Sunday, November 29, 2015

Thanksgiving 2015

We're home from what I affectionately call "the Southern loop" - the great, not-quite-circular sweep from our home to the homes of the grandparents and back. We slipped in time with three (three!) sets of friends along the way. Our "sweep" looked more like a poorly-thrown pottery pitcher - but I guess that's not really the point!

We started with a few lazy days, which was just what this mama needed. The boys helped grandpa with some work on Uncle J's vintage ride. My boy was under. a. car.  But he thought it was fantastic, and can't wait to do even more work. My girl gets to change the oil on Grandpa's vintage ride next time we are there. I'm sensing a theme, as there's talk of picking up another vintage ride (the very first car I ever drove) as a restoration project. The family that drives vintage together....

While at our first stop, we were able to share a meal with friends who moved away from our area back in the spring. Thankfully, they are just a few hours away - AND near the grandparents- so we get to see them fairly often. We miss them a LOT (and their nieces, too, who we got to see on occasion), but are so happy for their opportunity to grow their respective careers in their new hometown. 

Our next stop - after an across-the-state drive - was meeting my sister at our mom and (step)dad's place. It was just the five of us, as the 'rents were still on their way home from a trip to NOLA!  And next up - Thanksgiving! A table for fourteen, please - with the 'rents and four of the five daughters (and their kids and significant others), it was a wonderfully full house! We met a sweet poodle, Chloe, who needs a new home. I wanted so badly to bring her home with us, but it's just not the right time to add a new, four-legged family member. (If anyone's looking for a 10yo standard poodle, let me know). 

While at our second stop, we connected with friends from home who were on vacation for the holiday week. Our schedules are so busy that we rarely see them outside of school, so it was a treat! It was a party of 8 for putt putt, and the kids were glad to be with friends their own age (they were the only kids at Thanksgiving).  Our kids also helped clean magnolia leaves out of grandma's flower beds and fed the ducks and turtles living in a nearby pond, so we had plenty of ways to #OptOutside on Black Friday. 

The next day, we were on the road again with a detour to see college friends in their new home. They moved in July, and now live close enough that we can make a day trip or stay for the weekend. We stayed for dinner, and then finished the drive home. 

And now, it's our day to "reset" and get ready for a new week. Coming up in just a few days, our boy turns 12! I simply cannot believe it. For today, laundry, groceries, someone has a school project that needs a little bit of attention, and we have to finalize some birthday plans!

Sunday, November 22, 2015

(Re)start your engines!

Hi friends! I think I've still got a few readers left out there ;)

It's time to fire the blog back up! I've got some exciting news. In the past few days, I have been invited to join two (two!!) book launch teams. 

I'll be reading and posting about Brandon Hatmaker's new book, A Mile Wide. I'll also be reading and posting about Raising Grateful Children in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch (of We are THAT Family). 

The timing is peeeerfect! I'll be wrapping up my current group Bible study very soon. I'd been planning on reading All I Really Want: Readings for a Modern Christmas (Quinn G. Caldwell) again this year, which I'll still read, but the opportunity to dig into two new books (because I usually get some reading in over the holiday break) is a gift itself!

Oh, yeah - I do still have that stack of "waiting to be read" books. I don't think they'll mind waiting a little longer - though I am currently moving at a pretty speedy pace through For the Love (J Hatmaker). I've heard parts of it will wreck me (which might have also happened when I read 7), so we shall see. 

So excited to share this news - and to keep sharing through blog and social media! Stay tuned!