The first of the goodbyes . . .

Yesterday was a fun day with the kids. We all slept in late, ate breakfast around 11, and then, while the they read, relaxed, and worked on papers and reading for school, Steve & I took the sides and top off of the gazebo - and left the frame standing. Hopefully, we won't have gusty snow storms this winter... and the frame will still be standing next April...
Around 2:00, we had lunch - a huge crockpot of chili and some corn muffins made with shredded cheese and creamed corn...which quickly became a favorite (Jacquie wanted the recipe...it's on www.jiffymix.com).
After lunch, we all went over to the mall and had a very successful early Christmas shopping trip! Purchases included a new tea kettle and flannel sheets for Jacquie & Dan, a sweater & flat shoes - work clothes for Stacey, and Davy found sweatpants and hoodies to keep him warm at Oswego.
We came home, had a quick game of "True Colors" http://www.pressmangames.com/trucolor.html until Caleb got home and then we headed off to Applebees for the "After 9 PM Half-price Appetizers Special." What a terrific way to feed 5 hungry young people! We ordered 6 appetizers, everyone was full, and we got out of there spending only $35 (including the tip)! Got home, fell asleep watching SNL...and suddenly it's the morning I've been dreading...
Since Dan & Jacquie have to get back to New Hampshire tonight (after dropping Stacey off in Connecticut on the way), the three of them left a little after 9 this morning. We will see Stacey in January (we'll be taking her down to Washington DC then) but it's had to know when we'll see the newlyweds again soon...

Jacquie was practicing calligraphy while she was here (she doesn't have the best handwriting and she wants to improve it for her scrapbook journaling...). She left this practice sheet for me...

Stacey brought something for me when she arrived on Tuesday. She presented it to me with a flourish and it reminded me of the times when she would bring a picture home from school and present it to me.

...a thankgiving picture to put on the refrigerator...

...and she made sure I saw what she wrote on the back...

...classic Stacey - my eternal child at heart...