These are my people...

"Other things may change us,

but we start and end with the family."

We had a wonderful lunch and visit with my side of the family today.  Everyone gathered at Larry and Gayle's house and enjoyed

great food and good company. 

It was so good to see my brothers and sisters-in-law,

my nieces and nephews,

 AND my great-nieces and nephews....and GREAT they are!

Larry's family
Victoria, Jeff, Gayle, Mary, Law, Douglas,
 Harvey, Larry, and John

Frank and Teresa

John, Kit, and Kathy

Happy, Robert, and Isabella

My niece Happy and
great-niece Isabella

Mary, Douglas, Harvey, and John
and
Jeff, Law, and Victoria

All of the nieces and nephews
(and my children too!)

My sweet great-nephew Law and me..

John, Larry, me, and Frank

Josh, Charles, MJ, me, Chuck, and Lawren

 "You don't choose your family. 

They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."

-Desmond Tutu

We Want to Know Wednesday

1. What is your favorite food item at Thanksgiving?  I love dressing, rice, gravy, and cranberry sauce....

2. What is your least favorite?  I am not crazy about sweet potatoes...

3. Do you have a favorite pie? (Share a recipe if you want or just tell us about it and make us drool)  I love chocolate chess pie.  My mama made them for every Thanksgiving and Christmas!  YUMMY!!

4. Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions?  When I was growing up, our family went to Charlotte to my sister's house.  In later years, we went to my brother's house in Chester.  Since I've been married, we get together with Chuck's family at Bethel church on Thanksgiving night for supper. 

5. Black Friday shopping? Do you participate in the delightful running through the stores in the wee hours or the morning madness or hibernate at home and shop online? I definitely DO NOT participate!  I'm not crazy~~~

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday before Thanksgiving! 

I'm linking up with Jamie for this week's edition of

WHAT I'M LOVING WEDNESDAY!

I'm loving...

that we have today and then next four days off from school!!   Hooray for two day work weeks!!

I'm loving...

that the household teenagers and their friends WANT me to play board games with them on a pretty regular basis.

I'm loving....

all of the new and repeat episodes of the Food Network's "Chopped,"  especially the Thanksgiving themed shows.

I'm loving...

Sugar Babies!

(thanks Penny, for getting me "hooked" on them!)

I'm loving...

that L and MJ will soon get their MCHS class rings!  How exciting for them...

and thanks Aunt Vivian!  You are the best!

(and of course, and as always)

I'm loving...

..these silly girls

..and these two guys!

My Happy List

Here's what is on

MY HAPPY LIST

for today...

Today is the last day of school for this week....we have a loooooong weekend to celebrate my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.

We just had a Faculty/Student basketball game at school and the teachers spanked the students and won by 30 points!  Go MCHS teachers!!

I've already done part of my shopping for Thanksgiving supper so I don't have to go out searching for the major items I need.  I'll have to go get a few little things, but not anything big....like the turkey!

Tomorrow we get to go to the J&K for lunch.  I'll be so happy to see Markie, one of my all-time favorite friends.  Oh, and I'll get good chicken tenders and a superb salad too!

We've been invited to go over to Cheraw on Saturday for lunch with Larry and Gayle, and hopefully others too!  HOORAY for family get-togethers!

I straightened my hair on Sunday before going to church and it is still straight!  It is amazing how just a smidge of effort can pay off for a low-maintenance girl!

What are y'all happy about today?? 
Please take a minute to share with me and others :)
(Go link up with Mamarazzi, please)

Meet Me on Monday

Questions:

1.  I wish I had more time to read and do crafts.

2.  What is your favorite kind of soup?  My favorite soup is cheddar broccoli soup....YUM!

3.  Where will you eat Thanksgiving dinner?  We will eat Thanksgiving lunch at home and Thanksgiving supper with Chuck's family at Bethel United Methodist Church.

4.  What is your favorite time of day?  I'm an afternoon person!!

5.  Did you start Christmas shopping yet?  I've picked up a few things...not much though.  I've GOT to get busy!!

(Go link up with Java)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Here's what
I'm loving

on this Wednesday evening...

 I'm loving half-price Halloween candy

I'm loving the sports news broadcast saying that Jamie Callahan has signed with USC to play baseball next year!  Way to go Callahan family!

I'm loving that tonight is a Survivor night..

I'm loving the TV that I swore I'd never put in our bedroom....after about 20 years of marriage! LOL

I'm loving that our family is going to Myrtle Beach this weekend for our LAST travel softball tournament with the Carolina Cyclones.

I'm loving that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  It's my favorite holiday of the year!  I have so many wonderful family memories of Thanksgivings past...

And of course, and as usual, I'm loving

these teenagers... 

 and my sweet, hard-working husband!

 Go link up with Jamie and tell everyone who and what you are loving!

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. Nothing says fall like    colorful, falling leaves, plump, orange pumpkins, and the smell of cinnamon and apples in the air....

2. My favorite autumnal tradition is   taking in all of the beautiful colors and signs of autumn in our beautiful community....

3. My favorite fall treat is   pumpkin muffins....so easy! Here's the recipe...

4. Fall makes me think of  completion because  all of the old is gathered up and put away, and then the winter cold and snow cleanses before the new growth in sprint....

5. Autumn free form word association, go! cinnamon, pumpkins, mums, leaves, apples, sweaters, Thanksgiving.....

6. My go-to outfit in the fall is a pair of jeans, a turtleneck, sweater, and clogs....

7. My favorite fall holiday is (Halloween or Thanksgiving) Thanksgiving.....my favorite holiday of the YEAR!  I love the memories that I have of Thanksgivings past...of family and food and fun!  I love being with my own family, cooking and eating, togetherness and snuggling around the fireplace,  and enjoying the loveliness of the season...

We Want to Know Wednesday

(Go link up with Mamarazzi and Alicia aka Queso and join in on the fun!!)

 

{1} What is one thing (food or drink) that you MUST have everyday?  Diet Coke!!

 

{2} What is your "go to" food when you don't feel well/need comfort?  Oatmeal...a big pot of hot oatmeal with butter!

{3} Is there a dish that you make that people request when they visit your home/a family favorite?  Every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I cook turkey and dressing for the Creech side of Chuck's family.  Country-style steak and gravy with rice is a family favorite, but since I don't eat much red meat, we haven't had that in a while...

{4} What are 3 foods you have TRIED, do not like and will NEVER eat again?  liver, anchovies, and oysters....YUCK!

{5} What's one thing that you love to eat that most people would think is weird and/or gross??  A lot of things....asparagus, avocado and guacamole, and brussel sprouts, just to name a few...

Fill in the Blank Friday

1.   You should always take time to     appreciate the world that God gave us.. .

2.    Puppies, happy children, and good food      make(s) the world a happier place to be.

3.  I can hardly wait for   Thanksgiving break!!   .

4.    Thursday   is my favorite day of the week.

5.  Something totally dumb and ridiculous that I love is    this little guy who sits on my desk...he makes me smile....

6.  If I could, I would   pull up every bush in front of my house and then plant all new ones in their place....

7.  I rather like    eating whole wheat toast and homemade hummus as a snack or for a meal...

We Want to Know Wednesday

 1. What is your favorite holiday?  My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving...love the time of year, the food, the family connections..

2. Do you have any fun holiday traditions? What are they?  We always get together with Chuck's family for supper on Thanksgiving and Christmas nights, and I fix the turkey, dressing, and gravy.  Another holiday tradition is that we decorate our Christmas trees with all Hallmark ornaments that Chuck and I have collected since we've been married. 

3. When do you start Christmas shopping?  Not nearly early enough....usually in mid-December.

4. What is your favorite holiday food?  My favorite is something that I'll never have again....my mama's turkey dressing.  As I said above, I make it every Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it's just not the same....not Mama's...

5. Share a favorite childhood holiday memory.  A favorite childhood holiday memory is the Easter that my mama made me a green dress with white flowers, and I had new shiny, white shoes.  Chandler and her family was visiting and we took pictures standing in front of the blooming azaleas with the Poloroid insta-matic camera...

 6. Have you ever actually tried fruitcake??  Tried it, yes.  Like it, no!  My brother Larry makes many fruitcakes every Christmas season, and people LOVE them!  Fruitcakes are just not my thing though...

(We Want to Know Wednesday is hosted by Mamarazzi and Alicia aka Queso...

go link up!)

Thanksgiving

We've had a very nice Thanksgiving day....

We all slept in and then I made a good, hot Southern breakfast of bacon, sausage, grits, scrambled eggs, and toast.  After breakfast, Charles and I got buy preparing for the evening's Thanksgiving meal.

I talked with Charles and walked him through the preparation of the turkey and dressing.  He was very willing and excited about learning how to cook these Thanksgiving items.

We went out to Bethel UMC for supper with Beulah's side of the family.  There was so much good food......and the desserts...YUM! 

Charles has now gone out to Wes' house, and L and MJ have ridden off with Scott for a while.  Chuck and I are enjoying our quiet time here at home....well Chuck is laying on the couch snoring away....

Over the past week or so, it seems that everywhere you look, someone is writing about what they are thankful for.  Here's a little excerpt from today's Upper Room.....

"We have so much to give thanks for that we cannot possibly name it all.  But when we pause to acknowledge the giver of all these good gifts, a real spirit of thanksgiving rises within us.  When we view our many blessings in light of our relationship with God, life takes on a true sense of wholeness, and giving thanks becomes more than a holiday tradition.  It becomes our natural response to God who, in infinite love, has given us all that is good in our lives."

Miscellany Monday

Once again, I am linking up with Carissa at lowercase letters

for this week's edition of

Miscellany Monday.

I'm so happy that we only have two days of school this week...after tomorrow, we'll have a wonderful five-day break to celebrate my favorite holiday THANKSGIVING!

Yesterday we were all devastated because little Izzy died.  She was so small and fragile and had a lot of problems.  Mary Jo loved this little puppy and took such good care of her.  I'm proud of the way she gave this helpless little puppy the best life she could.  She really loved this Izzy, and was so sad to let her go. 

Good bye Izzy....you will be missed...

The Advent Fair plans are coming together.  I've gotten several volunteers who are willing to help out....thanks Fowler girls, Fran, and Millie!  I've also thought of several crafts and games that will be fun activities.  I can hardly wait to see this event come together!

The 12 Days of Christmas blog challenge starts today.  This is going to be so meaningful because it will cause me to reflect on Christmases past with my mama and siblings, and remember good times with Chuck and the children.  I'm really looking forward to starting! 

Over the weekend, I watched another classic movie that I'd not seen before, an item on my 101 in 1001 list. 

This movie was good, but I felt a little let down because I thought it would be super, wonderfully, outstanding....and it wasn't.  I'm glad I took the time to watch it though.

I hope everyone has a marvelous Monday!  I certainly plan to...

<3

Jo