HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

"Give me the end of the year an' its fun
When most of the plannin' an' toilin' is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin' with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An' I'll put soul in my Thanksgivin' prayers."-  Edgar A. Guest, Thanksgiving

Daughter Kelly, son in law Kerry and grandson Knox hosted our Thanksgiving dinner again this year. Their hundred year old house has plenty of room for [most] of our clan.

There were 15 at the dinner this year ~ two tables ~ no waiting

My brother in law Don is a most excellent cook and made the turkey gravy like my mom used to make it ~ in a heavy cast iron skillet ~ it was delicious

Laughter is always a by-product of our get-togethers ~ niece Sarah, daughter Holly, granddaughter Shelby and niece Julia ~ wonder what they’re laughing about

Don’s gravy and my sister Jane’s to-die-for sweet potato casserole

Our Thanksgiving Feast ~ my sister Ann makes awesome dressing and broccoli casserole ~ Don slow roasted that delicious turkey ~ I made garlic grit casserole and fruit salad ~ Holly made her yummy deviled eggs




Kelly is a blur in this pic, on the move ~ I’m sure she and Kerry are totally tuckered out after all their preparations for this dinner

At the “kid table” ~ grandson Knox waiting for some food, Sarah, Julia, Shelby and grandson Elijah

In our family, this is the meaning of “stuffing”

They all did look up from their plates long enough for a nice group shot ~ okay, you can go back to stuffing your faces now, thanks ~ around the left table: brother in law Terry, sister Ann, sister Jane, hubby Neil, brother in law Don and son in law Jerry. Around the table on the right: daughter Holly, grandson Knox, daughter Kelly, son in law Kerry, niece Sarah, niece Julia, granddaughter Shelby and grandson Elijah

It’s no secret that Holly’s favorite part of the turkey is the leg

She totally destroyed this one and thought nothing of it because it was so good

We ran out of clean forks so Ann used the next best thing ~ one of Knox’s baby forks ~ it got the job done ~ by the way, we enjoyed some great desserts ~ Shelby made a killer caramel apple Snickers pie

Like mother like daughter ~ Kelly probably didn’t think I’d post her selfie ~ we were either singing or yelling for help

Sitting around the table, talking and laughing, after that enormous meal ~ I don’t think anybody could move

Sarah found a comfy spot and so did Knox

The clean-up crew ~ you’re a good man, Kerry ~ thanks for all your hard prep and clean up work

When we finally forced ourselves to move away from the tables, we bundled up and went for a cold walk around the neighborhood ~ the girls thawed out in front of the fire when we got back ~ there was snow in our forecast and the overcast sky did spit a few flakes at us

Don asked his daughter Julia to bring him a “small” piece of pumpkin pie ~ be careful what you ask for

When we weren’t eating or watching football, we played some games like Apples To Apples which is always fun ~ and then we ate some more. A delicious good time was had by all. I’m so blessed to be a part of the best family on the planet and thankful for the time we got to spend together today. Thank you again, Kelly and Kerry, for hosting our amazing feast! And as always we give God the glory for His rich blessings, today and every day. Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

"I ate too much turkey,
I ate too much corn,
I ate too much pudding and pie,
I'm stuffed up with muffins
and much too much stuffin',
I'm probably going to die.
I piled up my plate
and I ate and I ate,
but I wish I had known when to stop,
for I'm so crammed with yams,
sauces, gravies, and jams
that my buttons are starting to pop.
I'm full of tomatoes
and french fried potatoes,
my stomach is swollen and sore,
but there's still some dessert,
so I guess it won't hurt
if I eat just a little bit more."
-    Jack Prelutsky, I Ate Too Much

But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day. ~Benjamin Disraeli

November, we hardly knew you! Where did you go?  ~ Some random picture postcards ~

“Flurries early, pristine and pearly. Winter's come calling! Can we endure so premature a falling? Some may find this trend distressing- others bend to say a blessing over sage and onion dressing.”
― Old Farmer's Almanac, The Old Farmer's Almanac 2013



Birds have the most fun

Blackbird ~ Go ahead and sing it ~ you know you want to


Exposure gone awry ~ made for an interesting photo ~ either that or the neighbor’s tree is on fire

Shelby and Knox

Elijah ~  almost had it

Shelby ~ contemplating her choices

"The stripped and shapely
Maple grieves
The ghosts of her
Departed leaves.
The ground is hard,
As hard as stone.
The year is old,
The birds are flown.
And yet the world,
In its distress,
Displays a certain
Loveliness"
-   John Updike, A Child's Calendar 




Knox ~ mom made him wait until after lunch to eat his Superman cookie he picked out at Santa’s Workshop ~ good things come to those who wait

“November is usually such a disagreeable month...as if the year had suddenly found out that she was growing old and could do nothing but weep and fret over it. This year is growing old gracefully...just like a stately old lady who knows she can be charming even with gray hair and wrinkles. We've had lovely days and delicious twilights.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

"O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being.
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing."
-  Percy Bysshe Shelley


Down on the farm ~ cows and giraffes and T-Rex, oh my

The time has come once again ~ how did it get here so fast?! ~ tagging our soon-to-be Christmas tree at the tree farm ~ we actually took the time to do this on a warm day instead of waiting for the coldest day of the year [which we always seem to do]


All the area school’s 3rd graders competed in the Olympics at TTU ~ Elijah won the bronze medal [he was representing Italy] for the javelin throw ~ the javelin in this case being a pool noodle ~ he got to stand on the winner’s platform with first and second place [Mexico and Sweden] ~ they even played the US national anthem ~ very cool ~ proud of you, Elijah

Knox at Poet’s Coffeehouse ~ you know, it’s a law that you must eat a chocolate chip cookie and play on an iPad when you hang out at a coffeehouse

The works at Gondola Pizza ~ extra large

My most fave times usually involve spending time with these peeps of mine ~ and most likely there is food ~ that’s a law, too ~ this was after they all went to see the movie Big Hero 6 ~ around the table from left: Neil, Shelby, Elijah, Holly, Knox, and Kelly ~ Kelly, Knox and I skipped the movie and enjoyed caramel apple cider at Poet’s

American graffiti ~ never ignore anything in the shape of a heart
"Yea, I have looked, and seen November there;
The changeless seal of change it seemed to be,
Fair death of things that, living once, were fair;
Bright sign of loneliness too great for me,
Strange image of the dread eternity,
In whose void patience how can these have part,
These outstretched feverish hands, this restless heart?"
-  William Morris, November