THANKSGIVING DAY

THANKSGIVING WEEK 2011

This is a rather disjointed post, but I'm feeling rather disjointed and with good reason!

For starters I decided to rearrange the dining room. Because of all the windows looking out into the trees, I always assumed it would be my favorite room, but it hasn't been. I decided what needed to be done was to move the armoire and chairs. Christy came and helped me and made some very good suggestions; one being that since the armoire wouldn't fit nicely between the windows, to place it at the end of the dining table instead, and move the tall, slim rosewood piece between the windows instead. Voila! That did the trick. I don't have many photos to post - hopefully will take care of that soon! I'm beginning to understand why I'm more and more drawn to very neutral/white rooms. . . just look at the busy-ness of the windows and trees!

But even so - I still very much like the new arrangement

details of hutch moved between windows

So - I spent much of the week rearranging and moving pix, etc. Instead of preparing for Thanksgiving!

AND, get this, hubby brought home 10 GALLONS of pears. Yep - he sure did! So besides rearranging a room, I also made up 15 jars of pear preserves! Instead of preparing for Thanksgiving!

Monday was youngest son's birthday and because of the weather, didn't have internet access in his part of Norway. I think it was the first time I have NOT been able to talk to him on his birthday. The first time in 28 years and I couldn't talk to him. So I was sad. Sad and disorganized with a messy kitchen for much of the week!

And there was a haircut and time spent w/my mom and some volunteer business I had to take care of. And of course I had to mop floors and shampoo carpet! The point being - I haven't done any cooking and no real holiday preparation.

But today id different. I'm cooking: baking cornbread so I can make my 90 year old mom's dressing recipe. Sauteing onions and celery and an apple. Eggs are hard-boiled to stuff them tomorrow. Turkey is thawing. . . hubby is going to deep-fry it tomorrow. Doesn't a fried turkey sound disgusting? Well, it did to me, too, until our oldest son prepared last year's turkey that way. Like he said when we recently skyped - "it's now a tradition" - so we're deep frying! And there's ham. And lots of folks are coming and they're all bringing food with them.

I'm most excited because all of my husband's siblings and their spouses will be here. We're all in our 50s and 60s and it will be good to all be together. So much better than waiting to get together at someone's funeral! AND my daughter and son-in-law will be bringing their 3 foster boys with them. It's always nice to have young people around!

To top it off - the weather is suppose to be sunny and 70 degrees, which is so much better than last year, which started out cold and rainy. In spite of that, it will cool down fast and we're planning to have a campfire and have a wienie roast.

Oh - and hubby came home today with - - - you want to take a guess? More pears! 5 gallons! OK - time to go find a pear cobbler recipe!

.

May your Thanksgiving Day be blessed . . .

NOT LOOKING TOO PROMISING

Well, what can I say? The new floor may not happen anytime too soon. I went to two stores & picked out 4 different ceramic tiles that were on sale & that might work in my dining room. I brought home the samples & from the 4 quickly had a "hands down" favorite! No questions asked & no doubt in my mind that I had found the perfect one! It has a relative low sheen & lots of texture. . . . actually looks like stone! Oh my - how perfect is this?

Then my husband came home.

And I showed him my favorite.

And he said, "there's only 4 boxes of that tile".

And we need 17 boxes. And he knew that when I picked out the tiles. And brought the samples home from his store! Why didn't he tell me when I was there that there aren't enough boxes? Why? I have no idea. None. We've been married over 40 years & there are days when I don't have a clue about that man!

So - there may not be any new dining room flooring in my near future. Wah. . . .

OK - no sense crying over spilt milk, so to speak. Here is a photo of one wall in the Nature Room. This wall is a changing, seasonal display area. Oh, the old treadle machine & mirror stay here. . . . but the other elements change.

This is my dad's Choral Shirt & Vest. Don't you think the colors are perfect for Autumn? The little ceramic lady came from a thrift store years ago. . . .and the binoculars. . . . well, who doesn't have binoculars hanging all around the house?

Until later - please enjoy this marvelous weather we've been having!

I'M KNOCKING ON WOOD & WALKING ON AIR

Woo hoo! I might, just might, be getting new ceramic flooring in the dining room before Thanksgiving! It's a really BIG *maybe*. . . . . but it's hubby's idea, so it might actually happen!

My youngest son, when just a young boy, had this door knocker on his bedroom door. Now it's to the side of the guest room door.

Lots of praying, knocking on wood & crossing fingers that it may actually happen!

WE FOUND THE ONE - ONE YEAR LATER

I'm beginning to think I'm not cut out to be a blogger! I find it difficult to remember to take plenty of *before* pix & even more difficult to put into words what I'm doing & thinking about this little cabin.

But not today. Today I know what to write about. You see, tomorrow is the one year anniversary of finding this little place we now call home.

I readily admit it's not heaven: there is an extraordinary amount of traffic for being out in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors! Our closest neighbors are cattle. . . . on two sides of us there is nothing but cattle. But yet cars & logging trucks come speeding by. . . .

The owner of the nearby bovine doesn't live on the property; he leases it from a very, very nice couple. I have to admit that the renter is not a very good cattleman. Time after time his cattle have gotten out of the pastures and into the street. And into my yard. And one time his longhorn moseyed up to my van! I was not happy. Not happy at all. Sometimes my sweet hubby just puts them back into the pasture himself. Other times the not-so-very-good cattleman comes and takes care of them.

Yesterday evening I called to tell him it looked as if he had a dead steer in the pasture. He said it must be the one that had recently gotten into the pond & I told him I didn't know about that - but it most definitely was down. Then he asked if there were any other dead ones! What's up with that? How would I know? I didn't go looking for dead cattle in the pasture! I merely called him because we have our windows open & I didn't want the eventual bad odor coming into the house! Fortunately for him, he quickly came and hauled off the poor thing.

I said all that to let you know that I know we don't live in heaven. It's not even the Garden of Eden. But it is still perfect for us!

Last year, Oct 24, 4:18 PM is the day & time I sent the following text message to our kids, "We found the one!" (Yes, I really have saved that text in my cell!)

And a year later we're still saying, "We found the one!". . . . the perfect place for us!

This is the porch in front of the guest/laundry room. Originally, way back when, it was the detached kitchen so as not to burn down the entire house if a kitchen fire got out of control. The place has gone through several transformations . . . not all of them for good! But we love it anyway.

One year later & we're still loving it!