The Mighty Eagles Patrol met at my house Saturday night for a little football action.  The Doucettes showed up at 6:30 and Al, Josiah and Dar a little after that. 

The plan was to play football and have ourselves a little football food.  I had put the chili on earlier and it had been simmering all day.  The smell of it was making my stomach rumble.  Alvin brought the fixings for some pans of nachos and I fired up the grill for some wieners. We rounded that off with a cheese, cracker (with footballs on them), and salami tray, football shaped pretzels, and Twix cookie bars.

Our Scoutmaster Dan showed up just in time and we called everyone in for supper.  It didn’t take long for the boys to demolish the food and after a short rest for their stomachs they were out again playing football.  We had set up “stadium lights” so they boys would have no problem playing in the dark and the side of the yard was really lit up.

When the boys couldn’t talk any of their dads into being quarterback guess who stepped in to save the day?  That’s right…Supermom!  When Eric told me “I guess you can throw okay” I knew I had just received a huge compliment!

When their tired bodies couldn’t take any more of a beating they all came in to play a little Wii.  Alvin, Josiah, and Dar left around 10pm but the rest of us weren’t quite ready to end our evening.  We watched the end of the hockey game and then threw in a movie.

Mark, Eric, Andrew and Austin left at 1:15, I cleaned up and climbed into bed about 2am.  Our patrol gets along great which makes things much easier.  I don’t know what our December patrol activity is but I’m sure, like always, it will be fun.

Thanksgiving this year was really a day to be thankful.  Of course most people when asked what they are thankful for will say God and family.  I say the same thing, because of God’s love and blessings I had my family with me this year.

In July of this year my parents were in a car accident.  They both sustained back injuries, but my mom’s were more severe.  She fractured her good leg (she’s had knee replacement surgery on the other one) and she crushed several vertebra.  Because of this she had to undergo surgery to insert several rods and screws to secure her spine.  Recovery has been a slow and painful process for her and at times she gets very frustrated with herself because she feels she should be recovering faster and be able to do more.

In all her stubborness, my mother decided she was going to have Thanksgiving this year even though she has difficulties being on her feet for any length of time.  I made her promise I could help but every time I got over there to do something she already had it done!  She kept telling me she would really need my help Thanksgiving morning to peel potatoes, whip up a banana cream pie, and set the table.  I set my alarm for 6:30am, took a guick shower and by the time I got there the table was set and the potatoes were peeled and in a pan of water.  Grr!  Amazingly, she did let me help with the pie.  And dad was a big helper as well.

My grandparents joined us a little after 10 and we were able to enjoy the wonderful meal my mother prepared before my oldest son left for work.  The only thing missing that would have made the day perfect was if my brother from California and his 2 children could have been with us.

All in all, a beautiful sunny day with some of my favorite people in the world, and wonderful “home cooked by mom” food.  It’s no wonder Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  Yep, I have much to be thankful for.  God is great indeed!

Saturday-  I woke up early to sneak into town to take advantage of a sale without Zach  since the present was for him.  We lounged the rest of the day.  I tried catching up on my sleep.  I haven’t been sleeping very well at night because my carpal tunnel is so bad my arms are constantly falling asleep.  I spend most of the night with my arms hanging off the side of the bed and shaking them to get the circulation back in them. After church and supper Zach and I went to mom & dad’s to play cards.  Zach and I both came out money ahead.

Sunday- was kind of a busy day.  I made breakfast then dropped Zach off at catechism.  I came back and made sandwiches for the turkey bingo later at our church.  I stopped off at moms, picked up her sandwiches, dropped them off at the church, picked Zach up and headed into town for the Boy Scout wreath sale at Trinity Lutheran Church.  Once that was over we headed back out to St Mathias for the turkey bingo.  It was my turn to serve so I helped get the meal ready and then sat down to play bingo.  Tyler and Monica joined Zach and I and lucky Moni won $5.00.  She would have won more but there were 4 bingos that round!  I helped the ladies clean up there, went home and made Porcupine Meatballs, baked potatoes and a salad for supper then sat down and watched a documentary a friend had loaned me.  Zach and I managed to sneak in a game of Racko and a couple of games of Getta Letter before bed.

Monday- Had lunch with Papa and Nana today and then stopped and visited with Mom  after work.  Scouts tonight was practice for Court of Honor Sunday night.  We went over the flag ceremony many times to make sure we could work out all the fidgits!

Tuesday-  Came home with a migraine but did manage to get to my Adult Faith Formation meeting at St Andrews tonight.  jeff was a huge help cleaning up after supper and doing the dishes for me.

Wednesday- The stress at work today was incredible- getting ready for the after Thanksgiving sale.  Hopefully smoother days ahead after Friday.  Watched the Wild game.  It’s so dishearteneing to watch them play so well and get sooo close to the win but lose it in the 4th round of the shootout.  Transition year, I know. 

Thursday- Happy Thanksgiving all!

Friday- At work at 2:30am this morning.  I thought it went really well at Wal-Mart today.  People didn’t seem quite as rude as they normally are.  Got off work in time to come home and watch the 1pm Wild game which they WON!  Took a nap and then Jeff, Zach and I cleaned the house for tomorrows patrol activity.

