thanksgiving 2017

I know we're a couple of days past Thanksgiving, but I'm finally crawling out of my food coma!  Unfortunately, PawPaw was on call for the holiday, but luckily, he sent Memaw to us the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  The kids were off school all week, and loved the crafts she brought with her - first up was making their own ornaments, reindeer candy canes, and miniature sleds out of popsicle sticks!

Then some bread baking!

Which got Britton into the mood for helping Memaw with the Parker House rolls for Thanksgiving dinner.  We didn't have a plan for the meal - we always go with turkey, bread, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and some casseroles.  So we watched some "Pioneer Woman" episodes for inspiration, and Memaw wrote down the Parker House roll recipe. 

There was much snuggling, lounging, and general laziness, perpetrated by myself, of course.

The required "thumbs up" picture with the bird.  This turkey smelled (and tasted) wonderful - the hubs stuffed it with lemon, garlic, tarragon, and thyme, and slathered the outside with tons of butter.

Ready to eat!

Memaw headed out Friday morning, and we all wanted to see her off.  I realized that we hadn't taken a group shot with everyone, so I set the camera on the kitchen island and set it to take our picture.  Barrett looks grumpy, I look like a hot mess, Britton is for some reason wearing a bathrobe over her dress, but it's us and it's real!

Just sharing a sweet picture of Barrett!

Since we don't touch Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving, we've spent the entire weekend decorating for Christmas!  The cards are stuffed and ready for stamps, the outdoor lights are put up, and the trees and interior decor are set.  Now time to finish shopping and wrapping gifts!

cammy's 70th birthday

My mom turned 70 on November 10th!  She was planning a party, and asked if I could make the trip to Virginia Beach so her entire family could be there.  I could, but the airline ticket costs prohibited me from bringing the hubs and the kids too.  Yes, my mom was just here in Texas visiting at my birthday at the end of October, so about two weeks later I was headed to her!

I flew in ridiculously early on Friday morning, but I prefer to get to my destination and start my visit as soon as possible.  My mom picked me up at the airport and we went directly to Taste Unlimited (now called "Taste" which I can't even comment on because, please) for my favorite turkey/provolone/French bread sandwich.  My aunt Jill and cousin Kristen met us there, and due to the are-you-kidding-me cold weather, we decided to eat at Cammy's house instead of at the outdoor tables.  That night, Jill joined us for a birthday dinner of glorious seafood in butter at Croakers!

The next morning started with party prep!  Jessica and her family surprised us by showing up early, and it started to feel like a party.

I don't think we've been in the same room together in almost two years now.  With moving to Texas, seeing everyone regularly is hard!

Aunt Jill

My cousin Stephanie (that's Kristen below, Stephanie's sister) made this beautiful photo board, with photos of my mom from childhood to the present.  She included little cards for people to leave messages, and my mom was really touched by the words left by her friends and family.

I loved being surrounded by people I've known forever!  Garrett is my nephew and you know Kristen by now.  I remember when these youngsters were born!  That makes me sound old, huh?

Kristen and Mike

Caroline is such a light of happiness, and Stephanie was more than happy to snuggle with her!

Every party must have cake, and this one came from our family's favorite bakery, Sugar Plum Bakery.  They made my wedding cake, and probably every birthday cake since.

Make a wish!

Here is Stephanie's husband Kevin, and daughter Alexandria.  I got treated to a tour of their new house the night before, and it is gorgeous!

After the last guests had trickled out, Cammy was tired and I was hungry, so I headed out to pizza with Stephanie and Jessica's families.  I had a horrible headache (turns out I had a sinus infection), but I wanted to see everyone before leaving town.  My whirlwind trip found me back to the airport on Sunday morning, and I felt like I blinked and the entire visit was over!  I'm sure it won't take me two years to get back again!

barrett: 54 months old

Let me tell you a story about this boy and his huge heart....The hubs had gotten a bouquet of flowers when Cammy came to visit, and by today they were pretty done. When the hubs went to throw the dead flowers away, Barrett started crying, saying, "But, the flowers are beautiful Daddy!" and he didn't want them thrown away.  Every ounce of this kid is sweetness, and his empathy is without bounds.  When Britton cries, he cries, solely because his sister is crying, without even knowing why.  I love his heart.

