Black Friday

So I'm one of those crazy girls who goes out on the Friday after Thanksgiving all in the name of finding a great deal - so sue me. This is my second year doing this with my sister Courtney. Our sister-in-law has done this for years and has always invited us to come, but I have always declined and thought she was crazy. I hate getting up early in the morning, I can't stand the crowds, I don't like having to fight for a "thing," and I'm not really a bargain shopper. Well that has all changed for me. At least on Black Friday. Last year Courtney and I decided to give it a whirl just to see what Black Friday was all about. We walked into Target about 5 minutes after it had opened and the lines were insane. We were very close to just walking out and going back to bed, but all our reservations went out the door once we found some really great DVDs for $4 a piece. Since then I've been hooked.

This year we got up even earlier and were at Shopko even before it opened at 5am. We rushed in with the crowds of wild eyed crazy women with our elbows out. Courtney, Annette, and I divided and conquered. Grabbing things for each other if necessary. We're quite the resourceful shoppers. The only thing I would do next year is bring walkie-talkies. Those are a must. AND for you novices out there, DO NOT wait in those long lines! Just go right up to the customer service counter and they'll let you buy your stuff there. You rarely have to wait.

Call me materialistic. Call me crazy. But I find myself getting quite a high when I find a fabulous deal or when I take the last item on the shelf. Not only that but one of the highlights is eating a huge piece of Villa cheese pizza at 8:30 in the morning. It tastes so good after a hard morning of shopping and fighting crowds. So don't knock it til you try it.

This is in front of Target as the doors opened at 6am and the thousands of people were walking into the store. This picture doesn't quite capture the craziness.
This is us by our awesome parking spot. Somehow we managed to get front row parking going into the mall. We just had to capture it on film.

The Beloved Carrot Cookie with Orange Frosting

If anyone has been to a holiday party with the Wasdens then you've probably tried these cookies at least once. Or you may not have eaten them at all since they don't necesarrily look the most appetizing . In appearances and title they may appear like a humble Ford Festiva amongst the Rolls Royces of holiday goodies, but these cookies are soooo good and they deserve a little spotlight.

As long as I can remember my mom has made these maybe once a year around the holidays and so they will always remind me of this time of year. I recently found out that when my mom was at college she found the recipe in a small Carnations recipe booklet and decided to make them. And she's loved them ever since. Do not snub these cookies because of their title and looks. Trust me, you won't even be able to taste the carrots, plus in the cookie world, they're actually pretty healthy. Try it! And when you do, you can think of the Wasdens who just can't get enough of them.

I'm including the recipe below:

Cream together:

3/4 C white sugar

3/4 C butter

Then add in order:

1 egg

1 C mashed, cooked carrots

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C coconut (optional - I've never put coconut in)

2 C Flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Drop by teaspoons - full on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 -15 min.

Frost with:

3 C powdered sugar

1/3 C butter

Orange juice concentrate and orange rind to taste.

A Little R & R

Our little friend Logan has been staying with us since Thursday night. You'd think it'd be all wild and crazy around here with two four year olds running around playing superheroes, but I really feel like I've been on a mini vacation. Besides having the occasional 4-year old feud to break up - "I'm not going to play with you anymore!" or "My dad is bigger than your dad!" or having to stop one of them from jumping on the other's ribs - I spent most of my time reading my book without feeling guilty that I was neglecting anyone, although I did neglect other things. They want a snack? - I just send them to the pantry. I need something at the store? - I send them in to get it. Just kidding Lori! I wasn't that lazy, although the first one is true. Its the best when you've got two little guys who just love fighting bad guys together.

They just spent almost an hour in the bathtub. Can you say pruney??
I just finished reading The Goose Girl, and its a really good book. I would recommend it.

Tidbits

CALLED TO SERVE. . .Something that made me smile at Stake Conference tonight was during the closing hymn, "Called To Serve," I noticed my foot moving to the beat of the music, then I looked at my mom's foot which was also moving to the beat, then I started looking at the feet of the people on the bench in front of us and off to the sides and many others were also moving their feet to the beat. For some reason the whole scene made me laugh. Its not often that I check out other people's feet during hymns, but in case you haven't, next time look around while singing Called To Serve at a church function, its pretty humorous.

There was an old lady in front of us who started started coughing and after a few harmless coughs a prim and proper old lady in front of her shushed her and then turned back to the speaker shaking her head in disbelief. Wierd. My mom and I turned to each other in disbelief. Like the lady could help it.

SPOOKY CAT. . . As I was pulling into my garage tonight I looked in my rear view mirror and in the darkness of the night I saw our neighbors cat smack dab in my view in the distance. He was this wierd passing vision cause when I got out of my car and looked back he had disappeared. I swear this cat is out to get me. He sneaks up on me with his loud meows like he's mad or something, he sneaks around in my backyard, and tries to get into our house. I find mini piles of dirt in my flower garden where sod should be, and I'll find dirt sprayed onto our cement walkway, like seeing the annoying dirt piles wasn't enough for me to know that he's been pooping in there for months. Its like he wants to taunt me. Let me know if you have any ideas on how to keep cats from pooping in gardens.

CURTAINS. . .I finally put some curtains up in our family room and it just makes me happy. Curtains are just homey. Its one of those many home projects that I always intend to do but have a hard time getting around to.

EX-BOYFRIENDS. . .I saw an exboyfriend of one of my really good friends on HGTV this week. He was househunting.

So On Halloween...

We did a little bit of this...

We went to an old folks home and did a Reader's Theater script and then went and trick-or-treated to all the tables where the old folks sat.

Then we did a lot of that...

And now what the heck do I do with all this??

Do I let him eat as much as he can and then "throw" the rest away - you know "throwing away" is adult code for hiding the stash for ourselves. Do I let him have 2 or 3 pieces a day until next Halloween? Seriously let me know of any good ideas you have about managing your kid's halloween candy.