Five Wonderful Days...

 Thanksgiving 2011 was a wonderful time

(although I had to work both the day before and day after Thanksgiving)

Tracy and the boys had five wonderful days off in a row together. 

I LOVED knowing that my boys got to have a few days of "one on one" with Tracy.  Dad's work SO hard providing for the the family, that sometimes they don't get as much one on one with the kids...

I love when these moments come around as my sweet Ethan, LOVES following Tracy everywhere, including the attic (where they spent hours pulling wires for our new lights Tracy installed this past weekend).  

Tracy and Ethan are the BEST of friends!  

It was SO priceless that Ethan kept asking 

"Are we going to go up to the attic again"... 

he loved the adventure of that SO much!

Here are some photos from our wonderful five days we had together as a family...

 Morning Twilight...my favorite time of the day!
It was such a treat to be able to enjoy the morning sun rising over the hilltops.  This time of the year I rarely get to enjoy it as I leave for work at 6:30 and it is still dark.

As I was baking in my kitchen on Thanksgiving morn 

I kept looking out the window and enjoying the spectacular view of the hilltops being lit up by the morning sun!

 Our yearly tradition of the Thanksgiving Choir Program 

at the Historic Tabernacle in Rexburg. 

 I LOVE this tradition...the music just feeds my soul and it is such wonderful thing to be with community members and running into people you haven't seen in awhile. 

I also love snuggling on the bench with the love of my life Tracy and seeing the excitement of my boys as they enjoy the program, especially this year, when the choir sang "Grandma's Feather Bed" and people were playing the wash board, spoons and the jug! We had lots of great laughs and were once again AMAZED with all of the musical talent we have in our area.

I had SUCH a wonderful morning 
doing what I love to do best...BAKING!

2 batches of rolls, 

2 coconut cream pies, Lemon Meringue pie 

and Pumpkin cookies!
People have told me I should open a Cafe or bakery and as tempting as that may be, it would take a hobby and make WORK of it and so I'll just stick to baking for fun! 

Needless to say, I enjoyed my morning greatly.

This shows we still have little kids in the family... 

LOVE the cute little pilgrims that Lisa and her kids colored. 

Holidays wouldn't be as fun without the LITTLE ONES that bring SO much joy to all of our lives! 

LET THE FUN BEGIN...

We bought new light fixtures last year 

when we installed our hardwood floor,  

but we barely got our life semi put back together before last Thanksgiving... 

and then the busyness of the holidays came and one day rolled into the next and here we were a year later with lights that we still hadn't installed. 

SO, since Tracy had to install 3 different lights and make NEW holes in the ceiling and run wire/power to them, he hasn't been too motivated to start on the project...

This is what having 4 days off in a row together is like...

 you actually get to make PROGRESS on home improvement projects. 

7 new halogen track lights,

New Chandelier over the dining room table

New Ceiling fan over by the parlor stove

AND 2 art glass pendants above our bar in the kitchen. 
LOVE how they all turned out.
Along with installing lights, we also hung some things on our walls.
(it's going to be the most exciting day of all, when our brassy kitchen cabinets 
have new knobs, hinges and a fresh coat of Beach Sand paint)

 This is the glow I woke up to Monday morning...

 LOVE how things are coming together in our home.

Someday, it will all be finished...for now I will enjoy what I have, which is WONDERFUL!

We have all been dealing with a 
really bad cold and sore throats.

Thank goodness for an awesome dad that takes a chicken carcass, boils it up with LOTS of onions, garlic and garden veggies and Cayenne Pepper and makes the yummiest, nutritious soup for us to enjoy to help us ward off the cough and flu season.
Soup is truly comfort food indeed!

 We have also gone through 
over nine pounds of limes/lemons 

 and 1-1/2 large jars of honey, making up mugs of our honey and lemon tea to soothe our throats and to give our bodies a boost of LOTS of Vitamin C. 

I think we are now all finally on the mend! 
YAY!

 "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"!

SO happy to say that at least one area of my house has 

had the magical touch of Christmas Cheer...

I love the centerpiece for our dining room table...

 the Christmas balls in my lime green jar are GORGEOUS, festive and give off such a warm glow in the afternoon sunshine!
Looking forward to getting the rest of my house decorated 

and for all of the FUN and TRADITIONS 

that the month of December brings!
*************** 
(Christmas Cards, clam chowder, spiced cider, croissants, our home filled with Christmas music, the excitement of kids as they notice new gifts wrapped under the tree, gumdrop bread, cinnamon almonds, Grinch caramels, crab and artichoke dip, Caroling, Christmas parties, Christmas Omelets, enjoying BOXES of oranges/clementines, reading Christmas books, playing "Secret Santa", watching ELF and other family favorite holiday films, and the list goes on...)