L-R: My daughter Dawn, brother-in-law Larry,
my daughter Valerie, my sister Martha and husband Dennis

A smaller feast than usual, but at least we had one! On the menu: 24-pound turkey, 10-pound spiral-cut ham, candied yams, green bean casserole, and mashed ‘taters with turkey gravy. (Ignore inappropriate place setting, and yes, those are kitchen tongs you see for the meat; practical and unrefined, but the real cloth napkins make up for that, right?)

Dessert was store-bought red velvet cake and a tiny lemon pastry, homemade fruitcake given by a friend, and orange jello made by my sister Martha! (She has come a long way, yay!)

Missing was my fried corn, clover leaf rolls and banana pudding, just didn’t have it in me.

Yes, I’ve already had one turkey sandwich today and might have another for dinner. Best part of the dinner is leftovers! And, oh, yeah, the vintage Chistmassy tablecloth was this season’s Goodwill find. I have several, but I can’t resist picking them up when I see them.

And then there were five...

My second to the oldest brother, George, passed away today (on my husband's birthday). He was 63. Two siblings in one year *sigh*

Quilt made from my mother's clothes; scrap afghan I crocheted many years ago

 

My daughter made my sister and me lap quilts from several pieces of my mother’s clothing, and I absolutely cherish mine. When she gave it to me, I rubbed my hand along each square, remembering how she looked when she wore that particular outfit and it made me feel close to her again. But when it came to the squares made from one of the last hospital gowns she wore I wasn’t sure how I felt. The hospital stay was a 24-7 vigil for us for a solid month. It was tough and it was exhausting.

Then I started thinking about all of the conversations we were able to have before the cancer (and fentanyl) took its toll. I cannot count the number of times we said “I love you.” It was the last lucid thing she ever said to me.

Yep, I like those squares after all.

So I'm doing this every day until Christmas!

One of my daughters bought this advent calendar cabinet a few years ago (she loves, loves, loves Christmas). She and her sister have taken turns filling it up for one another, and this year they told me it’s my turn to be surprised!

We’re all crafters, so I was tickled to discover the first three days were filled with velvet trimmings and a spool of twine. I don’t mind admitting that I’m very excited about opening the rest of those tiny doors. See my Flickr for images of what's behind the little doors.

Married 33 years and I didn't even know the man could bake!