November 30, 2009
Day 334 - Family
I love putting little touches of the season throughout the house and especially like things that have been handmade. This sweet little girl with a pumpkin is made of wood & I purchased it at a craft fair years ago. In the frame is one of the last family photos we took at the Christmas before our oldest daughter was married. Both items are signs of the seasons, one ending and one beginning.
November 29, 2009
Day 333 - Autumn
November is nearly over and it is time to put away my autumn decorations. This pumpkin, that is made of wood, and the ceramic fall leaf candles have been the center piece on my dining room table during October and November. They'll be replaced during the next few days by snowmen!
November 28, 2009
Day 332 - Grandparents
We drove Kristin back to the airport this afternoon. But before that, we brought lunch over to her grandparents house so she could visit with them again for a bit before heading back to Denver. These are Scott's parents and I feel so blessed to have them as in-laws and only about 30 min. away.
November 27, 2009
Day 331 - Ladder & lights
My husband's day after Thanksgiving tradition has been putting the Christmas lights up outside. Here he is climbing up the ladder as he strings lights along the gutters. Although it was cold today, it was mostly sunny and no rain or snow, so according to him, it was a good day to do the lights.
November 26, 2009
Day 330 - Side dishes
Happy Thanksgiving! These side dishes will be going into the oven soon so that they can be hot & ready to serve as we head over to Uncle Bruce's house later today. We'll have 19 people around the Thanksgiving table, and I'm very thankful to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family!
It was a lot of fun cooking with my girls yesterday! Cheryl made stuffing (not pictured), Kristin made sweet potato casserole, and I made two vegie dishes (Swiss medley and spinach casserole). My kitchen gets a bit crowded with so many cooks, but the shared family time is priceless.
It was a lot of fun cooking with my girls yesterday! Cheryl made stuffing (not pictured), Kristin made sweet potato casserole, and I made two vegie dishes (Swiss medley and spinach casserole). My kitchen gets a bit crowded with so many cooks, but the shared family time is priceless.
November 25, 2009
Day 329 - Crystal bowl
It is fun to take out special serving dishes during the holidays. My china cabinet stores many family heirlooms, like this crystal bowl that was passed down by one of our grandmothers. The stored keepsakes bring back such happy memories, I wonder why we don't use take them out more often.
November 24, 2009
Day 328 - Turkey
I didn't put out a lot of Thanksgiving decorations this year. However, I set put out my favorite turkey. This one was made by my mom using needlepoint on plastic canvas. It's another wonderful keepsake that brings me happy memories of Mom. I'm very thankful for the years I had with Mom.
November 23, 2009
Day 327 - Missed you!
We picked Kristin up at the airport this afternoon. It is so nice having her home from Denver for Thanksgiving! We miss having her close to home. She misses us too, but had the biggest hug for Lucy!
November 22, 2009
Day 326 - Sunset
The sun is setting earlier & earlier, but on days when we see the sun, I guess I shouldn't complain. I caught this shot in the rear view mirror while hubby was driving and the sunset was behind us.
November 21, 2009
Day 325 - Lincoln
We stayed in Springfield one more day so that we could tour the Lincoln Museum. I'm glad we did! The museum is very well done and an interesting attraction. I learned some new things about Lincoln and that period in history and enjoyed looking at the exhibits and multimedia presentations.
November 20, 2009
Day 324 - Deserted
It is hard to imagine that this hallway was bustling with people just a couple hours ago. This is the hallway outside the ballroom at the Crown Plaza in Springfield and during the past two days, it was crowded with people going to and from the wonderful sessions at the Illinois Education and Technology Conference.
November 19, 2009
Day 323 - Keynote
I'm at IETC and this is the first slide in Annette Lamb's presentation at the Keynote Luncheon today. I love that the Keynote speeches are at lunch at this conference and that the price of the lunch is included in the registration. This was my first time hearing Annette Lamb. She is an excellent speaker!
November 18, 2009
Day 322 - Crowne Plaza
This blurry photo is the best I could do....my camera does not like taking pictures without the flash at night.....really needs a tripod at night. Anyway, we arrived in Springfield around 6 p.m. and checked into the Crowne Plaza where the IETC will be held Thursday & Friday. The drive down was easy and shorter than we expected.
November 17, 2009
Day 321 - Packing gadgets
Today I'm packing for my trip to Springfield for IETC. Here are the most important bags, my computer bag and gadget bag. I think I've got all the gadgets & cords I'll need!
November 16, 2009
Day 320 - Pick-up Truck
I've seen this truck several times while out walking the dog in our neighborhood. I've admired how well cared for it is for an old truck. I don't know much about cars/trucks. Can anyone pinpoint the make/model/year?
