BEAN Post: A Table Fit for a Bean

WELCOME TO THE BLOG, MISS LILY BEAN...

Today is Thanksgiving and I am very excited to see my family at 5:30, but before then we have to get a lot of things done so our guest will be welcomed. This is what our tables look like. 

                                                      

I made a lot of things to decorate the house and tables. Let’s get started on telling what I did to decorate the table and house. First off I made these Tom the turkeys.

                                                       

All it needed was feathers, a glue gun, a foam ball, orange and brown paint, a paint brush, and googly eyes. All I did was I painted the foam ball brown and let them dry. Then I painted a beak orange on the foam ball. After all the paint dried I glued the eyes with a glue gun. Then I took the feathers and I took out all the orange, red, and yellow feathers so they would be Thanksgiving colors. I cut the feather into thirds so they won’t be too big and made holes on top of the the foam ball then I glued the bottom of the feather with a glue gun so it would stay and I stuck them in the holes. Then I let them dry and there were tons of Tom the turkeys on the table.

           

Next I made the edible turkeys. They look like this.

All you need to make the edible turkeys is any Oreos of your choice, Rice Krispies cereal, salted butter, any kind of chocolate, candy corns, and mini marshmallows. All you have to do is melt three tablespoons of butter and wait till it is all melted. Then you add three cups of marshmallows and wait till they are melted and together. Next you add three cups of Rice Krispies cereal and stir. Then put Rice Krispie mixture in a cake pan and put in fridge for about five minutes. Then you take it out of the fridge and roll the Rice Krispie mixture into balls. Then you take your Oreos and take out as many as you need for your guests. Then you take the same number of Oreos out again. Then you melt the chocolate and then you cover one group of the Oreos and cover them with chocolate and then put them in the fridge for about five minutes. After you take the Oreos out of the fridge you take some of your melted chocolate and put a handful on the bottom of the Rice Krispie ball. Then you put the Rice Krispie ball and put it on the Oreos that don’t have chocolate on them. Then you take the Oreos that do have chocolate on the back of the Rice Krispie ball with chocolate and leave a little bit of space on top of the Oreo so you can put the candy corns for the feathers. Then you use chocolate to stick the candy corns on the space that you left. Then you put a candy corn on the front of the Rice Krispie ball and add little eyes and you are done! 

I just decorated the table how I wanted. I am so thankful that I get to spend time with my family! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving! 

-Lily Bean

Thursday's Child ~ Welcome to the World, Sweet Davy Karol

She was born on a Thursday.  It was a normal Thursday for most.  But for some, it was a day that life changed forever.

David Bowie sang about Thursday's Child,

"Lucky old sun is in my sky

Nothing prepared me for your smile

Lighting the darkness of my soul

Innocence in your arms."

The birth of a child.  There's nothing like it.  It is the one single moment that demonstrates not only the existence, but the pure omnipotence of God.  The miracle of it is both humbling and fascinating all at the same time.

Innocent.
Delicate.
Tender.
Sweet.

And created by our Father with an absolute purpose.  Psalms 139 says it perfectly.

For you created my innermost being
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

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I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Words danced around in my head as I held all 6 pounds of her in my arms.  I have waited a long time for it.  After all, we all know how special my aunties are to me.  I love her sweet baby scent and the crease in her lips.  I love the way my Lily girl adores the very thought of her.  I love her soft baby breath as she sleeps.

I'm not David Bowie, but I also savor moments with writing.  In honor of my first baby niece...

They counted her fingers.

They counted her toes.

They watched each breath through her cute, button nose.

They held her tiny hands 

They held her tiny feet

They listened intently for her precious heart beat.

They cried and they smiled.

They hugged and they kissed.

They cherished every moment of their sweet, baby bliss.

In memory of her uncle, Davy is for David.

A brother and a fighter who will always be remembered.

Karol is for Papaw and her Dad's Brother.

Two strong men who will love her forever.

Knit together by him to be loved by us.

Welcome to the world, lovely baby girl.

