Happy Thanksgiving! I went up to my sister Amber's house for Thanksgiving. She is looking fabulous! She has lost 40 pounds and reached her goal!!! I am so proud of her. She feels great and looks great and has a ton more energy.

Paul spent Thanksgiving in El Paso with our good friends the Taylor's. It was very odd not being together but I used the plane ticket for him to come back to go out to sign the papers for closing and get some stuff rolling for the house. We have ordered new appliances, new cabinets for the kitchen, new tile flooring and carpet. We are going to get the house painted and do a little bit of minor remodeling in the house. Actually, I shouldn't say we, I mean Paul and our friend Tom!

Life has been busy as usual. We leave in 3 weeks. I will finish up with my clients in the next two weeks and then be home for the packing of our house.

I actually somehow, I am not sure how, talked my sister in to going out today for black Friday sales. I haven't done this for quite sometime. I went 2 years ago to just see what it was like but didn't buy anything but just went to one store to see if the rumors of chaos were true. We went to 3 stores. We went to Kohls and I got a great deal on a collage of picture frames, then to JCPenney to get me a new set of pots and pans. I have my originals from 14 1/2 years ago when we got married. I got a really nice set that I am super excited about. I got a new set of knives(I get some new ones every couple of years when our cheap knives get dull and are too cheap to sharpen). I actually got some that we can sharpen and keep for many many years. I also got a new toaster(it isn't plastic!) and a few 'other' things that I can't mention at the moment! We went out at 4 and we were back at 7 before the kids got up. I didn't want to be shopping when they were awake, I always feel guilty leaving them. It was fun. My nephew Michael came with us(17 yrs) to be our pack horse and it was a good thing. The box for the cookware was super heavy and believe it or not, so were the knives!

We are back from my sisters now and the kids are out jumping on the trampoline. I am supposed to be putting stuff away but sat down to blog since I haven't for some time.

The weather is a pleasant 65 degrees, the house is clean(except for the current stuff that I just unpacked), and life is good. I have much to be grateful for. A wonderful family and that includes my own little family, my siblings and parents and Paul's siblings and parents. Paul's dad has thankfully completed his last chemo treatment last week and things are looking really good. We are all healthy, we have roof over our heads, foods in our mouths, and clothes to wear. I have fabulous friends and wonderful grandparents. The list could go on for the things I am grateful but at the top of the list goes my husband. I am the most grateful for him and his hard work and goodness. He is a super dad and a wonderful husband.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Sorry there has been a delay in posts. Much is going on.

Ethan had his first gymnastics meet. He did pretty good. He was pretty excited about the whole experience. I videotaped it but don't know how to put it in the computer, nor do I have the time right now but maybe after things get settled in the next house.

I have been trying to pick out stuff for the new house. We are pricing everything out and figuring out what we want to do. Everyone keeps asking if I am having so much fun picking it all out and I want to say yes but more than anything it is stressful. I can't figure out if it all goes together and some things are more permanent than others and I don't want to pick out something I end up not liking. And honestly, I don't have much talent in the home decorating department. I have some ideas but don't know how to get them to all come together.

I will be going to close on the house and have made arrangements for the kids while I am gone. It will be another quick trip which is all the time allows.

We have already had issues with the movers that were assigned to us and have had to fire them. We just assigned some new ones so hopefully that works out. The old ones wanted to charge us $400 to dis-assemble the trampoline and put it back together. However, that is how much is cost to buy...

Paul is super busy at work. Meetings, meetings and more meetings. Loads of phone calls plus all the stuff to get set up at the end for the house. Poor guy.

I guess I will not be sending out home-made Christmas cards again this year. Sorry. I just can't get it in. I haven't even thought of what to get the kids for Christmas and we usually have all our shopping done by Thanksgiving to avoid the masses but guess I will have to brave it all. Any ideas???? I have no idea what to get for Matthew. What do you get a 12 year old?? And don't suggest a phone, he isn't getting one!

I guess that is it for now.

Ok...um...so...I had no idea that replacing the pink kitchen cabinets in our El Paso home would be so expensive...and who would ever want pink cabinets?!?!?!?!?! The house is only 7 years old so I can't even blame it on the 70's. We are talking BIG money!!! I guess I live in a shelter world where cabinets should be no more than $1,000 tops total. Sigh, what happened to the good ol' days?

The Twilight Movie comes out a week from Friday! I can't wait!

Paul's only been gone for 1 1/2 weeks and I feel like its been a year...I can't even remeber what he looks like(jk). I don't know how single parents do it...

Those of you who are regular readers of the blog know that we have had some difficulties with Connor be able to stay focused enough to do his school work. I am so excited to post that for the first time ever he made the 'A/B' Honor Roll!!! I couldn't be more excited for him!!

I have some news...Paul and I are separated...again. He left yesterday for El Paso and I am remaining here in South Carolina till Christmas. We will join him in December before the Holidays. All I can say is that it is great having the kids not be so young. They are helpful, reasonable, and less needy. It will be challenging as it always is, trying to sell the house, keep it spotless and being a single parent. I truly feel for single parents out there.

We also got the house we made an offer on. It is a total blessing. It was a steal of deal being that it is a total buyers market. There is a little work we are going to do on it but most interesting thing about it is that it is the exact floor plan of our last house in El Paso minus the 3rd car garage, the in-ground pool, the island in the kitchen and a lot of upgrades. Since we got it so cheap, we are going to do a few things to it and make it our own. It should be fun!!

We had a fun Halloween. Paul was home for it this year which was very exciting! He has missed the last 3. We had some friends come over for pizza, cidar and donuts and trick or treating. Of course I was so busy running around, I didn't get any pictures. Their costumes were the same as last year, as agreed upon last year when I bought their costumes and they promised to wear them for 2 years.

Ethan brought in a record amount of candy for our family. He carefully sorted and counted it. He had 315 pieces of candy.

I am sick of candy all ready. I have eaten so much. I told myself that today is the last day I can gorge like I am and then from now on, I can eat 2-3 pieces a day...at the end of the day. I hate feeling nasty like this but I am in Chocolate Heaven!!!!!!!

Ethan had a state gymnastics clinic this past Saturday. It was fun to see the variety of boys. They were all level 4 gymnasts and the clinic was to help them meet boys from other gyms and to prepare them for their first meet in two weeks. He is loving it and improving. He hates to condition, as does everyone, and is usually sore the next day from it. He is working hard. Hopefully we can find him a team in El Paso! Enjoy the pictures of him on the different apparatus!