A visit with Grandma and Grandpa Graham~

Dear Friends,

How nice to "see" you today! We are getting some colder weather here in Missouri, and even saw a few snowflakes this morning. Indeed, it is starting to feel like Christmas.

We had a fun visit with the Grandparents Graham on Thanksgiving, complete with a craft-making party after the meal.

The Grahams have a fun playset in their back yard!

AnnaMarie placed custom-made place cards on the beautifully-set table~

~And Evangeline made lots of Christmas ornaments by herself!

The girls also tried their hands at making cinnamon/applesauce ornaments, which smell divine~

~And Frankie discovered the joys of Lincoln Log construction.

  

We have been learning so much about all the new things that grow and live in Missouri, and have even tried our hands at processing and eating acorns (Oak trees are few and far between in Idaho). One word of advice we have, when trying new foods, is to start with a small amount and work your way up, or you could end up with a tummyache!

May you have a most delightful day today, dear friends, and delight in the prospect of the beginning of a brand new month tomorrow. May the love of Christ fill your hearts and homes as you prepare your homes for the celebration of His birth.

Love,

Marqueta

***************************
 

Oak trees come out of acorns, 

no matter how unlikely that seems.  

An acorn is just a tree's
way back into the ground.  

For another try. 

Another trip through.   

One life for another.
-   Shirley Ann Grau

Some Pictures of Home

Dear Friends,

We are beginning our third week here in Missouri, and each day flies by faster than the last! Can it really be Thanksgiving this Thursday? And Christmas a month from Thanksgiving?! We hear that Idaho is having its second big snow storm since we've left, which makes us very grateful that the weather was so nice for our journey. We know that we were being watched over, and it is a very humbling feeling.

Here are a few pictures of our new cottage, and the surrounding area. We have spent as much time as possible exploring the outdoors, getting to know our new ecosystem, and looking for turtles (no luck yet!)~

Feeding geese at a local lake. 

Visiting the temple of the Church of Christ in Independence~

 

The Burr Oak Woods Nature Center~

 

 

~And the LDS Visitors' Center in Independence.

(We love her hat!)

 

Here is a front view of the new cottage (minus the right bedroom)~

 

 And the deck in back of the kitchen, with its Osage orange ornaments

AnnaMarie has been busily making bird feeders to feed our new feathered friends~

We were delighted to see our first walking stick last week. . .

  

 . . . And to watch for the cardinals, who love hiding in the burning bush out back.

We'd better get on with our unpacking now~ We have basement stairs to climb now, so moving up heavy boxes should get us in real good shape!

May you all have a most blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving.

Love,

Marqueta

****************

"In a Tiny Roadside Pool"

Who scorns

The simple things

Knows not where 

Beauty lies;

A tiny roadside

Pool may hold

A Star.

~Unknown

Hello, Missouri!

Dear Friends,

We have just our internet hooked up, and wanted to let you all know that we arrived here in Kansas City safe and sound. We arrived last Sunday and were blessed with lots of help unloading the moving truck; my mother-in-law even had a homemade lunch waiting for us!

 Here are some pictures of the sights we saw along the way from Idaho to Missouri~

First, of course, we picked up Mr. Graham at the bus stop and brought him home for a happy reunion!

Then we packed up the truck (which Grandpa Graham graciously offered to drive), and said goodbye to Idaho~

 

And hello to Wyoming, where we stayed our first night after traveling all day.

 

Lil' Button Nose was beginning to think that this trip was a life sentence!

 

Here we are catching up to the truck!

 

Good thing some of us packed our swimming clothes!

 

Goodbye, Wyoming your pronghorns, oil fields, and wind turbines. . .

 Hello, Nebraska with endless cornfields and lots of little windmills!

Nebraska is home to many Mormon historical landmarks (Unfortunately we didn't have time to stop and see many of them)~

 

Mormon Island had a maple with the biggest leaves we've ever seen!

 

 We just touched the border of Iowa for a miles, before seeing. . .

A welcome to our new home state!

The hills were still beautiful, even though many of the leaves had already gone.

So here we are, with all the of the joys of settling into a new home. Our home is an older home with lots of character, which is a big change from our bigger, but manufactured home in Idaho (which is still for sale, if anyone is interested ;) ). We'll be sure to take some pictures of our new place to share with you next time. Until then, dear friends, be blessed and have a wonderful day.

Love,

Marqueta