HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Now that the proverbial smoke has cleared, I'd like to share a few photos with you all showing some of our Thanksgiving gathering. Hope your day was blessed and fun! Did everyone get enough to eat? We are so fortunate to live in a country where food is plentiful and readily available. God bless us everyone!
Here's the star of the show: Hubby smoked the turkey this year and it was so juicy and tender. This will be a new tradition. The beautiful cranberry-orange cheesecake was not only eye candy, but truly delicious. This recipe came from my recipes.com. I get their emails daily and have found several yummy recipes there. Check it out.

Before dinner driving practice down Grammie's driveway for Morgan and Tanner.

Oldest daughter Wendy with Morgan.

Kitty giving Mekenzie a hug at the dinner table:

Poor Morgan! I think this picture says it all. Too much food, family and celebration!

Sorry I have no Black Friday stories to tell, because I consistently stay home on Friday after Thanksgiving. I'll face the shopping a little later. Plus I'm trying to make several gifts for many of the family this year. I can't share what or how because several of them read this blog. But I'll tell you this much, I will be tied to my sewing machine and knitting needles thru the pre-holiday.

Hope you all get all the rest and Zantac you need this weekend. Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent and I've got to get myself refocused. Luv, Nerm

DOGS AND COOKIES

Hot off the press--or sewing machine--my sweet puppies in their new winter coats. I just finished Boomer's today (he's the black one) and had to have a fashion show. I can't say the pups were too excited. Smoocher stood stock still like he was frozen-it was hilarious. I thought the red plaid looked exceptional on Boomer with his black hair. Smoocher's gray, black & white coat matched his gray and white hair. I made them from fleece which is so soft and warm. Not that the little darlings stay out in the weather very long. And, after all, this is Tennessee, not Michigan! LOL Now, on to the good part of this post... Kitty was over yesterday and had a yen for chocolate chip cookies. She whipped up the dough and decided to make one BIG cookie like those you see in the mall bakeries. This one practically ran off the cookie sheet, but let me tell you, this is one good cookie. Very rich and full of chips. If you are a chocolate fan, this one's for you!

Couldn't even have get the whole thing in the picture. Wanna bite? Nerm

CHRISTMAS VILLAGE

Hope your weekend has been great and relaxing. Let me show you what I did yesterday with my sister Gail. For twenty years (yep, you heard that right!), with very few interruptions, we have made it a point to attend an event called "Christmas Village" here in Nashville. It's a seasonal craft and decor show held for charity and which has over 260 vendors. It's always in November right before Thanksgiving. Sometimes it's been warm and unholidayish feeling. But this year was good because it was in low 40's and very blustery. Notice this banner which was blowing around. The event is held at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in six big buildings. They are crammed full of vendors and shoppers. It is hard to even walk thru part of them. You can see what I mean in this picture:

Lots of fun Christmas stuff like this booth:

Although I couldn't get close enough to it to talk a full frontal shot, this was the Pink Fairy Tent. It was wrapped in pink netting and was so colorful and full of little girl things. So cute!

Another crowd shot-this sure tested my newly found strength and endurance from my illness. My husband wasn't keen on my going, but sweet Sis said if I got tired, we could leave any time. We ate a bite of lunch (premade sandwiches-yuck) which gave us a chance to rest midway and then it was Charge!!!! I mean...when it's shopping and Christmas, I found supernatural energy.

In the end I spent very little money. I think I've seen most of this stuff so many times, I have become jaded. Besides if I'm going to get something else to dust, it has to be spectacular!

