My apologies!!!

So sorry everyone I didn’t blog all last week… I ended up getting soooooooooo SICK 😷 🤒 🤕 🤧!!!!! 

Look at how pitiful I looked!!! lol 😂 soooooo for the third time, back to back since November, I got a sinus infection!!!! My sister was like this is so weird because you’re neverrrrr sick 😷 like this!!! I’m liiiiiike I knoooooooow and I’m soooooo annoyed about it!!!

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Anyways, I went to the doctor via video chat and she wrote me out a antibiotic and a steroid to calm down my sinuses and asked if I have a lot of sinus issues and I said yeah ever since I got Covid the first time I get sinus headaches and stuff! Soooooooo she said I may have to see a sinus specialist… buuuuut… idk… I’m not big on going to the doctor… I waited till getting sick a third time to actually go!!!

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Also got some immune defense from Amazon!!! I’m a big vitamin nerd and this is 10 in one soooooo hopefully it works!!! If I don’t get sick for two months I’ll be happy!!!

Which salsa are you???

This is mine!!!!

Get it??? 

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAAA!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

I can wait BECAUSE…

Waiting. It's a part of life. 

I recently have someone working on a project for me, and I picked out a person that I have no doubt in my mind will produce a good product. I've talked to them about it and things are going slower than we originally planned, buuuuuuuuuut it's in the works. 

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Have you ever asked someone to do something for you and they do a shoddy job??? They're late in getting it to you, but not because they're working hard buuuuut because they're just lazy? Then when they FINALLY DO, it's still WET...liiiiiiike they literally just slopped it together two minutes ago...

Well with this person is NOT like that!!!

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Sure I might be able to get someone else to do the job faster, but I don't know that the workmanship would be as good. Afterwards, I told my sister, you know, even though I AM anxious to see the end result, I don't mind waiting longer on them, because I trust their work. 

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As soon as I said it, a thought entered my mind, that's the SAME REASON I can wait on God,

            BECAUSE I TRUST HIM!!!

Sure there are times that I feel frustrated, I get anxious to see the end result, but I don't take things into my own hands, because I trust HIS HANDS over my own. When you try to do things YOUR WAY, the ultimate reason is because you think you can do a better job than God.

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Buuuuuuuuuuuut even though I don't know what exactly he is doing, I know He only has the good things in store for me.  Whatever happens will be the best thing for me. I may not understand why things may take so long, buuuuuut I KNOW it's not because he's waiting till the last minute to slop something together for me.

I TRUST...

SO I WAIT!!!

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"I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait,
and in his word do I hope." (Psalm 130:5)

When you’re kid reads the Bible…

Sooooooo Odin has this THING with figuring out how old YOU'LL be when HE IS a certain age...it's VERY ANNOYING to have to try and do the math and when he asks at 6 am my response is usually FIRST OF ALL, why are you thinking about this first thing  waking up annnnnnnd I don't know and YOUR THE ONLY ONE that cares about this!!! LOL

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Buuuuuuuuuut if i've had my caffeine and feeling a little more awake...I'll actually TRY to figure it out with him!!! I'm 28 years older than him...right? 38-10=28 Sooooooo he'll say when I'm 16 you'll be??? 44 Odin! Ok so when I'm 30 you'll be? I'm like 58 Odin! So then he's like...

 WHEN i'm 99, how old will you be Aunt Mary???

I'm like, DEAD ODIN...I'll BE DEAD BY THEN!!!!

He looks at me shocked, Aunt Mary, why do you think that??? I'm liiiiike cuz that's really old soooooo i'm sure i'll be gone by then!!! Without missing a beat he says...

You never know Aunt Mary, 

you might live to be...

969!!!

969 here i come!!!

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I started laughing soooooo hard!!! I'm liiiiiike first of all, at least we know you've been reading your Bible and second of all, YOUR RIGHT, I just might life to be 969...I doubt it, buuuuuuuut YOU NEVER KNOW!!!! He's liiiiike Aunt Mary, GOD CAN DO IT!!! I'm liiiiiike your right O, God CAN DO ANYTHING!!! 

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Sooooooo if your kids read their Bible, they just might have faith to believe your NOT EVEN OLD!!! MAAAAAAAAAAAYBE!!! ;)

Favorite thing about my car!!!

Soooooo I was telling my sister, you know what I really like about Blossom??? (My new car)

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I loooooooove that she is BRIGHT ORANGE!!! Even though I would have preferred HOT PINK, i loooooooove that she is BRIGHT and colorful!!! I told my sister, I LOVE THE FACT that when Blossom and I arrive somewhere, EVERYONE KNOWS!!!

