I haven't updated the blog in a long time. It is not because nothing happens in my life - although it is actually pretty boring! It is because I am too lazy to take the time to write. So to fill in a few thoughts and events from the recent past.......
Lisa and Ashby spent last week with us. I know they only live 20 minutes away, but David and 3 of his cousins were gutting the kitchen, plus various other remodeling jobs, so it seemed smarter for them to just move out. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed coming home from work each day to have them here. Ashby gets cuter every day and I can't get enough cuddling!!! The guys got a lot done and their house is now livable again, so they have gone home. There is still a lot of finishing to do, but everything is installed and working. We had such a good time having them here. We had to go to the grocery store several times, which Ashby loves! She thinks the carts that look like cars are way cool. She says, "Vroom! Vroom!" One day we went over to a park near here and she played on the playground. It is a really nice park and she was busy for a long time - much longer than I thought she would last. She also kept asking about cookies, so one day we made some more chocolate chip cookies. She just loves licking the beaters and the mixing spoon. She is also into some videos I have - she loves the dancing and singing and dances and sings right along with the children in the videos. It so reminds me of Lisa!!
Today I went out to lunch with the Lunch Bunch. This is the group that used to carpool to the temple. Unfortunately, Jerry called to say she was too sick. She had been to the doctor and he had put her on antibiotics and she was on her way to bed. Since Bill was home and able to go today, we went ahead and ate at Del Rio, a new Mexican place near us. Lisa and Ashby came over, too, so it was a lot of fun. Brother and Sister Rowberry and Becky Bentley rounded out the group.
This past weekend was my temple weekend. Once a month, I drive up on a Friday to Columbia, South Carolina, and work at the temple on Friday evening and Saturday morning. It is a 3 1/2 hour trip each way, so I am pretty exhausted when I get back late Saturday afternoon, but it is so worth it.
Saturday evening, we met Susan Allen and some of her family at the conference center at Stone Mountain for dinner. Susan is a friend of Bill's going back to high school and we have all become friends over the years. She lives in Colorado, so it was a treat to get to see her and meet her daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters.
Sunday I had to travel down to Covington to speak at church. This is the 4th time I have given this talk about public affairs. The high counselor asked me to go as his companion speaker. Covington is about an hour away. I live almost as far north as you can go in the stake and Covington is just about as far south as you can go. I think it went well. At least the bishop came up and asked me some good questions afterwards. He is a brand new bishop and it would be nice to have him understand public affairs right from the beginning.
Things have been going better at work for the last month or so. The workload had gotten so big that I was working until 2:00 or later most days. That doesn't seem like part time to me, so when I mentioned it, my boss told me some changes were coming and it should go back to being what I wanted. She was right. One of our big clients switched from paper bills to scanned. Now everything is done online and I don't have to print any of their EOB's. We also made a little change in the way we are doing the printing and it has made a huge difference in the amount of time it is taking me. Now I am usually out of there by 12:00, sometimes earlier. Today it was just after 11:00. I am much happier now!
I also had to speak at church on Mother's Day. That was a hard one for me. I have a hard time at church on Mother's Day and to have to speak made it even more difficult. So, I just spoke honestly, and I think it was well received. I got a lot of comments afterwards that make me believe I touched a lot of people - hopefully in the right way! We didn't do anything on Mother's Day, though, since David and his cousins were working on the house. We made a potato salad and got some deli meat and all the trimmings for hoagies, plus some watermelon, and took it over to them. We figure we will ask for our Mother's Day dinner out when things calm down a little.
Bill was called as the 1st counselor in the bishopric a couple of weeks ago, so his Sunday schedule is now pretty full. It will be interesting to see if he ever makes it home in time to have dinner with us. He really likes the bishop and the other counselor, but it is still taking a little adjustment. He commented that he thought he was too old to do this again, but I think he is enjoying it a lot already.
So - that is a little of what is happening in the Cantrell corner of the world. I will probably be just as lazy before the next post. But, whatever!!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Easter Sunday 2010
Easter Sunday 2010
We had a great Easter Sunday this year. Billy had spent the last three months in Key West, Florida, and was on his way back home. He spent a few days with us, which happened to be Easter weekend. It was also General Conference weekend, so no regular church meetings were held. The "Easter" meetings are to be held next Sunday. Even so, we took a few minutes to reflect on the Savior and His great sacrifice, the Atonement, and the resurrection.
