a busy Thanksgiving morning

This is my Livie dancing with the cheerleaders in the Macy's parade...Hope is glued as well to the production, not missing a step or a note...  (see the laundry piled up?  keeping it real...)

And, she did a wonderful job sorting the cranberries.

Gifting...

When I went to bed the night before my birthday, I found this sweet offering on my bedside table... Livie had been thoughtfully busy. (Do you see her precious shells in the display? There was even a whole sand dollar she had saved from an adventure with Tuma in the summer.) Does it get any better? Turns out it did...

The next morning Livie came in early to help me celebrate...I had MacGyver, dogs, Livie and Hope all tumbling and snuggling together on our bed.  Can you imagine what is in this lovely masterpiece?  I was tempted to leave it wrapped but she wouldn't have it.

this is it...and MacGyver immediately ran downstairs and filled it with my favorite  hazlenut brew...

Hope, too, had thoughtfully prepared for my birthday weeks ahead buying a beautiful, china plate at one of our favorite bazaars and saving it for my big day.

Isn't it lovely?  ...just like my daughter...

And Jon, bless him, watched the girls so MacGyver and I could have an evening strolling under the twinkling lights of Bridgeport, eating my favorite burgers in a heated gazebo.  It's so fun to be outdoors in the fall...  We even found the amazing lampshade we've been searching for...photo in a later blog.  Did I tell you, Jon left me a package for Hope to deliver after he went back to school?  He'd been shopping at Nike...and bought me a new hoodie.  Another, perfectly thoughtful gift.  

And there were gifts from family afar and dear ones close by...cards to make me belly laugh and cry all at the same time.  ...time spent with friends to help me celebrate.  My heart is full.  Thank you Lord for all these wonderful ones You've placed in my life.  I am blessed.  These are the good  ol' days...

The first Sunday of Advent

The first Sunday of Advent we'll light the Prophesy Candle.  I have the breakfast table set with a wonderful book to guide us through the season, (Rebecca Hayford Bauer's The 25 Days of Christmas) Christmas plates, yummy cinnamon rolls, oranges, Marie's cheese souffle and small packages for the family.  I'll post pictures later...

We've been celebrating Advent, looking forward to the coming of our Savior, from the first Christmas we were together.  That Christmas we were given the privilege of lighting the Prophesy Candle in our large church in Bel Air, California.  Jon was just a little guy and I think the experience was a bit much for him.  He was a trooper.

The Prophesy Candle reminds us of the incredible "fingerprint" our Father God left through the prophets  to help us see the miracle of Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection and know for certain that He is The One.  Isaiah, Micah, King David and even Moses write of the coming Messiah among others.   Each year, as I learn more and study scripture, I am even more amazed at the complexity and depth of the prophecies and their miraculous fulfillment in Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  Thank you, Lord Jesus for coming...  May we celebrate You well this season.

He's so good to me...

the night before Thanksgiving...

It seems that when the family comes together, one must have a meal worthy of those dear ones even though it's not really Thanksgiving yet...what to do, what to do?... The answer, Sarita's Tomato Soup, Daniel's Cesear Salad, Open Door Farm Pesto and yummy bread. Dessert??? oops, well there's always tomorrow.

Dressing up...

We've come to really enjoy our Halloween tradition...sharing it with our dear friends. We concentrate on the sweet/fun dress-up side of the holiday and shun the icky, scary parts. This is last year's picture of the younger ones from our two families. You'll see a similar photo from this year at the end of the post.

These guys looked pretty awesome a few years back...and they could make record time through the neighborhoods collecting enough booty to last until summer.

See the size of his bag? ...think big, Son.

Now, this year Livie and I had a remarkable moment in T.J. Maxx...a perfect dress for a queen...meet Lucy of Narnia, complete with hoop. (We'd just read a great story about a mishap with hoop skirts in In Grandma's Attic...highly recommended reading!)...perfect timing...you should have seen her negotiate that hoop into sitting position. She looked absolutely lovely and as she reminded us, was the only 'queen' in the bunch...the rest were 'princesses.'

So, what to do about Hope? She had her heart set on Buttercup, from the Princess Bride...actually a perfect choice for my long haired, blonde beauty. So, off to Fabric Depot (thank you Laurie for introducing it to me so many years ago), a wonderful place where creative dreams begin...

It was going rather well except that we were running out of time and other important things kept taking priority... Sunday morning, Halloween morning, I got up early, sewed while Daniel got the family fed and ready for church, went to church in two cars so I could rush home as the last 'amen' sounded...and I did...

Isn't she beautiful? I had to pin the back and she graciously understood.

Once again, a sweet group of lovlies to graciously greet the neighbors.

Happy Birthday Jon!

This was last year...great friends and lots of fun...

But now, I've got this problem...

...he went to college and I can't make him his birthday breakfast on the "You are special today" plate...

You see, October is Jon's month. He turned 19, oh my, on the 21st. The girls and Daniel got to go to Corvallis to help him celebrate...I had a very sick puppy to care for.

The first birthday I got to help him celebrate, his dad and I with some dear friends took him to Disneyland for the first time. He was turning 5. I didn't get to be with him for his day as I still lived in L.A., but I sent some gifts including a wonderful soccer, football, basketball set just the right size for a 5-year-old guy. By the time he was 6, I was there and making breakfast, hosting parties and creating fun birthday cakes. I think the Zorro birthday and maybe the Boot Camp birthday were my favorites...so fun.

He got his new, red Schwinn when he turned 10...joy!

By the time he was in his teens, the cakes turned into brownies

or cobblers like this one below for his 17th.

Happy Birthday Jon. You have my heart and I love you.

Christmas in August

I've been wanting to do this forever... It was supposed to be "Christmas in July..." but, oh well. July was busy. I finally cleared the calendar and just did it. Yea!

I told the girls that they were going to have a special day but it was going to be a surprise. I think the anticipation is almost as much fun as the event.

When they awoke, I was wearing Christmas jingle bell earrings, a hastily painted tree t-shirt and Christmas music was playing.

They totally bought in, bless them, and even put on their Christmas duds.

Christmas tree buttermilk pancakes...

Crafting cards, tags... It was so fun just creating without the pressure of a package to finish...

Later in the day we watched Christmas movies and went to our local Christmas shop, Sleigh Bells. Let me tell all you local friends, off season is the time to shop Sleigh Bells...

We didn't do half of what I had planned, but there's always September.