Thinking of Thanksgiving and Family...

I just watched Home for the Holidays, a 1995 movie with Holly Hunter. It's about a seriously dysfunctional family, and it made me long for the family gatherings of my younger days.

I think every family has some skeletons in the closet, odd relatives or even outright irritating ones, but it's still your family. There's something lovely about bringing all the disparate members together in the confined setting of a holiday weekend. Somehow, even when things go terribly wrong, the outright messiness of it is endearing, even precious, when we look back on it. There is nothing more grounding than being part of a big, crazy family unit.

As you gather with your family or your friends this coming week, soak in all the moments, the uniqueness of your experience. The aggravations as well as the joys, because it all adds up to a distinctly personal page in your life story.

Embrace those you are with, reflect on those who are gone, cherish every bit of it!

Wishing you a joyous Thanksgiving holiday!

© 21Nov2015 ajj

Countdown to Thanksgiving...

So much to do in the next couple of days, and my husband and I have been down with horrid colds!  He rarely gets sick, and now both of us are battling the coughing/runny nose/achy/tiredness, which is not a good thing.  We're subsisting on chicken soup, crackers, tea and juice, along with Alka-Seltzer Plus and cough drops.

He's been confining himself to the bedroom, and watching a lot of the history channel, when he's awake.  I've got the family room sofa, and have been watching a lot of old TV shows, movies, HGTV, etc.  I've missed the middle section of most of them.  I wake up in time to see the credits rolling by.  Haha!

I have been doing a lot of mental planning for the holidays.  What to bake, gifts to buy, cards to send.  I'm thinking of buying a new artificial tree this year. Last year we got a real one because our old artificial tree is so huge.  I want a tall, thin tree that doesn't take quite so much space.  I was going to buy one right after the holidays last year and take advantage of the sales, but the ones I liked had all sold out.  I may just have to buck up and pay the full price.

I know this is kind of a rambling post, but I'm blaming it on my cold meds!  I'll try to write something truly fascinating next time!  Wouldn't that be a nice change of pace?  I can hear you laughing...  :)

Until next time, God bless you all!

My list...

Many of my Facebook friends have been doing a daily "what I'm thankful for" post.  I started, but it quickly went by the wayside.  I decided to do one long blog post, listing 30 things I'm thankful for.  You know, the whole month in one big post.  So here it is:

1. Today is my 56th birthday... I'm thankful for each and every day of life! (This list was actually started on the 16th... where oh where did the month go?)
2. My loving husband, who is the most awesome man!  We've shared the good and the bad, and he always reminds me that he loves me no matter what!
3. My two sons!  I could not love them any more than I already do.  They are a blessing to me.  They bring me such joy!
4. My parents and my grandparents... they left a legacy of love.
5. My sisters and brothers!
6. My extended family... yes, every one of you! 
7. My friends.
8. My church home.
9. My home.  
10. Clothes to wear.
11. Food to eat.
12. Reliable cars.
13. My cell phone.
14. Computers!
15. Working appliances.
16. My new scanner!
17. Books... and more books!
18. Art
19. Family photos
20. Music
21. Good neighbors
22. Wind chimes
23. Colleges and Universities
24. Prayer Chains 
25. Good Doctors
26. Diet Coke... cuz I really needed one today
27. The Internet, which has expanded my world
28. The right to vote
29. Freedom
30. Faith

These are in no particular order of importance, and the list doesn't even scratch the surface, but it's a start.  There are just so many things to be thankful for!  Even though this is the month of the Thanksgiving holiday, I try to remember to thank God, every day of the year, for all that I've been given.

With that said... it's goodbye to November and hello to December... hohoho!

Lines...

For the past couple of days, people have been lining up for the midnight sales that start tonight.  One part of me says they're crazy, even greedy.  They could be spending the day with family.  On the other hand, maybe it's the only chance they have to give their family the things many of us take for granted.  Nice dishes, a coffee maker, toys for their child's Christmas, a television set, linens, clothing.  As I sit here this morning typing on this PC that I am thankful to have, sipping a hot cup of coffee from the Keurig, and listening to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the background, I realize that I am abundantly blessed.  I shouldn't judge those who are willing to camp out, in the freezing cold, to get a little more of their American dream. 

