Monday, November 26, 2007

Our Week In The Woods






We had a wonderful week! The weather was crisp and cool (and downright cold at times) but as you can see, we constantly had a fire going thanks to my two resident pyromaniacs campfire attendants. We had a few rainshowers, but that didn't stop the fun. There is another family that camps there every year with whom we have become friends, and our kids all had fun spending time together playing tennis, playing Cranium and Catch Phrase, riding bikes, throwing the football and making s'mores. We enjoyed lots of time together as a family talking around the campfire, walking the dogs, listening to Christmas music and... being thankful. We didn't have a fancy Thanksgiving table, but each of us made a placemat using clear Contact paper, some of the fall leaves and some "thankfulness" scriptures that I printed.


Here's our table (we ate inside- it was a bit nippy!) set with our placemats and our five kernels of corn.
We used those placemats all weekend, it was great to sit down to a constant reminder of God's faithfulness, and to keep us focused on being thankful each time we came out of the cold and gathered in the warmth around the little table in the camper. And now we have some fun souvenirs from our "week in the woods!"

The past two years I have decorated for Christmas before we left for Thanksgiving so we came home to "decked halls", but this year Thanksgiving was so early I just didn't get to it. Right about now, I'm wishing I would have! Once I get all of our camping laundry sorted and put away I'll be dragging down Christmas boxes. Joy, joy, joy!

Which makes me think of Advent... which begins this weekend! This year we will be using the book, The Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader. I found it and ordered it this summer, and it looks really good. We have also enjoyed the Jotham's Journey trilogy for the past several years. They are currently out of print, but they are *so* good- if you come across any of the three titles (Jotham's Journey, Bartholomew's Passage, and Tabitha's Travels) you should snatch them up. We began reading these when our kids reached upper-elementary age, and they really hold their attention. We all have loved them. My son has already asked if we will be reading through those this year. (Amazon has some great reviews on them if you're interested.) I just love well-written stories and books that keep us focused on the true meaning of the season and cause us to s-l-o-w down, light candles and read together.

I hope your family had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday. Once I get my laundry finished (and before I fall headlong into the Christmas tubs) I'll take some time to visit blogs and get caught up on everyone. :) I'm so glad you stopped by!

And now, back to the laundry room......


8 comments:

Linda said...

I would have loved it if we could have been camping in the same "neck of the woods". We had a good time too - all those great cmap fires, badmitton, hikes, bike rides, fishing...just being together.
Todd fried the turkies (the first time we have done that) and they were delicious. Our table was deliciously filled.
I have to haul out the decorations too. Time - it goes far too quickly!

Dianne said...

Wow, that looks like a great time. I'm sure your kids will remember this Thanksgiving for years to come!

Mindy said...

Cyndi -
It looks like you all had a fabulous time!
Do you have any great idea's for me to use for family devotions during advent? I loved the one's you've done but I need something that is appropriate for preschoolers, toddlers and a Kinder.
Any suggestions?
In HIM -
Mindy

Chris @ Come to the Table said...

I am glad you had such a wonderful time with your family. I love those placemats.

It is all about the time together than the pretty meal etc..

It is decorating week around here too!

Susanne said...

Looking outside my window at the frigid cold snow coming down in -10C (14 F)day, I'm having a hard time placing you camping in my imagination. It just does not compute! ;v)

I love those placemats. How nice are they! I'm tucking that idea away for next year with the dayhome kids.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

I would like to do devotions/advent with my children this year. I bought an advent calendar at a Christmas market here this weekend. Anyway, I have two two year olds and a baby. What would you recommend to use?

Tricia said...

Welcome home you guys! Love the photos from your camping adventure -- what a good-lookin' family! Oh, and thanks for mentioning the five kernels in a previous post. We read the stories that go along with that on Thanksgiving and we loved it. It brought such meaning to the day.

Sandy said...

Cyndi, I enjoyed reading about your family spending time "out" and in the woods! The closest we got was Dinosaurs Alive at the museum. It was wonderful, but chilly.

Our little grandchildren were wonderful to see and hug. They did end up very sick and had to be taken to the ER. Today I was diagnosed with my first case ever of pneumonia. Not fun!

Thanksgiving was meaningful to me, too, this year. Our adult children all said that it was the best one in years. It remains our favorite holiday, just because we can come from so many different states and be together.

So does that handsome woodsman share recipes? Some of those dishes sounded mighty tasty.

And when will that lovely young lady begin driving?

My dear husband is eagerly anticipating next week, a new week, which will finally allow him some breathing room. God is good!

Blessings on your family,
Sandy