Thanksgiving Week Wrap Up

Oh boy did Hubby and I had a wonderfully relaxing week away! It had been a very long time since we went away, just the two of us.

Let's see...where did I leave off? Thanksgiving Day. We fixed a yummy little feast for ourselves. We were able to find two turkey thighs and half of a turkey breast to roast. Just right for the two of us. I even found some raisins to add to my helping of stuffing. (My mom's recipe for stuffing had raisins -- I love it, Hubby does not.)

After we ate our meal, we grabbed a couple of beach towels and we out to sit on the beach to watch the sun go down. We had to walk a couple of houses down to get to the beach since hurricane Matthew did a number on the walkway from the house to the beach.

It was a beautiful evening and I may have snapped a picture or eight of the sunset.

But I'll only post two.

See the flock of pelicans?

While we sat on the beach we talked about the things we were thankful for in the past year. We are both thankful for a good marriage and our kids and grandkids.

We finished off the week knocking out a bunch of Netflix shows. We watched The Crown and Gilmore Girls and a few movies. I have officially become a fan of Netflix.

We went back and forth about coming home on Saturday or Sunday. Saturday finally won.

Sunday we went to church. We love the preaching. So Biblical and relevant and not fluff. We are slowly becoming friends with a couple that is a lot closer to our age than the majority of the people in the church.

After lunch, actually brunch at a nice restaurant downtown, we braved the car dealership lots. We are looking to buy a new car to replace mine that has 211,000ish miles on it and is starting to have problems that cost too much to want to spend. We were just going to look to see if they had the 2017 models out thinking the dealerships were closed. Turns out they were open so we took a couple of cars for a test drive.

(Why are cars such a pain to buy? So much blah, blah, blah from the sales people.)

We did manage to decide which car we want to buy, so that's a good thing. Next up: Negotiating. Yippee.

Today I am thankful for...

...Community Bible Study tonight
...grocery delivery to my front door (!)
...our week away
...clean laundry
...my son

Thanksgiving Eve

Today was a hang around the beach house day. Well, almost. We took a drive to the end of the island and walked on the beach for a while and I picked up as many shells as my hands could hold. They are washed off and drying in the kitchen and will get added to a dish of shells I have at home.

I sat outside on the deck and read for a while and listened to the waves.

Yes, I was reading about quilting. I'm a nerd.

We watched some more Netflix stuff.

I made a cherry pie for our Thanksgiving dinner. I couldn't find a rolling pin (I mean, people who come here to hang out at the beach don't make pies??), so I improvised by using a glass. I am not sure how it turned out, probably a bit thick and not Blue Ribbon at the 4-H Fair worthy. Sorry, Mom. But I bet it will taste yummy.

Also, I feel the need to confess my feelings of betrayal regarding the pie crust recipe. My whole life-long I have used my maternal grandmother's recipe. Until a couple of months ago. For some reason, that I will probably never fully understand, I tried my daughter's mother-in-law's pie crust recipe. (She owns and is the chief cook at a lovely tea room restaurant and makes the most delicious pies.) Here's where my feelings of betrayal come in ..... I like her pie crust recipe better than my grandma's. (Typed with a cringing look on my face.) Sorry, Grandma.

Today I am thankful for...

...the quietness of the beach (not packed like in the summer)
...a phone call from my sweet sister-in-law
...the sound of the waves
...the stars in the night sky
...my daughter

A Little Shopping, A Little Exploring

We ventured out to do a little exploring today and while we were doing that, we did a little Christmas shopping.  

We went to a town called Southport. It looks like a fun little oceanside town with lots of interesting shops and restaurants. We were able to find a few things on our shopping list and drove around a little to see what the town was made of. 

Our evening included pizza and more Netflix. I've knocked out eight episodes of Gilmore Girls and Hubby and I have watched several episodes of The Crown. 

Today I am thankful for...

...the joy of buying gifts for our family and the anticipation of giving the gifts to them

...this amazing sunset

...seeing dolphins (I'm pretty sure) out in the ocean
...Hubby being able to talk with his best friend on the phone
...finding canned tart cherries so I can make a cherry pie for Thanksgiving
...Hubby

Finally!

Okay, okay back to my thankful stuff...

I spent last Friday (all day) and Saturday morning intensely playing with my sweet little girl. We had so much fun together. We played with PlayDoh, read books, read books, read books, sang songs, looked at pictures on my phone, played a game on my phone, played with the puppy, had snacks...

Saturday I flew back home, not getting back to South Carolina until almost 11:30pm. Hubby picked me up at the airport and even brought me some iced tea to drink on the way home. It hit the spot! True love.

Hubby and I had planned to take this week off and spend it together. We took quite a while trying to decide where we wanted to go. There are so many places within driving distance to choose from! Some friends had offered us use of their mountain cabin and we thought that sounded just blissful! Thanksgiving week in the Blue Ridge Mountains! But then wildfires in the mountains started looking worse and worse, even smokiness in the air where we live. We decided to cancel our plans for the mountains and start thinking about Plan B. My goal for the week was lots of nothing to do, so a touristy place just didn't sit right. I texted my sister to see if their beach house was available thinking it was likely not. 

It was available! 

It's nice and quiet here. Just what we wanted. 

Right before the sun set tonight, I stepped outside to look at the ocean and snapped a few pictures. The light was just right.

Enjoy.

Today's activities included grocery shopping, wandering through an antique store and exploring the wonders of Netflix. (Yep, we're one of those people who don't have Netflix.) Perfect day.

Today I am thankful for...
...pictures and videos of Lydia to share with Hubby and to remind me of our sweet time together
...sounds of the ocean
...video chatting with our son (yesterday) and watching our 7 week old grandson working so hard on tummy-time and holding his head up
...lots of sleep
...time alone with Hubby

Pretend, PlayDoh, Hats, Singing and Sewing

Twenty month old little girls are so very busy and so much fun! 

I had a friend next to me while I ate breakfast this morning. Lydia had some bites of my eggs (because Grammy's are better) and we each had a piece of pumpkin bread. Lydia shared her bread with her baby doll. (All her idea.)

I took a gamble and brought some PlayDoh for Lydia to play with. Once we established, "No Lydia, don't put it in your mouth", she had a blast and sat at the kitchen counter and played with it for more than an hour! I would make balls and she would squish them. Over and over and over and over again.

We played with toys, we sang songs, she wore this awesome hat her great-aunt made, we Skyped with Pops.

I've been working on teaching her the motions to "Away in the Manger". I taught her mommy that when she was the same age. It's part of our family home movie history. This little girl is as sweet as her mommy as we do the motions. I admit to having tears streaming down my face as I watched Lydia learn and showed her mommy how well she did!

Daughter and I got a lot accomplished. Daughter cooked several things for freezer meals, she sewed a fourth Christmas stocking, we worked on a few other sewing projects together.

Working together brough back memories of working on projects with my mom when my kids were little. Good memories. I miss doing those things with my mom. More tears.

Today I am thankful for...

...sweet memories with my granddaughter
...big running hugs from a twenty month old
...memories of my mom
...God's abundant grace

And Then I Skipped Two Days

Welp, didn't mean to do that. I posted on Sunday and then missed the next two days. Oops.

Monday night we had Community Bible study and when we got home, I spent most of the evening packing and getting ready for a trip to my daughter's for a few days. Then Tuesday was filled with traveling and ended with some fun time with my granddaughter.

I am at my daughter's for a few days to help her do some things to get ready for Baby Girl #2 who is due in only three weeks! On the agenda is cooking some food for the freezer, some cleaning, some sewing, some errands and some playing with a 20 month old.

Today's errands included a doctor's appoinment for Mommy. Grammy and this sweetie hung out in the waiting room. Here she is pointing at and asking me if she can touch a plant that was in the corner of the waiting room.

This little girl has somehow transformed into a full-fledged toddler since I last saw her in October. So many words, so much silliness!

Today I am thankful for...

...a safe flight
...warmish weather in the Midwest
...so many hugs from a little one
...the quietness of the farm
...lots of time chatting with Daughter

A Wall Hanging

I thought I'd show a picture of the wall hanging quilt I made for Grandson's room.

It's a Missouri Star, a nod to the state he was born in.