I am swooned.
~ao

~ Thanksgiving TRO ~

Welcome to the blog, Tatum Robert O'Bryan:

Today is Thanksgiving so I thought I should write about it. The first Thanksgiving was in 1621. The Thanksgiving feast was held to celebrate the harvest. The pilgrims and the Native Americans feasted together and ate lots of food like turkey and pumpkin pie. Yum! Today, we celebrate Thanksgiving to be thankful of all that we have. The pilgrims and Native Americans were thankful for the harvest and all the food before them. I am thankful for my family, Jesus, and God. My family has supported me my whole life from school to sports. Jesus because he died on the cross for everyone's sins. I wouldn't be alive today without Jesus dying on the cross. God because he created everything, and I love to be alive. As John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." He sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. Have a happy Thanksgiving! 

Bye!
-TRO

~GATHER: A Hike for all Ages~

I put on my hiking boots and my new #SS15 tshirt.  I climb in the car with five of my favorites.  We are very different people.  We are quiet and reserved.  We are outspoken and opinionated.  We are tall, short, lean, curvy, blonde, brunette, and red-headed.

Our struggles are real and our accomplishments are great.  Our conversations range from divorce to mammograms to raising children and caring for our parents.

We represent a kaleidoscope of lives that could be featured in any modern women’s magazine. We are real live women doing our best to survive and build our lives.

This is our 15^th year.  It didn’t take us long after graduating from college to realize we NEEDED each other.  It was a small group at first, but each year it grew as we recognized the value in this time together.

So we gather. 

We gather to laugh.

We gather to rest.

We gather to reflect.

We gather to grow.

But most importantly, we gather to love. 

As I step out of the car, I know we are quite the sight.

Big sunglasses.

Matching tshirts.

Loud mouths.

We start our hike walking down a trail, talking a mile a minute.  We’re like a group of teenage girls that haven’t seen each other in ages.  We stop talking long enough to capture the most amazing view from our first overlook.  Instantly, we turn in to photographers and their subjects. 

“Look at that single red tree in the middle of all that green.”

“Don’t fall over the edge.”

“Did anyone bring water?”

“I need a picture with someone!”

We find a sweet couple to take a group shot and then pause again to admire the little red tree in the canyon.  We encounter our first story on that overlook.  Her name is Mary.  She’s a photographer and outdoor enthusiast.  She is impressed with our matching shirts.  After hearing our story, she tells us she graduated from college 40 years ago.  We leave Mary and wish her a wonderful day.  Our minds start imagining what our girls’ weekend will look like 25 years from now.  Hopefully, it looks an awful lot like Mary.

We start across the rim trail and pause briefly at the next overlook.  A sweet couple compliments our shirts.   We tell them our story and quickly find out they are celebrating their 25^th wedding anniversary.  We offer to take a picture to remember the moment.   I somehow imagine they don’t take pictures together often.  I also imagine a day they look back at that picture and remember their hike and their first 25 years together.

We continue down the trail.  Its quickly evident that every step we take down, we will have to take a step back up at some point.  We pass many “resters” along the way.   One resting couple inquires about our shirts.  We tell them our story and they declare they are “empty nesters”.  I imagine their thoughts as they heard our conversation coming down the trail.  I’m certain there is no judgment, just an awareness of our different places in life.

The trail widens as the sound of running water gets louder.  Its as if there is a magnetic force that stops our voices and opens our eyes.  Immediately, we each find our place. 

Some of us pray.

Some of us reflect.

Some of us write.

Each of us is in a totally different place while sitting at the same place.  It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes about relationships.

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." ~Elisabeth Foley

Many people will hike the Rim Trail in 2014.  Each of them will have their own story, capturing their perfect images, while reflecting on their place in the world.

Its certain, on this beautiful October day, we know our place in the world.  At least at that exact moment.

And so we gather. 

Once a year. 

Always the same. 

Yet just a little different. 

We are broken.

And still, we are complete.

And so we gather.

Thank god we do.

~ao

Due to an abundance of doing "nothingness" (aka laziness), I have no other pictures from SS15.  Probably a good thing to spare you from pictures of almost middle-aged women in yoga pants.