Thanksgiving 2023

This Thanksgiving, we had every one of our children and grandchildren around our table!  (A mama's heart is happy when all of her chicks are in the nest, right mamas?) One little boy woke up sick, the turkey wasn't ready at the appointed time, and we all missed Gampy, but the day was also full of gratitude and joyful hearts and music and tradition and family togetherness. We are blessed! 

The table was set for twenty-five this year. 

Most years, I have planned my tables weeks (or even months) in advance. But this year has been full of heartache, changes, struggle, and busyness. I purchased these downloadable place cards on Etsy a few days before Thanksgiving and I planned our place settings and table decor on Wednesday evening. Yikes! The "plus" side was that I had many helpers . . . formatting the place cards, setting up tables, laying out flatware, folding napkins, and assigning seats. 

On Thanksgiving morning, I had snuggle time with the three youngest grandgirls. 

As I said, everyone was here for Thanksgiving this year, so I made sure to get photos of each family. 

Kristin's family:
Gavin, Alaine, Ben, Owen, Maddie
Macie, Brian, Kristin, Judah

Ryan's family:
Eve, Peter, Ryan, Sarah, Nora
Joanna, Katrina, Paul

Kati's family:

Ellie, Andrew, Kati, Caleb

Ron and I with Rebekah

Gammy (my mom) with Joanna

While we waited for the turkey to finish roasting, we wrote blessings on our leaves for the Thankful Tree. 

We also had some beautiful music played by daughter Bekah on piano and granddaughter Eve on violin. 

Conversation overheard . . . 

Gammy: Awww, there's a photo op! You two look so cute there at the window! 

Ryan: We're vultures, not J. Crew. 

🤣🤣

When the feast was ready, we gathered around the long table and sang a "hymn of grateful praise." 

You may remember that we have "servers" each year for our Thanksgiving meal. It eliminates a long buffet line or having all of the food on the table which is already pretty full. This year's servers were the lovely Maddie, Kristin, Eve, and Bekah. 

I love all of these faces!

You can't see all five pies in this photo. That is a lot of slices per capita! 

🎜

For the joy of human love, 
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For each gentle thought and mild.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise! 
🎝

After a death, there are many "firsts" without that person. This was our first holiday without my dad. These months have been a blur, and I sometimes wonder if it has all totally sunk in to me. But I keep putting one foot in front of the other because there is so just much to do, and I know that my mom is feeling that same thing. 

And yet, even with all of the changes and the grief, it is good to pause and be grateful for all of God's gifts and to praise Him for all that He has done! 

           Bless the Lord, O my soul;
                And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
                Bless the LORD, O my soul, 

                And forget not all His benefits:
                Who forgives all your iniquities, 
                Who heals all your diseases,
                Who redeems your life from destruction, 

                Who crowns you with lovingkindess and tender mercies, 

                Who satisfies your mouth with good things, 
                So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 103:1-5 

Always loved . . .

My Daddy
1937 ~ 2023

At the end of September, we said good-bye to my hardworking, honest, witty, music-loving, handy, steady, dependable Daddy.

I will love and miss him always.

These past nine months have found us on a private journey of struggle and sorrow. I have mostly stepped away from my blog as the story was not exclusively mine to tell, and I did not want to process it in a public way. As I have told you before, our God has gone before us and He guided us along the way. His paths are not always easy, but He works everything for the good of His children and He is always, always good.  I plan to tiptoe back into Blogland, although I suspect that I will never catch up with all that has happened in your world while I was away.  ~~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ Truly, all of us walk through sorrow along life's way. It is a very real part of living in a sin-cursed world. Perhaps the best thing we can do with our pain is to offer it back to the Lord as an act of worship.

Lessons

There was one Sunday morning, much like any other, when we were running late on our way to our home fellowship meeting. I was frustrated with myself because I was (again) the cause of our tardiness. I said to Ron, "You'd think that by the time I was 52, I would have figured things out and not still be struggling with the same issues over and over again!" And Ron responded something like, "It doesn't matter how old you are; you will always be learning."

