Thanksgiving #2

So after we got home on Friday from Thanksgiving #1, we turned around on Saturday and drove to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving #2. Thanksgiving #2 was rather uneventful... so much so that I didn't even take pictures. Lame, I know. I don't usually get to see my family at Thanksgiving, so I don't know of any traditions. One of my sisters always makes pecan rolls at my family gatherings... DELICIOUS! No one can really duplicate her recipe. Her daughter can... and did for several years when that sister lived in AZ and couldn't always come home for the holidays.

This holiday was extra fun because there were 3 babies there! Little Man, my nieces' baby (1 month older than Little Man) and a 3rd that I'm not technically related to, but it's so convoluted to explain, it's not worth the breath. All of my siblings are step (for over 20 years now), and I have spent many holidays with their father and his wife (my step-mom's ex-husband and wife). I think my kids will even grow up calling them "PeePaw" and "Mare" just like everyone else. Someday I'll probably have to draw a diagram just to explain to my kids. So the 3rd baby is from that side of the convoluted family. Anyway, it was fun to watch the babies interact with each other, and then to watch the adults pass around babies and play.

Here are a few pics from Thanksgiving #1...

Thanksgiving #1

The Mister's side of the family has this tradition going back oh, 40+ years. Camping at Thanksgiving. It started with just his immediate family, and eventually blossomed into this giant 100+ person meal. Several families from his childhood church camp (6-10 families) at the same campground in south Texas, and then everyone else arrives on Thursday with food in hand. We used to go every year, but then his parents retired and moved to central Texas. So now it's just us. There have been a few years that we didn't camp, for one reason or another. Last year, we just invited his parents to our house for the week. Which means they bring their yappy dogs (rat terriers.... really.). So this year, to avoid time spent with the yappy dogs, we suggested camping again. It was also Little Man's first time camping. He did alright... woke up in the middle of the night all 3 nights, but otherwise it was good.

So now we're off to do Thanksgiving with my side of the family. My side at any holiday is TOTALLY different than his side. His side at Thanksgiving: 9 people in attendance (my family of 5, his parents, a brother & his wife)... My side at Thanksgiving: 30+ people (I'm the youngest of 6... plus nieces/nephews now bring significant others, and even a couple of them have babies!). My side is LOUD... almost too loud. Someone will usually sit down at the piano and start playing, and then like a moth to a flame, others gather round and start singing. Very Norman Rockwall.

Normally we don't see my side until Christmas, but this year we are going to start what will hopefully become a new tradition. We are going skiing. Instead of dealing with the usual family drama(s) (oh, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about), we are removing ourselves from the warzone ridiculousness state and heading to Colorado. I'll tell you more about that another day.

For now, I'm off to finish a few chores before we head to Oklahoma. Should be interesting...

My heart broke a little...

Saturday night, my heart broke a little. Sister #2 came downstairs after her shower and she was crying. I thought she hurt herself. But when I asked, she let it all out. She said she wanted to move back to our old neighborhood and play with her old friends. She said she didn't like it here. My heart broke.
We moved about 7 1/2 months ago. The Little Man was on his way, and we needed a house with more space. So over spring break we moved. We let the sisters finish the school at the school they had been going to for nearly 2 years. We thought that would help... you know, try to keep some sense of normalcy. Especially knowing that once Little Man made his debut, a lot of that normalcy would fly right out the window.
The new house is in a new neighborhood, but there are quite a few families with kids already here. In fact, there are 13 other kids on our cul-de-sac and 12 on the cul-de-sac behind us. And 4 of them are Sister #2's age! In fact, both sisters have made friends with almost every single one of them. And once school started, they have friends on the bus that they know from church. So it came as a real surprise when she said this.
What do you do? I was almost at a loss for words. We explained to her that we weren't going to move back to our old house. And we suggested she play with some of the kids that aren't as bossy. Deep down, I know this is just one of the parts of childhood you have to just muddle through. But as a mom, it breaks my heart.
Yesterday, she woke up in a fine mood... and she even played outside with some neighborhood kids yesterday afternoon. I guess we'll take it one day at a time.

Friday ramblings...

So yesterday I went to Canton. What that means is, I went to First Monday Trade Days in Canton, TX. Flea market/shops/food/je ne c'est quoi... It's hard to describe, because it's more than a flea market. Yes there is junk. But there are booths with beautiful floral arrangements, booths with darling baby clothes, booths with "now why didn't I think of that?" handmade

gifty items. I mostly purchased things to decorate my home (we just moved in about 7 months ago).

Here are some photos of the things I bought for my daughters' bathroom (they have a jack-and-jill bathroom).

I bought 2 of these, one turquoise & one pink.

Here's a close-up of the glittery center:

Here's a few original art pieces I bought for their bathroom as well:

I also bought a cross from this same artist... it's bigger than the hearts, and it's sooooo pretty... red on a yellowish background.

It was really good for me to go. My hubbie is out of town, so my parents came to stay with Little Man (6 months old) and to be here when the girls got off the bus. I was able to shop and chat with my friend... something I haven't been able to do in a long time. It was refreshing for my soul.

Good advice from Van Halen...

So, I'm a totally 80's music fan. Probably because that's the decade I went to elementary school, middle school, and even the beginning of high school. So when I started to type this morning, the first words in my head were "Right now" which led me to immediately think of the Van Halen song... so I looked up the lyrics on-line, and what do you know? They actually have some good advice! Here's a small sampling:

Right now, hey

Its your tomorrow

Right now,

Cmon,its everything

Right now,

Catch a magic moment, do it

Right here and now

It means everything

Miss the beat, you lose the rhythm,

And nothing falls into place, no

Only missed by a fraction,

Slipped a little off your pace, oh,

The more things you get, the more you want,

Just trade in one for the other,

Workin so hard, to make it easier, whoa,

Got to turn, cmon turn this thing around

Who knew? I mean, really... the same band that sang "Hot for Teacher" actually came up with some profound lyrics! Granted, the lead singer has changed, but still...

So, I am going to take their advice, and "catch a magic moment" and get some things done around here... a few things I've been procrastinating. And maybe listen to some 80's music, too.

Disclaimer... I've never been the brightest when it comes to lyrics and what they actually mean. So if this song is about something other than living in the moment and being content in the here and now, well... I'm sorry. And I don't want to know what they really mean either.

The beginning...

The beginning. “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...” (name that musical)...

I’ve thought off and on about starting a blog. I read many blogs... some of close friends and some that are complete strangers. I guess what they all have in common is that something about each particular blog interests me... they might make me laugh, or give me ideas for decorating my home, or even help me see God in the everyday. So then I think about what I have to offer. Hmmm... I wonder. The jury may still be out on that.

What I can tell you is this... I'm no Pioneer Woman. What you won't find here are recipes... I don't really cook. My wonderful husband finds joy in cooking. So I let him. No need to rob him of joy. I do put together a meal here and there, usually when he's out of town. So if I ever post a recipe, it'll probably be a "What Not To Cook" recipe or "WOW, can you believe it? It worked!" kind of thing.

You will find pictures and stories of my kids. They keep me on my toes! You also might get pictures from vacations... we are a family that enjoys traveling.

So, we'll see. Who knows what this might bring?