In just a day and a half it will be Thanksgiving. A time to reflect and give thanks for all the blessings in our lives. Just a couple of things that I am thankful for: my silly, goofy, handsome boy, Rory, and the friendship of so many of you here in the blogging world. Your comments always make me smile. I thank you all for each and every one. You brighten my day and lighten my heart.Thanksgiving is also a time for families. I sit here trying to think of what to write and remembering so many Thanksgivings from my past. The smells of desserts baking as I made umpteen pies, cookies, brownies and cheesecakes. (I would bake for five days to prepare the goodies for the holidays.) Peeling potatoes, sweet potatoes and the turnip and the smell of Mom's chestnut sausage stuffing and the turkey cooking. The warmth of the kitchen and the laughter as we got the meal prepared. All that work for the best tasting meal of the year. Thanksgiving at our house was all about family. As we grew older and my siblings married and began their own families it was Thanksgiving that often brought us all together. Dessert at our house was a must. And then there was the year when we had 35 sit down for dinner! As time went by more of my siblings and their families moved away and our Thanksgiving dinners became smaller affairs but Mom and I always made the same meal and still celebrated. This marks my second Thanksgiving without my Mom. Last year I spent part of the day with my Aunt and Uncle (Mom's baby brother). It was difficult and I will be honest and say that it wasn't an easy day for me. And when I walked into my Aunt and Uncle's home the delicious smells were what put me over the edge. I do miss my Mom everyday but more so on the holidays that we both loved.
This year I am doing something different for this holiday. No turkey cooking and filling the house with its yummy fragrance. (I did cook one this past Sunday. Just for the leftovers.)
No Black Friday shopping. (I have done that in the past and had a blast! Especially the ones I made my Mom get up at 3 AM so we could be at the mall by 4!)
Instead I am going to be at a dog show!! (No, not the one on TV after the parade. That one was taped last Sunday. Oh, I know who won already. LOL) Four days of shows. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'm bringing my turkey leftovers for turkey sandwiches and Rory and I are off tomorrow (Wednesday) evening. Here's hoping that Rory shows well and maybe even wins a couple more points! My dog show friends will be there too. I am really looking forward to it. We should have fun.
My stitching news for this posting is that I have been working on two exchanges and a few more ornaments for gifts and my LNS grab bag that's coming up in a few weeks. So no photos yet.
I did receive a few lovely things in the mail. A small giveaway/thank you from Maggie O. It is an ornament frame. Isn't it neat? Thank you Maggie. I'm still trying to decide what ornament to use it for. I also receive my winnings from a giveaway that BeckySC had. Thirteen different charts! I am all set for next years Halloween exchanges and stitching. Thank you Becky! Next up is a small thank you/rak from Alison. She had me as her exchange partner and she must have really liked what I sent her because she sent me this in return! The handmade tree is just
beautiful and the fabrics (there are two more I forgot to include in the photo) will really come in handy. Thank you so much Alison. 
And last but not least are two exchanges. It turns out the April was my partner in both the Seasonal exchange and the HoE exchange. She sent both in the same package! I'm not sure which is for which so I took photos of them together. Thank you April.
It wouldn't be any kind of holiday if I didn't make Rory wear something silly. I couldn't find a pilgrim hat so I figured he could be a native American. Complete with his trusty Indian pony. :)
(yeah, yeah, I know it looks just like a Cabbage Patch kid horse. That's because it is! And don't ask me it's name. My nieces have played with this for years and Heavens knows where the papers are.)
So that's all the news that's fit to print. At least right now. So until next time......................
I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter.
Rory wishes you one filled with all kinds of good things to eat.
And Rosie just wishes you peace and quiet!
Love and stitches,Kathy
and licks from Rory too
PS. Rosie is in one of her favorite places. Rory's crate! Esoecially when he is not in it! Silly kitty.
(Notice that Rory likes it too. So much that I had to move it way up high!)
In other stitching news I have been stitching a bunch of ornaments. No photos since they are all for either exchanges or Christmas gifts.
