` hanging out on noRth main `

I'm counting my blessings, and one of them is that Kneaders Bakery came to town!

We were there on the day they opened their doors (it's been about a month now). I love their cream cheese brownies and...everything else. I only let myself go there about once every ten days.

Scott likes the loaves of cinnamon roll bread and the cookies. Mostly he just puts up with me liking the place. He doesn't really "get" the appeal of the decor items that I love to look at while we stand in line. I guess it's a shopping thing.

getting ideas for 'giving thanks' table decor

Nice "monogram" candles and deep, rich colors. Notice that it says Thanksgiving backwards.


I'm going to dig out my pewter platter & bowl. Pewter is kinda 70's and kinda timeless.

I've never seen photos arranged into the centerpiece - but it could be nice if they were copies and not the real thing.

I love the armoire in the background. Probably cuz it's blue.

I'm liking that wire stand and I'm glad I found this picture because I have a tiered platter that I need to get out for Thanksgiving Day.

I've noticed that cross stitch is showing up here and there - it had kind of faded as a popular hobby, but now it's back. This cross stitch is done with a glass-safe marker.

Love, love the black in this photo...even more than my black turtleneck and black pants.

Why not set my table out in the green field behind my house? Oh, because it's white.

I just simply love the brown and white china. That's all.

And last but not least...a place for the kids.

Note to marthastewart.com - the cushions on the kids' chairs are a bad idea.

{ lovely days here }

we had some wonderful times last week - we really packed the few days that suzie and baby were here and got to visit with relatives on both sides of the family

aaron and aimee gather around the stroller to welcome suzie and baby

aaron is the best dad - he spent the whole day at a dance concert with his girls

becky & mike 'posing' for my camera

emmett, age two, found the baby swing and had to try it out

we went to scott's office to visit his sisters who work for him - here's aunt mary and a costume she's making for a production of "Christmas Carol" showing at SVHS next week

lovely women all

suzie and bergen - cute cousins

bailee and sophie - cute second cousins

these are the 'older kids' now, and hungry hungry hippos is the game of the day

and the 'even older' kids played an awesome game of rumicub

gorgeous aimee and her little claire - only three months old, but growing too fast

a

my sister and brother with doug's first grandsons - twins!
(in december I will tell the story of the stripe jammies)

:: some lovely days ::

Oh, we've had some lovely times lately and made memories to brighten any dreary day. When I get my photos ready to post, I'll share. For today, I want to show some pretty art that came in a daily email I receive. The artist is Stephanie Ackerman - she's a doodle artist - and her blog (which is a visual feast when you visit it) is called Homegrown Hospitality.

This little bird was featured on the Brave Girls Club's daily email - they always include artwork of someone's rendition of a bird with their inspirational e-note. And they link the art to the artist's blog allowing hundreds of women each year to get exposure and recognition for what they do.


And this "how to live life" poster is a Thanksgiving reminder and English lesson all rolled into one.

The lesson is about adverbs; I know how important this is to everyone today!

Adverb

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs generally answer one of four questions: how, when, where, or to what extent.

Adding the suffix -ly to an adjective commonly turns the word into an adverb.

Examples: He ran fast. (how)

He responded immediately. (when)

He put it there. (where)

He became extremely happy. (to what extent, modifies adjective)

This from Debbie - we DO need to pay attention to this because we are starting to slip in our correct adverb usage. Once you're aware of it, you'll realize that the -ly is dropping off adverbs everywhere. Adverbs don't always end in -ly, but often do.

11.11.11.11.11.11

It's Veteran's Day and my favorite part was seeing the flags lining the streets of our neighborhood. The flags looked beautiful as they fluttered in the cool breeze and were framed by golden trees in the background.

It was also an date that only happens once in a hundred years. We got our photos of Nov. 11th at eleven minutes after 11 o'clock. Scott was at work and told his patient that he had to go take the picture and the patient followed him into his office to watch. Scott's sister Mary who works for him was the photographer. (Mary just got home from watching her son and his fiancee run the New York Marathon!)

I was home and had my camera all set up to take a self-timer photo. I decided to hurry and put on lipstick and somehow took too long and it was 11:12 when I got back to the clock. I was so mad - but then realized I had another chance. Tonight Scott took the picture and made sure even the second hand was on 11.

camera ready for Nov. 11 at 11!

