Family Fun

We have had a lot of fun lately. Sunny and Thunder spent the night two times this past week. And of course, there was fun at Thanksgiving dinner yesterday:

Waiting for the animal pancakes to be served

Thunder got an "R" and a "Rascal"

Sunny got an "S", mickey mouse, and "Duke"

Katie does not want Thunder to suck his thumb...

Playing with the magnetic Nativity 

Helping Gramps change out the door knob

Sunny: "Thunder...

get that thumb out of your mouth!"

A visit to Grammy's has to include time in the rocking chair

Jessica, Sunny, Thunder, Katie, Dan, Me on Thanksgiving Day

I'm Thankful...

Today as we pause as a nation to count our blessings, I'm thankful.

I'm grateful for my husband, Dan.

I'm grateful for my family, my kids, my grandkids.

I'm thankful for my wonderful friends.

I'm grateful for the blessings and provisions God has given us this year.

I'm grateful for good health, a roof over my head, food in my pantry, clothes in my closet.

I'm thankful for my pets.

I'm thankful for sunny days, cloudy days, and the rare rainy days.

I'm grateful that my eyesight and fingers are holding out so I can cross-stitch.

I'm thankful for far too many things to list in a blog post.

But the thing I am most thankful for is that God sent His Son, Jesus into the world to live as a man. That Jesus was willing to die on the cross for my sin. That He rose from the grave after three days and that through Him I have salvation.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November TUSAL

Oh my, I almost missed out this month. I remembered that it was TUSAL time as I was laying in bed trying to sleep. I've been busy this month finishing Katie's stocking and stitching away at Gabe's stocking.

Granddaughter, Pinterest, Pets

We went down to Mesa to see Zach, Ashley and Skye this weekend. Of course I have pictures. Skye is going to be two years old in March. She is talking quite a bit. She is a champion climber. She's a sweetie.

Jessica had a day off yesterday for Veteran's Day. We decided to hang out. We began with a movie in the morning while cross-stitching. Next up, Paradise Cafe for lunch - yummy! We came home and made a craft we had both pinned. As you can see, it's the same craft with very different results. Hers is to be the wreath on her door. Mine is to be the backdrop for other decor. We had a blast!

Duke and Summer were laying together in the sun. Until I got the camera!

Thank You, Vickie!

We were in Mesa on Saturday visiting Zach, Ashley, and Skye (I will post photos tomorrow). When we got home I found a nice surprise in my mailbox - a bottle cap pin cushion from Vickie over at "A Stitcher's Story". I have been wanting to make myself one of these and now, as I told Vickie, I don't have to!

Thank you so much, Vickie for your kind gift and card.

A Rockin' Good Time at Grammy's House

Have I mentioned that I don't watch my grandkids regularly any more? Katie got a job as Director at a KinderCare so the kids go with her every day now. I can have them whenever I want them, and I'm on stand-by for if they get sick, but it's not the same. Don't get me wrong, Katie said I can have them one day a week if I want to. I want to, but I need to wait until Dan gets used to the new appraisal opportunity he is working now.

Anyway. I say all of that to say this: the kids were over yesterday morning for a couple of hours. It was so great to see them and we had a terrific time. We played puzzles. We read stories. We sang songs. We watched the "angel video" (it's really a Jacquie Lawson Christmas e-card) and sang the songs on it. We had snack. We watched "Sesame Street" and "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse". We played cars. We bounced balls. They oohed and aahed over the Christmas Tree I have up in the spare room.

And they rocked in the rocking chairs.

The rocking chairs are a huge hit at my house. Thunder especially loves to rock. He moves from the big chair to the little chair to the upholstered rocking chair to the other little chair to the... well you get the picture.

Rocking and singing "Away in a Manger"

The Rocking King

Big Sister

Sunny, Grammy, Thunder - what a fun morning!

Your Voice is Your Vote

Tomorrow is Election Day in the United States. If you want a voice in your future you must vote. The Presidency is not the only item on the ballot. Most states and communities are also going to the polls to choose other federal, state, and local officials. There are dozens of propositions at stake across the country. Each of these items has a direct effect on your future.

One of the excuses I hear the most for not voting is the vote canceling myth. You've heard it "my husband votes one way and I vote the other, so we cancel each other's votes". Nothing could be further from the truth. That would be like saying that in a football game each touchdown or field goal scored cancels the touchdown or field goal scored by the other team. It doesn't work that way. Each and every vote is counted. When you see the voting results they read (for example) 100,922 for Prop 1 and 89,327 against Prop 1. They don't take the difference and only report those votes. Every vote counts!

Please, let your voice be heard tomorrow - VOTE!

Goodbye October... Hello November

Whew... I'm glad October's over! Since I'm not hosting Thanksgiving this year I can start to really concentrate on Christmas.

But before we move on, let me show you some of our Halloween fun.

Last Friday, we attended the Harvest Festival at the kids' school.

Thunder was a "rocker".

Sunny was a Black Cat. 

Trying to get a cute brother/sister shot at the pumpkin display.

We failed!

Thunder was most interested in playing on the slides.

But he did take a break to eat a cupcake!

Halloween at Abuela and Papa's house.

Here's my brother/sister shot.

Sunny was afraid of Tio Robert's Dracula, but Thunder wasn't.

As we headed out to trick or treat Sunny kept saying "I don't want to trick or treat". After she started getting candy in her bag she proclaimed "Trick or Treating is so much fun!"

Roberta (Abuela) and Robert

Three happy trick-or-treaters!