Monday, November 29, 2010

Blessed

 Our Thanksgiving, although delayed, was such a blessing. Our family enjoyed our turkey day yesterday, and the sunshine streamed in the November window, teasing us with warmer weather ahead.  We shall see about that.  After all, it is Missouri, so the snows cannot be far off.  I am linking to SHOW OFF YOUR COTTAGE MONDAY at House in the Roses.
 I had bought these little woodsy napkin rings last January from Tender Heart.  And I could find them!  Isn't that a wonder?  It was a lovely day.  My china is called Country Cupboard from Pfaltzgraff.  Last winter I won a gift certificate from Cielo's House in the Roses.  I waited until these went on sale and added just only a wee bit to them to get a lovely service for 8.  Don't you love the design around the edges? White plates go with everything!!!
 My son's little boy helped me roll up the crescents.  He was so proud I think he ate six of them!!!  We have a "date" to make sugar cookies before Christmas.

Tomorrow it is back to school for all of us ...  And only 26 days until Christmas...  Have a wonderful week!!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Saturday Road Trip

 Our "wagon" headed west this morning toward Brookfield.  We decided to see the beautiful countryside in that direction.  The road to New Cambria was quite familiar, reminding me of the five years I taught there.  In Brookfield we meandered through the side streets in search of beautiful old homes...  And we found a few!
 Brookfield Baptist Church
 I think this beauty has been made into apartments.  Wouldn't that be fun?




 The City Park
 Sunny skies made the vista exceptional today.  I have always loved this little filling station garage near the New Cambria bottom....  It is privately owned.


Then home to get ready for tomorrow's festivities...  We have been pondering the quandary of too many baked items for our oven!  Turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, pies, bread, baked beans, corn casserole...  Yikes!  I am sure it will all work out...

Have a great Sunday...  We will be celebrating Thanksgiving at last!

Friday, November 26, 2010

The little touches. . .

 We have added a few little holiday touches here and there over this weekend.  The temperature is nice, sunny, and COLD, which makes the whole season in my book.
Years ago a little woman made this angel with her Mom and Gramma in ceramics...  Yep, I did this little gal, and she has flown to the top of the cabinet with the old vintage Santy Claus.....

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Gluglu gluglu.... (Spanish for gobble gobble)

 "Somewhere, my love....."
 This little vignette is in the dining room...  My dad and I bought the carved music box for my mother when I was in high school.  It plays "Lara's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago, and the tone quality is simply gorgeous...  I knew sleighs were their special thing since he had given her a cutter sleigh for their first Christmas....  so I hinted, and he was happy to find something to surprise her.  His usual fare was some kind of kitchen gadget or vegetable chopper....  So she loved this gift...
Over the River, and Through the Wood....  Thanksgiving journeys to Quincy when I was a child always brought this song as a full force concert.  How could my parents stand 90 miles of that song????????? with different lyrics to mesh with different foods, relatives...  cars...  "Over the river and through the highway... to Aunt Thelma's house we go...  My dad knows the way to drive the Chevrolet through the wide and drifted HIIIIIGGGHHHWAYYYY!!"  I don't remember being shushed....  Honestly. I'm sure I was, though.!!!!  I mean, can you imagine?  Me either....  Hope you had a lovely Turkey Day...  Mom made us potato soup with her special "noodles"...  and I shopped for our groceries early in the day....  I am going NOWHERE near Black Friday tomorrow...  Online deals at Amazon have been pretty sweet so far...  I could go for a stay-at-home Friday, but Mom may see it a different way... Staying in isn't the treat for her that it is for me....  Obviously.  Hugs to all....

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving. . .

 It's looking a bit like the holidays around here...  Today was that great kind of rainy day that allows everyone to stay in if they choose to.  I was able to decorate a bit for Christmas...  Our table is almost ready for our family dinner, which we'll have on Sunday...
 I'm kind of getting into that glitz of between fall and winter...  It can go all bronze and sparkly....  just like the frost on the pumpkins outside my door...
For that which we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful!  Have a wonderful holiday. 

Monday, November 22, 2010

Absent with or without leave....

It has been a while...  and where have I been?  That is actually a very good question.  For some odd reason, the holidays this year are finding me exhausted, depleted...  a bit overwhelmed, feeling a tidge sorry for myself...  I don't like to blog any of that, so I've just simply been hiding out.

While I don't feel I'm at the end of a long life looking back, I don't feel quite like I'm at the beginning of anything either..  Maybe simply in the center of a busy thoroughfare with other travelers pursuing much harder their dreams...  Mom received great news from the surgeon this week, and I'm very grateful for that.  Yet....She really doesn't feel well at all, and her pain from gout and other things is palpable in the atmosphere..  I find it difficult to decide whether to be cheerful to help the mood of the place...  or be sad....  So typical of myself, I simply sort of shut down a bit...

Then there's the issue of this full moon...  She is breathtakingly beautiful, and this is the one season of the year I can actually see a glimpse of her from my bed.  While I lie there with my soul searching out the skies, I think of my bay window at home where I made my bed for years...  Once a person like me has bathed in the moonlight, a little spit bath like this is simply not enough...  But all the eastern windows are spoken for in this house...  Mom's house...

Christmas decorations are curling at our feet, so in a few days I will have something to report, I hope...  That is, if I can stop being a spoiled little child long enough to enjoy the beauty right around me and stop "mooning" over the life I left behind in my old house...  One would think three years would be sufficient to stop homesickness...  I am properly ashamed of myself, but it doesn't stop what I feel.  Living with someone in her 80's seems to be aging to me...  I seem to feel I have to speak my mind, too...  for we all know women in their eighth decade pride themselves on "speaking what's on their mind"....  at least mine does...  My prayer must be to change what's on my mind to only the good, only the true, only the beautiful...

School?  School, you ask?  Well, what might we think of 120 something students all purling around my desk with some kind of malady, excuse, issue with the Internet...  something...  I love those kids, but they have been exceptionally needy lately...  My 29 Spanish students are learning Thanksgiving words, and if it weren't for that, I might be missing that holiday altogether...  I have my decor in mind...  I have the tools...  We are celebrating on Sunday after Thanksgiving.  It will be a celebration no matter what day to have my whole family together along with some new ones...

So walk into my dream home here with me and sit in my bay window that is definitely facing the east...  Together we will watch the sun rise...  the moon, and the geese fly through the rose tinged skies...  Happy Thanksgiving week...  I may not be back, but I am scooting around the edges...  Hugs to all...

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

How high's the water, Mother? Six feet high and risin'

 Mom's college friend and long time buddy used to have a Miniatures Shop, so my mom has an abundance of room boxes.  This one is a bit out of focus, but you can see the little kitchen just waiting for the little inhabitants to come downstairs and start breakfast... 



And here are my little buddies swimming for all they're worth...  These are examples of how I feel...  So many things to do...  Fall decorations to put away, Christmas to get out, gifts to buy, wrap...  Thanksgiving blessings to be savored.  Grades at school...  Full days and pretty exhausted nights....  I am blessed with the captivity of activity....  And I really love it that way most of the time...  But I hope these piggies (and me) make it to shore!!!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Cozy Little Corner of my World...

 My dad loved, absolutely loved red glassware.  This set is one of his favorites, and it is truly spectacular in the light.  I placed a flameless candle inside, and it is a pretty glow during the evenings.  The original set had eight glasses, but I made the mistake of dusting it with a feather boa duster, and the feathers snagged on the cut glass and jerked one little vessel to an untimely death...  I remember my mom's first words were, "GO home!"  haha...  I guess my "help" was not really needed that day.  Daddy didn't act like he cared, but I know he was disappointed.
 Old painted bowls are near and dear to my heart....  This one with the dark grapes is especially the kind I love.
 I am beginning to sneak in a bit of holiday decorating like this bit of holly mixed with a few autumn leaves....


 And one little glimpse into the corner china cupboard where I store the plates  I use the most, these white china ones from Pfaltzgraff...  Country Cupboard is the name....
Cozy little corner....  Have a good week.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

 Mother and I went on a short drive through different countryside today on our way home from Crossroads...  The November countryside brought its bleak delights...  Beautiful clouds and monochromatic tones of darkened greens, blues, and muted browns...



 Home tonight...  and the chill demanded a little fireplace warmth and a bowl of homemade chili....  Cozy by the fire...  Happy Saturday!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The last part of the party...

Today for lunch we had the family for the final part of the birthday party...  This little guy is a big John Deere fan (My dad was IH fan, but oh, well...)  So I tried to have all his favorites and I borrowed the new tractor Mom gave him for the birthday party yesterday as a centerpiece....  Methinks he and his little cousin had both had entirely too much fun already because they were sooooo tired..  not to mention my son!  He was REALLY nodding that head by the end of the day....  But we had 8 for dinner, and it was fun...  My cake decorating skills didn't really come into play...  The cars were simply bogged down in a pit of homemade chocolate mud....  This is my absolute favorite chocolate icing...  Mom usually makes it, but today I was able to master it all by myself (with good advice, of course!)


Fudge Icing
In a large saucepan mix the following:

1 c. sugar
1/3 c. milk
5 T. butter

Cook, stirring often until this comes to a full boil.  Stir constantly on the heat for 60 seconds.  Remove from heat and stir in quickly until just melted....

1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips

Pour IMMEDIATELY over cake and hurry up..  It sets up in about 2 minutes or less....

Saturday, November 6, 2010

New Day....

 So...  I was driving to school this week, and the sunrise was simply fantabulous.  I whipped out my camera and stuck my arm out my window because I was headed west...  These and a few more made it into the viewfinder by "accident."  Then as I was fearing I'd lose my camera in a gust of wind, my cell phone rang...  It was my cousin, my dear sweet sister of the soul.  "Have you seen this sunrise?"  Yep.  She was on her deck snapping pictures, too..  It must be genetic!


 Today we went to the birthday party for the little boy that has captured our hearts.  He is the son of my son's lady love...  and he calls my mom "Granny"....  and he calls me "Ma."  I'm toast!

This was a cool cake...  Under this faux top were 40 cupcakes all iced and ready to hand out...  What a great, handy, delicious, smudge free idea....