Christmas Music at Thanksgiving

Craig and Joella's family practiced their Christmas bell songs for us while we were there.

 

They do string quartets.

The families listening...(including new friends we just met)

 

Carrie and Susanna holding the two babies there that night.

 

After the Thanksgiving Meal

What a blessing to have warm weather on Thanksgiving Day! The children played dodge ball and Mother-May-I. I just love pictures like this right in the middle of the action, like where Charity is practically in midair and Sammy is dodging that ball.

 

Crystal and all the girls loved holding baby Laura, two months old. 

Of course, Hannah had to have her turn holding the baby.

Carrie gave Joella a baby gift for Laura: tiny yellow and white hat, booties and mittens 

Trying those mittens on

"Now would you all PLEASE pick up the mess?"

Not really, Craig visits with Jonathan and Chris while the children play around on the floor.

Days After Thanksgiving

Two days after Thanksgiving, Joella's and our children got together for a wood-stacking at Grandma and pa's house. Hannah enjoys baby Laura indoors while the children and Jonathan work in the cold outdoors.

 

 

The first day Jonathan sawed a lot of kindling wood and the children stacked it in the shed. Then the second day, Jonathan finished the sawing, and the children started in on the two piles of split logs.

 

 

The boys and girls decided to race to see who could get their pile of wood brought in first.

 

 

Jonathan and Sam raced to keep up with stacking. Grandma and pa couldn't believe their eyes at how the entire two piles of wood got stacked that morning in the shed. Just love doing things like that for people who simply can't do it themselves anymore. 

 

My blogsite is telling me I don't have photo storage space left, so I am deleting a lot of old posts and photos to make room--not sure if I can keep posting without purchasing more storage room.

Thanksgiving in Illinois

The children at Craig and Joella's house saw us coming from Kezia's house, and quickly blockaded the drive!

 

Joella masterfully carves the turkey ahead of time. She had made homemade cornbread stuffing.

The girls set the tables with the pretty blue and white pewter or china plates. 

Craig and Jonathan work on a window.

The girls admire the lovely desserts: pecan pie, pumpkin cream pie, cranberry pie, and cookies.

Sammy enjoys the litter of goldendoodle puppies in the lawn.

Jonathan visits with Grandpa and Craig out by the antique staircase. I loved the old house! 

Craig and Joella are masters of having a clean, neat, uncluttered, simple home that has its own beauty.

I was so tickled to discover that the younger children had all worked together to draw a place card for each family member who would eat the Thanksgiving meal together. We admired all the creativity--each card unique.

Inside the cards was a different Bible verse about praise or thanksgiving. Before the meal we all took turns reading our verses and singing a couple thanksgiving choruses. This was very special to me. I think it is important to be on purpose about celebrating Thanksgiving.

Because Thanksgiving is not just about turkeys and feasting, and about Chris bringing the cookies and broccoli salad in for the great feast.



It's not just about seeing our relatives' houses and seeing our lovely sisters again--Kezia, at 8 months along, was not very excited about me snapping her photo that day!

It's not just about feeding your faces, like Chris is masterfully doing at the ridiculous moment Jonathan chose to snap the photo.

It's about truly giving thanks.

And that is what Craig and Joella purposed to make sure happened. After the dinner and cleanup, we all gathered to sing Thanksgiving songs, listen to a reading Joella shared about the Pilgrims and Chief Massasoit, and a heartfelt prayer by Craig.  I felt it was worth going all the way to Illinois to get to be part of a family gathering where God was purposefully honored; where time was spent thanking Him and honoring Him. 

"Let the LIttle Ones Come"

My sister Joella's children: Susanna, the oldest, then Charity, Ethan, Jonathan and baby Laura. It was a blessing to watch a family that is being raised in the fear of the Lord, with godly principles, lots of love, happiness, work and play, and--music!

 

Lucas and Bradford cousins

Craig and Joella played a fantastic Christmas duet, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." It was breathtaking.

Then little Jonathan wanted to play with his mommy! I was touched with how Joella encouraged him to sit up beside her and "play" while she played.

"Touch the keys softly!" she would say, "and not bang," when he got a little rough.

Little Jonathan was a sweet, obedient little boy. He played the keys softly and it was so sweet.

It is the way to train them in the way they should go.

You have to let them go; let them touch the keys.

Teach them to touch and not bang.



Sweet little Elisabeth gives her cousin a big hug!



Sunday evening Craig invited to their home another family of six young children who had been at church. The mom's name was Crystal Dawn, just like our Crystal Dawn. So I got a picture of them both.

 That evening there were 18 children (yes, you read that right) in Craig and Joella's house. They were very hospitable and kind to put up with all the noise!

Runaway steers

 

The boys and Rose coax the two runaway steers toward the trailer with old apples. The steers had finally come to a stop in a ranch a mile or two away as the crow flies--near a tall radio or cell phone tower.

Letting "patience have her perfect work."



Almost have them! If only they will go into the trailer where there is hay, feed, and more apples. One finally did go in, and Sammy quickly shut the gate. 

The kind farmer who was trying to help us hauled a couple heavy fence panels over to corral the second steer who refused to get into the trailer.  Maybe more photos later of bringing him home the next day.

Thanksgiving Geese

I know that title sounds a little off, but today was Thanksgiving Sunday, and it was warm enough that, with jackets on, we could eat a picnic on the way home at a park in town where there were hundreds of ducks and geese.

Jonathan carried down the crockpot (minus one handle--see story below!!) to the picnic table while the children check out all the geese all over the place. (Watch your step!)

 

Two trains go by across the road, and I enjoy the willow branches and the few leaves left on.

I miss trees so much, so what a blessing to go to this park and drink in the tall cottonwoods, and watch the ducks and geese in the water.

Peaceful and beautiful! All thanks to God our Creator!

The broken handle of the crockpot--the handle broke while Sammy was carrying it across the parking lot to plug it in the basement of the church to keep it hot for our lunch later. All the vegetables landed on the parking lot gravel! I wish I had a picture of it now, for it was very colorful, and you would never see a picture quite like it!! But you do not think of taking pictures when you are in the middle of such an ignominious situation--your food all over the parking lot while people dressed in Sunday best are pulling up to the church...

In the middle of the catastrophe, I am breathing thanks to God for helping me not go to pieces when our dinner went to pieces. All the potatoes and carrots were in big chunks, and the green beans were long, the way we like them, so they were easy to pick up. We decided we could rescue the food if we just carefully picked the pieces up from the gravel, washed them off in the sink down in the church basement, added more water to the pot, and turned it back on to heat to a germ-killing temperature! Sammy and Jonathan all help pick up pieces while Grandma Lucas arrives on the scene with all a Grandma's sympathy.

Thank you, God, for the way You can put pieces of our lives back together

when we don't have a handle on things,

when everything goes to pieces,

when we fall, and break, and create scenes,

when things are not as they should be.

You are a merciful God!

Is this the way David said, "Oh, if I had the wings of a duck---" or did he say "dove"?

Or is this just cheering with joy on Thanksgiving Sunday?

Giving thanks with ducks and geese for all God's goodness!