Thanksgiving

What a wonderful Thanksgiving this has been! First, Dad got to come visit. Then, we spent a quiet Thanksgiving at home. And then, Saturday.

Saturday was a great day. The kids' little cousin got to spend the night on Friday evening, and they got to spend the day Saturday running around together. Then, lunch on Saturday became our big family Thanksgiving celebration! All of my husband's family came for lunch. We made brisket, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, and stuffing. Everyone else brought sides and dessert. The meal was fantastic, and it was so fun to share our new home with the family!

After the meal, we cleared off the dining room table and played Apples to Apples. (This is a fabulous game that you simply must try! Easy enough for young kids, but hysterical when played with sisters-in-law!) Later, we moved the game to my father-in-law's house to "supervise" the kids.

All the grandkids went down to PaPa's house to decorate his tree and hang up their ornament wreaths. This has become a yearly tradition, and the kids have so much fun. The wreaths are a tradition that my mother-in-law began with her children: each year, a new ornament is added to each child's wreath. My father-in-law has continued the tradition with his grandkids, adding new ornaments to their wreaths every year. And they get to pick the ornaments (fun). The funniest part is that PaPa always leaves the tree decorated in whatever way the kids make it. Here is this year's effort:

In the evening, just as everything was settling down and everyone was departing for their own homes, my daughter's friends began arriving for a sleepover. (I know, what was I thinking, right?) My son fled to PaPa's house for the night, smart boy. The girls had a great time! This is the first sleepover my daughter has ever hosted -- we'd never had the space before! She had a great time, and her friends had a great time, and I had a great time too! Imagine my surprise at being asked to participate in a game of Apples to Apples with the girls! :) My poor husband hid in our bedroom the whole night.

All in all, it was a great Thanksgiving. A memorable holiday, to say the least!

Prepping for Christmas? Try reading some of the great Christmas books by Richard Paul Evans!

The Relatives Came

My dad and his wife spent the weekend at our house! They arrived on Friday evening, and left this morning just after breakfast.

It was a great weekend! We ate together, laughed together, walked together, played games together, and just generally enjoyed each other's company.

We bought a new game, Disney Apples to Apples, which we played several times throughout the weekend. It was a great way to spend time together and laugh and laugh and laugh. We discovered that "bugs" are "icky" but not as bad as "dirty dishes"! And that Snow White is beautiful, but not as beautiful as Sleeping Beauty! :)

I had to leave Saturday afternoon to take my library certification exam, so my husband and the kids were left to entertain the company. They decided to load up on the Gator and explore the pasture and surrounding countryside. I'm glad the weather was warm enough for this expedition! It was also warm enough all weekend for us to walk every evening!

I am so blessed to have a husband who is a good cook -- and who doesn't mind cooking for a "large" crowd. We ate well! Saturday evening, we had a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving! We enjoyed a feast of ham, scalloped pototoes, corn, and pumpkin pie. Mmm-mmm! Sunday evening, we had an Oklahoma dinner of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and pumpkin roll!

On Sunday morning, I pursuaded Dad to sing with me in church. That was probably my highlight of the weekend! It was a great moment, one I will not soon forget. I'm so glad he agreed!

So, the house will be empty when we come home after school today. Although it will be nice to have a quiet house, I think it will seem empty without them. But I think we successfully encouraged them to stop over on their way home after Thanksgiving!

My Father is Coming!

There's a little chant repeating in my head: "My father is coming, my father is coming!"

I'm so excited! My father is coming for a long weekend. He and his wife will be here in just a few hours. I am having trouble containing myself.

We cleaned the house yesterday in anticipation of their visit. The kids were great help, even helping clean the bathroom!

We also baked cookies, and shopped for groceries (including an early Thanksgiving of sorts with ham as the main dish).

Now all that's left is the waiting. Hope I can make it until 6:00 tonight!

My father is coming!!

Here are the kiddos raking leaves! They had a great time getting ready for Grandpa's visit!!








A great book about holidays and what it means to be a family: Family Dinner by Jane Cutler.

"These People Are My Bones"

Sometimes when reading a book, a passage just pops off the page. The words and meaning resound deep inside, making the book more meaningful than it had been.

The book I'm currently reading is Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson. It's a unique retelling of the Peter Pan story. Like the Peter and the Starcatchers series, this book goes its own way, developing a story line all its own. The story is fun, but also dark. Anyway, I've been reading it just for fun, not studying it for a class or anything "studious" like that.

Then, out of the blue, this passage strikes me. Suddenly, the book resonates in a new way, and I find I'm having trouble putting it down (even to write this post).




Here's the passage:

" I could never leave," Pine Sap said.
"Why?" she asked.
Pine Sap shrugged, and gestured in the direction of the village. "Because I think people must be the same everywhere. Only these people are my bones."

It's true. People are people wherever you go. But your family, your village, are the ones in your heart, in your bones, that you carry with you. No matter how far you roam, your small town family is still with you.

:)

Family Landmarks

This weekend was full of family landmarks.

We moved into our new home over Fall Break. It took a lot of work, to move in our furniture, but it's accomplished! The best feeling in the world was being able to sleep in our own beds in our new house. This morning, making coffee in my kitchen, I'm thankful (even for a Monday morning)!

I love watching my kids grow into young adults. They have become so responsible, putting away dishes without being asked, helping to cook dinner, and putting up their clean clothes. I love how much hard work they are putting into the new house.

A wonderful moment occurred on Sunday evening. My nephew was baptized!

