Thanksgiving Preparations

Wish I'd Done That: Let your kids make the place cards for Thanksgiving. I love the ones with an Oreo cookie. Stick candy corn in the filling, use some icing to make a face (or just write guests' names) and set at every place setting. If the kids do the arranging, no one can blame you because they've got to sit next to crazy Uncle Fred!

We're looking forward to AA coming home today (fixing lots of meat for him), and Wordgirl is coming in tomorrow.
I'm so excited to have them home in front of the fire with us. We all enjoy a fire in the fireplace and a great college football game on TV.
Please pray for Ace's mom, Kathy. She's been in the hospital in Ft. Smith since Thursday. An accelerated heartbeat that they are monitoring. We were going to go pick her up tomorrow, but she won't get out of the hospital until Thursday.
So, it's just the 4 of us for the big day.
We'll head over to Ft. Smith for the weekend to see what's going on.
I'm being flexible about meals/lists/stuff; I'm really proud of myself! I love the planning and prepping for big meals.
I'm off to make the cornbread and biscuits for the dressing. I like to leave them out on the counter drying for a day or two.
Ace is smoking the birds (3 turkey breasts and one whole one) Wednesday. He does it once; and does a lot. Then, we have plenty for Christmas too.
Count your blessings. The simple things in life are more special to me this year. Love on your friends, tell your family you love them, and eat a piece of pumpkin pie for me!

32 and Counting

Wish I'd Done That : My friend and business partner, Laura, has a great suggestion for keeping kids quiet and occupied during church. She gave her kids pipe cleaners, and they could make all sorts of shapes and people and whatever. They didn't wear out, and kept them quiet. Brilliant!

32 and Counting

Rather than a Thanksgiving meal, our church focuses on missions during the month of November. We are an action church who go out and evangelize and serve. During the past year, we've been to Nicaragua, New Orleans (yes, they still need help!), the Gulf coast for all the hurricanes, Mexico, and other places near and far.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, we have a missions banquet where we make an offering to support missions around the world and at home. We review where we've been this year, and look forward to the next.

For the last 2 years, I've been in charge cooking for the mission banquet. This year, we made 32 pumpkin pies for dessert. I've never made that many pies, but Mitzi prepped my ingredients, and over the course of a few hours, turned out this:

Wow, that's a lot, even when you start cutting them all up to serve. Nothing says Thanksgiving like pumpkin pie!

Laura decorated for the banquet. She made this "earths" last year. Just a glass bowl painted with textured paint, and then joint compound to form the continents. They are really great, and look marvelous.

I'd encourage you to focus out during the holidays. Look for others to bless. Give generously to those in need.

Getting ready to start cooking tomorrow. What's your favorite Thanksgiving food? I'm going to have to go with the dressing.

Earrings, and other lost things

Wish I'd Done That: Try a coat/mitten/hat swap. I always thought my friends' kids had coats my kids could wear. I know mine outgrew coats at an amazing rate, they don't get worn out, and still had lots of good wear in them. In these days of recycling, try it!

Last night at overflow (our youth group), I noticed one of my earrings was missing. I was irritated, since I'd only worn them 3 or 4 times. I'd been trying on clothes at the mall, and I assumed I'd lost it there. After church, I was tempted to return to Dillard's to check the dressing room, but I was just too lazy. I wanted to get home to a new book I have. I also almost threw away the earring, but slipped it into my purse instead.
When I got home, I went upstairs to put on my pj's, went into the bathroom and there on the counter was the other earring! I'd talked to lots of kids and adults, and no one commented on the one earring!
Did they think I was making a fashion statement? Or, as I suspect, have I joined the ranks of the invisible "old people"?
I can't believe I went around with one earring. I remember I picked one up to put on, and then wandered off, distracted by who knows what?
Ace loses things all the time. However, they are usually right in front of his face. His TU sweatshirt, for example. He said he couldn't find it, but it's right in the center of his closet. I used to go look for stuff, but I was only enabling him to continue his lazy looking! Now, I figure, if he wants it, he'll look harder......
Is that wrong?

Party Time!

