thanksgiving review

TheShubertFam is home and unpacked. Whew. Brooks is snoozing on the couch. He has had an especially busy week.

Wednesday we got up, and Brooks and I drove Chris to UAB to take a mid-term. I packed the car the night before. Brooks and I sat in the car and read while Chris took his test. He made an A. Of course. After that we were on our way to Curry. Chris, Mom, and I met Margie, Courtney, and Mason at Cujo's for lunch. We met up with my dad and Brooks. We rode to Burton Bend (Chris's river property) because my mom wanted to see the ducks. We probably saw around a thousand ducks. Incredible. After that, it was back to my parents' to work on Thanksgiving prep. I worked so hard to get everything ready. You know all those cookies I made? It took FOREVER!!! I got in bed around 11:30. But the cookies were delicious.

Thursday we got up and finished preparing everything. Chris and Dave fried two turkeys, successfully. Family started arriving around 11:30. Glenda, Richard, Richie, Vernell, Don, Bryan, Lori, Anna, and Abby. Chris was not finished carving the turkey, so we went in the yard and made some pics.

After we ate, we cleaned the kitchen. Chris loaded up all of our stuff so we could make our way to Sipsey. Brad came by to visit, but we only got to see him a few minutes before we had to leave. Paul was at Chris's mom's hunting. He ate with us at Mawmaw's house. My desserts were a hit, of course.

Yesterday, Chris, Paul, and Patrick got up early to go duck hunting. Brooks and I were tired, so we skipped out. I got up a little later and got ready and went to my parents to visit for a while. My head was hurting so I took some Tylenol and laid down on the couch. I woke up two hours later. Oh well. I stayed a little longer and then went back to Sipsey to get Chris and Brooks. Chris informed me that Brooks treed a squirrel, Chris shot it, and they cooked it on the grill. Chris and Brooks proceeded to eat the grilled squirrel. I am not even a little bit sad that I missed this. Brooks was super-tired when I arrived at Connie's house. Chris loaded the car and we were on our way. I unpacked EVERYTHING when we got home. I even did a few loads of laundry. Now I am going to start on some work so I can finish my last week of undergrad!

the shakers

I forgot to check the mail yesterday, so when I got home from church I went to the mailbox. It was just junk, but I actually glanced at the one of the envelopes, and it was addressed to "Christopher Shaker." For some reason, we thought that was really funny and we decided if we ever have to change our name (you know, for the witness protection program or something) then we will be The Shakers. Chris, Amanda, and Brooks Shaker. Nice, huh? We are so silly. This is what too much school does to people. Oh well.

After church we went to O'Charley's. Chris hates chain restaurants. My throat is getting sore (the sinus drainage is also messing with my vertigo a little, yuck), and I wanted some potato soup. It was good. Next we went to the dreaded Walmart. I am in charge of desserts for Thanksgiving. For my family, I am making pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes, chocolate peanut butter fudge, chocolate chip cookies, and maybe chocolate pizza. Mom wanted finger-food desserts because most of the time people are too full for several slices of pie/cake/cookies. Bite-size is good if you want to try one of everything. We are eating lunch with my family. Thanksgiving afternoon we will head to Sipsey-ville for dinner. The leftover desserts will likely come with us. I am making a buttercream spice cake to take to Mawmaw's house. I will post a picture later because it is going to be beautiful!!!

Some prayer requests:

Chris's mom is having surgery tomorrow in Jasper.

My Nana is having lung surgery Tuesday in Jacksonville, Florida.

My Pawpaw (dad's dad) is having surgery Wednesday.

Wednesday Chris has a test.

A closing thought:

What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? ~Erma Bombeck, "No One Diets on Thanksgiving," 26 November 1981

And confidential to my good friend pregomego: I hope that you can enjoy Thanksgiving without getting sick just thinking about it.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

My Demdaco Nativity-This is what Christmas is about

Do you like the red hi-lites Morgan put in my hair? Also, look at the Candy Cane quilt behind me.

Dining Room-Cranberry wreath, ornament centerpiece, and tulle table bow.

Tree so far...We need more ornaments because we got a bigger tree this year...

Oh, and Brooks says he's taking applications for new owners.

In case you didn't know...

God still answers prayers! Even the tiny little seemingly unimportant issues are addressed. As everyone knows, my parents were going to miss my graduation due to my mom's second stem cell transplant. I was not even sure if I wanted to walk in the ceremony, because my parents paid my tuition and they are the reason I had an opportunity to receive an education. I really wanted them to be there for my graduation, but even more I wanted my mom to get better. I think we were all sort of okay with my parents not being there, but not really. Anyway, my mom talked to her doctor today and her doctor decided that she and my dad can wait until December 14th (the day after graduation) to go back to Little Rock. YAY! She called me tonight while we were eating dinner. I cannot even explain how excited I am! I knew it would be fine if my parents weren't there, because the most important thing is my mom's health. I still wanted them to be there, though. I knew it would work out somehow. Once again God provided not only my needs but also my wants. After the ceremony we are going out to eat to celebrate my graduation and my birthday...WOW! Could it have worked out any better? I always seem to worry about things that seem like such a big deal, but retrospectively, those big deals really aren't anything at all...

