(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Thanksgiving Tablescape

Thanksgiving is this week! What are you thankful for? 

I am thankful for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. With Him, I have everything to be thankful for!

I am thankful for my my wonderful hubby and my beautiful daughter! I am thankful she is coming home for a few days this week! College keeps her so busy...

I am thankful for my family! Between my family and my hubby's family, we are very blessed!

This is the first table I have done since we sold our acreage and permanently moved to the lake. I am still in the process of sorting through things -- all the 'things' are here and there and although I know I have everything, I can't quite find everything! haha

Fall is my favorite time of year and using fall colors makes me happy!

There is definitely something about turkeys that attract me... turkey is actually one of my least favorite foods -- but I love decorations in the shape of turkeys! Dishes are no exception.

The center of the table is lined with a runner and just a few decorations this year.

Along with the turkey dishes I recently found, they had matching salt and pepper shakers!

This Holy Bible is very old... and very used. How wonderful is that?

The cute turkey dishes are colorful! I found them at Walmart and they were exactly what I was looking for! 

  
Loved using these napkins with the gold and bronze colors in them.

I mixed orange and yellow dinner plates.

Chargers are for fall! The acorns and leaves that adorn the sides peek out from under the dinner plate.

Here is a place setting using the yellow dinner plate.

This flatware is one of my favorite sets! It seems to go with every occasion.

The candlestick holders are another of my favorites. They were the first turkey item I bought many years ago!

I've been waiting to use the table runner! I bought it earlier this year. The embroidery and applique on it is incredible! And the colors are fabulous!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! 



What's on the table:
Dinner and salad plates: Purchased at Walmart
Turkey and Pumpkin salt and pepper shakers: Walmart
Chargers: Walmart
(I shopped at Walmart a lot this year!)
Table runner: Crate & Barrel
Napkins: Crate & Barrel   
Flatware: Purchased at World Market
Yellow/gold goblets: JC Penney



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I will be linking to the following fantastic parties this week:

Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage
Show off Your Cottage Monday at The House in the Roses
Amaze Me Monday at Dittle Dattle 
Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
Whassup Wednesday at Elements Interiors
Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch
Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Feather Your Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Flaunt it It Friday at Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Thank you Veterans!

I want to thank all those who have served for our country. Including my father, my husband, my brother, my father-in-law, many of my friends, my family, and now the children of my friends and family.
 
God bless all of you! My prayers are with you and your families every single day.
 
God bless America!
 

Clay County, Iowa courthouse on Veteran's Day. Surrounded by dozens of flags.

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(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

A small reflection of summer 2011...

Little chapel on Lost Island Lake

Holly on a boat ride

Busy beaches along the shores of the lake

Hot summer days!

Lots of fun!

Lots of friends!

Lots of entertainment!

The gathering at the shoreline...

The removing of the docks... signaling the end of summer.

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Think I can hit the side of a barn?

Why yes! I can! I can definitely hit the side of a barn.

Hubby took me out yesterday to practice shooting. I've never used a firearm before, so this was my first time!  


The barn is in front of a hill and will eventually be taken down, saving the old wood of course.
Our target sheet is to the right of the door.

For awhile now, I've considered getting my concealed carry weapon permit -- aka CCW. I want to have this for a few reasons, but the two main ones are:

1. It is my constitutional right.
2. I occasionally drive hubby's truck. Just in case his firearm is still in the vehicle, I will be legally covered.

To receive my CCW permit in the state of Iowa, I decided to take an online course. Once I receive the certificate of completion via the mail in a few days, I can take that to my county sheriff's office. (Before taking the course, we did check with our county sheriff to make sure that this course was acceptable. Many are not. There are other options as well -- please research the requirements for Iowa or your state if you are thinking of obtaining a CCW permit.)

If you are an Iowa resident and interested in taking the same online course I took, here is the link: http://www.cedarvalleyfirearmstraining.com/courses. He has a money back guarantee that this course will be accepted by your sheriff. (I still checked with our sheriff before taking it.)  

I learned SO much from this! I needed to pass all six sections with a 90% or better. There were a couple sections that I flunked the first time (and even the second time) but failing and re-taking them made me learn the material well.

See my groupings on the target? I think I did pretty well for a newbie!


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Busy as a Beaver = Timber!

Our friends (who also live at the lake) awoke the other morning to discover the landscape next to their house had been altered. A fairly large tree had come down and was partially lying in the water. 


Upon closer inspection of the tree trunk, the tell-tale signs of a beaver appeared. During the night, a beaver chewed away at the tree and brought it down! 

Look underneath and you can see all the wood chips from the beaver gnawing at the tree.

We see all sorts of critters around the lake and there are plenty of beaver dams and lodges. However, for the most part, I've rarely seen them at work -- usually I see them in the mornings and evenings swimming along the shoreline, probably on their way to an important beaver meeting. They always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere! 

Not only do beavers use trees for building their dams and lodges, but they also eat the bark and the soft wood just beneath the bark. 

The beaver removed all the branches from the tree trunk closest to the water and hauled them off to his building site.

Beavers cannot control which way the tree will fall and occasionally they will be trapped or killed by the tree they take down. Luckily for our friends, this tree happened to fall in the water. If it had fallen towards their house, it would've fallen on their deck and possibly their kitchen! See how close this tree was to their boat lift:

I returned the next morning to take another photo -- and saw that Mr. Beaver had returned during the night to start gnawing the fallen tree again. He's making firewood!

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