Friday's Thanksgiving Gathering and a Weekend of Christmas Decorating

Friday was another wonderful Thanksgiving Gathering - this time hosted by Amber and Mike.

We are making the most of the time Sabrina and Rayne are here in Texas since they won't be here Christmas. Amber and Mike are laid back and relaxed and the party was the same.

We arrived a bit later than some but earlier than others.

Sabrina brought sugar cookies and all the fixings for decorating them.

The kids were at the table when we got there.

Rayne's creation!

Look at that Kailey!!

So beautiful!

Harrison was proud of his cookie!

And so was Logan!

I was still working on mine.....

This is Warren - son of Amber's good friend since they were college room mates.

Lisa is a dear friend of  all our family now and one of Louis Dean's very favorite people!

My Turkey cookie!

It looks more like me with a bad hair day.

There was so much food!

Appetizers here and a full dinner table later.

I didn't get many pictures so Summer shared some of hers with me.

It was a relaxed afternoon and evening and I truly needed that time.

For some reason I have been feeling rather fragile.....on the verge of tears and a bit numb.

The longer the visit on Friday, the better I felt.

After dinner we gathered in the living room to watch this movie and we all enjoyed it!

I love Amber's parties!

Children and a few adults were in the playroom with the football games on TV while others were visiting together quietly in the living room and the cooks and some guests were sipping wine in the kitchen and a few of the  children lingered over their projects at the table.

For the meal Mike created a centerpiece with pheasant feathers from his recent hunting trip and corn from the fields. He put two tables together and all the adults sat in the dining room while all the kids were in the kitchen.

You want to know my very favorite moment of the entire day?

It was toward the end of the meal......Mike's parents were sitting at the far end of the table with Mark (Mike's younger brother) and Lisa (Amber's friend since college) and Benjamin.

Sabrina sat next to Summer who sat next to me and Amber and Mike sat across from us with Pam on my right and Louis Dean at the end. Everyone was talking with each other. I could catch a bit of each conversation......

Lisa was telling Mike's parents about the years she lived in Malaysia and Mark was talking to Sabrina and Benjamin about something I can't remember now. Amber and Mike were murmuring about the food and how everything was going so well and Summer and I were chatting. Pam and Louis Dean were discussing something and I could hear the children all laughing and talking around their table.....a miniature version of what was happening at the adult table.

Then I sat and took in that moment when family and friends were all gathered at a table with food and conversation.....free of stress or conflict.

Hearing that beautiful hum of voices - that was my moment.

I told Amber to listen.....that's the sound of happiness and contentment.

Reminds me of Neil Diamond's song....

I've always loved that song and I truly love 'beautiful noises!'

Children laughing.

Wind blowing leaves.

Murmurs of voices in conversation.

Dog barking in the distance.

A car door shutting.

Footsteps.

A train whistle.

I left that night with a lighter heart than when I arrived.

Saturday was a Home Day - meaning I did not wear pretty clothes or make up and barely brushed my hair. Not even ear rings but I always wear fragrance. I woke up earlier than Louis Dean and took my coffee to the clean and decorated living room.

While I'm not a morning person, I do love the first hour I'm up all alone with my coffee and prayer journal.

I am grateful for my home and all the blessings I've been given.

And it's an honor to be able to pray for the people God has brought into my life.

And I am profoundly grateful for the prayers of my friends and family.

Louis Dean had a busy day on Saturday!

The leaves decided to fall that morning.....every last one of them!

It was crazy. At first it was sprinkling leaves as I stepped out on the front porch with a last cup of coffee. Then it started raining leaves. By the time Louis Dean came out - it was a real blizzard of them! He got his blower and piled up a huge mound, mowed them under which provides good mulch for the yard, and an hour later came out and it was like he had not done any of that!

So he did it again. And again.

He got up on the roof and blew all the leaves off  as well as all the gutters.

He was a busy man.

Me? Not so much.

I did some things. Hung colored net lights over the den windows outside.

Tweaked this and that.

Took a nap.

Played my word games while propped up in the guest room room bed.

I meant to clean and decorate the kitchen but that didn't happen.

I cooked a big pot of pinto beans and baked two big batches of cornbread.

We watched a Christmas movie.....okay! TWO!

I wasn't sure if I was coming down with something or not quite back to myself just yet.

My lymph nodes are swollen under my jaws but not as much as they were a few days ago.

I could be fighting infection - or maybe a bit of depression. It happens. It will pass.

We went to bed last night at 10:30! A perfectly respectful time for two elderly people!

But totally out of character for us.

This morning I woke up feeling more like my normal self than I have in over a week.

Louis Dean and I went on a walk in the neighborhood to pick up the Sunday paper from my friend around the corner - who was flying out to visit her traveling husband who is on a music tour.

He's kind of famous. The leaves are gorgeous here......

..... and there are some trees in our neighborhood that are spectacular!

I finally felt energetic enough to tackle the kitchen!

It took all day.

As I go from one room to another, the plan seems to appear.

Not much is as I normally do.

I have things in places they have never been before.

And I like it.

Not shown is the village of snowmen on top of the refrigerator.

Never did that before!

I had fun decorating today.

While we meant to go to church.....I simply couldn't get the humph to get dressed and ready.

And Louis Dean didn't sleep well last night so he was late to wake up this morning.

I love my kitchen at Christmas more than any other season.

So many memories with all the needle works from years past.

I have a new one for this year but I still have another week to work on it before hanging.

As a bonus today, I made croutons from the leftover Thanksgiving rolls.

Cut up in cubes (or whacked up in pieces!) and tossed with olive oil and garlic salt + seasonings.....

bake at 350 for 15 minutes - easy peasy and oh, so GOOD!

I have a plan for this week and I need to hit the floor running in the morning.....

like THAT'S going to happen but you know what I mean.

I didn't get to the utility room so I will start there and then go on to the den.

Tuesday will be a shopping day for tea party food, manicures and pedicures for Louis Dean and myself and then putting that sewing room back together!

Wednesday will be decorating sewing room and gazebo.

Thursday for winding everything up and packing and Summer and I leave on Friday morning for Houston to visit my cousin, Shanna, and on to Galveston to meet up with Jutta.

She is en route as I write - on her way from Helsinki to Munich and then change planes.

It's more trouble to come to Texas than to Florida due to not being able to fly non stop.

This will be our second visit together although we communicate together daily.

Someday I will making the trip to Finland.

This is an exciting time of the year and I am looking forward to all the activities of this season and celebrating many of them with Jutta!