Plays, Birthdays, Thanksgiving, oh my! November 2015 pics.

Birthday

I read an article yesterday in Parade about a woman, age 57, who had cataract surgery and was depressed because she was so young. I was in my 40's when I had to have the same surgery so I related, but then she said she realized that she while she had promised to embrace the changes in her life as she got older she was really acting as if she had an expiration date. Yes! That is exactly how I felt about turning 50 and losing my mother. This year I turned 51 and promised myself to throw that feeling out the window. It was a much better birthday.

I asked for a watch as mine broke a few weeks prior to the big day. My husband heard "electronics" and got me an Apple Watch. It can't go into the water so that's a big minus for me, but I'm used to his ways now, and I have embraced wearing it. Electronics are my husband's diamonds. My charge, Sydney, picked out this cup for me for my birthday "because you for sure love coffee". It is the best coffee cup ever! And then to end the day my husband actually sat down and rubbed my feet. What a day!

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High School Play

Darcy had a role in her school's fall theater production of Twelve Dancing Princesses. She was one of the princesses who danced all night and wore out her shoes when she was suppose to be asleep. It was a favorite story of mine from childhood, mainly because no one in this Grimm fairy tale got an appendage chopped off. The cast was amazing and the two nights I went were flawless. I was a very proud mother!

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Youth Group

Darcy's youth group then put on and ran the entire Sunday service at church in the absence of our minister. They each played a part from the music to the worship to the children's story. They did a wonderful job and now the congregation thinks they should do it more often!

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Sunday Music & Brunch

Every other week I take my charge, Sydney, to her guitar and voice lessons. After her first month he had all of the students perform at a restaurant on the beach. Sydney sang as she is still new to the guitar. She has a great voice and other than a bit of quietness did a fab job. I was a proud nanny/tutor!

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National Honor Society

The National Honor Society induction was also this month and Darcy and her friend were a bit loopy after their long time of standing up in front of parents. It was a short ceremony, but quite a few kids were inducted and the line wound around the room. A lot of lighting of candles was involved and the parents were a bit worried. I sat with our principal who also was worried since his church was nice enough to let us in to do the ceremony while we are under construction. It all went well, however, and nothing caught fire or burned down.

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Thanksgiving

While the preparation and cooking for Thanksgiving took seven hours the actual eating of it was twenty minutes. Clean up took over an hour and by the time the week ended I was one exhausted woman. Thanks to chef Hazel, Kelly, for all of her hard work in making yet another wonderful Thanksgiving turkey and dinner.

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Birthday

Our last celebration and activity of the month was Madison's birthday. She wanted a chocolate cake and so Darcy got that for her and because of that felt she was in charge of preparing and presenting the cake. After a dinner of Thai food, Madison's favorite, we sat down in the dining room and awaited Darcy's lit creation. Unfortunately for us she put too many candles on the cake in close proximity to one another and the result was a tad scary.

Kelly and Tom finally leaned over and put out the flames. Elliot was the only smart one. He stayed far away in the living room close to the front door. Either that or he was peeking in Madison's presents.

Looking forward to another month of excitement!