As I wish you Happy Thanksgiving, I'm so grateful for my family and for all we have.  Many people this holiday season are without jobs, standing in food lines, wondering what the future will bring.  In today's paper there is a photo of a young soldier in uniform, with his family, standing in a food line.  It's wrong, so very wrong.  

I'm praying for a light, and an answer, in this current economic darkness.  May God bless each of you today, and fill your homes with peace and love.                               

I'm still here...

Busy life these days.  I've been getting over a cold, working on projects, making Christmas shopping lists.  My 55th birthday came and went.  It was a good day, other than being a bit under the weather.  This birthday made me very reflective about my life, because my dad passed away at 55 from cancer.  When it happened, I thought he was way too young to be gone.  Nothing has made that more clear than reaching 55 myself.  I have so much life I still want to live... so many things waiting to be done.  It's a wake-up call to get with it.  Make time for the people I love.  Do the things I've been putting off.  Appreciate every day that I'm given.  I'm so thankful for my life, my family, my friends.  Wishing each of you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I had to laugh when I saw today's calendar page (below). 

Photo removed due to Copyright Issues.  Sorry...

That's about how I feel on Thanksgiving... all the preparation, cooking, cleanup... which involves deboning the leftover bird... "Turkey Schmurkey" just about says it for me!





This year is different though. No extra family members will be sharing dinner with us, and I will miss that part of the day. It will just be my little family of four. The fun part is, three of us voted out the turkey! We will be dining on roast chicken! It is one of my favorites, and my sweet husband agreed he would be fine without the traditional bird. He also baked two pumpkin pies earlier in the evening. PJ is the pastry chef in our home, and he's great at it! The house smells lovely... shades of cinnamon and spice.



My job starts in a few hours... making the layered salad, veggie trays, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and getting the chicken in the oven. All this will be done with the traditional sounds of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade playing in the background.

I love Thanksgiving! It's a time of sharing good food, fun, and memories with my family. I wish each and every one of you a day of joy. May it be filled with the making of new memories, lots of love, and shared laughter.

Blessings!
Nita Jo

November Ramblings...

Wide awake, listening to my niece sing (on YouTube... HERE ), and thinking bout tomorrow... well, later today... Lucky 13 has some medical tests. Praying for answers. Thankful that my husband took the whole day off to be with him. Much better for him to have Dad in the room than Mom. I'm at the tailend of a cold, and I'm glad to be able to sit home, sipping cups of hot tea, while I wait for a phone call telling me everything is alright....

Just read on Silver Vally Girls blog... HERE , that it is National Blog Posting Month. I'm already behind on that, but will try to blog at least a couple times a week.

Have I said how much I love November? It's my favorite month of the year. Maybe because it's my birth month, maybe because of Thanksgiving, or that it takes us into all the celebrations that lead up to Christmas. Concerts, gatherings of family and friends, community services, memory making times. I am in my happy place right now! Blessings to all!

It's a Beautiful Autumn Day... and Free Images

It is a beautiful autumn day. I was doing some clearing up around the house, then decided to go through my photo files on my PC. I found a ton of art images that I haven't gotten around to using, so I decided to share some Free Images with you.

I only found one Thanksgiving picture in my files. It's this turkey from Dover Publications. If you click on the link, it will take you to their home page. They have all kinds of publications, including clip-art. You can sign up to get Free Sample images that can be used in your own creations. They also have some amazing sales on books of all kinds.

You just click on the image to enlarge it, then right click and save to your files.

Also, from Dover are the following three Christmas images.

I hope you enjoy using these in your own art projects. There are a few other images I offered in the past. Just click on the Free Images label below to see them all. Any images not marked as free are owned by me, or used with permission of the owner. Please honor my copyright on all other photo's, images, and writing.

Blessings!

Nita Jo