It's officially over with the posting of the official Thanksgiving photo of our family.

These three are working for food from Jane. Such beggars. I think she spoiled them. LOL!

While we had more animals than this...these three are the social critters. I can't believe that Bruno, our cat stayed out in the crowed all day. The other two cats stayed in the bedroom.

This amazing woman is my SIL and she does most of the work on Thanksgiving Day. I don't know what I would do without Jane. I love her so much.

The official family picture. We were missing eight family members this year. I don't know where we would have put them.

I had a great time this year because a certain BIL behaved himself. I hope all of you had a great day as well.

Great Thanks Challenge

One of Webster’s official definitions of thanksgiving is: “a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness.”

The truly thankful person is a truly peaceful person. They have made a habit no matter what to notice, pause, and choose. Noticing something for which to be thankful no matter what circumstance they’re in.

Pausing to acknowledge this something as a reminder of God’s presence.
Choosing to focus on God’s presence until His powerful peace is unleashed.

How will you celebrate God’s divine goodness today.

It is finally here...

Oops...I pressed the wrong button again. I have now lost my post. Guess I'm having a brain freeze. I am having a time getting my pics to load. I'll be back later.

I'm back and I am going to try to add a picture of this neat little snack mix that I made for the holidays. I found this recipe on Pinterest. You make the Santa hats from caramel flavored bugles, drop into red melted disks, then let dry. Then dip into little beads and add a marshmallow for the hat. To make the rest of the mix add peanuts, pretzels, nuts, craisens, M&M's, rice chex cereal, melted almond bark and mix together and you have this yummy Santa snack mix.

I am excited that the week is here...finally here and I can start chopping, slicing,dicing, cooking and baking. It has been a while since I was this excited about Thanksgiving.

It is finally here...

2011 Giving Thanks Challenge~Wild Turkeys

This is my third year to participate in the 2011 Giving Thanks Challenge. It is graciously hosted by Leah at http://leah%20at%20south%20breeze%20farm/. It's a good time to set my priorities in order and to give thanks for things in my life. I always feel renewed and refreshed after reading the other post. I come away more grateful and less selfish, less self-involved. I thank Leah for reminding us what is important in our daily lives.

I don't know if any of you watch PBS, in particular, a story on wild turkeys? I love PBS and I enjoy watching Nature. View the story here... http://nature~%20wild%20turkeys/ http://http//www.org/wnet/nature/episodes/my-life-as-a-turkey/introduction/7268/ This naturalist raised wild turkey from eggs. He became a turkey parent to these little hatchling. He viewed the World through the eyes of a turkey. I know, I can hear you saying "What in the World are you talking about?"

My husband and I enjoy nature and especially PBS. Excited to share, I ran into the other room to tell him about this show. Not sure if he would watch it, at least I told him about it. It's funny how things affect me differently from him. Sure the story sounded sort of corny, but it touched my heart. Hubs reaction was different from mine. I quizzed him about the show to see if he watched it. He likes to give me grief about my emotions sometimes. Of course, he is just as emotional as I am. The show reminded me about the time we raised mocking bird babies, and the time we raised orphaned squirrels.

While the show was most enjoyable, what I came away from this show was how important it is to live in the present. An animal that has to live in the wild without protection and has predators, instinctively knows how to live in the moment. In fact, that is all that really matters. Interesting point. A wild turkey doesn't live in the past nor the future. It survives in the moment.

Living from the perspective of a wild turkey opened this man's eye to a view that one rarely catches. Walking in the Florida woods with the turkeys, he became one with nature. The author states that he rarely saw snakes or other wild animals before his walk with nature. Maybe it was his awareness or lack there of, or perhaps, traveling with the wild turkeys opened his eyes. Other animals had no fear of the birds or the man. It was fun to see the joyful interaction between between squirrels and fawns and these big birds. Nature always teaches things, a hightened sense of alert for dangereous creatures like snakes and a predatory hunt for grasshoppers and crickets.

Any way the point I am trying to make is this...is there something we could learn from animals? I think it's obvious. Wild animals don't bother other creatures. They co-exist with one another. While they do interact, they don't go out of their way to harm others. Everything has a reason, an order, a purpose. I imagine a World where there is more tolerence in the human race.

