We had such a nice Thanksgiving. On the actual day, Wes had a meal with Alexis' family; Tom and Tyler made the trip to Columbia, SC, to see some relatives; Maddie and I hung out all day cooking for Friday and reading books. It was cold, cold so it was lovely to be home.  Yesterday I made a nice meal for us and can say I survived cooking my first entire Thanksgiving meal and it was a success. I especially loved cooking the turkey breast in the clay baker~very moist~AND knowing we'll have turkey for leftovers for a few days.

Today the guys are working at the church and Maddie and I are running a few errands. Then we're going to watch some football. I pray all of you had a wonderful, blessed holiday. Next week we're back at it with our regular school routines.

My little elves could stand it no longer and are putting up the tree. It's overcast and 39 degrees so it feels like December~actually that's more like January weather here.  I got to go out and have lunch today with my honey too. And, we're going to stay home and enjoy Thanksgiving as a family this year. I feel completely and utterly blessed.

I want to do whatever tasks the Lord gives me with an all-out passion from him. I want to do them well (not perfectly, but well). I hope my kids get this desire from me and our homeschooling years as well.

This little guy tells that story oh so well. So thanks, Mom~for the lessons and the great picture.

The peaking of our leaves has come and gone.  The days are shorter and cooler.  When I walk Tucker, the leaves crunch under my feet and the air is crisp. Yes, it's November.

We celebrated Maddie's 16th birthday on November 3. She was sick. I was sick. But, we made the best of it for sure. Wes and Alexis rented a silly animated movie and we curled up on the sofa and laughed. We played Apples to Apples.  We just enjoyed being a family. Isn't that what celebrations are really all about?

This week we're doing a fun unit study on Thanksgiving/Pilgrim's/Mayflower Compact, etc. Each child is doing work at their level and reading, writing, etc.  They are also doing math. That's shaping up to be a fun week since it's always nice to have a change of pace. Next week we're off all week and will go to the library and get lots of books to read. Maddie is reading a series now, Tyler two series, and Wes a series. I'm reading what they finish and say is really good. I love Young Adult literature!

Here are some pictures of my Maddie. She's certainly changed, hmm?  Sorry the first is fuzzy. It's a picture of a picture, taken with my cell phone!