I'M SO THANKFUL

This Thanksgiving was one of the best I've ever had.  We had so much fun, the food turned out great, and everyone pitched in, and made it very special.

Since we had a crowd, we set up a couple of fold up tables so that we could all sit together.  My little helper, Maddie came over the day before and set this table for us.

The next day, she brought little pumpkin place settings, made with felt and a cinnamon stick.  They were so fragrant.  Making the place settings is her tradition, and I have several from year's past.

 

My plan was to take a group photo like we did last year, and came up with the idea to have each family hold one of these snowmen who say "Families are Forever, because Love Never Melts.

 

 

So happy the photo turned out so well.  Reesie wasn't too thrilled about getting his picture taken, but that made it all the cuter.

 

 

Such a little boy---he would rather play with lizards and alligators.

 

 

But, our girls are never camera shy.  They are each beautiful inside and out.

 

 

Scott and Adam got to carve the turkeys, and from the looks of it, had a ball doing it. 

 

 

Maddie also helped with the Thanksgiving Thankful Tree that we made.  Each person designed a leaf for the tree and wrote on the back what they were thankful for.  It was so inspirational!  I truly am blessed, and I'm so Thankful for such a wonderful day!

 

 

 

 

 

Anniversary Weekend

"Fairy tales can come true....."  It happened to us on November 4, 2000 when we got married.

Yes, it's been twelve years, and seems like yesterday.  We usually don't do anything special for our anniversary, we are just happy to be together.  However, this year, we thought it was time to celebrate once again.

 

So, we headed to Santa Barbara for some fun in the sun.  Duane took this photo of me at Stearn's Wharf, a long pier with gorgeous views, trendy restaurants, and lots of wind.

 

 

Duane on the pier, with picturesque mountains in the background.

 

Our good friends Paul and Jeannie joined us a few hours later, and we had dinner at a great beach restaurant called the Fish House.  The seafood was delicious.

 

How can you beat lobster, oysters, and crab?

 

One of the highlights of our trip was dinner at the Coldsprings Tavern off of San Marcos Pass.  This is a four star restaurant (believe it or not) and extremely rustic.  It used to be an old stagecoach stop.

 

 

We had unusual entrees such as venison, elk and ravioli with chocolate cream sauce, all simply delicious.  The crowd you see at Coldsprings is eclectic, to say the least, with hippies from the 60's, motorcyclists, and there was even a bachelorette party going on.

 

 

Of course we had to visit the Santa Barbara Mission.  Paul and Duane got into the swing of it.

 

 

We spent the last morning on the beach.  Look at that gorgeous blue sky!  Happy Anniversary Honey, it's been a great 12 years!

 

 

 

 

 

Time To Pause and Say Thanks

I don't think we give Thanksgiving enough credit.  It comes between two hectic holidays----Halloween and Christmas, and as far as I'm concerned the stores and media treat them alike.  Now we don't only have Christmas lights, we have Halloween lights, there are Christmas trees, and there are goblin trees with all sorts of icky doo dads on them.  Both have lots to do with candy and commercialism.  Of course Christmas is a sacred time, and may be the only day of the year some people go to church.  But then there is Halloween honoring the dead........I guess......

Thanksgiving gives us a breather.  There may be lots of food preparation, but it is an easier, more fulfilling atmosphere.  There aren't endless parties, just one big dinner, and it's usually celebrated with those that you love most.  The theme is refreshing too----give thanks for all of your blessings.

 

 

Personally, I'm most thankful for my husband, my kids and of course these two darlings, Maddie and Reese.  They have enriched my life 100 fold.

A wonderful thing happened to me one year.  I met my husband, Duane, and along with him came these four wonderful people----his son Scott, wife Kim and granddaughters Amanda and Valerie.  I can't give enough thanks for having them in my life.

And then there are these great ladies who have been so good to me over the years.  My sister Darlene, Cousins Barbara and Mary Ann who are also like sisters.  I love them more each year.

But there is another thing that makes Thanksgiving special to me----My Birthday!  It falls on or near Thanksgiving each year, and therefore everyone remembers it!  How lucky is that???

Cherished Ceramic

 

Decorating for holidays has always been a passion with me, as it is now with my daughter, Heather.

When she was about 12, she hand painted this ceramic, and it has always been one of my favorite decorations.  The attention to detail is perfect.  I was happy to once again bring it out this year for Halloween.  Thanks Heather!

 

 

Cousins

Like most people, I have dozens of cousins.   Some you grow up with, some you can't stand, and some are always there for you.

These three ladies are sisters.  On the left is my Aunt Tillie, in the middle is my Aunt Jo, and then my Mom.

They were always very close and they all had daughters that were also close.  When they all lived in Chicago, they visited each other as much as possible, and I remember always feeling very happy and secure around them.

MaryAnn is Aunt Tillie's daughter.  She spent a lot of time with us, and was also my babysitter when I was little.  We always had so much fun together, and now we are like sisters.

Here's a photo of my Grandmother, Augusta (in the middle) with my Uncle Rick on the left, my Aunt Tillie next to Rick, my Mom next to Grandma, then Aunt Jo.  The little girl in front who looks a lot like Shirley Temple is Aunt Jo's daughter, Barbara.  We were also very close as we were growing up, and still are.  She's like another sister.

MaryAnn had two daughters, Carol and Chris on the left. I am in the middle and next to me is MaryAnn, then my daughter, Heather.  The little ones in front are Carol's daughters,Alicia and Lizzy, on either end, and Amanda in the middle who is Chris' daughter.

We can't forget my son, Adam, shown here with Amanda once again, and her parents Chris and Jim in the background.  If you look closely you will also see my husband, Duane, and my sister and brother-in-law behind Chris and Jim.

My sister has a daughter, Chantelle and here she is with Heather when we were visiting my Mom one summer.

No one was happier than I was to have gained two granddaughters Valerie and Amanda, and here they are with their cousin, Maddie.

Autumn Leaves

I grew up in Chicago, and huge oak, maple, hickory nut and other deciduous trees were plentiful there.
We had an oak tree in our backyard that must have been at least three feet in diameter.  We lived in what was called a 2-flat house with a full basement and attic, and the tree was easily taller than the house.  I don't remember exactly how old I was when they cut the tree down, but I do remember that it was a major undertaking.  I think one of the reasons for removing the tree may have been the amount of leaves that it shed each Fall.

Here I am at age two in the backyard after the leaves had started falling that year.  Kids would have a ball jumping up and down in the leaves.

Sometimes we would go to a Forest Preserve where we would find even more leaves that I could play in.  It almost felt like you were swimming in them.

The Forest Preserve was a great family outing and here I am with my parents enjoying the sunny Indian Summer weather.

Starting at a very young age I watched all of the Cowboy programs on TV like Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Lone Ranger and Gene Autry.  At every opportunity I would jump onto a fence, or other structure pretending that it was a horse.

Once again at the Forest Preserve when I was a little older with my favorite dog, Lady.

Autumn has always been a special time for me, and I'll always remember romping in the leaves.

SIGNS OF FALL

You can always tell it's Fall around our house, by the zillions of pomegranates hanging from our tree.

Although they look red, none are ripe as yet.

Our jalapeno peppers are really producing as well.

A little reminder that Halloween is right around the corner.

Dana Point

Dana Point is a beach community that I have loved for many years.

With its breathtaking vistas, and gorgeous harbor, you couldn't find a prettier place.

This year, when Duane decided to go dove hunting in Arizona, I asked his son Scott and family to take a mini trip with me to Dana Point over Labor Day weekend.  They just loved the scenery.

Valerie and Amanda are such sweet and loving granddaughters.  They even seem to enjoy a photo op with "G-Ma", as they call me.

Can you tell that the wind is blowing 90 MPH?

I didn't know which way to turn my head.  In the background is the "point", and a beautiful tidepool.

After a tour of the many shops in the harbor, the full moon even cooperated, showing itself in gleaming splendor.

Summertime, Summertime, Sum Sum Summertime

I have loved summertime all of my life.  It usually means being in or near the water, having picnics, and fun with relatives and friends.

Summer wouldn't be complete without the heat loving bougainvillea in full bloom.

Several years ago, we took this photo of a much younger group of relatives and friends.

Here I am at Lake Zurich in Illinois with my friend Pamela and her brother.  Can't wait to get in the water.

Adam was such a beach boy and loved finding shells, rocks and crabs.

Heather and family love the beach so much that they made a Christmas card of it.

Music is a big part of summertime, and it's always fun to dance to your favorite tune after a day of swimming, food and fun.  Our favorite is "All The Way" by  Frank Sinatra.