November

 November began with some chilly weather, and beautiful fall colors on the trees.

We got yard work done, and the boys plugged along in school.

Kieran had his end of season Cross Country dinner where he snagged the Leadership Award for the team.

So proud of him.  He loves cross country, and respects & admires his coaches so much.  Very thankful to have them in Kieran's life.

The cooler weather brought out the baking bug & I tried out a new recipe.

Black bottom oatmeal pie.  

It was a huge hit.  Think of pecan pie without the nuts.  I've already made another.

The boys had a modified Spirit Week at school in the middle of the month.  A few parents were allowed on campus to help with some (socially distanced) games during lunch.  I was thrilled to be able to go help for a few days..... the boys maybe not as much.

While I was there I had a chance to take a look at the high school homeroom doors.  They each decorated them with different themes, and the faculty/staff voted on the winner.

Kieran's room had a Willy Wonka theme:

I mean, seriously.....how could they not win.

And they did.

And this was about as excited as they were to see me each day.

This was on decade day.  Keenan chose the 80's.  Kieran went 90's grunge but wouldn't allow a photo.

At the end of the week Keenan had to give a presentation in Latin class on a mythological character.  His was Eros (Cupid)....he went with a more "rugged" interpretation.

Loch was due for a grooming session, and while I waited for him I enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Then I spotted this giant millipede nearby.  Giant.

He's all spiffed up for the holiday's.

Thanksgiving was a much more low key day than we usually have.

This was our year to stay here, which was a good thing since Ohio was putting limits on gatherings and discouraging travel (and so was NC).

We headed to Raleigh for lunch on Thursday with Kevin's parents, and then Friday had a private pizza party for four (instead of 40+ that is normal in Ohio).

Saturday we met two of Kevin's college roommates for brunch.  Due to our governor's mandates, gatherings of more than ten are not allowed, so we met at a local restaurant and divided between tables.  Our kids are all close in ages, and it was good to hear them chatting and laughing after a bit.

Was great to catch up and thankful for the decades of friendships.

After brunch we headed back home to wrap up our week long overhaul on our front deck.  It was a beautiful 70 degree day with sunshine.  Perfect to be outside and enjoying this view.

All week the boys and I had cleaned, sanded, and prepped the deck for a much overdue staining.  Saturday afternoon we finished the bulk of it, and by Sunday it was ready to have furniture put back and Christmas decor on it.

Keenan had a plan for our outdoor lighting, and I do think it's his best yet.

I'm thrilled with the deck.  Kevin had also taken advantage of the warm weather and worked on retaining the upstairs.  He's still got a little to finish outside Kieran's room, and then the other side of the house.  Very thankful for our neighbor's loan of a super long extension pole and brush!

We finished just in time.  Sunday night brought a cold front and lots of wind and rain.

And more seasonable, chilly temp's.  I'll wait for another bit of warmer weather to finish touch up's on the deck.