Thankful Moments

Yesterday was a lively and family filled Thanksgiving day.   I looked back at other posts I did and realized that they pretty much go the same way....food, family, full bellies and good times.  Sometimes we have more folks here and sometimes less.  This was a "more" day and we couldn't have been happier.    There are those who aren't here in body but thoughts of them are so heartfelt.  Jack and I talked about the Thanksgiving dinners we had when his folks were alive.   I know he misses them at this time of year so I try and make the traditional foods his Mom made and know I can never make them as good...she was a southern gal who could make the best gravy!  But nobody has complained around here so I think all was good!  My sister and Mom were planning on coming this weekend but the 6 hour drive seemed a bit too much for Mom this time, so they stayed put and enjoyed the family in Chicago.  We talked on the phone and sent videos of everyone to Mom and to our son Craig out in Portland...wait, he wasn't in Portland...the family went to Amy's family in Spokane, Washington.   I know they have many traditions that our from Amy's family and then mix them with their own.  That's how it's done, I'm sure, in many families all over the country.  There's something comforting about things being the same each year.  It centers you while the world keeps spinning around.   I hope your day was great and time was taken to remember blessings.   I'm so grateful for my family and this wonderful country we live in.   Happy Thanksgiving.

Turkey and stuffing getting ready for the big day.

Me with no makeup....nuff said.

Post dinner festivities...the blasting of the pumpkins.  Sorry neighbors...(not sorry)

Lexi is a darn good shot...and knows gun safety too.  Her sister, Addy,  says she doesn't like guns at all and hates to even touch one.  So we went for a walk.

On our walk I spotted the next door neighbor's pumpkins and wondered how they would feel about donating some for the cause...then reconsidered since the noise may not be their favorite part of the day!

Evelyn went with us and I  stopped for a  Kodak moment.  Can you spot the photo bomber? It's not real, just a cut-out but we had a good laugh about it!

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours...take a deep breath and enjoy this weekend!

Yep, It's Monday

I guess I should have been happy to see this week start since last week I started out on Monday not feeling very good and by Tuesday I was certain I felt like crap.  A cold.  A simple pain the bum cold.  I haven't had one in many years and I'm blaming this on the flu shot I was forced  invited to take.  They give many threats incentives to help you make that decision.  Things like $25 dollars if you take it.  You don't have to wear a mask all day...even while eating...if you take it.  You can wear the sticker they put on your ID badge proudly if you take it.  You won't infect the whole world population and kill your family if you take it.  I could go on but I'll just say I'm blaming everything that has gone bad in the past week on the flu shot.  Actually, nothing has really gone bad except my sore throat, coughing, squeaky voice the feeling of just not feeling good.   Anyway, I'm better today and I'm blaming that on the zinc I took.   It's Thanksgiving week and I have  much to be thankful for....family, friends (blog and others) Chubbs, food to eat and a warm home thanks to Jack getting the wood burner up and running.  So, as we prepare for this Thursday to host family, I'm wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you're safe, and healthy!  I rarely put a post up without a pic so here's all I've got for today:

My sister and I with a turkey we made around 1973 or so...can't tell it's the 70's?  The crappy Polaroid and the wallpaper are hints but Midge's shirt and my plaid are sure fire 70's!  Happy Turkey Day!

Thank You Veterans

Just a quick post to shout out a very grateful  "THANK YOU"  to all our veterans.  We celebrate your bravery, willingness to serve, and love of  this great country.   It saddens me that we have so many that say we are not great but do nothing but grandstand and draw attention to themselves instead of putting energy into making it better.  Did you vote?  Do you take part in community improvements? Do you find out as much information about issues and make good choices for political changes?  I'm pretty far from perfect on these myself but I'm trying to do better and will always support those who risk their lives for us.  Will I ever "take a knee"?  You bet...in prayer daily and I pray we can be the great country, wonderful people of America, and strong supporters of freedom.  God Bless America and a humble thanks again to our service men and woman.   My Dad served in WWII and my brothers in Vietnam...so proud of them! 

Miss my Dad every day.

