Dinner for Forty!

We’ve been sharing a Thanksgiving meal at the Spiro house for many years. They have always generously included any Thanksgiving company we might have. This year with their extended family, friends, and our group there were 40 for the meal.

This is the young adult table in the kitchen area of the home with places for 14. You can see the Puget Sound out the window. The older adult table is in the dining area and seated 20 this time around. The kids table was in the foyer with places for 6.

My brother Tim and his wife Letty are staying with us for the holiday.

My BIL Steve, Tim, Letty, and my sister Lana.

My friend Jan with my sister Lana.

Two of the 3 Spiro girls, Lucy and Bridget with Bridget’s youngest little guy Oliver.

I missed getting photos of our host and hostess and lots of the other 40 people. Some years I’m on, some years not so much.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with ugly black and grey boxes and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Goodbye Snow…

…hello rain!

Well all this white stuff has disappeared and we have had some heavy rains. Our temps are well above freezing so it’s all systems go for our annual day after Thanksgiving girls day. We are sticking to tradition and going to Goodwill, then Tea, and then Country Village for some specialty shopping, too. Fun times! Just in case you were concerned about the men folk here, no worries. The girls are shopping and the guys are shooting. It’s a win win situation.

In the Good Ole U.S.A….

…it’s just about time to say…

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day tomorrow. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing I hope that thankfulness fills your heart! My Thanksgiving company has arrived and I’m just not sure if you’ll see me around bloggy world. Blessings!

Psalm 100 (ESV)

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A Psalm for giving thanks.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Snow Is…

…Always A Major Event Around Here!

Woke up to this scene looking out my stairwell window.

The welcome mat

Our front walk with just enough snow not to bother shoveling.

I like the new snow blooms!

What are we in for:

Sitting at home avoiding the icy roads and spin outs.

Canceling any appointments.

Hours and hours of weather news on all our major channels.

Overeating- I don’t know why it just happens.

Spiking stuff like eggnog, etc.

Talking about the snow to anyone we see.

Pulling out all the wool and boots and gloves!

Hoping that our power does not go out.

Have a good day y’all. You know where you can find me.

I’m linking up to Susan’s Outdoor Wednesday.

Ruby Tuesday ~ Snow Edition

Early snow for us in the Seattle area. Snow in the Seattle area is always a surprise, this early snow is doubly so. My hummingbird feeder has a nice layer on it. I watched as a poor little hummer tried to find the feeder source. So sad! I’ll have to run out there and knock the snow off!

To see more Ruby Tuesday visit Mary at Work of the Poet.

And in late breaking news: Katie made it on an earlier flight then her original one out of Seattle on Monday afternoon and thankfully so or else she would have missed her connecting flight in San Jose. Her 4:00 flight finally departed at 6:11. This will still put her into San Jose in time for her connection. We are so fortunate and thankful to God for watching over her and us as we drove her to the airport. Snow has a way of paralyzing people and the roads in Seattle!

Where Oh Where…

…did Fall go?

The snow has been falling steadily since 7am this morning on our hill. Yes, we live on a hill which means for me “the driving in snow wimp” I’ll be stranded on this hill today and probably for most of tomorrow. Sometimes getting down the hill works but coming back up the hill doesn’t. Our daughter is a little concerned about her flight out of Seatac tonight. She’s headed to Florida to see her Marine who gets leave Thanksgiving weekend. She has all night flights with planes changing in San Jose and Atlanta. We’re praying for the best for her. Time will tell. Dear will be driving her to the airport not Mrs. Wimp. Our Thanksgiving company arrives tomorrow night from California. We already had our Thanksgiving meal at home but we are looking forward to being with a house full of our friends on Thursday. I’m bringing the Yams and a few other treats.

So how’s the weather where you are and what are your Thanksgiving plans?

Snowflakes ~ Mosaic Monday

It’s always a surprise event when we see snow falling down instead of rain in the Seattle area.

We had some flakes falling from the sky today. They are threatening us with more for tomorrow. Time will tell. For the record ellen b. does not enjoy driving on snowy and icy roads, so if the threat of snow becomes reality, I’ll be in my house trying to stay cozy and warm on Monday. Some of you are really having snow events as usual for us it’s a novelty.

Visit Mary at Little Red House to join in on Mosaic Monday.

My God, I Thank Thee ~ Hymn

My God, I Thank Thee

My God, I thank Thee, who hast made
The earth so bright,
So full of splendor and of joy,
Beauty and light;
So many glorious things are here,
Noble and right.

I thank Thee, too, that Thou hast made
Joy to abound;
So many gentle thoughts and deeds
Circling us round,
That in the darkest spot of earth
Some love is found.

I thank Thee more that all our joy
Is touched with pain,
That shadows fall on brightest hours,
That thorns remain;
So that earth’s bliss may be our guide,
And not our chain.

For thou who knowest, Lord, how soon
Our weak heart clings,
Hast given us joys, tender and true,
Yet all with wings;
So that we see gleaming on high
Diviner things.

I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast kept
The best in store;
We have enough, yet not too much
To long for more:
A yearning for a deeper peace
Not known before.

I thank Thee, Lord, that here our souls
Though amply blessed,
Can never find, although they seek
A perfect rest;
Nor ever shall, until they lean
On Jesus’ breast.

Words: Adelaide A. Procter, Legends and Lyrics, a Book of Verse, 1858.

FFF ~ Family, Friends, Food!

Time to look back and remember your favorites from this past week. Visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to join in this worthwhile experience.

My favorites from this past week revolve around our immediate family being reunited for a few days.

Here are the guys, my husband with our sons. I love this photo of the three of them.

Our girls Katie and Laura with their special aunt Lana.

We took advantage of my sister being here so she could take a photo of all of us together. This will probably end up being our Christmas photo this year.

Our Thanksgiving gathering on Sunday is definitely a favorite from this past week.

Last but not least our son Dan made it safe over the passes to his new digs in Eastern Washington. He started his job at his new location and is pleased with his surroundings. We are looking forward to my brother and SIL coming to spend Thanksgiving weekend with us. So much to be thankful for.

Psalm 40:16 (ESV)

But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the LORD!”

What are your favorites from this past week?

Tablescape Thursday ~ Early Thanksgiving 2010

I’ve posted some photos of our early Thanksgiving meal already but wanted to add these for Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. If you want to see some great table settings click on over and check all the latest posts.

The table was set for 12. Since I only had 10 of my Yorkshire dishes I added these two Johnson Brothers Plates to the mix.

These are the Yorkshire Staffordshire Ironstone plates, a country road with a hay wagon. The colors were perfect for Thanksgiving.

Wouldn’t you know when I went to pull out my green goblets there were only 11. I scouted out a local Antique Mall hoping to find at least 1 more but there was nothing close to these so when I came across a set of 7 amber colored goblets at a good price I decided to mix and match 6 of each for the table.

I was real happy to find these bird place card holders last week. It’s not easy finding non-Christmas themed holders this time of year. Our daughter Katie printed the names on each card for our table.

We had a wonderful time around the table. We decided to serve Susan’s Champagne Punch while waiting for the turkey. It was very tasty with the hint of cinnamon and cloves.

On Thanksgiving Day I’ll be sharing this punch when we join friends for a 2nd Thanksgiving meal. Life is rich!

Looking forward to seeing more Scapes around the Blogisphere.

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage