Thanksgiving, Christmas Decorating, and More...

I couldn't resist - I'm such a sucker for nostalgia - I picked up these Christmas candles at an antique store while I was in Omaha - they're from the 1940's.

It's been 2 months since my last post - where in the world does the time go?  In a nutshell, it's been busy at the Hamberg's - with the help of Carol and Katie, (and Scott, for putting up the tree and lights!), I actually have our Christmas tree up ealier than ever this year!  It's a good feeling to decorate the house a little earlier than usual, in order to make time for other Christmas events.  We spent a nice Thanksgiving with Scott's family, but of course missed seeing all of you!  If you haven't heard the word yet, we'd like to invite you to our house for the Nykerk family Christmas this year - Pictionary and bingo will definitely be on the agenda, but stay tuned for more info once I get it figured out!  (Would welcome any of your thoughts or suggestions, too....)

I think I'll post some pictures at the end of this post, but before that, here are just a few things that have been happening lately.....

1)  Katie's landlords defaulted on their loan and have to sell the apartment she and Justin are living in.  They had until yesterday to find a new apartment; after lots of looking, they've decided to take the 3-bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor of the same building they're living in, and they're moving this weekend!  In other big news related to that, Dan will be their 3rd roommate!  Katie is looking forward to welcoming him to Chicago.

2)  Dave, Rachel and Ally spent the week of Thanksgiving in Conifer, Colorado visiting with Dave's folks.  They enjoyed a "huge" Thanksgiving dinner, and a couple of side trips around the nearby area.  Two of Dave's friends live close by, and they were able to see them, too.

3)  I attended a great crafts weekend in Omaha, NE a few weeks ago, called "Silver Bella", but unfortunately Carol got ill just before she was supposed to join me there.  I still had a good time (considering everything), but as you all know by now, a couple of days after I got home from that, Rachel and I flew to Portland to visit Carol.  We are so happy that she is doing much better, and looking forward to even better health for her this coming year.

4)  Scott is swamped at work, and some huge project there is taking most of his time.  Let's just say he is looking forward to retirement.  Speaking of working, it looks like I will be looking for part-time work after the first of the year, if you hear of anybody who needs a brilliant retiree who is very gifted in many areas; or, if they don't take her, maybe they'll consider me - haha!

5)  So looking forward to having all of the kids home for Christmas this year; Scott and I are greeters at the Christmas Eve service, so our clan hopes to see you there.  It's my favorite service of the year.

More to come on Christmas plans; in the meantime, enjoy some pics below.....

Katie was home for Thanksgiving week; it was great fun having her and Bella around....







My two elf helpers...



The Hamberg Thanksgiving - Shelley's daughter Megan, Mom Hamberg and Mark's wife Julie (sorry some of these pics are out of order; too much trouble to fix.....)



Seeing this one come off the plane in Michigan was a bit scary for children under 12.  Haha.



Candles from pic above, plus an old antique nutcup/brush tree Christmas assemblage and postcard from the 30's.  They make me smile.



While Katie was in town, she attended our "Hamberg Cooking School" - haha, don't laugh, she made a lot of very tasty dishes!  One nite, we invited Carol over to sample a wonderful pasta dish that Kate made; and afterwards, Carol stayed to help decorate our Christmas tree....