We could learn a valuable lesson in life. Live outside of yourself. Don't worry about the past or the future. Be ever present in the moment.

Under construction

Here is a picture of the hole in the wall. Hubs took down the built in cabinets/TV cabinet and we were left with this big hole. Last year I didn't know anyone to call for repairs, so I hid it with the furniture and accessories.

I have been waiting on this contractor and his carpenter for about two weeks or more. They had to finish a previous job before working on my list. Monday, they started and had to come back today and will have to return tomorrow morning.

I had them install two fluorescent lights. One in the wash room and the second one in our master closet. Both places are so dark and dim. Money well spent. Third project was to install a heater/vent/light in the master bathroom. This was not as easy, but they got it done. Fourth project was to repair this giant hole in the dining room and then texture our bathroom ceiling where the heat/vent/light was installed.

I just had them finish these things and then I stopped any further projects. These guys are nice enough but sort of slow. I was wanting to have new french doors installed, but I am not sure they can do this job. I am waiting on another man to come and tell me what he thinks. We know this man and he built our deck when we first moved here. He is also Hubs' second cousin's husband. He does excellent work, but he has a full time job and does his business on the side, so he is not always available.

I have to say that is it brought back memories of when we did a major remodel of our former home. It lasted four months. No kitchen sink for all that time. Some how we managed to have a wonderful thanksgiving with no plumbing. I have aged since then and my nerves are not as good as they use to be.

OK, where was I? Back to the subject... I don't know why I can't cope with a mess like remodeling, but I think I will wait till some warmer weather arrives. Of course living in east Texas the weather is likely to change any minuet.

Another thought in my head this morning is why do I forget how to spell? I am always doubting my spelling. For some reason the word does not look right even if it is spelled correctly. Do you have that problem? All I have to say is thank goodness for spell check.

OK...back to the contractor and the carpenter... This young man is my boss' boyfriend and I have never had him do any work before now. He is a super fine guy with great character and heart, but he is not confident in his work. At least that is what I perceived.

His bid was wacky in that he kept changing his prices and what he said. I have to say that it through me for a loop. I like definition. I like knowing what the deal is for and I don't want any changes in price once I have negotiated a deal. Just another thing that sounded a red flag.

His prices were a little high for some of the projects. It bothers me when someone keeps telling me what good prices they have as he did. Hello? I wasn't born yesterday. I have worked with contractors before. What is it about the arrogance of youth? This guy is young enough to be my son. Visions of con man floated about in my head. Oh, it is just a feeling. Really.

Anyway to make a long story short, I just heard a lot of loose lips flapping. His man is not a certified electrician. Please don't tell me how much work and experience he has... if my house catches on fire because something was not done correctly, then who is going to pay for that? OH, not to worry because he has insurance, for himself not my house. Whatever...

Yesterday was filled with uncertainty and doubt. I don't like working under those conditions. He wonders why he keeps having problems. The last job he did had complications. Red flag again.! Now I am really questioning myself. In the back of my head I keep hearing " Don't hire friends or relatives or boyfriends of friends."

Concerning the patio doors...he had a way to make them fit. Cut into my house and re frame, then do a bump out on the interior of the doors? What? ..."Don't hire friends or relatives or boyfriends of friends." Second cousin is OK because he knows what he is doing. He is a master carpenter and it shows in all of his work. Proof enough for me.

I don't know, but I am pretty perceptive about people. I kept asking why he was doing something that way and I would get a disguised answer and then the answer changed when I further questioned him. So that is the whole of it. A bad vibe, a sour note, just something tearing at my gut saying "Don't hire friends, relatives or boyfriends of your friends." I am waffling between Hubs and them. I know the right decision. I am going to listen to this little voice. Sometimes no decision is a decision.

I am so thankful for spell check and intuition. In the mean time, what do I tell my boss if she aske what I thought of the job? I am going to have to tell her the truth. My shot of the first picture of the wall is not as bad in person, I picked up something different on my camera.

Autumn Days

The clock is ticking away for soon Autumn will be here. Every year it flies by too fast. No matter how much I try to make it last, it's over in a flash. Don't you agree?




