Giving Thanks!!!

Thanksgiving is here and we are being very thankful!!! 

Now that the kids are home from school and technology on Thanksgiving "Vacation", and that the Christmas music is blaring and the kids are dancing to it in the living room as I type, and that the house is now clean and ready for our long, sleep deprived weekend ... we are THANKFUL!!!  (My English teacher would not be impressed with my run on sentence there.  :)  I am thankful for all my English lesson though!)  We are so blessed with all we have!!!

One blessing is our Christian school!  The children get a great education!  They both have good friends and enjoy their teachers.  Today, everyone at school was buzzing around with fun games, yummy foods and sweet desserts!  I got to drop in on the third grade and middle school (since that where our kids were.)  Matthew dressed up like an Indian.  I told him last night to get his outfit all together so that in the morning we are not stressed and shedding tears over not being able to find all he wants.  Well, this morning he got dressed but then when he went for his head piece, he went searching for feathers.  He thought he knew where some were outside, so he grabbed his jacket and went looking in the rain.  He did find him and happily was off to school.  I baked a big pan of corn for his class party!  After a episode with our toddler, I dropped her off at mom-in-law and headed for school. 

Matthew and his class dressed up like pilgrims and Indians.

Miss Roth dressed like a pilgrim.

Hadassah did not dress up in any thanksgiving character.  I think she outgrew this?..  She took oranges and grapes along to school to help with the food preparations.  The mom's in charge did a good job with making the gym look like a fall party.  They to had a delicious meal.  The middle school played "Minute To Win It" games, a balloon game, candy guessing jars, etc..  The kids were full of energy!  Thanks to all those who helped make this fun for Hadassah!!!

Hadassah and Courtney!!!

After the school parties, we came home and watched big, white flurries fall from the sky.  Winter seems to have arrived.  The air is cold.  You need to bundle up before going outside.  (Which, by the way, Ashlyn thinks nothing of it run outside barefoot in the cold.  Trying to keep shoes and a jacket on her is a project.  She gets strapped in her car seat and always wants her jacket off.  I am freezing and she seems to be just a bit cold.)  It's fun to be inside, at home, with the fresh Christmas greens in the house and the lights hung.  We did get some Christmas decor done!!!  I hope to do the rest next week!  That night, we went to Jonathon and Marilyn's for a pizza party/Acquire game night!  Thanks guys!  Evenings together are always fun and late!!!  :)

Thursday ... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!  Mike thought about going out to run a 5K but we decided to stick to our traditional "Family Meeting" on Thanksgiving morning!  We gathered around the kitchen table and each wrote two things we are grateful for.  Then we wrote down one lesson we learned this year.  The ideas and thoughts were great.  This meeting was a great time for us to connect as a family and reflect on all our blessings!  At 11:00 we headed out the door for a Thanksgiving Dinner at Dad Lapps!  The family gathered to eat a wonderful meal!!!  Roast, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, slaw, rolls and desserts!!!  We played games!  Settlers and dice!  Some shot clay birds in the afternoon.  Some of us were just lazy and enjoying family!  :)  Dad made a turkey on their new green egg and we picked on that at supper time.  Snack was served and at 9:00 we headed back home. 

Hadassah's been looking forwards to "Black Friday" shopping for such a long time.  I did too actually!  The two of us headed out at 9:30.  Lena met us at Kohl's.  We stood in line the longest there.  One stood in line while the others shopped.  Then we switched.  We went to some other surrounding stores!  The night was cold and there were so many people out and about!  At 1:00 AM, we went to Arby's for curly fries.  Only on nights like these, do I do this!  Hadassah and I had a great time together.  Thanks for shopping with us too Lena!  Making memories is a blast!!!  We hopped in bed at 2 AM tired! 

Friday morning Hadassah and I got to sleep in!!!  We cleaned up our gifts and put our buys in place.  Some items are waiting to be wrapped for Christmas.  Other items we are using right away.  Mike went to work and the kids and I were together at home.  Other years, I decorated for Christmas on this day.  But because I had some decor done already, I decided to wait till next week to finish the rest.  I did put up some lights outside.  Matthew is asking for some blue colored lights, so we will need to stop by a store and grab a few packs! :)  Last night, we went to Cabela's with my parents.  The kids always enjoy a quick trip there.  All the sights and animals are fun to see!

I hope your Thanksgiving season was a blessing!  Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Getting ready for the upcoming holiday season!!!