Lisa, David and Ashby came on over mid-morning. We had a little Easter basket for Ashby with some stickers and bubbles. Lisa brought plastic eggs for an Easter egg hung in the backyard. At 20 months, Ashby didn't need to have the eggs hidden, but she had a great time picking them up.
Billy bought an old boat from Greg, his cousin. It was a boat that originally belonged to Joyce and Leroy, who later gave it to us. We later gave it to Greg. It had been around a little more and ended up back with Greg. So, Billy took it back to Iowa with him. He will store it at Grandpa's airport, which is really close to the Coralville Reservoir. He was working on getting the trailer lights working properly, so we were out in the front lawn. Ashby loves running up and down the sidewalk. At one point, she stopped and picked the "little purple pansies" that are in the front yard.
Billy had brought some king mackeral that he had caught. He grilled that, along with some veggies, and we added a potato salad and other trimmings for a great meal.
Later, we colored eggs. We had quite a set-up on the dining room table. That lovely tablecloth is actually one of Bill's dropcloths, so we didn't have to worry about dying anything that shouldn't be dyed!
Ashby didn't quite get the egg coloring thing. Her one attempt at dropping an egg into the cup of dye resulted in quite a splash when she tossed it like a baseball! But, she really got into putting stickers on the eggs after they dried.
It turned out to be a great family day, especially since Billy was there, too.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Making Cookies with Ashby
Lisa called this morning and wanted to know if she could drop Ashby by for an hour or so while she went to the gym. David and Bill were working on the house, so they would be too busy to watch her. I, of course, said, "Bring her right on over!" After all, what else would a grandma say?
While she was here, we made some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies - my favorite. She stood on the stool beside me and watched what I was doing. With these cookies, the chocolate chips and oatmeal are added last by hand, since the electric mixer would break up the chocolate pieces. So Ashby helped me clean the beaters when we were finished with them.
"Good job, Grandma. It really tastes good."
When I finished the hand mixing, she helped again by licking the big spoon. It was almost as big as she is, but that didn't seem to slow her down.
"Don't worry, Grandma. It is a big spoon, but I can handle it."
When they finished baking, she was the taste tester.
"These turned out really good, Grandma."
While she was here, we made some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies - my favorite. She stood on the stool beside me and watched what I was doing. With these cookies, the chocolate chips and oatmeal are added last by hand, since the electric mixer would break up the chocolate pieces. So Ashby helped me clean the beaters when we were finished with them.
"Good job, Grandma. It really tastes good."
When I finished the hand mixing, she helped again by licking the big spoon. It was almost as big as she is, but that didn't seem to slow her down.
"Don't worry, Grandma. It is a big spoon, but I can handle it."
When they finished baking, she was the taste tester.
"These turned out really good, Grandma."
"Just look how perfect our cookies are. Let's do this again!"
A perfect morning - the cutest granddaughter ever and homemade cookies!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Quick, but great, trip to Florida
We made a quick trip to Florida last week. I left work a little early on Friday, the 22nd, so we could get to St. Augustine before dark. We stayed with Bill's sister Martha, who bought her own home there just a few months ago. We had not seen it yet, so were excited to do so. It is a cute little 3 bedroom house, right on a golf course. She managed to get a great deal on the house, as it was a Fanny Mae foreclosure. She is still working on fixing it up, but it is looking so nice.
Saturday morning, we headed on down to Cocoa, which was the purpose of our trip. We lived in Merritt Island from 1973 to 1983 and attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Cocoa Ward. We made wonderful friends during that time. The ward has been split, and most of the people we knew are now in the Rockledge Ward. Several things came together so that the decision was made to hold a reunion of the ward members from that time.
We drove around Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach in the afternoon. We were able to find the two houses we had lived in. They are both pretty old now, and looking a little run-down. The first we bought in 1973 and it was already 12 or 15 years old at that time. We were actually surprised that the neighborhood looked as good as it did, considering its age. The second house we bought in 1981 when it was brand-new. We only lived in it for two years before moving. That neighborhood actually looked worse than the first. Anyway, it was fun to find the old places. We also found the service stations Bill owned during that time. The one on Merritt Island is still a gas station, but another brand. The one in Cocoa Beach has been torn down and replaced by a surf shop.
