Thanksgiving Tis But A Memory

And so the curtain closes on another Thanksgiving.  My rolls turned out very good (though I still say that mom's have more flavor than mine did), I had a lot of help in the kitchen and I do believe a good time was had by all.  By the time we sat down to our Thanksgiving dinner poor little Miss B was exhausted.  We gave her a cute hot pink plate with some bits of turkey, rolls and mac & cheese and after maybe one bite her little peepers just closed and she was sound asleep.  Bless her heart - she tried so hard to keep up with us all.  I went and put her in her bed, then we finished our meal.

As is our tradition every Thanksgiving we go around and say what we are thankful for.  And apparently as is my own goofy tradition I start crying before I can finish.  We have so much to be thankful for and I'm always so happy having my family together and I guess it's just too much emotion.  :)

After dinner they all got out Rock Band and started playing it.  We had guitarists....

and drummers...

and bass guitarists and vocalists.  It really is a fun game and they all had a lot of fun doing it.

And of course there has to be a Brooklyn photo!  I have better pictures of just her, but I love this picture of her grandpa and her playing in the yard.  They both went crawling towards each other at lightning speed, though he did slow down at the end, because Brooklyn loves to "bonk" heads with people.  :)

Hard to believe tomorrow is already December!  Good times...

"O thou who has given us so much, mercifully grant us one thing more - a grateful heart." - George Herbert

The Second-Best Dinner Rolls in the Universe - I Hope!

You know there really isn't anything very pretty about a picture of roll dough....

This year I'm going to attempt the unthinkable - prepare the rolls for Thanksgiving dinner. Making bread and rolls doesn't scare me. Making Thanksgiving rolls from my mother's recipe that is the best roll in the universe does.

So far things seem to be coming along just fine. The dough is in the fridge and has risen enough that I even had to punch it down.

And like I told my mother, if these turn out awful and we end up running to the store for brown and serve, that in itself is a memory. In the coming years we can all laugh about the year that the rolls didn't turn out and we had store bought instead.

Good times.....

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” - James Beard

Simple Embossed Card

Yesterday as I was getting a chemo angel package ready to send I realized I had no cards.  Sometimes when you are any sort of crafter there is a lot of pressure you put on yourself.  I almost feel bad putting on a sweater or gloves from the store because "surely I could knit that."  The same is true of papercrafting.  Before I started doing this I would take a piece of paper, fold it in half and use it as a card.  But that internal pressure keeps me from doing that now.  I have all these fabulous tools and should put them to use!

Since time was a factor - the package was ready to go to the post office and I like to do that before it gets dark - I reached for my embossing tools again.  This card literally took all of about 5 minutes to make and I'm quite pleased with it.  I'm thinking about doing a set of them just to have on hand.

(card recipe:  Lasting Impressions embossing template, Score-It for the outer square.)

I'll be leaving in just a couple of hours to pick up Miss B.  My heart just sings with happiness when I get to be with that little girl.  :)

"...Is any one of you happy?  Let him sing songs of praise." - James 5:13

Preparing for Thanksgiving

I took this picture of Joe last weekend and am always struck by how white his face is in photos. When I look at him in real life I don't really see it.

We have turned downright chilly here in Texas. Goodbye flip flops, capris and t-shirts and hello jeans, clogs and long sleeve tops. Goodbye Cheerios, hello oatmeal.

I look outside and see all the leaves on the ground and toy with the idea of bagging them. But Miss B will be here tomorrow and one of the things we enjoy is going outside and stomping on the leaves. Time enough later to do the work - I'm going to leave them out there for my grandbaby to have fun with.

This week has been filled with getting the house ready for guests next week. Like most people, I do a little extra cleaning before having people over. I think I've lost my mind a little this time though because yesterday I pulled most everything out of my kitchen cabinets and scrubbed the insides. Because, you know, that's what guests do is check out the inside of your kitchen cabinets.