I just noticed today that one of our calendars here at home never got flipped over to November.  Oops!  :)  I laughed and said, "It'll soon be time to flip that page again."  Isn't that the truth?  I mean week after week I keep thinking of things I would like to get caught up on ... and then it gets delayed.  Things like my personal journal where I write down my inner feelings and thoughts, no I do not do that too much on this blog.  I know you would thank me for this!  :)  Blogging is mostly the fun memories that we make as a family.  My journal usually gets the deep feelings written down in it.  Anyway, if you don't have a tablet for you to vent, you should really start!  It's healing.  It's valuable.  It's good for me!  :)  OK, now back to the blogging world ... I have been wanting to catch up with some other things too.  I am fully aware that catching up during the holiday season is really bad timing.  I will try my best to do only what needs done and let the rest for a snowy afternoon!

This past week we had some Christmas things/preparations going on.  Mom asked Jody and I to come down to help decorate her home for the holidays.  We realized exactly why she asked for help!  :)  She's got enough Christmas decor to start a store!  :)  Well, I might be exaggerating just a bit but she has lots of tubbies full of nice greens, bows, carolers, nativity scenes, etc..  She stores all her Christmas stuff in the attic.  It's not your typical attic mind you!  It's cool!  Her attic has rooms.  (No, she does not actually use them as rooms.  Just for storage.)  It's got a big spiral staircase going up to it.  Wood floors.  Windows.  It all comes with having a really old house.  We went from the main floor, to the upstairs, to the attic ... then back down with our arms full.  Jody counted 20 some steps!?  :)  Good exercise!  It's fun if you have stuff to work with when you are decorating a big house.  Mom said to move/pack up the non holiday house decor and replace it with greens, berries, etc..  So we did!!!  I made the comment that when dad comes home he'll be walking into the Christmas season!  I love a home decked out for the holidays!!!  I love to do this myself and I keep telling myself to hold back!  I don't usually decorate for Christmas till after Thanksgiving, but I'm tempted to get some things out today yet!  Mom's house looked great till late afternoon!  We went from room to room adding festive touches!  My favorite things that she has are her nativity scenes!  She's got a few of them, including a gorgeous nativity picture!  I think that really displays the whole meaning of why we celebrate Christmas!  Our Saviour was born into the world so that He could die to save us from ALL our sins!!!  I can't wait to see Mom's finishing touches when she adds fresh greens and some poinsettias!  My family can't wait to go to Dad's for our Christmas dinner and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells in her house!

I also had a day out shopping with Mike's mom and sisters!  This is always a fun day and really exhausting.  We start when the children get off to school and end after supper.  Walking through all the shops and trying to see so many things, is such a blast!  We all packed in the van and headed to the mall and surrounding stores.  We really missed Anna Ruth and Mary Sue not being with us!  Next year for sure you must join us!!!  I was able to cross off some gift items from my list and that makes me smile!  I also bought a new Christmas Wow CD, so now we have some fresh tunes to play here at home!!!

Looking ahead at next week ... it will be fun and busy all at the same time!  We've got school Thanksgiving parties!  Hadassah is completely gitty about shopping for some Black Friday deals.  And we have a Thanksgiving Dinner to attend!  We are so blessed!!!

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I mowed the yard hopefully for the last time this afternoon.  I still have some leaves blowing all around but the weather is getting colder.  I got myself all bundled up before getting on the mower.  I am bracing myself for a cold winter.  I love that germs get froze.  I love sipping on hot beverages when it's so frigged outside.  I love when it snows and snows a lot!  I love being warmed by fireplaces.  I love playing games around the kitchen table.  Maybe, I'll even get the kids to help me put a big puzzle together!?!  However, the cold wind and chill comes with Winter.  It's my least favorite season.  I am determined to make the best of it and the first signs of Spring will get me excited!!!

Reflect on your blessings this upcoming Thanksgiving week!  When I start to count my blessings and take a look around at all I am blessed with, my "cares of this world" seem to shrink.  I love Thanksgiving and I really love that our country still celebrates a day of "giving thanks".  It will be turkey eating with mashed potatoes, corn, salad and pumpkin pies for us this week!  I know I keep saying it - but I cannot say often enough how rich our family is to have family, friends & food!  And heat.  And shelter.  And fuel.  And health.  Etc, etc..  God is really so good to us!  Let's remember to THANK HIM!!!

THANK HIM TODAY!  Next week.  Next Thursday!  Till the end of the year!  Forever!!!  It's not what I deserve, but it's a free gift from God!

Fall Parties (Spa & Hobo!!!) ...

Where do I begin?  I have been going and going ever since I woke up like four days ago.  I think that was Friday morning?!!!  :)  The kids were off to school Friday and Ashlyn and I did some yard work.  Hadassah went home from school with Courtney while Matthew got dropped off at home.  Later, I took Matthew and Ashlyn to Mom-in-law and then headed to Courtney's house for our "Spa Night".  We sold four spa tickets at the school sale in September and now the fun night was about to begin!!!  Courtney and Hadassah did a good job with setting the table and decorating the basement!  Thanks girls!!!  When the four spa girls showed up, we had the ham sandwiches hot, the chocolate fountain running and the cupcakes were put on display.  The night was sure to be a fun one!!!

