Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was different than in the past.  We live in Florida now and most of our children live in Utah.....It is still Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for. 
We invited Ricky's Dad Walt and his wife Glenda.  We also invited Ricky's brother Greg, his wife Patty and their daughter Brittany.  We were so thankful they were able to come.  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 
It is sort of funny though........we really needed each other.  We were missing our children and grandchildren in Utah, Patty and Greg were missing their children and granchildren in Maryland and northwestern Florida...... Walt (and Glenda) had not spent Thanksgiving with his children since we left Florida, maybe 13 years ago? 
 I didn't even mention that it was Mabulane's very first American Thanksgiving.  She was also so far away from her family. 
 We have so many blessings!  We should always celebrate what we do have and not dwell on what we don't!  It was a very special Thanksgiving! 

I had a lot of fun setting the table and making name cards and little favors for everyone.  Notice the Thanksgiving quilt on the wall?

I forgot to take a picture of the food!  We had a very moist turkey, a duck, cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato mallow, stuffing, fresh green beans with toasted almonds, butterhorns and our traditional favorite, mushroom turnovers.  Patty made 2 pecan pies and 2 pumpkin pies.  Yum!!!

I love this picture of everyone, but I don't know why I didn't move the candle so we could see Glenda better!  Her hair is growing back after a series of chemo treatments.  We are so thankful for her recovery and for her health.

After dinner, the men cleaned the whole kitchen!  It was a mess too.....tons of dishes and mashed potatoes clinging to the mixer.....

I am so very grateful for them!  Thank you Ricky, Greg, Walt and Addison.....heh, one's missing.......where's Sean? 

Guess who's having a baby?  Rebecca and Dave are due on July4th!

Lindsay and Jeremy are due on April 14th! 

Like I said, we have so much to be thankful for.

John Travolta, Ella Bleu and Kelly Preston

Paparazzi!

Mabulane and I went to our local movie theater in Ocala, because we knew that John Travolta, Kelly Preston and their daughter Ella Bleu were going to walk the red carpet for the debut of their new movie, "Old Dogs" for a fundraiser.

We were at the very front of the red carpet, right where the limo was going to deliver them. Did you hear that? The very front!!!!This tall plant kept getting in the way though, you will see it in the video a little later....

There were a few men around us that were regulars to events like this. One man had a binder with 8 X10 glossy photos of stars that he gets signed. He had three for the Travoltas. He said that Ed Asner is coming to Ocala this weekend. Anyway, this kind and informative man took our photo.

Ocala's finest!

There was lots of entertainment on the red carpet before the big event. A juggler.....

A sexy stiltwalker.....

and a mime.

All of a sudden, two of Ocala's motorcycle police roared in with lights flashing and sirens wailing. Then a white SUV with 4 big men, I think they were the bodyguards. Then a huge white limo with friends of the Travoltas, followed by a white jaquar without tinted windows. The Travoltas were in the back seat.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Not really, but it was sooooooo exciting to be that close.

Everyone wanted to meet him.....

Oh my gosh, they're coming this way!!! Mabulane, get the book out! Get ready!

I shook his hand and Kelly's. I thought about never washing my hand, but then I remembered about the swine flu. haha!

Look how cute Ella Bleu is, look how nice and friendly they are!

They walked right past us, but Kelly said they would be right back. They had to do their photo ops for the press.

This is the best I could do, sorry Mabulane!

I think this reporter is from Access Hollywood. She looks really familiar. Mabulane got some autographs, and the reporter interviewed Mabulane. She asked her how she felt. Mabulane was almost choking on her gum and couldn't answer, she just kept laughing. I am taping the show and Inside Edition tonight to see if she made it on. Addison thinks Mabulane will probably be on Jay Leno instead!!!

What an exciting afternoon. Definately worth a 90 minute wait!

Murder at the Juice Joint

We had so much fun tonight!  We were invited to a roaring 20's Murder Mystery Dinner at the Brower's house. 

