I can't believe that December is here! We've been very ill for the last several days. We had a lovely Thanksgiving, but that evening, I developed a high fever. At first, I was concerned with my incision (infection?) but as it turns out, it was flu. I am still running a low grade fever and feel very tired and weak. The boys are mending quickly, thank the Lord. The worst of it for them was the first 24 hours. My leg is very bruised and still swollen and painful. It's been difficult to do my daily tasks and so the boys are pitching in with laundry and such. The biopsy results have not come in, and it looks as though I will wait another week for them.

We don't have our trees up yet, which has never happened! We will start this evening with some decorating and hopefully, be ready once the weekend comes. When I'm able, I want to take a walk around the farm to gather greens for garland. I'm planning a Christmas open house for friends and neighbors next weekend, so I pray that we can get well and stay well for the festivities.There's much to be done! I am making my "to do" list. I noticed that I need to polish the silver punch bowl. It seems only yesterday, I put it away! It only comes out for Christmas, and makes things seem so special. We have a bit of snow on the ground now which only adds to the charm of the season. There is much to look forward to!

For Today

 Monday,December 1, 2008

I am hearing... some soft Christmas music.

A picture thought to share for the day...  

(Ginger folks from last year. We can't wait to make more!)

Please stop by to visit Peggy  to peek into the lives of other "Simple Women," and to read the guidelines for creating your own Daybook!

Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving!

"Over the river and through the woods
Trot fast my dapple gray.
Spring over the ground
Like a hunting hound
On this Thanksgiving Day, Hey!
Over the river and through the woods
Now Grandmother's face I spy.
Hurrah for the fun,
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie."
- English folksong

In just an hour or so, we'll pack up our baskets of goodies and indeed be heading "through the woods" to Grandmother's house. Of course, it's now my sister's house, but it still brings those wonderful memories of gatherings and meals that Gram prepared for us. We have much to be thankful for, as always. Thank you for your visits, your sweet comments, friendship and prayers. I count you among my blessings!

As I'm sure most of you know, I love The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. For homeschooling families, it is a must have resource. If you have always wanted to try it, now is the time! Of course, if you already subscribe, it's also a great time to renew because...

The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is having an amazing sale on subscriptions during their annual Black Friday Sale November 26 – 30. For those 5 days only, they are drastically reducing their one-year subscription price to $7.95! That's the price you would usually pay for just one issue at a bookstore!

This is their lowest price ever on the magazine and they want all of you to take advantage of this offer and share the info with your friends. Please don't miss out. Your one-year subscription will pay for itself time and time again as you receive practical tips and Biblical encouragement to keep going strong in your commitment to homeschooling and to the Lord. Since it's a quarterly magazine, they even have a monthly subscriber's only E-Newsletter called Teacher's Toolbox that will give you seasonal teaching ideas and a free E-Book download! It's like joining a unit study of the month club! The free E-Books alone are valued at almost $250/year. It's really perfect for people who are homeschooling on a shoestring or just wanting to add in some little extras to your teaching.

Plus during the Black Friday Sale, they have all kind of bonus gifts when you spend $50, $75, $100, or $150. Some are electronic downloads that you can download immediately, while other are physical products mailed from various vendors directly to your home.

AND, their Win Big contest is going on so if you just happen to be customer 67,000, you will receive a prize package valued at almost $500 which includes a $150 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store! Who couldn't use that? And you can qualify to win it no matter how much or how little you spend!

Mark your calendars for November 26 - 30th and do a little shopping from your seat, not your feet at the Schoolhouse Store's Black Friday Sale!

www.TheOldSchoolhouseStore.com

There are pies in the oven and a turtle cheesecake cooling on the counter. I'm taking care to rest in between making desserts. My surgery went well yesterday. I was flooded with peace and just knew that my friends were praying for me. Don't ever wonder if your prayers make a difference...they definitely do! I woke up this morning feeling much better, so unfortunately, I did too much. I am in quite a bit of pain this evening and have some difficulty getting around, but it's only day two, so I am trying to be patient. After our meal tomorrow, I will rest and try to as much as possible over the weekend as well. I look forward to tomorrow's festivities. There is much to be thankful for!