Thanksgiving

 

Thanksgiving was nearly PERFECT this year.   But it wasn't without its' stresses beforehand.

When the power was finally restored the previous week, we discovered quickly that the oven no longer worked.  Matt, because he is a brilliant and handy man, diagnosed the problem and ordered the part- but it took a while to get to us.  So I was without an oven for two weeks and HOSTING Thanksgiving!

I worked out a game plan: turkey in the roaster oven. (I made one a few days prior too, just to be warmed up.)  Pies baked at neighbors.  No rolls, after all.

The part came the night before and Matt installed it on Thanksgiving morning and I quickly mixed up the dough and got some rolls baking.  WE HAD ROLLS!  

Oh my, was I grateful for a working oven that day.

Speaking of rolls...

this year with the invites, I passed out rolls of paper instructing people to fill them out with things they were grateful for.  Our family is a mixed political bag and with the election so close, I wanted to be sure Thanksgiving had the proper focus.  God. Gratitude.  Gifts.

(It worked like a charm.  It happened to be my favorite part of the day.)

If you believed these nearly identical turkeys belonged to the same maker, you'd be wrong.  The blue eyed turkey belongs to Moses and its' friend belongs to Ineke.

I made those little mushrooms from dried clementine halves and cinnamon sticks.  They were the cutest little ornaments, ifidosaysomyself.  And made such a cute little garland until I could give them out as Christmas gifts.

The waiting and watching is the hardest part...

Those little 'crackers' each held a chocolate truffle and a DAD JOKE to be read aloud, along with funny little punny pins I picked out for each person.  

John, Holly, David, CC provided some entertainment by reciting Psalm 100 which then inspired us all to SING it.

Here are the "Thanksgiving Rolls" all hung.  

Originally, the plan was for everyone to read through the lists and guess which list belonged to whom.  But it actually was not hard to determine the author so there was no real winner.

But it was so, so wonderful hearing from each person what things they were thankful for.  It helps you to get to know one another more deeply.  And it was often hilarious too.  

Corynn and Kemuel read the lists aloud so no one could cheat by recognizing handwriting.

And of course... we sang Happy Birthday to our sweet Thanksgiving baby... Adele' is a gift that was written on my list that day and on my heart always.  

The snow was falling, it was beautiful outside.  The weather was cool enough to be refreshing but not freezing cold. Snowball fights ensued after dinner.  And everyone gave me five minutes to get a Christmas card photo snapped.  (Pardon the muckboots.)

Corynn and Kemuel were able to spend part of the day with us, which was a real blessing.  I remember those early marriage days when you don't want to disappoint anyone and EVERYONE wants you!  It is hard to stretch yourself to please everyone... so I tried not to put any pressure on them at all to come.  But not only did they come for dinner, but they returned that evening for cold leftovers and a movie snuggle.

Truly, the best Thanksgiving ever.

A Narnian Halloween

Corynn had to get herself married and move away and Andrew is too old to dress up (still NOT too old to eat the candy though.)  That left a perfect Narnian Four.

and a Wicked White Witch

(Matt was supposed to be Mr. Beaver and even had himself some lovely ears and a tail- but he wound up coming home too late from work to don them.)

Edmund

(I can't describe how elated Moses was when a friend loaned him a REAL SWORD for the occasion.)

(Thanks to the dollar store for giving me a break from cardboard helmet making.  Though seriously, whose head do they think will FIT that thing?! Not a Newmans', that's for sure.)

Lucy

(The only suitable vile for Lucy's cordial was a glitter vile.  And her dagger was cardboard and kindling.  Use your imagination, people!)

(See all that red?!  I very nearly burned that red material up when cleaning the Granary this year.  (It had, apparently, been home to quite a family of rodents throughout the years...)  But it was such a large piece of fabric, that I decided to wash it up just in case I ever needed it for costuming.  And it was THE PERFECT SIZE for Lucy's cape and Moses' tunic/lion this year!  I love it when that happens.)

(This golden lion formed from bakeable clay was made in haste and broke almost immediately after these photos were taken.  But it was still my favorite part of Peter's ensemble.)

Judah makes a handsome Peter.  

(I am trying not to let the fact that his shoulder tips were turned in rather than out bother me.)

A borrowed sword.  Papa's flintlocking pouch.  I did have to buy that faux leathery fabric but it was under $5 at Hobby Lobby thanks to a perfectly timed sale/remnant.  

(It was 80 degrees this Halloween.  Not the greatest time to wear a fur blanket.  Just sayin'.)

The White Witch was looking pretty ruddy.

Susan

(We were going to use Adele's bridesmaids dress for her costume but we saw this dress on Shein for a song.  It did require her to meticulously paint every bright white pearl on the sides with nailpolish though.)  And because it wasn't a real bridesmaids dress, I felt like I could add green details to the sleeves and bodice without ruining it forever.  Arrows were made out of chopsticks and feathers, the quiver from a pringles can.)

It all looks so authentic until Moses lets the pizza box writing slip.  ;-)

(I found a pack of LED icicles at the dollar store which I affixed to an old bent up crown...by far the coolest part of my costume.)

Andrew showed up just in time to eat candy and photobomb me as I was trying to capture my glowing crown...

Andrew would have been a fabulous Mr. Tumnus.  But NOOOOOOO.  

If anyone wants to guilt him into costuming up next year, feel free to leave a comment telling him he must.  

(Maybe he'd listen to you...)

Avalanche

 

I have decided to try and shovel my way out of many months of unblogged photos for the next week or so, in an effort to get up to date and begin blogging at more regular intervals.  Announcing an avalanche of photos coming by posting the photos of an avalanche of snow that came mid-November just seemed fitting.

Our first snow of the season dumped over 14 inches on us. Snow clung to the trees and swirled all around us, transforming our world into a snowglobe.  A winter wonderland.  Narnia.

It also happened to knock out the power for nearly a week.  (Which is magical and fun- except when you have to milk a cow by hand that is used to a milker; water cows that drink GALLONS of water a day (without running water) and heat your home without a wood furnace (which requires electricity to burn hot).  Other than that, times without electricity are some of the most fun times of all.  (Unless it is out so long you begin to worry about all that meat in the freezers...)  Other than those worries, no electricity times are some of my favorite times.

Earlier in the day, before the snow began, I had baked sugar cookies with the intent to decorate them before company that night.  (I never got around to it.)  Company came, feasted and stayed very late.  The kitchen was a WRECK and I wanted nothing more than to go straight to bed.  But for some strange reason, I convinced myself that I would have a much more successful day if I just went ahead and cleaned the kitchen at midnight than wake up to a mess.  (I am rarely so level-headed.)   I did it though, went to bed, and woke up to no running water.  BUT A CLEAN KITCHEN!!!!

(And decorating those snowman sugar cookies by lamplight was pretty fun too.  I can't believe how dark a home gets at 4pm without any lights going...that is when those dark pictures in the kitchen were taken.)

Thankfully, with a gas stove, hot food is always a possibility, even if it is just eggs and homemade cheese.  And cinnamon toast.  With leftover frosting glazed on top.

In the next week or so you all may get a bit dizzy from all the blog jumping I'll be doing.  The only thing I promise is that it will be done in a very slapdash way.  Hold on to your caps- an avalanche is coming!