Thanksgiving at the FARM

We decided to spend Thanksgiving Day at The Farm. I've eaten many holiday dinners there that were cooked by my grandmother. Ours wasn't nearly as good as the ones she prepared, but we still had fun. I counted the generations and our grandchildren are the fifth generation of people who have either lived on that land or at least have been able to enjoy it. As soon as we drove up, our grandchildren quickly hopped out of the car and immediately went to the gate outside the barn to see the animals. I've posted some pictures of our day at the Farm including a NEW animal that we have now.
Here we are in the kitchen enjoying our Thanksgiving Dinner.
Aubrey is hand feeding the cows, and, by the end of the day, she had all of the goats and cows eating out of her hand. She also gave every one of them a name.
They had the animals eating out of their SHIRT as well!!
Ashlyn loves to fish and immediately caught this HUGE bass on her little Scooby Doo rod and reel! She pulled it in all by herself and I believe that's the largest bass caught in that pond in MANY years. We were all so excited for her.
Isn't that the cutest face on a goat? This goat is my favorite!
Here's the newest member of our animal family--a Black Angus bull that the girls named Big Daddy. I agree and wouldn't argue with him (but he's not aggressive at all).
Apparently the fish were ready for their Thanksgiving Dinner as well. Here's our younger son with the nice bass he caught.
The bass weren't the only fish biting. The little bream were having a feast on the bait. I guess they like earthworms for Thanksgiving Dinner because they were busy biting!!! Here's Keely with one of her prize (???) catches.
Here are all four of our grandchildren doing what all children do best! They were playing in the loft of the barn and made a playhouse out of scrap lumber and wooden blocks. They had a table and chairs up there that they made out of the lumber by stacking it.
I don't know when I've had a better Thanksgiving. They're all good but this year I was reminded of Thanksgivings past and present. I'm thankful for the family I had who have gone on but left good memories as well as values, morals, and spirituality that are influencing our family in a positive way still today. And, I'm thankful for the family I have with me now that I love and enjoy. I'm thankful for good health to be able to enjoy life to the fullest. And, above all, I'm thankful for the hope I have because of my relationship with Jesus.

Fall Fun in Florida

We have a couple of trees in our yard and our neighbor's yard that look like fall. That's about as close as we get to fall in Florida. However, they're really pretty and today two of our granddaughters and the neighbor's daughters raked leaves and had fun jumping into the pile. They took turns covering each other up and jumping out of the pile of leaves. It was refreshing to watch them having fun outside doing something as simple as jumping in the leaves.


Also, the Confederate Rose is still in full bloom in our yard. Our three granddaughters enjoyed picking the blooms and making bouquets and decorations for their hair. They looked so pretty with the flowers in their hair. The girls were pretending they were living as orphans on a plantation and somehow the flowers played into their pretend play. It's nice to see them still enjoying make-believe.


Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I have so much to be thankful for today and always---not the least of which are these three granddaughters in the pictures and our grandson who wasn't in any of the pictures. It's been a fun week having family here with us.

The Christmas Wreath

Some of you may have read Amanda's post on making a Christmas wreath with ornaments. Two of our grandchildren are here this week and they love crafts. I thought that would be something fun for them to do so we went to Hobby Lobby. We found red, green, gold, white, and bronze ornaments to put on the green styrofoam form. When we came home they were ready to make the wreath so we set up a table and the hot glue gun and they started. Here are some pictures of the wreath as it progressed through the afternoon.


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Finally, the finished project---Didn't they do a great job? Thanks for sharing your wreath on your blog, Amanda.

Happy Thanksgiving in Many Languages

с днём благодарения

Bonne Action de grâce!

Bonne Appetie

Boldog Halaadas Napot Kivanok!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day, Y'all!

I've mentioned before that our Small Group Bible Study is comprised of people from Canada, Russia, Hungary, and the United States. We're very multi-cultural which makes it even more interesting. We can thank the Lord in many languages. Tonight we shared a Thanksgiving meal together. Also, we were celebrating the baptism of one of our newest members, Chris. We have so very much to be thankful for--in whatever language! All of these people bless me in ways they'll never know. So, at Thanksgiving 2009, to all of our small group members, you are a blessing to me and to many. May God bless you always.

Fall Decorations Made With Love--My Favorite Kind

These sit proudly on my dining room table. They weren't bought at an expensive shop, but they were made with love by our granddaughters. We are hosting our small group Bible study Thanksgiving Dinner here Wednesday night and these WILL BE our centerpiece. I know they were made for me with the love of some very special children and that's what matters most to me! Thanks for the decorations, Girls! I love you!

A More Simple Life

Every time we go to the Farm, I realize that we are surrounded by a more simple lifestyle than our day to day life back home. This week I was at the Farm with three of my friends for a Girls' Night Out. It was toward the end of the tropical storm which struck our area so the wind was still blowing there and it was drizzling rain---perfect weather for an evening in that old house. We enjoyed sitting around the table eating and visiting with no noise except the farm animals, the birds, and squirrels (or wherever those sounds of nature were coming from). There was no hustle and bustle of traffic, no sounds of airplanes or trains, and no sounds of other people rushing to and fro. It was just peace and quiet. The next day I needed to make a run to the nearest store which is seven miles away without much in between. I needed to buy some ice and some more food for the cows and the cats. I am reminded of the more simple way of life whenever I go to the store up there. It's like going back into the days of my childhood when we went to the store to buy a stick of candy and a Coke. Life is simple there and I think that's a GOOD THING.

