![Hold Back the Dawn [DVD] Charles Boyer; Olivia de Havilland; Paulette Goddard](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AkExBJQsL._SL75_.jpg)
The long and short and good and bad and happy and sad of it
Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 02:44PM 
Our girls on the day after Thanksgiving. L to R Audrey, Stephanie, Erica.
OK here's what happened to the pirate at the end of November.
First -- basically throughout October -- I was overtaken by our decision to remodel our upstairs (guest) bath.
It has needed it for at least fifteen years. And I am being generous.
You know how it is.
The money! The dust! The inconvenience! The money!
But TG has a great friend who is a contractor and they bartered for the labor and that's something -- it's a lot, actually. For my part, I was tasked with choosing and ordering all of the things.
To include flooring, vanity, mirror, lighting, commode ... and then the various decorator touches such as paint color and accessories.
Dagny chose the little fox for our fall table
And when I say accessories, I mean shower curtain, tension rod and new rings for said curtain, rugs, switchplate covers, trash can, tissue box cover, towel ring, TP storage, wall art, et cetera. It's a lot to take in.
I was consumed. I believe I have thought of everything. It is all here, ready to be installed. I can't wait for you to see my little chandeliers. I hope they don't look stupid. Please join me in praying that they look like a genius who reads Architectural Digest for fun, thought to hang them there.
Then this morning, our contractor friend actually commenced the work, which must be done by Christmas week, when company begins to arrive.
As I told the girls via text a few hours ago, the thunderous sounds of demolition have rung throughout the house all day, and I am overjoyed. I'll show everything to you when the work is complete.
Then it was Thanksgiving. After all of the planning and shopping, we did gather and we did enjoy a pretty delicious meal prepared by the pirate, if even the pirate says so.
We had a 20-pound turkey roasted and crisped and browned to juicy perfection. Chad arrived just in time to carve said bird, which is his specialty. At least as far as I'm concerned it is, because it means I don't have to do it.
Stephanie and Joel with L to R Andrew (9), Allissa (13), and Melanie (almost 17)
Alongside the turkey we had sweet potato casserole (Ruth's Chris recipe modified just a tad to short the sugar and butter and add a few marshmallows), Mom's broccoli casserole, crock pot creamed corn, mashed potatoes, my homemade cranberry sauce, Erica's tangy carrot-apple slaw, Sister Schubert's rolls, sparkling waters, coffee, and an assortment of pies and other sweets, including an apple cobbler that Audrey made from scratch.
We decided to eat at five since Cherica and baby Rhett were at Chad's parents' feast in the morning and so had a big lunch.
Even so, they could barely eat more than a few bites of everything. But it was good to have everyone at the table. Next year though, if I'm still on the green side of grass, we will eat earlier and let the stragglers have leftovers when they're good and ready.
It just seemed like a long day, standing around waiting for five o'clock.
Stephanie and Joel and the kids had arrived on Wednesday late afternoon, and we had made plans to all go out for Mexican food at Monterrey.
But our Joel was sick, had not even driven the miles from North Carolina but instead rested in the passenger seat while Stephanie drove, and yes there was awful traffic.
The kids' table overlooked the pool
No he did not have COVID; it was a simple case of the flu.
Flu still exists, you know! It's like a long-lost friend who calls you out of the blue to let you know he's still alive and kicking!
At any rate, Joel went straight to bed upon arrival while the rest of us went out for dinner, and the next day he felt much better. Not all well but no longer all sick either.
Meanwhile TG had already been suffering for about a week with a cold and cough -- the same one he gets every year at this time -- which as usual he just worked right through.
However, he was kind enough to give it to me because on Friday night, after we'd taken the family Christmas card pictures as is our day-after-Thanksgiving tradition, I developed a scratchy throat.
I'll spare you the details except to say, it morphed into bronchitis and I was out of commission from late Saturday through yesterday.
I cannot blog when I'm distracted, overwhelmed, or sick. It just doesn't work that way.
Audrey and Dagny (7)
And I'd be lying if I said I were now one hundred percent; I'm not. But I'm getting there.
And no I did not/do not have COVID -- not Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, or Mu. (The Nu variant name was skipped because it is pronounced “new” and that would have led to confusion. Xi is skipped because of China. That gets us to Omicron, the latest variant -- and neither did TG.
Do yourself a favor and read the short article that I've linked to above.
If you have more time, read this fascinating article that Audrey sent me this morning. I'll be reading the book.
And now it's Christmas! I have been so overwhelmed by the thought of putting up the tree that I have actually dreaded it.
