Happy Thanksgiving

Taking a little blogging break but before I go, have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I'll be back on December 1 with Blogmas.

World Kindness Day

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #115

I thought this was one of the most touching of the photographs from the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London this weekend.

Much has been written about the number of poppies she is wearing.  Although there is no official confirmation from Buckingham Palace, it is believed they are represent each branch in the war:  the Army, the Navy, the Royal Air Force, the Civil Defence, and the women who served.

The Duchess of Cambridge is also wearing a poppy brooch of note.  It is the Codebreakers' Brooch, an extraordinary tribute to those in signal intelligence.  The Duchess's grandmother and great-aunt both served as codebreakers at Bletchley Park in World War II.

Veterans Day

 “Veterans Day does not include an apostrophe but does include an ‘s’ at the end of ‘veterans’ because it is not a day that ‘belongs’ to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans." - U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Dad, United States Army 1947-1973 (shown here in 1948)

Vic, United States Navy, 1994-present

To all our veterans, thank you for your service and God bless you.

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed #7

I'm giving thanks today for something quite ordinary - central heating with a programmable thermostat.  I don't suppose many of us think about it a whole lot, it's there and it's something we've had for (I hope) most of our lives.  It's lovely to come in after work and feel the warmth because the thermostat has kicked on shortly before I get home.

I know that my Mum didn't grow up with central heating; her experience was more likely to have been a coal fire.  When I was a child and we would go to my grandmother's or aunt's house, it would be an Arctic experience to go to the bathroom.  We'd race through our morning routine and run downstairs to the dining room where the gas fire would be on (one bar usually because it was just too extravagant to have them both on) and my sister and I would huddle in front of it, thawing out.  Imagine that experience but without the gas fire and that's how my Mum grew up as the coal fire was for evenings when everyone was home.  Brrr.  I think Dad's experience was a little better - we drove by the house where he grew up when we went to Ohio some years ago and there was a chimney but I'm not sure about the source of the heat.  Chopping firewood might have been on his list of chores after school.

I'm thankful for central heating and so very grateful.  We are indeed blessed to have this convenience.

Currently - November 2019

Stop by over at Anne's In Residence to join in.  This month we're picking, preparing, trying, feeling, and following.

picking (up) // Specialty items for my Christmas Afternoon Tea from my local gourmet store.  These phyllo shells are amazing and so are these croustades, ready to be served up with all sorts of yummy fillings.

preparing // The house for the holidays.  This is our first Christmas here so I'm looking ahead to what will go where and getting very excited.

trying // To stay calm while thinking about picking and preparing...there is a lot to do before the holidays.  Lists, lists, lists are the key to staying sane!

feeling // Confident.  There may be a lot to do but I love a challenge, and my family will be here in our warm and cozy home and that's all I want for Christmas.

following //  Every December Daily blogger and vlogger I can find - so much talent, so many cute ideas, such an incredible community.  I love this project!  Read all about Ali Edwards' December Daily here.

Prime Purchases October 2019

I'm joining Tanya at The Other Side of the Road for Prime Purchases - what did you buy from Amazon (and other online sources) this month?

I did a little shopping - lol, just kidding, this is the photo that made everyone chuckle.  A woman saved Amazon boxes for six months to play a prank on her husband - love it!

QUICK NOTE:  I'm having a problem with linking to Amazon - I've listed the title of the item in case anything catches your eye - will go back tonight and try to fix the links.

I picked up a selection of scrapbooking supplies as I prep for December Daily...

FA LA LA Christmas Paper Clips - these are from American Crafts but they are coming from the UK - they will be for December Daily 2020!

StazOn Forest Green Ink Pad

and 12 x 12 transparency sheets - no photo since it looks just like a white square!

I've switched to soy candles and unscented wax melts (I add my essential oils for scent) and I picked up these two:

Pumpkin Spice Soy Pillar Candle from Madeline Island

Unscented Soy Wax Melts from Madeline Island

And then there were books...

The Little Village School books by Gervase Phinn (aka the James Herriot of Education)

and this for Spectra...

Dog Gone It Advent Calendar

and finally, two more Nora Fleming minis for my napkin holder...

