A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of.

Way-hey Blog World!
I’m so glad its fake Friday and I don’t have to come to work the rest of the week. I know I don’t have much to complain about since I haven’t been at work that much as it is, but any uninterrupted time with family and friends I’ll take.

Last night
Last night Seth actually beat me home! When I got home I rested for a bit and watched Law and Order from last week and worked on Evie’s blanket (which because I’m using a smaller gauge hook it is taking FOREVER) then I came upstairs and made dinner because Seth was watching a video of the class he missed last week so he could do his homework.
A side story for you all. When I was in like…eleventh grade? Maybe…yeah it was eleventh grade. My parents went out of town back to the states for my grandparents 50th anniversary party. They took my brother. I didn’t go because I was a giant brat. So my parents arranged to have the youth group leaders stay with me. We decided to have a couple kids come over, and me, being the budding hostess, decided I would cook a lovely meal for everyone. It was after school and the people who were watching me weren’t home yet. They weren’t really watching me, more like checking in. Anyway I decided to make hamburgers, for the first time ever, on the grill. Now, you should know, that in Europe, we didn’t have a gas grill, oh no, we had a charcoal grill. So I called my Dad, long distance mind you, to ask how one operates a charcoal grill. He didn’t answer, so I went from memory. I knew my dad put the coals in, squirted lighter fluid, and then they flamed up. Usually at this point I went back into the house. So I get all frustrated because I can’t get the flame to stay up, it keeps going out. I went thru two bottles of lighter fluid. Finally my Dad called back and told me that I was a dork and what I was doing wrong. But in my defense, no one ever explained to me that the coals still put off heat without the fire. Next I went inside and worked with the hamburger, putting in the spices my dad told me to, and then shaping the hamburgers into little balls like I saw my dad do, putting them on a platter and taking them out to the grill and putting them on. And then I waited. My dad called back to see how I was doing and if I had burned the house down yet. I told him I was fine, but I didn’t know how to tell if the hamburgers were done. He said, if you flip them over you can tell. I was like, what are you talking about? They are balls. See in my vegetarian mind, hamburgers were like cookies. You shaped them into balls and they melted into their patty shape. Needless to say, the hamburgers weren’t very good and my family still makes fun of me to this day about it.
So knowing all that, I attempted to make Seth hamburgers in the frying pan like I’ve seen my mom and aunt do 100 times. It went just as bad. I officially cannot make hamburgers to save my life. However I do make a mean batch of baked French fries, which let’s face it, is way more important.

I watched So You Think You Can Dance. Here are my reactions.
Legacy & Kathryn: (Jazz: Sonya, Waltz: Jean Marc) loved them tonite. Legacy is really growing on me. Plus I love when Bboy’s cry, it is what made me fall in love with Joshua from season 4.
Ellenore & Ryan: (Lindy Hop: Karla Heiniey, Broadway: Spencer Liff) Both of these were okay, they didn’t really stand out for me, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were in the bottom 3.
Victor & Karen: (Argentine Tango: Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin, Hip Hop: Laurieann Gibson) another couple I didn’t care for. Again, wouldn’t surprise me if they were in the bottom 3.
Nathan & Mollee: (Can Can: Tyce, Hip Hop: Jamal Sims) I know these two have a huge tween following, but they seriously belong in the bottom 3. There was nothing redeeming about their dances, besides that the Can-Can was fun to see and learn about.
Russell & Noelle: (Contemporary: Tyce, Samba: Tony & Melanie) While you all know Russell is my favorite, I will be glad when he gets rid of Noelle. I think she is bringing him down. If they make it to the top 10. I have a feeling they will be in the bottom 3 because of Nathan and Molle’s tween following.
Ashleigh & Jakob (Cha Cha: Jean-Marc, Lyrical Jazz: Sonya) This couple has grown on me so much. I really loved them tonite too.

New Black Friday Plan
So last night Seth comes down the stairs and informs me that we are splitting up for Black Friday because my gift is a “hot item” and he thinks he needs to be at the store parking lot at 3:30 waiting to line up. This makes me crabby, but I really want that damn tv so I’m going to do it, but not without a lot of complaining. This means I have to get the TV and sucker someone into loading it into my car for me. I’m trying to decide if I can just walk up to the register and buy it and have someone bring it up and load it, or if I have to go all the way back to electronics. I’m sure I have to go all the way back. Yuck. Whatever my Christmas present is it better be freaking awesome because I would have just been satisfied with the dang TV.

Our holiday plans
So here’s how we are doing things in the Hellbusch household. Tonite when I get off work, I am going home. Seth will have all our stuff by the door and will load up the CRV and we will head to Columbus. Usually we have dinner with the family of pizza or something and celebrate my birthday. Janet makes me this amazing torte that I dream about. Then we will probably stay up late watching a movie or football and go to bed. Thursday morning we will wake up late and the boys will probably work out and I’ll keep Janet company in the kitchen and then we will have a Thanksgiving lunch. Then I will rudely lapse into a food coma instead of helping clean up like I do every year. I blame Janet, she makes food coma inducing food. Also I have the extra excuse of carrying the grandbaby this year. After that sometime before it gets dark, Seth and I will head home. We will either stay up all night (which would be fun but I’m not sure I could do it and not kill someone at Target) or we will go to bed early and wake up around 3. I will go to Target and Seth will go to whatever secret place he is going. I will hopefully get the TV and then maybe go back into Target if I am waiting for Seth and pick up these two board games I want that Target has for cheap. And look at their baby stuff. Or I will head over to Walmart with Seth’s list and get that over with so we can meet up and go to Menards.
Then we will come home and crash.
Saturday around noon we are having Soupsgiving at my Parents house and a birthday party for me. The soups that are being served are Mom’sGarlic (YUM), Jesse’s Tomato Basil (Yum), and Dad’s Chili. Dan and Kathy are bringing Chicken Noodle. I’m bringing Fat Potato Fat Fat I have frozen in bulk and some kind of dessert, maybe. Oh and my mom is making her famous Yankee Oatmeal Bread, which is the best. Then hopefully we will play one of my new games and open presents and head home.
Sunday I’m hoping we can put the Christmas stuff up and get that over with. And relax because trust, it will be a busy weekend. Seth has Monday off and I’m trying to convince him to take Tuesday off too because he’s at work right now and his vacation was supposed to start yesterday at noon. He needs to be done with that school project so that he can finish my bathroom!!

Oh did I mention?
Sunday is also my birthday. So I’m sure we will go out to dinner or something. Last year I had a big celebration and this year I just want to keep it low key.

My birthday present from my mom
My mom got me a “spa day” for my birthday and she scheduled my pregnancy massage at Lotus Massage Therapy. Which was one of the only places I could find that actively advertised their pregnancy massage services AND displayed their qualifications. And they gave me a coupon. So I’m pretty jazzed about that. My appointment is on the 12th of Dec. the day after Seth’s birthday. My mom and I are also getting our nails done and I’m getting a haircut, since I’m terrible at getting that done.

Have a lovely holiday weekend all!
I will try to update when I can, hopefully with pictures of me and my successful Black Friday experience and of my holidays. I hope you all are blessed with family and friends to celebrate with.

Love (Thanksgiving excitement),
Carrie