Thanksgiving week

Birthday flowers given to me from Melanie.  They have stayed lovely for two weeks!

Although the week started happy with my birthday, it took a sad turn on Tuesday when my friend, Elizabeth, asked me to help take Dakota, her sixteen-year-old kitty, to the vet.  She was afraid it was "that time" but, after some blood work, the vet believed she would rally and get better.  As I write this, Dakota has had a few good days in between then and now but more bad days and now she has deteriorated to the point that we are going back to the vet tomorrow for the final goodbye.  So sad.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Kirsti, Ryan and Alice arrived for their Thanksgiving visit!  

It was so great to have them here.  They slept at Steven and Tamara's home who have MUCH better accommodations these days but spent most of their time here at home.  I love this photo that Kirsti took of Alice and Bacon, Steven and Tamara's dog.  He is such a gentle, sweet dog.

On Wednesday, Kirsti and Ryan went out for lunch and a movie and Steve and I got to watch Alice who was SO GOOD!  Happily, she had none of the usual bashfulness that grandchildren who live far away from grandparents exhibit.   Here is another photo that Kirsti took of me and Alice.  She loves Charlie Brown and I played the Linus and Lucy song for her.

Kirsti made matching hats for her and Alice. You can just see the furry ball on the top of Kirsti's hat.  Alice had one, too.

My project while they were here was to finish a dress for Alice before they went back home.  Kirsti mailed me the fabric the previous week and I had it about half-way completed before they arrived.  It turned out really cute, I think.  Here is a photo of front and back (buttons are in the back)

Emily, Joe, and kids arrived Wednesday evening and they stayed through Friday early afternoon.

We put the kids on the floor of one of the empty downstairs rooms and Emily and Joe slept on air mattresses in the room next door.  Below is Larkin helping me with my sewing....

It was SO wonderful to spend Thanksgiving with our children again after a two-year absence.  Five of our seven were with us  - and we were able to Face-Time with the other two (Julina and Sarah).  It was a delicious feast and a perfect day.

On Friday, we drove to Boonville to check out Starr Pines.  I was not really in the market to cut down a tree but we had hoped to have a hay-ride, let the grandkids run around the trees, and drink some cider by a warm wood burning stove.  We got to do all but the first activity as the wagons were not running for some reason.  It was a chilly and damp day so we didn't stay long but DID have time for a photo with all the grandkids!

After lunch, the Southerlands headed back to St. Louis but the Merrills joined us as we drove to Menards to pick out a Christmas tree from their selection of Fraser furs (my favorite kind).  They left soon after Alice's nap for Kansas City.  Their flight was very early Saturday morning so they booked a hotel near the airport to save getting up at the crack of dawn to make that long drive.  Only, their flight was postponed numerous times and the 7:30 departure eventually became a 12:30 departure!  Happily, Delta provided lots of free snacks and even McDonalds.  And, Alice met a friend while she waited...

Elise came over Friday night to help us decorate our Fraser fur

 

and we decorated the rest of the house on Saturday.  I close with a shot of a few of the dozens of beanie babies we keep for the grandkids to play with.  Between the bucket of Legos and the tub of little horses and these beanies, they were pretty content.