Monday, November 21, 2011

Time for Thanks


Baby Chelsi is now all married, and we have to share her & Jim during the holidays with the Wallingfords in Ohio.    In remedy, we decided to change Watson Family Thanksgiving to a different day.  This is the 2nd year we have elected to gather together on the Saturday before.  I really don't care what day it is as long as we can all gather together.  Since Grandma Vauda has passed, Kelly has stepped up and done most of the cooking.  This year she had to be in Tulsa all day testing for her new job.  Chelsi and I had to tackle this....

      

We really did make EVERYTHING from scratch except for our place cards.  Bernie at CookieDoodle made these adorable personalized cookies.  Dad (John) was our turkey.  He also cooked the turkey for us.  It was fried.  I love it that way!  This may be the last year for it though.  An innocent bystander said, "There were grease, water & flames....He about burned the whole damn house down."  The Schiller boys were appropriately the indians.  Kelly & Becky were the pilgrims.  G, Caroline & Lily were pumpkins.  Chelsi & Jim were corn for Ohio.  Last was Barry the scarecrow.  Scary Barry?  

We began cooking on Thursday and finished 30 minutes before our planned time.  I was pretty proud of that!  Our menu included.... Pioneer Woman Soul Sweet Tators (they were a new addition & a hit!), Amish Dressing, Hassleback Potatoes, Vauda's Brisket, Fried Turkey, Green Beans, Broccoli & Cheese, Sweet Potato Biscuits & Wheat Rolls.  We topped it off with Chocolate Pie, Pumpkin Pie & Apple Pie.

I had really good intentions of taking pictures of my family at our pretty table, but it did not happen!  Oh well.....Thank you Lord for all my many blessings.  I won't forget them!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

What is Wrong With This Picture?


Is it just me or is there something wrong with this picture???
Pretty day in November....no work, no football, no soccer....let's be smart and put up the Christmas lights BEFORE it gets cold, BEFORE we pay someone & BEFORE Thanksgiving.  I have to be careful with the great ideas I come up with.


He is telling me all about his back surgeries for the 50th time right here. Why he should not and can not get on this ladder.


This should probably be the last time I climb a ladder this high and expect myself to balance at the same time!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Curb-Side Delivery

I have been mad, and then there are times that I have been MAD.  Unfortunately today was one of those few MAD days that happened.  We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new beams via freight delivery to be able to move back into our house.  Three days later than scheduled they arrived.  The lady who called to arrange delivery asked where they should be unloaded.  I replied the front door.  I paid for CURB SIDE delivery.  In the past that means the driver takes the items off the truck and sets outside the house at the designated door.  When he arrived, he asked me where my crew was to unload.  I told him he was looking at it.  He scooted each box to the edge of the semi and made ME lift everyone of them out.  I told him I would be glad to help and he told me I would have to do it myself!  I laughed and he said seriously lady if you want them you better get them.  Keep in mind that most are 16 feet long and one was over 30 feet long.  I had no shoes on and unloaded every beam myself.  Several were too heavy for me to get in the driveway.  I don't think anyone has ever treated me as rudely as he.  I felt like a dog.  Well our dog gets treated better than that even by me!  He got in the front of his truck and left me...beams and all....some in the street.  Not good.  Not good at all!  I didn't cry in front of him.  I waited until he left, and I haven't quit!  Then for the first time I allowed my husband to call and give his appreciation.  Lesson learned:  get in writing what kind of delivery you are paying for.  It's a good idea to have a copy of that with you.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Visits from Our Pumpkin Fairy

   When W was four, thanks to our preschool education, he became really into seeds.  He wanted to plant any seed he could find to see if it would grow.  Some of the main things he planted were apple & pumpkin.  It should also be mentioned that he would NOT eat anything with a seed on it (still won't) as he is very concerned about what will grow in his stomach and possibly out his ears!  This means seeded buns, stawberries, oranges, etc.
   My Grandma Frances really encouraged his seed planting.  She liked to agg him on.  I think she loved the idea of random things popping up in my manicured yard.
   One day she was at the grocery store when the pumpkins arrived for fall.  She kindly bought me one, and left it in my flower bed by the door we use on the side of our house.  She thought it would be a FUN surprise to welcome fall into our yard.  Little did we know...W had been seed planting.  He was shocked and amazed when we pulled up to see that a pumpkin had grown in our yard!  She called the next day to see if I liked my new pumpkin, and I told her of the impression it made on W.  I, of course, continued to let him think that this was a pumpkin that grew from his planting.  This absolutely thrilled her.
   Every week new pumpkins would magically appear in our flower beds.  For kicks even a sack of oranges was once there!  He quit planting seeds yearly, but the pumpkins still grew.  The seed planting evolved into The Pumpkin Fairy must have come to our house.  This went on for 5 years until this year.  Sadly our Pumpkin Fairy passed away December 2010.  Even two months before she passed, ill with cancer, she insisted on one final flight to our yard.

   This fall W said, "Remember when lots of pumpkins use to show up in our yard?"  I was taken back, smiled, and had the pleasure of sharing the real story of our Pumpkin Fairy.