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My Hearts' Haven Daybook

Thanksgiving Day 2008

November 27, 2008

Outside My Window............a sunny and almost warm Thanksgiving Day........about 53*

Brings back happy memories of playing football on Thanksgiving Day in the street with my grandpa, dad, uncles and cousins...........in Los Angeles, where we often had turkey days in the 60*s

I am thinking........I am going to have whipping cream be standard fare in my house, but ONLY for November and December......starting NOW. It can really make a cup of tea be dessert! :)

I just don't want a daily tablespoon of fat throughout the year.......holidays and cold weather is a good enough reason to give in. :)

Moderation in all things

One of my life mottoes. I think I found it in the Bible last summer.....but I cannot find it now..........anyone know where it comes from???

I am thankful for.............good friends............I spent a lovely day on Sunday with Maria and her EIGHT children and Gloria and her SIX children. Between the three of us........we have given birth to TWENTY kids, aged 2 months to 20 years.

Is this cool, or what? I am also thankful now Maria and Gloria know each other better.......and I can stop saying "my friend Maria with the 8 kids" and "my friend Gloria from San Francisco"

We were together to celebrate the births of their latest little men.

From the kitchen.........pumpkin bread leftover from the weekend's "baby shower" and yummy carrot cake form Matthew's 18th birthday celebration yesterday.......Louise made it!

.......on Monday, Gloria whipped up something quite yummy for dinner........and with short notice and a small amount of chicken sausage. It was rigatoni with olive oil, garlic, sundried tomatoes, spinach and the sausage. She is such a natural in the kitchen! My kids LOVE her cooking..................as do I!

We will do what we can today to prepare for our Thanksgiving meal TOMORROW. I am scheduled as a nurse today in OB..............so, we did not want the big feast today without my presence......or help! :)

We will have homemade tamales for dinner tonight..........with other supportive dishes, like Spanish rice.

Yikes........Micki just called. I am no longer on call for the afternoon...........I AM working. Please pray for me!

I am wearing........a light blue short-sleeved nightgown with yellow flowers and an old Nevada-Reno sweatshirt.

I am creating........an incredibly tall mountain of dirty laundry. Of course, I have big helpers with that creation! I could never do it alone. :)

I am going...........to burst with happiness for TWO pieces of exciting news I have got recently........announcements will be made soon........and no, it is not MY news. :)

I am reading.........The Last Battle, by CS Lewis to the little boys, the local newspaper and I have just read the preface in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and I read aloud The Seven Silly Eaters to Maria and Gloria on Sunday..........as it was their baby shower gift.

I am hoping.............to find that elusive nap. I offered Gloria to hold her wee Benedict sometime this week, while he and I nap. :)

I am hearing.........absolute silence, except for the hum of the computer. It is 9:20am and only Maddelyn is awake yet. Everyone is EXHAUSTED from the past week. I only wish MY body would allow me to sleep in.

I have to go wake the boys, including an extra: Walter, as John is taking them on a Thanksgiving hike today.

I am wondering.......I am not right now..........too tired to wonder :)

Around the house.......my picture books all over the place........Gloria's girls are really into the books this visit..........all four of them!

Now Showing..........well, we finally saw Pixar's Wall-E. We are not sure what the inspiration for such a strange movie was. As a family, we did not much prefer it. I am very curious how children feel about it.........Monarch of the Glen, next 2 discs are awaiting our ability to watch.

In the schoolroom.........

In the middle of set building and tech week and the play performances.......we have kept up some math: Fractions, skip counting by twos, fives and tens and mulitplication.

Maddelyn is reading Old Squire's Farm, a book Anne and Matthew loved.......and one I picked up from the Conservative Book Club once a long, long time ago. I need to read it, I guess. Sarah still has A Struggle for a Continent by Marrin and got on the treadmill a few times this week. Good for her!

Piano-Voice-eeeeendless singing here :)

Three play performances (Yes, Frances, I have it on DVD!)

One of my favorite things.........lullabies.........whipping cream in tea.........memories of my grandparents.......the ocean. oh. it says ONE of my favorite things. sorry. I lost my self-control.

Signs of the seasons......freezing nights........warm days.....of 53* is warm :) .......scraping windows in the morning............sweating with an all-day fire. Pumpkin bread!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...........
last Monday ........violin for Maddelyn, voice at college for three, strike the set from the play, piano group lesson in the evening..........dinner with Gloria and John (G Family) at my house

last Tuesday........Matthew has a physical as part of the application for being a foreign exchange student.........he has American Literature in the afternoon.....visit with G family all day

Wed.......voice for three......spend day with G Family......celebrate Matthew's 18th birthday with a babreque and good friends

Thursday (today)......I am second nurse first half of Thanksgiving Day......and first nurse the second half of the day.........spend day with G family........boys hike with John

Friday....we will share a Thanksgiving meal on this day with the G Family since I might work on Thanksgiving Day.......boys will go shooting with John

Saturday......it is supposed to be 63* and John wants to go on an all day hike with whoever wants to go

Sunday.........mass and then Anne and Matthew start tech week for their play at the college........and.......

BREAKING NEWS: I just found out yesterday that my sister Teresa and her husband and her youngest, Kaydance, are coming for an overnight visit this day! YAY!

somewhere in this week: un-grow that mountain of laundry............and search for that nap!

Special prayer requests on my mind this week......................for two people I know who have recently been told they are going on the transplant list (heart, a little boy and lungs, a homeschooling dad).......continued prayers for my friend whose son needs help with special needs......for the play the kids are doing......for Sabine's little Michaelman..........for a local friend whose father is dying of brain cancer......for the family and friends of a Catholic homeschooling mom in San Diego who died this week..........for my co-worker whose daughter died last week in a car accident.........for special private intentions

St. Gerard's List..........
Sherry & Stacy, Shawna's sis, are due any week now................and then there's Lissa, Alice, Bridget, Gloria (a different one!) and my patient in labor today.......it seems I always work on Thanksgiving day whenever I am scheduled.....I am hoping this birth will be less memorable than others have (they were high risk and scary!)

I am currently scrapbooking...........let's not go there. Just maybe Gloria & I can pull our stuff out.....instead of always trying to clean up a meal or prepare a meal :)

Here is picture thought I am sharing........

Sadie, our Alpha Female Golden Retriever, up close, taken last week an a very chilly day.

Expressive eyes?

God bless and Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, chari