Thelma & Louise On The Road Again

   I am not normally a spontaneous person. Most things in my life take alot of thought & much time to pull off, so when I got a call from my BFF last week wanting to know if I wanted to go on a two day trip to KC I had to tell her that altho I would love to go with it being just a couple of days until Christmas I didn't think I could.
   As the day went on & I thought about it I thought why not & I said something to my Husband & somehow it worked to where he was going to be here & my Daughter loves spending time with just she & her Daddy so the plan was made. Within 12 hrs.we were on the road......with just one catch.
   BFF had to work that day & so it went like this. Drive from SW Mo. to KC, drop me off somewhere so she could go to the office, then head to Des Moines,Iowa, again drop me off somewhere, go to that office, drive back to KC. So here's what really happened.
   The drive to KC was great,we got caught up on our gabbing, we got to Lee's Summit & she dropped me off at a Panera Bread & told me she'd be back in 20 min. Let me say & this is not a secret, that she has never been on time in her life so I should have known that I was going to be on my own for awhile. I ate a bit & then went to a shop next door called Home Furnishings. This was a great place to spend some time. Remember I was only suppose to be on my own for 20 min.....over an hour later my ride returned. During all of this I had become friends with the Women in the shop & they wanted to put me to work. One hugged me as we left. So now we were on the road to Ia.
   We get to Des Moines, she drops me off at a very busy Bed Bath & Beyond. It is only 2 days til Christmas & the place is packed. When she told me she wouldn't be long I had my doubts..... I was correct.....
   THEN we are finally on our way back to KC. It was dark when we were driving by the downtown area & for this country girl who doesn't stray away from home much it was quite the sight. BFF likes to stay on the Plaza & we had a room at the Raphael with a view of the Plaza all decorated with lights.I have stayed with her here before. This hotel is beautiful & breakfast room service is quite a treat. Not something I am use to. Breakfast in my house is far from me being waited on.
   We did some shopping at an amazing toy store that I fell in love with on our last trip called ZOOM. The next morning we got up to room service breakfast. BFF actually served it to me in bed. WOW! It was drizzly & cold, but that didn't stop us from going to an area called West Bottoms that is full of salvage & flea markets that put Springfield's to shame.  The Space at 1412 was a favorite as well as Restoration Emporium. We ran out of time but we could have easily spent at least one more day.
   As always I need to thank BFF. She gets me out of town & she knows I need it. I love her to the moon......PS, I forgot to mention the AMAZING late dinner we had at The Melting Pot. Fondue at it's best.

 

Living without electricity

Living without electricity

Bomb Threat At School

   This morning both my Husband's & my cell phones were ringing at the same time as well as the home phone. On the other end was a recording informing us & all other Parent's in the district that there was a bomb threat at our local middle school. It looks like the ugly world is here in our small town.
   We always hoped that this kind of crap would stay away from us, but we are like everywhere else. No one is immune to it anymore. Thank goodness nothing was found, but it's all to common now & you never know when there is going to be a real issue or if it's a hoax.
   Do I get my first grader a cell phone so if she is in a situation she can call home, or we can check on her if we get a warning? Good grief, I never thought I'd even be thinking of getting her one for several years. This might end up being an option. This is too much for this old Woman. The world is no longer a warm fuzzy place.

Rolo Pretzel Turtles

Ingredients

• 1 Small pretzels
• 1 ROLO® Chewy Caramels in Milk Chocolate
• 1 Pecan halves

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. Place one pretzel for each pretzel treat desired on prepared sheet. Top each pretzel with one unwrapped ROLO® Chewy Caramel in Milk Chocolate.
3. Bake 3 to 5 minutes or until caramel piece begins to soften, but not melt. Remove from oven; top with either pecan half or additional pretzel. Cool completely.

Getting Ready For Christmas

    I finished the last of the doll sleeping bags & pillows this morning, thank goodness.I use to make at least one quilt every Christmas but I no longer do it,  Smaller sewing projects are easier & take up much less work area in my already stuffed house. Add a tree & all of the decorations, along with all of the Littlest Pet Shop things that are always on the floor & it gets pretty crowded.
    I finished all of my shopping months ago. I hate it. I pick things up starting in the summer & by fall all of Chicken Chicks stuff is bought.
    This week I am starting on the food part of the festivities.Yesterday was the biggest bunch of chex mix that I have ever made. 4 gal. size bags. Later today will be turtle candy & chocolate covered peanuts.I want to get this stuff done so next week I can start on the meal. Chick Chick & I went over our menu last weekend & she wrote me a grocery list. Not bad at all for a first grader. She is in charge of some of the meal, she does fruit salads & her favorite thing to make is my Grandma's 5 cup salad. She's been making it since she was 4. She also bakes cookies. At least she'll be able to feed herself after I'm gone.
    Gift bags have become my friend. My BFF got me hooked on them years ago & since I reuse them year after year I still have some from the early 90's. It's not unusual to see a few Birthday ones under the tree Christmas morning. I don't think my family cares. I could always remind them that it is Jesus' birthday so that's why there are birthday bags there.
    Here's wishing you all a wonderful Holiday season no matter how you celebrate. Here it's Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Let's all hope that at some point there will be peace on earth & we'll stop killing each other.

Sometimes The Stars Align

I woke up this morning out of a deep sleep & something told me there was an issue I needed to check on. Why this particular thing came to mind out of the blue I do not know, other than someone was sending me a message. So, I checked on it, there was something I could do to fix it & it made me smile, so I did everything I could to contact anyone who could help me & WALA! it has been fixed. I quit trying to figure out unknown phenomenon a long time ago & I have learned to just go with it.I am still smiling, after a brief cry. I'll always be taking care of him. Some things will never change.

Snow at Standing Rock Pipeline Protest - Drone Footage #NoDAPL