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Liiiiiiike one glance out the window and you know...

MARYs HERE!!!

My sister said, AS IF everyone doesn't already know you've arrived WITHOUT LOOKING OUTSIDE, from YOU CRASHING IN to wherever your parking!!! 

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I was liiiiiike, YEAH...besides that!!!🙄

Hee, Hee!!! ;)

♥Mary Frances :)

Taki Sandwich recipe!!!

Sooooooooo since this morning i've had hundreds of requests for my Taki Sandwich recipe...

                                        JUUUUUUUUUUST KIDDING!!!

Buuuuuuut I know you all are SECRETLY dying to try this!!! First of all, IF YOUR TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT, don't eat this UNLESS your NOT planning to eat anything else the whole day!!!! And NO MATTER WHAT, this is NOT keto friendly...ahhhh...here I sit relishing in my non-keto yesterday!!! Hee, hee!!! Anyways, lets get to this amaaaaaaaaaZing with a capital Z recipe!!!

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TAKI SANDWICH

Ingredients: 1-2 slices of soft bread, (white is most easy buuuuuut brioche bread is THE BEST)

Mayo (I prefer Kraft)

TAKIS!!! (8-16ish)

Directions: Spread a thick, but not too thick layer of mayo on bread each side of bread, i only do half a sandwich buuuuuut you can do a whole if you want, then lay your takis down until they go all the way across the bread and mayo, maybe add a few extra for good measure, then put the second slice of mayo bread on top, pick it up annnnnnnd...

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cRuNcH!!!

Soft bread is met with a spicy crunch and finished with a creamy slap of a deliciousness!!! 

Can we say PARTAAAAY in the mouth???

I'm telling you guys, this sandwich is worth EVERY SINGLE CALORIE!!! I do NOT regret eating this last night!!! and I'll let you in on a little secret, my NOT SO FOOD ADVENTUROUS SISTER, said she was NOT going to try this yesterday because it was "DISGUSTING" buuuuuuuuut I told her to JUST TRY IT...soooooo she took a bite of her kid's sandwich and then another AND ANOTHER....until they said MOOOOOOOM...she's probably gonna yell at me for sharing her secret, buuuuuuut SHE LOOOOOOOVED IT!!!! 

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Also, try dipping your takis in mayo...not like a ton...buuuuuut yeah...remember...these are splurge meals or snacks and should NOT be eaten regularly...MODERATION!!!! Hee, hee!!! 

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If you try a TakI Sandwich, Puuuuuuleeeeeeze let me know!!!! Even if you think it tastes disgusting, I'll think your cOoL for taking a FOOD ADVENTURE!!! ;)

♥Mary Frances :)

Happy 1st Monday 2022!!!

Soooooooo true!!!!

Anyone else gonna admit this besides me??? I actually got right back on track yesterday…. I even resisted the free Rainbow donuts 🍩 after church ⛪️ yesterday…. I didn’t even care about the Bundt cakes my sister had bought…BUUUUUUUUUUT THEN…

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The kids got takis and they were talking about Taki sandwiches 🥪, which is an amaaaaaZing with a capital Z sandwich 🥪 that I invented annnnnnnd I HAD to have one…

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Soooooooooo yeah TODAY IS THE DAY!!!Btw: my grand total for keto til Christmas was 16 pounds soooooo I’m pretty pleased!!! I’m right back on track today cuz YA know…                                  It’s MONDAY!!!🤪🙌🏽

I would like you all to meet…

My newest friend…

BLOSSOM!!!!

I got her last Thursday….yes it’s a she… 

                                         can’t you tell????

She’s an bright orange 🍊 Honda Element 2010

I named her Blossom because she’s orange and i loooooooooove the smell of Orange 🍊 Blossoms!!!

Meanwhile, Mr. RazzMaTazz has gone to car hospice to spend his final days in the care of a trained car doctor, that will keep him running and comfortable for as long as possible… AKA he’s with my brother John!!!

Better to GIVE!!!!