We then drove out to the port which has really changed a lot. When we lived there, there were not many cruise ships, but it is a big business now. We ate at a restaurant on the water. The old seafood place we used to go to for lunch all the time was long gone.
After getting a hotel in Rockledge, we headed out to the reunion. It was held at the church building. There were about 57 people that showed up! We had a great time catching up with these great friends. Many who were much older than we were are still around and looking great! Phil Lambson is 89 and already inviting everyone to his 90th birthday party in February 2011. We might make another trip for that! It was also fun to see so many of the youth all grown up with their own families now. Some of them are even grandparents! Time just marches on, doesn't it? We took a camera and then failed to take any pictures. Hopefully, some of the others who did take pictures will post them so I can download them. We had scanned all our old pictures from that time and made a CD. Keith Waters downloaded the CD onto his computer, added some music, and presented a great slide show. That was probably the hit of the evening, as it really brought back the memories of people and events.
Sunday we attended church in the Rockledge Ward and got to see a few more people who had been unable to attend the night before. We enjoyed the whole weekend so much. I don't think we will wait quite so long to visit again.
Sunday afternoon, we drove back up to Martha's, where she had a great dinner waiting for us. Bill's other sister Hazel and husband John, who have a beach house there, came over for dinner. We also have three nieces who attend Flagler College and two of them were able to come. The third was out of town. Stephanie is a senior, majoring in English, and Allison is a sophomore, also majoring in English. It was fun to catch up with them. Allison lives in New York, so we hadn't seen her in a long time. Since Steph lives in Atlanta, we do get to see her once in a while when she is home.
Monday morning, Nicole, the third niece, came out for breakfast, as she had gotten in late Sunday evening. Nicole is also a senior and majoring in Theater. She had been to New York to try out for a grad school. Nicole and Allison are sisters, so it had also been a long time since we had seen Nicole. We so enjoyed seeing all of them.
After Nicole left to go to class, Bill and Martha took off to play some golf. I went out to the Outlet Mall, which is just a couple of miles from the house. I am not much of a shopper, but I enjoyed it for a while. I bought some play clothes for Ashby from Carter's and Gymboree. I also picked up a couple of things for me. Then I went back to the house and curled up with my book for a while. It was a great afternoon!
That evening, we met John and Hazel at a Mexican restaurant in town. It is right across the street from the fort and has a nice view of the river and the bridge. After dinner, we went out to the beach house for a little while. They have done some renovations that we had not seen yet.
Tuesday morning, we headed back to Atlanta. It was a quick trip, but we had a great time!
Saturday morning, we headed on down to Cocoa, which was the purpose of our trip. We lived in Merritt Island from 1973 to 1983 and attended The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Cocoa Ward. We made wonderful friends during that time. The ward has been split, and most of the people we knew are now in the Rockledge Ward. Several things came together so that the decision was made to hold a reunion of the ward members from that time.
We drove around Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach in the afternoon. We were able to find the two houses we had lived in. They are both pretty old now, and looking a little run-down. The first we bought in 1973 and it was already 12 or 15 years old at that time. We were actually surprised that the neighborhood looked as good as it did, considering its age. The second house we bought in 1981 when it was brand-new. We only lived in it for two years before moving. That neighborhood actually looked worse than the first. Anyway, it was fun to find the old places. We also found the service stations Bill owned during that time. The one on Merritt Island is still a gas station, but another brand. The one in Cocoa Beach has been torn down and replaced by a surf shop.
We then drove out to the port which has really changed a lot. When we lived there, there were not many cruise ships, but it is a big business now. We ate at a restaurant on the water. The old seafood place we used to go to for lunch all the time was long gone.