Even though all those triangle points gave me fits, I finally got it right and really like how it turned out. it's about 26" square. I only did quilting in the white background. The orange binding frames it nicely.

Today I am thankful for...

...my mom teaching me how to sew when I was 9 years old
...PJs on at 7pm, popcorn and a movie with Hubby
...the challenge in the sermon this morning to be more generous

The Saturday Evening Post

Well, I blew it. Last night I was especially tired and climbed in to bed early. After I read for a while, I turned off my light and snuggled in. Then I remembered I forgot to write my thankful post for the day. Oops!

Yesterday was a pretty good day for me. I finally finished the quilt for Grandson (Thomas). Holy cow, it took me a ridiculous amount of time to get that thing done! (I'll show a picture after it reaches its destination next week.) I finished the label, sewed it on and tossed it in the washing machine. Then pinned it on my design wall and took a bunch of pictures to make sure I documented it. I packed it in the box the quilter sent it to me in and taped it up, slapped on the mailing label and have it all ready to go to take to the post office on Monday.

When that task was done I rewarded myself with a trip to Target (yay!) and a pedicure.

When Hubby got home from work we headed downtown to one of our favorite restaurants and ended up with a 45 minute wait. Fortunately, the restaurant sends you a text when a table is available so we were able to wander around a few nearby stores. There is a really cool toy store downtown that I have a feeling we'll visit often to find things for our grandbabies.

Today was spent mostly at home. Hubby is working on the daunting task of organizing and sorting through the stuff in our storage room. You know, that stuff that you keep because maybe.... or we've had it for so long we might as well hang on to it... We are getting a little better at tossing things that we realize we haven't used for a long time like the uncomfortable metal folding chair we've had our whole married life and maybe we might need it for extra seating but really we have used to for probably over 20 years but have moved it 6 or 7 times and besides we have a real dining room table set with 10 chairs so we really don't need the uncomfortable chair. (It's gone now.)

I talked with Daughter on the phone for a bit this morning and we video chatted with Son and Daughter-in-law and Grandson. We got to witness Thomas working so hard to hold his head up while laying on his tummy. It was so cute to see!

Son sent me this adorable picture earlier this week. Such a cute smile and such a bald head! Love them both!!! (Thomas looks so much like his daddy.)

I worked on grandbaby #3's (!!!) quilt this afternoon. She's due in just a few weeks, so yeah, I'm already behind on that. Sigh. It's really different from anything I've made and I'm only going from a picture.

After Hubby was done watching football we went to explore an antique store. We love looking around, but rarely buy anything. Supper was at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant, then a stop at the grocery store for one thing that ended up being three bags worth of stuff.

Today I am thankful for...

...a smiling grandson
...finishing his quilt
...pedicures
...a good night's sleep last night
...keeping in touch with our kids

A Sweet Girl

Today I am thankful for...

...this sweet, adorable face

She brings me so much joy and love. I'm thankful I get to spend a few days with her next week.

Weakness

I spent some time reading this afternoon. The book I have been reading is The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin. It's a fictional biography of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the wife of Charles Lindbergh. Here is a quote I read today that really caught my attention and I've been thinking about it ever since. This was Mrs. Lindbergh's mother speaking:

"You need to stop looking for heroes, Anne. Only the weak need heroes and heroes need those around them to remain weak. You're not weak."

When I first read that I thought, "Sure, that's true." But the more I thought of it, the more I realized that it is true in the secular world, but for me, as a Christian, not so much.

I have heard it said that being a Christian means that you are weak. It's meant to be a negative thing, but I wholeheartedly admit that I am weak and that I need Jesus to give me strength. These verses came to mind:

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 

I am weak so that Christ's power can been seen in me. If it appears that I am strong or brave in any way, it's because of Jesus Christ in me. He is my strength. He is my hope. I often (as in probably something like 99% of often) face the hard things in my life with much terror, but Christ meets me there and brings me through. 

 

Just my serious thoughts for today. 

Today I am thankful for...

...Jesus' strength in me and available for everyone

...the fact that I don't need to panic, I have read the end of The Book, I know Who wins

...chocolate chip cookies because sometimes I just really need one

...a text and a phone call from my daughter today

...