We started with the girls eating supper dressed in their 'Sunday best'.  After Sherry and I ate our soup, (yes, we let just the girls eat at the pretty table while we sipped on tomato soup from the living room) the girls moved to the basement.  There they got changed into comfy cloth and slippers.  We filled the foot soakers up with warm water, poured in some soap and massaged their feet, neck and back!  We set up a display of polish options and I painted nails.  The girls had fun and while they sipped on hot tea, they talked in a British accent.  Some of those girls are really good!!!  Some of the others just laughed!!!  Like me.  :)  It was time for the fun to be over too soon for the girls that night but they had a wonderful time together!!!  Thank you parents for your donations to our great school!!!  Thank you Sherry for hosting the Spa Party at your house!!!

 This was a fun night!!!  Thanks girls!!!

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Then the next day was Saturday.  :)  I took some family pictures for my sister and then worked around the house.  Mike was home till lunch and got more house chores done too!  Thanks Babe!  Matthew and I sliced up Mike's deer baloney.  We used our new slicer that was given to us last Christmas!  Worked good.  After our lunch of fresh baloney sandwiches, we went down to my parents farm and got set up for the Hobo Youth Supper.  Mom and I went from her attic, to the front porch, and out to the barn with all kinds of fall/harvest things.  I found an old shelf in the barn that worked perfect for our pumpkin pies.  This to was fun.  We had dinner plans and so we came home just in time to freshen up and leave the house once again.  Thanks John and Suz & Uncle John and Kathy for the fun night, good food and more Texas chatter!!!  :)

Bags of baloney for the freezer!!!

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 Sunday arrived with the sunshine peaking through just a bit.  It was overcast most of the day.  After church, a wonderful lunch, we went down to my parents to finish up our Hobo Supper details and get the food cooking.  I could go on and on about this fun night, but I won't.  I think pictures might tell most of the silly, wacky, great time we all had!!!

I will just say this though ... we have great youth leaders, a fun group of youth and putting that all together in a barn with lots of food and games = A GREAT TIME!!! 

Hadassah was delighted to have some Hobo girlfriends at the youth party!!!


Ashlyn was cute.  Matthew was happy to be able to wear his fun shirt that he cut off the sleeves all by himself.

Hadassah and Kelsey!!!

Shakia and Ashlyn ... such great friends!  Melody was a little cowgirl!

John Mike and Mim looked so ... well, they fit in just great too!  :)  Love it!

There was this honking of a horn.  A loud truck pulled right up to dad's barn.  Guess who it was?  H.K. & Lynn!  What sports!  They were such a howl!!!

Amey & Marty came too!!!  Take a look at Christopher ... Ashlyn was not too sure of him!?!  Then we have the two Esh Hobo's and a Lapp girl.  :)

Father and Son!

The dessert table.  (Sorry about the lighting.  I didn't feel like editing all these pics so they are Hobo style too!  :)  )

The "Trash Can Meal" was cooked in the barn in big turkey cookers.  I wish I could send along with these pictures the smell of raw shrimp and corn, onions & garlic, smoked sausage and red potatoes ... all with seasonings - but I can't.  Just imagine it.  Add some barn Hobo music!  And lots of energetic youth!

Paper was spread on the tables.  When the food was ready to eat, it was dumped right on top.  No plates.  No forks and spoons except for salad and dessert.

Matthew loved the shrimp.  I think Kara was growing things in her hair.?.

I loved this hair due!!!  Also, Ashley had put a hanger through her hair.

Matt Smoker ... weird!  Ashlyn loves corn on the cob.  Yum!

Of course, my hubby had a blast with the guys!

This is Hadassah's style of fun too!!!  Take a look at the table ... a total mess!  That's why you do things like this in a barn right?

H.K.'s eating and one of the games were to make something out of spam.  A house.

Fries, burger and drink.  Brother LaVern looked hilarious too!!!

Another game ... duck tape with shaving cream spread over it.  Then you throw Q-tips and see how many you could get sticking.  Then it was putting your face into a chocolate pie and digging out the gummy pigs.  A prize of sunflower seeds was given to the winner with the most pigs on the table.

                                                                                ... an empty toilet was used for shelled peanuts.

He was amazed!  Mim got a left over chocolate pie put in her face by her son!  Goodness what a mess!  What fun!

Bean bag throws.  Mommy D. even helped play this game!  Here are the guys and dad making the food in the cookers in the barn!

Mike and I!!! 

Thanks so much to dads for opening up their barn and for the youth leaders to make this such fun!!!  You truly are making a difference in our youth today!!!  Keep it up!!! I love it that we have youth at church that can get serious with spiritual talk and yet come and have a total blast on a night like this!!!  We are blessed to have such a fun church family!