After getting a hotel in Rockledge, we headed out to the reunion. It was held at the church building. There were about 57 people that showed up! We had a great time catching up with these great friends. Many who were much older than we were are still around and looking great! Phil Lambson is 89 and already inviting everyone to his 90th birthday party in February 2011. We might make another trip for that! It was also fun to see so many of the youth all grown up with their own families now. Some of them are even grandparents! Time just marches on, doesn't it? We took a camera and then failed to take any pictures. Hopefully, some of the others who did take pictures will post them so I can download them. We had scanned all our old pictures from that time and made a CD. Keith Waters downloaded the CD onto his computer, added some music, and presented a great slide show. That was probably the hit of the evening, as it really brought back the memories of people and events.
Sunday we attended church in the Rockledge Ward and got to see a few more people who had been unable to attend the night before. We enjoyed the whole weekend so much. I don't think we will wait quite so long to visit again.
Sunday afternoon, we drove back up to Martha's, where she had a great dinner waiting for us. Bill's other sister Hazel and husband John, who have a beach house there, came over for dinner. We also have three nieces who attend Flagler College and two of them were able to come. The third was out of town. Stephanie is a senior, majoring in English, and Allison is a sophomore, also majoring in English. It was fun to catch up with them. Allison lives in New York, so we hadn't seen her in a long time. Since Steph lives in Atlanta, we do get to see her once in a while when she is home.
Monday morning, Nicole, the third niece, came out for breakfast, as she had gotten in late Sunday evening. Nicole is also a senior and majoring in Theater. She had been to New York to try out for a grad school. Nicole and Allison are sisters, so it had also been a long time since we had seen Nicole. We so enjoyed seeing all of them.
After Nicole left to go to class, Bill and Martha took off to play some golf. I went out to the Outlet Mall, which is just a couple of miles from the house. I am not much of a shopper, but I enjoyed it for a while. I bought some play clothes for Ashby from Carter's and Gymboree. I also picked up a couple of things for me. Then I went back to the house and curled up with my book for a while. It was a great afternoon!
That evening, we met John and Hazel at a Mexican restaurant in town. It is right across the street from the fort and has a nice view of the river and the bridge. After dinner, we went out to the beach house for a little while. They have done some renovations that we had not seen yet.
Tuesday morning, we headed back to Atlanta. It was a quick trip, but we had a great time!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Cantrell Christmas 2009
With Ashby now 17 months old, we had the best Christmas ever!
Leroy is the taco cook. He makes them using the recipe his mother taught him.
Lisa and Judy singing for the talent show. That's me making the mistakes on the piano!
Even the bows are fun for Ashby. She loves that hat and wears it all the time!
Uncle Billy got her her first laptop and she loved it! Everytime he got his own out, she came running, so he figured she was ready for her own.
The Little People Farm from Grandma Vanett was really neat.
She loved her new baby doll from Grandma and Grandpa Cantrell.
We started with all the decorating right after Thanksgiving. Billy was still here, so he helped put lights up on the house. We all got together to decorate the tree before he left.
I had done a lot of shopping during the year, so much of my "shopping" was going through what I already had. I bought a few missing things online and made one stop at the mall to finish up. Oh, and of course, I had to go to the Dollar Store to find stocking stuffers. Other than groceries, that was about all there was to the shopping - nice and easy this year. Bill did pick up a couple of items, so that was also a help.
That left a little time for some fun things, so Lisa and I did a craft project. We made the nutcracker soldiers from clay pots that everyone has made over the last few years. It took us several days, since Ashby was so involved - one day for shopping, one for painting the base coat, two or three for the handpainting. And they turned out really cute! Now to figure out how to store them........
Billy drove down from Iowa a couple of days before Christmas. That was his third trip down in less than two months, but we were still so excited for him to come.
Christmas Eve is always with the extended family. This year we went to Julie's house. There was a nice group this year with all three of Bill's sisters, plus tons of nieces and nephews and all of their children. Ashby is the baby of the group and she had a ball. The traditional dinner is homemade tacos, which everyone loves. We often do a talent show, but this year it was very short. We then did a gag gift game which has also become a tradition. We finished up with opening the real gifts from the name draw. It was a lot of fun. We then went over to Lisa's for a little while, since Ashby was getting extremely tired. She was still so wound up, though, that it took a while for her to actually go to bed.
Leroy is the taco cook. He makes them using the recipe his mother taught him.
Lisa and Judy singing for the talent show. That's me making the mistakes on the piano!
Nice gag gift, Nancy. Do you really support cheerleaders?
