Snapshot Saturday - Next 2 photos!

It's time for two new photos!!

Susan from KardKornerKrib picked this combination: 7 - 9 - 19 and here's the photo ---

This photo was taken at one of our favorite beaches in Florida -- Santa Rosa Beach. It is on the panhandle, near Destin. We have a favorite campground that we go to there!

We had been there for several days and the weather was beautiful! Then... on the day that we had planned to leave, tropical storm Gustav began approaching and the weather turned "not-so-nice". We took a walk down to the beach to take a look at the storm before we headed home. We were extremely glad that Gustav waited and allowed us to have a beautiful vacation!

I took this photo in color, but was playing around with my photo editing software and that is why this one is black & white. It looks better in color!

The next "combination" was picked by Thisisme over at Southhamsdarling: 32 - 8 - 48.

This is a photo of the lake at the campground that is near our house. It is called Lake Deleanor and it is at F.D. Roosevelt State Park. We camp here as often as we can because it is so close to home!

This particular camping trip was on the Thanksgiving of 2006. For several years, we camped with friends, here. The weather could not have been more beautiful on this particular Thanksgiving weekend!! I have MANY beautiful photos that I took then!

The following two years, the weather was "not-so-nice". It rained a lot and it was cold!!! The girls and I were miserable!! I finally told David that I was DONE camping for Thanksgiving and that I wanted to be at HOME from now on.... or at least somewhere dry and WARM! **Smile**

Thanks for playing along, ladies!! Hope you are having a wonderful day!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness - Day 26 & 27

Please forgive me for being a day late on this post. Yesterday got away from me and didn't quite go as I had hoped it would. -- I'll explain later.

(You can read "Day 27" at the bottom of this post.)

Yesterday... Day 26, I was thankful for the wonderful Thanksgiving Day that we had at the home of our very good friends, Richard & Cindy.

Thanksgiving in our family usually consists of going camping with a few other families, or spending the day at home, just the four of us.

This year, since Miranda wasn't going to be with us for Thanksgiving, we weren't sure what we were going to do since it was just going to be the three of us. Do we do a big turkey dinner?? Do we go out to eat?? Do we invite other people over?? If so.... who??? These were questions that went thru our mind.

A couple of weeks ago, while we were camping, the subject of Thanksgiving came up in conversation between my friend Cindy and I. When she heard that we weren't sure what we were going to do, she so very graciously invited us to join them at their new home for Thanksgiving dinner. The more we talked, the more we got excited about it and accepted her invitation!  Wow! How fun this was going to be! I couldn't wait!

The day finally arrived. YAY!! At home, David worked in the kitchen making turkey and dressing, while Ashley and I worked on making the desserts to bring. I had seen an adorable way to make Pilgrim Hats out of Reese Cups and Keebler Fudge Striped cookies, so Ashley and I made some!

They are very easy to make. Just use icing to attach the "mini" Reese Cup to the cookie and then, make a buckle for it! Easy!

I thought they turned out rather cute!

While I was taking pictures of our creations, I couldn't help but take another picture of my Fall Tablescape. **Smile*

Okay.... here come the pictures of our day together with our friends. I just LOVED their new house!! My friend, Cindy, has become quite the decorator! I wish I had taken more photos to show off what she has done. Oh well!

Here's the yummy dessert table. You can see the Pilgrim hats that Ashley & I made. To the left is our Apple Surprise dessert, too. Cindy made the chocolate cake & a pecan pie. YUM!!

I loved this centerpiece that she had.

This was the centerpiece on her kitchen island, until it got moved to make room for the turkey carving.

Of course, I don't think the cell phone

is supposed to be part of it! Haahaa

I love the color combination in the napkin!

David & Ashley (right) sample the turkey, while Ryan

(Cindy's oldest son) carves one of them.

Yes. We had TWO turkey's!

David & Ashley.

Father/Daughter photo

David & I

Anniversary photo

(We met on Thanksgiving Day - 1981)

Ashley & I

Mother/Daughter Photo

This is Chris & his new (BRAND new!) fiance', Norma.

Chris is leaving for Afganistan soon.

He is my young friend that I asked my readers to please pray for.

I just had to take a picture of the "Chia Pet Cheeseball"

(as we called it!).

It was a lot more "yummier" than it looked!

I didn't get a picture of our turkey BEFORE it was carved, but

here it is, AFTER. It was yummy, too!!

My friend Cindy (The "Hostest with the Mostest) & I.

Her friendship is one that I treasure!

Ashley and her "big brother", Ryan.

After a beautiful prayer that Richard said, it was time to EAT!

Ryan and his girlfriend, Stephanie.

Look at all that yummy food!!

I loved, loved, loved this table that Cindy got at

 from an antique dealer!

It is handmade. I wish I had gotten a better picture of it.

It is beautiful!!

Our hosts, and great friends.... Cindy & Richard.

David & Ashley callapse on the couch after our delicious meal.

After everyone had let their food digest a bit, we played a few rounds of the card game,

"Apples to Apples". Great fun and a lot of laughs!

Of course, I'm caught with my big mouth open!! (on the left!)

What a wonderful Thanksgiving that we had.

The only thing missing was...

my Miranda, for which....

on this day.... Day 27.... I am extremely thankful

that Miranda is home from Arizona

and is now napping in her own bed!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness - Days 20 & 21

I apologize for missing a day. Yesterday got away from me before I had the chance to sit down and write!

Yesterday, I was thankful that I have a warm bed to crawl into at night. There are so many people all over this world that do not have this luxury that so many of us take for granted.

Night before last, I awoke during the night with a terrible migraine of a headache! I am quite sure that it was the temperature change outside (the drop in barometric pressure, to be exact!). I tend to only get these kinds of headaches when this happens.

When I get these headaches in the night, my bed feels like it's made of stone and my pillow feels like a rock! -- I picture it something like this....

Photo found HERE.

I woke up and was cursing the fact that I couldn't sleep and had this horrible headache!!

Then.... after taking some meds, getting a cold compress for my head and laying back down.... I realized how blessed I am to even HAVE a bed!! Much less one that is soft and warm.

This is not my bed, but one that David and I were blessed to sleep in when we visited New Orleans last year. This bed was SOOOOOOOO comfortable!!! Even tho mine is not this luxurious, I am thankful for it, just the same.

Today, I am thankful that Miranda (dtr. #2) and her boyfriend made it safely to Arizona on their flight last night. They are spending the Thanksgiving holiday week with his mother and her family. I am excited for her to be able to go out there again, (she went after Christmas, last year, for a week!) but at the same time... I will miss her very much!! This will be the first time our little family of four will be separated for a family holiday.

When she first mentioned to me that this what they wanted to do, I was a little bit upset. But, I also knew that, as they got older, the day would come that we would not all be together for a holiday. I am okay with it now. Not as sad. I will still miss her (I already do!), but I am okay. I can't say that I won't let a few tears loose on Thanksgiving Day, tho!!

This photo was taken by them when they wre at the airport last year, waiting on their flight to Arizona.

Here they are at the Grand Canyon!! I was so glad that she got to see it.

These photos were taken on Thanksgiving Day, 2008. We were camping with friends, which was something that we did for three years! It was fun, but we tired of it and missed being at home for the holiday.

David, Ashley and I are excited to be doing something different this Thanksgiving, though! We have been invited by some close friends to have Thanksgiving with them and their family!! It should be a lot of fun! I will be sure to take pictures and blog about the day. So be on the lookout for that post!