saying NO to being greedy...

 Oh, it's interesting.  We are getting a "new" stove.  Our oven is lovely, a General Electric, in slate color, a convection oven with five burners on top, really nice.  We bought it when Paul was employed by that company, so we got 50% off appliances.   But, it has been giving us troubles through the years.  The thermometer keeps burning out, and Paul buys new ones and replaces them.  The money we've spent in parts, and having the oven not working while waiting for parts, and for him to fix it, although he is usually pretty On It.  :). 

So this fine afternoon, I went to put my non 50% off marinated turkey breast, which is another story, into the oven with tiny rosemary red potatoes and baby carrots, well, that oven decided not to turn on.  Again.  I looked on marketplace, and lo and behold, there is one for only $200 that's a year old.  Is it what I really want?  um, no.  But the same one new would be $600 + tax and delivery fee, so it's a substantial savings.  A nicer new one would be nicer, of course, there are bells and whistles on the bells and whistles, and a double one would be grand!  But shh, a little sad:  I survived one oven with 18 of us living here...I remember those nights when we would have chicken nuggets and fries for an easy night off of cooking, and it took two shifts, because two pans of nuggets, then two pans of fries.  Imagine if I got a double oven now?  Anyway, I'm not getting a double oven.

It's nice to be in a position where we can replace it, to have a working stove, and I am thankful for that.  The greed that sneaks up and wants better and more and the latest, well, NO.  I say NO to it.  Thankfulness is much much better.  

Snow today!  Very gorgeous, white and fluffy and Christmas-y!  I don't want to drive in it, but hey, I'm leaving in ten minutes to go to Activity Club, and it's a little snowy between here and there.  ugh.  But I love going and seeing the kids.  We're making individual brownies tonight, and some ornament crafts too.  

Ah well, need to run to get out the door...have a good evening!

oh the holidays!

 I won't give you a day-to-day recap, but I will say this, it's been fun.

Thanksgiving day, then Friday Pie Day, then Saturday cleaning it up and going to Target, then to Emily's house with eight of my daughters(Emily, Abigail, Mariel, Margaret, Kathryn, Evelyn, Sonja, Camille), and daughter-in-law Grace.  Then Sunday Funday, we had a turkey dinner...Abigail, Joseph, Sam&Grace&Grant&Ruth&Maeve, Margaret&Adrian&Wulf&Tennyson&Blythe, Kathryn&Darius&Achilles&Rhys&Jamie, Evelyn, Sonja&Oscar, Jon&Rosi, Camille, me, Paul...25!  

This fine morning, Abigail headed back to Delaware.  She did have a safe trip, made it home by three o'clock.  She moved the truck out of the driveway for me, as I was leaving for the pool when she was leaving, she cleaned the snow off the vehicles too.  She's such a sweetie.

She made friends with Maeve...

Cousins, Rhys and Ruth...

There was a crooked house...ha, the tree is just a little tilted.

Friday Pie Day, Kathryn, Rosi and Jon, Zech and Suzanne, little Blythe in the front, and Jamie, Evelyn

Kathryn with Blythe and Jamie

Our fun Target trip...Abigail, Camille, Sonja

Then Kathryn came in with Rhys and Achilles...

Oh it's been fun.  The pies came out on Sunday afternoon too.  There were so many.  I've had enough pie though, no more for me.  I actually put some apple on a plate a little while ago, the very last pie, and took one bite, and decided nah.  I didn't really want it.  Shh, I gave one taste to each pup, and scraped it.  Then made a cup of gingerbread tea instead.

Lest you think me virtuous, consider this:  pie on Thursday, Friday, AND Sunday.  I skipped Saturday.  :)

I had little bits of all the kinds: two different pecan, lemon meringue, coconut cream, peanut butter cup, chocolate with toasted graham cracker crust, blueberry with lemon zest, pumpkin, pumpkin cheesecake, cherry, apple...if I even remembered them all...and there were FOUR pumpkin, 2 apple...

Anyway.  Life is more than pie, and so is Thanksgiving.  

Abigail went to the pool with me on Friday morning, it was great fun.  

This fine morning, I went to the pool, then came home and Mr. Jamison was here because his mama and daddy had different appointments with different kids.  Kathryn finished up, and came here, Darius brought Achilles here, they spent the day.  We finished decorating the tree, read stories, rocked in my chair and sang songs, and puttered the day away.  

I need to go to the grocery store tomorrow, and have activity club tomorrow night.  I've been working on online shopping, it's so easy, you just scroll through and click.  not really.  I add and delete, add and delete, then finally click.  I'm seriously scaling back this year, and this time for sure.  They don't believe me.  But I am.  December though, Aaron and Abigail and Margaret have birthdays.  Now grandchildren Grant and Achilles also have birthdays.  I have the grandsons gifts, and Margaret's and Abigail's.  Now to send something to Aaron...

Ah well...photo dump!

!

Jamie on the dog bed, reading a kitty book, upside down

Pies!

Friday Pie Day was not all fun and games, I went to the orthopedic dr. and had more injections in the knees.  The worse part is that when one goes in, you know there's another!  This time I had a reaction, my face was quite red and puffy on Saturday.

The bare naked tree.

Paul, carrying it up like it was nothing...this was Friday too...Pool, tree, dr., then Pie Day.

Thanksgiving at Ben's house

Ashley's pumpkin roll, oh dear so good.

My chocolate pie

Anya, Declan, Elise

Paul's back there carving the turkey

They played games...

Ophelia, and Suri...Sunny and Suri were both invited to Thanksgiving, which was wonderful.

And...it's bedtime...have a good night!!!