Thanksgiving at the Farm

It was a bittersweet Thanksgiving this year without my Sugar. Last year he pulled me into his lap and neither of us seemed to want that moment to end. We didn't know it would be the last time. We sure missed him at our family feast. We also missed his beautiful prayer over the meal. But we're all confident that we will sit with him at the great banquet table in heaven one day soon.Donna and I went to help Mother two days before our big family gathering. We went out for Mexican food to treat ourselves before the busy cooking began.

Cousins Joe and Janet came for the night and we enjoyed our visit with them as always. They left early the next morning for Thanksgiving with Janet's brother and family. Thanks, you two, for buying our meal.

I guess no one has told my mother that she is 83. Before we arrived, she had all the dressing and cranberry salad made, rolls mixed up, three cakes baked, and two fruit pies made. Then she spent the day making eight more pies. These crusts were filled with pumpkin, chocolate, coconut and pecan. They were delicious! And a lot of work, but she never complained. While she baked, Donna and I readied the basement, washed dishes, chopped, and ran from one freezer or refrigerator to another. That includes the ones in the three houses on her property. We got our exercise.

My niece Shelley brought her dog and Baylee and Sophia enjoyed getting to know him. Sophia appears a little coy in this picture.

We were happy that Brian brought his parents to share Thanksgiving with us. His mother just lost both her parents so it was a bittersweet time for them too. My sister-in-law Rita lost her mother this year so it seemed appropriate that we all band together.

My brother Dennis didn't need any coaxing to appear in this picture with my beautiful granddaughters. He likes the pretty girls!

Two of my sisters-in-law Cindy and Peggy, and Shelley's step-dad Kenneth.

Our family can boast some beauties! I'm proud to say that these belong to me. My beautiful daughter and four of my beautiful granddaughters.

This is the dessert bar with all the pies and cakes Mother made. One pan of her rolls are in the background on the stove. Yes, she is 83 and simply amazing!

Dennis has him another pretty girl. This time he is wrapping an arm around our niece Shelley. Did I say he likes pretty girls? At this gathering, there were plenty to go around. Happy Thanksgiving.

Texas Divas' November Lunch

The Texas Divas made a beautiful showing today with only one of our group missing. We miss you Paula F.! We had a fabulous time and so much to catch up on. Let's face it, a lot can happen in one month among 9 ladies!

I'm so proud of our group picture, thanks to our lovely server, Sara. She fit right into our craziness and is even a Twilight fan, which is even better. This is such an awesome group and we have so much fun together.

We were thrilled to have Deborah back with us. She is not allowed to take any more reprieves from the Texas Divas. She always adds her brand of humor and is definitely one of us! These three Divas were in school together as friends.

Donna and Deborah met in the 3rd grade so they go back a ways. I'll be kind and not tally up the number of years they have been friends.

New best friends Jan and Darlene. They had to miss our last lunch and we were so happy to have their smiling faces back in our midst.

This is our server, Sara, and Donna's new BFF. We plan to look for her on Facebook and we've given her my blog address, and hoping she will join our ranks. We need another boost of estrogen since Allison is carrying us all through on her own. Welcome, Sara, and be sure to leave a comment here. We've adopted you. Donna has captured you.

This picture of my sister and daughter just warms my heart. I love the touchy-feely emotions I get when I look at those who are so deeply planted in my soul.

I got to share the spotlight with two dear friends. Patty and I have been friends forever, and even though we only met Paula almost two years ago, she is the type to make you feel that you have been the best of friends for a long time. We just love her to pieces!

We are planning our December lunch for the 19th if all goes well. And Sara, if you're off, be sure to join us instead of serving us.

You are all so special and loved so much!

New Moon!

Allison, Patty and I decided to be spontaneous and crazy and go to the first showing of New Moon at midnight. We were pumped! We arrived early and checked out several theaters in search of good seats. All screens but one were showing New Moon. Once seated, we sat and waited with much anticipation. I was afraid the teenage girls would be squealing and noisy, but the place was quiet all through the movie. Even Patty and I, the grandma Twilight fans, managed to keep our squeals in check.

It was close to 3:00am when we left the theater. It was beginning to rain, I was driving in an area I'm not too familiar with, and got lost. I have a sense of direction so I stayed pointed the right way and finally saw a landmark I recognized. Were we nervous being lost at 3:00am? Not at all. We were laughing so hard at ourselves. Got to bed at 4:00am and knew our grandchildren would be proud of our midnight adventure. All three of us had a ball!