For November, Autumn's Bounty

O'Tannenbaum for December

Hmm, that was quite a haul - maybe that photo with all the boxes wasn't too far from reality!!

Happy Homemaker Monday - November 4, 2019

Happy Monday!  It's time again to join Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom's Happy Homemaker Monday  November!  Vic is coming home next month!  Christmas is next month!  

The weather:::

Mon

56°

40°

Tue

53°

41°

Wed

54°

41°

Thu

55°

43°

Fri

55°

48°

Sat

56°

51°

Sun

56°

48°

On the breakfast plate this morning:::
Back to work so it's coffee and a cookie that's more like a flat muffin - pumpkin, walnut, and chocolate chip, amazing!   

Right now I am:::
Headed to the bus and thankful it is not raining.  Judging by the weather forecast, I will NOT be saying this on Friday.

On my bedside table:::
My water, diffuser, Renew lotion, and a coconut/jasmine candle, not to burn, just for the scent.    

On my reading pile:::
Still reading Dragonfly by Leila Meacham and loving it.

Movies or Shows I watched this weekend:::
The final of Season 10 of the Great British Baking Show.  How long do we have to wait for the next season?  I've moved over to another British food show, The Big Family Cooking Showdown.  

On my TV this week:::

TV: 
The King on Netflix.

You Tube:
December Daily
Caroline (Mrs. M)
Pretty Neat Living

On the menu for this week:::
No real menu planning this week - there's a variety of things in the fridge so it will be a matter of what looks good when I get home.

On my to do list:::
Housework:::It's the family room this week on the Holiday Grand Plan.
Bedroom:::No change.  Moved on from looking for lamp shades to looking for new lamps.  We need something different.
Kitchen:::Wipe counters, top up the Brita - did my weekly dishwasher load, run, and unload on Friday night/Saturday morning.
Ordered some supplies for this weekend (see Looking forward to below) that I couldn't find at my local craft stores so I'll be expecting packages this week.

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::
The office is 95% complete.  I just need to finish emptying a few totes and move the empties to the garage.

Looking forward to:::
The December Daily Online Prep Day, 12 hours of live videos with lots of fun ideas for December Daily.

Looking around the house:::
Still tidy.   

From the camera:::

I missed Vic this weekend for our usual selfie shot in front of the snowman at the holiday fair but I had fun with a couple of friends browsing through the fair, the shops downtown, and then going to lunch.  

What I'm wearing today:::
Work uniform - pants, shirt, cardigan.

Thinking about:::
The menu for my tea.  I talked to the catering department at my local gourmet grocery store - they make an amazing curried chicken salad but it has apples in it and I just don't care for it being prepared that way.  They said they would be happy to leave them out.

Bible verse, Devotional, prayers::: 
"We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives" - John F. Kennedy

Prayers for family and friends with health and financial challenges.

Friday Favorites

How was your Halloween?  I had a grand total of two trick or treaters - the two little boys from down the street as their mom said she would bring them by before they headed out to a church event.  Spiderman and Iron Man, so cute.  They were very polite, took one piece of candy each from my large bowl and when I told them to take some more, they each took one more piece, said thank you, and wished me a Happy Halloween!  Seeing them made me think back to the days when Sophia was little so I'm having a trip down memory lane.

1995 - The mischievous kitten - Mum made a tail and stitched it on to Sophia's black unitard along with a headband with ears.  A little eyeliner pencil for whiskers and that face, so cute!

1996 - Pocahontas (or Poki-hontas as Sophia said it) - I bought the dress on sale at the Disney Store and beaded the fringe around the collar.  Vic braided some thin suede for the headdress and added a feather.

1997 - Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz - dress from Target, red shoes from the previous Christmas, and Toto in the basket.

1998 - Po, the red Teletubby - these were the Teletubby years - costume from Target and another pair of red shoes.

1999 - Madeline - loved this coat and hat, Target again.

2000 - Jasmine - Disney Store costume, the wig has a long braid down to Sophia's waist.

2001- a somewhat toothless Cleopatra - can't remember where I got this costume.

Fun memories of Halloweens of the past.