Gather...

 Thanksgiving is special to me. I love the preparation, from polishing the house from top to bottom to decorating with all my favorite autumn-themed things and making the place feel cozy. I love planning, list-making, and recipe searching. I love spending the day in the kitchen preparing the feast the day before Thanksgiving. This year, Rachel and I were the ones mixing and chopping with help from her wee ones. The Owlet helped whip up the delicious chocolate cake. 

 Aimee joined us after lunch and entertained the babes. When she arrived, the owlet squealed with joy. I felt the exact same way. Aimee did more than read a thousand books and play countless games; she helped me artfully arrange the food, flowers and table decor. It was delightful to see her work; she has a fantastic eye for beauty and detail. 

I was pleased with how all the food came out. Chris's smoked turkey was delightful, and my more traditional roasted bird tasted fine, too. 

There were fifteen people at the table. Our oldest guest was a feisty 90-year-old, and the youngest was 10 months old. We cooked many traditional favorites but also tried a few new things. I didn't hear any complaints, and nothing but crumbs were left on the plates as I washed them. 

Check out the homemade rolls on those baby thighs. I can attest that they were delicious. 

Rachel did a lot of the heavy lifting when it came to cooking. I was right in there hip to hip, but when I look back she did more than her share. Maybe after cooking this meal for 40 years I am slowing down a little? I'm not ready to throw in the dish towel yet, but I can see the time coming. It's good that I have someone to hand the ironstone platter to. 

Making Thanksgiving happen brings me back to my mother's kitchen. My grandmother would help wax furniture, shine silver, and polish brass candlesticks. My mother would create the feast.  For me it has always been a multi generational holiday. This year it was a special joy to be in the kitchen with my daughter and grands, knowing I was helping create traditions and memories for them.

When I smell the turkey roasting, the aromas of onions, garlic, sage, and so much more, I am transported through time, and every moment is delicious. 

Adding, subtracting and organizing...

 I mostly keep our house tidy. But some spots are habitually cluttered. The kitchen cabinets just don't stay neat, and the pantry? It tends to be where we all stash items we don't know what to do with. The area is not very large, maybe 6 feet by 15. There is a freezer, refrigerator, and three shelving units where we stash canned goods, pasta, rice, cleaning supplies, paper products, small appliances like the Crockpot and Instantpot, and bins of grandchildren's toys.  It also houses platters and cake dishes for celebrations, extra plates for parties, vases, extra silverware, candlesticks, etc. It's a wonderful, functional space, but sometimes it gets so messy I don't know where to begin fixing it. I've been thinking about it and recently decided to give up some of my decorative things to make space. 

My wonderful, capable daughter tackled a few kitchen cabinets last week. The difference after she worked her magic was striking. Then she said, "Saturday, we fix the pantry." She's a busy woman with a home of her own to care for and two small kids, but she cheerfully volunteered her time to help me move from overwhelmed to organized. She started by sorting through my decorative things, making a big pile of stuff she thought I didn't need. I argued about some items but let a lot go despite some pangs of longing. It took us (with "help" from the babies) the better part of two days, but now the pantry is decluttered, clean, dusted, vacuumed, mopped, and, dare I say, beautiful! I keep going there just to look at how tidy it is and smile. I have the best daughter. Her excellent attitude, hard work, and encouragement made this odious job (almost) fun. Mimosa's helped. 

On a different topic, about a year ago, I was gifted a toddler bed frame. We bought a new mattress and bedding for it, and I put it next to our bed. When the Owlet spends the night, she snuggles in there but can quickly climb to our bed if she wants to cuddle or jump around like a monkey. It was terrific, but it was plastic and hot pink and that was a little jarring. I meant to paint it, but that project was never near the top of my "to-do" list. 

Last week, my daughter and I found an adorable vintage, wood, and white toddler bed for sale about an hour away from here for under $100. Capable as always, my girl arranged to buy it and drove to get it last Friday. It's wonderful, solid, and oh-so-pretty. There is no hint of hot pink! The Owlet and Cygnet gave it their seal of approval. The right side can be latched up or dropped down, as seen here. It will be nifty for the wee Cygnet when she stays over. 

