on the way to friday

Going with the flow this year.....

Traditions don't seem to come as easy for us as they do for other people.

The Thanksgiving holidays officially kicked in last night

as we attended a Thanksgiving service at our church.

Today, one of my siblings will pass through on their way to Friday..

We'll have a relish tray, crackers and cheeses, etc.

as we visit around our kitchen table.

Tomorrow - Thanksgiving Day - one of our children, her husband and 6 children

will pass through (also on their way to Friday).

Together with us, they'll attend a lovely community meal for folks

who don't have family plans.

(Our family "plans" came together rather spur-of-the-moment

without time to prepare turkey and trimmings,

so we're especially thankful for Holy Trinity Lutheran Church's hospitality.)

I'll take a sweet potato casserole made with apples and dried cranberries.

Then on Friday, we will get up early and together with my father,

drive over to Sauder Inn in Archbold OH to celebrate with extended family

(over 50 people).

Meanwhile, this rusty turkey joined autumn-colored everyday place mats

to remind us of this season while we're on the way to Friday.

Tradition-less, but SOOOOOO thankful. 

all hands on deck

 The addition of two hands in our household

helped make quicker work of this puzzle (which definitely deserved the name "puzzle")!

My husband cut a piece of pegboard so we could move it from our dining table

to rest on the arms of a chair in our living room between meals.

Unfortunately, he didn't cut the board BIG enough to accommodate

the two NEW puzzles I acquired this morning when I met friends for breakfast!

I selected these two out of several my friend was going to donate to a thrift store.

What fun we will have.

What a fun and inexpensive way to keep all hands on deck occupied...

finally grey

When it became necessary to replace the carpet in our recently-repurposed room,

I chose a remnant with grey tones.

We'd painted this room less than 2 months ago, 

but the paint we THOUGHT was grey when selected

turned out to be too blue to coordinate well with the new carpet....

sooooooo, my husband suggested that while the furniture was all out the room,

it was a good time to change the color.

SO glad we did!

Finally.  Grey.

visually and functionally...

"Free," said the facebook post.

I was ON it.

My husband picked it up that morning.

Brought it home; fashioned a couple of pieces to replace missing ones;

and applied Restore-A-Finish.

Though "my" bathroom is small, it is greatly enhanced

both visually and functionally by having a piece of furniture in it!

door dressing

 Our lives have become simpler in many ways since my father moved in with us.

I've come to enjoy cooking again 

(as opposed to running over to the local cafe frequently).

My crockpot is currently working for me,

wafting scents of a combination of pork, potatoes and green beans

covered with cream of chicken soup and a bit of dried Ranch Dressing mix.

I'll add some applesauce to our menu, frozen earlier this autumn.

Meanwhile, outdoors...

my husband is putting finishing touches on our front door.
New paint and a brass kick plate.

"Novembers have never been more beautiful," I think to myself.