So several years ago…..I decided to do Christmas gifts with my class at church…

Sooooooooo before they opened their presents, I did a little lesson about it being, MORE BLESSED to give that to receive! First I had all the kids say ONE THING that they REALLY wanted for Christmas! Of course this was REALLy easy for them to come up with, then I had them all try to think of ONE REALLY NICE THING that they wanted to give to someone that year, and LO AND BEHOLD this was A LOT harder for them to come up with!!! LOL

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Weeeeeeelllll anyway, you NEVER know what all the kids take from your lessons right??? So this past Sunday, I was talking to Sam and Janelle, my friends and parent's to one of my students, Mackenzie, and we got on the subject of Christmas presents and they were like, OH we have to tell you this story about Kensie, what she got from your lesson on Wenedsday night.

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Bro. Sam said that she has REALLY been wanting to get a puppy, REALLY BAD and that's ALL she has been asking for, for Christmas. He said after thinking about it they were like, ok they already have one dog, Bronco, its just not going to work out this year. So they had told her you know Kenzie it's just not going work out this year, etc...

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Come later that week, after Wednesday night, Sam said that Kensie came to him and was like, You know dad, let me tell you something about what we learned in class Wednesday night! We learned that it is MORE BLESSED to GIVE than to receive. I was like, AWWWWWWWWW!!! She got it!!! She got my lesson...I'm having a TOTAL PROUD TEACHER MOMENT!!! Sam just laughs...

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Then he continues the story, He says that Kensie says, So I was thinking about OLD BRONCO out there in the back yard, ALL BY HIMSELF, and I was thinking, WE SHOULD GIVE HIM A PUPPY FOR CHRISTMAS so he has someone to play with!!!!

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I was like, WOOOOOOOOOOWWW!!! They said they were laughing so hard about it!!! I was laughing when they told me!!! I have to say, that was SOME PRETTY SMART THINKING KENSIE!!! Actually, come to think about it, I do remember her saying after class that she thought she REALLY wanted to get something for her dog this year, cuz she NEVER had before!!! BAHAHAAAAA!!!

STILL A PRETTY PROUD TEACH MOMENT FOR ME!!!! 

#Ilovemykiddos

♥Mary Frances :)

SANTA!!!!

Sooooooo it was literally THE CUTEST thing everrrr...A few years ago...I just gotta remember it all over again…. We went to a little kids Christmas play and as we were walking in, there was a group of people there for another show and OF COURSE little O just has to talk to everyone on our way into the theatre! Hi! I'm Odin, what's your name?

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 So he sees this husky, older gentleman, wearing khaki slacks and a plaid shirt and who just happened to have a white beard and he greets him as usual, "Hi, I'm Odin!" and the man says back to him, I'm Santa Clause!

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Odin just stops dead in his tracks, mouth agape, his WHOLE FACE JUST LIGHTS UP in sheer shock and joy! Then, without saying anything, he just walks over to the man and throws his arms around him in a HUGE ODIN HUG!!! 

The look on his face was liiiiiiiike NO WAY, I'M ACTUALLY MEETING SANTA!!! Everyone was laughing soooooooo hard and it completely made the man's night!!! It was literally THE CUUUUUTEST, FUNNIEST THING EVERRRRRR!!! Gotta love this kid, there's just no one quite like him!!! 

♥Mary Frances :)

♥Mary Frances :)

12 Apostolic Days of Christmas!!!

I saw this post from 2010 and thought it was indeed time to repost an enjoy again

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12 Apostolic Days Of Christmas
By JSC
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On the twelfth day of Christmas 

my Apostolic friends gave to me...

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12 cans of hairspray...

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11 preachers preaching...

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10 Bible studies...

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9 potluck dinners...

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8 packs of bobby pins...

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7 days of fasting...

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6 Gospel CDs...

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5  looooooong skirts...

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4 restaurant choices...

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3 days of conference...

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2 suits and ties...

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0 Wedding Rings

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Annnnnnnnnnd a 
King James Holy Bible!!!

Does this sound like an Apostolic Christmas OR WHAT?!?!!?! HAHA!

MERRY early CHRISTMAS my friends!!! :]

♥Mary Frances :)

The UNsecret!!!!

Soooooooooo the other day I said to Odin, come here, Aunt Mary is going to tell you a secret annnnnd YOU CAN NOT tell anyone this!!!! He's like, OK! I whisper in his ear, YOU ARE THE HANDSOMEST LITTLE BOY IN LITERALLY THE WHOLE WORLD!!!! 

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He looks at me and says, "Aunt Mary, THAT IS NOT A SECRET!!!"

AHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

#Everybodyknowsit

#IwonderWhoHeTakesAfter😇

♥Mary Frances :)

IF my mom was Rudolph!!!