 

This weekend, we removed a lot of clutter, organized a few hundred things, and added the cutest little toddler bed. And I am grateful beyond belief. 

Greens, oddities and giddiness...

 Every year, sometime in November, my sweet friend Brenda shows up with a trunkload of greenery. She gets to work decorating the metal arbor that leads to our front door for winter. She also fills the planter by the end of the path and the old iron clawfoot bathtub at the end of the driveway. She does things a bit differently every year, depending on what goodies she finds in the woods. Sometimes, there are birch logs tucked into the arrangements; other times, dried flowers or unique sticks. But it is always beautiful. This year, the day was so warm that we had the windows open, and it didn't feel very wintery, but that will soon change. It was fun to see Brenda work her magic. The Owlet stood at the window and gleefully announced, "She makin' a beautiful Christmas tree!" 

Chris had cut a lot of pine boughs for the base filler, but more was needed. Brenda headed out to the woods to haul some. The goats were excited to see her and raced around joyously. While she was out cutting, she found a treasure. A "witches broom." 

There is a plant disease that causes abnormal clusters of branches to grow from a single point on a tree. It can be caused by insects, microorganisms, fungi, bacteria, or viruses. This unusual and unique growth is known as "Witches' Broom." Brenda found this big one in our woods. It's the size of a bushel basket. She kindly cut it and brought it home for me. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it, but I will find a place for it somewhere. It's fabulous. 

It was a happy day because Brenda was here making things pretty, but there was more. Much more! I was giddy because we welcomed a new baby to our family yesterday. My niece and her husband are the proud new parents of a perfectly fabulous baby girl. She was much-wanted and is already well loved by our entire tribe. She is three years and three days younger than the Owlet. She is a precious cousin, future friend, and new wee branch on our growing family tree. 

Winter greens, witches broom, and a new baby. Who could ask for more? 

A Voting Story...

 When my daughter was seven or eight years old, she had multiple opportunities to meet and interact with a young man running for Congress. He was kind and friendly and made a positive impression on her. He was also undeniably handsome.

She accompanied me to the polls on voting day, and I was pleased for her to witness her mama performing her civic duty. We lived in a big city then, and the polling place was a very large room packed with people. My daughter was excited by our adventure and quietly asked me lots of questions, which I answered to the best of my ability in a soft voice. 

When I got to the part of my ballot that led me to choose the candidate she knew or his opponent, she piped up in a thunderous voice, "Mom, you have to vote for ____." I asked, "Why is that, honey?" hoping she would have some insight into what the man stood for. "Because, mommy, he is SO BEAUTIFUL!" The room erupted in laughter. 

It was one of my favorite voting experiences ever. And the beautiful guy won. 

Tea for a Three...

 The Owlet turned three with a tea party.  Her parents and grands collaborated to plan, shop, decorate, and prepare food and beverages. A gaggle of small children came with their mamas to help celebrate. Aunt Dovie gifted sweet little ceramic cups for the guests to enjoy and take home as party favors. 

Rachel made her signature three-layer chocolate stout cake with chocolate ganache. It was topped with a delightful vintage "Happy Birthday" topper that we discovered this summer at an antique show. 

The cake was as delicious as it was lovely. 

We had tea sandwiches, of course. Peanut butter and jelly, cream cheese and jam, tiny pigs in blankets, a beautiful fruit bowl, hot buttered popcorn, cheese and crackers, and more. The children were all delightfully well-behaved. They played in the bounce house, giggling and gleeful. They played in the studio with all the toys. They snacked. They painted kid-sized canvas bags to take home as a remembrance. 

And then we all went out to meet the goats. 

The children boldly climbed on Billy Goat Gruff Bridge, and the goats joined them, enjoying little hands stroking them. Then the Owlet pointed to my big, contractor-sized wheelbarrow. "How about that?" she asked. We piled a few kids in, and Evans and Rachel pushed them around the pasture as fast as they could run. They all seemed to enjoy the bumpy ride, especially the baby Cygnet, who had a face-splitting grin the entire time. 

The Owlet enjoyed her special day from start to finish, from helium balloons ("boons!") to friends, cake, and gifts. She will rock this three-nager stage. I can hardly wait to see her grow and blossom.