The New Compound

We spent the weekend at the new Elder-but-not-old Huckablog’s compound.  I admit it.  I was sad to see the old one go….but the new compound?  Even better.

You see, it has a pond.

With fish in it. (sort of)

And it has fields big enough to fly a kite in.

And skies big enough to see the curve of the earth.

And I love it.

And so ends fall, and NaBloPoMo.  I made it.

On to Christmas.

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Living Will

Tonight’s post is courtesy of too much pumpkin pie and an email from my dad.   Make sure to check twitter tomorrow for Ang’s birthday joke.

Last night, my kids and I were sitting in the living room and I said to them, “I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.”

They got up, unplugged the computer, and threw out my wine.

They’re so considerate.

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Count your blessings. Name them one by one.

I am thankful for my husband.  I am thankful for his love, for his friendship, for his patience, for his hard work.  I am thankful that I get to be married to him for the rest of my life.  I am thankful that he is the father of my child, and that I get to hold him and laugh with him everyday.

I am thankful for my son.  I am thankful I get to spend everyday watching him grow, and learn, and bring joy to all who know him.  I am thankful I  get to be this specific person’s mama.  I am thankful for his energy, and his inquisitiveness.  I am thankful for his kisses, and for his ability to make me proud–always.

I am thankful for my parents.  I am thankful they are my parents, and that they raised me up in the way I should go.   I am thankful they still play such a huge role in my life and that they will always love me-no matter what.   I am thankful  my son has them for grandparents.

I am thankful for my in-laws.  I am thankful that they love me for me, not just because I married their son.  I am thankful I love them for them, not just because I married their son.  I am thankful they raised my husband to be the man he is today.  I am also thankful  I do not have to travel more than an hour to see them, or let them spend time with their grandson–because they are really good grandparents.

I am thankful for JHJ.  I am thankful he is near this year so I have someone to roll my eyes at.  I am thankful he pushes my boundaries, and that he never lets me win.  I am thankful I got to grow up with him, and that we will always have each other.

I am thankful for BiL.  I am thankful he is my friend and in-law, that he makes me laugh, and that he is present.  I am thankful for the love he shows my family, and that we see him more weeks than not.   I am also thankful he is now a kickass Japanese chef.

I am thankful for my grandparents.  I am thankful I am getting to know them as more than just occasional visitors.   I am thankful my son has Great-grandparents that he gets to see so often.  I am thankful for the legacy of love and faithfulness they have given my family.

I am thankful for my Ma.  I am thankful for her love, for her devotion to her family, for her example of care she shows to Gabs.  Next year I hope to say  I am thankful she lives down the street from me.

I am thankful for Nanny, my husband’s last living grandparent.  I am thankful for her vitality, and energy, and example of hard work.  I am thankful my husband and son have her blood in their veins.

I am thankful for Shoeshe.  I am thankful for her friendship, and even more so that she is my son’s godmother.   I am thankful for all the nights I have laughed until I cried sitting next to her.  I am thankful that she keeps me from taking everything so seriously.

I am thankful for Cat.  I am thankful that she remains my friend even though move after move and crazy schedules keep us apart.  I am thankful for not only the amazing history we have, but the future as well.

I am thankful for Ang.  I am thankful that neither of us  wrote off a friendship just because we see each other maybe once a year.  I am thankful for the internet which lets us still be a part of each others lives.

I am thankful for my mommy friends-specifically MOPS.   I am thankful that I am not alone in this adventure, and that I always have someone to share war stories with at the playground.  I am thankful they understand what it is like to have your life rotate around a child–and yet somehow not have it always be about him.

I am thankful for my home.  I am thankful it is warm, and comfortable, and a place we all love to be.  I am thankful for its location, near family, our church, and surrounded by great neighbors (who probably would get their own picture if they would ever let me take it. )

I am thankful I get to live in the most beautiful state in the country. I am thankful that I can always find vistas and nature that let me see the wonder of God.

I am thankful for my country.  I am  thankful for the men and women who worked and fought to make it ours, and keep it safe.  I am thankful I am free to live my life, and say what I want–even publish it.   I am thankful I have the chance to live this American dream.

And finally–and yet most importantly–I am thankful for my God.  I am thankful for all of the blessings He has given me, us, and that I could never count them all.   I am thankful for His love, and grace.  I am thankful for His son.  I am thankful he has given me a thankful heart.

Happy Thanksgiving.  Take time tonight to count your blessings and see what God has done.

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Read it and then FORGET it.

I was at church this morning helping decorate for a fancy luncheon being held there this afternoon.  My mom was in the kitchen  cooking and we were chatting as we worked.  She told me that she and my dad had gone over to my grandparents apartment to give Grandpa his birthday gift that finally arrived.  (hang in there, this story is going somewhere I promise.)  Anyway, the gift was a hat to match his winter coat…the problem was that both he and my Grandma FORGOT that the coat even existed.

On the way home I was thinking of all of the random things they have been forgetting lately.  It was depressing until I had a cheery thought–maybe they will forget things I WANT them to forget!  Like maybe my Grandpa will forget that time when I was sixteen  that he walked in on my boyfriend and I making out..and the boy’s hand was totally up my shirt.

I thought all three of us were going to die of embarrassment.

Maybe Grandpa forgot the second base incident, but dang it I just told my mother.  And MMiL.  And who knows who else.

Crap.

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Serenade

The Birthday Boy is in red BUT you have to watch this video to figure out who it is.  Um, yeah my kiddo is covered in marker–from making a birthday card!

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A party for 60–years, not people.

They may forget it tomorrow–but that night they both laughed and cried with their closest friends as they celebrated 60 years of putting up with each other–not just putting up with each other, but really LOVING each other.

My grandparents renewed their vows–and teared up while they were promising to love each other forever.  We all teared up actually, if anyone did not tear up they were not listening closely enough.   (Oh, that guy in the middle is the new guy I told you about.   He could not possibly be more different than the old guy–but that is okay.  He is exactly what we need right now.  The only thing our church needs now  is to dump a few hundred ugly plastic covered chairs, but that is an entirely different post–one my husband will delete as soon as I  write it– so never mind.  Back to the wedding. )

It was perfect.  Small, simple, and sweet.   Every party guest was able to fit at one long table.

We used my Mom’s china, crystal, and silver.  There were antique lace table clothes, and linen napkins purchased in Ireland.  Then JHJ and I drilled holes in defenseless baby pumpkins and jammed flaming candles in them.

Colorful fall leaves, and a few gumballs were scattered about to keep the organic/fall/classic look that my Grandma wanted.  Nothing says elegance like yard waste!

I was originally going to use acorns for the place cards, but the gumballs worked so much better!  Some day I will tell you about why these pokey little suckers were the bane of my existence as a child.  It may this month–there is a lot of Mo left to Po.

We did candles in crystal to deflect the light everywhere, and added fresh greenery stolen last minute from the yard.  Not shown is the arch we put up that they got married under…it was okay.  The pictures left me feeling very lackluster about it, but no one said anything but nice things so either there were only polite guests or I am being a perfectionist again.

We did little vignettes at important places and I never once regretted having not bought a single flower.  The leaves and pumpkins, gumballs, and candles were plenty.

Of course the cake was made by Stacey.  Only the leaves and little acorns and pumpkins were fondant.  The rest of all that detailing was done in (incredibly yummy) buttercream.

Yum.  How cute are they feeding each other–with forks!?  I looked in their album and they used forks for their first wedding too.  The Husband and I used our fingers to feed each other cake at our wedding–but then all of the guests were barefoot at our wedding too…so yeah.

It was a great night.  And look, you can’t even tell that my mom has a BROKEN BACK and that she had worked all weekend cooking.   She is awesome at that stuff.  I kinda want to be her when I grow up.  Oh, and look at the toys on the floor.  Certain family members lost interest around the second course.

One more thing.  See that glass my grandma is toasting with?  My Great Grandparents got it as a wedding gift, and used it at their wedding, my grandparents used it at their (original) wedding, and The Husband and I used it ours.  My great grandparents were married for 79 years,  and these two are already at 60, so we have some big wedding shoes to fill.

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Guessing Game!

Guess which person in this picture has a birthday today!  Bonus points to the person who can tell me how we are related.

Happy Birthday You Know Who You Are!

Answer on Monday.

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