Almost a Fairy Tale

Recently we were able to visit briefly with some very dear, old friends. We met when Sandy and I were teaching together and our husbands were finishing college. We discovered we went to church together and throughout that school year, we became close friends. Our husbands graduated and we moved to different cities but we stayed in touch and visited as often as possible. Soon, babies began to come along. They had a girl and we had a boy, they had a girl and we had a boy, they had another girl and a boy. We spent many holidays together, travelled together, took a cruise together, and just managed to get together whenever possible even though we lived 500 miles apart. We would remark from time to time that surely one of their girls and one of our boys could get together one day. Actually, it just seemed like a dream and highly improbable. However, it came time for college and ALL of our children went to Auburn. Somewhere along the way, their second daughter and our older son started dating. Still afraid to think it might really happen, we tried to be patient to see how their relationship progressed. All of our children are very close friends to this day, but those two fell in love and married and we now share two grandchildren. We have had SO much fun over the years and laughed so much we've cried and also cried happy and sad tears, but to share grandchildren with two of our dearest friends is almost a fairy tale to us! God has blessed our families in so many ways over these years (our children all actually gave us a 40th anniversary party together a few years ago--so very special) and we are all looking forward to another blessing in January when our third shared granddaughter is born!


(You might see a hand behind the picture which is one of our shared granddaughters being funny! We had all just left an Auburn football game and eaten dinner together. We do plan to get together again really soon! It had been too long.)

What a Difference a Few Days Make

Weather on the Gulf Coast is an ever changing thing. Last week I posted pictures of a gorgeous fall day on the beach and today the waves at the beach are loud and powerful as they crash into the pier. Tropical Storm Ida is just off shore as I write this and we've been feeling the affects of the storm all day. The weather has deteriorated during the day, but actually everything is relative. Five years ago Hurricane Ivan hit our area with a vengeance, and today's weather is EXTREMELY MILD compared to that. Today is just very rainy and windy with the rain getting heavier as the day has progressed. However, it's actually just a good day to relax, read a good book, address Christmas cards, clean out closets, or do whatever you've been putting off that you need to do inside. Here are a few pictures of the Gulf of Mexico this morning. To me, these are just a reminder of God's power and that HE is still in control.

Where will this little fellow spend the storm? I always wonder, but I know God has prepared him to go where he needs to go to protect himself.

When I Was a Little Bitty Baby.............

My mamma would rock me in the cradle, in them old cotton fields back home. Well, my mamma never actually rocked me in a cradle in the cotton fields, but I've spent lots of time in the cotton fields. My memories of the cotton fields are of a little sack with a shoulder strap that my grandmother made for me to use while I picked cotton, scratchy cotton plants, and then the end of the day when it was time to weigh every one's cotton for the day. I can still smell the cotton as it was all dumped into the trailer after being weighed. I loved to jump into the pile of cotton. Today, cotton farming is so different. There are LOTS of cotton fields north of here and we pass them when we go to our Farm. The cotton is picked with big machines--no more cotton sacks, weigh-ins at the end of the day, nor jumping into the trailer or wagon filled with freshly picked cotton. Here are some pictures of the cotton fields we passed today. Again, things change and cotton farming has definitely changed for the better over the years.

Memories

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we rode bikes in the country on Friday. I told my hubby I wanted to ride to Aunt Sarah's house. He had no idea where we were going but we went to the old house where my aunt Sarah and uncle Will lived when I was a child. Often my mother, grandmother, and I would go for an afternoon visit with them. On the side of the house, there were huge pecan trees which I climbed. Also, Aunt Sarah always had cold biscuits left over from lunch and they were SO good. In my mind, I can just see the house the way it looked then. Imagine how sad it makes me to see how it looks now. It's been abandoned for YEARS and allowed to completely deteriorate. I walked around it remembering fun times from the past and saddened to see how it looks now.

Life is full of changes. Some of those are good and some are sad. We just have to hold on to the happy memories.

All God's Creatures

A trip to the Farm was badly needed by me! So, today we drove up there to fish with my new rod and reel (by the way, all the fish are very safe---not a single bite but it was fun) and to ride bikes on the country roads. The day was gorgeous and the temperature just right---in the low 70's. First we fished, then ate lunch, and later rode our bikes for about 4 miles. Even though we didn't catch any fish, we enjoyed just walking around the pond. Apparently, so did the geese. They spent a long time bathing and fluffing their feathers on the edge of the pond while we were down there fishing.


As I walked around the pond, I saw a dragon fly sitting on top of a stick. This isn't very interesting to many people, but I love nature and thought it would be interesting to see if I could take a close-up of a dragon fly.
After fishing for a while, I walked back to the barn where I found Big Red lying down full and content. She had just been fed before we went to the pond. Obviously, she was a happy cow.

I'll post pictures of our bike ride later. It was a fun ride to an old abandoned house that holds many dear memories for me.

A Different Look

There's something special about the beach in the "off-season." I decided today that I could probably walk on the beach and not know what month it is and still know it's fall from the way the sun looks on the water, the shoreline, the sea gulls, and, of course, from the number of people there. There's a crispness in the air and a different brilliance of the sun shining on the water, the sea gulls seem to be burrowing in the sand and fluffing their feathers more, and the shoreline is much different. Today there were several tidal pools along the shoreline. The dolphins were busy feeding and playing not far from the shore. I never tire of watching them. They actually remind me of a graceful ballet of power and control, artists swimming and jumping in synchronized movement. I didn't have my camera with me so I didn't get any dolphin pictures but did take some beach pictures with my cell phone. Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE the beach--no matter the season?

Christmas Card Carousel

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! I love Christmas and am sitting here watching a Christmas commercial on TV right now. Get ready to join Faith as she sponsors a Christmas Card Carousel on December 16th. Grab the button for your blog and help spread the word. It'll be fun to see everyone's Christmas card. Actually, I already have ours and would love to get them addressed and ready to send out just after Thanksgiving.