November 15, 2009
Day 319 - Poster
I spent a lot of time this weekend putting together this poster for my poster session at IETC (Illinois Education and Technology Conference). I'm looking forward to spending three days in Springfield, two at the conference and one doing a bit of sightseeing with my husband.
November 14, 2009
Day 318 - Expressions
Tonight I went with some friends to a fund raiser for our high school's show choir, The Expressions. One friend has a daughter in the choir and there are several kids in the group who are former students from the elementary school where I taught. It was quite a fun evening, especially the silent auction and the concert!
November 13, 2009
Day 317 - Candles
Tonight I spent time with friends at a candle party. The scent of candles was thick in the air as the candle consultant demonstrated the newest products and holiday specials. I look forward to using my new candles in December as we celebrate Christmas!
November 12, 2009
Day 316 - Clutter
I'm airing my dirty laundry.....well, not really laundry, but the clutter that has accumulated in one room of our home. Yesterday, we had the carpeting cleaned in the house, so we had to get things up off the floor. This room is our dormer and has been a playroom for years. The boxes you see are sitting on our pool table. The clutter is a combination of STUFF that I brought home from school when I retired and that our two daughters have left when moving out. Maybe now that I've confessed, we'll actually spend some time sorting through the stuff!
November 11, 2009
Day 315 - What is it?
A man brought this strange thing into my house today. He was here for about 3 hours. What is this thing and why did the man bring it into my home?
November 10, 2009
Day 314 - Thomas Middle School
Today, I spent the lunch hour eating lunch with middle school students. I was asked to participate in their 'mix it up lunch'. As part of their Rachel's Challenge, they randomly assigned all students to a lunch table so that they were sitting with classmates they did not know as well as the friends they ordinarily sit with at lunch. Each table had an adult from the community sitting at the table to encourage conversation. I was happy to be a community volunteer today at this great activity!
November 9, 2009
Day 313 - Misplaced bulb
I found this misplaced bulb on our driveway this morning. I'm wondering where it came from. I'm sure a sneaky squirrel dug it up, but from where. I planted a bunch of bulbs a couple weeks ago, but I see no evidence of digging in my gardens. So, where did he get it and what kind of plant will it become. I replanted it, and come spring, we shall see!
November 8, 2009
Day 312 - Our house
Today we enjoyed an unseasonably warm fall day. The temperature made it up to 70˚ F. This photo of our house shows the long shadows of late afternoon. The large tree in front of our house is the last to lose its leaves every year. We'll be back to rain tomorrow and cooler temperatures the rest of the week, so I'm glad we got to enjoy some Indian Summer weather this weekend!
November 7, 2009
Dy 311 - New TV
Earlier this month, we had a handyman reconfigure our wall unit so that it would fit a larger TV. See Day 292 to see the old TV in the bigger space. Today's photo shows the new TV in the bigger space. What a difference! We spent today setting up the TiVo and rearranging the photo albums, picture frames etc. on the wall unit. We lost some shelves for knick knacks, etc., but we gained a much better TV for viewing enjoyment!
November 6, 2009
Day 310 - Smelling roses
When Lucy woke up this morning, she ran downstairs and jumped up to see what was on the kitchen table. She apparently was smelling the roses I brought home from our gathering last night. Lucy would not heed the 'OFF' command. So, I put the vase on the floor and let her smell the roses. I think she was disappointed that something that smelled so good was not edible!
November 5, 2009
Day 309 - Celebrating Life!
Twenty friends gathered for dinner tonight to celebrate the life of a dear friend and colleague. Ann lost her battle with breast cancer 4 years ago. This Celebration of Life dinner has become an annual tradition and we all celebrate her life with LOVE, laughter, conversation, and food! Our dinner this year was in the Wine Room at Biaggi's. What a lovely way to spend time with friends!
November 4, 2009
Day 308 - Checking plurk
When I came home from subbing this afternoon, I sat down to check my email, facebook, and plurk messages. Lucy decided to check plurk out too!
November 3, 2009
Day 307 - Fallen leaves
We've had some cold and windy days this week. This tree has lost all of its leaves during the past few days. Lucy, our dog, has been having fun romping through the blanket of fallen leaves. She enjoys the smells from the leaves!
November 2, 2009
Day 306 - New bed
Although Lucy loved the first bed we bought for her, it was light weight and she would often flip it over and end up sleeping on it upside down. Today, I bought her a new bed. It is a lot sturdier and easier to keep clean. Lucy likes her new bed!
November 1, 2009
Day 305 - Fox!
I took this photo of a fox out our family room window. My husband was looking out the kitchen window and yelled to me, "Look quick!" I was amazed! We have never seen a fox in our backyard before. I'm glad my camera was handy so I didn't miss this shot.
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