This last week of November

Thanksgiving. A time of giving thanks. And cooking and eating 'til your stuffed. Today I am thankful that we got the day off and that I can cook in my flannel pajamas. The weather is gorgeous, with just a little chill in the air. Jordan is flying home tonite. Cameron is staying in College Station for the big game...representing us all there. Will is home and still sleeping. Thankful, thankful, thankful.

Birthday flowers sent to me from Jordan

I turned another year older yesterday. Thankful? Yes. Not the older part....but the alive part. Kindergarteners are big on birthdays. So as I walked through classes yesterday, I was greeted and sung to by lots of sweet 5 year olds. At the end of the day, I told one of the car riders at my cone, a kid who was in kindergarten last year, that it was my birthday.

Me: Today's my birthday.

Him: It's my early birthday.

Me: What does that mean?

Him: Thanksgiving is my real birthday, so today is my early birthday.

Me: Wow! That's so cool.....cause Thanksgiving is my LATE birthday!!

Him: (just a very blank stare at me....with one eyebrow lifted)

I ended the day celebrating with some of my favorite people....5 of the kindergarten teachers at Lupe Tortillas. Sombrero on the head and all. If you're not from the south....and Texas in particular....let me explain that all Mexican restaurants celebrate patrons' birthdays by putting the huge sombrero on the patron's head and serenading them with a Spanish version of Happy Birthday. Never does this take place without the thought of lice...for me anyway.

It was a good day.

The last couple of weeks since I returned from London were not as busy as they were tiring. I definitely suffered from jet-lag. And now I know what that feels like. It feels like tired. So one night, while talking to Will on Skype....he asked if I was going to have the house decorated for Christmas by the time he got home for Thanksgiving. Ooooohhhhh. Just the two words....Christmas and Thanksgiving...spoken in the same sentence made me wince.

But then like Nike tells us....Just Do It... I just got up and did it. Will is my most sentimental kid. He loves the holiday traditions....which makes him a real Hackney. The Hackney men LOVE Christmas decorations. Not the doing and decorating part.....just the part where it's done and they are sitting back admiring it. So for Will, I did the doing part.

There was a slight glitch this year. We got out the white tree....that is only 2 Christmases old...and it was filthy. It had been in its box, taped up tight and stored in our garage....and yet dirt still got in.....and apparently moisture as the wires were starting to rust. I was so disappointed. Chuck and I headed out to get another tree....another white tree.

However, we ended up with a green one. A skinny green one. It was a compromise. I wanted white. Chuck wanted big, monster size green. So a skinny green one was the winner. I say "she who decorates should get to pick"......but Chuck's face was so pitiful looking when we stood near the white ones. Hackney men and their strong traditions. Trees are supposed to be green.....whatever. My white tree sparkled and twinkled and reminded me of Whoville and Cindy Lou. And how can one not be happy when thinking of Cindy Lou?

The Santas are out, the tree is up....the table is still decorated for Thanksgiving.

The holidays are merging and overlapping.

Take a look at that pumpkin. The most adorable pumpkin ever. My friend and London traveling companian, Karen, took an ordinary plastic pumpkin and did it up Mackenzie-Childs style. This might possibly be my favorite pumpkin ever. I'm not sure I can put this away after Thanksgiving. It may have to stay out.

I placed a couple of black and white ornaments in my iron basket.

The holidays are definitely overlapping here.



Santas.




The Nativity.




We believe.

Have you paper-mached your cheap wooden bowl yet? I threw a few ornaments in mine....

which is already filled with "finds."

Wherever you spend it, whatever you eat....I hope your Thanksgiving is full of blessings.