I wasn't sure whether that was the good news or the bad news, but I have often pondered that idea often over the past ten-ish years.

All through life, there are lessons to be learned. 

And in the past seven months, I have learned many. 

My pride has been broken. I thought that I knew the right plan . . . and yet it wasn't. 

I have learned that sometimes I need to let go of my ideals. 

I have learned anew the value of having His Word hidden in my heart. 

I have learned to reach out more, to be more vulnerable, to be needy. 

I have learned to appreciate (more) the wisdom of my husband.

I have learned that I have so very much left to learn. 

I have been the recipient of compassion, generosity, empathy, friendship, support, love, and many, many prayers. I pray that I will be able to pass those gifts along to others in their time of need, that I have learned the grace of receiving and giving. 

It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.
I Samuel 3:18 

Sixty-Five Years

Today is my parents' 65th wedding anniversary.

So much has changed since this time last year. We went to see Daddy (who is suffering from the later stages of dementia) this afternoon, Mom in her white dress because she always wears white on their anniversary. She gave him a card and some chocolate-covered cherries. She also brought a CD so that they could listen to "their song" (Moonglow/Theme from "Picnic"). She asked him if he remembered this song and the movie Picnic. He did . . . and he even volunteered the name of the leading actress, Kim Novak. Some days, he doesn't even remember my name, but I was absolutely thrilled that he remembered Kim Novak and maybe (who really knows?) some sweet moments of young love and watching this movie with my mom. Some days are hard right now, and, honestly, some days feel harder-than-hard, but I am so grateful for today, for a good visit, and for moments of grace.

"Their song" . . .

Seasons

 

In February, I took a photo of my winter mantel. 

Now, somehow, it is July and my mantel is decidedly summery. I wonder how it can be July already . . . and yet, these months have seemed interminably long. 

As the seasons have changed this year, so have the seasons of my own small world. So many changes. So many ups and downs. Surprises and unexpected paths. In some ways, I don't even feel like the same person that I was at the beginning of the year. 

But through it all, my God has remained faithful! 
He is unchanging. He is merciful. 

"For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all He does." Psalm 33:4

"For I am the LORD; I do not change." Malachi 3:6

"The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." Psalm 145:8, 9

"Hast Thou No Scar?"

I shared this poem in the first year of my blog (2009!), but it remains one of my favorites. On this day of remembering the unfathomable sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, it feels like a good time to be reminded that His followers also bear scars, like their Master. 

Hast Thou No Scar?
by Amy Carmichael

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star.
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers, spent,
Leaned me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed me, I swooned;
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the master shall the servant be
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole: can he have followed far
Who has nor wound nor scar?

True Love

 

It was our very first Valentine's Day as husband and wife . . . and I was sorely disappointed!

I had had high expectations. Surely my new hubby had some sort of romantic plan for this special day. After all, when we were dating, he had given me sweet cards, a locket, perfume, and candy. He would certainly do no less now that we were married!

Oh, but he did.

Nothing.

I was working that year as a teaching assistant. As I sat in the teachers' lounge on my break, all the ladies were talking about their flowers and candy and cards and plans for dinner . . . and I, the newlywed, had nothing to share. I was not a happy woman.

Over the years, we both have learned a lot about expectations and what makes the other one happy and sacrificial love. It is not always mushy-gushy, but caring and tenderness.

We have had a rough ten days. My dad fell hard twice as a result of heart "pauses," had a pacemaker put in, has some broken bones, and is very frail. As of tonight, he is here at our house where he will receive home health and therapy. Our whole family has pulled together in every way possible. Our church family and our friends have been supportive and have prayed many prayers for us. Our God has been faithful! We feel incredibly blessed!

But back to my Valentine . . .

♥ TRUE LOVE searches for Vanilla Coke and makes sure there is a cold one in the fridge for me to take with me to the hospital.