So I embraced manageable change. Instead of the seven-foot pencil tree I bought (and hate) a few years ago to replace another not-quite-so-pencilly pencil tree (which I did hate but which I now miss) that I'd been using since 2002, I bought a five-foot flocked pre-lit tree that I have placed on a table in the front window.
Not as daunting and I don't have to add a single light. At least not this year. We all know they won't light up again next year. Let's just hope they make it to December 31st of this year.
Early in the day, Allissa helped me set the table
Tomorrow night Chad is coming over to help TG move some things around in the house and get the heavy Christmas bins down from the attic.
On Saturday I'll put out/up all the decorations I can stand to deal with.
It's not that I don't have the Christmas spirit; I do. The spirit is willing as always, but the flesh is weak as it tends to be when you have to pause every ten seconds and do a convincing imitation of coughing up a lung.
Andrew and Brittany couldn't leave Oklahoma for Thanksgiving but Brittany's mother flew out to spend several days with them. They will be here after Christmas to have (third) Christmas with us.
First Christmas will be on the 20th when Stephanie and Joel return for our family presents-opening time with them. The next day our Melly will turn 17 and we will have a separate party for that.
Second Christmas will be on actual Christmas. Audrey and Dagny always spend Christmas Eve night with us so we can all be together on Christmas morning.
Erica, Chad, and Baby Rhett (4 months)
This year, what with that swanky new guest bath, I may have to crowbar them out in time for Third Christmas, when Andrew, Brittany, and Ember will drive up from Florida where they are spending actual Christmas at the home of her grandparents, with the rest of her family.
Mercy! I think I need to lie down.
As I mentioned, the day after Thanksgiving, for the past several years we have gathered at a predetermined scenic spot chosen by me (although I had help from Erica this year with deciding on Guignard Park in West Columbia), to take the Christmas card pictures of the girls' families.
It was a trifle chilly and windy but we got it done and I think everyone is happy with the result.
Audrey did take a few shots of TG and me but naturally I am unhappy with the result and we will be doing retakes any day now.
In addition to all of the above, we have had many days of exhilarating joy in the face of the unlikely mixed with exhausting sorrow in the face of the inevitable.
The weather was perfect
That's because also on the day after Thanksgiving, my niece Joanna (my sister's youngest), who lives with her husband, Jacob, and two-year-old son Freddy in Cleveland, Ohio, experienced the loss of her baby son, Noah.
Noah was diagnosed in the womb with Trisomy 13 and was not expected to live even long enough to be born.
But God gave Jacob and Joanna forty-two days with Noah, during which time everyone who met and knew him fell head-over-heels in love with him.
Noah's funeral was held today. It is heartbreaking but as his own mother wrote, every day for Noah was a struggle, and now that struggle is over.
My sister, Kay, wrote a few days ago in a text to me that while Jacob and Joanna were at the funeral home making arrangements, she put away Noah's bassinet and all of his little things. She cried the whole time.
If you like, you may view his Find A Grave page here. And I know that all the family would appreciate your prayers during this Christmas season.
Jacob placing his son's casket. Joanna approaching with flowers.
It's still warm in South Carolina -- not the least bit Christmasy IMO. Well into the seventies for daytime highs over the next several days. It's unusual for December and, I admit, exasperating. I don't even particularly like winter but I do like a break from our customary heat and humidity.
I have turned our furnace on a couple of times, just to knock off the chill, upon which I turn it back off. A few nights, temps got down into the high twenties and low thirties, but overnight lows are back up into the forties and even fifties for now.
I would rather add a layer than strangle on heat pouring out of the registers.
So when you come to see me (summer or winter), bring some socks (if you forget, I have eighty-two thousand pairs), and maybe a sweater.
We have plenty of blankies in case you forget all of the above in your haste to spend a few days hanging with the pirate.
And that is all for now except to say, Merry Christmas!
=0=0=0=
Happy Thursday :: Happy December
Reader Comments (27)
Hello,
Praying you are on the mend soon, as well as the rest of your family.
I must say your Thanksgiving menu sounds wonderful.
My Christmas decorating as changed as the seasons of my life have changed. I am blessed to continue the tradition of cutting a tree at my parents farm during our Thanksgiving visit. This past Sunday our boys came home to decorate it.
Happy December my friend!
Carla
@Carla ... That sounds exactly right! We are not the same as we were twenty-five years ago, and our Christmas decorating doesn't have to be either. Your tree-cutting tradition is a total keeper, though! What fun. Andrew and Brittany had to buy a real tree this year because their artificial tree was too tall for their ceiling in the temporary house they live in, on base. Brittany had never in her life had that experience and I think she really enjoyed it. The wonderful smell of the pine in the house! xoxo
Oh my! I am so sorry you have had such a sad, tragic, and miserable season so far. No wonder you don't have the energy to do very much. You must be drained both physically and mentally. I am glad you were all able to get together, and great pics of your beautiful family. I can't wait to see the bathroom! I have Dagney's little fox!