We've taken to going to the school playground and playing basketball, and Barrett loves it.  He can't get the ball anywhere near the basket yet, but that's ok because that's not the point - he just loves being a part of the game with us.  And when we send him on laps around the playground to wear him out, he runs effortlessly.  I foresee a long-distance runner in the family!

With his "tower of bad guys"

Likes:  basketball, PJ Masks, playing the drum kit Britton made from recyclables

Dislikes:  throwing away flowers

international quilt festival

One huge perk of living in Houston is that the International Quilt Festival is held here every year!  The hubs and I thought we'd pack up the kids, meander our way into downtown, and bring the average age of attendants down a couple of decades.  I promised Britton she could pick out a fat quarter of fabric if she didn't rush me or get annoyed when I wanted to stop at every booth, and the hubs agreed to take Barrett out to the lobby for entertainment if he melted down.  Let's go!

We walked through the exhibit of quilts, and hit up the booths first.  Adding crystals to quilts was HUGE this year!

Most booths specialized in fabrics, patterns, notions, equipment, or finished products for sale.  There weren't nearly as many Christmas quilts as I thought there would be, but this one from Victoria Findlay Wolfe Quilts in NYC caught my eye.

The hubs loves to try out long-arm quilting machines.  Even Britton got into the action this year!  We watched this customer (a pediatrician who quilts, say what?) trying out a long-arm machine with yarn - I've never seen that before!  It's like crewelwork without the hassle.

I bought some fabrics and the hubs found me some glass-head pins from France - they don't melt when you iron over them.  The kids were getting a little over the crowds, so we headed to the exhibition hall.  Some of the quilts that stopped me in my tracks:

"Self-Portrait with Illness: Chronic" by Thomas Knauer.  Mr. Knauer quilted a twin-sized sheet with the phrase "I am tired of being sick" over and over again.  At the bottom of the quilt you can see where he used colored thread on one phrase to make it stand out.

"A Village for All Seasons" by Karen Eckmeier.  She created an entire village, going from winter at the top through all four seasons to the bottom.  I loved the color and detail here.

In the Textile Posters section was "I Will Not Be Silenced" by Betty Busby, and she describes it as "the visceral impact of being told to shut up," with the word "resist" stitched throughout.  

"White Knight" by Patt Blair.  She improvised the mane, and the movement it portrays is incredible.

And we left with some goodies!

99 months old

Now that Halloween has passed, we are firmly on our way to Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it seems the year speeds up tremendously.  Britton is still keeping up with her gymnastics and piano lessons, and has a piano recital in December.  She should practice more, but I can remember in my own childhood when playing outside was more appealing than being at the piano.  So, we're balancing the need to have fun with the need to be prepared for the recital.

Britton is also doing Robotics Club after school once per week, and this week they had "free build" - they could build anything!  She loves the creativity of the process, and I enjoy her getting an experience I can't give her - I don't really know much about robotics!

Likes:  Wonder Woman (the movie was so good!), running races with Barrett, going to her school playground after dinner

Dislikes:  Barrett using her skateboard

happy halloween!

We've been excited for Halloween for weeks now - both kids ready to premiere their costumes and of course, eat their weights in candy!  Unfortunately, the weather didn't much care, because we were treated to downpours all evening!  We started out at our neighbor Tina' house for a pre-trick-or-treat party, then when we had a small break in the weather, we set out for candy.  Barrett made it a few houses before getting tired of being wet, so the hubs took him home.  I stayed out with Britton, and I've got the cold today to prove it!

Britton was Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series!  We are halfway through book 6 (of 7).  We picked up the crest, tie, and wand from Universal at Britton's birthday trip, and I sewed the crest to an old graduation robe.

Barrett was Rocky from the Paw Patrol!  Rocky is the recycling/fix-it pup, so I made Barrett a "truck" out of an Amazon box.  I got the hat and added the felt paw print, then made a collar.  

  

Rocky, for reference:

Between the rain and the Astros playing the sixth game, I figured that there wouldn't be many people out.  I was wrong!  We were out of candy by 7:30 pm, and Britton, soaked through, was sorting candy before bed.

I call the Reese's Cups!