♥ TRUE LOVE is running the vacuum and doing the laundry while I am staying with my dad in the hospital and rehab.

♥ TRUE LOVE is praying for me when I am beyond tired and being my sounding board and offering wise advice.

♥ TRUE LOVE is caring for my parents as his own and opening our home to them.

So yes, the newlywed who wanted romance and roses has learned a lot.

I have learned what true love is.

I will be scarce here in Blogland for a while. It is a season that demands adjustment of priorities. Please know that I am thinking of you!  I will probably check in with my blogging friends from time to time, although I may read and sneak away without chatting. I'm sure you'll understand. ♥

Slow Decorating in the Guest Room

When Kati got married in May 2019, her room became our guest room. I called it my "consolation prize," this new room to decorate. I had purchased a pineapple post bed on Facebook Marketplace that spring, and eight days after the wedding, Bekah and I set up the bed and jumped into redecorating the room.

The bed and coverlet were new. We shopped the house for everything else.

May 26, 2019

We have been slow decorating that room ever since . . one little bit at a time, buying a few pieces, tweaking here and there. 

We found this chest of drawers at a local antique store. 

Bekah spotted this little table at another antique store, a bargain at $36.00!

The little stool was buried under stuff in another antique store. It was the perfect little landing area for a purse or a bag as you enter the room. 

Last summer, I found the the lovely matelassé coverlet and shams, also a fabulous bargain at $18.00! 

 Ron made shutters for the windows in the spring of 2021.

And then there was the succession of chairs . . . 

I bought this one on Facebook Marketplace. It had a tan slipcover which was not the right color for the room. The original fabric was a little luster that didn't fit. I could have had it reupholstered, but the chair was actually too big for the space so we moved it to the library where it became Ron's office chair while he worked from home. (When he went back to the office, I resold the chair on Marketplace for the same price I had paid.) 

This chair was another Marketplace find. Even though the fabric was faded, I liked the style and size of this chair and intended to have it reupholstered. But, it has since moved to the library . . . 

. . . because about a month later, we drove by an antique store and saw this chair in the window display. 

Close-up view shows true color

I loved the style and I was pretty sure it was a Johnston Benchworks chair (high quality furniture maker which is no longer in business), so we went inside to check it out. It was Johnston Benchworks and it was $99!

Sold! 

The fabric on the arms was dingy, but the red check didn't fit my vibe for the room anyway. 

If you have a quality piece of furniture, reupholstering it makes sense, and it is usually economical. Our living room sofa is also a Johnston Benchworks piece that we purchased from a friend. When the fabric became worn, we had it reupholstered because we couldn't buy a new sofa (especially one of comparable quality) for the price that we paid. 

We planned to reupholster the guest room chair over a year ago, but there were a few obstacles. Last spring, however, I was able to order some discounted fabric through a friend from a company that was discontinuing their furniture line. So instead of ordering fabric only for my guest room chair, I also ordered fabric for the loveseat in the library (the same loveseat that was in The Farmhouse kitchen) and the wing chair that is now in the library, and we'll have those two pieces done later this year.

Are you tracking with me? Following all of those chairs around the house? 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

Back to the guest room . . .  

This is what it looks like today. 

My sister gave me the rug. I'm not sure if it will stay here because the cream colored background is bothering me a little. We'll see. 

And now this corner of the room fits with the rest, with its newly upholstered chair and the shelf that my sister also gave me.

On the list of house projects for 2023 are fishtail swags for the guest room windows, but I haven't even chosen the fabric yet. I'm also on the hunt for a small table to sit beside the chair to hold a guest's book or drink or phone. Other than that, I feel that the guest room is done! (As much as a room is ever "done.") 

We are eagerly anticipating having some special guests in this room soon!  

Sometimes it sounds like fun to decorate a space all at once, but I really think that slow decorating is better . . . collecting things over time, looking for just the right pieces, tweaking as you go. What do you think? How do you decorate?