On We Go!

 I am still having trouble believing that Thanksgiving has come and gone. I need to start my Christmas decorating right now but, I have a few commitments tomorrow and I really love to start a swap out early one morning and keep going for however many days it takes until it is done. Appointments in the middle of the day break my mojo...lol

And so, I think I will use today to catch up on some things, tomorrow for my appointments and start fresh on Tuesday. Of course, that is driving me crazy since I am seeing so many houses decorated and ready to go already so, we will see what happens.

In any case, Thanksgiving in my house was as chaotic as always...and I love every minute of it! People everywhere as well as 2 dogs added to the mix. Everyone was able to make it home which was a pleasant surprise because daughter #1 and her family were not supposed to be able to make it. Can you believe that I have the UF/FSU game to thank for that? Three of my grand daughters wanted to go to the game in Tallahassee this year and leaving from Ocala made the most sense. I didn't care how it happened..I was just happy to have everyone in one place.

Again, I didn't take as many pictures as I should have. Everyone was off doing their things-playing lacrosse, playing corn hole, watching football games, cooking, etc. and I didn't want to pull anyone away from what they were doing.

Daughter #3 and her family hosted and we all headed over there on Thanksgiving afternoon. Jen set up all of the tables in her living room so we could all be together...and she did a fabulous job! Everything looked beautiful!

Of course Nana wanted the obligatory grandchildren picture...too bad no one realized that being in front of the TV wasn't the best backdrop... but, none-the-less, I love any picture where we're all together!

We had drop-ins by boyfriends and girlfriends, tons of food and even more family and fun. By evening, we were almost all gathered in a cozy group playing a game called "Do You Really Know Your Family?" and it was not only LOUD as things usually are when this gang gets together but so much fun...and so enlightening! Lol

Much of the gang returned to my house and we all hunkered down to watch the new "Christmas Story" movie. It was like old times having the girls around overnight. It's hard to make this happen any more because they're almost all grown up with lives, jobs, homes and responsibilities of their own.

The next day was busy with everyone catching the things they needed to do but ended with daughter #1 and me finding the most PERFECT ( at least that's what I think I saw in the dark night lit only by pretty Christmas lights-lol ) Christmas tree and, better yet, from a lot that will deliver and set it up for me. Usually that is something that daughter #3 and my grandsons do but, since their football team is still in the runoffs for state champs, practices are every day and trucks are not available until later in December. We just happened upon this lot and all of their trees were beautiful so I am happy to get it on Monday evening. I've already got the spot cleaned out and ready to fill.

I will say, I usually get my trees at Lowes...and that is where we started but, oh my goodness, the trees they have so far were TERRIBLE...thin, small, scraggly and pretty much already looking like they were holding on to their last few needles. After that I was trying to convince myself that this might be the year to go "treeless"!

In any case, we were then of to the game where once again, Trinity Catholic won quite handily. We almost always do a tailgate at our home games and, since the FL/FSU game was on at the same time, we had a TV set up right next to us and went from one play to the next! There were lots of fans from both sides at the tailgate so things got a little louder and more vocal than usual. Lol

Gotta LOVE that long snapper!

The TC game got over pretty quickly with a running clock in the 2nd half so we all ran back to Jen's to watch the rest of the FL/FSU game. It might not have had the outcome we were hoping for but, at least 2 of my grand daughters that were at the game were happy. Lol 

By 6 p.m. last night, the last of the family was headed home. As much as I hate to see them go, I'm always in favor of watching the weather and the traffic...and, from personal experience, Thanksgiving Sunday is not a fun travel day. In any case, by 11 pm, everyone was home safe and sound and, the house is much too quiet again.

So I'm off to do "I don't know what" but I'm pretty sure that the next time I post my house will be decked out in red and green. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Wrapping It Up

I've got a few minutes this morning so I thought maybe I would wrap up this year's Thanksgiving tour...but first.

