Friday, November 30, 2018

"Autumn is marching on: even the scarecrows are wearing dead leaves." ~Otsuyu Nakagawa

November 1 ~ Ella Rose, little miss fancy pants ... and socks
November 1 ~ Early voted. So glad this election is said and done, aren't you?
November 3 ~ It won't always look this way. Will it?!?
November 3 ~ God always blesses us with something pretty to look at each day.
November 6 ~ The days are short and the shadows are long.
November 9 ~ Progress! Wood for the floor delivered on Friday and scheduled to install Monday. Light at the end of the tunnel.
Neil and I both agree we're getting too old for this DIY renovation stuff
Eagerly looking forward to back-to-normal
November 10 ~ When we first moved into our house 35 (?) years ago, 8 maple trees and one ash tree lined our front yard. They were beautiful shade trees, especially in the fall. Throughout the years, though, we've been forced to remove them for one reason or another. Painful to see them come down.
But we do enjoy our neighbors' beautiful old trees, mostly maples, like this golden one across the street from us.

However, we do not enjoy the neighbors' leaves which blow into our yard this time of year. What a pain ... having no trees, yet forced to rake leaves anyway. Life ain't fair, is it?
I guess the lady across the street from us will never know how many of my pictures her house and yard have appeared in. Should I tell her? Nah.
November 11 ~ Granddaughter Shelby target shooting with her Smith&Wesson AR15. You go, girl! I borrowed this pic from her dad, Jerry. Love it.
November 12 ~ Tools of the trade. Floor installers arrived bright and early. Yay!
They scheduled us for a two day installation, but these guys had it all done by 3:30.
The finished product looks amazing. We are thrilled with it, to say the least. Yay!! 
(And I forgot to snap a pic of the whole room once it was done and still totally empty. But you get the picture.)
November 13 ~ Look who joined us for lunch.
This thing was on high alert ... all 8 legs of it. Then, when we weren't looking, it disappeared. Had no idea where it skittered off to. Then a MickeyD employee came over to our table and said somebody had said something about a spider. We scooted our chairs back so she could look for it. And there it was, by the table leg near the wall. She took some napkins and went in for the kill. One dead spider. Felt kind of sorry for it, but let's face it, spiders don't make the best lunch dates.
November 14 ~ Ella Rose got her first shots this morning, three of them. Ouch!
November 14 ~ Better late than never, I guess. Daughter Kelly's birthday was Monday. She really wanted a big ol' cookie cake, but the big ol' cookie cake store was closed, so we didn't get it ordered until last night. Happy Birthday, Kelly!
November 14 ~ Ella Rose is 2 months old today. 

She loves her big bro Knox

November 15 ~ Wendy's recently remodeled one of their restaurants here. This 'wet paint' sign has been hanging here since the store reopened several weeks ago. The paint is no longer wet. Trust me. Yeah, I touched it.

November 16 ~ My view while rocking Ella Rose

November 18 ~ Golden

November 18 ~ I love the yellow maples

November 18 ~ As the crow flies

November 20 ~ grandson Knox was the Puritan Minister in the first grade Thanksgiving play ~ He played the part to perfection ~ "Hallelujah!"

November 22 ~ Thanksgiving group shot ~ test snap

This one's a keeper ~ check out my Thanksgiving day post here:
https://krhunkydory.blogspot.com/2018/11/happy-thanksgiving-2018.html
November 23 ~ hubby Neil is a glutton for punishment ~ No sooner had he finished the living room re-do, which took 4 months, he tore apart one of the bedrooms upstairs to fix an electrical wire that had broken/shorted out (the ceiling fan in the living room is attached to that particular wire) ~ And of course said wire is under the carpet and the carpet pad and the floor ~ And then he decided since he had it all torn apart it would be a good time to fix a joist under the floor and replace some of the floor itself ~ good times

November 23 ~ at Spring and Willow ~ long may she wave

November 23 ~ Courthouse square ~ snowflakes on lamp posts

November 26 ~ At El Tapatio with the grandpeeps ~ Knox, Shelby, and Elijah ~ always a fun time with these three

November 26 ~ Knox ~ How does he do this?!

November 26 ~ Elijah ~ He says the guys do this at school for fun

November 29 ~ My view Thursday afternoon ~ sleeping like a baby




It’s all a farce,—these tales they tell
About the breezes sighing,
And moans astir o’er field and dell,
Because the year is dying.

--Paul Laurence Dunbar, "Merry Autumn"
Lyrics of Lowly Life

Thursday, November 22, 2018

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 2018

The Foys (Jane, Don, Sarah, and Julia) hosted Thanksgiving this year. Bro-in-law Don made some seriously yummy gravy.
Julia's side work ~ made the forks, knives, and napkins look elegant
Sarah crafted beautiful centerpieces ~ fresh flowers in mason jars all wrapped up in patterned cloth and twine. She also made clay votives, painted white with gold stars. She gifted these to us to take home and enjoy. Thanks, Sarah!
The food. Oh, the food! The delicious food!! 
Don cooked a turkey that was fall-off-the-bone tender. Ann made the dressing using our mom's recipe, the best on the planet. Holly made deviled eggs, always yummy. Jane's sweet potato casserole is to die for.
Ann made her delicious broccoli casserole, Holly's green beans were awesome, I made garlic cheese grits--so glad y'all enjoy them--and Jane made sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, just like our mom used to make. 
Kelly's fruit salad was so good and one of my faves. Two kinds of cranberry sauce--I like the one with the whole berries the best.
Jane ~ the hostess with the mostest ~ everything was perfect ~ thanks again for hosting this year!
Let the feasting begin! From left: Holly, Ann, Sarah, Elijah, Terry, Kelly, Julia, and Shelby
Everything was so good! Neil and I both agreed that this feast was the best one ever.
The old folks' table ~ from left: Jane, moi, Ann, Terry, and Don (Neil took this pic)
The ladies' table ~ from left: Julia, Sarah, Holly with Ella Rose (her first Thanksgiving), Shelby, and Kelly
The guys' table ~ from left: Elijah, Jerry, Kerry, and Knox

Ella Rose's first Thanksgiving

So cute in her pink sweater

She didn't get to enjoy the turkey feast this year, but she loved being held by all her aunts and cousins.
Sister love!
Perfect day to be outside ~ blue sky and sunshine, not too chilly
Terry and Jerry soaking up some rays
This is what Don was up against trying to take a family group shot.
Give thanks and eat pie ... and cake ~ my sampler platter ~ Jane made pumpkin pie and pecan pie, Kelly made chocolate pie (Knox helped), Kerry made chess cake (Knox helped), and the rum cake was from a sweet friend ~ and yes, I ate the whole thing. And it was good.
Enjoyed sitting around the fire later
We have so much to be thankful for, especially family.
Happy Thanksgiving!

"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