Cookie Tradition

Ashley often says that her favorite Thanksgiving tradition is making Christmas cookies at Aunt Sandi's house. Sandi was sweet enough to get everything ready so we could all gather around the table after the dishes to decorate cookies. A big thanks to Sandi and Ashley for walking a mile with me before we got the cookies out. I was happy not to miss a day of walking.

It's so fun to gather with all the women in the family around the table. We tease, laugh and get creative and messy with frosting and sprinkles.

This was Briana's first time decorating with us so that made it fun. She was exceptionally creative. Molly only decorated one cookie but when it came time for the judging she was the big winner. It was a gorgeous cookie. I wonder if anyone ate it yet.

We were all excited to introduce Lincoln to our cookie tradition. Ashley had been telling him how much fun it would be when we got cookies at Aunt Sandi's house. He loved the process and we loved watching and helping. He thought it was lots of fun even before he realized the frosting was edible and delicious! Aunt Cindy helped and when she taught him to say "delicious" he repeated it many times with lots of enthusiasm.

It's so special for me to watch Ashley get excited about family traditions that we have been creating for years. It's wonderful to see the old traditions continue and see new ones created. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving in every way.

Mason City Thanksgiving

 I just love Thanksgiving and this year was wonderful too. Spending time with family is the best part of all. We haven't been able to have everyone together for several years but my sister's and I gathered and we had a good crowd. I just love getting to see my nieces and nephews who I don't get to see often enough.

 Sandi and Dale hosted again and everything was wonderful. I was thrilled that all of my kids were able to make it this year. They had no conflicts with work or family so it was great to share the day with all of them.

 I didn't even get my camera out until after dinner. Lincoln was helping with dishes when I offered him a taste of the gravy that we were getting ready for the fridge. His first taste with his finger led to more. He got a spoon and was enjoying the drippings left in the pan. The gravy was a huge hit.

Lincoln's always excited when Jay and Breezy are around. Jay is such a good uncle. When Lincoln turned up missing we found him with Uncle Jay sitting on the potty chair in the bathroom. That's a good uncle!

 So very much to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving. It makes me so happy to see Lincoln love family. He loves his great aunts and all the extended family. I look forward to another baby boy in the family coming in 2014.

Thanksgiving Eve

 The holiday is off to a great start! I saved the three inches of Monday snow that fell on my patio so that Lincoln could help me move it and practice using his new red shovel. I was impressed with his skills and strength. He will be a big help with snow removal.

 

After all that shoveling a boy needs a little rest. Lincoln settled in with Mommy's old doll in Uncle Jay's old chair to watch a little TV and warm up by the fire. He also helped me with my Thanksgiving baking. I am bringing desserts to our Mason City feast. Lincoln ate apple slices while I filled the apple pie and I let him crack an egg after he requested that he get a turn tapping eggs too. It's always lots of fun baking with Lincoln. The measurements are less precise and the mess is much bigger but it's better in every way. Now I am all set for the big holiday.

It's Still November

Monday morning we got more snow than I had expected. My day was full so I was out on the driveway before 8 am to shovel. I know that 8 am doesn't sound terribly early but I don't work on Mondays so it felt early enough for me. If November is any indication our winter could be quite snowy. It's still Autumn.

Boys Weekend

  I had a houseful of boys this weekend and it was great! Dale, Lincoln and Mowgli all came to visit. It was a weekend filled with lots of time at home which was perfect with all the cold outside. I did walk Mowgli a mile each day and Lincoln and I got some snow time but it did feel like winter.

 Mowgli loves to kick up the snow which Lincoln found hysterically funny.

 Pasta was the food of choice but we also had waffles and lots of other good things. We read books, did puzzles,  played with marbles, blocks and lots of "little people." It's fun to see what Lincoln does with marbles. I love those cute little stinky toes!

 Mom and Dad came to visit again which was great. It was unfortunate that the car needed more repair but it worked out great for us. Lincoln loved a chance to play and show off some of his new skills. He especially loved the "kids lunch" that he got to order! These are mostly Ipod photos that I clicked quickly to send off to Lincoln's parents who were on a weekend away. I didn't take much time with the camera but spent lots of time enjoying the people around me.

 I am so glad that Ashley and Travis had a little get-away. It was a wonderful weekend for me too. Lincoln was a joy and Dale was a huge help. I think two adults to one child is a great ratio for middle age people like us. Everything went so smoothly with all of us here. The only tiny glitch is that although Lincoln sleeps beautifully at night he has a hard time napping at my house. We easily fix that with a drive around the countryside in the early afternoon. I thought I would be exhausted by the end of the weekend but I am not tired, just filled with very sweet new memories! It was a great weekend.

