Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

Reach out and hug the ones

who are with you

And take a moment to remember

those who are not

Enjoy your holiday....

Sweet Bay Coffee

Sweet Bay Coffee ~ French Silk ~ Hot
Nothing compares ~ not even Starbucks ~ although I've been known to drink a grande white chocolate mocha from time to time. But, I digress. . . .
When we lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas ~ Sweet Bay Coffee was just down the street ~ easy access ~ always available ~ I took it for granted ~ I admit it!
Now that we live in Alabama, there is NO Sweet Bay Coffee just down the street. There isn't even a Starbucks just down the street. Shoot ~ the only thing just down the street are a few cows and some donkeys that bray at each other.
So, when the opportunity presents itself for me to drive to Jennifer's in Colorado ~ there is USUALLY a detour through Fort Smith, Arkansas for Sweet Bay Coffee ~ French Silk ~ Hot.

You are probably asking yourself

what could possibly be BETTER than

driving down the road with a Sweet Bay?

Well, driving down the road with

Sweet Bay for two.

If. . . .

If you planted hope today

in any hopeless heart.

If someone's burden was lighter

because you did your part.

If you caused a laugh

that chased a tear away.

If tonight your name is mentioned

when someone kneels to pray,

then your day was well spent.

Claire's Birthday

It was, as Claire said,

"a chocolate, chocolate, chocolate day"
Yum!

Buck has been telling Claire

it was HIS birthday not hers.

She was so sweet when it came time

for gifts ~ she let him open one.
Claire shows her "unwrapping" flair

From the look ~ I'd say she likes it.

(Dora the Explorer mermaid)

A new blanket made by Mom

(it is snuggly and soft)

How old?? Four!!!

Arie picked the candles

(the relighting kind)

Claire was not amused!

Two Weeks????

Two weeks?? Has it really been two weeks since we left Colorado and headed back to Alabama? Two weeks is such a short time but to a Magra's heart it is SO LONG! Two weeks can mean a lost tooth, a new skill learned, a distance covered by reaching across cyber space and into the lives of our grandchildren.

Sweet Sarah

How can that pretty little head hold all the information she is learning at Windsor Charter Academy? She can hold her own in conversations and will challenge your facts.

Cuddly Claire
A Magra's dream! She is a sponge that soaks up all that goes on around her but is much quieter than Sarah in her opinions. She is more cautious when it comes to strangers.
My girls
who didn't want us to leave and ran down the sidewalk waving as we drove away.

On the road trying to enjoy

the view without thinking of

those we left behind

A Magra's heart

beats for those she carries there

There's room for all

without question and without demands

A Magra's heart is open

but will close in a blink

if those she loves are threatened

Beware the Magra!

Trick or Treating

Kim dressed appropriately for

school on Halloween Friday.

We left Colorado on Sunday afternoon so we missed the official Trick or Treating but Windsor merchants opened their doors to the children on Saturday for some downtown trick or treating. WalGreen had a backdrop set up in their store and snapped photos of anyone who wanted to drop by. You could go back later to claim your free photo.

Jennifer and the girls made these

cool spiders that decorated their

front door.

(there were a few scattered inside as well)

Princess Claire
models her royal cape that
Jennifer madeThe crown and boa
were gifts from Sarah

"I do declare" is that
Miz Scarlett?
Sarah as a Southern Belle
(you KNOW I loved that) "Peace, baby"
Jennifer decided to dress up
this year.

The girls

We've gotta get Arie into the "dress up" mood next year, the girls shouldn't have all the fun. When he saw Jennifer his reaction was "you aren't going out in that are you?" She did and he went with us ~ and enjoyed the whole thing. We parked at one end of town ~ walked the length of Main Street then crossed over and walked back down the other side gathering candy all the way. There was a beauty shop that offered to "fix" Jennifer's hair. Which is funnier ~ Buck with hair

or Buck "getting down with his bad self"?

Jennifer liked her outfit so much
that she wore it the rest of the day
minus the hair.

Time to do some house work ~ Peace Out!

A pumpkin by any other name....

We went to a pumpkin patch and picked two orange and two white. Buck was gracious enough to help with the "gut" removal. One year, Jennifer toasted the seeds but this year ~ they got trashed. Nothing says Halloween like the smell of a freshly killed pumpkin. The girls got to help with the design options. Jennifer and I did the carving. Arie's job was to pick up some tea lights for illumination.

I did the ghost

Jennifer did Cinderella

and the spider

And I did Tinkerbell

Cinderella and Tinkerbell each have toothpicks holding those thin lines together ~ AND I only sliced one thumb!