I had the absolute best time yesterday with my two grandsons at their school's Grandparent Day Appreciation event. It always starts with a mass which has lots of student participation. Then we go out to the courtyard to meet and mingle. I love this time. It gives us all an opportunity to meet some of our kids' friends that we may not know. Both of my grandsons play football, soccer and sometimes track and field and so, by just going to games and meets, I get to meet a lot of people. And then of course there are the friends they have had throughout their childhood. But, it is also nice to meet people they only relate to at school-maybe during student government, club meetings, projects, etc. I am always so proud by the time this part is over to have heard what so many others have to say about these boys...especially when it comes from staff members. I have always thought they are special but, I know them and, as they say, boys will be boys. Lol And so I'm never 100% sure how they present themselves to others out of our family setting...until I am at something like this and teachers, parents, office staff, etc. who don't know me stop me to tell me how much they think of the boys! Definitely makes me so proud and I am thrilled to be able to share this special event with them that is just for us!

Here is this year's official photo. I swear I look like I'm standing in a hole and, I couldn't figure out why I wasn't looking at the camera until I realized that the lens was at the boy's eye line and for me to look at it I had to look up to the heavens. Lol

And this is just a shot that another grand mother took of us because she loves these boys so much.

After this, we got served a really lovely breakfast and then another year's event was in the books.

I think all I have left to show you is the guest bath and maybe just a peek at mine.

Again, the master bath has just enough to remind me of the holiday but not enough to get in the way of use...wouldn't want to intrude on my extensive beauty regimen. Lol I am a bit addicted to the beautifully wrapped seasonal soaps. I am drawn to them for their looks but they really do make the bathroom smell like a 5-star hotel bathroom. Now if I could just convince myself to use them...they're just too pretty!

So I think we have now finished up the tour. Tomorrow is our first football playoff game and tailgate and my brother and sister-in-law will be with me for the day and then on Sunday I'm off to St. Augustine with daughter #2 to visit grand daughter #3 and enjoy St. Augustine Nights of Lights as well as Mannheim Steamroller at the St. Augustine Amphitheater. Then, I have grandson #2's birthday and dinner out next week before I start to get ready for Thanksgiving. I love this time of year...maybe that's why it just feels as if it is flying by.

You know I'll be back with photos as soon as I can Stay safe and stay tuned.

Time Seems to Fly

When last I posted, I was looking forward to daughter #2 and her hubby arriving to "de-Cox" me. Phase 1 of that process is now done. The family room TV is on Roku with more choices of things to watch than I have hours in the day. It is definitely different from the TiVos and Cox Contour boxes that I have been used to for so many years so I will have to learn on a new mindset but, the thought that it will actually work without 5 error messages in every show-plus every other ridiculous thing you could think of-will help propel me forward and I am hoping, before too long, the new system will be second nature to me. I also got a booster of some sort so the signal is strong now!

Next phase will happen on Thanksgiving morning. Hopefully that will be my bedroom TV and then a new modem. As soon as that is done, I look forward to returning all of the hardware back to Cox and breathing a huge sigh of relief. For whatever reason-still no one knows-Cox has not been able to get things working well in my home for years. The house has been re-wired, cables have been buried from the pole, boxes have been switches ad nauseam, engineers in huge trucks with huge satellite dishes on the top have been here for days on end...and the list goes on. Sadly, I love the things the Contour box does and would probably still be using it if only they could have made it work. Oh well, on to new adventures!

The rest of the week is pretty full so I thought maybe we could catch the familyroom before I head to a hair appointment.

The turkey wreath on the bottom shelf was made for me by the mom of one of my students many, many years ago. I have had to change his bow and embellishments since then but otherwise, he looks just the same as the day they gave him to me.

The book pumpkin on the bottom shelf is now orange. I like the change.

I'm still using the Thanksgiving book stack and wood bead string that I made during the pandemic lock down.

