Completion of Thanksgiving Weekend.....

Competition in Wii.....


Crazy Costumes.....



Crafts.....

(Completely Beautiful)

(Cisters) (?!?!)

Corny Readings.....

Crowds.....

I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. ~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford

Thankful for.....

Family...... Good books with Aunties excited to read them.....

The Meiers family.....

Balloon turkeys filled with notes of thanks.....

Grandfathers..... yes, my Dad was here to join us this year!

Laughter.....

Cranberry drinks.....

Turkey.....

Pumpkin Knot Rolls.....

Hungry Indians.....

Nieces and their husbands.....

Essie's life.....

Pumpkin Pies.....

Bethany Lynn's Pumpkin Cheesecake (and thus, new Thanksgiving traditions!).....

So once in every year we throng

Upon a day apart,

To praise the Lord with feast and song

In thankfulness of heart.

~Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving

Nostalgia

The Beehive Blender

When I was growing up my mom had a blender just like this one........ only we called it 'the osterizer'. I knew no other name by which it was called, so when I was to be married I had to figure it out on my own just what a 'blender' was. Of course now it all makes sense to me..... we called it 'the osterizer' because Oster is the company that made it. I wonder if it was the only company back then that did. I thought everyone called their 'blender' an 'osterizer'. But who knows? I remember making many a delicious chocolate shake in ours. And mayonnaise! Yes, we made our own, and I never knew one could buy mayonnaise in the store until well after I was married! One day my new husband enlightened me! What freedom it brought! Though now I have a hankering to make my own again once in a while. Weird.

My daughter has my plain-jane blender in Spokane with her. You know how it is when a daughter goes away to college and moves into a home with a few other girls. They need certain kitchen items. Now she is out of college, but lives in a house on her own. With all the same kitchen needs. The blender I have been using is actually the old blender of a friend who moved to Texas a few years back. It has leaking problems, besides being difficult to operate. But guess what!!! The vintage Beehive Blender (aka Osterizer) is back! And not only back, but it was on sale for a great price at Fred Meyers this week. And I had a coupon for another 10% off! So last night I bought one! I love it! Only one speed and the pulse option on one toggle switch..... just like the original ones! Easy to use, easy to clean. Maybe after the Thanksgiving holiday I will make a batch of homemade mayonnaise! At the very least, I know I will be whirring up some decadent chocolate shakes before long!

“Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: You find the present tense and the past perfect”

Gone.....

Last photo opportunity with Chase Tuesday evening ........ such a cute kid!

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”
~ Irish Blessing

Escape From Reality

Scott and Bethany invited us over for Chicken and Dumplings after church this last Sunday. Boy was it delicious! And not only that, we also were introduce to..........

..... Wii! What a trip! This is the Wii Fit program. It has many many aspects, but the one I tried was yoga. This exercise mentoring program is beyond my wildest imagination! I love it! Wii could be very addicting. But not a bad addiction, so long as one remembers to spend a balanced amount of time interacting with the real world. Uh-huh.... that would be the rub for me. Good thing I don't have one.

This is my grandchild-cat. He is sulking. Why? Because he is now extremely jealous of the Wii. His parents ignore him while they live in Wii world. Oh-oh.

The cat is above all things, a dramatist.
~ Margaret Benson

The Elite Eight and the Moms

Last night the moms of the Elite Eight met for dinner and catch-up time in Fall City. We try to meet several times a year these days, though it doesn't always work out.

Mary and Kris

Karen and Shirley

The first group picture of the 8 boys
circa 1984

Let me explain a bit of history. Way back in 1981, we all met at a little country church in Preston. Our firstborns ranged in ages from 1-2 years old. All boys. Later, our second born babes ranged within a year or so of each other, too. All boys. From there we branched out a bit, and though there are also friendships amongst the others, there seems to be nothing that can rival nor pull apart the bond of these 8 boys. Solid. Inseparable. To this day.