I love the photo challenge idea that Liz Kartchner's doing on her Dear Lizzy blog (that's her in the picture). She's suggesting her readers take a photo tomorrow at 11:11:11. I suppose it could be morning or night. Then go to her blog and post your photo to the link gadget.

I've been thinking and Googling some ideas for the photo. I could hold up a calendar with the date circled. I could write 11-11-11 at 11:11:11 on a sign and make Mike hold it while I take the picture. I could take a picture of the clock at the exact time. (Could be tricky.)

I can't wait to see people's creativity blossom with this challenge!

< dressed up >

I just love that I get to oooh and ahhh and giggle over the grandkids costumes instead of having to dress up my own kids. Being a grandma has many advantages! I get the biggest kick out of these two grandsons & four granddaughters looking adorable for Halloween.


Emmett just HAD to be Winnie the Pooh. His mother, Becky, has had a lifelong LOVE of all things Winnie the Pooh starting with watching the original "silly old bear" video over and over when she was a pre-schooler. And when she was a high-schooler. And have I mentioned that she worked at Disney World after college? Yeah, she's a Pooh girl. I didn't know if Emmett would actually wear his costume, but he did! He and his parents and their two-year-old neighbor boy went trick or treating through the whole neighborhood. We were all so surprised and happy about it.

And this little six-week-old sweetie looking so cute in her Minnie Mouse costume.

Here's baby Claire dressed up as a little ladybug. She just tagged along through all the Halloween activities of her three older siblings and smiled that cute little baby smile.


Little Carter, age 3 1/2, started telling me he was going to be Batman in July. He wore his costume constantly until the big day. He painted his pumpkin to look like Woody.

Bailee was a darling little devil all dressed in red. She thought up the idea to paint her pumpkin like candy corn and was excited to do it.

I'm always surprised when the kids start planning their costumes in the summer - their mom is organized that way - none of the last-minute rush for them. Brookie saw her Twister costume in a catalog and then figured out how to do her cute make-up to match.

Yup - those are our little munchkins. We got to see all of them the day before Halloween at Emmett's birthday party, and it was a treat even better than chocolate!

{ hope }

Ohhhh, I just have to show these photos of my cute little granddaughter. Her mom said I could...because seeing the baby in her first Halloween costume means so much to me.

I mentioned on my blog in September that Suzie's pregnancy was an unbelievably long, anxious, never-ending nine months for me. (Yes, I know, it was for Suz and Winston too, but this is all about me lol.) I was so worried; I just wanted this baby to be born. I, along with the whole family, was overwhelmingly grateful for the joy of Suzie's pregnancy after several years of infertility stress, difficult treatments, and disappointments. My impatience seemed to get the best of me, causing me to get all tied up in knots.

One day I opened an email newsletter from the author of "The Secret," a book I read a few years ago and liked and casually agreed with. In the email, there was a quote which said,

"The tighter you try and hold on to something that you are afraid of losing, the more you are pushing it away. Those thoughts are filled with fear, and if you continue to persist, what you fear the most will come upon you.

Fear nothing - just think about what you want. It feels so much better."

The words hit me pretty hard. I needed to quit thinking about my fears. I needed to have faith. And so I focused on one thing. I didn't tell Suzie this while she was pregnant - or anyone - because everyone might think I was slightly wacko. But, it helped me so much.

I thought about the new baby in her Halloween costume!

Would she be a little yellow duckie?

Would she be a cute orange pumpkin?

How about a little fairy princess?

Or maybe a ballerina - that's what her mommy would love - with a pink tutu.

I saw costumes at stores and said to myself, she will be cute as a little bee!

Or a hula girl, or a flower.

Every time my mind would worry, I'd think of another costume.

How about a cowgirl?

A monkey? A ladybug?

Never once did I think of Minnie Mouse.
And isn't it the cutest costume of all!?

Suzie made the costume with the help of Becky who visited the week before Halloween.
Suz crocheted the little cap with mouse ears and added the red polka dot bow. She made the polka dot skirt (with lace trim) and little white collar. She put it all together with the red onesie, black tights, and little white shoes that Aunt Jill made. Talk about cute!

And look at that - her first time trick or treating with her Dad. Wow.