Some of the family enjoying being together.
Christmas Day, Lisa and David and Ashby came over late morning and we opened gifts. The rest of the day was just fun and relaxing. For dinner we grilled a London broil, veggie-kabobs, and shrimp. Mighty tasty!
Ashby wasn't much into the gift thing yet, but she loved all the activity. She was excited about every gift that was opened. She especially loved all the attention she got, both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I think she figures Christmas is all about her! She is definitely the most entertaining part of any day.
Even the bows are fun for Ashby. She loves that hat and wears it all the time!
Uncle Billy got her her first laptop and she loved it! Everytime he got his own out, she came running, so he figured she was ready for her own.
The Little People Farm from Grandma Vanett was really neat.
She loved her new baby doll from Grandma and Grandpa Cantrell.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Babysitting Ashby - For 5 Days This Time!
We had the best time taking care of Ashby for five days last week while David and Lisa were away. His company pays for an outing for employees and spouses at the Amelia Island (Florida) resort every year. No children are included, so someone had to take care of Ashby or Lisa would have had to stay home. We graciously sacrificed our time to take care of her. (Did you hear the chuckle as I wrote that? Some sacrifice!)
After stopping by the doctor's office to have him check out her fever and sniffles, they dropped her off on Wednesday. Turns out it was just a virus and not strep or flu, so they could leave her. Then our fun started! As usual, she was fun and cute and happy almost all the time, even not feeling up to par. I was most worried about her sleeping since she usually wants to be in her own bed, but we managed to do just fine. The crib is in the guest room, so one of us would just lie on the bed while she went to sleep. She never fussed at all about naps or nighttime. She woke up a couple of nights while she still had the fever and we gave her another dose of tylenol. Otherwise, she slept well.
It is interesting that a little 16 month old can get homesick, but I think she did. One of the sweetest stories happened while Bill was alone with her and I was at work. She was looking at the photo albums and got the one of the wedding. She was caught up in looking at pictures of mommy and daddy. She stopped at a picture of David, put her head almost on the page and just stared at him. Then she put her head the rest of the way down and started to cry. Poor Bill! He distracted her by putting on her favorite video and then hid the album so that wouldn't happen again. There were several other less dramatic moments when she was obviously missing mommy and daddy.
By Friday, she was feeling better and getting a little cabin fever. I was able to take off work, as did Bill, so we decided to go out. We made one errand stop and then went to the mall. She loves walking in the mall, watching all the people, especially all the babies. We went to the play area, but she didn't play long. She was really excited about the train, though. She knows the sign for train and kept making the sign and laughing. Bill was going to take her for a ride in it, but she almost cried when he tried to get her on the train. I guess she just likes watching it. She has ridden it before, but Lisa rode with her so that must have made the difference. We also walked over to the arcade where they have cars, buses, trains, airplanes, and whatever, that you can ride in. We didn't put any money in, so none of the vehicles did anything, but she loved going from one to the next and sitting in it and pushing all the buttons she could find. By then, we were all getting hungry, so we headed to the food court to get lunch. Because of her fever, she hadn't been eating too well, but by Friday, her appetite was back! She ate a ton of mashed potatoes, corn, chicken and anything else she could reach off our plates. She fell asleep on the drive home and then took a long nap. All that cute stuff - and we forgot to take a camera! Can you believe that?
After the first couple of days, she was really at home and acted like she ruled the place - which, of course, she did! When we decorated the tree, we made sure that breakables were on the upper part of the tree, so she could play with the things on the lower branches. She loves the tree and spent a lot of time taking things off and trying to put them back. She loves books and was always bringing a book for one of us to read to her. We have a coffee table book of Christmas pictures from around the USA. She loved looking at that and finding pictures of "babies." Her favorite picture is of four little babies - quads - all dressed up in Christmas outfits. Her absolute favorite thing was to stand in front of the open refrigerator and look at everything in there. She also liked to play in the office while I was at the computer. She discovered which doors and drawers she could open and would empty everything she could.
On Sunday afternoon, I heard a car door slam and looked out to see that Lisa and David were back. I got Ashby to head for the door and when Lisa opened it, Ashby went crazy! She was so excited to see mommy and daddy that she could hardly control herself. She bounced up and down, laughed, smiled, reached back and forth between them, and wouldn't let them put her down. So cute!
