Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

We wish you and your family a wonderful day filled with love, laughter, and good memories.

Thanksgiving Schoolwork for Fun

Math problems:

A 16-lb turkey takes approximately 2 1/2 hours to cook; how long will it take a 20-lb turkey, that took two girls to lug out of the grocer's freezer case, to cook?

Two pies - four people; how many slices per person?


Crafts:

Make a turkey centerpiece out of paper and a shoebox. (Ginger has done this three years in a row...the shoebox stays the same but the turkey changes over the years...this year, the turkey has a pink head and orange and pink tail feathers!)


Language Arts:

Read recipes and ingredient lists.

Write a journal entry on how entertaining mommy can be during the holidays!



Science:

Two bags of fresh cranberries along with water, sugar, and other additions reach to the top of the saucepan....how do you keep the goo from bubbling over onto stove top? How do you stir said goo without forcing cranberry goo over the sides? How long will it take for mommy to start feeling flustered?



History:

Discuss previous Thanksgivings ---- go back as far you wish!



Geography:

Try to figure out where on earth mommy hid the walnuts and condensed milk!

Monday Chit Chat

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving will be here in a few days! It seems like just yesterday my mom, the girls, and I were taking a road trip to go see my grampers.

This week the girls and I are preparing for a pre-Thanksgiving get together with some friends tomorrow afternoon as well as getting ready for Thursday. Here's a peek into this week's schedule:


Today - Make cranberry sauce and apple pie filling; cook cornbread for stuffing; make salisbury steaks for freezer; spiff up house;

Tuesday - prepare small spread for afternoon tea with friends (banana muffins, fresh fruit, savory pancakes)

Wednesday - make pumpkin and apple pies; cook candied yams;

Thursday - cook turkey; make mashed potatoes; cook biscuits;

Friday - bake birthday cake; celebrate Gracie's birthday


I've tried to spread out the work so that I'm not left with a huge amount to do Thanksgiving. The girls and I want to try to make some appetizers we saw on the Food Network site so we may do that on Wednesday.

We hope everyone has a wonderful week and that you really get to enjoy the holiday!

Last Week's Visit with Mom

I can't believe we are already at Monday again!

Last week's visit with mom was nice. The weather was beautiful and we tagged along with mom to all the places she goes.

Tuesday night we visited a Bible Study group and Wednesday we went to Lunch 'n Learn which is a program for the elderly. This get together is once a month and provides a very nice catered meal, a dance performance by the Lunch 'N Learn dance group, an informative speech (usually from doctors or health experts), and a chance to interact with others in the community.

The girls really enjoyed being there:

First up, climbing the rocks outside the entrance of the civic center where the program is held. Mom is on the right. The gentleman in the back was the official doorman who liked to say, "Howdy ladies!"

Since this Lunch 'N Learn took place on Veteran's Day there were many patriotic symbols around. The veterans received special ribbons to wear and asked to stand up so that we could recognize them all. Lots of patriotic music was played and I have to say, that when the Marine Hymn was played I cried a lot. (Ginger told me my face was puffy and REALLY red!) You see, this was the first Veteran's day in 26 years that I was not able to call my grampers and tell 'Thank you' for serving in the military to protect our freedom. It was a difficult day for me in that respect.

This is how our table was set when we arrived. Well, Elsie was plopped on the table so that she could have a good view of the room. Ginger read every piece of information we were given and was also happy to see that there were recipes to take home!

Mom reading and Gracelyn drawing on a special notepad gramma gave her. See the cat ears on Gracelyn? Both of the girls wore their cat ears the entire visit! It sure made for some interesting comments and looks.

The girls participating in the "exercise before we eat" time.

Mom doing part of her routine as a member of the dance group. I tried to get better pictures but had a difficult time since I didn't use my flash. (I was trying to not interfere with the official newspaper photographer.)

Later in the day we all watched one of my mom's most favorite movies followed by one of the girls' favorite - CATS.

This weekend was quiet and it was fun to be back home with Gary. We really missed him a lot!

Is everyone enjoying the nice autumn weather? We have been in low 70's for a few weeks and today we actually have a high of only 53 F! It's fun to have really chilly weather to remind of us of things to come.

I hope everyone of you have a wonderful week no matter what you are doing!

Monday Chit Chat

Good morning! I hope all y'all had a wonderful weekend. We had a pleasant couple of days here at home being together. Today we are getting regular work done as well as preparing to go out of town. The girls and I are going to visit my mom for a few days. Weather for the trip looks absolutely perfect and we may even get to see some real fall foliage!

Here's what has been going on at Country Roads for the past several days:

Ginger made scones all by herself.

Her scones look more like scones than my country version!

The girls enjoyed the scones with tea on the veranda. Note: Kitty ears are now part of our daily wear!

Pixie sunbathed every afternoon.

Friday afternoon was perfect for a picnic lunch in the backyard. Even Pixie enjoyed the picnic.

Yesterday afternoon the girls and I learned how to make rice balls! We discovered the type of rice used makes all the difference in the world. (They were yummy!)

After school work and Bible studies we'll be running a couple of errands and this afternoon will be spent preparing meals for Gary to eat while we are gone.

Have a great week everyone!

Those in Harm's Way

Yesterday, those who were preparing physically and mentally to be deployed overseas into on-going military action found themselves facing danger and even death in a place we all thought was safe - a military post on U.S. soil.

There are no words to express our shock and sadness at what happened here in Texas at Fort Hood yesterday.

This type of act is a reminder that our soldiers, those who defend our country and others on a daily basis, are in harm's way the moment they swear an oath and put on a uniform. They and their families should be in our continued thoughts and prayers.

Our family extends our sympathy to the families and friends of those who died as well keeping everyone else in our constant prayers. We also wish to express our deepest thanks to those who sacrifice their lives for our freedom.