But it was fun to get out, get in the holiday spirit, and spend time alone with my sister which is very rare. Usually my mother is there as well, but this is just too much for her. When we got home, my sweetie had made a great dinner of chili and cornbread. How good is that? Nerm

BUSY BEE

Howdy, folks, as we say in the south. Hope your day was good. I've been a busy bee trying to catch up with some of my projects before I tackle Christmas. Here is the quilt I started before the "Enbrel drama" interrupted my crafting for a while. Originally I started out going for a sweet and soft, kinda shabby chic look. But then I found some bright colors and patterns which looked good together and I just couldn't resist. I wish this picture were better. Click on the photo to make it larger. Actually when it was said and done, it turned out prettier than I expected. I think the pink border helped. Now on to finishing it which I haven't decided quite what I'm doing yet. Here's something unusual I found and whipped up. The Happy Zombie has a website with quilting, sewing, family, etc. She also has several free patterns. I saw this one of St. Joseph and knew I had to make it. I love St Joseph and I also love redwork. It worked up very quickly and now he's sitting on a shelf, hopefully bringing blessings to our home.

This weekend is a busy time. I'm going to a Christmas open house with my sister, Gail, on Saturday. We'll see how I do. She promised not to get mad if I was tired and we had to leave. ha
I'm also making daughter Amy a Christmas stocking which I should finish up in a day or two that I'll show you. It's so much fun to be getting so much done.

Have a great weekend and we'll talk soon. Nerm

THANKSGIVING IS WHEN?

I heard a dirty rumor today...that Thanksgiving Day is three short weeks away! Please say it isn't so. Please. Oh, my!

Here is what my dining room table looked like this afternoon. Can't see it? Believe me, it's really under all that fabric. I had shared about a lap quilt I was working on before the Enbrel medicine fiasco cut me down in my prime! I have been back at it and finished all the blocks today. Now on to the sashing. I think it's going to be pretty.

More later on this project. Also I'll show you the table when it's cleared and decorated for Thanksgiving.

I can't show you a photo of poor ole Fluffarina. Her mats were worse than we thought and her entire torso is shaved. She is so embarassed that she adamantly refused to be photographed. Who could blame the girl? Have a great weekend. Nerm

LIFE GOES ON

The elections are over and whether your candidate won or lost, our country government will go on in an orderly fashion. I will pray daily for wisdom and guidance for the new leaders of our country. They have a very big job ahead of them and need God's help to accomplish everything set before them.

Here are some fall foliage photos taken in my back yard. We live in a subdivision with lots of common area which is nice when nature is at her best. Below is our dogwood tree which really looks a lot redder in person.

This is looking out the back across at my neighbor's. The sun was going down a little (I can't get used to the early darkness), but you can still see that wonderful blue sky. Fall does something to the sky and the blue-ness of it is breathtaking. Our weather has been divine, but I understand it's about to change.
Now here's some exciting news from the Nerm household. Below is Fluffarina who I've introduced before. She is 15 years old. Tomorrow we have told her she is going to have a "spa" day. She doesn't believe a word of it, being so old and wise. Problem is that since my mother has moved in with us, Fluffarina has adopted her. We turned the whole upstairs into my mom's apartment. Our master bedroom is downstairs. So Fluffarina stays up there most of the time.
My mother has spoiled her rotten, which is okay except she forgets to brush her. Now she has really bad mats and must go to vet and get them cut out. They will sedate her, but it won't be pretty.

Here is a side view-kinda lookin' like a porcupine, huh? We'll take a picture tomorrow after the makeover. She'll probably yell, "elder abuse!". ha, ha.

Have a good evening, folks. Nerm

ELECTION DAY!

Well, after all the debates, accusations, millions of dollars spent, it's up to the people. I was worried about having long lines like they kept showing on TV. Mother and I went to vote around 10:30 this morning and walked right in! I'm sure it's due to early voting. Whatever, it was a pleasant experience. I'm still wearing my "I voted" sticker.

Now we'll sit and watch the networks and all their projections. I suppose I'd be better off to just turn it off and wake up tomorrow and be surprised. LOL Whether or not our candidate wins, it is wonderful to live in a country where the government will continue in an orderly fashion. Not riots or civil wars like in many others right now. In four years if we haven't liked the President, we can elect another one. Our system is the best around and I'm proud to be an American!

An upbeat note: I am doing so much better healthwise. Went to dr. Friday and she said I was coming along nicely. So...good for me. Thanks for your continued good wishes.