November highlights

 During the first couple weeks of November, life slowed down and I felt like I could catch my breath. And then it picked back up full speed ahead...

I have shared before how Grace and I help lead our church's prayer shawl ministry.

The inventory of shawls was getting low, but so was my yarn supply.  So I started praying asking God to provide yarn.  The next day God reminded me how our church in Richmond's knitting group made prayer shawls from donated scrap yarn so the request was put out and the yarn came in! And the day after I started praying, my mom's friend said she had yarn for me because she wasn't going to crochet anymore. wowie wow wow! Check out the yarn supply now!

Matt's birthday was on Thanksgiving day this year so we celebrated early by going to the Bear Check In station on the first day of bear hunting season.  Then we came home for homemade stromboli.

Matt hopes for hard tack candy each year during the Christmas season.  So the kids and I each bought one of the main ingredients to make it as Matt's birthday gifts.

This summer, God laid it on our hearts to open our home to people who didn't have a place to go for Thanksgiving dinner.  Our guest list included 12 people ranging from age 6-82! 

We enjoyed a lovely dinner, football games outside and on tv plus playing games.

Grace made these yummy pumpkin rolls and honey butter!

(I didn't get a picture of everyone...but here are a few from that day.)

My mom's birthday was on one of the first days of deer season so we celebrated with her on Black Friday.  We helped her cut down, bring in, set up and decorate her Christmas trees. (My brother ordered and the family planted Christmas trees the spring before he passed away 17 years ago so my mom has her own Christmas tree farm.)  The one she picked out was a FAT tree.

After helping with the tree, we made popcorn and watched the movie I Heard the Bells about Longfellow writing the poem which became a Christmas carol.  It is a very moving movie!

Then deer rifle hunting season began ...

Matt and Nathan both shot doe.  No deer for our new hunter.  Friends who shot more deer than they needed, gave us two.  So in a two week time period, we processed 4 deer.  I even did something new ... rendered some of the fat to make tallow for soap.

So now our new meat freezer (the 36 year old freezer we had died on Thanksgiving morning) is full of venison and we are blessed once again by God's faithfulness to provide for us!