Soooo one day, while my mom was alive, her and I were doing some Christmas baking at her house. We're just mixin an stirring, listenening to Christmas music, havin a good sweet, mother/daughter time together. 
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All of the sudden, over the radio comes on the song Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer! I've always liked this song, you know, its just kind of happy and fun....WELLL...My mom is like, "YOU KNOW, I've NEVER understood this song!!!" [So i'm thinkin like oh great, here comes a lecture about how this song has NOTHING to do with the birth of Christ...(Which is TRUE...BUT...its still a fun favorite of mine)] so she is like, "I've NEVER understood this song" ...she pauses then continues... 
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"if I WERE Rudolph, her NYC accent kicks in like she never left 30 years ago, I would have just told THOSE OTHER Reindeers WHATS UP!!!" She's like waving flour in her hands, "I wouldn't of let them treat me like that!!! I just woulda let them know!!!" 
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AHAHAHAHAAA!  I was  laughing soooo hard! "I'm like, "MOM, I'm SURE YOU WOULD HAVE!!! I'm SURE YOU WOULD HAVE!!!" (You know, MY MAMMA AIN'T NO ONES DOOR MAT!!! Trust me!!! ;)

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Sooooooooo I saw this and thought...

IF my mom HAD BEEN RUDOLPH!!!

Those Deers are BLESSED, that MY MAMMA wasn't Rudolph...

THEY REALLY ARE!!! BAHAHAHA!!!

I seriousley have THE AWESOMEST MOM EVER!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

♥Mary Frances :)

Happy Monday!!!

WITHOUT THE BUN!!!!

Uh thanks for the compliment!!!

The weight loss place I go to, shout out to Medshape, your awesome Stephanie, weeeeeeeeeelllll the owner has these pet python 🐍 snakes that Odin ADORES!!!! 

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Weeeeeeeeeeellll he’s holding the little one saying awwwwww… who says awwwww to a baby snake???

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 Annnnnnnd then he says, “Aunt Mary, she has pretty blue eyes 👀, 

JUST LIKE YOU!!!

I was liiiiiike WOWWWWWW!!! You seriously just compared my eyes to a snakes eyes!?!? He’s like, weeeeeeeeeellll, I’m jus sayin, jus trying to be nice to you!!!!😂🙄😂🙄😂

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Sorry if it’s conceited to say this, buuuuuuuuuuut I THINK 🤔 I have prettier eyes 👀 than a SNAKE 🐍 …

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              Jus sayin!!!😇

Too hot???

The cashier at Trader Joe’s said this stuff is good buuuuuuuuut to be very careful, only use a LITTLE BIT… 

             SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO….

                I USED HALF A JAR!!!!

Christmas Cookies!!!!

Red and white dough twisted together, infused with peppermint flavoring and little pieces of peppermint candies- Grandpa’s Candy Cane Cookies. 
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Shortbread dough dipped in milk then rolled in sesame seeds, cooked until golden brown. Best served while still warm with hot chocolate- that’s Grandpa’s Sesame Seed Cookies. As one takes a bite of this next cookie their mouth will be filled with a variety of delightful goodness. This cookie is crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. It is filled with the sweetness of almond paste and yet salty from the taste of pine nuts- these are Grandpa’s Pinoli Cookies. The all around favorite cookie is a 3-layered, Neapolitan-Italian-flag cookie. In between each layer is a filling of fruit preserves and topped with a thin layer of melted chocolate. Once the chocolate is hardened they are cut into tiny, bite-size squares. We simply call these- Grandpa’s Three-Colored Cookies...
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Every year, at the end of November, my Grandfather, Joseph Mangino, a retired New York City Policeman, would begin his holiday baking. Grandpa was a big man with broad shoulders, a loud booming voice, chubby cheeks a big smile and a twinkle in his eye. Everyone loved his baking and looked forward to it. Then one year everything began to change. .
“I don’t know Franny,” my grandpa says to his daughter who is my mom. “I don’t think I am going to be able to send cookies out to everyone this year.”
“Why not?” Asks my mom.
“I just don’t feel up to it,” he says with a sigh. “I don’t think I could get it all done.” I couldn’t imagine Christmas without Grandpa’s baking. It was a part of who he was and a part of what made Christmas.
“We’ll help you make them,” says my mom. “You can teach the girls. They need to learn anyways.” 
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So the baking lessons began…The thing about Grandpa’s baking lessons was that it didn’t matter if you already knew how to bake. When you were in HIS kitchen, you did things HIS way! I remember standing in the kitchen one day after putting all of the dry ingredients in a bowl; I got out the hand mixture to blend it real well. I plugged it into the wall then stuck it into the bowl, which was on the kitchen counter.