Sophia's 3rd Birthday Party

The Lion King birthday party for Sophia was a roaring success. The cake was an absolute work of art. I don't know how Allison's friend was able to make icing to look just like a mane and the face to look like real fur. It takes a talent I don't have. I've considered taking a cake decorating course so that I could make cakes for the grandchildren, but never got around to it. I guess I knew I'd fail. There's not an artistic bone in my body.

Sophia looked a little uncomfortable when we all sang to her. This birthday party stuff at age 3 is still pretty new. But she finally smiled and blew out her candles.

She was clearly Uncle Ron's girl today. She'd been saying for weeks that her uncle Ron was coming to her party.

There's evidence of Memaw's homemade chocolate ice cream on her shirt. That's also evidence of a great time.

Look at that shy expression. She's the center of attention and doesn't quite know how to handle it. She'll catch on.

The kids were encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes to the party and enjoy them another day. Allison really fixed up for the occasion. I asked what she was (this was a kids' party after all) and she said "a pretty, pretty princess". Well, she was wearing a tiara.

I thought she looked great but would look a lot better if she'd added a little more makeup. Something was missing.

While the kids feasted from Lion King plates, the women got to feast our eyes on Edward from Twilight. Naughty girls.

OK, I'm a perv. I admit it. I have a granddaughter older than Edward. But I'm not dead.

Pretty Baylee as Dorothy enjoying birthday cake. It was a perfect day with brisket tacos, dips and chips, lots of sweets and presents and fun. All for our perfect Sophia!

Happy Birthday, Sophia!

Our pretty little Sophia is 3 years old today. She has grown so much over the past year and her vocabulary has grown with her. She is so funny and sweet and we love to hear her talk.
She really enjoyed her first tea party with Baylee and Memaw. She felt so big being able to pour her tea herself.

Without a doubt, this is the face of an angel, even though it might look very similar to a lion cub.

This was taken over a year ago and it's obvious that she is losing some of that baby face. But at age 3, there's still enough baby face to melt my heart.

Happy birthday, Sophia. Tomorrow we will celebrate your birthday in style. Memaw is bringing the ice cream and cookies for her little princess. I love you sweet girl!

Hunting Season & Slumber Parties Begin!

Oh, the fun has begun! There is nothing like being free of a routine for the weekend. No dishes, no cooking, no cleaning. While we may not do the town, Patty and I have fun doing nothing. As I write this, she is in bed reading. It's not about entertaining each other. It's about being routine-free as I mentioned.Robin took the camera with him to the deer lease so I'm using an older camera. Please disregard the date. I don't know how to change it. As you can see from these pictures, we went shopping for shoes. BOGO can either be fun or it can be funny. Since we didn't see anything we like we made it funny. Patty can actually get her feet into the children's shoes and here she's modeling a sweet pair of saddle oxfords.

I decided a pair of boots might really look good with my capris. I'm sure I've started a new trend.

These darling shoes are not only too cute but also very warm. You just feel like you are walking on a cloud with all the fuzzy detail. These are a must for the smart dresser.

Robin thought it would be sweet and funny to give Patty and I our own Snuggie. He knows we spend a lot of time with books and this stylish blanket will keep us toasty warm.

Patty is saying, "Yea for our team!". The box even showed how practical and comfortable this Snuggie can be on a flight. When we pack, our Snuggie is going with us!

More to come tomorrow. We aren't through yet!

A Date With Sophia

We had so much fun today as we had lunch and birthday shopping with Sophia. Since she will turn 3 this Saturday it was her first time to be a part of the annual birthday outings with Memaw and Papa. All three of us were over the moon!

Sophia was so adorable as we looked through the selection of dolls. Each one produced the sweetest "ohhhhh" from her lips. She fell in love with all of them. After going down all the aisles with girl toys she finally decided she wanted a double doll and stroller set and a diaper bag full of bottles and diapers.

Sophia is a big fan of Lion King and just squealed when she saw this lion cub. It was obvious that the cub was going home with her.

Sophia is posing with her new dolls and strollers after also picking out a little surprise for her brother and sister.

This was a special experience just seeing the joy on her face and the excitement in her voice. The fun isn't over yet because we will celebrate her birthday Sunday with a party at her house. She is having very special guests. She wanted to invite "God, Jesus, Uncle Ron, and babies" to the party. Looks like we'll all be in good company.

Halloween Cuties, Never Scary

I got to see three of my grandchildren all decked out for Halloween since I went to Allison's and passed out candy while she took the kids out. Needless to say, the pictures are self-explanatory. Cute!

While Jude and Baylee were all caught up in the occasion, Sophia sat herself down and proceeded to eat from her pumpkin sack. She savored every bite. Once a year being this indulgent won't hurt.