A photo of war torn Berlin that my Dad took during the war.

Yep, he's the guy with the green X! 

Howdy November

Ahhh, November, the quiet month.  I say this because once December hits it's all about getting ready for Christmas and that can be a really busy time.  Even the hospital gets busier because everyone wants to get their surgeries done before the beginning of new insurance deductibles.   November has the promise of Thanksgiving, turkey, family, and not as much hustle and bustle. 

We still have many trees that haven't turned yet. Walking in the Creepy Woods yesterday I was happy to see a little color.  It's been the latest Fall leaf peeping ever around these parts.

Some pretty yellows.

The Creepy Woods gets much less creepy as the leaves fall and it's more open and easy to hike.  We've had some crazy weather around here that will probably take care of many leaves.  Tonight we heard the tornado siren go off.  There was a severe thunderstorm warning and tornado warning.  Tons of rain, lightening and from the looks of Facebook, maybe a tornado touch down near here.  We never lost power so I'm glad of that but hope our friends and neighbors are doing OK. 

I put a bench out front near the driveway.  What's funny is my kiddos came last weekend and nobody noticed it...really.   My sister said "How could they not notice it"...my answer: "My kids were raised by wolves".   She just said I was weird.  She's right!  But today I did see a funny thing in the back yard.  It's probably better to see this than a pink elephant:

I'm not sure if it's domestic or an albino wild rabbit.  It wasn't friendly and ran away, hopefully to it's home!  Jack is super allergic to rabbits so no rescue from our point.  Anyway, howdy November!  It's time to really count my blessings and enjoy the calm before the storm. 

The Grand Finale

October is quickly coming to a close and it's been a month that has just flown by.  I find myself saying that about every month this year!  The leaves have been slow to change and this past week was probably the big finale for them.   It was also our family gathering for Halloween that started on Thursday with trick or treat in Ashland.  The city always has it the Thursday before Halloween.  I really don't know why but it was at least nice weather for the kiddlets.

Addy and Lex (in a monkey suit) were dressed and ready for the big hour...the city allows only 1 hour but that's really plenty of time to gather treats.

Here's the real monkey inside the monkey! Nice costume Lexi Lou!

Off they went down the leaf lined sidewalks....a fun time for everyone.  On Saturday all the kids and parents came for a small party with big eats!

The menu had everything from skeleton legs to witch's toes!  Yum!

Careful what you bite....it might just be "blood" filled!

Witch hats were provided for the guests....here's our little witch Addy with PawPaw.

I spooked up our basement family room with some surprises that went bump in the night!

A cousin moment...I still can't get over how tall our Anthony has gotten...whew!

A favorite of mine to make...bat ice "scream" sandwiches were a hit.

It was time to head for home but Lex had already collapsed with her boots on!  It was a very cool...I might even say the word "cold" day.  We had snow in the morning! Yes, I wrote the "S" word!  Big fat flakes that did not stick to the ground but I think it could be considered the first snow this season.  All my flowers were frost bit except these that I cut on Thursday:

The last hydrangeas....so long till Summer!  So long October...it's was a grand finale this weekend and today I stayed inside, read a book and had some hot cocoa....perfect ending to a fun weekend!

Home Again

We left Friday morning for a quick trip to Chicago to see Mom and Midge.  The weather was really nice until Sunday when the rains came, but we still managed to have a good time!  Midge has been trying to sell her home since July.  No nibbles or anything and frankly she has been pretty confused as to why it wasn't selling since many homes priced higher and not done as nicely as hers have sold quicker.  Anyway, I assured her we would get it sold this weekend.

So Midge, Mom and I put on our witches thinking caps and came up with a plan.  It involved some staging,  cookie making, and just plain old magic.  Open house on Sunday went well and as of this morning her house was sold...yep, never underestimate the power of a pointy hat!

Saturday all of us went to the cute little town of Geneva, Illinois to enjoy the beautiful day and really nice shops.   However, the first place we stopped at was a resale shop in an old church.  We all found some goodies we couldn't pass up but my real find was a crock pot just like the one I got when Jack and I were married 43 years ago!  Exactly the same!

