Let's eat!!!

Family and friends around the table.

Thanksgiving in Arizona and the plants on the patio are looking great.

Blooming Geraniums Thanksgiving Day

Rain on the horizon and a rainbow in the sky in Tucson, Arizona.

All the time it takes to prepare for the Thanksgiving Feast and too soon it's over for another year.   Our group was small this year, only 16 at the table.  There was enough food to feed at least 40.  Lots of good leftovers for everyone to take home.   Tonight we had turkey and vegetable soup.  So nice to have during the cooler weather months.  Can't really say cold, it is Arizona after all, but we did have rain and the temperature had dropped at least 20 degrees from a week ago.  Here's a few photos of the festivities...

I'm thankful for...

Here are just 5 reasons I thank God for on this beautiful Thanksgiving Day!

Not to forget, I have 2 other wonderful grandchildren that I need to get photos to add to this group!  I love you all!

Bake Day

It's the day before Thanksgiving and time to bake pies!

On the list is:

2 pumpkin pies

1 granny smith apple pie

1 mince meat pie (for Ken since I forgot it last year!)

1 coconut cream pie (maybe,    it may end up as lemon meringue pie)

Taking all the STUFF to Dad's house and work there.  Why?  Because his fridge has more room than mine, he lives behind my sister's house (where we will have dinner) and because he wants to learn how to make the crust.  He's been using store bought crust (oh nooo!) and it's just not as good as homemade (duh...).

ASPIRE: kids, homework, tutoring, fun

Our church, Abounding Grace elca, hosts an after school program for elementary kids (average age is 12) called ASPIRE.  Lutheran Social Services provide the teacher, one assistant and all the supplies.  Thursdays and Fridays are the days I volunteer to help.  It's only for 2-4 hours.  And that's long enough for me.  

Yesterday Jim, another volunteer, and I were whistling a song together.  I don't remember the tune now, but it had something to do with our mental state at the time.  

The average number of kids are 30 and really quite an ethnic soup.  One would think that here in southern Arizona we would have mostly Hispanic, Native American & Caucasian.  But most of our kids are from Africa and the rest are from Iran, Iraq, China and Caucasian.   Religious backgrounds are also varied so snack time has to have a substitute for any pork items on the menu.  

During last month's holiday, halloween, it was realized that some of these kids didn't have a clue about American  celebrations.  They couldn't believe that kids actually got dressed up in costume, went around the neighborhood ringing doorbells and would be given candy.  Just what kind of holiday is that?

Well, they caught on fast and had a great time.  We also realized that another holiday was just around the corner.   What would they know about Thanksgiving?

I'll continue tomorrow...

One step at a Time...

This is the beginning, the first, numero uno, my starting place and just where do I begin? 

If it wasn't for my very good friend, Julie, I wouldn't be creating this blog.  It's all her fault!  If that wasn't enough, she left the warmth and sunshine of Southern Arizona and packed up all her quilting fabric, her tie dye totes, her crates of crafting, her crazy canines, her huggable husband and two out of three cuddly children (she left one here, thank goodness) to move to a frozen, mostly gray skied, skimpy on the daylight hours new home in Alaska of all places!   I just hate her!  I just envy her!  I just really, really miss her!  And I hope to visit her in Alaska before she decides to move somewhere else. I've heard a lot about Alaska.  My husband spent several years there when just a boy.  I love anyplace that has big pine trees and mountains.  Also gurgling streams, ice blue lakes, tall willowy aspens, gigantic red maples, you get the picture.  So, why am I living in Arizona?   After living most of my life in the Chicago burbs and Northern Utah, the novelty of snow, lots of snow and cold and ice and scraping windshields and shoveling walks only to have the city snow plow push it back with interest, finally wore thin.  It was time for Ken, my husband, and I to head for the sunshine and warmth (okay, hot, very hot, over 110 degree HOT, but it's a DRY heat) of Tucson.  It's been three years and we're loving it!  Of course we also have air conditioning for the summer when it gets really really HOT.   But sometimes I think about it and I wouldn't mind visiting the snow and ice for a little while...