Friday Walk

 Here I am again posting photos that I snapped while walking around the lake. This was Friday's walk with Mowgli and my first time there with a little snow. I am so very grateful to have found this spot. We walked around the lake twice and I appreciated the nature and beauty even with the chill in the air. Having such a great spot to walk so close to home is helping me lots especially when I take a few photos. My camera has often been a great companion.

More Change

 When I woke up to snow this morning I realized that there were even more weather changes for the week. It wasn't much snow but because of the cold forecast I did take the time to shovel. I want the sunshine to hit that icy coating found beneath the snow. My little garden gnome looks chilled but Mowgli loves it. I am hoping that the snowfall will bring more birds to my suet too. This afternoon should bring a walk in the woods with Mowgli. Time to embrace the season!

Weather Change

 Due to a cold drippy week I have skipped my daily walks for two days. That's a big change because I have been faithful for more than a month but it's wet and windy this week and expected to get colder. So I found other things to do. I baked bread and made an oven dinner when the kids came over. Lincoln helped with the warm bread. I also found time to knit baby brother's Christmas stocking for their house while relaxing in my Grammy chair in front of the fire.

 Early this week I did do some raking, cleaned up some gardens and planted garlic but it hasn't been that kind of weather the last few days so we found more time for TV. After a minute Lincoln realized that he didn't want to watch TV that close and said, "Hold you, Grammy." I snatched him up quickly and we snuggled in the Grammy chair. I am enjoying a little TV snuggle time even though I am missing sandbox and comfortable walks. When it's dry I will bundle up and hit the trails again.

Adding Veggies

I have made good progress with increasing my exercise and activity. Another focus has been increasing vegetable intake. It's not the first time I have made these changes in life but I am doing it again. It's a good thing. A side benefit of increasing the veggies is that I am decreasing some of the other less healthy foods. I stuffed this squash with veggies, brown rice and herbs on Sunday and roasted broccoli with garlic for the side. The crispy broccoli is an interesting change but not everyone loves it. It was a tasty meal but I did go back to the kitchen to bake a batch of cookies afterward. The good news is that I sent almost all of the cookies off to others.

Saturday Visit

Mom and Dad traveled from Mason City on Saturday and it was a great visit. Their van had an appointment down here so we had time to spend most of the day together. At noon we all gathered for a lunch. I didn't even think of getting my camera out until after Travis and Lincoln went home but I did get a few shots.

It was especially fun to take my parents to see Jay and Briana's new house and have some time to play with Kirby. Dale likes playing with Kirby too. It's always nice to see Lincoln with my parents and I am glad that he is so talkative even in a big group. It was a very special family day. So glad that we could all be together!

Catching Up

It's been more than seven years since I sat down with these dear friends together! We used to celebrate all of our birthday's with lunch dates then life changed and although I have seen each of them a couple of times Friday was a chance to really catch up all together. Troyce and Lea have been good friends since I first moved to the Cedar Valley in the early nineties. We have been through lots together. It was such a joy to be together and we plan to do it again in the Spring. I am so appreciative for old friends that make the effort to keep in touch. My friends are some of my greatest blessings.

November Beauty

 The rust and blue colors from my weekend walks turned to white today when we got almost an inch of snow on Veteran's Day. It looked so much like November with snow on the mums and pumpkins that I had to jump out of the car as I was leaving the driveway to snap a shot. After my haircut and coffee date I stopped to play with Lincoln. Mommy left for a quick errand and we decided to play in the snow. I looked and looked but couldn't find his mittens so we used socks. They worked well as we ran, skipped and jumped in the snow. When Ashley came home I found out that the mittens were in his coat pocket. Hmm, that's a great place for mittens, not sure why I didn't think to look there!

Knitting Socks and Stockings

I never thought I would try to knit socks but when Jill came to visit bearing yarn and needles I decided to give it a try. Stockings for the mantle have been great projects but knitting socks for feet is a new challenge.  I am enjoying the process so far but have not yet started the heel which may be a bit more difficult. It's fun to do something new. Hopefully the second sock is as much fun as the first. For now it's time to start thinking about some Christmas knitting so these pink socks may be set aside for a month or two since I have started a baby boy stocking. Now that the gardens are tucked in for the winter there will be lots more time for yarn and needles. There will be plenty of time for socks and stockings.