Today is Thanksgiving here in the US, and is the perfect time to remember…..
If you are celebrating today with family and friends, may you have a perfect day!
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Here in the US, it is Thanksgiving, and I have SO many things to be thankful for!!!
First of course is my family…..
…..my sweet husband of 45 years (Michael)…..
My son and daughter-in-law (Brian and Amber)…..
…and my daughter and son-in-law (Jenny & Kevin)……
And this year, we have an addition!! Presenting Archer James…..
He was born on November 6th and we are all besotted with him!!!
I am also thankful for all of you….the people who have encouraged me so much in the past 3 years!!
Finally, in case you haven’t already figured this out, I am thankful for the ability to be creative!!
This quilt was made a lot of years ago but hangs in my house EVERY November…..
It reminds me of where I have come from and where I am headed to!!!
Come back tomorrow and we will resume our tour of the International Quilt Festival!!
I think that we can all agree that this year has been one for the books….and I don’t mean a great book that you can’t put down and want to read over and over and over and over. I am talking about the kind of book that you had to read in school….the one that you hated every minute of and didn’t want to read but you had to finish it anyway. And, as soon as the test was over, you threw it away!!!
There have been a lot of disappointments in 2020…..people have been scared, people have been sick and some have died, people have struggled emotionally, business endeavors have failed, fun things have been canceled, not-so-fun things have stretched out for a seeming eternity!!
And let’s face it, I have often struggled to be thankful in the midst of it all!!
But, as we approach Thanksgiving Day, I have been thinking of many, many things to be thankful for…. a husband who loves me, a beautiful home that shelters us well, children who are well established in their lives and relationships, stable jobs for Michael and I, money to provide what we need as well as much that we desire!! Also, this year has provided me with a new and enlarged studio and the addition of Julio into my journey.
But probably the thing that I am most thankful for this year is the gift of time that I have been given. COVID has forced me to slow down, stop running from one thing to another, and concentrate on the things that make me happy.
In August, I made the decision to “up-my-game” (I know that you are all tired of hearing that phrase) in one other area of my quilting…..my blog!!! I have realized that one of the things that I like best about this quilting journey is the opportunity it provides to help and encourage others and I truly hope that you readers come away excited about this crazy art of quilting!!!
Along the way, you have encouraged me as well, given me inspirations, and often much-needed advice. For that I thank you!!!
So I end by wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving and I pray that a thankful and caring spirit will pervade the hearts of us all!!!
Our family has always been a bit weird when it comes to holidays and Thanksgiving is no exception
Our son, Brian and his wife Amber spent the morning running in the Peachtree Half-Marathon in Atlanta. Brian did the half…..
….while Amber ran in the 5k. After they finished…..
….they ate at their favorite Korean Restaurant and spent the day recovering!! We celebrated Thanksgiving with them last Sunday.
Jenny and Kevin arrived for brunch, starting off with traditional Mimosas……
….and a family selfie…..
After eating our brunch, we made the traditional trip to the Tree Farm and picked out our 2 trees. After Michael and Kevin practiced with the small tree……
…it was time to tackle the 14 foot tree. We normally put the tree in the stand and then carry it into the house. Kevin asked the obvious question….why don’t we carry it into the house and THEN put it into the stand…..DUH!!!!
They carried it into the house (with Jenny helping by taking selfies)…..
And, in about 5 minutes, the tree was up and secure!!!…..
Michael said a big”THANK YOU” to Kev for his help!!!
After the kids left to go visit Kevin’s family, I headed to my studio for about 2 hours and then proceeded to strip the house of all decorations…..
Tomorrow I will decorate for the upcoming holidays!!
Thanksgiving dinner consisted of Cheese Dip, Salsa, Guacamole and Tostitos….
I hope that your Thanksgiving was equally fun and traditional!!!!
One side note here…… if you have a large tree and are looking for a good solid tree stand, I can highly recommend the Krinner Tree Genie…..
It is a bit pricey, but it is super easy to use and completely stable….a win-win!!
On Thursday, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with visits from both of our kids.
Both of them had to go to another house in the afternoon so we decided that we would do Brunch this year. I had lots of fun picking out the food for the meal which included Quiche, Sweet Potatoes roasted with a honey and cinnamon mixture, fruit salad, and a delicious Panna Cotta to end the meal off.
I did have fun with this fruit turkey…..
….although no one wanted to be the first to dip up the fruit!!!
Before we could eat, we had to take a family photo. It took THREE tries….
After we finished eating, it was off to the Christmas tree farm to pick out our two trees……one small one that we cut down….
….thanks Kevin for carrying it out for us!!!
And one Brobdingnagian tree for our den…..
Jenny decided that this one was perfect, but I wasn’t so sure!!
One final photo……
Everyone was gone by 2:00 so Michael and I enjoyed the quiet of the rest of the day. It was truly a day to be thankful for!!!
