A lot to be thankful for

Last week-end was my daughter's birthday party. She turned 8. She wanted a party at the bowling alley. Let me tell you, that was the way to go. The cost was around $14 per child with a 10 child minimum. However, they took care of everything: nvitations, thank you cards, goody bags, shoe rentals for the kids, two bowling lanes for an hour, bowling balls for the kids, pizza, drinks, decorations, and a real bowling pin for Courtney that her friends got to sign. They set up and clean up afterwards. I only had to bring was a cake and items for the goody bags. If I tried to have a party at my house, I probably would have spent a lot more than that especially trying to keep 10 kids entertained for an hour. This is Courtney at her party.

I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. My in-laws and my parents are coming to our house for dinner. We deep fry our turkey. It is sooo yummy and only takes 45 minutes versus the several hours in the oven. Every year I try out a new recipe. Last year was my sister's sweet potato casserole. It turned out so good. Even my father-in-law liked it and he doesn't like sweet potatoes. This year I am trying a black forrest pie. I will still have my creamy pumpkin pie and my parents are bringing an apple pie just in case this new pie doesn't turn out ok. I will let you know.

We have so much to be thankful for this year. My mother is still with us. She has been ill for a few years now. She has COPD and emphyzema(?). She has been oxygen for about 6 years now. She still has her good days, but her bad days seem to be increasing. It hurts me to see her struggle to catch her breath. I thank God everyday that my kids have her around one more day. I lost my grandparents when I was very young so I missed out on the whole grandparent experience. I wish my children didn't have miss out as well.

My father-in-law had a stroke right before I left for my class reunion. He is so young. He is 61 years old. Physically he is doing fine, but he has lost his speech. He is going to therapy 3x a week. They worked with him a lot so he could sing Happy Birthday to Courtney on her birthday. He did pretty good. He got some words out. He has a long road ahead of him, but he is a strong and determined man.

Well, I need to get going. I have some shopping to do as well as some things around the house. I will try not to wait so long to post again.

Until next time....