Thanksgiving Day!

What a wonderful day we had, and how thankful we are! We had a big Thanksgiving day meal with dear friends and family. All 4 of the kids were here, mom was here, and James and his family (including his grandmother) were here. 12 of us in all! We all had a great time getting dinner ready....here's our menu for the day:

Roasted, Stuffed Turkey (22#)
Smoked Turkey (21#)
Deep-fried Turkey (11#)
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Pinto Beans with Smoked Venison Hocks
Green Bean Casserole
Homemade Dinner Rolls
Stuffing
Cornbread
Cranberry Sauce

Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie

The girls and I set up 2 tables; one for the adults using my china (which hasn't been out of the box since 1999!!), and the other for the "kids" (which are actually young adults and teenagers..but hey, they're still kids, right???!?) Since my china only has enough for 8, we set the kids table with our everyday dishes. They didn't care as long as the plates were full!
Mom was kind enough to lend us her 6 dining chairs....And of course we can't forget the PIE table! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Gracie Wants To Go For A Ride

I guess with all the hustle and bustle getting ready for Thanksgiving today, Grace felt a bit neglected. When Rebekah tried to take her out for a walk she ran to the truck. She was so funny I grabbed my camera and took a couple of pictures...

Yes she takes up both seats. I guess she thinks we'll ride in the back and let her drive.

She will let me take pictures of her all day long. I think we need a bigger truck. It's hard to believe she looked like this just 4 years ago.

Okay, she's ready to get out now.....

Oh Christmas Trees!

Christmas for us is a time of family and tradition. One of our family traditions (for the last 20 years), is that we go to Danville Farms on the day after Thanksgiving Day and cut down our Christmas tree. I was looking at pictures and found this video of our 2007 Christmas tree cutting. Bob, the girls, and I went for the first time without the boys. Danville Farms is such a neat place! This is the gift shop area, where you pay for the tree, and can buy wreaths, etc.

They have a tractor pulled hayride that takes you out to the trees; where you can walk through acres and acres of trees until you find the right one. We picked out 2 in 2007, one for us and one for mom.

Once you cut your tree, the hay ride brings you to the fire pit, where you can sit and eat fresh roasted peanuts and stay warm while waiting for the tree to be shaken and netted.

And finally, our beautiful Christmas tree of 2007! I am ready for 2008 now!

Going to TOC!

Rebekah's soccer team has made 1st place in her age group as of last night. This means that they will be competing in the North Texas Tournament of Champions in December!! They have one more game this year, on Nov 23....they will be playing a U-19 team.

Here are some shots from the game last night. Rebekah's team (the Chivas) beat the Shock with a score of 1-0. What a great game!

The tensions were high going into the game....the girls knew if they won this one, they would be going on to TOC. Here's part of their pre-game warm-up.

They stretch, they huddle, coach talks to them, then they say a quick pre-game prayer...

And they're ready!!

Rebekah usually plays defense, but last night the coach put her on offense during the first half of the game. Too bad this shot on goal didn't make it.....the goal keep on the other team did an excellent job, even though our girls had many many shots...only 1 got through.Rebekah is #21. This was the first time this season she has played offense...she did a great job, even though she likes defense better.It was starting to get dark, so it is hard to see this picture...but Rebekah started really getting into offense and plowed over one of her team mates and a girl from the other team! Playing against her older brothers has made this girl tough.

After the game, the coach gave a speech and handed out trophies. The girls had a great season, and they are all thrilled to be going to the state champs!She sure loves this game!!

Post Election Reflection

Bob and I have done a lot of reflection over the last week. Fear and anxiety was so high across this country for months preceding the election. These are not emotions that we are to give in to as Christians, but we found ourselves falling into this frame of mind as well.

After much prayer, I came to peace with the outcome of the election. I know it is in God's hands. Am I happy about the outcome? Nope. But I won't live in fear about the what-ifs and I won't live with anxiety and worry about things that I can not control.



I won't make an attempt to analyze any of the political movements of this country, nor will I entertain thoughts of conspiracies. The future of our beloved country is in God's hands, we will continue to trust Him.

"Security is not the absence of danger....it is the presence of God"

Costume Party Girls

Rebekah was a co-hostess for a costume party last night with a friend. Both the girls were dressed up, we prepared food all day long, and Rebekah helped plan and organize the entire event. It was a great sucess and they had a blast! Here is a shot of the girls together just before the party...

A couple of our culinary contruibutions.....Swamp punch complete with wormy hand ice cube..
And deviled eyes with a brain centerpiece. The "brain" is a small watermelon that I carved to resemble a brain.

Here's Rebekah with a few of her friends....what a crew!

Our Little Darlings...

Oh my, how do such beautiful little girly-girls turn into T-E-E-N-A-G-E-R-S!?!?! Each year the girls go to a Fall Festival, dressing up in a costume and having loads of fun.

This began in 2005, Stepanie dressed as an angel and Rebekah was a Genie. Aren't they adorable?

Then in 2006, Rebekah chose to be a cheerleader, and Steph was a gypsy...Cute as bugs!

Then last year, Stephanie had a thing for cats...it's hard to see them, but there are little black ears on her head. Rebekah was learning about Japan and decided that she was a Japanese school girl. (I don't see it, but hey, the kid was happy with her choice)

So much for the cutesy costumes. No more girly-girls. This year, they are a pirate and a murdering maid. Aren't they adorable?