Thanksgiving

 As usual the morning was my moment of calm.  We had a small crowd this year, 14.  My SIL lost her Dad the day before Thanksgiving.  We were so fortunate to know Opa as he was called by our niece Emma.  A kind man who will be missed by us all.  Jeff and Emma came for dinner and brought home desserts for family staying with Oma.

 The table set, and desserts made ahead of time.  Try the Pioneer Woman's pumpkin cheesecake recipe.  It was a big hit with our crowd.  I used the Trader Joe's old fashioned graham crackers for the crust, it was delicious!

 Brown paper runner, burlap leaves...made for a pretty table.

 Little favors that everyone forgot to take home.  Candy for the boys, simmering potpourri for the girls.

 One quick shot as my family sat down.  Have I mentioned I love my family!

 Some of the eats!  We had so many leftovers!  I guess I can only cook Thanksgiving for 25. ;-)

 Penny took this photo of her Grandpa! This guy makes it all possible.  Thanks honey, for all your help and love.

A beautiful gift from my SIL Mindy.  A wonderful day, so much to be grateful for.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy this beautiful day.

Snowstorm

 We had the prettiest snowstorm...the flakes fell in bunches and we were snowbound from Friday night till Sunday morning.  The city just got a taste of winter.  The snow stuck to the grass but not on the streets.

 We, 30 miles to the Northwest got about 8 to 12 inches

 The snow was soaking wet, like shoveling concrete!  We got half of the driveway done and the car out on Saturday evening, but the roads were too bad to go anywhere.  So, we cozied up and enjoyed being home, all warm and snug.

 Sunday morning, with chores undone, we hit the road.  So did this sweet pup.

 Our local park was AMAZING.  Kids on sleds riding down Mount Crumpet...

 We were just there to gaze in awe and wonder at Mother Nature's beauty.

 Truly magical!

"White snow for miles around...

Winter's the time for quiet sound." Martin Buxbaum  This is my block, the street where we live!  I love it, especially in the snow!

 Sunday night we were at the Rosemont Theater.  It looks like the set of the Titanic movie!

 Oh, there's Leo DeWilloughby!

 Fancy Pants!

We were there to see Steve Martin and Martin Short.  They talked and sang, The Steep Canyon Rangers and Steve played bluegrass.  A great night and a perfect end to a snowy weekend.

So much to do this week for Thanksgiving.  Know that I am so very grateful for the friends I have made through blogging.  I hope that you have a wonderful holiday, filled with fun and family.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy this beautiful day!

Oh What a November Weekend! Wednesday Edition

Note:  Written on Monday, postponed till today!
It was the annual Fancy Pants Mall fireworks, and we were so very excited to have Penny join us.  Here is where reality meets my romantic notions.  Penny bundled like a burrito against the cold loved the fireworks...for one second!  After the first few went off,  she exploded into tears and screams.  "Get me out of here!"  Things only got worst when we started to walk away.  Then she screamed "Santa!"  It took almost until the end of the display to get back to the car where Penny had a remarkable recovery.  We went for pizza and then for ice cream and everything was fine.  I told her next year we would just send her a video like we've done the last couple of years.  She simply said, "DON'T!"

The cousins came and spent the afternoon.   Another romantic notion, a nice walk in the Autumn sunshine, but the reality was kids spinning on light poles,one in particular... falling into the grass, refusing to walk, hold hands or cooperate.  They played nicely at home,  They enjoyed a doll house we found at the thrift and even found a bunch of little people to play inside. Then just when our visit was ending, our poor little bug hit her head after walking out my door.  An unhappy ending to a mostly happy visit.  I love that the cousins love each other and get along so well.  We were in bed early and exhausted,

 A super early romp in the leaves and a trip to The Grove in Glenview.

 All the familiar things we visited in the warm weather were closed, but it was such a beautiful day..

 Walking the trails,,,

 Seeing the sights...

Enjoying the remarkable weather on November 15th! Enjoying the hard work of being a Grandma!

Now it's Wednesday and the weather has taken a dramatic turn,  Wind and rain, gloom that we have been spared from most of this Autumn has arrived..  Listening to Christmas music as I make my menu for Thanksgiving, 8 days away!  Have a great week my friends.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy this beautiful day.

"The day will bring some lovely thing..."

 A beautiful sunset...

 A good book...

 The beauty of roses, just five dollars from the grocery store...

Priceless to the soul.

 Ivy picked by my dear Elizabeth at the Lake, now sprouting and taking root...

 The house with just a few Autumn touches.

 Warm and inviting.

 Acorns and nuts...

Orange slices, cinnamon sticks and cloves simmering on the stove.

 Still and quiet...

...a touch of humor.  As the world around us breaks our hearts, home brings solace.

The day will bring some lovey thing.  From a poem by Grace Noll Crowell.

Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.

Secret Project Revealed/Weekend Update

 These last two weeks were busy and lonely as my hubby was traveling for work.  I used my time for good not evil ;-)  When son Mike moved last year, he left behind a stack of tee shirts.  I saved them with the intention of making a quilt someday.  A good friend recently showed me her tee shirt quilt, and that got me started,

Here is the quilt I made for Mike.  He celebrated his birthday recently and we were able to deliver it to him on his special day.  I backed all the tee shirt fronts with fusible interfacing.  Then cut the squares with a rotary cutter and quilters square to size.  I changed my mind about the binding and the backing, doing the old switcharoo.  Using the blue to sash the blocks and the black/gold print for the backing. I was pleased with the finished product.  The machine quilting was done by my long arm quilter Maureen.  She makes everything turn out better..  I also included a couple of small squares on the backing, a small embroidered logo and a small bearded man (just like Mikey) from a tee shirt.

It was a great finishing touch.

 I made a couple of pillowcases with the left over fabric.

We went to Cleveland at the last minute due to Hubby's work responsibilities.  Talking to Penny that morning, she said she wanted to go and see Uncle Mikey too.  Kris worked out some things so they could join us. Wewerethisclose to having Jon and Charlotte also come, but Jon didn't have the time off.

It was a great trip, though with the days so short, sunset came early and we traveled in the dark.

It was all worth it to see this guy's smiling face.  He was really surprised and loved the quilt. (This time he knew we were coming.) I hope he'll use it in his studio and have all the great memories close to him as he relaxes or plays guitar.(I didn't realize that the small one had her little fingers all over my camera lens till after I took this photo.

Here it's "clear", I'm one happy and proud Mom!

So grateful to spend a little time celebrating together.  Love you Mike!  Hope to be together again for Thanksgiving. I just wanted to mention how great it is to have Kris and Penny so close.  We had a great time together, talked and laughed.  The girls, part fish, even got to use the pool.  Penny was so good, and at 6 hours in the car, was such a trooper.  Helped that the rental car we had also had a DVD player! Penny stayed awake the whole way there.  She didn't want to miss a thing.  Thanks honey for traveling another 300 miles after  the thousands of miles you flew for business these last few weeks. No surprise, all I have to say is "road trip" and my guy is all in! Thanks babe!

Thanks for stopping by and for your kindness always.  Enjoy this beautiful day!