Post Thanksgiving Fun

We had a great Thanksgiving-previously posted pictures are proof of that-but we had fun after the holiday, too. We are looking forward to the next month with prep for Christmas and pretty lights and decorations, and secrets and most of all smiles and wonder of the children in our lives, and of the inner child we all still possess!

                            Louisa LOVES Teelin! She cannot resist him when he is being held at her level.

Monet is quite adept with an iphone-amazing how she can turn it on and go from screen to screen in search of exactly what is interesting to her-including herself on Utube, and games. She can even take a good picture with it.   She is not allowed to use it often, but when she gets one in her grasp, she makes good use of her allowed time with it.

Dinah appears to be displeased with all the company commotion, but she is usually in the middle of it all.

Scott and Kate ready for a meal that does not include turkey OR leftovers!

The girls serenading us.

Carver (and COOK)

Perfect Hollandaise

Monet played nicely while Heather and Doobie ran around gathering belongings for the trip home to Cornish.

Little Teelin all snug and sleeping-he does not mind that the bouncy seat is pink!

Thanksgiving -A wonderful Tradition

Three Little Cousins

Cooking Air Salad!

Some folks at the table. The white bags held a Christmas ornament for each person-the first gift of Christmas. Each ornament has meaning for each person. For instance, Seth likes to fish, so he got a fishing Santa It is great fun to pick out the ornaments for each person, and I love watching their reactions. The gift bags also serve as place markers.

Jilliane with her bride ornament and Kevin with his groom ornament.

Evan is a champion carver. Along with the turkey, we had homemade stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with Kevin's yummy gravy, green bean casserole, mushroom risotto (ala Seth), Heather's homemade bread and maple butter, salad, homemade rolls,pumpkin chocolate chip bread, pumpkin pie, chocolate cream pie, apple pie and wine and cider. We also had cheese and crackers, and great stuffed mushrooms along with some other appetizers. Thanks to all who contributed!

Louisa, next to Daddy, waiting patiently for dinner!

A trip to Northern Acres is never complete with a visit to the barn.

This is the only pic of Kate-and she is taking a pic-she did a lot of that!!!

Heather with her arms full of love.

Sampling Uncle Kev's whipped cream.

Little Elsy

Evan and I had our five kids and their four significant others and the five grandchildren here today. We had an early start-6:15Am-stuffing the 23 pound turkey that Kate picked up Tuesday form a local farm. We had the typical bread stuffing we grew up with, and lots of other goodies.  Leaving the turkey roasting, Ev and I took a ride in Nellie Belle down to the edge of the lake for a few minutes before everyone arrived. We sat in the muted sunlight, watching ducks splash around in the water, which is at the highest level I have ever seen it in the fall, and just talked about our lives, those that we love, and our future. We are very thankful .

Trip to Salem and Marblehead

Evan and I drove to Salem MA (the Witch City) Thursday afternoon for dinner. We spent the night at the Hawthorne Hotel, a lovely old establishment in the heart of the city. We had dinner at the Old Spot, a pub right across the street. There were stacks of the book The Lace Reader in the hotel, a very good novel set in Salem and written by a Welch cousin named Sandy. Her pen name is Brunonia Barry. The book is selling well all over the country, and has been translated into at least five or six other languages. The movie rights have also been picked up. She and her husband just completed a USA book tour, and are departing for Italy after Christmas for a tour in Europe. They are down to earth, great people. We have also met her brother Mark-a lively, entertaining fellow who got a law degree in his fifties after a successful career as a plumber! He can surely entertain with humorous stories of practicing law!

We had a nice breakfast in the fancy hotel dining room and rode to Marblehead to visit a wonderful toy store named Mud Puddle Toys. Evan and I had a great time selecting gifts for the grandkids.
We finished our shopping and went across the street to visit Fraf in her office. It seemed strange to be in the office with her, after hearing so many wonderful tales of the newspaper, and to see the computer she uses so much!

