Thanksgiving 2019

Our second Thanksgiving without Judson.  It seems like everything is divided into before he left and after.   We will miss him forever, but we're grateful we had him as long as we did.

Another blessing we're so so grateful for--Isaac and Jennifer are expecting their baby any day.  We wish they lived closer but they are living in beautiful country.  Love these pictures they sent to us.

 

From a land far far away, a favorite Thanksgiving memory.

This table wasn't thanksgiving but it looks like it could have been--it was in October, just two years ago.  We had a wonderful time that day, it  made my heart so happy to have both Judson and Isaac there, Betsy and Kyle and Rachel, Mama and PJ and Jeff, Laura and Charles.   It wasn't long after this that Patti's burned.  They just reopened in their new building.

This year's Thanksgiving table, the first in this new house. 

Some things don't change.  Skye still loves turkey and she knows there's a good chance V will give her another bite.

 

This year's turkey, cooked in the Nesco. 

 First time ever the cheesecake didn't crack.  Must be the new oven.

Three different mini-cupcakes.  Kyle was impressed they were all keto.  Of course :)

Kyle built a 3D dinosaur puzzle.  I didn't get Betsy's picture, but she read some of their favorite books from way back when--the Alexander books--both the Very Bad Terrible Day and Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, If you Give a Moose a Muffin, and Round Robin.

And just like that, Thanksgiving 2019 is another memory. 
Hug your peeps real tight.

Things That Happen in 11 Years

 Our Betsy girl is 11 for a couple more months.  

She's grown up so much, and she's beautiful inside and out.

And I'm thankful to have shrunk a little since way back then too.  One thing I haven't always been so thankful for are all those wrinkles that have come home to roost on my face and neck.  But I went to see Terminator Dark Force with Betsy this weekend and saw Linda Hamilton once again play that badass Sara Conner.  She obviously trains and has great muscles but she absolutely RockS those wrinkles.  

Linda is my age, 63 yo.  I'm putting her picture on my mirror to remind me that with the right attitude, wrinkles can make you look even more badass. #channelingmyinnersarahconner

October Report

 We made it through the first anniversary of Judson's passing.  We miss him terribly, but we are thankful that we had him as long as we did and that we have Betsy and Kyle and Rachel here with us to love.

 And Tami has been gone a whole year too.   I wish she had been here to help me thru this last year, but still I talk to her everyday and I know she's been by my side. 

I love this picure of Isaac.  He's in the middle of finding something to mine in that wall behind him so he's in his element here and looks so happy. 

My mama shot through her cardiac valve replacement surgery like a rock star.  It was amazing to be with her and with PJ to celebrate how well it went!

We got to go to Mrs Grae's greenhouse again :)

We planted this Winter Orange Japanese Maple in the back yard.  It just glows with the late afternoon sun.

A Little Halloween

 Mama's little witch on the dining table. 

I'm still trying to find the right spot for a wreath on the new front door.  In the meantime, I filled PJ's birdcage with some pumpkins and topped it with an old crow.

September

I loved this picture of Jennifer and Isaac in front of all those beautiful gourds and pumpkins.  I'd love to go to this festival with them next year! Our baby is growing and will be here in another couple of months <3 p="">

Just back from our fall trip to Kentucky Lake.  We got to visit with Laura and it was so good to see her and visit again.  And I'm so proud of her--she's lost 100 pounds!!  YaY!

Mark caught lots of fish this year, but not when I was with him to get pictures.  What's with that??  Anyway, he got lots of fishing time in and the sunsets were so beautiful.

A Little Tour of the House

Posting a few pictures here of the new house and garden for my mom and sister to see.  Can't wait til they visit!

 V's couch, from the 60's,  now in our living room :)

New farmhouse table for the dining room.  We have two more chairs on order, they should be here by Thanksgiving.

Grandaddy's thermometer just outside the back door. I am still looking for a good place to move it to, there's a time in the afternoon when the sun hits it full on and I don't want it to have to work overtime. 

Just off the back deck, a big pot of yellow lantana with black & blue salvia under the hummingbird feeder.

Next year the flower beds will get a make-over.  The previous owners left this beautiful bird feeding station.

The new fence and view of the pond.

Fishing

 

If you look closely, you might see Kyle's blue hair :)

And we didn't fish, but Betsy was willing to take a picture with me.  She's got a new fun hair color too :)

First Day of School 2019

Library Visits

For the first time since I left Lexington in the 1980s, I have a library card.  One of the perks of  living in Chatham and it's such a nice library too!

The first book that I checked out was Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl.  I heard her talking on a podcast (QWERTY with Marion Roach) and I knew I wanted to read her book.  Looking forward to this new batch :)

State Fair 2019

 Betsy wanted to head to the rides first thing ;)

Betsy, cousin Aleigha, and Mark on something called The Guitar.  Yikes!

We did do a few other things too.  Here Betsy is meeting the butter cow for the first time.

I wouldn't mind getting my face painted one day.  They looked so cute!  Plus we got to sit in an air conditioned building while they had it done! 

And the famous pork chop on a stick :)

July Happenings

Jennifer and Isaac came to visit in July, it was great to have them with us.  Rachel took this sweet picture, we should have taken another one with her in it too. 

Kyle loves to play chess.

At the ballgame.

This trip to the ballgame was bittersweet for sure.  July 31st would have been Judson and Rachel's 15th wedding anniversary.  Last year Judson took us all to the ballpark as a father's day gift to Mark. We had a wonderful time together this year, but we all missed Judson so much.  We're making it through day by day by remembering the happy times we had and making new memories together.

Jennifer and Isaac made it back to California.  This Thanksgiving is bringing a new baby to love.