@Ginny ... way back in September Dagny went to Hobby Lobby one day with me, and saw that little fox and said I just had to have it for my two-tiered tray! But we made a low centerpiece for Thanksgiving so that everyone could see across to everyone else. I think I will leave him out throughout Christmas! xoxo
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Noah. I’ve written posts in the past about my visits to Lake View Cemetery as it’s the most beautiful setting you could imagine and many famous people are buried there. May he rest in Jesus. Prayers for his family.
It’s nice to see everyone dressed up for photos! I love it! Does everyone tell you that Audrey is your look alike? Thanksgiving sounded wonderful. All my children were here, for which I was thankful. Hope you feel 100% soon! Looking forward to pics of the guest bath.
Tell Dagny her fox is so cute! Alaina and Ruby would love him.
Tell TG not to be so generous with his cold bug! I hope you're soon back to normal.
Guess what - I just got a 7 foot pencil tree. It's prelit and flocked. It looks pretty, but I do like the idea of a table top tree sometimes. God never takes someone early. Everyone has a purpose in life and they don't pass until that purpose is complete. So little Noah completed his purpose at 4 months, and now has no struggles. I'll be praying for his family.
So excited about your remodel! I can't wait for pics.
Someday, I do want to come visit. I'll bring Bon along.
@Bijoux ... Really??? I was so thrilled when I saw the pictures today that my sister sent me, of the cemetery. A REAL cemetery! Such a beautiful place. Since my "thing" is walking and photographing old cemeteries, it will be a priority for me now, to visit little Noah's grave. My sister told me that there is a "daffodil hill" there that explodes with daffodils in the spring! How I'd love to see that! Jacob drives by the cemetery every day on his way to work and I think that's nice. All your babies at your table? That's special. BTW yes I understand that others think Audrey looks like me ... but I can't see it! xoxo
@Mari ... Well of course you will bring Bon along! He has to do the driving and pay for everything! Haahaha ... tell him we will NOT serve tomato soup. Little Noah was actually only six weeks old ... I'm glad he didn't have to suffer for four months. And you are right: there is a time to be born and a time to die. Noah accomplished everything that his Creator planned for him in his short life. And WOW you're off the chain with that tree! I bet it's gorgeous. I just needed to take some pressure off myself this year -- although with a pre-lit, that's not hard at all. BUT my 7-foot pre-lit of course does not light anymore. It's so frustrating. xoxo
I know what you mean about your tree. We have a really nice one, but do not put it up now because of our cat. I'm glad you found a place for yours!
We had a bathroom remodel the last part of 2019. A mess but totally worth it in the end. It is a bit stressful having to pick everything at once. Choosing the flooring was the hardest for me but what we picked turned out fabulous.
Sorry for the loss in your family. At least he is no longer suffering.
I hope you're back up to speed soon. It is no fun being under the weather.
You're pictures are all amazing and your house looks so inviting.
Happy Friday to you!!
@Ginny ... As a new cat lover I can say she is totally worth it!!! I know you know what I mean about both the cat and the tree! xoxo
@Lori ... Thank you and yes it's a mess but really not too bad. The easiest part for me was the flooring! I love it so much! Can't wait to show it to you! I had FOREVER wanted tile that looks like wood and our contractor recommended porcelain tile and WOW the choices out there are amazing and so affordable. I think the floor will be my favorite part of the whole thing. I feel much better today and although our hearts hurt (especially to have this happen at Christmas), we know it's for the best, difficult as it may be to accept sometimes. Happy Friday to you too, and Merry Christmas. Can't wait to see what you're cooking up next! xoxo
My condolences on the loss of little Noah.
I hope y'all are on the mend, and feeling better soon.
We went for a tiny, table-top tree this year, and the cats still kill it.
Good luck getting through the remodel, I'm sure it will be gorgeous when it's done.
I am formally an Ohio girl, born & raised in suburbs of Cleveland and lived in Ohio until I was 25, when I moved to Hawaii for 5 years, then Georgia, then Florida, and then back to Georgia 21 years ago. I know Lakeview Cemetery is a beautiful resting ground for such a darling new angel, Noah. I am so sorry to hear of Noah's passing but he is at peace with the angels now.
