It's a Party, and We're ALL Invited!

Today we celebrate Denise,  who, despite having a birthday today, is not as old as I am. Let's all go over to her blog and wish her well!

Happy Birthday, Denise! You have been a blessing in my bloggy life! 

Utterly Horrified and Speechless

I was feeling very proud of myself for being jolly and stress-free all holiday weekend (well, not stress-free, but I WAS able to let a lot go), when I came across THIS. Honestly, I don't know who could read this and not be completely depressed. What is wrong with people?? 

Happy Birthday to My Own Thanksgiving Turkey

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?  Not really...

Has a very "tight end"...

Best dad in the world...

Hard worker...

My very best friend (and spill cleaner)...

REALLLLLLY wants this for his birthday...

But is getting this, instead.

The Family That Wears Utensils Together, Stays Together

It's not the greatest picture of the four of us. I would have sworn I had promised myself no bowl-cuts for the kids, but obviously that went out the window. My hair is an awful shade of weird and my poor husband looks totally overworked and exhausted.

But no one likes to be goofy like we do. Even while attending the most civilized of brunches. When one of us decides to play, we all play. All for one, and one for all. And that's because we are a family. A silly family, but a family, nonetheless.

This Thanksgiving-Eve Wordful Wednesday is brought to us all by Angie, for whom I am thankful.

For the 1st Panic Attack of Christmas, My In-Laws Gave to Me...

I really am trying to change. I fully acknowledge my grinchiness and want to do better. But when my mother-in-law called to say she wanted to send us a Turducken for Thanksgiving, I was beside myself. This just had complete nightmare written all over it.

First, I'd be quite okay with a quick run through the Taco Bell drive thru for Thanksgiving dinner. I figure as long as we ate in the (rarely used) dining room, it'd be fine. And before you get all up in my grillz, we would, of course, finish with a lovely, homemade pumpkin pie.

Second, I cannot stand seeing food go to waste. This is my problem with the whole turkey dinner extravaganza. Nobody in my house likes turkey as much as they claim to, and I bet if you really thought about it, you don't like it all that much either. Face it... It's a very thinly veiled excuse to pig out on stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and cream cheese mashed potatoes. All the good stuff gets eaten, while the big, pasty, DRY bird that took all week to thaw, four hours to cook, and 1 hour to carve gets kicked to the curb. And don't start with the whole turkey salad sandwiches and turkey noodle soup. Not going to happen.

After some cajoling by Mr. Festive (more like Mr. Non-Confrontational mama's boy), I acquiesced. I figured anyone serving a Turducken for Thanksgiving has to be festive (or certifiable, I suppose). And Lord knows, we can't upset the mother-in-law. But I did have strict conditions that had to be met...

I was assured that it would be a) SMALL b) boneless and c) FULLY cooked. It very briefly seemed like a dream come true. Maybe this Turducken was a little gift from heaven, giving me a tiny boost toward jolliness. I wouldn't have tons and tons of extra turkey that no one eats and I would just have to heat it, instead of having to go through the trauma of thawing/overcooking/undercooking. Easy.

Well, well, well... The package arrived a few days ago. Luckily it was very cold outside, so I just ignored its presence, leaving it on the porch until my husband got home. We opened it together, and what to our wondering eyes should appear?

A FIFTEEN pound, FROZEN, completely UNCOOKED (as in RAW) Turducken with little things that look suspiciously like bones in it. Oh, and with the wrong stuffing.

Everyone (besides me) is just thrilled and can't wait to eat the stupid bird (or birds, shall I say?). It has been thawing for days, and is still very frozen. I am soldiering on... trying to keep from ripping apart anyone and anything within reach. My neck is a little stiff, my jaw is extremely sore and I am PMSing like a fiend. Other than that... life is just peachy.

MISSION: Monday...We Have a Winner!!

And it is the lovely Lorie at Be Different...Act Normal. Congratulations, Lorie and thanks for participating. Once we verify that you have all three answers, the cute MOM necklace from Ann at Rudimentary Metal + Fire will be officially yours! 

Also, Lorie will be one of our featured bloggers in next week's round of MISSION: Monday! She's got a fun blog that I know you all will love.

Good work, Agents. Don't forget to play next week, too, because... EVERY time you play, you get an entry in our Grand End of Year Giveaway.

Oh, and as a little favor to my favorite Agents, I am letting you in on a secret. Go check out Ann's other creative endeavor, Beadiful Things, for a fantastic giveaway that I plan to win. 

MISSION: Monday...and Giveaway!!

Good Morning Blogger Agents.

The agency has uncovered a number of blogs you may not have been following, and we have designed a weekly giveaway around helping you discover some fantastic blogs.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to visit the blogs below, discover their secrets, and report back here. The bloggers featured will be past winners, deserving contributors, or just damn good and hilarious writers deserving of your eyeballing.

Your reward will be, let us say, substantial. We will offer a weekly prize to one blog explorer/agent, but then EACH person who plays will be entered each week into the Grand Prize drawing at the end of the year. Plus, the winner each week will have their blog featured in the following week's MISSION: Monday Giveaway! Explore early, Explore often, Agents. Riches await.

This week's MISSION: Monday Giveaway: A "Mom" Charm Necklace valued at $37, from Ann Westby's Rudimentary Metal + Fire shop!!! (Also, make sure you check out her Beadiful Things shop!) In addition, the winner will have her/his blog used as a feature blog in the next week's Mission!! Not to mention, ALL entrants are entered into the year end GRAND PRIZE DRAWING!



To enter the Giveaway, you will be visiting 3 blogs...follow these steps:

Step 1. Fill out a Mr Linky below. (Closes at Midnight, EST)



Step 2. Visit each of the following 3 featured blog links, find the answer to the question posted at each blog, and leave a comment on their blog to prove you were there (But dont post the answers to the questions!!)...this is important- we are trying to expose you to great blogs out there, so take the time to have a look around!

Musings of a Barefoot Foodie (Author - Brittany... this lady is twisted...and hilarious.)
Seven Clown Circus (Author - Angie)
And last week's winner...
CutieBootyCakes (Author - Renee)

Step 3. What happens then? We will stop taking entries at Midnight on Monday, and then we will draw a winner using a random number generator, and email that person to ask for the answers to the questions. So make sure you are ready! The weekly winner will receive the mentioned prize, and ALL entrants will be entered into the year ending drawing for the BIG prize.

Wanna earn 3 entries to this giveaway instead of 1? Go Here Or need a button for your blog? Go Here

Three great blogs await your discovery, Blogger Agents...make us proud.

The Agency consists of Deb and Jay at Dirty Socks and Pizza and HalftimeLessons...make sure you bookmark us both, as we have some other gems to share...