This is "Molly Moll" (aka Sandi Brower) and "Notorious Nick" (aka Matt Brower).  Molly is Nick's girlfriend, and she  knows that he can do wonders for her movie career.  Since the rise in organized crime, Nick's operation has done nothing but prosper.  He paid for all of our dinners tonight.  Sadly, he was murdered while I was eating my canoli.

This is me, Anna Marie. I'm still mourning the loss of my father, Louie Marie.  I'm ready to seek revenge whatever the cost......

At my side is P.I. Pinkerton, private investigator.  It's P.I.'s job to take charge and decipher the clues and reveal the truth.

This is Flora Nemetz-Gadora (aka Mabulane), Notorious Nick's ex-wife.  Caught cheating, Nick divorced Flora immediately a month ago.  Left without anything, Flora's romantic interest has shifted from one mob boss to another.  I found out tonight that she was having an affair with my father!  He bought her a car and she said they were just friends...... At her side is Chief Cameron(aka Addison), the police chief.  As the city's main law enforcement officer, Cameron enforces the Mayor's decisions. 

Remember that I told you that Notorious Nick (our host) was murdered while we were eating dinner?  Well you won't believe who did it........Chief Cameron....he also got the award for best dressed.  The nerve!

Humphrey Bogart was there, but he's pointing his gun at the wrong guy.....

Harrison and Kyler, two of Sean's friends, played the parts of bartender and waiter.

We went by all dressed up, and surprised Sean at Burger King.  It was college sports day, so he is wearing a BYU baseball shirt.

I did the can can, maybe he didn't like it???

Dream Machine

This is what I'm talkin' about...

Splish Splash, Addison takes a bath!

Mabulane cannot believe her eyes!

Mabulane

Mabulane received her patriarchal blessing last Sunday.

We were invited, it was really wonderful!

Mabulane wanted to learn how to sew.

She decided on a baby bonnet.

We are pleating the fabric, preparing it for smocking.

Mabulane is sewing the lace onto the fabric.

Voila!  The finished product, it is really beautiful, she has a skill that she didn't know about.  Mabulane's parents were tailors so it probably runs in the family.  I make Mabulane show the bonnet to everyone, and no one can believe how beautiful it is!  What do you think?

Now for the next project.... a table runner.

Mabulane chose the fabrics herself from my stash.

She is very meticulous in her sewing, everything matches perfectly!  I am amazed because my sewing is not perfect, I am not a perfectionist in that aspect, but Mabulane is.

Isn't it beautiful?  She finished it in about 2 weeks!

The back of the runner is really pretty too.  The next project is a smocked baby dress to match the bonnet.

Ste. Anne de Beaupre

We took a little trip to a beautiful little town with a gigantic waterfall!  Isn't this a dreamy photo?

The leaves were just starting to change.......

We ran across a moose....

A fox... (Sean is so brave!)

A wolf.... (I am even braver!)

A black bear....oh my!

The waterfall was magnificent.  I don't know how tall, but the photos don't do it justive.

This doesn't look like much, but.....Ricky tried to cross it and couldn't, I tried but thought what do I have to prove?  Sean did have something to prove so he walked across the suspension plank.  It was so high up!

He is so high up!!!  That was a huge accomplishment!

Not only was the little bridge so high, but the planks were quite widely spaced, letting you see the ground way, way, below!

Look Mom, I did it!  Take a picture!  This is a photo I took of Sean, with the zoom on my camera.  He is on another suspension bridge over the rapids.  The bridge is made of grated metal so you can see the rapids below.  The rapids don't really show in this photo.....

but they do in this one!  I was by the bridge way, way, way, way up

I love the colored leaves in this photo, it reminds me of a quilt.

I met the challenge!

There wer some cows right next to the road.  We stopped the car and Sean touched one.

Sean jumped a mile when the cow stood up. hahahaha!

Sean thought it was really dumb that all the fire hydrants had a sign next to them. They are there to mark the spot for the firemen when the snow is really deep.  I guess he doesn't have enough Canadian blood in him!

We had a wonderful day in Ste. Anne de Beaupre.