It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...

CHRISTMAS!

The first look at the lights. We will be adding more lights to the bushes in front, which you can not see now anyway.

Tomorrow we will finish up outside and take more pictures!

Goodbye Grandma

It was so nice that Grandma and Grandpa Andy were able to come down for Thanksgiving!  We are so sad that she had to leave today.

We hope we can see you again soon!

The Lego Village Returns

Two years ago, Cousin David sent Lon a Lego village starter kit. Lon loved it! I found out you could get a new piece every year, that was only available that year!  Right after dinner last night, Thanksgiving, Lon started asking for his village.  I told him he would have to wait till we got back from the Creche Festival.  AND we had to put away all the fall decorations.  Fastest clean up ever.

He got the village he had put together. He stores it in individual bags, each labeled with what they are, and the instruction booklets too.  All of this is in a plastic tub with his name on it.
Lon thought I did not buy him this year's village set. He asked to go play at a friend's house. I put the set on the table. His friends were not home, so he came right back and saw this!

He was SO excited!

He started building it right away. He is so quick with this stuff

He has so much fun building the sets!

It did not take very long for him to get it done

He was so thrilled with the light brick that lights up the window.  You can see the toy builders inside !

Putting it all together on his table. We are going to find a better spot for it later on

TaDa! all set up!

Creche Festival

I signed up for the Creche Festival when the tickets became available. I thought today would be a perfect day to do this. And it was!  Our tickets were for 11am.  We left about 10 to make it out to Mepkin Abbey on time.

This sheep is part of a Creche made from found urban materials. Lon loves this sheep.

The next to the last one outside. There are 7 outside.

This is the one of the first Creches you see when you get into the library. We loved the new addition, the monk on the tractor! I am amazed at how detailed the faces are, they are so small

Some of them are so beautifully simple.

Checking out the Creche from China, it was made of Karma wood. I have not heard of that

This Creche was made form old auto parts

This was so amazingly detailed. They even had a devil in chains.  The booklet said they worked on it for over two years.  I thought it would be much longer

Even the back is detailed.
There was so much to see on this Creche!

This one, from Portugal, was my favorite. Mary changing the baby Jesus.  It makes Him seem more human, in ways I never thought about before.

These little short fat Ecuadorans remind me of me!   They make me smile.

These lovely ladies were part of a large Creche, I think from France.

The Holy Family

Last one from this Creche

The oyster shell Creche was the fan favorite from last year.  I think this was the only one they put out from last year.

This Creche was called Under the Onion Dome

A little closer

I love the cat and dog by the manger

That was the Creche Festival. It was wonderful. I think this will be a tradition now, going to the Creche Festival the day after Thanksgiving.

We did get some hot chocolate and cookies on the back porch.  I bought this at the Creche store. A color by number advent calendar. This looks like it will be so much fun.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a wonderful day we had today.

Lon and Daddy helped clean up the floors!
 Daddy swept and Lon vacuumed up the piles

Thanks, Guys!

One table set. We set three adult tables and one kid's table.  This is the formal dinning room, the other tables were in the every day dining room and on the screen porch.

Wow, yes this is me with the turkey. The bird turned out great!

The dining room all set.  Everyone was waiting for dinner!

We set up a buffet line. There was not enough room on our tables for all the food. There was gravy, rolls and butter, salt and pepper on each table.  It made eating very comfortable.

It was really fun, Mark carved the turkey and we all ate so much!

For dessert there was pumpkin pie, pecan pie pumpkin cannoli, and pumpkin cheesecake.

It was so nice to have Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family!

Cheeseball

Grandma and Grandpa Andy are here. YAY! Grandma found this fun recipe for a cheeseball.  She thought it would be fun to make it with Lon.

On Wednesday the mixed up all the ingredients and Lon formed it into a ball in the plastic wrap.

Thanksgiving morning, they finished up their creation. Roll the cheeseball in crushed nuts, and decorate it!

So proud of himself. Grandma had him do most of the work. He had so much fun!

Close up of Mr. Turkey Cheeseball.

He was yummy too.

Fifth Grade Thanksgiving Treats

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving was a busy one at Lon's school. 

First we had Passport Club Check for the month of November. It was fun to see the kids and watch them show me what the learned about the countries of the world.   

Then Lon's class had a Thanksgiving Treat for the last hour of class.  I volunteered to come in and help. I cut up the pies, his teacher brought in three, a chocolate cream, an apple and a pumpkin. They also had cookies, sugar and chocolate chip and cheese and crackers. They could have lemonade or sweet tea. It was quite a spread. I was in charge of cutting the pies and serving them.Making sure the kids took only two cookies or one and one slice of pie.  I was also in charge of squrity cream. You know, canned whipped cream.  An entire room of fifth graders is going to go home and call it that. I am proud of that

I asked the kids if they wanted squirty cream on their cookies.  A few looked at me like I was crazy but the majority of them thought that was the most wonderful idea ! 

While the kids were eating, they watched a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  It was good seeing that again. 

Lon got to leave with me 5 minutes early! No car rider line. That is something to be truly thankful for! 

Third Thursday November

We got an early start on our Third Thursday adventure.

We stopped by the quilt shop to see my gingerbread trail entry. I did not win, but I gave it a good effort. Next year might not be so humid.
We stopped inside and got Grinch Advent calendar to sew. Mark picked out some fabric for me to make myself a dress.

We stopped by Montrose for dinner.

This gingerbread creation is about Albino Kangaroos in Australia. We could not read the story as the type was small. Reading it through the window distorted it a bit too. I will have to look up the story on line.

We saw some wonderful art at the gallery on Short Central.   I think we have found some Christmas presents there.

This Third Thursday was the least attended I have seen.  We enjoyed ourselves but no one was there!

5th Grade Program

The evening started out with the 5th grade recorder club's performance.  Lon has been practicing.

Each song was not very long

Lining up to play.

They did a good job.
Not many wrong notes

All done

They had a good time and they did a good job

Next was the entire 5th grade program.
There was singing, speaking and dancing!

All lined up, ready to start

Singing!

Lon's speaking part, about Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders.

Dancing the Charleston. With one girl in costume! Very fun


It was a fun program, the kids had fun.