Our Thanksgiving 2010

My sister and her children flew in from the UK on Thanksgiving day.  So this year we postponed our celebration until a couple of days later.  Saturday then, was our big day.  For the first time, I hosted Thanksgiving and started a new tradition of blending the two families traditions into our own.  The first mistake I made was buying a frozen turkey the night before.  My dad saved the day though, and ran out and got a fresh one for me.  There was also a little discrepancy as to *who* would do the turkey.  You see, growing up, my Dad always cooked the turkey.  In S's family, his mom always did and his dad did the carving.  So S quickly informed me that I was the turkey baker this year.  Gulp.  Ok.  My dad had sent me a tip from an email he had gotten on cooking a turkey with laying bacon on it while it cooks.  Long story short...S pronounced it the best turkey he had ever had!  There were 16 of us.  We all went around the table and shared something we were thankful for...for, indeed, the Lord has truly blessed us!  We then held hands and sang part of Psalm 145 before we ate.  It was so nice to be together around one table!

Hostessing my first Thanksgiving at FairOaks

This is for those that would like to see me preggo at 20 weeks!

The Table

Yum!

I love to decorate for fall!

All around the table!

So happy to have my sister and children here. Katie will be one this weekend!

"The eyes of all, upon Thee wait.  Their food in season, Thou dost give."

It's a.........!

I had an ultrasound last Monday and it has been such a hectic week, this is the first I am able to post.  My dear husband has been able to accurately predict with all other six children, what is their gender...and in this case...he was right again.  We are having another....

BOY!  For the sake of the little man, we are not publicly showing the pictures that reveal that very clearly. 

Can you see his little arm and hand there?

         

A front view: Dark eyes on the right side.  You can see his umbilical cord that is white on the left.

This little guy was so active moving around!  He was playing with his little umbilical cord and wiggling away.  :)  My due date is April 12th and all seems well.  We are thanking the Lord! 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

A happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends!  We miss and love each and every one of you!  Don't we have so much to be thankful for?  The Lord has truly blessed us.

We are celebrating our Thanksgiving a couple of days from now, because this afternoon my sister and children are flying in from the UK.  So our family gathering will be either tomorrow night or Saturday.  As I type this, I am enjoying a few minutes of relaxation.  A few moments of snuggling with my husband under the warm quilts this morning.  Now, I have my laptop with me in bed, Pandora radio soft music playing, and my husband just brought me sweet, creamy coffee.  I have felt my little one inside already today, reminding me of his presence nestled inside me.  Yes, much to be thankful for.  But, what would all this be without my Savior?  He is my portion and my all.  This is my Beloved and my Friend!

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. Psalms 68:19

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my dear father-in-law!  We love you so very, very much!

This is also the day, 16 years ago, that I first met S's parents.  It was so exciting for us!  They did not know it yet, but S had proposed to me the day before.  I love S's family so much!

Happy, Happy Birthday Papa!

Moved in!

Well, here I am in our new house, finally ready to post an update!  It is one week ago today that was our official moving day, and I am happy to say, we are feeling pretty settled in, here at FairOaks.  Pretty much all the boxes are unpacked, the pictures hung, and now just the little touches that slowly will occur as I get window treatments, etc.  We still have to go back to our old place and get our attic and basement stuff, our chickens, trampoline, etc.  We still have to clean and do some repairs.  So we will spend all day there tomorrow working towards that end.  We have till Dec 1st to be completely finished.

It has been a delight to unpack and furnish this place..I have never had this much space before!  It also is amazing how the furniture we already had, fits so well into FairOaks.  We have also been so thrilled to see such a wonderful community here of friends.  Already I have had two neighbors stop by and had a friendly chat with the mail lady.  One of the neighbors that came by is a sweet older woman whose family has been around here for a loooonnnng time!  S has been doing some research and is cracking the nut to find the rich history of this house.  FairOaks was once a prominant plantation it seems.  It is fun to live somewhere that has so much history attached to it.

