CALM BEFORE THE STORM

(cell phone photo dump

and 

a little all over the place)

The older girls are headed home from school tomorrow.

They will be home for almost a month!

I cannot wait.

But, here at home now, it is the calm before the storm.

Calm before the laundry, dishes, crumbs, late nights, noise, an empty fridge, full trash cans, 

wet towels on the floor, unmade beds and so on.

The weather has been mild, until tonight. 

It turned bitter cold and it is raining.

It feels like Christmas.

But, a few nights ago it was springlike...

and

the house looked odd all dressed for Christmas while it was so warm.

The crickets were singing and I think I heard some frogs

while I took these pictures.

CRAZY!

It is decorated inside....

and it smells good too!

We rarely see the "big guy", but I caught him having lunch in the yard,

 right outside my bathroom window. 

He usually keeps his distance. 

When HE ventures into the yard, it means their food is starting to run low.

Am I going to see them climbing the pine trees in February? 

 #3 is studying so that she will NOT have to take final exams...

There is an AP Bio test tomorrow.

Yesterday, she studied for her lit test on Les Miserables,

while the sound track played on her laptop.

Bubbles kept her company.

Yes,

the holidays are such a busy time,

I keep my elves close by.

Charlie and Lola are sooooo excited about it! 

Very, VERY, VERY

excited!

Me too!!

REALLY!!!

OH DEER

You know,

Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,

 Comet and Cupid and  Donder and Blitzen

But do you recall,

the most famous reindeer of all?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Lasagna!

Oh deer!

We live in a wooded area where the houses aren't close together.

Our house has woods behind it and there is pond that the deer do not venture too far from. 

Our yard is prime property for deer watching, if you are into that sort of thing.

I usually am into deer chasing, because they eat any and everything in the yard.

They are especially drawn to all of the "deer-proof" plants and shrubs we have planted.

But,

Charlie and I did some deer watching yesterday. 

Our pool is enclosed in a fence and the area back behind it has been

 the spot the deer have settled on as their afternoon napping spot. 

The deer usually aren't too afraid of us.

One came close to say hello...

some peeped back us....

and some got together and talked about US!

See the one on the ground to the left?

She is special.....

Meet Milkshake....

She is a piebald deer, meaning she is brown and white.

Less than 1% of all the white tail deer have the gene that causes this coloring. 

(I looked it up.)

She is about 2 years old.

She is looking a little hefty.

I do not know if she fattened up for the winter or if she is pregnant.

Hopefully she isn't, 

 I can't afford to feed anymore deer!

Deer stomp when they start to feel threatened and to warn the others.

Not so sure what she was afraid of.....

maybe she just needed a little hug.

Don't we all!

Hugs!!

TURKEY TALK

WELL,

I did try to post sooner this time, but I misplaced the cord that connects my camera to my laptop.

I thought I left it at the beachhouse, but I found it today while straightening up.

We had a great Thanksgiving!

I must say it was so much better than anticipated. 

Since my mom passed away (three years ago in Feb.) holidays are definitely not the same.

My mom always did things perfectly, while my dad was just there, unobservant like a lot of men.

I now try to keep things as simple as possible.... but also as much like my mom did them as possible.

I know that the "extras", like the china, crystal, fancy pickle relishes and pitchers, fifty side dishes and ten desserts are only more work for him and aren't necessary right now.

 I miss the fussier times though.

I miss my mom.

We got together with my family.

I only have one sibling, a brother.

He is married and only has one daughter, so our get togethers are very small.

Ugg..... that is one thing I do not like, small families.

Let me just go on the record here and say I pray for a lot of grandchildren. 

I really do want to be a part of a large family.

#3 and I started her Thanksgiving break by grocery shopping and baking the most delicious apple cake a few days ahead of time. Her school gets the entire week off for Thanksgiving and I love spending that time with her!!

butter, butter, butter

(apples, spices, OJ, coconut.....I will share the recipe later.... remind me!)

See my laptop?........ We watch movies while we cook.

We watched "Somethings Gotta Give" this time.

...more cooking and preparing...

this is a recipe for "copper pennies", a pickled carrot dish

When my "granny" died, I asked for her recipe box.

I keep it just as she kept it....... a mess.

I cook from it every holiday... the recipes she cooked.

I LOVE holding the stained and crusty cards in my hand and smelling them.

My kids want to send me to therapy sessions. 

Thanksgiving Day we drove to my dad's (I hate calling it "My dad's") house.

My girls got busy decorating it for Christmas. 

They were wonderful!

My dad acted like he didn't care, but kept walking through.

This is the almost finished project......

My mom had a thousand other boxes of decorations, but we just stuck to the tree and a few other table things.

Pretty, but not like she did it. 

On to dinner.....

My dad and Barrett, #3, trying to turn the oven on!!!!!

My girls and my niece in "line".

From my dad's we were headed to our beach house and so we took our dogs with us. 

Lola (left) and Charlie (right) were very confused all day.

They had never been to Papa's house before and definitely had never been confined to  screened porch for an entire day!

My sister in law kept them company.

I forced everyone outside for pictures.

My dad is sooooo uncomfortable when a camera is pulled out, but I did get him to sit for a few pictures.

My mom would be so mad at how he dressed.

He was "Best Dressed" in high school and she liked him to keep up the look, but lately he has started to "dress down".

It makes me laugh.

.....and I know I am gonna get it when #1 reads this post...

she was so unhappy with her hair that day

We headed to our beach house that night.

Friday we did a lot of this.....

the weather was bea-U-tiful!!

 I cooked a little Thanksgiving dinner for just my family.

For years, I spent Thanksgiving in a car....all day long.....driving from one family to the other....taking a tour of North Carolina.... and now that my children are older I have started cooking on Friday.
Thanksgiving weekend is not fun without a little leftovers in the house!

BF1 drove from Raleigh to join us for the weekend. 

One of Art's sisters visited us the next day.

BF2 did too.

All of the kids did homework most of the day...

I love our little beach.

It is a "family beach" and there is alway something going on every holiday.

During the day Saturday, they had the Christmas parade.....

next year I am decorating our golf cart.....

My sister in law shagged with one of the clowns!

That night I tortured the boys and made them go to the Flotilla Christmas Parade

and then Art made them work for their dinner....

because he was still recovering from his shoulder surgery. 

We steamed oysters under the house....

I did not go shopping Black Friday.......... I did do almost all of my Christmas shopping on

 Cyber Monday though.  I feel like I need to invite all of the delivery guys in for drinks and dinner  because there has been a nonstop parade of them at our house this week.
 I am getting to know them well.