Welcome to the recap for November from Tumbleweed Tidings!  November was a busy, but wonderful time.  Here are some of the highlights.

We started out the month going to Portland, Oregon to celebrate our grandson Cooper’s 10th birthday on the 1st, and he was pretty stoked to be turning “double digits.” Ah, the thrill of wanting to age…

Disneyland: From the 7-11th, we went to Disneyland with our daughter Robyn and granddaughter Cassidy, age 13. What a fun time of riding rides, watching shows, and being there over the holiday decorating reveal. Celebrating Christmas the “Disney way” even includes snow falling during the fireworks display each night and a newly re-done holiday Small World that now makes that ride the hottest ticket in town. We hadn’t been there for 2 ½ years, and I think it is important to do something every so often that makes you laugh and scream with joy. For me, Disney always delivers. The beautiful sunshine and walking between 6 and 7 miles each day didn’t hurt either!

New Hardwoods:  At the contractor’s request, we had our existing tile demolished and new hardwood floors installed while we were in Disneyland. We arrived home to a bit of a dusty mess, but 10 days later we were all cleaned up and ready to host Thanksgiving. We love the new floors, so all of the disruption was definitely worth it.  I will be doing a full post later on the hardwood floor process, but here is a sneak peek.

Jim’s Birthday: The day before Thanksgiving, we celebrated my husband’s birthday. He never likes it when it falls the day before Thanksgiving, but we made the best of it with a pizza party with kids and grandkids, and his favorite Aloha Angel Food Cake (see recipe here Aloha Angel Food Cake). The day after Thanksgiving, we went up to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for their annual tree lighting and fireworks display, and celebrated his birthday again with a lakeside dinner at the resort. Jim does so much for so many, it’s almost impossible to celebrate this guy too much!

Thanksgiving: I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and didn’t eat so much that you’re relegated to wearing stretch pants for the rest of the year:) We had a group of ten this year, spanning four generations. After dinner, we had fun at the adult table answering questions from “getting to know you” cards. Even though we are all family, it’s fun to hear what people say. In answer to “Who is the person in history you would most like to meet?” my mother said John F. Kennedy, my husband said Thomas Jefferson, daughter Robyn said the Obama’s and daughter Brooke said Martin Luther King Jr. When her husband Rick and I both said Jesus, Brooke replied “you guys are such a brown-nosers.” The ensuing laughter was so good for the digestive system and made us hungry enough to dig into the pies:)

Projects: In addition to cleaning every surface in the house, I have also been focusing on some Christmas projects and decorating ideas. I am never going to be a blogger that starts fresh with a new theme to dazzle you every year, but I do like to add some new items to stay fresh and current. Some of these DIY’s will be the topic of future posts, and some will be included in my Holiday Home Tour. For me, decorating and getting crafty are a form of relaxation therapy…especially when things turn out as I had imagined!

Christmas Goals: Every year, as I’m mailing my cards out on the 23rd and wrapping last minute gifts on the 24th, I promise myself that next year I will do better. With Thanksgiving so early, this is going to be my year to shine! I have most of my shopping done, several DIY projects under my belt, and the Christmas cards bought and stamped. Despite several activities with organizations and church, if my holiday preparedness continues as planned, come December 24th I may just be the “queen of serene” instead of the stressed-out maniac I am some years.  Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

Sometimes it’s the Little Things: On our kitchen counter, right next to the sink, I keep our foaming hand soap and a bottle of dish soap at the ready for their frequent use. The only problem is that they tend to drip and leave a sticky mess that needs to be cleaned up often. We were in Pottery Barn in Spokane, when I spotted this silver tray with brass trim in the clearance section. It was marked down to $14, and since it was Black Friday, the whole store was another 20% off. So, for $11 and change, I got a tray that is perfect to hold these soaps, looks great, and keeps the mess corralled. Sometimes, it really is the little things that make such a difference…in my life anyway.

Good tidings,

Diane