                                 Mud Puddle Toys - A place with very few battery operated toys!

Sign on Fraf's Office

Office Door

Evan and Fraf

Hi!

Caricature of Fraf Writing one of her Columns

Fraf with none other than DUSTIN HOFFMAN!! He was in Marblehead making a movie several years ago!

All in all it was fun, and we look forward to going again. Marblehead is a very old , beautiful place.

Teelin's Naming Ceremony

Teelin's Naming Ceremony was held in  a lovely historic Vermont inn this weekend, with family and friends attending.  Kevin and Jiliane, chosen as godparents, gracefully accepted the role with smiles on their faces and love in their hearts. Baby Teelin was peaceful throughout the ceremony, as different people cradled him through speeches and music. He did not protest being dressed in a silk christening dress-tailored for boys-, but it was difficult to keep a grasp on him garbed in the slippery silk. The two year olds that attended were the noisy ones, as their exuberance and boundless energy was evident, but controlled when it needed to be. Louisa and Mala, not quite two, were a sweet little ladies, following the older toddlers around, trying to be just like them.
The food was great, and the spirit of kindness apparent, as we formally welcomed this little one into the family and world. Doobie and Heather's gift to the attendees-a relief of little newborn Teelin-was perfect.




Uncle Kevin and Auntie Jilliane -Teelin's Godparents. He is a lucky boy!

Uncle Pete, Daddy Doob, and Baby Teelin

Family Portrait

Performing a song written by Kate and Scott, and helped along by Kevin. The harpist was primarily there for looks and to give Nanna something to do!

                                  Innocence

The day was wonderful, and there are more pictures to post-will do that tonight.

Busy Kids

The grandchildren are growing quickly, and it is wonderful to watch all of them learn to walk and play and talk. I try to get to  Heather , Doobie and their little ones once a week to help out, and Louisa is a frequent visitor to Northern Acres. Saw Ethan and Elsy a couple of days ago, but had no camera!

Louisa loves to pour water from one container to another. I use warm water so her little hands will not get cold.

The tongue comes out to help with concentration!

Louisa is quite particular about spoons, and will ask for as many as five or six different spoons before finally settling on one to use. She was going through the usual choices tonight, when Kate just handed her this large serving spoon. It was funny, but got funnier when Louisa selected it to eat her cereal with!

She actually spooned herself some cereal with it!

She actually was very deft in her use of the big, big shiny spoon!

Monet is an angel, and loves the dress up wings and halo!

Pretty Pretty!

A few angel feathers got loose.

Chubby Baby Boy-and Happy too!!

He loves sleeping in the sling!

Auntie "K K" and Monet sharing a hug.

It is wonderful being with these little ones. Now Ev and I have to get with Elsy and Ethan and get some more shots of them!

New Furnace

 After almost 20 years of keeping many different people warm and gallons and gallons of water hot , the old furnace had had it.  It wheezed along the last few months, with fatal symptoms. Sometimes the heat in the house was not wanted , and yet the burner kept burning until we called the repairman to shut it off.  For the last several months, hot water was a phantom commodity-sometimes there, sometimes not. We knew it was just a matter of time, so we decided to change it for a newer one before Old Man Winter sent a chilly blast our way.
The furnace men showed up with a brand new version a week or so ago. They spent two days taking the old boiler out (after cutting away a door and part of the wall), and connecting the shiny, brand new one to the existing heating system.  From the evidence of warm rooms and steamy showers that do not turn to ice water after just when one's hair needs to be rinsed of shampoo, the new furnace is perfect. Now about that hole in the wall...well, that is another story.
    
                                                              Tired old thing!

 

Burned out inside

Shiny New One!

Installed-Now we need a carpenter.

So the house is warm and toasty and the water is warm.. We do lose heat when the power goes out, and I long for the fragrance and ambience of burning wood. I DO NOT miss the work of a wood stove after stoking fires and cleaning ashes for fifteen years, but it would be nice to have  one sometimes.