lots of little things....

Seems like I have been busy doing everything but blogging! I will try to cover some of the things I have been meaning to post about! Lets start with Halloween! Halloween weekend was lots of fun like always but we had the added treat of having Alyssa home for the weekend. We were invited over to the Florence household to have dinner, and Michael,(he was Darth Vadar this year) went for what appears to be his last bit of trick or treating with his cousin Steven.When Michael tired of trick or treating he switched to handing out candy with MacKenzie, and of course tormenting her a bit as shown in the picture! Thank  Goodness Dana took lots of great pictures  because I didn't take many! Thanks for letting me hi-jack some photos off your blog Dana! Check out Dana's blog for more photos and a complete Halloween recap!  The balance of Alyssa's weekend home from college was spent taking her out to do a little shopping for some clothes to wear in the much cooler weather she is now experiencing up in Flagstaff at NAU. We also took her ou tot eat at Famous Daves Barbeque, our new favorite dining out place that she had not tried yet. I loved looking in her room all weekend and seeing her there, I have gotten used to seeing her room empty, I hugged her a bunch this weekend, I can't wait til she comes home again for Thanksgiving in a couple weeks.Next on my List of updates is a fun online class I have recently signed up to take this month, Get Organized for the Holidays taught by Aby Garvey at the simplify 101 website. Aby  is the queen of organizing I love reading her blog, and really enjoyed the book she authored with Wendy Smedley, "The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker".  The last few years I have always found myself chasing Christmas instead of enjoying Christmas, I will be completing a Christmas plan organized in a binder using Aby's amazing organizational guidance! Class started today.. I am really pumped. If you want to get organized for everything important that happens in your holiday season it is not too late to sign up, join me!!  Next update on the list, as usual I have been reading quite a bit lately and thought I would pass on a couple good titles I have enjoyed lately.  My cousin Dana suggested I read "These is my Words" by Nancy Turner. It was a book I had not heard of, but I have found if Dana likes the book it is a good bet I will too! This book was a fictional memior of a pioneer woman, Sarah Agnes Prine that takes place in the Arizona Territories during  1886-1901. The book is written in diary format and shares a fascinating glimpse in to the lifestyle , hardships and loves of Sarah's life. I absolutely loved this book for many reasons, I felt like I really knew the characters personalities and since the book was written like a diary the writing had a very raw and honest flavor to it. I really liked that all the history facts that were mixed into the story were acurate so I learned a little history about the state of Arizona too. Another great fiction novel I recently read was "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" by Steig Larsson.  This book was a best seller in Sweden prior to it's release in the US and after reading it I can certainly see why.  I love a good mystery and this book has all the ingredients to keep me guessing the whole way thru.A rich Swedish industrialist hires a well known journalist to write his family history, and help him solve a 30 year old family murder mystery as well. There are many unlikely twists and turns and some very unlikely crime solving partners... great read! As always I am presently reading a great self help book right now too!  I had orginally heard about  "The Migraine Brain; your guide to fewer headaches and better health" when the author Carolyn Bernstein  M. D. was interviewed on the Today Show. I also listened to a fantastic interview on NPR of the author that I found completely fascinating. I have suffered from migraines for many years and have learned to manage them much better the last couple years after working closely with a nuerologist, tracking my headaches , taking medication and watching my diet. This book is based on the author's 20 years of experience as a nuerologist at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Bernstien guides readers through the process of  finding your migraine triggers, understanding the phases of a migraine, reducing pain and duration during a migraine, and understanding how the brain of the migraine sufferer is different than someone who does not suffer from these types of headaches.  I thought I was very knowledgeable about my migraines and I am learning lots of additional important and helpful information from this book. If you suffer from migraines this is a very insightful book to read.  

Comments

[LenaS]

Such a sweet picture of you and your daughter.

[Dana]

Forgot to tell you Jessie said little Adam woke up screaming Halloween night and what was freaking him out was Michael's costume!!! Darth Vader was tormenting a 2 yr old.LOL

[Aby]

Hey, Tena,

Thanks for the mention! I hope you enjoy Get Organized for the Holidays!

Aby

[Maria]

Hi there Tena! Just stopping by to wish you a happy Thanksgiving! :D