Today then, was our big restocking day.  I had not been to the store for regular groceries since the move and we were scraping the bottom of the barrel.  We went to Goodwill, Deal Mart, TJ Max and Walmart.  I had never been into the Deal Mart and was very pleasantly surprised!  I had all kinds of damaged food that had nothing wrong with it, but maybe a dent in the packaging.  I stocked up!  It was so much fun!  Here is a picture of my pantry...

I also found a duvet cover for S and my bedroom at TJ Max...it is just feminine enough, but not too fru-fru for my husband.  :)  Like I said, I am having fun decorating!  :)

I hope to take lots of pictures of the house very soon.

Stefanie is going on vacation for two weeks..I threatened to sent our dirty laundry to her through UPS, but she sent me the Elvis song..."Return to Sender" :)

And...Monday we get to have an ultasound of the baby..boy or girl?  S says boy.  We shall see, he has always been right!

Till next time!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to our dear "Miss Stefanie!"  We love you and pray God's blessings on you today!

Please help if you can...

 I do not do this very often but this is my midwife's sister in law and I feel a burden for her and their family.  If the Lord enables you, please consider helping this dear family.

 

FUNDRAISER

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Amy Bixby (sister in law)

Amy Caldwell Bixby:
To many people, it’s just another name, but to Jonathan, her husband of 15 years, and children; Cara, John, Nathan, Arielle, Eliana, Jeremiah and Gilead the name is much more.  Amy is a loving wife, mother, housekeeper, teacher, confidante, counselor, nurse, cook, taxi driver, accountant, and the list goes on!  In other words, Amy is a beloved wife and mother
In October 2008, Amy was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer.  At the same time she received that news, Amy and Jon were also told that they were expecting their 7th child!  The days following were dark, but through surgery, chemotherapy, the birth of a very healthy baby boy, radiation, and the aid of the Susan B. Komen foundation things began to brighten.  Within a year the cancer was gone.  Hopes were high for the reoccurrence to be many years down the road.
In October 2010, at her regular check up, the scene changed dramatically and abruptly.  The doctor had bad news following some blood work and a follow up body PET scan.  Cancer was found in Amy’s liver, spine, and hips.  The outlook is not very bright.  Amy’s oncologist has supported her desire to seek alternative treatment, however the cost is exorbitant.
Jon and Amy cannot afford this option which will increase the quality of Amy’s life, and perhaps extend the quantity of her days.  In order for Amy to get the most out of her numbered and cherished days with her children and husband, they need our help.

FUNDRAISER AT CAROLINA FIRST BANK

Checks can be taken or mailed to the Wade Hampton Branch.  Please make checks payable to- The Amy Bixby Fund

Mail in c/o Ruth Marshall

1450 Wade Hampton Blvd, Greenville, SC 29609

Closing Tomorrow, Lord willing!

I love this song from Annie, don't you?  I especially like it today!  For you see...Tomorrow is our closing day for FairOaks.  We are so excited!  After a delay from last weeks date, we are looking very promising for all being a go-ahead for closing tomorrow afternoon!  My boxes are just about moving themselves they are so anxious to be unpacked.  We will bring a load over right away and work Wed. evening and Thurs. on my kitchen and some of the interior unpacking.  Then Friday is the big move with all the furniture.

Today is a quiet day, with chores/school/play, etc.  It is one of those perfect southern fall days, where it is spectacularly clear and pretty, warm days...cool nights!  I am going to take the children to the park in a little bit (after H wakes up) to let them enjoy it.  Seems so odd for things to be so still and quiet, before such big happenings in the next few days.

We would appreciate your prayers over the next little while as we undergo this big transition.  If you are in the area...come on over!

Cookbook sale!

Wendy is the mother of a very large family and some of you may have seen her on TLC.  I wanted to let you know today of a special offer they are giving on their cookbooks...

 

Cookbooks on Sale: 2 for 1

For a limited time only: Get both cookbooks for the price of 1

Wendy’s cookbooks are awesome. There are several unique characteristics that make these cookbooks stand out.

• Additional chapters on how to shop frugally, but not feel its impact.
• The “spice-that-no-one-ever-heard-of” problem: most ingredients are bound to be in your home.
• Index of key ingredients allow family cooks to find recipes to fit their needs.
• Coil binding with durable front and back cover, ready for plenty of food stains.
• Most portions cut to starndard-family sizes of 4-6. (There are a few “feeds 20″ favorites, though.)
• Real recipes that the authors have actually been eating over the years. (We wonder about some cookbooks out there.)

