Sadness, Joy, and Baking Fun! Weekend Recap

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Hey Yall!  I hope you are doing well and getting ready for the day of giving thanks, Thanksgiving.  I can't believe how quickly these holidays are approaching.  I feel like I'm going 100 miles a minute trying to get ready.


This past weekend was filled with different emotions of sadness, joy, and fun times.  Let me share about what happened.






Friday


I started my weekend by leaving work early since there was nothing for me to do.  I picked up my girls from daycare, and we enjoyed an excellent Mongolian style dinner at a fast-causal sit-down restaurant.


After our meal, we stopped at a couple of places, Stein Mart and Bed Bath and Beyond.  We were just killing some time before we went home. However, I did pick up a few things.



It was still kind of early in the evening, but I had a big job to do back home that was to clean out my 50-gallon fish tank that I have neglected cleaning for over a month.   I went home, fed the fish first before I started cleaning, and then checked Facebook and seen about the horrible massacre that happened in Paris.  Just awful!  I just don't understand how people can be so evil and kill innocent people just because they don't believe in the same thing as them; this is a scary world we live in.



While I was watching the Paris news coverage, I set up the tank to prepare for cleaning.  I have four goldfish, and while I'm cleaning their tank I put them in a big bucket.



Cleaning the tank takes me about 3 hours to clean due to the size and also goldfish are filthy fish, so I have to make sure their gravel is thoroughly clean.

RIP Mr. Goldie

It was about an hour in a half while cleaning the tank I noticed my fish, Goldie, flipping upside down in the bucket looking lifeless.  My heart dropped!  I told Michelle to get the net and keep turning him upright while I finished up the tank.



I got the tank finished in two hours since I rushed it and got Goldie in the tank first.  But it was too late, I think Goldie either had a heart attack since he was breathing very hard through his gills and his mouth was wide open.  I also thought maybe he had a rock stuck in his mouth since it happened to him twice before and I had to use tweezers to get the rock out.  Unfortunately, either way I knew it was too late to save him.



PetSmart was closed, the place I purchased Goldie over three years, so I called a store in California since they're 3 hours behind to get their advice on what to do about disposing of him because I didn't want to flush or bury him.




PetSmart told me they didn't provide cremation services but for me to call a veterinarian and maybe they could help me.



I decided I'll just pray about it and let God decide what I should do with him.  I know you're thinking, "He is just a fish, flush him down the toilet and move on."  But he was more than just a fish to me.  I loved and cared a lot for him.  Every time I see him he would swim up and down excitedly because I was standing right next to the tank looking at him.  He always brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart.   Something about fish puts me in a good mood if I'm not having a good day. 



It was like all the other fish in the tank respected him and followed what he would do; Goldie was the leader.  While he was dying, all the other fish gathered around him because they knew something was wrong.



Still watching the news, I stayed by Goldie's side until he passed away.  I was in tears, including Michelle.  Lauren didn't even want to look at Goldie dead because she didn't want her heart broken.

Saturday


My heart was heavy, but life still had to go on.  I decided I'll wrap Goldie up in a plastic bag and throw him away.  My family and I had a small funeral and spoke about what we loved about Goldie and then I had Mr. M throw him away because I didn't have the strength to do it.



During the first part of Saturday, I felt too numb to do anything.  I didn't sleep well the night before so I took a quick nap to catch up on some rest.

The girls and I had an event to go to at The Rock Ranch.  We got ready and took the almost two-hour drive there for a family day of smashing pumpkins, hayrides, bike riding, and so much more.  The Rock Ranch got my mind off of Goldie, and I enjoyed the great outdoors.  Cool, crisp air, the smell of pumpkins, beautiful fall colors, activities to do all around, this is why I love The Rock Ranch, bringing families together for a good day of fun.

Are you wondering what they'll do with all those smashed pumpkins?   The Rock Ranch feeds it to their cattle, and this helps avoids all the pumpkins not be in land fields.

The girls and I spent our time there from late afternoon all the way to closing time.  It was dark and freezing, but spending time with my daughters is priceless.

We got to visit The Rock Ranch last year, and I'm glad they invited us back again.  The ranch has now become our family tradition to visit each year.






Sunday


Sunday's is my day to relax, watch some football, and do some cooking.



On my bucket list for fall I said I would do more baking this year.  I decided to make sweet potatoes and sprinkle some walnuts on top. 



Cooking is another relaxing therapy, and my girls like when I cook and they join in sometimes.  I'm still a work in progress when it comes to cooking, but it's getting better.



Sweet potatoes is a traditional side dish with Thanksgiving meals.  I'm usually the one that has the duty of making sweet potatoes each year because I love making it.  There are so many different ways to make sweet potatoes that you can put your personal spin on it.

Check out my recipe below:

 

What you'll need:

• 3 Large Sweet Potatoes

• 2 Eggs

• A Half a Stick of Cooking Butter

• Pure Vanilla Extract

• Cinnamon

• Light Brown Sugar

• Marshmallows

• Milk

• Handheld Mixer

• Mixing bowl

• Oven Safe Baking Dish

(I forgot nutmeg since I didn't have any in my pantry, but you can add it or leave it out)




1. Boil Potatoes in pot for (30 min) to soften them.



2. Peel Potatoes and put them back in the pot to cook for 30 to 40 minutes and add 1 tablespoon of butter.



3. Take the potatoes out, put them in a mixing bowl and smash them while adding 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 1/2 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of Pure Vanilla Extract, 1/4 cup of cinnamon, break off a small block of Light Brown Sugar, add the 2 eggs, and 1 cup of Marshmallows.



4. Get the handheld mixer and mix all the ingredients together until the potatoes are smooth.



5. Place the potatoes in an oven safe baking dish and bake until brown on top, usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes.



6. Sprinkle your walnuts on top.



7.  Enjoy!

Sunday evening the girls and I went to ToysRUs event, they had a special shopping night for families who children attend Kindercare.

There was prizes, raffles, and specials galore going on.  It was hard to do any Christmas shopping with my girls with me, so I'll have to wait until Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  But the good thing is the girls were able to create their wishlist of what they wanted for Christmas.  Seems like they want every expensive toy ToysRUs sells, looks like my bank account is in trouble. 

Are you all ready for the holidays?