deal with flood damage and professional carpet repair austin or professional hardwood floor cleaning austin. Plus, any damage at all and I'd have to pay for professional odor repair austin.

Ah well- I think I like where I am for now!

ingredients

I'm amazed by all the recipes I've created and how much I've learned how to cook. It's interesting, the more I learn about cooking, the more I become aware of the ingredients in the processed foods that I eat. Many of them are good or at least (arguably) not bad... others are definitely not good. And most of them are just fine as long as they are taken in moderation! (like glucomannan!)

acne

Hard to believe that I'm 27 and still have problems with acne. I am glad, though, that I have it mostly under control with over the counter medicines, and I don't need to take Acneticin or any other prescription medicines. Now if only I could get rid of the hormones that cause it to flare up once every month! Ah well- I still really can't complain much, I've seen many people who have it much worse!

cyber monday

I still can't believe it's almost Christmastime. I need to figure out my Christmas gifts for my family! Black Friday is just around the corner, but I've never enjoyed shopping in that huge crowd (or waking up at ridiculously early times), so I'll be looking for Cyber Monday deals. Maybe personalcreations.com Cyber Monday deals. This year, Christmas really has snuck up on me!

The Boston Celtics are ready to play!

Thanks for the post from Rashad Townsend

This is basketball season in Beantown. The Boston Celticss are on the warpath to try to regain their NBA title status. They have a tons of talent on the team. But it all starts with the coaching.

Doc Rivers has this team right where he wants them. He has some fantastic and exciting players that will make watching the preseason and the regular season a treat. Doc was once a great NBA player himself so he knows the in's and out's of the game.

Shaquille O'neal will stand guard in the paint along side with standout Kevin Garnett. Those are some real forces for other teams to contend with. Shaq has all the experience in the world to help the Celtics return to championship form.

Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo make up more pieces to this dynamic puzzle. They will offer some great outside shooting by Pierce and some great slashing moves by Rondo. Ray Allen is another seasoned veteran who will offer another threat to opposing teams daring to take the Celtics on.

This is a real star studded cast that will make watching pro basketball a real treat this year. And, I love to watch Preseason NBA Basketball on satellite tv from www.expertsatellite.com.

christmas cash flows

Oy, I'm feeling schizophrenic today. Hard to focus on anything.

Thinking about signing up for another blogging for money program. One more form of income. The only problem is that I struggle enough to find a topic to write about, and I'm not sure I could consistently think of something to say on a topic like age of war or boxhead 2.

Ah well. Luckily this is not a terrible problem to have. I'm just trying to find more ways to earn money so that I can prepare for buying Christmas gifts for my family and friends. Fall is always a more difficult time of year for me!

car insurance

There is a really annoying car insurance commercial on right now. But, annoying though it may be, I'm not too surprised... It's one of those no-contract, "buy insurance by the month" places, for people who buy insurance just so they can register their car. Given the state of the economy, I would bet that a lot more people are choosing not to pay their car insurance bill. It's not right but... that's the way it is.

pleasant fall weather

I am loving this pleasant fall weather. It's warm enough that I can go for a run in a tank top and shorts, but cool enough that I don't get hot while I'm running. It's so nice I almost wish I could just move my life onto the porch... relax in adirondack chairs, pull my butcher block outside and cook out there, install utility sinks so I could do my laundry out there... There's a light breeze and it just feels fantastic. Unfortunately I know that winter is just around the corner! and once winter gets here, I'll have to put away my tank tops and wear long sleeved tshirts or maybe even sweatshirts. :(

City Stage Is A Gem In Springfield, Massachusetts

Thanks for the article from Alex Holland

Robert and I have been going to City Stage for over 10 years. To us, it's second nature. But it's amazing the number of people who don't realize Springfield, MA has it's own theater.

As patrons of the theater, we like to espouse the importance of experiencing live drama. We've had fund raisers for the theater, and have written letters to the local papers, encouraging people to go.

If we have out of town visitors, we always try to bring them to City Stage. Of course we bring them out to dinner, first. That's the other wonderful thing about downtownSpringfield: the restaurants are fantastic! All we have to do is set the home Security systems and we're off to share a wonderful time with friends.

But the theater is what surprises people the most. It's located in a beautiful Greek Revival building right next to its twin, City Hall. The two buildings present an imposing view as you're walking up the marble staircase, one that never fails to impress. I heartily recommend anyone who visits Springfield to visit City Stage.