A: The Rice Festival was probably my favorite too, it's a little more small-town than the bigger Southeast Texas State Fair. Our local fair is still trying to find its way in the new much-bigger location - it seems smaller than it used to be and something just not quite right. It has been canceled too since FEMA is still using the area for disaster assistance. We had planned to get David a corndog

Q: Change we can believe in or just change in our pockets?

A) Short term...change in my pocket. Long term, change we can believe in. This month Pratt & Whitney (my company) will be letting between 300 and 500 salary employees go (this is across all P & W branches) Not sure if I will be affected, but just relying on God's will. Every time a job has come to a close for me, the next one was always for my good. \0/

Q) Pass the change... oops, I mean, passing on the change question.

A: I think the question was a little obtuse

Q: What are your plans for tomorrow night? Do you celebrate Halloween or do something else?

A) Every year my folks used to come to my house for pizza to get away from the trick or treaters. I would hand out candy with either a tract or a bible verse attached. This year I invited my parents to come to my house for pizza, but since I live attached to their house, they said no. I'm beginning a new chapter with a new tradition. I'm joining my best gf and her extended family for beef stew. That has been their tradition each year. A pot of stew simmering on the stove and whoever comes over and wants to stay, they are welcome to it.

Q) Passing it on.

A: We took David to a church's festival - he had fun and that was good enough. I've been a bit peaked the last few days so we came home early

Q: Did you remember this weekend is the Saturday night we get another hour of sleep?

A) Yeth... but I get an extra hour of driving...

Q) Passing it on...

A: we went to our "old hood" over two editions over, and trick or treated. we saw everyone we knew, did a haunted house, cody even went thru it, with me holding him, and john dressed up as something .. his parents were in town, he had a blonde wig on, hawaiian shirt and skirt and flip flops with bubba teeth, i walked about two blocks ahead of him. it was funny tho. we made out with like roughly 8 pounds of candy. daddy was happy. the kids loved it then crashed.

Q: so what does everyone want to eat for thanksgiving ??? what are your favs ?

A: My faves are the typical - turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie. A few years ago we made pumpkin pancakes with a praline sauce for the syrup - amazingly good This year I'm gonna make a Pumpkin Praline and Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Praline Sauce - have the defib paddles ready.

Q: What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

A1) My favorite things are this awesome kitchen sink stuffing that we make, creamed carrots and onions, and turnips with brown sugar...

A2) Things are up in the air with us this year. My dad will be in FL and my mom has already hinted about having Thanksgiving catered. CATERED?!?!?!?!?! It's THANKSGIVING!!!! I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday. I told my mom I would do all the cooking but she doesn't want the preperation or the mess *sigh*

Q) You?

A: we will come enbie, my mom is mad at my husband, and my sister is going to west texas with her hubby's fam. noone wants us. ill be there, now john will eat about what an average 3 people would eat (he is about allen's size) ... all in fun ....so be prepared!

Q: anyone else have any cool traditions? and has anyone else heard of elf on the shelf ? allen? mel ?

A) Never heard of Elf on the Shelf, is it a book or movie? The annual showings of the Wizard of Oz begin this week, and the movie Elf is airing 3 times over the weekend.
Has anyone seen Bad Santa with Billy Bob and it was awful, but HILARIOUS! Definitely NOT for kids. Not a very Christian movie either, especially one to be watching at Christmas, but BBT's elf had me running for the potty he was that funny!

Q) How's the Christmas shopping going?

A: Who's shopping already? I haven't had my Thanksgiving pumpkin pie yet!

Q: What's "elf on the shelf"?

A: What's "elf on the shelf"? An evil way of attempting to make children behave.

Q: Passing it on

A) No that would be "slap for your yap"

A1) Hey Angel, you would most definitely be welcome, however last night we accepted an invite to my ex's family's house.

It's been a sort of tradition for the last few years, but this year the "Gravy Master" (my dad) is serving up his masterpiece at my sister-in-law's family's home. We are kind of scattered this time.

Q) Still waiting on the elf/shelf info...

A: oh sorry, check it out on amazon. the story tells of an elf you put on, say the mantle to start and you tell the kids to tell the elf what you want for christmas, and how good you have been and it can hear you, but wont talk to you, then at night it "goes" back to the north pole and reports to santa how good you have been (or not) and then the kids wake up and (you move it) the elf is now in a different place in the house. my mother has an old elf on the shelf from her childhood. i am not getting the story just right, but its something terribly cute like that.

Q: what's your favorite christmas song ?

A: I like quite a few, I think my favorite song is by Nat King Cole: "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire... Jack frost nipping at your nose..." I wear that particular album out every year. Amy Grant and Steven Curtis Chapman both have Christmas CD's that I love. I need to get tham back out

Q: Do you have a favorite Christmas Album or song?

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas Album.

Absolutely love it. I even work out to it sometimes.

Passing it on.

A) Hey Mousey I'm with you. I just went to their show on Sunday and it was (as always) fabulous! Their version of O Holy Night is my favorite.

Q) Has anyone else seen TSO?