Thanksgiving Memories

Thanksgiving was quite memorable for me this year. I went home determined to have a good time with plenty of holiday fun and relaxation. And we did just that. What a wonderful weekend!

I started home Wednesday afternoon, with a four day weekend ahead of me. Of course, it was a long trip home with traffic, wrecks, rain, etc. But I listened to Christmas music the whole way home, and even caught up with some of my friends. I snacked on popcorn and apples and just enjoyed my travel. I arrived home 5 and a half hours later! Needless to say, because of the rain, my dad and I postponed our annual Christmas tree hunting for Thursday morning. But we all sat down to mom's homemade potato soup and roast beef sandwiches. We ended the evening with a movie.

Thanksgiving Day was so much fun. Dad and I went out for our Christmas Tree, and found just the perfect one for our house---Tall, green, and full. I also had a few items to pick up for cranberry sauce and cookies. Mom and I literally cooked all day! But at a nice slow pace. We shared a cup of tea, and just talked. The family began arriving around 4 and by 6 we were sitting down to eat Turkey with all the trimmings--ham, chix noodles and mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry relish, homemade stuffing, greenbean casserole, pea salad, rolls, corn! It was all there, along with the pumpkin cheesecake, caramel cake, and banana pudding with coffee. Of course, I ate too much and never did get around to dessert. But oh it was so good! ;) Mom's special china was placed on the table, music was played, and the fire was lit. After gorging ourselves, we all retired to the living room for warmth and fellowship.

Friday was just as memorable! Mom and I had planned a day of Christmas. After breakfast we dug right into Christmas cookies, Christmas music, and Tree decorating prep. Our little sugar cookies of reindeer, frosties, stars, bells, candy canes, and trees turned out so cute. My nephews and niece even enjoyed some of the cookie decorating! Esther Anne especially proved rather good at it.

After completely 5 and a half dozen cookies, we all got ready for a special evening at a newly opened local restaurant. BBQ! Wow was it good. And then of course, Friday finished out with a late night of movies!

We completed our Tree decorating on Saturday and Sunday. I must say that decorating the Christmas Tree and setting up our Nativity scene are my two favorite holiday activities. And they both turned out so nice.

Saturday evening we all made a trip down to Indy to visit my sister and her husband and see their newly decorated basement. We took all of our Thanksgiving leftovers and made a night of eating and playing board games. It was especially fun watching my little niece compete with the adults like the best of them on Apples to Apples and Snorta. She definitely holds her own. Sheri and Jake pick the most unusually fun games to play. We even gathered around the piano for our annual Christmas Sing! What memories! I do have to insert that they have done a very good job with their basement. It is neat to see how the Lord has truly blessed them.

So now I have returned to my work desk here in Chicago, ready to go for 3 more weeks. The Christmas holidays are before me! I have a few more items to collect for gift, but I am looking forward to Christmas Day with much eagerness! What a truly wonderful time of the year. And I am truly looking forward to spending it all with my family!

Sisterly Fun

My sister is here this weekend visiting me in Chicago! :) And boy do we have a loaded weekend planned. She arrived last night and we sat down to tea and a movie. Ratatouille! I LOVED it! We just plopped on the couch of my newly decorated apartment (which I will tell you about later) and enjoyed each others company!

This weekend we are going on a Christmas shopping spree! Woodfield Mall, DT Chicago, etc. I can't wait. And of course, we will share moments of tea, ice skating, Lights at the Magnificent Mile, and A Christmas Carol! I absolutely can't wait to tell you all about it!

I am so glad Sheri is here. Her company is very much needed at this point in my life. I need her strength and stability. I really do love my family. I wish Stacye could have come, but that will give me something to look forward to in the future! And I will spend some sisterly time with her!

I am proud of my sisters! They have made such strides in the last year. The Lord has brought them through so much! I truly admire them in their personal walks and growth---and hope to be like them someday! Oh to have more time with each of them, for I do love them.

Fun with Friends

I recently went home to Indiana for a family funeral. It amazes me how at times like that you really consider your life and what you are doing with it. Isn't that sad?! Sad, that it takes moments of hurt to recognize the deficiencies in your life. Making life count for something more worthwhile should be a daily consideration. But sadly enough, it is not.

That aside, I will admit that I came back home with the realization that I have been taking my friends and family for granted. Instead of relishing the moments when I am near them, and spending time with them and appreciating them, I very selfishly either avoid them or treat them rudely. Needless to say, I was ready to change that!

So I started in thinking of ways I could enjoy the company of those around me. It is a daily battle of mind over matter. And sometimes it is a task of trying to work within a budget or not spend money at all. But the exciting thing is, you don't have to spend money to have a good time. And when you do, what better way to spend it then on someone else! ;) I think that is why I love Christmas so much!

Recently, I went over to a friends house for dinner and a movie. The three of us ate dinner, baked healthy apple crisp, and watched a movie. And what a movie! Napoleon Dynamite. Talk about 2 hours of your life that you give away and can never reclaim. What a DUMB movie---but absolutely amazingly dumb.

The very next weekend I planned a special Friday night of Holiday fun with a new friend. And I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I really like this girl. Her sweet, innocent, yet fun spirit is so refreshing. She reminds me of my family and my best friend! I got there around 6:00 and we started in on Holiday Sugar Cookies and Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. And what fun we had!!!!!!! Over the course of the evening and after her husband got home from work, we ate Pizza, watched White Christmas, listened to Christmas music, made 7 dozen holiday sugar cookies, and several dozen Pumpkin Cookies. We were up til 12:30 icing each Sugar Cookie into varieties of Snowmen, Stars, Bells, Candy Canes, Reindeer, and Christmas Trees. They were SO CUTE! And of course, we had fun conversation!

So what do you do with 7 dozen cookies! Heaven knows I don't need to eat them! So I made deliveries on Saturday to various people! It brought so much joy to my being to see the little kids' eyes brighten. And of course, the office staff appreciated about 4 dozen of them!