November highlights

November brought us time with extended family and long time friends

plus opportunities to give of ourselves to others.

November started with a weekend trip to Baltimore 

to spend time with my brother Shawn, his 

beautiful wife Donna, and their son Justin.

We played games, hung out, talked and ate too much!

(Grace helped Uncle Shawn cook breakfast.)

Our time together made me smile.

Grace and Gramma got their ears pierced.

Grace's innocent excitement about this "big girl" 

privilege makes me smile. 

Matt's birthday fell on Thanksgiving day so we

celebrated the Saturday before ...

no surprise, he wanted to go to the bear weigh

in station because it was the first day of bear season,

take sweedish fish for a snack, and have homemade

stromboli when we got home.

The biggest bear that we saw was 497 pounds 

...dressed weight!

Celebrating my wonderful hubby makes me smile!

Remember this blanket? Grace had set it down

over the summer and picked it back up in October.

As she was working one day, she asked me about

giving it to our sweet friend Sandy who is

battling health issues ...after Pastor Roy

and people from church prayed over it.

I told her that was a beautiful idea.

So she diligently worked to finish it,

gave it to Pastor Roy who brought

Sandy and her husband up front at church,

spread the blanket across their backs, 

people gathered around the laying their hands on

them and the blanket and prayed.

Grace's heart to give to others and serve God

makes me smile ...and get teary eyed!

Thanksgiving with our friends at our home.

Silly photo booth props.

Games and coloring.

Taking meals to shut ins as part of the Titusville

community Thanksgiving dinner.

Projects with the kids - 

tights from knee high socks for the girls' dolls

targets for the boys nerf dart guns.

Family football game.

Serving, laughing, talking, creating, and being silly together

makes me smile!

And we ended the month by celebrating my mom's birthday

and recent retirement by inviting her over for

birthday dinner and as a surprise, inviting her three

brothers and their wives to join us.

Hosting family dinners makes me smile!