So does everybody get a case of spring fever in the fall? I do like to get my home clean before bringing out the Christmas decorations. And the insides of my kitchen cabinets are indeed ready to be decorated.
"You prepare a table for me...my cup overflows." - Psalm 23:5

CFBA - White Christmas Pie

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing White Christmas Pie by Wanda E. Brunstetter - Barbour Publishing, Inc (September 1, 2008)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Fascinated by the Amish people during the years of visiting her husband's family in Pennsylvania, WANDA E. BRUNSTETTER combined her interest with her writing and now has eleven novels about the Amish in print, along with numerous other stories and ministry booklets. She lives in Washington State, where her husband is a pastor, but takes every opportunity to visit Amish settlements throughout the states.

This year Wanda also publishedA Sister's Hope


ABOUT THE BOOK

Step into Amish country for this bittersweet holiday romance. Here you'll meet Will Henderson, a young man tortured by his past, and Karen Yoder, a young woman looking for answers. Add a desperate father searching for his son, and you have all the ingredients for a first-class romance that will inspire and enthrall.

Abandoned by his father, Will Henderson was raised by an Amish couple. Now he's about to marry Karen Yoder but is having second thoughts. Can Will overcome the bitterness of his past in order to secure his future? Karen cannot break through the barrier her fiance has suddenly constructed around his heart. When she seeks the advice of an old boyfriend, Will begins to see green. Has he already lost his chance for happiness?

When an accident threatens Will's life, the strength of blood ties is tested. Will a recipe for White Christmas pie contain the ingredients for a happily-ever-after?

If you would like to read the first chapter of White Christmas Pie, go HERE

MY REVIEW:
I made a promise to myself when I started reviewing books that I would always be honest.  And I have to say that I just had a really hard time reading through this book.  I don't know if it just isn't a style of book I prefer or what it was, but I found myself skimming just so that I could say that I finished it.  I was disappointed that I couldn't get into the story as I am fascinated by the Amish people and the premise of the book was good.  Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to try another of Ms. Brunstetter's book sometime and perhaps I might enjoy it more.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY – November 17, 2008...



Outside my window...fall is definitely here. We have a cool breeze with a nip in the air and a when a neighbor just walked down the street I heard the sound of rustling leaves with his every footstep.


I am thinking...of how happy I am that Thanksgiving will be at my house this year. I dearly love having my family all together.

I am thankful for...family traditions and the promise of joy at the holidays. I love the sound of laughter and teasing when we all get together and truly enjoy having family and friends in my home.

From the learning rooms...I’m on the final leg of my class this semester. I’m still undecided whether to take a class the spring semester or spend more time learning my camera. So much to learn and experience in this beautiful world of ours!


From the kitchen...up until a bit ago there was not a thing exciting in there. But Keith came home from work happy to inform me that today is National Bread Baking Day (or something like that) and who am I to argue? Right now my home smells simply divine with a loaf of bread baking in the oven.


I am wearing...jeans, t-shirt and flip flops


I am creating...I’ve been pulling out necessary tools and papers to make a sympathy card for a friend that just lost her father.

I am going...I actually have no “going” plans for a bit! Strange feeling since I tend to be on the go quite a bit.


I am reading...my Bible and my school book. Right now I’m between books.

I am hoping...that I can get everything done in time for the holidays! But if not, I’m ok with that too. My family is so wonderful about saying “Be all right” if things don’t go according to plan and we just switch to Plan B.

I am hearing...the tv while Keith watches a movie. Not sure which one.

Around the house...oh the mess! We’re pulling stuff out everywhere and rearranging and cleaning and tidying. But I’ll bet by the weekend it will be spit spot and we can relax and enjoy.


One of my favorite things...is a moment with the husband. As we go about our evening and sometimes we’re in different parts of the house pursuing our interests, it’s always nice to see him pop in to tell me something. Or I’ll go out in the garage just to let him know the bread went in the oven. Small moments in time that we will always treasure.


A few plans for the rest of the week: I’ll be spending some time getting the official menu written down, then pull a shopping list out of that. I have a couple of cards to make and get in the mail and I want to work on finishing Brooklyn’s sweater.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

(This picture was taken yesterday at the lake.  He knows better than to get on the furniture at home, but I guess he knows that rules are a little more relaxed at the lake.)

For more glimpses into simple women's daily lives, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook.