Thanksgiving 2018 - food, family, and friends

Thanksgiving 2018 Food!

Thanksgiving 2018 Table

I don't decorate too much for Halloween or Thanksgiving... mostly put out a few pumpkins, but I do start sneaking in our Christmas decor here and there (if you can see there are a few stockings hanging by the fireplace... and if you could see further up, there's Christmas candles, etc.) It works.

Besides, the traditional holiday food is the main attraction. Each family is different, but mine want Turkey, Ham, stuffing (used to be oyster, now it's Jalapeno Pecan), bourbon sweet potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, cranberry sauce, broccoli/cauliflower casserole, and rolls. I occasionally try something different (last year I added stuffed artichokes - my 5 year old grand daughter loved them!) And our desserts differ some. Most want a family traditional favorite - a chocolate pudding with a pecan cookie crust... but DH makes a fantastic cheesecake that everyone likes too. This year my DIL even brought a delicious apple crumble to add to the mix. 

In general, I make all the food and they all come here... but last year we went to my daughter's in the hill country and one year we went to my son's (before they moved to Hawaii). I love doing it here, but it's getting to be difficult getting it all done on my own. It may be time to 'pass the baton' or find a good restaurant. It won't be the same, but time passes and things change. As long as we're all together, it should be fine.

Here are a few pics we took - mostly of the grands:

4 grandkids - outside by the house
(hard to corral that youngest for a pic)

grandkids by well

grand daughter on top

in tree

with her friend

daughter on left with her best friend

Our daughter lives in the Hill Country around San Antonio, Texas and her best friend now lives in Colorado Springs - but they get to see each other either at Thanksgiving or Christmas when each comes here to Texas to visit family.

I guess that's about it. Everyone left for home yesterday. It's been fun, but a bit hectic. Giving myself some 'downtime' this week... 

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

days of my life...

After winning game

Last Friday DH and I had the opportunity to attend one of the local high school's first Football game of the season. My grandson is in the band so we were anxious to watch him perform at Half-time. Also a friend of his is on the Football team (#74), so we were happy to be able to watch him perform also. Both did extremely well and the game was thoroughly enjoyable... with a win for their team of 21 to 0!

Grandson is in middle with baritone sax

Sometimes it's great to be a grandma...  you get to share their joy on occasion.

As far as my pottery dilemma is concerned, I haven't made any decisions yet (although I have discussed it with my Instructor). I'm leaning towards dropping the class and registering for Continuing Ed in the Spring.  It would mean going another semester without throwing, but there's a lot that needs to be done at home that we didn't get around to this summer (like painting the bedroom, cleaning out the Computer room, etc.) So... we'll see. 

She did suggest that possibly I should create myself a *home studio* with a pottery wheel and a small kiln - so that I could keep working at it. She also said that this could be done for about $3000 ...or less if buying used. I'd love to do that, but $3000 spent on something just for me seems a bit much right now. There are other things that need doing that have been sitting on the back burner.

By the way, youngest grand daughter will be 2 soon.  Her mom took this picture at Barnes and Noble of her reading a Pete the Cat book (yes, she loves cats too).

News Flash: My mother-in-law will be 97 next week. She lives by herself (but with grandkids nearby that keep watch) in Louisiana on 15 acres. She is still mentally alert and although she has health care professionals who check in on her, does pretty well on her own. She does use oxygen and a walker, but has a very independent personality that refuses to be coddled. She had 5 boys (lost one at the tender age of 3 to anesthesia during a tonsillectomy), divorced, but raised her remaining 4 boys on her own - and all graduated from LSUBR.  She is a strong lady and I think the world of her.

Happy Mother's Day to all...

Me and grand kids awaiting a table in restaurant 

It's about 7:30 am Sunday morning and I'm busy 'catching up' on all the posts over the last 2 weeks that I missed reading while on the cruise. And I'm still trying to get back to normal routine...

But I do want to wish everyone out there a Happy Mother's Day!  We all went out to eat last night at Chuy's (Tex-Mex).  Son took this picture of me and 3 of my 4 grand kids.  My daughter, her husband, and grand daughter live in San Antonio, so we just spoke by phone. But we all had a good time, returning home to carrot cake and ice-cream.  Baby girl has decided that she LIKES ice-cream.

My body is back home, but my mind keeps returning to Alaska... so much natural beauty... such clean air... no traffic. I'd never survive the long cold winters, but it's a great place to spend some time. Do you know that Juneau, the capital of Alaska, has no roads in or out (well, it may have a road that goes about 15 - 20 miles out from the town, but then it just ends).  The only way in or out is by plane or boat. So the crime rate is low... they have 'no place to run'.

Huge handsome Seagull

But I digress...  I will start with Seattle.  I took this photo of huge Seagull in Seattle and could swear that he was posing for me.  He definitely knew he was handsome.

Seafood at the Fish House in Stanley Park, Vancouver

Nesting in tree

For the next two pictures, you really need to click on them and make them large to see how beautiful they are...

Trees are also in Stanley Park, Vancouver

And lastly for today's post of Seattle, here is a picture of  Dungeness Crabs at Pike's Market - huge, sweet, and delicious!

Again... Happy Mother's Day!  And my trip photos will continue another day.  Please bear with me, but I need to share.

The power of photos...

Grandkids fishing


I love this picture.  It was taken about 3 or 4 years ago in the hill country around San Antonio.  We had so much fun that day catching catfish... and this shot just seems to bring it all back to me.  It's funny how a picture or a word or even an odor can do that.



Night blooming cereus

This plant is another of my favorite things.  It's not a beautiful plant... a bit stringy and sad looking when not blooming, but I find it makes the most fantastic flower with the most indescribable alluring scent (if one could only 'capture' what we smell as well as some cameras capture what we see...) When it blooms (which is usually in the middle of the night), it gives off this euphoric scent that causes even my cats to gather round it. And the bloom only lasts a few hours, dying slowly with the soft grace of a wilting dove.  Amazing...

Talking about capturing 'what we see'... 

Sometimes I'm so disappointed in the photo taken as it simply doesn't do the scene justice.  I guess our eyes 'see' things the best... or our minds and hearts enhance the scene internally?  Not sure, only that occasionally the camera does capture 'something'.... like a moment of happiness.  I find my favorite photo of my parents is not any of the formal ones taken for posterity, but a simple snapshot taken while visiting us in Texas that captured 'something' I can't describe... all I know is that the photo makes me happy to look at it.




my mom and dad in the sixties



This is not at all what I planned to blog about today, but my muse seems to have a mind of his/her own.  I was going to talk about something I read regarding retirement and happiness, but will save that for another day.

BTW: My family in New Orleans have all checked in and are OK.  Thanks for your prayers. We are forever thankful that the levees held, but please continue to pray for those who live in those areas devastated by Isaac such as Plaquemines Parish, La Place, etc. as well as all those affected in Mississippi and surrounding areas.