I still love the harvest banner made for me by my cousin and the pumpkin picture painted by a friend. And, I like the burlap leaves that I found at $ Tree hanging from the PB pumpkin lights. Just serendipity that both the banner and the leaves are burlap and co-ordinate perfectly.

The family room is pretty much the same as in past years...a few new crafts sneak in here and there and things may get moved a bit but it is all still pretty self explanatory. I love this room at night when all of the candles click on.

I'm off for my hair appointment and then I have a few "must do" errands. Tomorrow is Grandparent's Day at my grandsons' high school where this year I will be escorted by both boys-one now a senior and one a freshman. It is a lovely tradition and I will share more about it later. Stay safe and stay tuned.

 

Mother Nature's Apology

 I think Mother Nature is trying to apologize for the two recent hurricanes she has sent our way. Today is just a beautiful picture perfect day! I have been outside most of it and have almost everything back to pre-storm days. I even scrubbed the pool slide because I have learned that like with most things, it is so much easier to maintain it than to have to tackle it once it has gotten away from you. If our evenings hadn't been so cool, I could almost believe it was a swimming day!

I have the busiest week ahead-I think I have something almost every day. Tomorrow daughter #2 and her hubby are coming to "de-Cox" me. There is SO much to this story that I won't even try to tell but suffice it to say that I have paid way too much for a service that has literally NOT worked correctly for years...and no matter how many high level techs were sent to solve the problem, none of them had a clue...and the time has finally come. I am a bit trepidacious because I don't like change but change I will!

And so with all of that said, let's get back to the Thanksgiving tour before the big day actually gets here! We're off to the sunroom.

I'm still loving these silly turkey photo holders that my grand daughters and I made as gifts for family one year. And the picture he holds is of grand daughter #3 as the "letter H' in her pre-school Thanksgiving program. And, need I say that she shined in that role? The best little "H" ever!! Lol And actually that is her with her older sister in the one photo and her with her "candy apple cookie pop" we made one year. What a cutie!!

I liked this better right after I made it but it serves its purpose out here. Lol

Again, the sunroom stays pretty simple...just enough to make it feel decorated but not so much that it takes forever to clear a place to use.

Right before Nicole made her entrance I decided to make a big pot of soup so I would have something to eat on for the week. I had to resist the urge to make my Martha Stewart soup again as I have been wearing that one out so I went for another favorite, Mexican lentil soup that I got from the old show "The Chew". It has a very little bit of heat and lots of flavors.

So that's it for today. Don't know when I'll be back as my son-in-law has to make my computer wireless so my modem can be moved. That really scares me because I don't understand how any of this works but they tell me not to worry...nothing can ever really get lost...it's in the "cloud". Lord help me! Fingers crossed I can see you the next time I want. Til then (?) stay safe and stay tuned.

Spoke a Little Too Soon!

I guess I was a little too optimistic when it came to our visit from Nicole! When last I posted, I thought the worst was behind us but I was wrong. Even though we were out of the cone by that time, this was such a large storm in size that we kind of got walloped in the afternoon. The winds picked up and the rain was literally coming down sideways. And, I lost power not once, but twice that day. Luckily, it was only off a few hours each time so, except for having to rest clocks and computers, I was good.

Today we are dry but boy is it humid out there. I headed out to pick up debris and, it was a bit more than I anticipated but, again, in comparison to what others are going through after this storm, I am not complaining. And, I'm thinking I won't have to deal with another acorn this whole season because EVERY acorn in EVERY tree has to have come down on my driveway. Lol

In any case, each time I check my phone, more things are coming in that are filling up my calendar and taking me away from posting so...let's go ahead and catch another room in our 2022 Thanksgiving decor tour. On to the dining room.

I made this box a number of years ago out of old wood I had laying around. I made it a bit too deep so it is sometimes hard to decorate and fill but the velvet pumpkins that I made seem to work pretty well in there. And I think the autumn colored eucalyptus helps soften the edges.

