~Thanksgiving~

Thanksgiving 2011 start with my devotions. I am still reading chronologically through the Bible. The portion I read Thanksgiving morning was on the crucifixion. What a great spot to be! There is nothing bigger or better to be thankful for!



I made some Little Smokies wrapped in bacon and we headed to my parents for breakfast. My mom made some yummy new treats again this year! A few Aunts, Uncles and cousins were there to join us. Kiersten was able to "play" with my cousin's little girl who is only a few weeks older. I said "play" and not play... because they are definitely two... like, not into the whole sharing thing:-) I think they did very well!

I enjoyed a cup of pumpkin coffee and got to visit with some family. I met two of the youngest members of the family... 5 months and 3 months old. Adorable, yes!?!?!

Time goes so quickly so we were packing up and heading out for Gregg's family's celebration. We found Nathan here...
Haha! He was just comfy sitting on the couch, eating his muffin and watching the parade:-) He had no idea we were ready to walk out the door!

We arrived at the next destination to find the table set and the food ready.

After dinner the girls made fresh green wreaths. I had so much fun making mine! I have never done that before and was surprised at how easy and fun it was.

We made it home in time for the boys to finish their big game of war on paper and to watch our favorite Father Knows Best show about Thanksgiving Day.

I just finished a cup of tea and finally got to eat my dessert!

Now to plan the rest of the weekend....

~Happy Thanksgiving~

I had planned on posting a bunch of "thankful" posts this week... but life kinda got crazy.

We enjoyed a small family Thanksgiving Saturday evening. We love turkey and I just couldn't wait to start feasting!

Nathan and Kiersten are battling colds and I'm hoping our day isn't too stressful for them.

I spent yesterday finishing up school, cutting hair and making food for today... rolls, pumpkin cheesecake, tea, and little smokies wrapped in bacon!

Today we will be going to my family's for breakfast and Gregg's family for dinner.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

~Grandma~

Grandmas.... aren't they the best!!?!?!?

I happen to have both of my grandmothers still living. They are so different from each other... but I have so many good memories of spending time with them.

I'll have to meet Gregg's one grandmother in heaven... I love her already because I know she prayed for me... not by name but for his future spouse:-)

I was able to meet Gregg's other grandmother while we were still dating... I'm thinking July 1994. Before I met Grandma he told me all about her.

• she is little
• she is funny
• she wears jeans and sneakers
• she rides roller coasters
• she irons jeans (he loved this)
• she has handwriting that should be turned into a font
• she listens to talk radio
• she has definite political opinions

He touted her as a "cool" grandma. I was pleasantly surprised! I added some of my own observations over the past number of years...

• she has the best laugh
• she writes the greatest letters
• she loves a good picnic
• her arthritis filled fingers are all out of shape... she was a hard worker
• she learned how to use an ipad
• she sure can cook
• she lived well in spite of chronic pain

We were saddened to hear of her hospitalization on Friday night and then of her passing on Monday... just days after her 88th birthday.

We were so glad we took a trip to see her in April. We knew then that we may never see her again so we spent as much time with her as we could. She lived with Gregg's Aunt and Uncle and they were so gracious to allow us to hang out at their house for a number of days (8 people hanging out isn't real quiet or convenient... but they were so welcoming!).

Tonight, I pulled out some old photos and scanned them to make some scrapbook pages to remember Grandma. I'll be adding thoughts and captions for my own memories but here are some photos of Gregg's sweet, little, cool Grandma...

Grandma and I will meet again. She questioned many things, but never doubted her salvation.

Have you hugged your Grandma today?

~Ripples are Growing~

Well, I was trying to not have more than one project going at a time... but Christmas is coming and I thought I'd like to make a blanket for my Grandparents. They don't ever "need" anything but my Grandmother is always cold (now you know where I get it from) and they never buy anything just for themselves. I bought some cotton yarn... 'cause I love cotton... and I got 3 big skeins of it so I won't have many ends to tie in.

I got a lot done this week (1/3 of the way in the photo) and at this rate I will be done in three weeks (the boys had a really hard time with grammar so I crocheted more than normal). This blanket is smaller than mine and with no color changes it works up faster. It is hard to see the ripples in the photos but I think it looks nicer in person!

I got more done to my blanket too! It is big enough to snuggle under already but I think 19 more rows will be perfect! It is not going to live on my bed, but it is an easy place for a photo... the width of a queen bed and almost the length!

After Christmas I'd like to do some embroidery (I love these!)... I think I'll need a bit of a break from the crochet hook :-) After my little break, I'm hoping to make one of these blankets and a pillow like this!

~MIA Blessing List~

So, I can't be everywhere and do everything... Yeah, I'm still learning that. I've cut back on my computer time to be more in tune with the world going on behind me... I don't like that I have missed journaling some fun things... but I do like that I am more available for making memories.

Sigh... balance!

We have been enjoying some fun indoor activities since it has been dark, cold and damp around here... catching up on some cleaning... potty training... and eating!