We had such a good time. Sunday night, after they went home, it seemed too quiet! We slept better - not having to half listen for Ashby - but it was lonely! I have said before that I have lived my whole life for this moment - and it is more true every day. I am so glad we live close enough that we get to do this kind of thing. I love being a grandma!!!!
After stopping by the doctor's office to have him check out her fever and sniffles, they dropped her off on Wednesday. Turns out it was just a virus and not strep or flu, so they could leave her. Then our fun started! As usual, she was fun and cute and happy almost all the time, even not feeling up to par. I was most worried about her sleeping since she usually wants to be in her own bed, but we managed to do just fine. The crib is in the guest room, so one of us would just lie on the bed while she went to sleep. She never fussed at all about naps or nighttime. She woke up a couple of nights while she still had the fever and we gave her another dose of tylenol. Otherwise, she slept well.
It is interesting that a little 16 month old can get homesick, but I think she did. One of the sweetest stories happened while Bill was alone with her and I was at work. She was looking at the photo albums and got the one of the wedding. She was caught up in looking at pictures of mommy and daddy. She stopped at a picture of David, put her head almost on the page and just stared at him. Then she put her head the rest of the way down and started to cry. Poor Bill! He distracted her by putting on her favorite video and then hid the album so that wouldn't happen again. There were several other less dramatic moments when she was obviously missing mommy and daddy.
By Friday, she was feeling better and getting a little cabin fever. I was able to take off work, as did Bill, so we decided to go out. We made one errand stop and then went to the mall. She loves walking in the mall, watching all the people, especially all the babies. We went to the play area, but she didn't play long. She was really excited about the train, though. She knows the sign for train and kept making the sign and laughing. Bill was going to take her for a ride in it, but she almost cried when he tried to get her on the train. I guess she just likes watching it. She has ridden it before, but Lisa rode with her so that must have made the difference. We also walked over to the arcade where they have cars, buses, trains, airplanes, and whatever, that you can ride in. We didn't put any money in, so none of the vehicles did anything, but she loved going from one to the next and sitting in it and pushing all the buttons she could find. By then, we were all getting hungry, so we headed to the food court to get lunch. Because of her fever, she hadn't been eating too well, but by Friday, her appetite was back! She ate a ton of mashed potatoes, corn, chicken and anything else she could reach off our plates. She fell asleep on the drive home and then took a long nap. All that cute stuff - and we forgot to take a camera! Can you believe that?
After the first couple of days, she was really at home and acted like she ruled the place - which, of course, she did! When we decorated the tree, we made sure that breakables were on the upper part of the tree, so she could play with the things on the lower branches. She loves the tree and spent a lot of time taking things off and trying to put them back. She loves books and was always bringing a book for one of us to read to her. We have a coffee table book of Christmas pictures from around the USA. She loved looking at that and finding pictures of "babies." Her favorite picture is of four little babies - quads - all dressed up in Christmas outfits. Her absolute favorite thing was to stand in front of the open refrigerator and look at everything in there. She also liked to play in the office while I was at the computer. She discovered which doors and drawers she could open and would empty everything she could.
On Sunday afternoon, I heard a car door slam and looked out to see that Lisa and David were back. I got Ashby to head for the door and when Lisa opened it, Ashby went crazy! She was so excited to see mommy and daddy that she could hardly control herself. She bounced up and down, laughed, smiled, reached back and forth between them, and wouldn't let them put her down. So cute!
We had such a good time. Sunday night, after they went home, it seemed too quiet! We slept better - not having to half listen for Ashby - but it was lonely! I have said before that I have lived my whole life for this moment - and it is more true every day. I am so glad we live close enough that we get to do this kind of thing. I love being a grandma!!!!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Another Thanksgiving - Another Wonderful Day
We had one of those really special Thanksgivings this year. We decided to have just our family rather than getting with extended family this year. That made it quiet, but relaxing and fun.
Billy drove down from Iowa on Tuesday. Wednesday we made sure we had everything we were going to need - but of course Billy still had to run to Kroger's on Thursday morning. I had checked the spice cabinet and was sure I saw sage for the stuffing so I didn't buy any. When I started to make it, I couldn't find any - so he saved the day and the stuffing by making a run to the store. I also made a chocolate peanut butter cream pie that day. It was something new to try.