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

37 paper towels

For my research methods class, I had to record everything we threw away in our household for four consecutive days.I chose to observe our kitchen trash can, because of the central location and the frequency of use. This project confirmed my suspicions, that we are wasteful Americans. I am (supposed to be) working on forming a four page paper from the data I collected, and arranging the data into categories. It would probably be helpful for me to attempt to explain some of the things in the trash, but it will be fun to let you make your own observations about theshubertfam...

RAW DATA
Straw-3
Plastic food label-1
Diet Coke Box-12 pack-1
Gala apple sticker-1
Paper towels-37
Paper-1
Ramen wrapper and seasoning-1
Half a bowl uneaten Ramen noodles
Candle-2
Walmart plastic bag-1
Publix plastic bag-1
Green top from leek-1
Twist tie-1
Butter wrapper-Land O Lakes-1
Butternut squash pulp/shell-2
Zip-top from carrot bag-1
Plastic produce bag-1
Dryer sheets-5
Dryer lint-5
Diet Coke can-4
Old tortilla shells-4
Chocolate chip bag-2 (1 Hershey brand, 1 Ghiradelli brand)
Coffee filter/grounds-5
Clorox wipes-7
Oatmeal packet-Publix brand-1
Napkin-4
Ziploc freezer bag-1
Shrimp shells-20
Wilted lettuce-1 head
Wilted cilantro-2 bunches
Wilted celery-1 bunch
Plastic container of ginger-1
Styrofoam mushroom container-1
Box of Swanson chicken broth-1
Empty minute-rice plastic bag-1
Can of coconut milk-1
Tea bags-4
Light bulb-1
Sunflower seed hulls-1 cup
Lime rinds-2
Dog hair/dust-2 vacuum containers
Swiffer pad-1
Half and half container-1
Sandwich bag-store brand-2
Beer bottle-16
Cardboard beer case-six pack-3
Pizza box-2
Parchment paper-2
Note -1
Jif peanut butter jar-1
Empty bottle of vegetable oil-1
Paper towel tube-1
Plastic paper towel cover-1
Eggshell-1
Paper plate-1
Uneaten fried pickles-2
Kleenex-1

twenty six days

Upcoming Events

Thursday-Trash paper due (I will post a list later. It is fascinating.)

Friday-Final Research Paper Due! AHHH! I also want to turn in a paper for another class...And my Nana is having lung surgery in Jacksonville, Florida. Chris and I will attempt to decorate our home for Christmas.

Saturday-Jess and I have a date with vampires.

Monday-Doctor appointment. Big fun. I am also going to spend the day with my mom, and that will be fun :)

Tuesday-I would like to be finished with my Partlow paper.

Wednesday-No class, so Chris, Brooks and I are headed to Walker County. My grandfather is having surgery.

Thursday-Thanksgiving. Chris is frying turkeys. Lunch with my fam and dinner with Chris's fam. (Last year, Chris burnt the turkey at his family's Christmas dinner. It was black and crunchy. So Chris has somewhat of a reputation with frying turkeys. He has fried turkeys before and it has turned out well.)

Friday-Chris, Brooks and myself are going duck hunting in Burton Bend.

Saturday-Who knows?

Sunday-My parents are heading back to Little Rock.

The following week is my last week of class of my undergraduate career!!! Tear. Not really. Our Sunday school Christmas party is December 7th. Graduation is December 13th (how many times have I said that?) December 14th is my brother' birthday. He will be THIRTY!!! December 15th is my birthday. I will be twenty-three. We will most likely be in Little Rock during this week. We will come home around Christmas.

Holidays are cRAzY for us. It will be especially different this year. Oh, and this year for Christmas, Chris and I are doing something different for gift-giving. The rule is the gift cannot be new. It can be bought from a yard sale or eBay, or it can be made (although technically then the gift would be new). Anyway, we wanted to do something different this year, for Chris&Amanda's eighth Christmas together.

would you rather be.....

a robot?

a vampire?

a ninja?

a pirate?

& state your reason.

For me, it was tough to decide between vampire and pirate. Vampires can run fast, and they are immortal. But I chose pirate, because I love the ocean. And because they get to steal people's stuff.

This is just a preview of some the conversations that occur at theshuberthome. Ask Keith & Erin.

quit being a moron

Today I was walking Chris to class, and it was raining. I can't remember our exact conversation, but he said something inappropriate and I told him to quit being so moronic. He said that he couldn't. And then I tripped on the sidewalk. Oh, the irony.

she can roll with the punches, as long as she feels like she's in control

Where to start? Well, four weeks (actually three and a half) of school. Wow. Chris and I saw a commercial last week that said, "Are you graduating in May? Do you have a plan?" I looked at Chris and said, "I'm graduating in DECEMBER and I don't have a plan!?!" He just shook his head and smiled, because he knows that I am not a planner. He said that if I want to stay at home, then I have a plan because then I just need to keep doing what I am doing now. So, the plan for now is that there is no plan. Actually, I will be going with my mom to Little Rock at the end of January so there is no need for me to find a job because I will be gone for several weeks.

Things to look forward to:

-Thanksgiving
-Graduation
-Date night with Jessica (We are going to see Twilight because we love our vampires!)
-Finishing all these papers!

Saturday we watched the Bama/LSU game at my parents'. It was exciting. Mom, Dad, Brad, Chris, Paul, Connie, Patrick, Don and Wanda, and myself were there. Oh, and Brooks. Sunday Lori, Mom and I went to Christmas Village. That's right, we skipped church to go shopping. We always go on Sunday because it's the least crowded. My mom got me two cute dresses for my birthday and I got BabyAid-n a onesie, similar to the one I got for QD two years ago...has it really been two years, Megan?

I am STILL working on my Partlow paper. I have a reading review and two research papers for my sex class. (Did I fail to mention I am taking a sex and society class?) Next week I have a paper due for my research class. I am excited about that one. We have to write down everything we throw away for four days and categorize the data we collect then write a paper. I am not sure why this excites me, but it does.

Today is Chris's final H&P! We practiced last night. He is still nagging at me to go to the eye doctor because my right eye doesn't converge, even though I see perfectly. Whatever. He looked at my nose with that light-thingy and said, "You're a little stopped up in your right nostril." And I was like, "How did you know that???" He sounded like a real doctor. It is still surreal to me...Last week he was on fall break. We spent Thursday and Friday together. It was nice. That was pretty much his last break ever...sadness. He will be working at the hospital during Christmas break. He takes his first board in May (which is a bigger deal than the MCAT because this will determine where he goes for residency), he has two weeks off, then starts right back for clinicals. It is going by so fast...

Brooks has decided that the guest bed is a good place for him to sleep. We keep saying that we are going to make him stop, but I guess it's harmless. Unless you want to stay the night at our house, then you might have to fight the dog for a place to sleep.

I wish...

that someone would make ME cookies while I study...

and that someone could wash and iron MY clothes while I study...

and I wish I wasn't the only person in the house capable of using the dishwasher...even when I'm not studying.

that the same someone I'm talking about wouldn't try to change my study habits when I have exactly four weeks of an undergraduate career left...

that I didn't have to study and that classes were already over! (Well, at least one wish will come true in a few weeks.)

silly brooks

wearining Dad's hunting hat, while hunting someone to give him attention

being silly in the kitchen

in your face

I added some pics to previous posts from October, so check it out!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Monday, October 27, 2008 we celebrated my mom's 49th birthday! Bryan, Lori, Anna, Abby, Glenda, Richard, Dad, and I sang happy birthday and we ate strawberry cake. Yum!

Next year for number 50, we are going to have a big celebration :)

politically correct-y'all aren't going to like this

I do not consider myself to be a political person. I am not a Democrat or a Republican. I have been to both candidates' websites to form my own opinion, rather than listening to news or radio. I encourage you to do the same, if you haven't already. It is important to know the values, beliefs, and policies of the person you vote for. I am so annoyed with both presidential nominees that I have decided to cast a None of the Above vote. I am doing that because I refuse to vote for the lesser evil. A lot of people believe that "change" will be great, and maybe it will. I am not so convinced. I believe that we live in The United States of America, and if a person wants something, then that person should work hard. It seems that my generation is in favor of handouts. I feel much older than my age. I have a husband, own a home, and purchase my own health insurance. I do not want the government to take away the money that Chris and I earn. We are going into debt and bustin' our tails in school so we can have something to show for it one day. And about government health care-If you think the government is doing such a great job with other programs like education and social security, then go ahead and support it. One of the first things that will be cut is funding for research. Next will be health care workers' salaries, then whatever is left will go to patients. Reassuring, huh? Anyway, this is just a rant of my opinions. I guess I am more Republican than Democrat in my beliefs, but not for this election. Whether or not you agree or disagree, just make an educated decision.

JohnMcCain.com

BarackObama.com

“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” Gerald Ford