Election Day

No worries, I'm not talking about an candidates here. You're welcome.

I voted this morning. Then chose to not pay attention to any news coverage. Hubby and I went to a movie tonight and didn't watch TV. I'll find out tomorrow. And no matter the results, God is still God and Jesus is still on the throne and I will still spend eternity with Him.

My son write this on Facebook yesterday. He nailed it.

We are all Americans. Behave like it tomorrow and vote. And afterwards, we are STILL all Americans. After the surrender at Appomattox: "As Lee left the house and rode away, Grant's men began cheering in celebration, but Grant ordered an immediate stop. 'I at once sent word, however, to have it stopped,' he said. 'The Confederates were now our countrymen, and we did not want to exult over their downfall,' he said.
Jesus still reigns. The sun still rises. Your brother is still your brother. We all still need grace.

 Today I am thankful for...

...being able to make up my own mind and vote for that person

...the privilege to live in this country

...a movie date with Hubby (we were the only people in the theater!)

...a sweet picture of my 5 week old grandson smiling (it melted my heart!)

Monday, Monday

Yikes! I almost forgot to write a post today! I was just about to shut down my laptop and head to bed. But fortunately I remembered, so a little recap for today.

Today was a pretty low-key day around the house, yet I felt the need to write myself a to-do list. Laundry, finish my Bible study for tonight, send an email to some friends (trying to plan a weekend away with them), and pick up my new glasses. Not a big list, but I had a feeling if I hadn't written it down, I would have forgotten something.  I almost added to my list: make egg salad for lunch. One of those days. Monday.

I picked up two pairs of glasses today. I got new lenses for the glasses I wear every day and I got a pair of glasses just for reading. I like to read in bed at night and my regular glasses with bifocals don't work when I lay on my side and the drug-store variety don't work so well for me. I asked for the cheapest frames, was shown probably 50 to choose from and this is what I chose:

Cool, huh? The name it is "Pizzazz"  I really didn't care what they looked like and I thought these were kinda fun for reading at night. They are basically opposite of what I wear everyday. Those glasses are frame-less and as inconspicuous as possible.

Tonight Hubby and I went to our weekly Bible study. We sung a hymn before we started and I was struck with these lyrics:

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Today I am thankful for...

...new glasses to see better with

...scallops for supper

...Jesus' blood that changes everything for me

Finally

Hubby and I just got back from a wonderful weekend in the mountains. Finally.

We've been talking about going away for a while. Finally, a week ago we set out for Gatlinburg, TN only to have car trouble an hour from home. We managed to get back home, but the car ended up in the shop for four days. (Yay for ten and a half year old cars with 209,000 plus miles...) Friday we again set out for Gatlinburg and this time we made it all the way! Yesterday's post shows a picture of the view from our hotel room.

It was good to get away from home for a weekend. That may sound strange for us empty-nesters, but somehow not being in our house makes us spend more one-on-one time together and that's always a good thing. I guess it's because when we are gone we don't have the distractions of things to do around the house.

We love being in the mountains. We've learned that we do not love Gatlinburg or nearby Pigeon Forge. Way too touristy. "The Branson of the Smokies", is what I called it. Now we know and don't need to go back.

A friend had recommended that we not take the interstate back. That was GOOD advice! We found some really pretty drives and the leaves were so pretty in the lower elevations.

Here are a few pictures that Hubby took:

Today I am thankful for...

...the beauty of fall in the mountains
...an argument that ended in both of us laughing so hard we were crying
...old, comfortable love
...contentment in coming home

A Room With a View

Today I am thankful for...

...this view from our hotel room. So beautiful. So peaceful.

A Friday List

On this Friday I am thankful for...

...a beautiful drive in the Smokey Mountains
...the mountains being only 1-2 hours away
...Skyping with my beautiful daughter and granddaughter
...my granddaughter recognizing me (she "shared" her cup of milk with me over        Skype)
...pretzels for supper when supper out was a flop
...big, comfy hotel beds
...short blog posts🙃

A Porch, A Skillet and A Freezer

Today was a stay-at-home-and-putter-around-the-kitchen kind of day.

