Autumn in Our Woods

"Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;

Lengthen night and shorten day;

Every leaf speaks bliss to me

Fluttering from the autumn tree."

~Emily Bronte


I am so happy that fall is here. It is my favorite time of year. We've been busy at our little Missouri cottage. The walnuts are starting to fall from the trees along with the leaves. We’ve been out to the orchard, and picked up some apples. I swear this year’s apples are some of the best apples I have EVER had. They are so sweet, so juicy, and just plain delicious. We have devoured a whole 10 lbs bag of them in a week. lol I had to pick up some more apples so we can make some caramel ones. Yum!

The woods are especially beautiful this fall. They not only are filled with the various colors of the leaves, but a multitude of purple, white, and yellow wildflowers still remain. (Although after this weekend’s freezing temps, I don’t think they will be around much longer.)

I have also managed to get the kids their costumes for Halloween already. McKenna is going as a 50’s girl, and Brendan as Mario from Super Mario Brothers. He is obsessed with Nintendo. Not quite as bad as his obsession with LEGOS, but still pretty bad. I feel way ahead of the game.

To The Garden

"If I had a single flower for every time I think of you,

I could walk forever in my garden."

~Claudia A. Grandi

A Reservation Thanksgiving

We loaded everyone up, and headed back home to Cheyenne River for Thanksgiving weekend. My mom was originally coming to Missouri, but we decided at the last minute to go up to South Dakota. At first the kids were disappointed that their Grandma was not coming, but soon perked up at the prospect of seeing all of their cousins. They also were jazzed up about getting to see some snow, since they just had a huge snow storm up that way. As we got closer they got more excited for the snow. Brendan had to stand on a lone snow patch he found in Iowa. What a disappointment when we arrived at Mom's, and the ground was just brown! It had warmed, and the snow they got melted. The trip up to SD is usually takes us about 12 hours, we did it in 10 1/2 hours. Burt is kind of the trip Nazi. lol He won't let us stop for anything, and this time he meant it. lol Actually, I was on board with him this time, because I just wanted the trip to be over. The kids were really good. Andrew was amazing~ sleeping a great deal, and rarely fussing. They are getting to be seasoned travelers.

My View for 10 1/2 Hours~

They Finally Found Some Snow in Iowa~

But It Was Just Brown at Grandma's~

We had a real good time seeing everyone. There were 25 of us at Thanksgiving dinner. My Mom had all of her kids there, along with all but one of her grandkids. My Aunt Karen and Uncle Elmer joined us for dinner. We had the dinner at my family's chapel. It has room for more people, and we could set up more tables. We cooked 4 turkeys. 2 were cooked traditionally, one upside down on a rack, and one was fried. It was my first time having a fried turkey, and it was really delicious. Kudos to DeLaine for a great fried turkey.

One Beautiful Lakota Girl Miss TC~

Two Beautiful Lakota Girls Miss TC and Ashton Christine~

Three Beautiful Lakota Girls~ McKenna, Sage, Keela

Fist Bump For Turkey~

My Beautiful Niece TC Entertaining Herself While Waiting~

Our Miracle David Paul, Such a Cutie~

Will 4 Turkeys Be Enough?~

Couldn't Wait For The Pumpkin Pie~

After we stuffed ourselves full of turkey, we retired back to Mom's house. We took family photos, played cards, and just hung out together. I think everyone had a great time. Especially the kids.

All of My Nieces and Nephews, Except One, With My Kids~

Playing Cards With Grandpa~

This Kid Is Too Cute~

Shia and Andrew Planning Their Escape~

Caught~

Mac and Mc~

My Mom's Dog Honey~

We stayed for three days leaving on Sunday. We got to visit Burt's family, and get into an amazing sweat. Brendan, Burt, and I went down below the bridge to find rocks for the sweat. It was really chilly, but worth it for the beautiful ceremony we had.

The Bridge~

Collecting River Rocks~

Stealing The Van~

We had such a blessed Thanksgiving, and were happy we made the trek. Seeing our family, and getting to sweat made the journey worthwhile. AND the kids finally got snow, on the morning we left. lol Hope you all had a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

It Snowed So Much When We Left The Road Whited Out~

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am sitting here waiting for Burt to get off work so we can head home to South Dakota to spend Thanksgiving with my Mom. I am not looking foward to the 12 hour trip, but I am looking foward to the turkey:)

As I sit here I am thinking of what the day has meant to me throughout my life. There are many memories of Thanksgivings spent at my Aunt Terri's house in New Jersey. We would drive from NYC almost every Thanksgiving. She would cook a huge spread every year. It was the second time of the year when we saw her family, the other time being Christmas when they would come to the city. Thanksgiving always meant watching the Macy's parade, turkey, my Grandmother's green bean casserole, apple cider, and pie! It was always the same every year. One year was different, and it was probably my favorite. One year we didn't have a vehicle, so we were going to spend the day in NYC. My Dad was feeling really guilty. He knew he couldn't put on an elaborate spread, that was definately out of the realm of possibilities. So, he took us to The Old Forge restaurant. The food was soooo good, and I remember our server was super nice. After eating our turkey, we went to the matinee performance of Fiddler on the Roof, one of my all time favorite musicals. I remember the day being so calm and peaceful. It was funny that my father felt so guilty, when he was building one of my best memories. I tried to keep that in mind the year that I was so broke, when Ashton was about 4. I only had a little tiny table, no room to put a huge meal on it. Ashton, Burt, and I decided to have a Thanksgiving picnic. We laid a blanket on the floor and laid the spread out on it! It is one of Ashton's best Turkey Day memories, and mine. So, I guess even if you don't spend the day at a huge family affair, it still can be a day of celebration.

Warm wishes to all of you. I hope everyone gets their fill. Here is another T~day tradition: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Remember how disappointed you would be when you realized you missed a holiday special on TV? In this day of youtube, DVRs, and DVDs my kids just don't get that! lol

Happy Thanksgiving! Especially you, Daddy!


A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

School Skate Party Nov. 08

We went to McKenna's school skate party. The kids really enjoy the skating rink. The disco lights, music, and old fashioned skates always brings back a flood of childhood memories for me. I used to love to go to the skating rink when I was a kid. I could skate forever. lol I used to roller skate all around NYC with my sneaker skates and rainbow suspenders.lol Rainbow suspenders ah~la Mork from Ork. Nanu nanu. lol McKenna loves to skate too, and they made the night more fun with the Wackiest Hairdo Contest. We had fun fixing her hair up, but she didn't win. There were some pretty wild do's there, or should we say don't's. lol

We will be heading back to the Rez for Thanksgiving. I can't believe it is here already. Preety soon my gandson will be having his 1st birthday. Man where does the time go? Seems like yesterday I was the roller girl of the mean streets of New York. lol