@Jane ... Haaahaha yeah my Sweetness would kill a tree in under two hours. She would not be able to stand it. Soooo it will remain no place that she can access unless she escapes the sunroom, which actually does sometimes happen so we will have to be vigilant. I think we are all finally well (today I feel normal) and I hope the same is true for you all. I'm pretty thrilled about the new bath. It's like Christmas coming early! xoxo
@ Dawn ... Thank you for your kind thoughts. I have lived in Ohio, Georgia, and Florida too! Never been to Hawaii but then I don't fly. I'm so glad you have been to Lake View and know how beautiful it is. I hope that someday soon we can travel up there (TG is from Toledo so we sometimes go) and pay our respects in person. Indeed baby Noah is at peace and we are grateful. xoxo
I know his parents know they will see Noah again--well and healed.
God Bless them and you, in this time of grief.
Congrats on the guest bathroom. Wishing you and yours full and speedy healing from the nasty flu.
@Judy ... yes they will, and yes they know it. But it's so sad! There's no getting around it, no matter how hard you try. Good to see you, my friend. Merry Christmas! xoxo
@LB ... Thank you! Today was the first day I felt almost normal. That was a long week! xoxo
https://musingsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2015/11/all-saints-day.html
I’ve never made it there in the spring, but the photos online look fabulous!
Another post about the cemetery with more photos
https://musingsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2020/05/photo-friday-day-at-cemetery.html
@Bijoux ... oh thank you B! I was planning to come over to your site and search for these! xoxo
Aww, I will keep that family in my prayers. It sounds like you had a lovely, busy Thanksgiving. I'm like you I am pretty much useless when I am sick! We passed colds through the whole family in the beginning of November but thankfully, we were all well by Thanksgiving! I remember when we had our kitchen and 1/2 bath redone. It was more decision making I ever wanted to do or want to do again! My head was spinning all the time! Take care my friend.
@Jeanette ... I hear you! But the remodel is coming along beautifully and that's all I ask. Also that it's done before 12/20 when company come, haaaha! We are all well now as far as I know. Let's keep it that way. I'm glad your family already did the sick-ill thing and can now enjoy Christmas! xoxo
Oh my... I don't know where to start! But yes... I am so sorry about that sweet baby. To see that tiny little casket broke my heart... I stopped right then and said a prayer for your family. When they are reunited in Heaven, it will be such a sweet celebration.
I cannot imagine your excitement to have that bathroom project underway. You are brave! Cannot wait to see the results. We have two that need remodeling, but my son's is scraggly deplorable... lol (not to wear out that Midwestern term... where is my basket?)
I'm sorry you've been sick. And really glad it's leaving the building in time for Christmas... I hear you on the decor... I was all set to do something totally different and out of the box this year... but this morning? I am reconsidering...
How I wish I could visit and have a cup of tea with you! And you could come here! But... blogs are also fun... have a nice holiday season with as many Christmases as it takes to enjoy your family and friends.
@Gayla ... Thank you for your prayers. But "we sorrow not, even as others who have no hope" ... those reunions will be sweet indeed. The bathroom is looking pretty great. Floor is all done and painting gets underway tomorrow. Then the men will add the vanity, commode, mirror, and lighting and ... voila! We will be there. God be praised. Scraggly deplorable baths ... I hear you loud and clear! Ugh! We are all feeling fine now so no worries on that score, and I am beginning to think that other than putting a few ornaments on the tree, the only Christmas decorating I will do will be the dining table, which is where everyone gathers anyway. Easy peasy! My motto is, use what you have and do what you can! It will still be more than lots of folks do. YES to that cup of tea, your place or mine! xoxo
How is the bathroom remodel coming along??--I bet that is NERVE WRACKING FOR SURE! Love all the pretty outdoor pictures, the girls LOOK GORGEOUS! I especially love Erica's red skirt ensemble, so pretty! Look at little baby Rhett.....oh my goodness he is four months ALREADY??! He has sure grown alot! Love Dagny's little boots, very cute and stylish! Your whole family is adorable.Looks like a real nice Thanksgiving and the food sounded delicous. I do hope that you have completely recovered from the nasty throat/bronchitis thing and are feeling 100 percent back to normal by now so that you can fully enjoy the Christmas festivities. Hugs from Charleston my friend!
@Debbi ... Actually the bath is coming along nicely and will be finished by the end of next week! It's going to look so nice! And we are all better now, no sickness at our house, only the residual coughing that comes after bronchitis has run its course. Ugh! I woke up strangling last night with a little tickle! So annoying! Thank you for your kind words and we hope that YOU and your beloveds continue to have a truly blessed Christmas season. xoxo