Wednesday Hodgepodge

Besides Thanksgiving it's also National Game and Puzzle Week ... what game have you played most recently, and who were you with? Have you worked a puzzle of any kind in the past week?

A puzzle, no. But we have been playing several rounds of UNO lately. It can get pretty intense around here!

What is the one place you were thankful for this year?

Definitely my home. It is a place where our family has celebrated so much and grown so close this past year.

Take a nap, watch football, go for an after dinner walk, or hit the stores ... which ONE is on your must-do list for Thanksgiving Day?

As shameful as it may sound ... shopping. After our family celebrations are complete, I leave Rick home with the kids and I go to Walmart for Black Friday sales. I really do get some great bargains on the kids' wish lists from Santa.

Besides Thanksgiving, what's your favorite home-cooked meal?

I love homemade asian chicken stirfry with extra water chestnuts over white rice. Yum.

What product from an infomercial would you most like to own?

I don't watch commercials so I don't ever see infomercials. I really can't think of anything. But I'll share a memory from my childhood. Remember the Ginsu knives that could cut through an aluminum   can and then perfectly slice a tomato? We ordered those and they really did work great!!

Christmas shopping? Have you begun? Finished? Will you shop on Black Friday? How do you feel about stores opening on Thanksgiving Day? What percentage of your shopping is done online?

I have gotten a pretty decent start on shopping. I am nowhere near finished, but I should be pretty close after this weekend. So, yes, I will be doing Black Friday shopping. I am not a huge fan of stores dragging people away from their families on Thanksgiving. But, it can't be denied that there are great bargains to be had. My family is pretty "done" by early evening anyway so I don't feel too bad leaving them snuggled up in their pjs watching a movie while I hit Walmart. I usually have a pretty decent list, but am not desperate enough for bargains to end up hospitalized or in jail. I do love to go shopping on Black Friday, as well, but am not too interested in getting up at 2 or 3 in the morning to beat the crowds. This year I am going with my mom, my daughter and her future mother-in-law, and my son's girlfriend and her mom. Even if we don't buy a thing it will still be fun to spend the day with these amazing ladies. I usually do about a third of my shopping online. When we lived in Oklahoma I would get up on Christmas Eve morning, early, and go to the local shopping center to pick up on some last minute bargains. It was lots of fun and if we lived that close to good shopping now I would do the same thing.

What are you most grateful for that adds beauty to your everyday life.

Well, my morning coffee certainly helps. It helps me to open my eyes just a little wider to actually see the beauty around me. The easy answer to this question is to say 'my family' ... my husband and children. But, it's just the truth. They provide all of the beauty in my day that I need.

Insert your own random thought here.

This morning a young woman we knew and went to church with in Oklahoma passed away. Her name was Ginger Lovan. She was 35 years old and leaves behind an awesome husband and three children. Jason and Ginger had been called to missions with King's Cross that works with orphaned children in Haiti. They lived there for several years, building and teaching in a school, until Ginger was diagnosed with cancer. She leaves behind an amazing legacy, but a heartbroken family. Ginger was an extremely sweet girl and I feel privileged to have known her. In honor of Ginger her family is requesting donations to the King's Cross School. If you would like to make a donation you can go to THIS WEBSITE.

Rest in peace, sweet Ginger.