December 1

We looked out the window during lunch today and saw a faint "wintry mix" falling. If you look really closely, you can see a few white specks in between all the raindrops on our fire pit cover. And yet, this was enough to send my little Southern city kids scrambling for coats, etc., screaming "Snow! Snow!"

I had them in a panicked rush to get dressed lest the sputters of precipitation stop before they made it outside. If you look closely you can see Meg is in gold dress up shoes and Kate in flip flops due to the mad dash. That is not a bow on Nate's head; it is the tassel of his winter hat, which he clapped on at a rakish angle in his haste.

Thanksgiving

This has to go down as one of the more relaxing Thanksgivings I can remember. Despite packing a ridiculous amount of "stuff" into the car and driving 6 hours on Wednesday (and packing even more stuff back in the car and driving 6 hours back on Saturday) the in-between time was a wholesome mix of playing and relaxing and visiting and, of course, eating.

We met my parents in French Camp, Mississippi (population 300ish) about 90 miles north of Jackson on the Natchez Trace. My dad and his sister still own the property where they grew up. (No one lives there now. Decades ago the original house was replaced by a smaller one, which was recently remodeled to accommodate occasional get-aways, family reunions, etc.) There is no cell coverage, no Internet, no tv. (Perfect! Sorry Erik.) There is: a great big porch around the entire house with 4 porch swings, several rocking chairs, and a hammock; a big yard with lots of old pecan trees (no nuts this year, unfortunately); a great swing for the kids (hung by my dad this weekend); and neighbors and family who drop by if they see that someone's home. All the following pictures were taken on Thanksgiving Day, with the exception of the last one, which was Saturday morning.

A great big porch with a little house in the middle.

Reading some Thanksgiving history.

Nothing like a little fresh air and exercise to work up an appetite.

My mom and I searched in vain for pecans but did find a few fallen branches covered with great moss and ferns which we incorporated into an impromptu table decoration.

The swing-pushers and leaf-rakers take a break.

The weather was so mild we ate on the porch. Our streamlined and partly make-ahead menu (we still had all the classic dishes) and our cute paper plates made for a really easy meal. More relaxation than work for the cooks! (Ignore that laptop in the background. Unfortunately they do have electricity in French Camp...)

My cousin Monica and her husband and kids stopped by for a visit.

Kayla, Caleb, Kate, Boston, Nate, Meg, Abby

A few hunters were camping across the ditch at the end of the yard. Saturday morning we looked out to see them dressing a deer. You can just see the deer hanging between the two guys on the left. You can see Nate (light blue shirt) and Meg (to his right) and my Dad (to his left) walking over to watch. After I took this picture I went over, too, and so did Erik and Kate. It was really interesting. If you have a weak stomach or a membership to PETA, you may want to stop reading here. :) They skinned the lower portion (or would that be upper, since it was hanging upside down...) and cut off chunks of meat, throwing them into a cooler of ice water. Then they worked down toward the stomach. They had a separate cooler for the guts, and they tossed a few organs to the dog chained up near by. We didn't stay to watch the whole thing, but in another cooler they had the head (w/ antlers) of a second deer they had cleaned earlier. Kate's take on it was "Eww gross." I asked Nate what he thought and he said, "It looks pretty cool." (I forgot to ask Meg for her thoughts.) Sorry if this has ruined my lovely holiday post for anyone, but hey, what's a trip to Mississippi without a little deer hunting.

Besides, what do you think the Pilgrims ate at the first Thanksgiving, anyway?!

p.s. For days before we left we all kept trying to explain to Kate that Mississippi was a place we were going and not a person we were visiting. When we got home I asked her if she had fun in Mississippi. She said, "Yes, but Mrs. Sippi was not there."

IDOP

Today (or next Sunday, depending on your source) is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This evening our community group hosted a time of prayer for Christians in many countries who are being harassed, oppressed, persecuted or even killed for their faith. Here are some good links with general information about the persecuted church (there are many others):
http://www.idop.org/prayerrequests.html
http://www.persecution.com/

On a related subject, a few years ago I discovered Partners International, an organization which, through their "Harvest of Hope" catalog allows donors to designate small or large contributions for specific projects in specific countries like a bicycle for a pastor in China or a well for an African village. It is a really fun and meaningful alternative gift idea. (One year for my mom's birthday I gave a pig to a family in China.) Anyway, if you're sick of buying junk for people who don't need anything, consider a contribution through Harvest of Hope. You can browse through their whole catalog (http://www.harvestofhope.org/) or choose from gifts that build local churches or aid pastors (http://www.harvestofhope.org/categories.php?category_id=3) often in areas where there is persecution or at least resistance to the gospel.

Our Little Entrepreneur

Today Meg opened a lemonade stand. She did such a good job. Last night she lay awake in bed for an hour because she was so excited about her idea. This morning before church she set up her table and cloths and made a sign. She hung a temporary sign on the bottom that said "closed just right now." After lunch she replaced that with a "25 ¢" sign. She mixed the lemonade and got cups and a basket for money. She picked a vase full of little yellow daisies so she could give one to each customer.