This post is a little late getting up here.  Dad’s birthday was November 8th but with opening weekend of deer hunting we decided to postpone it until November 15th.  Still late, I know.

Dad’s birthday went well.  We sat and chatted for a while before we brought out the cake.  Mom made a low cholesterol chocolate cake for dad.  He doesn’t care for frosting that much, he likes it best with Cool Whip on top.  She also made an angel food cake and had strawberries to go with that.  We lit the candles, sang Happy Birthday and then he opened his presents.  I got him a Vikings T-Shirt, he got a Fleet Farm gift card (his favorite store) and mom gave him some new moccasins.  He enjoyed all the presents and he doesn’t look a day older than he did before his birthday.

Saturday-  I was hoping to get out early and hit some of the bazaars and holiday boutiques at the local churches today, but Gracie (who I was watching while her mom was hunting) slept in too late this morning.  I finally woke her up at 10:55am!  I was lector at church tonight and was wondering what I was going to do with Gracie since  Jeff, Monica, Tyler and Zach were still out tracking a deer, when Tyler showed up just in the nick of time.  I stopped and dropped mom’s jewelry order off and picked up my dad for mass.

Sunday-  Jeff went out hunting this morning.  While Zach was in catechism class I finished my book The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers.  A very good novel about how an abortion can devastate generations of a whole family.  The guys watched the Vikings game and I listened to a little of the Wild game before we celebrated my dad’s birthday.  I didn’t make it to my nephew Seth’s birthday party.  I hope he had a great day.  We love you Sethers!

Monday- Zach had his first conferences of the year.  Even know we all know he can do better then what his grades reflect we were happy with what he’s accomplished so far. In Scouts, deadline for rank advancements was tonight.  We have a great bunch of hardworking scouts and the proof is in all the ranks and merit badges that will be awarded 11/29.

Tuesday- I had a Tri-Parish Council meeting tonight where we spent a long time discussing attendance trends in the church and other denominations of churches and whether we need to form an Evangelization Commission to deal with this.  Some of the percentages were very disturbing.  Why does the world think they don’t need God?

Wednesday- Jeff spent his day off winterizing the home.  When I came home I quickly put a load of clothes in, did the dishes and went to mom & dad’s to help rake leaves.  Jeff and Zach joined me a little later and we finished off the ditches just before dark.  Went home and watched the Wild lose their game.

Thursday- Bible study tonight on Matthew 6 focused on The Lords Prayer and personal acts of piety like almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.

Friday- Zach babysat a friends son tonight while she went to the movies.  I grilled some ribeyes outside in the dark and when Jeff got home we had a romantic candlelight dinner.  Afterwards I watched the Wild game while Jeff watched it with earbuds in so he could listen to the Warrior football team at state.

This year’s week of hunting was not a productive one.  My dad got two yearling bucks opening day by 8:30am, so with the good start everyone was pretty optimistic.  As the week dragged on they saw deer.  In fact they usually saw them in groups of 2-3 but they were too far away.  Jeff took a shot at two of them Monday but with the distance he didn’t think he’d probably get them.  Saturday morning Jeff and Zach were in the buddy stand and Jeff saw one- but no luck.  One day Jeff was walking out of the woods and my dad saw one following behind him, but Jeff had no idea! 

Saturday I babysat Grace-Lin while Monica went out hunting with my 3 men.  About 4:30-5pm Tyler saw a deer.  He shot at it, hit it and knocked it right to the ground.  When he went to track it he saw a big spray of blood.  He walked a little and saw another big spray, then another, then…nothing.  The blood stopped.  Jeff,and Zach joined Monica and Tyler to look for the deer.  They walked through the swamp and circled around.  It got dark and they came back for lanterns and searched for a while more.  They didn’t find it.  Tyler was just sick about it.  It really bothered him he couldn’t find the deer.

Jeff went out early this morning on the last day of the hunting season and looked a while longer but the deer is nowhere to be found.  Like I said, Dad did get 2 deer which he gave to us so we will have venison.  But hunting season is more then that.  My guys struck out and it was really a disappointment for them.  Hopefully next year will be better for my hunters.

Saturday-  The hunters got up in the dark this morning to get to their stands by dawn.  I volunteered to work for a few hours to help with the rush during the Secret Saturday sale.  I got home about 10:30 to find that my dad had shot a few deer this morning which my family was skinning so they could get it in the refrigerator.  It was way too warm to just hang in the garage like usual.

Sunday- Ran to town to get more food for the hunters.  They are eating me out of house and home.  Sitting in a deer stand all day must be hard work because they really build up an appetite!  I put barbecue ribs in the oven, cheesy potatoes in the crockpot, and we had corn, dinner rolls and peanut butter cup pie for supper.  Today is also my dad’s birthday.  Happy Birthday Dad, I love you!

Monday- Zach came home from school and cooked up some fish fillets.  This was the last requirement he had to complete to get his fishing merit badge.  They were very yummy!

