Susan’s “25 days of photos” challenge

I’ve been neglecting this poor little ol’ blog something terrible lately so when Susan from This Day came up with the 25 days of photos challenge, I thought why not?  Maybe it’ll get me back in the blogging swing again.

I can’t promise I’ll post all 25 items. 
I mean really?  a hippopotamus?  Susan, my girl, what were you thinking?  
But I’m going to give it a whirl and see what happens with it.  Some days I may post only a photo and other days may have a story to go along with it.

Why don’t you join in and play along?  Don’t feel you have to have a big fancy camera.  The one I use is just a little point and shoot, so you can’t use that excuse.  It will just be fun to see what others come up.  Think about it but don’t think too long as the challenge starts tomorrow!  December 1st already!  Only 24 more days to get my projects done.  Yikes!

Here’s Susan’s list…

1. Something Red
2. A list
3. The Christmas tree
4. Presents wrapped under the tree
5. Something warm and tasty
6. A candy cane, or five
7. A wreath with a red bow
8. Stamped and addressed Christmas cards
9. Santa Claus
10. Away in a manger
11. Ribbons and bows
12. Something sticky
13. Reindeer
14. A decked hall
15. Silver bells
16. A hippopotamus
17. Under the mistletoe
18. A cup of cheer
19. Toys in every store
20. A winter wonderland
21. Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
22. Holiday greetings
23. A shining star
24. Children, sleeping
25. The number “25”.

Now to think of something red for tomorrow.  hmmm…

the Friends part…so thankful

Every year for the past 30 years over Thanksgiving weekend this group of nine ladies gets together.

We all graduated from high school in 1979.  We didn’t get together for the first couple of years but have every year since 1981.  I don’t think any of thought that we would still be doing this 30 years later.

Some years there are more of us in attendance than others.  This year we were missing 2 others. 

We rotate the hosting between homes so no one has to host every time.  This year it was my turn again.

Through the years, this group of women have celebrated accomplishments, our children's births(two of us with sets of twins) marriages and now grandchildren's births, mourned parents and children's deaths and divorces and endured cancer and other illnesses.  Most of us still live within 50 miles of each other with the exception of one gal who lives in Texas but she usually comes home to see family over Thanksgiving so is able to attend most years.

It’s so fun to have a group of people that you may only see once a year but you can pick up right where you left off.  We know each others idiosyncrasies and still love each other just the same. 

Yes, I’m very thankful for old friends!

Thankful for family and friends

Thanksgiving weekend – oh how I love a four day weekend!  The beauty of working in an educational institution and not retail.  That being said, I feel really sorry for the employees of retail establishments that have to now work on Thanksgiving Day for petes sake.  As if Black Friday isn’t enough?  Do stores really need to be open on Thanksgiving Day or for that matter, do stores even need to open at midnight or 4am on the day after?  When did Black Friday turn into a competitive sport anyway?  I would bet there could be the same amount of shopping done if they didn’t all open until 9am on Black Friday but what do I know?  (sorry – rant over.  I really didn’t intend to go there but it just started flowing) I for one prefer Cyber Monday where I can sit in the comfort of my home at the computer and shop to my hearts content.

It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything that I could try and make up for lost time and go back and hit the highlights of the last three weeks but I can’t even think about what we all did or what I would have to say so let’s just start with Thanksgiving weekend.

The family part:
Dinner on Thanksgiving Day was at our house with ham as the main course (no turkey here-not a fave) and some requested favorites such as sweet potato casserole, spinach cheese dip, cheezy potatoes(by SIL Sue), deviled eggs (ala DIL Heidi - she makes the absolute best) & pumpkin pie to name a few.   Add to that pecan pie(by nephew Nathan), cranberry crunch and cream puff cake as well as some rockin’ brown sugar green beans (thanks to Marlene’s recipe) and homemade artisan bread.  There was way too much food but isn’t that part of what Thanksgiving is about?  Plus, I love me some leftovers.  I didn’t cook all weekend until Sunday dinner.

Our guests were our immediate family, DH’s brothers family and DH’s mom.  It was such a blessing to have DH’s mom, Gloria with us.  Three weeks ago we were told she wouldn’t live more than a couple of days.  The day after all the family was called in she snapped out of it!  Just look at her now! (with some adorable great-grandchildren – not that I’m partial to these three or anything )

Amazing turn around! 

On Friday, these three cuties spent the day with me while Mom & Dad worked and on Saturday I went to their house and helped back and decorate Christmas cookies.  It was great to spend so much time with family.

The friends part:
(to be continued)

more to come

Holy cow, almost three weeks since I’ve posted anything on here.  The entire fall season has been crazy busy but I’m seeing a slow down coming even though we’re heading towards Christmas. Odd, but I’ll take it.  More posting to come in the next few days. 

Have a great Monday! 

Harvest moon

This picture doesn’t do it justice but we had the most beautiful orange harvest moon earlier this evening.

I have a love/hate relationship with Daylight Saving Time.  I leave home in the dark in the morning and return in the dark in the evening – not a fan.  I only see my house in the daylight on the weekends this time of year. 
But the other part of me likes the cozy, snuggliness of cooler weather.  So if it has be dark so early at least this moon was something nice to look at. 

And so it begins...

Notice the white stuff

Ugh!  and it's only November!

Whirlwind

I couldn’t hardly believe it when I looked at the last post date and it’s been two weeks since I’ve blogged.

It’s been a whirlwind two weeks for sure.

A few highlights…

A bloggy friend get together at Tanners Orchard in Speer, Illinois.

From left: Shelly, you know me , Debbie, Joyce, Sue(no blog yet but we keep encouraging her) and Michelle.

Most of the these ladies I get to see on a regular basis, but Michelle and Debbie are special occasion friends due to the distance between us.  It was a fun morning of shopping, shivering, eating, shivering, and chatting and shivering.  Yeah, it was a mighty cold morning.  The table we’re sitting at in the picture above was right under the heater.

The morning after our get together, DH, myself and 3 others left for Hackleburg, Alabama, where we served doing tornado cleanup back in May (you can read about it here)to work with the organization Eight Days of Hope.

In the span of 8 days, they expected to have 1400 volunteers on the ground in Hackleburg and Smithville, Mississippi rebuilding homes and churches.  We participated for three of the eight days and were able to help on a new home for the Galloway family. 

The Galloway family worked alongside us in May on the church even though they had lost so much themselves. True servants.

We arrived home in time to attend our annual church conference and so happy we did.  What an encouraging time, as well as a few well deserved proverbial kicks in the spiritual pants.

Sunday was a day spent catching up around the house.

Doesn’t everyone dust the tops of the cupboards with an air compressor?  No? You ought to try it sometime.  Just make sure you’ve done no other cleaning first because you’ll have to do it all over again once the dust settles. :/

This week it’s back to my real job to rest!