I can't wait till tomorrow!

Delicious home cooked food...

turkey
mashed potatoes and gravy
stuffing
green bean casserole
cranberry salad
sweet potato casserole
homemade yeast rolls
pumpkin pie
coconut pie

A Feast!

We'll eat, watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, share with each other the things we are thankful for, watch a little football, play some games, and enjoy being together!

I am thankful for this good food, my beautiful family, good friends, the Lord Jesus, my home, and so much more ....

Wishing you and yours
a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving....

...it brings so many things to mind. I remember a special Thanksgiving when we lived in Texas. My parents came to spend the holiday with us. After stuffing the turkey and putting it in the oven, we all went outside for a walk in our neighborhood. I remember that it was a mild, sunny day and leaves were still on some of the trees. I loved to hear the rustling sound they made as they dangled precariously, waiting for the breeze that would finally release their hold on the tree. Together, we walked leisurely down the street, chatting about nothing in particular, laughing, making a memory that I never would have guessed then would be so special now.

My mother always made this cranberry salad at Thanksgiving. I don't know where she got the recipe, but it is part of our tradition to eat this delicious, fruity, sweet salad. We don't care for the plain old cranberry sauce from a can. It is too tart and I've always had trouble enjoying its texture! But this salad my boys will eat. Every year now, they ask if I'll be making it. I guess they are afraid I'll forget! But who can forget such things, for they are, as papa says in Fiddler on the Roof, trrrraaaDITION!!!!!

Cranberry Salad
(needs to be made the day before Thanksgiving)

1 lb. cranberries, ground in food processor
2 cups sugar
1/2 lb. mini marshmallows
2 apples, diced (we like Granny Smith)
1 small can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 8 oz. Cool Whip

Add sugar to cranberries, let sit for 2 hours. Add diced apples, pineapple, and nuts. Chill overnight. Before serving, fold in marshmallows and Cool Whip.

I am looking forward to gathering around the table with those whom I love, sharing in this wondrous tradition of giving thanks. Thanksgiving is a beautiful time of togetherness and traditions, but it is also a time for making lasting memories!

In the thick of it....

It has been one of those weeks for me.

Trials abound, tempers flare, patience is nowhere to be found.
The baby cries and clings to my leg while trying to teach ~N~ how to divide decimals. I pick her up and try to interest her in a toy, while I ask myself how other homeschool moms do it. This is our third year of homeschooling, and it sometimes seems like our first!

I guess its just our first year of homeschooling with a baby around. I've been diligently planning each week's work every Sunday afternoon. I sit down at the kitchen table and plan out each child's assignments. Then during the week, we consult the plan and work through each day's lessons. Most of the time, this works for us. We usually accomplish the things I have planned. But on days like today, even though we made it through the list, I doubt myself and wonder if my kids really learned anything. They assure me they are learning. But it is harder to find the time to grade their work, to talk with them about what they are doing, and to still get dinner on the table. Nevermind the chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

I think what I really miss is the homeschool co-op we were a part of in Virginia. One morning a week, we gathered at our church and split up for classes. It was a great time to encourage and be encouraged, to get out of the house awhile, to fellowship with other like-minded moms. I also miss libraries! An outing to the library would be great right about now!

No matter how frustrating our days may be, I know our family is in the center of God's will. We are doing the thing that He has called us to do. Not every day can be sunny and bright, for "into each life some rain must fall." It was the Lord's perfect timing for me that today's "Streams in the Desert" reading dealt with the very struggles I am facing:

The greatest things are always hedged about by the hardest things, and we, too, shall find mountains and forests and chariots of iron. Hardship is the price of coronation. The very hardships that you are enduring in your life today are given by the Master for the explicit purpose of enabling you to win your crown. Do not wait for some ideal situation, some romantic difficulty, some far-away emergency; but RISE TO MEET THE ACTUAL CONDITIONS WHICH THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD HAS PLACED AROUND YOU TODAY. {emphasis mine}

Longfellow says..."Behind the clouds is the sun still shining..."

I hope to see the sun shining....
...Soon!

New Tooth, New Signs, New Photos

Boy, am I glad Clara's new tooth finally made its appearance! It was a rough week. After three days of fever, then another three days of grumpiness, the tooth broke through and all is well with her again. Its funny that none of her other 7 teeth caused any trouble at all, but this one was a nightmare!

She has been signing to us more frequently now. One day she was sitting in Daddy's lap looking at a book and saw a picture of a dog. She began to pat her leg, which is the sign for dog! She also signs "more", but in her own way. Instead of putting her fingertips together, it looks more like she's holding her hands and patting them. Close enough! We are really having fun "talking" with her and listening to her "talk back!"

We started a fun geography activity this week. I asked the boys to spin our globe, close their eyes, and touch a finger to the globe to make it stop. Wherever they land, they are to research the place and find out 5 interesting things about it. The next step is to write down in their writing notebooks what they found out, and finally, to share what they learned with someone. So far, we've been to Hawaii, South Korea, and Fiji!

We took school pictures over the weekend.

This is ~N~, who is in 7th grade:



This is ~D~, who is in 5th grade:



Seems like there was something else I was going to write about, but I can't remember what it was! (Getting old, ya know!)

Sick Baby

Clara has been running a fever the past couple days. I think she may be teething. Whatever the reason for the fever, she is miserable and I feel so bad for her. I wish parents could magically take away the sickness from their children. Since she is such an active girl and rarely sits for more than a few moments in your lap when she's well, it has been a special time to hold her in my lap and rock away the misery in our rocking chair. What would I do without a rocking chair? It is the perfect remedy for sick babies.