Thanksgiving!!

The day started at the Y.... Gotta workout before you eat, right? Well, a lot us thought so!


Khara





Yep, that's my mat...just waiting for me!!!


Our cute instructor...Angie...sideways...sorry
And then...first meal of the day..... At the farm


Julie, Cole, Bubba and Henry


Ron and Adam


Happy Papa Joe, doing what he loves, cooking breakfast...short order style


My two oldest children....


Beth and Adam


Happy boys...have I told you how much I love my son in law??? crazy about him!


Finley and Sam...best best best buddies. I told Sam that he had beautiful eyes, he got a bit indignant and said: "what about Finley?" he thought I was ignoring her pretty eyes!


Rhonda, Mike and Harmy


The gang....





Then the fun began...


Football fun!


Way to go Carter!!


It was a great morning to be at the farm...


Bubba and Cole
Then late afternoon, we gathered at my parents for THE MEAL


Mom and 3 of her girls


Ninny and Dede surrounded by some of their grandchildren...


Uncle "Tole" and the spirited Finley


Madeline and her Ninny


4 generations...do I have a huge head, or what?????


Millie and her girls made acorns...delicious!
Then....insanity prevailed...Millie, Annie, Lucy, Maggie, Karen, Heather and I headed off to the Ozarks...... Black Friday shopping started at the Outlet mall at ten pm....


The line outside of coach....
I was behind a man in Brooks Brothers who spent $1,145.00 on $30.00 shirts. I am thinking he is going to resell them on EBay at full price... Crazy!
When we got to the house...the new desk and chair were there....


Love them!


It was 68 degrees and my flowers were still blooming...


And out, the pool guy???


Well, he FINALLY covered the pool!


The saga of the Super highway continues..... Finished!


I thought they were going to put in a fire pit....nope....just a sitting area...


A LOT of concrete...


Papa Joe's dock in late fall....


Karen and Heather on the way in to breakfast....


The fruits of our labor!!!
Then home to the Christmas parade...the big guy was on his way....


The Three Legged Dog was hopping!


Jake at work...


It was such a great small town evening...





Everyone was infected with the Christmas spirit!








The man himself, arriving in style!


Did you ever see The Christmas Story????


I love my town!!!!!!!! And my tree skirt...Maggie did a fantastic job!!!


And tomorrow??? Sweet Annie turns 16.....check her out in her car.... So darling!


And as always....

I know, I know!

I know it isn't even Thanksgiving....but I have been bitten by the holiday bug. I mean, the Christmas lights were up in Tampa, for goodness sake. So today, I spent the better part of the day in my very own "Santa's Workshop." in other words, my room above the garage.


Making wreaths....


Yep, an evergreen explosion!


Pretty pleased with my finished products. Papa Joe says they are boring....I say...PRETTY!


My kitchen window box...before the lights...
What does one do with leftover evergreen branches?



Back door explosion! Love it also!! But here is proof that someone else is in the Christmas mood.....


My friend in Boston made a wreath out of Michigan driftwood. Love it as well...


Maggie is making me a Christmas tree skirt.. Just you wait...it is going to be darling...


And Maggie also has her tree up.... So get jolly people!

Location:Santa's workshop

Life is full of miracles.... And hunters

Our parents always taught us to be nice. Seriously, be nice to people. I have tried my best, all my life to be nice. Somedays, I succeed. When I moved back to Jacksonville 6.5 years ago....my youngest sister told my mother... "I guess Mary listened to you, it does pay to be nice to people." you see, when I moved home, my friends were amazing! They stored my furniture in their barn, they power washed and stained my deck, they hauled boxes, hung chandeliers, trimmed trees, ripped out bushes, re-wired, painted, stained, cleaned, mowed the yard...I could go on and on. My friends welcomed me home in the best imaginable way.

My mother is a lovely, gracious lady. Who is NICE. Amazingly so. So it has been no surprise that everyone who knows her loves her. Since she has been sick, her friends have blown out all the stops. Meals, snacks, cards, flowers and assorted gifts arrive DAILY. Cousins, relatives and friends have flown in from California, Massachusetts, and now Florida. They have driven from Kansas, Michigan, Indiana and Missouri. This has been a true blessing. We could not get though these times without our friends, their love and meals!!

Last week, my mother's dear friend Mary called...she wanted to come see my mother. Sounds easy, right? My Mom can only handle short visits right now, and Mary knows this. So she made plans to come visit. The thing is, Mary lives in Naples, Florida. And Jacksonville really is not an easy place to get to. The thing is, Mary was determined. She was coming. arriving Saturday night and leaving Sunday morning.

I did not tell my mother...it was going to be a surprise. So this morning,I took her to get her hair done, a special call to her hairdresser was all it took. I merely told her that we wanted her to look pretty. It doesn't hurt that she loves getting her hair done!

While she was there, I went to the meat locker to purchase a roast to make for dinner. HUNTING season...I made some new friends from Holland, Michigan.


Looks like a successful day in the greater Jacksonville area. Yes, they were shocked when I asked to take a picture! I then went inside to purchase a sirloin roast. All I can say is, it doesn't get much fresher than this!!!,


Seriously, Daniel cut the roast right off the cow leg. Or whatever you call it. Ok, now I am feeling a bit weird about dinner... So I made dinner, and took it to my parents, only telling them that a mystery guest was arriving for dinner.

Then Mary arrived. The tears were flowing and my mother? Simply put, she turned to me and said, through her tears..."this is better than Christmas." Honestly, one of life's best moments....amazing.


Happy tears.... Mom then ran to the phone to call her best friend Emy, and she came right over...more tears. Another incredible moment to see the three of them together again.


A day of happiness. Truly, a miracle....to see them all together one more time. What a wonderful way to welcome in the holiday season. And a reminder...BE nice people! It pays off...in amazing ways.

Location:Jacksonville, Illinois