I used my crock pot for all those years and even did a blog post about it when it finally died because I was so sad.  Then I spotted this and couldn't believe my luck! New crock pots heat way too high but this one always cooked perfectly and tomorrow I'll be trying it out.  It even had the cookbook with it!  Doesn't take much to make me happy!   We enjoyed the day and had a lovely lunch at a place called "The Seven Dwarfs".   Not sure why it had that name but the service was great, the food was really good...homemade soup to die for...and good prices.  Not a dwarf or Snow White in sight but I think we'll go back there again.  Basically we were just going to visit my Mom and Jack always brings some of his therapy equipment and gives her some good Chiropractic treatment. 

I think for 91 years young she looks great but she was saying that it's hard not to be able to do what she did years ago.  She said "I'm just not the same person I once was"   Boy do I get that.  Aging isn't for the weak and it's frustrating to not be able to hear so great, or walk too fast, or  having to use a walker if you're going to be out for a longer stroll, or remember everything.  I felt bad that there was really nothing to do to help all that but hopefully we'll have her with us for many more years and they will be years she'll also enjoy, not just endure.  There was a time when Mom, Midge and I would stay up all hours talking and laughing.  Now we're lucky to hit 10 pm but we still managed to laugh a lot and reminisce about our childhood and our family times.  It was a good visit and today we headed out in the rainy morning and had the rain follow us all the way home.  It's good to be home again but it's hard to say goodbye.  Take care Mommo, we love you!  See you soon!

Slogging Through Blogging

My blogging has been a bit slow these days.  It's not that I'm not busy doing "things", but I'm not doing anything that's much worth blogging about.  Since I'm trying to use this as a journal of sorts I feel the need to check in every now and then.  So here I am, checking in as I'm getting ready to check out...of Ashland I mean!  We're heading to Chicago tomorrow to see my Momma and Sis and enjoy this lovely Fall weather we've been having. 

This may say the witch is in but I'm truly almost out!

Chubbs is duded up ready to go too.  Ok, I apologized for the ridiculous  tie getup on Saturday when he came out of the groomers with this around his neck.  Just check out his expression!  Sorry Chubbs, but you do smell lovely...Booberry was the fragrance of the week!

Made some monster munch to take along....gotta have the right car snacks..

See ya later with, hopefully, some better blog news and pics!

It's That Time Of Year!

Ralph and I would like to welcome you to Whispering Pines at Halloween time! Beware, you never know what you may find....

Tucked in the kitchen fireplace are some friends who don't need a fire to light up their life!

Careful in the dining room...she's just waiting to cast a spell on you!

Yumm...a snack anyone?

The book shelves are filled with the latest novels..and some "witchy" tales!

Careful where you park, you don't want to be "Toad"...

Stop and pay your respects at the Lost Souls Cemetery...not hard to find, it's "DEAD" ahead...hehehe...

Sometimes a spell can backfire..ooopsss

Yep, it's that time of year! 

9 Is Fine!

Today was our Granddaughter Addy's birthday...a big 9 years old!  A party was planned and everything went according to that plan...lots of food, games, friends, and a very happy birthday girl! Happy birthday Rae Rae ( Everyone calls her that)!  Welcome to the carnival of fun:

You need a ring master to get everyone ready for the festivities.

A giant tiger to jump in will keep the kiddos busy and tired.

The guest of honor! Addy Rae!

Some friends to help celebrate.

Presents to open!

Throw in some cotton candy and it's a party! Poor Phil was covered in spun sugar...he's already too sweet!

Blow out the candles and eat some yummy cake.

My Daughter-in-law, Evelyn helped Jack with the popcorn.

View from top of the hill.  There was tons of food...corn dogs, walking tacos, hot dogs, cheesy potatoes, mac and cheese,  just to name a few of the treats.  Fun was had by all and the birthday girl declared it the best party ever!  I kept thinking..."What ever happened to pin the tail on the donkey and some plain old cake and ice cream?"   Oh well, the weather was perfect and everyone had fun so I guess you can call this "Mission completed!"  Happy Birthday Addy girl! We love you!