T Day and the Day After.......

Thanksgiving and Family! The two just seem to go together. 

All of us that can gather at Nita's every year.......siblings and mates, some of our children, friends and family all mixed up together. We realize that  everyone can't come every year but we always have a full house!

I am so grateful for my sisters! They shoulder the responsibilities involved with taking care of Mother. Deanie handles finances and medical things while Mother has lived with Nita for going on 10 years. My only contribution is the beauty shop run, lunch on Friday and some shopping. I get off easy. THEY have the hard jobs!

We gathered for a Thanksgiving Prayer. 

Everyone held hands. Louis Dean is holding Mother's hand.

I opened my eyes long enough to take a picture.

I love looking at this one.

Then there was the FOOD!!

Every family has their own traditional - or nontraditional - menus and ours is no different.

Leah makes THE best cranberry sauce. It is a bit on the exotic side - just as SHE is!!!

Deanie always makes the dressing and the mac and cheese.

Trish brings the sweet potato casserole while Charity brings green bean casserole and decadent desserts! Louis Dean does the rolls, of course, and come Christmas morning he will be bringing his cinnamon rolls. He always makes enough to send everyone home with one.

My little red camera stayed busy!!!

Louis Dean says THAT'S an understatement!

Summer juggled schedules and dinners in order to be here with us at noon!

You simply cannot LOOK at Summer without smiling!

I am so proud of her!

It's fun to have so many Christmas Trees!! Kids love counting them!

I have MORE than one tree in some rooms - when you count the tiny ones.

We make a game of seeing if they can find them all.

Rayne will be coming over on Tuesday night to see how many I have up so far.

Ben arrived with a great looking beard!!

Who KNEW it would be RED??

There was a crowd of people already there when Benjamin came in. Mother was actually in the back so she didn't realize he was there until she heard his voice.

She was SO excited!!!

He is my youngest child and Mother's youngest grandchild.

Summer is her first and oldest.

I had the honor of giving Mother her FIRST and LAST grandchild!!

Pretty cool since I'm her OLDEST child!!

We are all so grateful to have Mother with us.

It was a close call whether we would have her or not just a few weeks ago.

As you can see - Mother is looking good!!!

She is getting stronger everyday!

As a matter of fact - Mother is doing better than WE are in many ways!

I am still trying to get my energy level back and Deanie is pretty drained. She doesn't have to tell me.

I can tell by her eyes.

Louis Dean and Sweet Andie!!!

I notice how she is growing up when I see her in photos!!!

We all love that little girl!

Deanie with her two oldest grands!

They are a good looking bunch!!

Our beautiful Leah and Summer!

We ate, talked, ate and talked some more!!

We finally had to head home so we could get comfortable (take off nice clothes and put on LOOSE ones!) in time to watch the football game. Sadly, the Dallas Cowboys lost and I went to bed. As in 6:00 in the evening BED! AND I stayed there!!!! I woke up at 3:00 this morning RESTED! So I got up!

It was glorious!!! I spent 6 lovely hours all alone. I listened to Christmas Cd's and hung ornaments on the living room tree. I had to design hooks from florist wire since I couldn't find real ones.

I have been cleaning and re cleaning the same rooms over and over lately. So far I haven't got past the den, foyer, living room and kitchen. I finally realized that with all that has gone on this fall, the whole place needs a good DEEP down cleaning! Since I love debris so much, it is a given that my house is HIGH maintenance! I am more than willing to pay that price! It's just been hard to find the TIME to do it lately!

I watched LOTS of Hallmark Channel Christmas movies! I have pretty much controlled the TV today and not ONCE has it been on a news station! 

Louis Dean woke up along about 9:00 and we had coffee together before doing the dreaded deed!!

We UNLOADED all the Christmas decorations from the storage attic!

It is all stacked up outside on the bedroom patio.

Louis Dean insisted on celebrating with a glass of bubbly and since it was only 10:45 in the morning, I made wine spritzers of Moscato and 7 Up. I had already been up nearly8 hours so I figured it was 5:00 somewhere!

I fixed us a good 'breakfast' for lunch!

There are spots of Christmas around the house!

'Gifts' are under the tree! I bought these boxes years ago at Sam's after Christmas sale and have used them ever since. They all stack inside one another and 'live' under a living room table the rest of the year.

The new Martha Stewart wreath from Home Depot's sale last year.

Another new one hangs on the foyer door.

I took down an Angel wreath that has hung there year round for over 25 years.

It has been 'relocated.'

I can't decide if this is a Christmas or fall wreath.

It is hanging on the pantry door and has been there since August.

Louis Dean helped me get down these Christmas dishes and I have cleared out a space to keep them on the counter for  everyday use.

Tuesday I stopped at a Christmas Tree stand and asked for some fresh trimmings.

The lady loaded me up!!!

I have bouquets all through the house.

It's funny how Christmas trees don't smell as good as I remember from my childhood.

Every once in awhile I get a whift  of 'CHRISTMAS.'

Back when I was a little girl, the only trees we ever had were Douglas Firs. They were the cheapest kind back then. They just smelled so GOOD!!!

I have all the Christmas coffee cups and glasses in the dishwasher.

The house is a work in progress tonight.

It used to take me a solid week to decorate!

I am hoping to get it down a bit quicker this year.

No children at home and a bit slower lifestyle makes it easier.

It's been a lovely day!

I just may do that again sometime.