It brought back some great memories, of my own baptism and of my kids' baptism just a few years ago. The preacher asked for a show of hands of people in the congregation who had been baptized. Such a moment to watch my kids, smiling, raise their hands in acknowledgement. That moment was real, deep in their hearts -- just as it was in mine. What a great landmark to celebrate as a family!

Can't wait for Thanksgiving in the new house, making more family memories and family landmark events!

A great read about family life and family landmark events: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen. (a classic Newbery and worth the while)

House Work

We have been working hard at our "new" house to get it move-in ready.

We had an extra-long weekend last weekend, so we spent nearly all of our time working on the house. (Note: when I say "we", I do indeed mean myself, my husband, and both kids.)

Here's a list of tasks we have accomplished:

*Sacking up all (bags and bags and bags) of Grandma's clothes and delivering them to Goodwill
*Sacking up trash (cleaned out from drawers, shelves, and closets) and taking to the dump
*Removing old, broken, and unwanted appliances, dishes, pots, and pans from the kitchen
*Moving and removing Grandma's furniture to make room for some of our own, while utilizing the furniture already in the house
*Washing load after load of laundry, including but not limited to towels, sheets, curtains, furniture covers, and blankets
*Eliminating decor (knickknacks, bric-a-brac, odds and ends) left over from the 1980's (all in gold and dusty rose, if anyone is interested)

Okay, so not everything on the above list has been completed. But we have certainly made a dent in the daunting task.

Every afternoon this week, we will be working more. Tired, yes. But it's all worth it.

For some "light" reading about making a house a home, try Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon. Actually, anything by Jan Karon will make a reader feel right at home! Or pick up any of the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder!

Home Sweet Home

What makes a house a home?

This is the question I've been pondering lately. My family moved a lot when I was a kid, and it really never seemed like we put down roots. The only place that ever really felt like "home" to me is the Stone House, on the farm where my grandmother still lives. Though my family only really lived there 5 years, it still is the place my heart calls home. Now, the family uses the Stone House as a retreat, kind of like our own personal B&B, a place to stay when visiting Grandma.

As an adult, I've moved quite a few times, too. I find it hard to accept any living quarters as a "permanent" home. We've always rented -- why buy a house when you expect to be moving? Though we've lived in our current place for something like 6 years, it's never felt like home.

Well, we are getting ready to move again. This time, it's a welcome change. We have outgrown the house we currently rent. And the house to which we are moving is perfect. Perfect size, perfect location, perfect for us.

So I'm wondering. What makes a house a home? How long must a person live in a house before it starts to feel homey?

A book to read at home: Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter

Design Therapy

I love watching HGTV. And now, I'm pretty sure my daughter is also hooked!

The premiere of the new season of Design Star was last night, so we spent this morning enjoying the show on hgtv.com, as well as the "extras".

You know, the extras: behind the scenes, expert advice, the whining, and of course, the sneak peak of next week's episode! (Which is the white box, by the way -- my favorite of each season.)

Then, we discovered a cool extension -- HGTV Color Schemes and Paint!

We started with the really cool Style Quiz at http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/hgtv-home-by-sherwin-williams/quiz/

I think it's pretty accurate, considering it nailed me, my daughter, and my son. (I'm "Global Spice", daughter is "Color Pizazz", and son is "Rustic Refined".) Even the names are fun! The kids had fun looking through the color combinations, seeing if they could find the color styles that matched other people we know, like Aunt Teri ("Coastal Cool") or cousin Heidi ("Traditional Twist").

There is also a cool section where you can "Picture it before you paint it" -- click on the colors you like, and use coordinating colors to decorate sample rooms!

My book suggestion for the day is Apartment Therapy by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan. This amazing book was given to me several years ago, and works really well for people with small houses as well as city apartments. It takes you step-by-step through your living space to take you from hating your home to loving it! Apartment Therapy has a website, too, with lots of blogs and shopping. Great book, and great website!

There's No Place Like Home

Special mommy moment: watching The Wizard of Oz with my daughter and experiencing it new with her. I'm so glad she loves it! :) "There's no place like home!"

Now, as much as I have read in my life, you'd think I wouldn't continue to be surprised. But books still continue to surprise and delight me.

One aspect of reading that always amazes me is the repetition of themes. And honestly, no matter how much I have read, the "ah-ha" moment of finding a recurring theme continues to strike a poignant chord.

On my quest to read the Newbery books, I just finished Secret of the Andes. "Ho-hum," right? Wrong! There was so much beauty and just good "story" in this little book!!

And you may wonder where I'm going with all of this... The theme of "coming home"!!

The beauty of Secret of the Andes and The Wizard of Oz is in finding the place we are supposed to be, the place we can truly label "home". The delight of discovering we ARE where we are supposed to be.

Yes, I am where I am supposed to be. Cyril is home.

(Following are poignant quotes from Secret of the Andes that I simply must share.)

"Chuto sighed. 'Is your heart going back over the trail your feet have traveled?' he asked tiredly. Cusi shook his head. 'That way,' he said pointing on the way toward home. Chuto laughed, and his laughter held the precious tones of gladness."

"They walked along in silence, a comfortable silence. They were companions. Companions have no need for constant talking."

"'We are a family. We belong to one another and everything we have can be shared together.' Cusi stood still and tense. There was the answer! he had alsmot gone away, leaving all that mattered behind him."

"Before him lay the meadow of ychu grass and beyond it the little river and then the fields of corn. He, Keeper of the Fields, was home again."