So, here is my catch up post mixed with my blessing post for the last week... or two! :-)

#516-540

516. pile of clean dishes... before supper!

517. war on paper - what laughter and fun coming from the other room!

518. home made soup

519. the taste of fresh bread

520. the ooohs and aaahs from the family!

521. fresh cut veggies waiting to be thrown into the pot

522. the smell of warm dough rising

523. pulling out the big box of playmobile and sitting on the floor for an hour with my girl.... my legs were so asleep but she wouldn't let me sit on the couch and watch... I had to play

524. finally (after 8 years) cleaning and sealing the wood floor in the dinning room!

(the picture is hard to see but half of the floor was done and shiny!)

525. duplex legos with the little people... they were so impressed with my building skills!

526. indoor hop scotch... my one child normally has just one sock on...

527. finding my girl brushing her teeth (normally when I have to go look for her, she is in trouble)

528. Celebrating two birthdays

529. fresh from the oven cinnamon rolls

530. sound sleep... after a week of being restless

531. the look one brother gives another when they are up to something

532. taking many, many trips to the potty chair... she is getting a hang of it!

533. hot tea right before bed.

534. new thick flannel sheets to jump into

535. knowing everyone is tucked into bed

536. hearing boys laugh while they do their big brothers chores

(Gregg and three boys left early Saturday for a flea market...

I asked Eric and Nathan to help me with their chores and they gladly

did them all by themselves! I just cracked up watching them!)

537. Big boys coming home with treasures

538. The beep of the mail lady delivering packages!

539. getting my laptop back from the repair center

540. a quick email from a cancer surviving friend telling me she is well

540. headaches that help me call it a night

nighty night!

~My Blanket... Week 3~

Whooo hooo! Half way!

~Boys will be Boys~

My boys have a little more time on their hands now that racing is done for the year. Last month was a busy time of inventing for my guys.

They "accidentally" blew up a soda bottle with an air compressor. I gave them some rules after the first big bang... First, tell mom before you do this! Second, wear ear protection. Third, make sure there are no horses coming down the road!

They tried again two days later and had a harder time sealing the bottles. They persevered and had a bunch of fun.

The next week, we were cleaning the living room... cleaning carpets, dusting, washing all blankets and slip covers... and they decided the sleeper sofa would be fun. Four of the boys tried to get in under the bed but it would not close up all the way. Aaron is claustrophobic so he never tried. Jordan got the idea to climb under the couch, have the mattress pushed in a little, climb onto the mattress and ride up into the back of the sofa. Only two boys tried this... neither of them fit. They were very disappointed they did not think of this while they could still fit:-)

The last thing they tried was to removed the mattress and climbed in. Jordan was first. If you have ever worked a sleeper sofa you know you need to lift way up before pushing in. Well, Jared lifted way up and totally dropped Jordan into the couch. It closed! Now we had a big problem. Jared could not lift Jordan out of the couch. Jared and Aaron could not pull him out together. I was laughing so hard I was no help either! I finally pulled myself together long enough to get him out of the couch... he weighs almost as much as me so it was no easy task! It was truly funny. I tend to lean toward caution in these adventures and often tell them to stop fooling around. I'm glad I just watched and laughed this time!

Another day a squirrel got caught between the glass door and sliding screen door. The boys all rain for their BB and pellet guns. They "took care of it" for me. How kind... I would have let the poor little thing find the hole to get back out.

As often as they fight and pick on one another they certainly miss each other. Even if one boy is missing they all mope around. Jared had to get his school physical last month and they couldn't wait for him to get home.

Three of the boys got "new" bikes this week. I never realized how many bikes you have to grow out of! It is so much fun to watching them race around. They could literally race in a circle for hours... must be a boy thing. Eric is learning how to shift and Nathan has a break on his handle bar!

These photos were taken yesterday in our back yard. I never got their "school" pictures taken this year and was so happy to have a sunny warm day to do it. They are not our best photos (several boys don't know how to smile) but they are certainly my guys!

~Baby Gifts~

A friend of mine just delivered her first little baby! I heard from the happy new mommy today so I know my gift arrived and I can share it with you!

They found out it was a girl... I couldn't help but craft up a gift or two!

A must have super sized swaddling blanket. Flannel birds on one side and cotton polka dots on the other.

and a crochet blanket

I chose the colors she is using in the nursery.

(I miss this blanket.... loved it)

I used a size "J" hook and some cotton yarn. I think it was about 150 chains to start and I just did a sc and dc all the way across. My mom showed me how to make the tassels (can you imagine tying all those ends in!?!?!?)

I used random colors for the first 16 rows and then repeated that pattern. I really like how it turned out!

Every little girl needs a nice white hat! This one is just like Kierstens. Directions for a hat 0 to 12 months go here.... 18 months to 6 years go here :-)

I love making gifts:-)

~My Blanket Week 2~

Twenty two rows completed! That is 1/3 of the way!

It is so soft and warm!!!!

I snuggled under it with Kiersten and Nathan the other night... BLISS!

~November Header~