The Elite Eight 2007

Across time and space, they still managed to get together at frequent intervals. It amazes me, especially among the male gender. They hold all of the larger family units together with this friendship. We now live some distance away from each other, yet still manage to get together now and then over the years. Would this still happen without this unique base of the Elite Eight? Maybe. But I doubt it. Pretty awesome, Guys! We probably owe it all to you. Thanks!

I know I used this quote on my last blog, but it sums up so nicely the thinking today. So forgive the repetition, but I must !

I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new. ~Will Carleton

Vocabulary Expansion

Do you have pogonophobia ? If you do, this is probably a very stressful time of year for you. There are those among us who dread the family get-togethers that the holidays bring. That is hard for me to imagine. I look forward in eager anticipation of the hustle and bustle of a Thanksgiving filled with family and/or friends. It is what keeps me going through the dreary Northwest winters. However, that is not true for everyone. I know. I hear stories. Horror stories. But perhaps the real problem they suffer from is pogonophobia. See if you can pick out the correct definition of this interesting word:

a) fear of pogo sticks

b) fear of jumping in bright lights

c) fear of relatives

d) fear of holiday music

If you think you suffer from this, quick! Make an appointment this week with a psychiatrist to work through this before the big TURKEY DAY arrives! As for me, I can't wait for the guests to start arriving :-) This year will bring my family and the Stanley, Kerrigan and Meiers Families, as well as my father. And hopefully a friend or two of someone that doesn't have a place to go to.

Last year's gathering:
Harmon, DuFault & Stucky Families & Jessica

I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new. ~Will Carleton

answer: c) fear of relatives

Something to Slurp Over

A bit blurry, but devoured already, so cannot take a better shot. This is one of the best soups I have in my recipe collection! Comes from an excellent cook and my friend, Andra. She has a wonderful cookbook titled Celebrate the Rain that is full of delicious Northwest recipes. Even if this one sounds a bit sketch to you, try it. I know it will surprise you with its savory taste!

Cheese Tortellini Soup

2 Tablespoons oil
12 ounces thinly slices fully cooked smoked kielbasa sausage
1/2 cup diced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
5 -14 oz cans chicken broth
1 - 14.5 oz diced tomatoes with liquid
1 -15 oz white beans rinsed and drained
1 -9 oz fresh cheese tortellini
1/2 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage, onion, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes and saute until golden, about 12 minutes. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the beans and tortellini. Simmer until the pasta is tender to the bite, about 10 minutes. Stir the spinach into the soup and turn off the heat. Cover and let stand 2 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.

A good wife and a hearty soup. What a lucky man! ~ Beanball

Something to Stew About

Yummy stew for our chilly evenings

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~ George Eliot

FYI: George Eliot was a female author who wrote in an era where women writers were not taken seriously, and never published. So she took on a male pen name. You may know her for her great work of Silas Marner, amongst other pieces.

Tough Times Ahead

Andrew and Amberlynne went out last night to their Bible Studies. Darrell pleaded with them to leave The Boy (Chase) home with him, as they will soon be gone for good. I went out to my Sisterhood group. This is what I found when I came home at 10 PM:

"He didn't want to sleep in his bed," my husband explained.

"That is unusual," I replied a bit skeptically. "But better put him to bed before his parents come home and see you spoiling him."

The Man and The Boy

He was caught in the process of taking him to his bed by the untimely arrival of Mom and Dad. They both tried to take him from Darrell, but Chase clung tightly to The Man.

I think Darrell will be going through some separation pains a week from now, what do you think?

Thanksgiving is not over yet!

I wandered in to Ben Franklin on Saturday afternoon to pick up some pumpkin scented tea candles. All of their Thanksgiving decorations were 50% off ALREADY!!! They were hosting their Home for the Holidays weekend gavanza........... Christmas crafts and holiday everything..... and it was only Nov. 8! Well, so I picked up this unique pilgrim couple. I am having Thanksgiving at my house this year with extended family, so though I perhaps would update a couple of decorations (mine are all from when the kids were toddlers) since they were fairly cheap. Another 50% off would have been even better! Here is the couple:

Close-up of the bottom........ pretty cool, huh?

Random Bolivia Shots

The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.
~ Flora Whittemore