We worked together getting things going on Thursday morning. Part of the fun of Thanksgiving is cooking together. I made the stuffing while Billy got the turkey ready (and made the run to the store). The goal was to get our 20-pounder into the oven by 9:00. At 8:55, we closed the oven door and did a little cheer! Meanwhile, Bill was snapping the green beans and getting them on to cook. We then got the table all set - using the Lenox china and sterling silver that belonged to my grandmother, of course. It only gets used once or twice a year. After getting all the serving dishes figured out, we took a little break.
The second thing that makes Thanksgiving fun is watching football, so that is where Bill and Billy planted themselves. The games weren't on yet, but there is plenty of pre-game coverage and other sports tidbits to fill in.
After Ashby napped, David and Lisa showed up bringing their share of the dinner. We got potatoes peeled and cooking and other last minute things going. Finally around 3:00, we sat down for our feast. Everything turned out perfect! We ooh'ed and aah'ed our way through dinner until everyone was stuffed - just like the turkey!
After cleaning everything up, the rest of the afternoon was spent lying in front of the TV, napping, taking a walk, or other equally relaxing events. Lisa and David wanted to nap, so Bill watched Ashby since all she wanted to do was run around. I had thought I would take a nap, and was on the bed, when Ashby and Bill showed up. We all spent the next hour and more playing together. She was on the bed and having more fun. We laughed the whole time. Needless to say, we never did get naps.
Later, after eating some of the four pies we had for dessert, I watched Ashby while everyone else played some games. She entertains herself so well - just have to keep an eye on her because she is curious enough that you never know where she will head next.
It turned out to be one of those special Thanksgivings - so relaxing, fun, and quiet, with all the elements of a perfect holiday. It is one of my favorites, because it is just about family and remembering blessings. For me, having Billy, Lisa, David and Ashby made it perfect!
Billy drove down from Iowa on Tuesday. Wednesday we made sure we had everything we were going to need - but of course Billy still had to run to Kroger's on Thursday morning. I had checked the spice cabinet and was sure I saw sage for the stuffing so I didn't buy any. When I started to make it, I couldn't find any - so he saved the day and the stuffing by making a run to the store. I also made a chocolate peanut butter cream pie that day. It was something new to try.
We worked together getting things going on Thursday morning. Part of the fun of Thanksgiving is cooking together. I made the stuffing while Billy got the turkey ready (and made the run to the store). The goal was to get our 20-pounder into the oven by 9:00. At 8:55, we closed the oven door and did a little cheer! Meanwhile, Bill was snapping the green beans and getting them on to cook. We then got the table all set - using the Lenox china and sterling silver that belonged to my grandmother, of course. It only gets used once or twice a year. After getting all the serving dishes figured out, we took a little break.
The second thing that makes Thanksgiving fun is watching football, so that is where Bill and Billy planted themselves. The games weren't on yet, but there is plenty of pre-game coverage and other sports tidbits to fill in.
After Ashby napped, David and Lisa showed up bringing their share of the dinner. We got potatoes peeled and cooking and other last minute things going. Finally around 3:00, we sat down for our feast. Everything turned out perfect! We ooh'ed and aah'ed our way through dinner until everyone was stuffed - just like the turkey!
After cleaning everything up, the rest of the afternoon was spent lying in front of the TV, napping, taking a walk, or other equally relaxing events. Lisa and David wanted to nap, so Bill watched Ashby since all she wanted to do was run around. I had thought I would take a nap, and was on the bed, when Ashby and Bill showed up. We all spent the next hour and more playing together. She was on the bed and having more fun. We laughed the whole time. Needless to say, we never did get naps.
Later, after eating some of the four pies we had for dessert, I watched Ashby while everyone else played some games. She entertains herself so well - just have to keep an eye on her because she is curious enough that you never know where she will head next.
It turned out to be one of those special Thanksgivings - so relaxing, fun, and quiet, with all the elements of a perfect holiday. It is one of my favorites, because it is just about family and remembering blessings. For me, having Billy, Lisa, David and Ashby made it perfect!
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