I randomly decided to cook up a package of bacon for lunch that I've had in the fridge for a while. I hate how the smell of bacon can linger in the house for days so I devised a way to cook it on the grill --- in a big cast iron skillet! Works like a charm! Nice and crispy and the smell stays outside! Oh, and I only ate three pieces for lunch -- not the whole package!

I wanted to have asparagus for lunch, so I got out my steamer pot. There's an insert with holes in the bottom that sets on top of this pot of boiling water. I need to mention how much I am loving the new cook-top we had put in last year. It's induction and does so many cool things like boil water FAST! This pot is a 5 quart size I had it about half full. It took 3 minutes and 45 seconds to come to a roiling boil. Awesome!

I also cooked another chicken in the crockpot, deboned two chickens and cooked the bones and skin some more for broth. I'm all ready to make some homemade chicken noodle soup this winter.

Some days around here are kinda mundane.

Today I am thankful for...

...a screened in porch to sit in during these lovely fall days
...supper on the screened in porch with longer time to sit and talk with Hubby
...makings for chicken soup in the freezer
...mundane days

A Wednesday in The Upstate

Today was a good day here in South Carolina. It was a lovely 82 degrees with low humidity. Kinda warm, but pleasant. I despise wearing sock and real shoes, so I love that I can get away with that for the majority of the year here. Now if I can just remember to pack socks when we travel back to the Midwest to see our kids.

My afternoon was spent wandering around Costco. Years ago we had a membership at Sam's Club. I let that lapse mostly because it was 60 miles away. Costco is only 13 miles away. I like that and I like that the quality of the food seems to be better than Sam's Club. Today I walked up and down almost every aisle just to see what was there. Best find of the day? Cinnamon sticks that were $1 cheaper and three times the quantity than I had seen at the grocery store. Win!

Tonight Hubby and I went out for dinner with friends. We have enjoyed dinner out with this couple several times. We never seem to run out of things to talk about. Topics covered: manufacturing, ice cream parlors, employment, building school buses, pharmacies, boating, Hurricane Matthew, grown kids, engineering degree, wrestling.... well, you get the idea.  Tonight's dining adventure was at a Peruvian restaurant. Good food. I especially enjoyed the plantains.

I'm wrapping up the day watching Game 7 of the World Series. (Go Cubs!) I have a chicken in the crockpot that needs to be taken out (with another one to go in tomorrow). I thought I'd have a load of towels to fold, but sweet Hubby took care of that for me.

I'm thankful for...

...friends to go out to eat with
...new pictures of my grandkids that my son posted (brought tears to my eyes)
...beautiful weather
...a view of the mountains on our way to dinner

Is This Thing On?

<tap> <tap> <tap>

****blowing off dust****

Is this thing on?

It's been almost two months since I last wrote or published anything on here. Lately, Hubby has been bugging encouraging me to start writing again. So tonight I decided to open this thing up, wiggle my fingers some to warm them up, and get going again.

This morning's reading for Community Bible Study was reviewing last week's lesson in Exodus (15-17). The Isrealites had made it out of Egypt and through the Red Sea. In our lesson last week they were following God through the desert and complaining about being hungry and thirsty. God provided for them each time. Then they were attacked and had a battle with the Amalekites (exodus 17). When the battle was over, God told Moses to write it down so it would always be remembered.

In the commentary was a small section that talked about how God wants us to remember His faithfulness. It asked the question, "Which of these - journals, keepsakes, special days - might you use to help you and the generations that come after you remember God's goodness to you?"
I thought of this blog. I write about just regular stuff we do and I write about my relationship with God. Maybe my grandchildren will read this some day and they can know about God's faithfulness in their Grammy's life. I would love to read a journal of my grandmothers' or even my  mother's.

I'm gonna attempt a daily post in November and list things that I am thankful for. Because what better month to do that in than November?

So here I go...

Thankful for...

...my 10.5 year old, 209,000 miles car that's running again after three days in the shop
...my God who is always faithful and always provides, even when I grumble and complain
...wearing flip-flops on November 1st
...my granddaughter and my grandson (I'm sure this will be a recurring theme)