Erik and I each bought some. Our friends next door bought a few cups. Another neighbor came by walking his dog and bought two cups. A family from church who arrived early for prayer meeting bought some. Her total profit (thankfully all supplies were donated) was $2. Not bad considering we live at the end of a cul de sac, she got rejected by a neighbor doing yard work and another out for a jog, and that the high today was 60! (She might have had a little more business if I had cooperated with her request that I make flyers and hand them out door to door.)

New PJs

I love this picture.

Fall Collection

Halloween

Two ballerinas and a fireman.

Lots of candy.

Birmingham Visit / Fall Festival

My mom and the kids and I found a great Fall Festival outside of Birmingham. The weather was perfect and there were lots of fun things to do. (Interesting note: It was on the Baker Family Farm, and Earl Baker turned 100 this year; he's lived his whole life on the farm!)

This one is not from the fall festival, but it was cute, so I stuck it in :)

There was a 15-foot high "hay mountain" for the kids to climb up and slide down.

Hay ride to the pumpkin patch.

Not quite the Christmas card photo i was hoping for...

Cotton Bounce (incidentally, they got hundreds of little specks of white cotton and black boll in their hair which made hunting for lice and nits much more complicated!)

My cute little boys!!

What do you do all day?

This one is dedicated to all you stay-at-home moms out there. I kept a little log the other day and now I know why I feel like I have A.D.D. and short-term memory loss and at the end of the day don't see much tangible fruit for my labors. From 7 am to 9 pm I literally did not do any one thing for more than 10 minutes straight (except a little cooking and dish washing.) Some things happened so rapid-fire that I didn't remember to right them down. And I omitted a few choice activities like wiping little bottoms. Well, there, now I guess it is no longer omitted.

------
cook breakfast
feed Caleb
help Kate put on dress up (see previous post)
dishes
cut Caleb's nails
start laundry
read to Caleb
change Caleb
put Caleb in bed
strip Nate's bed (a daily chore due to a case of lice)
read paper (why now? It's the A.D.D. I guess)
make my bed
help Nate assemble Hot Wheels track
switch laundry
fertilize pansies
draw on water mat with Kate
cut Nate's nails
cut Kate's nails
scrape yellow goo off Meg's mirror frame
make phone calls
switch laundry
start grocery list
more phone calls
help Nate with computer game
more grocery list
fix lunch
feed Caleb
lunch dishes
read to Kate
put Kate in bed
play with Caleb
put Caleb in bed
help Meg with craft
help Nate find a ball
check email
put chicken in oven
more phone calls
discipline (this only made the list once...?)
make snacks
switch laundry
supper prep
get Kate up from nap
help Kate get dressed (again, previous post...)
more snack
more email
more phone calls
more supper prep
open mail
feed Caleb
eat supper
put Caleb to bed
start dishes
give Nate a bath
clean out pumpkins (to be carved later)
more dishes
put sheets back on Nate's bed
declutter downstairs (oh yeah, this also took more than 10 minutes!)
vacuum couch (again, the lice)
snuggle in bed with three cutie little kids
more dishes
more laundry
-----

I'd say I got a lot accomplished, wouldn't you?

Clothes Horse

noun: a conspicuously dressy person (or in some cases un-dressy; see below)

Recently I decided to document Kate's many wardrobe changes throughout the day. She kind of tapered off after naptime, but this gives you an idea of what a revolving closet door--and sense of style--she has.

8:03

8:18

8:20


9:37



10:48


3:15

(Note the book in her "pocket." She is a school girl.)

Dahlias

Mandy, these pics are for you. The children's ministry had a picnic at Stone Mountain. The Dahlia Society has a display garden there and John Kreiner gave us a little tour/lecture about the flowers. They were just past their peak, but still gorgeous. I wish I could have cut about 30 stems and stuffed them all in big vase on my dining room table!

Helen

A few weekends ago we took a little day trip to Helen, GA.
We were about a week early for the leaves, but a nice get away.

A still-working grain mill on the Chattahoochee.

(p.s. Yes, we forgot to brush Meg's bed head before leaving the house.)

After a short carriage ride around town Nate fed the horse a carrot.

Charlemagne's Kingdom:
"A model railroad of Germany from the North Sea to the Alps."
A "must-see" when visiting Alpine Helen.
It actually was pretty neat, and as you can see from
the next picutre, the kids really enjoyed it.

Walking up to Anna Ruby Falls.
Probably the longest 4/10 of a mile walk we've taken.

The falls were a little low due to the lack
of rain, I guess, but still pretty.

Notice the tongues.
They really had to concentrate to keep from sliding off this rock.


Little Pudge.

Tent Camping

Two weekends ago Erik, Meg and Nate slept in our tent at Camp Westminster during the Fall Family Camp Out. Everyone made it through the night! A good start. Hopefully in the next few years this will become a regular family activity.

Rise and shine campers! Meg and Nate with our friends the LeBlancs.
As long as he gets his morning coffee...

Misc

A Captive Audience

Meg and Daddy time. They rode to the top of Stone Mountian and hiked down. Check out the Atl. skyline in the background.

Bedtime Story