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“Uh, uh,” said Grandpa. “Stick the bowl in the sink and then begin mixing it. This way if any of the flour comes out it will go in the sink.”
“Okay Grandpa,” I said. Next I got out the eggs and began cracking them into the bowl.
“Uh, uh,” said Grandpa. You gotta get a separate bowl and crack each egg individually to make sure the egg is good. Otherwise if one egg is bad it will ruin the whole batter.”
“Okay Grandpa,” I said. I began rolling the cookies out and putting the lumps on the cookie sheets.
“Uh, uh,” said Grandpa. “Those cookies are way to big. Make them smaller.”
“Okay Grandpa,” I said with a sigh. .
When I would get something right Grandpa would nod his head in approval.
“Atta girl Maria, atta girl.” Then when I would take the cookies out of the oven and they were just right Grandpa would smile. “Beautiful, beautiful,” he would say taking a bite.
So became our tradition, each year at Christmas time, my mom, my sister and I would take turns on different days baking cookies with Grandpa. .
“You gotta get this right Mary” Grandpa said to me one year as I baked. “I might not be here next year to show you how to do it.” I was startled to hear him say this.
“Don’t say that.” I said looking up from what I was doing. I couldn’t imagine him not being here.
“Well you never know,” said Grandpa. “Everyone dies some time.”
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We all knew that Grandpa was getting weaker with each passing year. His body was deteriorating from Parkinson disease, but we didn’t want to think about it. .

Then one day it happened. Grandpa died. I remember sitting in his recliner in the living room watching as early in the morning two men from the mortuary came to take his body away. A soft blue blanket covered him as the men rolled his stretcher down the hallway, through his kitchen and out of his house. It took a while for the reality of the situation to really sink in. Grandpa was gone.

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However the things that he taught us still live on...

As Christmas time comes around my family and I begin our baking. It’s a family thing and my brother John has picked up the role of BOSSING everyone around now. Through the laughter and teasing of who broke the cookies and who cooked them too long, I remember Grandpa’s words to me;“You gotta get this right Mary, I might not be here next year.”
“ Don’t worry Grandpa. I promise, I am going to get it right!” I start mixing the ingredients in a bowl on the counter. Then I remember and put the bowl in the sink. I pull out a separate bowl for the eggs and hope the cookies aren’t too big. As I take the cookies from the oven, I know Grandpa would be smiling, nodding his head in approval, satisfied in knowing that his cookies are still being baked. If I listen closely as I take a bite of a cookie I think I hear Grandpa. “Atta girl Maria, atta girl.” I take another bite and savor the taste. “Beautiful, beautiful!”

♥Mary Frances :)

A Ginty Thanksgiving 2021!!!

Thanksgiving 2021!!!

Chelsie Representing her mom!!!

It didn't cancel out all the calories!!!

My melting potatoes!!! They came out bomb buuuuuuuuut not a good idea to make for a BIG GROUP!!! Very time consuming and you'd have to make A LOT of batches- more like good to make for a family of 3!!!

My rolls, they were soooooooooooo BOMB!!!! I want one riiiiiiiiiight NOW!!!! 

My Thanksgiving outfit for church!!! Isn't it sooooooo cuuuuute????

Reading to the kids my favorite childhood book, "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs"

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The whole Ginty clan-minus one in heaven!!!! Although she was there in spirit because we ALL got her cooking skills!!! Soooooooo basically it was a DELICIOUS Thanksgiving!!!!
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My FAVORITE thing I ate the whole day was Apple Pie from Sugar Jam's----maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan that was BOMB!!!!! Second would be my rolls-I'm sooooooo full of myself-CALM DOWN GIRRRRRLLLL!!!! AHAHAHAHAAA!!!
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Sooooooooooo I had gained 4 pounds on Thanksgiving, literally, ALL I ATE was carbs on Thanksgiving annnnnd like ONE piece of turkey on a little turkey sandwich roll!!!! I was liiiiiiike if i'm off keto I'm not even touching meat today!!! LOL buuuuuuuuut I got it ALL OFF annnnnd am back to the weight I was last week sooooooooooo it's all down hill from here till Christmas!!! 
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This years Thanksgiving was definatley different than last years!!!

♥Mary Frances :)