I am so happy that Autumn has finally arrived. Did I tell you how much I love this season?

I love all things Autumn. After the incredibly hot summer we endured, I gladly welcome fall with open arms. I like to decorate around my house. It is a grand respite.



Few things excite me more than a crisp Autumn day. The colors of the falling leaves are so vibrant that I feel so very alive right now. Nothing cheers my spirit more than a walk outside to see the leaves turning. Here at our home, we love all things in Autumn.

It is an ever so quick fade of colors from greens to yellow ochre to burnt oranges to intensely colored reds, then deep mahogany reds richly dressed to their splendor. So I try to take it all in as best as my senses will allow me. I feel like inhaling all of the colors, to store them for a rainy day, deep in the recesses of my mind, to recall on a cold winter's day. That's when I'll recall from memory the breath taking hues of fall. Can you tell how much I love fall?



I am like a little kid at fall. I want to jump in the leaves and roll around. I want to roast marsh mellows outside, burn the pile of felled trees ( we still have a burn ban in effect).


It doesn't get any better than walking on a trail during a sunny day. Soak it up, enjoy the day because it will be gone all too fast. Can you tell I am excited?
I look forward to the swell of hungry family that comes to our home at Thanksgiving. We have hosted it every year. Wafting, glorious smells of pumpkin, turkey and dressing, and spiced cider. Sometimes, I don't think I can do it one more time, but then by the time fall comes around, I am eager to get started. I love it when the little kids like to take me on a Nature walk. We collect leaves, you are not surprised are you? In times past, I was always the first one to help the kids make those neat leaf place mats. This year, we only have one little one that might enjoy it besides me. Time seems so short in the fall and I sense an urgency to tend to all that I can before the dreary, cold days of Winter edge their way in to our beings. I love fall so much that I take too many photos of the trees baring all their beauty. Did I tell you that I also pick the fall leaves? I know it is sad, but I can't get enough of fall. I arranged those chosen leaves on my oak table then I took pictures of them. Something about the way the light hits them. Something about the intensity of the rays of sunshine this time of year. It's magical, it's intoxicating, it's effortless on the part of Mother Nature. It is abundance at its best. I breathe it in to save for future days ahead. Perhaps this Winter, I will start painting the memories in my head of Autumn.

For those of you that read my blog, I was not going to host it again this year, but after much thinking and pondering about it, I said yes. So I'm excited and it is going to be the best Thanksgiving yet.

Dona Nobs Pacem

I watched the memorial dedication for the people that were killed on 9/11. It is hard to imagine that any one could harbor such hate for America that they would plot our demise. What I saw today reaffirmed my faith. We will not be beat by any one or any thing. I see strength in the faces of those survivors. No matter how hard the enemy tries, they can't take away who we are, and our freedom.

The common thread is love. I see several generations healing together. Grand mothers and grand fathers helping their families heal from this horrible act of violence, adults helping their children. In return, I see those little children healing from the love of their families and community. I know we are going to be OK because we are strong and because we live in a nation where when something tragic happens everyone unites together to help one another. I've seen it over and over in the face of adversity and tragedy. It is who we are. It is what separates us from those that would want to hurt us.

I pray that no enemy harms us ever again. I pray that we will all be safe. I pray for our heroes that gave their lives that morning to rescue others. I pray for the survivors, those rescue workers that can't get those horrible images out of their heads. I can't imagine what they saw, or felt that day and the following months. They are amazing. They sacrificed themselves to clear and rebuild the World Trade Center and the amazing memorial areas. Their lives will never be the same again.

I am so thankful that America does not have evil in their hearts, but compassion for our fellow man. I don't want to live in any other place in the World, especially, where there is no value of life.

Peace Globes~ Dona Nobis Pacem

Tomorrow, Nov. 4, 2011, is the annnual Peace Globe launch . This is my fourth year to join Mimi in her quest for World Peace. Please go to her blog and check out her amazing launch for Peace. You won't be disappointed when you start reading all of the Peace Globes. On this day, Peace Globes fly through out the internet. May Peace flow through out the World.

Thank you, Mimi, for all you do in the name of Peace.

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