Tuesday- Book club tonight was at the Chap.  I enjoyed a huge platter of nachos while we discussed the Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  It was a very good discussion about dysfunction and poverty.  It is so sad what some children in America have to go through every day of their lives.

Wednesday-  Jeff picked Zach up after school so they could get out earlier then normal and get some hunting in.  Then we enjoyed a nice quiet evening at home watching a movie.

Thursday- Bibke study tonight was on Matthew 5 The Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount.  We have such a great group and I am thankful for each of them and their thirst for learning more.

Friday-  Monica and Grace-Lin came to spend the night with us so she  could get up early and go out hunting with Tyler.  Tyler came home from work at 11pm, had a snack and went to his grandparents to spend the night.

Saturday-  Busy day!  Got up early and updated all my web sites and my blog while I waited for Zach to get up.  Then we went to town to get groceries and more candy (never leave a woman alone in a house full of chocolate!) and a few things for my Lia Sophia party on Wednesday.  Zach carved the pumpkin when we got home.  We cleaned a little, headed for church and then came home, made supper and handed out candy to the trick or treaters while watching the Wild game (which they won-laaa!) Whew!

Sunday-  Woke up at 4:30am.  Obviously I’m not on daylight savings time yet.  After Zach got back from catechism and we ate breakfast we went to town to upgrade our cell phones.  The boys (Jeff being the worst) have been bugging me to do this for months.  Basically, the rest of the day(aside from watching the Vikes win) was spent playing around on their cell phones and trying to figure them out.

Monday-  At Scouts tonight most of the older Scouts helped out with the Eagle Scout project at Oak Lawn Town Hall while some of us leaders stayed behind to help the new scouts work on their Scout and Tenderfoot ranks.

Tuesday-Looked at the wrong clock at work today and left 1 hour earlier then intended for my doctor’s appointment.   Stayed in town for an additional 2 hours to go to the Faith Formation meeting only to find when I got there it had been cancelled.  Grr!  Finished off the evening by making a few snacks for my Lia Sophia jewelry party tomorrow night.

Wednesday- Had my Lia Sophia jewelry party tonight.  Lots of fun!

Thursday- Bible  Study tonight on Matthew 4, Jesus facing temptation in the desert and the start of his public ministry.  Loved when Jeff Cavins talked about how even though Jesus was tempted by the devil he was never enticed.  There is a huge difference.  We had a great discussion tonight with our super group!  Came home and finished watching the Wild game- which we lost.

Friday- Monica & Gracie followed me home from work.  I made polish sausages and tater tot hotdish for supper while Zach & Gracie watched Ratatouille and Monica played Doggie Dash on her computer.  Monica stayed at our house last night while Ty spent the night at his Grandma’s.  The hunters went to bed relatively early to be ready for opening day!

Tonight I had my Lia Sophia Jewelry party and it was fun!  Carrie, my jewelry advisor arrived at 6pm and set up her showcases.  She had a lot of new jewelry pieces since the last show I attended so it was fun to see the new stuff.  I looked up as the first car pulled in, followed by the second car, then the third then the 4th.  Everyone arrived at the same time!  I had 8 guests join me for the evening.

Carrie started talking about the jewelry and passing it around for us to look at and try on.  The catalogs never do it justice and everything was so much more beautiful in person.  Everyone was trying on necklaces, bracelets and rings and looking at themselves in the mirrors.  We were all so “accessorized!”

When Carrie was done I set out the appetizers and opened 2 bottles of wine and had cider for those who don’t like wine.  I had shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers, salmon spread, apple wedges with caramel apple dip, and chocolate chip cookie dough truffles.  You know if I’m doing something there has to be food involved!

Now the difficult decisions begin?  What do I get with all my free bonus money?  I’m finding my wish list is way too long!  Will someone please host a party and invite me so I can buy more of the items on my wish list?? lol

Saturday-  Camping with the Mighty Eagles patrol (see previous post).  Jeff’s truck dies and Dondelinger quotes him a price of $1200.00

Sunday-  Got home from camping soaked.  Spent the rest of the day doing laundry to get the smoky smell out of everything.

Monday- Jeff had his truck towed to Tech Auto where they finished the work in a few short hours and charged us $491.00!   Scouts tonight was working on the second half of our physical fitness testing.  We are getting ready for Fall Court of Honor.  Rumor has it over 50 merit badges have been earned since the last court of honor.  That’s awesome.  Way to go 43!

Tuesday-  Picked up Zach from school today.  He was feeling feverish so I took him home.  Thankfully the next day he felt fine.

Wednesday-  A free night at home (yay!).  Got to watch the Wild and was giddy with their 3 goals in 1:47.  It was fun to watch even though they ended up losing.

Thursday- Bible Study tonight was on Matthew 4 where we focused on John the Baptist and his role in the Gospel.  Got home and the sore throat and the cold I was getting really got the best of me so I was in bed by 8:30.

Friday- More rain all morning then in late afternoon came the snow, so the Eagle Scout Project for tonight at 5pm had to be cancelled.  Harvest Ball at St Mathias was still on so that’s where we ended up.