Place Setting Decided

I have finally decided on our place setting for Thanksgiving. What do you think? I went pretty simple this time.

Thanksgiving Prep & Thanksgiving Past

Well I have been doing some deep cleaning but now will hit surfaces which have suffered due to the deep cleaning. I can't tell you how many bags of "stuff" I threw away. I'm trying to get the laundry done today and tomorrow so that nothing will get in the way of cleaning next week. So if anyone is interested in having coffee.....call me after Thanksgiving weekend :o) The last time I hosted Thanksgiving was in 2006. Then we had 2007 at my sister-in-law Kim's house. Last year was at my sister Denise's house. So this year I nabbed it early. I have been struggling with how I am going to decorate the table and place settings. I'm hoping to resolve that this weekend so I can put it to rest. Posting the photos of the 2006 I realized that the living room was still yellow then and we still had wallpaper up in the kitchen. The pictures will look totally different this year.

Kid's bathroom remodel

I recently changed the kids bathroom from the "fishy" bathroom to, what Riley calls a "girly" bathroom. The boys aren't around very often now and Abbie and I WERE the ones who went shopping for the new stuff sooooooo.......I guess it is "girly". The walls went from an aquamarine faux finish with a fish border to lime green. I like it! But I guess part of that is because it is my favorite color.

October favorites

This weekends goal is to get the fall decorations out and assembled. It is a balmy (ya right) 39 degrees outside but this is my kind of weather. In the coming weeks I will be making what has become our October or Halloween tradition. I make a big batch of popcorn balls and carmeled apples. I usually color the syrup and Terry has requested orange and green for this year. What are some of your October/Halloween traditions?

Fall & Family

This morning I was out walking our dog Max. The air was crisp and cool and the sky was blue. I have been noticing the trees beginning to change color also. All of this gave me that wonderful feeling that fall was here and that the holidays were just around the corner. Family and friends are a must in this combination. I have great memories of the holidays as a child. One is Thanksgiving at my Grandma & Grandpa Bale's house. There was food, a football game in the pasture, card tables set up for cards and dominoes, a football game on the TV, the women sitting around the dining room table discussing who knows what( I was never old enough to get in on that conversation) & us younger ones were either on the front porch swing, running around the yard or up in the barn loft full of hay bales (which was against the rules and we never wanted to get caught by Grandpa).

Busy, Busy, Busy.......

As I listen to the thunderstorm outside & sip on my first cup of coffee, I am planning my day. I made a list of things to get done around here this week as I have been helping Terry at the office with some little things so he can work. He is in the process of hiring a new receptionist as his last one is going to law school. Good Luck to you, Anna. School is fast approaching and this weekend is Tax-free weekend. We are going through closets and drawers today. Riley is ordering the rest of his books for school, the bookstore is still unloading boxes and he needed to get a headstart on reading plays for his intro to acting class. Abbie has requested a room makeover for her 16th birthday so we have been shopping for bedding. We then decided to redo the kids bathroom since the boys will be gone. (this is the way most of my projects grow) Abbie has picked some great stuff and we bought paint earlier this week so I am hoping to start the painting part this weekend. I will post before and after pics when we are finished.

Les Miserables

Les Mis starts tomorrow evening. I am so excited!!! I volunteered to usher so I could be there for most of the performances. Selfish, I know, but I love to watch my kids perform. Abbie is at the airport saying goodbye to a best friend who is headed home for Colorado. See you soon Hannah!!! Maybe in one of your ballets!!!