Wish I'd Done That: Choose a nondescript day, and make it special. Get out your best dishes, a nice tablecloth and the good silver and crystal. Set a nice table; use a centerpiece and candles. Your family will feel special, and you'll get to use your good stuff. Don't worry about serving a fabulous dinner (although that would be great); the idea is to do something different. In fact, it would be crazy to buy the fast food meal and serve it on china! This lets your kids use the china, and learn to be careful with mom's crystal. So what if something gets broken? This stuff is meant to be used. Don't put off the "special" occasions; make your own. Even if you don't have china, you can make the dinner special by putting candles on the table, gathering flowers from the garden, or just make an artistic centerpiece of sticks from the bushes. Whatever you do, just make it different from the normal hum-drum. Recently, the Lord's been showing me that you shouldn't postpone special things or doing the extra something you want to do.
It seems really trite, but build a fire when you want one, use the good china, buy the Harry and David pears.
While we are at a point where we have some extra to spend on special things, I'm not talking just material things. Take the time to read that book, visit someone lonely, start a poker night.
I'm in two groups from church that celebrate birthdays of the members. It's really an excuse to get together, laugh and have a great time getting to know one another better.
We all know people who say "someday". Let's be the ones who say "today".

Aloysius

Wish I'd Done That: When my oldest, Wordgirl, was about 2 or 3, she began to be afraid to go to bed. She thought there were monsters or "bad guys" hanging around. We weren't sure what to do, but one day Ace brought home this guy:

Wordgirl named him Aloysius. We weren't sure where she got this, but when she was older, she said it was Snuffleupagus's name (from Sesame Street).

Aloysius was a Super guy. He could look in the closet for the bad guys, he could see under the bed. Mostly, he protected a little girl who had a fabulous imagination. Imaginations are great in the daytime, but at night, they can be the enemy.

I thought Ace was a genius for coming up with a wonderful solution. Wordgirl had Aloysius for a few months or a year; just enough time to get through that stage.

He's a little worse for the wear, but if you were a 20 year old dinosaur, you might look rough too!

Try this idea if your little ones are having trouble at night, or any time. Aloysius travelled with us in the car, but mainly, he protected our house.

Refrigerator Ramblings

Wish I'd Done That: My friend, Opal, suggests making sure your movies of kids' activities are not all lumped together. Keep birthdays separate from holidays, recitals, etc. She's right. All of mine are lumped together. Wordgirl and AA should have separate "videos" of their lives......Great idea!

My Refrigerator

Does yours look like this? I used to have alphabet letters and crayon drawings. Now, I've just got pics and coupons. I do have some great magnets Laura made years ago.

There are pics of my kids, my nieces, and my whole family. It's a happy reminder of times together and how important it is to treasure times together. You never know when circumstances will change.

I was reminded of this again this week. One of the guys who worked for Ace had a heart attack and died last week. He was only 52.

Since turning 50, I've been concerned about leaving a mark on others. What difference have I made in my life?

That can only be measured in eternal things, so I'm trying to concern myself with making that eternal difference. Ministering to others, using my spiritual gift of service and administration.

This week, our church is celebrating being thankful by having a missions dinner. We are a mission-oriented church, so we are looking outward into Eternity by investing our offerings on spreading the Gospel of Jesus. A group of us are cooking for 250. I love doing stuff like that: the camaraderie of fellowship in the kitchen! Then, we take an offering that is strictly for mission work.

Upcoming recipes:

The "famous" sugar cookie recipe, Julia's cranberry salsa, and other tips for a lovely holiday season.

Holiday Beginnings

Wish I'd Done That: A hint for the holidays.....Let your kids help with giving to those less fortunate. Have them shop for the Salvation Army angel, or let them choose items to fill the Samaritan's Purse Christmas boxes. Find out info for the Christmas boxes at: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/. Kids will love picking out stuff for others, and it's a great way to show children their blessings. Use it for a geography lesson, too!

I'm beginning to think about holiday cooking. Less than 2 weeks 'til Thanksgiving! We have a smoked turkey (Ace is in charge of that), cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, etc. Something my mom made was a frozen cranberry salad. I love it for the holidays, but it's also really great in the summertime.

Mom's Cranberry Salad

1 can cranberries (jellied, or with whole berries)

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 - 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Whip cream cheese until smooth. Add other ingredients. Pour into 9 inch freezer-proof dish. Freeze. Before serving, set out of freezer about 15 minutes to soften slightly. Great!