I embroidered this sampler a long time ago. I was actually thrilled to find that I had not gotten rid of it when I rediscovered it way up on a seldom used shelf a few years ago. I really thought it went the way of a lot of others things I had done that no longer went with my style...and it is perfect for Thanksgiving!

So that is the dining room for this year. It won't be seeing the Thanksgiving meal as we will be heading to daughter #3's house this year but, it might accommodate some family and friends along the way.

Off to tackle a bit more of the yard. I actually haven't even looked on the other side of my pool-hope there are no big surprises. And then I guess I'll go ahead and get the things I took down back into place. Seems like deja'vu as it wasn't too long ago that I was doing the same thing. Fingers crossed this will be the last time this year! Stay safe and stay tuned.

Almost Over!

 So it is now Thursday morning and, except for still having rain and an occasional wind gust, I think Nicole has pretty much passed us by. Because it is such a large storm, even though the eye is gone, the perimeter is pretty much still covering the state with wind, rain and the possibilities of tornadoes. My oldest daughter is back working in NY and supposed to fly home tomorrow but, once again, it looks like that may not happen And, she just heard that another one of her trees in St. Pete has again lifted out of the ground. I'm not sure that poor tree will ever take root.

In any case, I am keeping busy as best I can so I thought I would take you through a bit more of the tour. Let's head into the kitchen.

I still love the handprint turkeys from my grand children and the turkey at the bottom of the fridge that was made many years ago by daughter #3.

I love the images and colors on this print that I bought at Etsy from CreatifBelle. I added the little guy next to it because I thought they kind of look alike. 

I bought this sign at Hobby Lobby a number of years ago and still love its message.

Anyone who follows this blog knows that I am a sucker for rusty, chippy stuff! I'm not sure why but I was reminded that it all may have started many years ago with this candelabra. My oldest daughter has always been a lover of Jelly Bellys. When she was younger, we bought her a red dispenser and kept it full for her. We had a candy/gift shop open downtown that carried Jelly Bellys by the pound and also all of the dispensers and one day I found myself there looking to buy her the ultimate gift...a GOLD dispenser. I was excited to get it for her because it would now look more appropriate in her "big girl" apartment.

As I was buying the dispenser and the pounds of jelly beans it took to fill it, I glanced behind the register and saw this beauty. It had a different autumn garland draped on it at the time and I thought it was just a part of their autumn decor but, I could not take my eyes off of it. It asked about it and was told it was for sale but when I heard the ridiculous price, I put the brakes on...and I left with just what I had come for. They were asking way too much...even I wouldn't fall for that.

But, I couldn't stop thinking about that rusty beauty. And, apparently, I talked about it enough that one day my husband came in and told me to close my eyes...and when I opened them, there it was! He had gone and gotten it for me because he knew it would make me happy even though his usual response when I came home with old, beat up things was often "how much did they pay you to take that off of their hands?"...Lol

To this day, I don't know what about rusty, chippy things speaks to me but, speak they do. This piece somehow got "lost" in the shuffle one year and hadn't been seen for a time. I was so excited when I happened upon it again last year. I really should just leave it out all year long and dress it up for whatever the occasion! 

And, look at that sampler I stitched in 1985...at least I think that's what my old eyes see. Any wonder why I'm not doing these things any more? Lol

I love it when the beautiful autumn photo taken by a good friend and gifted to me by daughter #1 can come out again and I also love the cross stitch that I did for my mom many years ago that came back to me when she passed away.

So that is the kitchen for this year. I'm still hoping to get out and make another pallet sign but, that will necessitate pulling my car out of the garage to bring out my miter saw and, honestly, I have so many large trees that are still occasionally swaying and dropping branches so I'm kind of afraid to have my car under them. That might just have to wait until tomorrow. In any case, you'll be the first to know. Stay safe and stay tuned.