That’s pretty much what we did on Saturday this week.  We started out early Saturday morning and drove to Sylva, NC to see my grandparents.  Then we got back in the car and headed in the general direction of home, but we stopped in Asheville to see our newest family member, Graham Esmon – cousin to the Walker clan.  During that visit, the men (and boy) folk headed out to the “local” tree farm to obtain a Christmas tree.  And by local I mean not in Tennessee.  We followed that with a lovely family dinner, then hopped back in the car to return home.  Whew!!  What a day.

Mom and Claire

Mom and Pop and the whole crew!

Sophie and new baby Graham

Well, the boys left at 8:45 for the annual “Turkey Bowl” in which the fathers play the boys in a rousing game of touch football.  I’ve been assured there won’t be any subsequent trips to the hospital. 

So, what is on our menu today? 

Oven Roasted Turkey
Wheat Free Cornbread stuffing
Citrus Sweet Potato Rounds
Sweet Peas
Garlic Mashed New Potatoes
Boiled New Potatoes (for those that don’t “do” mashed potatoes)
Green Bean Casserole
Salad
Corn Bread and Dinner Rolls
Chloe’s Southern Pecan Pie

There is still the possibility of Mississippi Mud Cake, but I may save that until Saturday when we make our trip to the mountains to visit with family, and see the new baby.  We are on our own this year, so it’s not as exciting.  But we are so very thankful for all our friends and family nonetheless.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.
Phil 4:6 

I hope someone that read my posting a few months ago about the pieceless puzzle by GameWright, and emailed the company.  Mine arrived yesterday, completely free of charge, and it is awesome.  You really can’t lose a piece, and the novelty of it really intrigued the children.  Hope yours will arrive soon!!!

The children wanted to know if we could vote for dad for president. When I explained that it might require even more travel, they decided maybe not right now. But, it did give us an opportunity to discuss the “write-in” candidate process. After that, I got a good chuckle when I read this article about a mayoral candidate in Maine. Guess he’s not done yet.

On a related note, $600M more in school bonds passed in Charlotte last night. Yikes!! What’s up with that?? Somebody needs a thrifty mom running the checkbooks over there.

A friend of ours at church was taking photographs at the “trunk or treat” last weekend. Today, he brought us the photos. There were several great pictures of all the children. This guy obviously knows what he’s doing. But, when Mark saw the photo below, his only comment was “we’re in trouble”. Here’s the photo of Sophie with her favorite babysitter.

Mark’s been in Boston this week and we’ve been enjoying slightly cooler weather.  The kids have played outside every afternoon and are thrilled to have new playmates in the house next door.

We enjoyed our bi-weekly CoOp today afterwhich Sophie spent the afternoon with her service club at church.  The boys went home with Mark, and Claire retired to her much missed bed.

Tomorrow I will usher in a new year….37.  After much contemplation, I’ve decided that 37 isn’t so bad.  Why?

Well, … 37 is a prime number, the fifth lucky prime, the first irregular prime, the third unique prime.

It’s the normal human body temperature in degrees Celsius.

It’s the number of slots in European Roulette.

37 is the inmate number worn by Paul Newman’s character in the film Cool Hand Luke.

Psalm 37:37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future [b] for the man of peace.

Nebraska was the 37th state.

The 37th United States Congress met and served under the administration of President Abraham Lincoln.

And most importantly, 37 years is the amount of time I’ve been entertaining my parents.

My sister-in-law Nichole has a very ambitious weekly post on her blog. She plans her weekly menu and posts links to several of the recipes in her “Menu Monday” posts. She even takes time to rate many of them.

Well, life here has a pace and level of unpredictability that might prevent me from carrying out my “Menu Monday” plans. So, I have decided to try something a little less ambitious, “Flashback Fridays”. Instead of predicting what we’ll dine on during the week, I’ll occasionally post a summary of the exciting dishes upon which we have feasted. Of course, the trick will be remembering all the meals…..

Sunday: Chili Fiesta (Chicken Chili or Red Bean Chili)

Monday: Chili repeat…. with corn muffins

Tuesday: Chuck Roast w/Rosemary and Buttered Peas

Wednesday: Cream Potato Leek Soup w/zucchini bread

Thursday: Pork Roast w/green beans and potatoes au gratin

Friday: Pork Roast in Cream Sauce w/ baked Sweet Potatoes

Sophie is actually having a great second grade year so far, despite the occasional day of moodiness or silliness. She has kept her eye on the ball and is moving ahead nicely. This is a picture of Sophie and Wilson examining their “balloon solar system” in our basement. Today, Sophie is going to get a big surprise. Her name is on the front page of the local section in Rock Hill’s The Herald newspaper. Click the link to read it.

On Monday, while looking a the weekly weather reports, Sophie noticed that several planets would be visible this week. She asked me where to look, and I had no idea. I also had no time to look it up. So, I did the next best thing. I told her to write a letter to the editor of the section to see if they would just print the information in the weather report. Well, they did so much better than that. Parts of her letter, and the answers that she was seeking, are on the front page of the Local Section today.

Thank you Mr. Charles D. Perry for a great article, and for helping Sophie.

I read this article about teens and their development while waiting for Sam and Sophie at the dentist’s office. We don’t currently have a “teen”. I think we’re on the cusp of having a “pre-teen”. Anyway, the article in this month’s Smithsonian Magazine was very encouraging to me as a mom. It appears that not everyone thinks the teen years have to be bleak and angst filled. The title of the book written by Richard Lerner The Good Teen probably gives more info than you’ll find in the article. If you’re a parent, check it out and be encouraged!