Most importantly, Wendy’s cookbooks get used. We have heard time and time again from people who rant and rave about how much they love these cookbooks. Here’s one that came just a couple days ago:

I just want to let you know that I purchased your cookbook when it first came out and I use it to this day. My husband just loves the food and in the summer there are always refrigerator pickles to snack on! I only cook for two so sometimes there are plenty of leftovers and other times I just reduce the recipe but I just want you to know that we love it!!!

Thank you for your ongoing inspiration,
Linda Ames

Sold? I hope so. You won’t regret taking advantage of this incredible offer now through Thanksgiving: BOTH COOKBOOKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!
We’ve never sold these books for so low a price, but we suspect they’ll go flying off the shelf. Click here for details on this awesome bundle.

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Home

Photo taken from Here.

I love this picture.  Such a depiction of the busy, yet cozy life of "Home".  I am reminded again that home is not a perfect magazine look, but the life and love that resides in the hearts of those that live there.   Here are some of the sounds of home to me: the giggling and bantering back and forth as there is a game of "Wii" being played. The laughter and maybe a few tears as we watch a family movie together.  The conversation that ensues afterward during family worship of how we can apply what we have just watched.  The screams of delight as my children are flying through the air on the trampooline.  The crys of "Look Mom!" as they want to show me how long they can walk on their hands.  The chant in unison of our history timeline...I love it when even the 4yo can say "King Tut! 1333 BC!"  The giggles as they play hand soccer on the floor and try to get the ball past each other.  The fact that they still argue over who gets to hold my hand on a walk.  Watching my every growing 11yo son still melt under his momma's caresses.  The little voice that whispers in my ear "Mommy, you are beautiful".  The excited look in their eye when they spot the connection between an English word and the Latin word that they have learned.  The expectant look in everyone's eyes when they have a surprise for us (like when they helped my parents pack our whole house up!  What a blessing!), D's big eyes as he has his 4th helping of spaghetti, and the smell of Stef's warm bread.

.....And for now, home means lots and lots of boxes!  Yup, we are camping out, so to speak, amidst mountains of boxes.  Our closing date was delayed so we are hoping now to close mid next week.  The Lord is teaching us patience!  :)  In the meantime we are looking forward to a weekend with S's aunt and parents.  I am reminded though, that "home" is not a building...but our family.  Wherever they are...is home.

Monday Musings

 

Isn't this a beautiful picture?  I enjoyed it from another of the blogs I follow.  I am reminded today of what is precious and that I must treasure every day with my family.  My midwife's sister-in-law and their family really need your prayers right now.  She may have only 6 months to live, and is the mother of 7 young children.  Please pray for this family!  This hits home to me, as I am due for my own 7th little one.  May I treasure every moment with these young ones.  In the midst of the busyness and fatigue I need to prize each little cuddle, smile and kiss. 

I went to the midwife today and heard my precious little one's heartbeat again!  It is always so special to hear that little life inside.  I have been feeling him for quite awhile now, but just a few minutes ago, felt a nice healthy "kick" that makes me say "Hi baby!"  Smile.

We enjoyed a nice getaway overnight at our friends the Broyles' house this past weekend.  We had such a great time of relaxing fellowship! When we came home my parents had surprised me and packed up my whole house!  I am ready to move!  :)  This is such a blessing to us!  Thursday is our closing and we are excited!  Next week we plan on moving small items and trying to unpack the kitchen/baths/closets etc at the new house and then all the furniture on Friday.  We can hardly wait!

In between the closing and move, we are heading to see S's aunt and it will be so good to see her!  So it's really a busy, but exciting time for us.

And I also want to wish a big happy birthday to my dear nephew...Timmy! I tried to post a picture of him, but my internet is not cooperating.  Let's just say he is the cutest 4 year old nephew!  I love and miss you all!

Signing off now...sitting here typing away while my guys are watching the world series.  Let's go Rangers!