Thanks so much for looking. Be sure to leave a comment, if you think it would encourage my heart.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Thanksgiving Weekend ROCKS!

It's that time of year again. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with Mike's family on Thursday. It is always fun to get together and watch the kids play and enjoy time with their cousins. Mike has found a "new to him" show on television, Parenthood, which has given him a new enjoyment of time with his family. I am not sure that he has watched an episode without busting a gut laughing and wiping his eyes of tears. I got away without taking one picture on Thanksgiving. Sad times. As we were saying our goodbyes, the dog bit Big Mike on the nose. I think it looks so cute, but he doesn't like it, at all. After leaving there, we made our annual stop at Bub and Gig's for a round of hugs and a few minutes of laughs. Our hearts were full of gratitude. 

Friday morning we loaded up and headed to Cypress Springs Tree and Berry Farm. This was our 13th year to visit the farm. It is one of our favorite days of the year. Even after the hot, hot, dry, dry summer we had in Texas, we were able to find the perfect tree for us


 



We make this annual trip with our friends, the Cases. Lori's sister, Laurel, went and got married this year, so her family got blessed to join our group. I am not sure Jim, Laurel's husband, knows just how lucky he is. I'll be sure to remind him throughout the year.We always take the opportunity to picnic and shoot some family pics, while on the farm.
 



  
 
We usually take too many pictures, and that causes the little ones and all the boys (except Ken) to be way over the picture taking before we are done snapping pics. Lord willing, we will be back next year, Cypress Springs. We enjoyed everything about our day.


After our day on the farm is done, we go...SHOPPING! We have done this differently in prior years. This year we went to Mineola and shopped for a few hours at the little home-town shops on the main square. After closing down the shops, we ate at East Texas Burger Company. Good food, but better company!

When we got home, we watched our first Christmas movie of the season, Elf. We take turns choosing movies to watch. Mike chose this one. Tomorrow Kylee gets to choose.

Today we slept late and had a lazy day. Kylee put her tree in her room. Mike didn't do a lot. My dh painted, made a drink run with the boy, set-up the tv and all the other boxes that go with that,watched some Parenthood episodes on Netflix, took something to storage, and trimmed the tree. Hoping he will add lights soon so we can decorate the thing. I edited pics and sat covered up in my chair most of the day. Good day!


findJoyintheJourney
-kym^

Sunday, November 6, 2011

One Thing Leads to Another

Well, my baby girl isn't feeling well this morning, so we stayed home today. You will never believe what I have gotten done. I have started the laundry, sorted emails, gotten some HEAD business in order, showered, eaten breakfast, graded papers from last week, gotten assignment sheets & chore lists ready for next week, and gotten commission ready. Right before I had my quiet time, I wanted to add a gold dollar coin, that I received this week, to our coin jar. Well, I couldn't just drop the coin in the jar, for some reason. It's my ADHD that I warned you about earlier. Anyway, I sorted and counted everything and then had a HISstory lesson. Goodness. I lost a couple of hours, but it sure was interesting. Well, here is what I found. Enjoy!

2 pennies- One has a heart cut out of it and one is a wheat penny minted in 1918. 

21 nickels-
*5 2004 Westward Journey nickels-
The first of two new reverses on the 2004-dated Jefferson nickel will feature a rendition of the reverse of the original Indian Peace Medal commissioned for Lewis and Clark's expedition, bearing the likeness of America's third president on one side, and symbols of peace and friendship on the other. The medals were presented to Native American chiefs and other important leaders as tokens of goodwill at treaty signings and other events.I have three of these. The second reverse will feature an angled, side-view of the keelboat with full sail that transported members of the expedition and their supplies through the rivers of the Louisiana Territory in search of a northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean. Built to the specifications of Captain Lewis, the 55-foot keelboat could be sailed, rowed, poled like a raft, or towed from the riverbank. The design, by United States Mint sculptor/engraver Al Maletsky, shows Captains Lewis and Clark in full uniform in the bow of the keelboat.I have two of these. 
*8 2005 Westward Journey nickels- In 2005, a contemporary image of President Jefferson will appear on the nickel, along with two new reverse designs that recognize the American Indians and wildlife encountered by the Lewis and Clark expedition and the progress and culmination of the journey.I have 4 of the spring issue with the buffalo on the reverse side and 4 of the summer/fall issue with the ocean on the reverse side.
*1 2006 Westward Journey nickel- In 2006 the obverse features the "Jefferson, 1800" image and the reverse features "Return to Monticello".
*7 buffalo nickels-
Only one has a readable date on it. It was minted in Denver in 1937. 

9 quarters- 4 Texas quarters, 1 almost black quarter, 2 red quarters, and 2 real silver quarters (1944 and 1947).

11 silver half dollars- one from the year I was born: Few events have shocked the American psyche as profoundly as the assassination of President John Kennedy on November 22, 1963. In the age of modern communication, news of the shooting spanned the entire globe in mere moments. Less than one week after the tragedy, a high-level decision was made to honor Kennedy by placing his image on the half dollar. The quarter had been considered, but Mrs. Kennedy requested that the portrait of George Washington not be removed from U.S. coinage. Work began quickly on tooling up for production of Kennedy Half Dollars. Congress also had matters to address. The current law required that coin designs not be changed for a minimum of 25 years. The Franklin Half Dollar had been around for only 15 years and could not be retired without the intervention of Congress. Legislation authorizing the Kennedy Half Dollar was finalized with bipartisan support on December 30, 1963. Proof dies were ready on January 2, 1964. Coining of the first Kennedy Half Dollar Proofs commenced immediately thereafter. Production of regular business strikes began at the Denver Mint on January 30. The following week, the Philadelphia Mint started regular half dollar coinage.

5 silver dollars- two from the year my hubby was born, one from the year my brother was born, and two bicentennials: The Eisenhower dollar is a $1 coin issued by the United States government from 1971–1978 (not to be confused with the Eisenhower commemorative dollar of 1990, or the Presidential $1 Coin Program, which will feature Eisenhower in 2015). The Eisenhower dollar followed the Peace dollar and is named for General of the Army and President Dwight David Eisenhower, who appears on the obverse. The Eisenhower dollar was the last dollar coin to contain a proportional amount of base metal to lower denominations; it has the same amount of copper-nickel as two Kennedy half dollars, four Washington quarters, or ten Roosevelt dimes. Because of this it was a heavy and somewhat inconvenient coin. It was often saved as a memento of Eisenhower and never saw much circulation outside of casinos. This led to its short time in circulation and its replacement by the smaller, but even less popular, Susan B. Anthony dollar in 1979.
 
12 Susan B. Anthony dollars - all of ours were made in 1979: The Susan B. Anthony dollar is a United States coin minted from 1979 to 1981, and again in 1999. It was the first circulating U.S. coin with the portrait of an actual woman rather than an allegorical female figure such as 'Liberty'. It was one of the most unpopular coins in American history.

22 Sacagawea gold dollar coins: The Sacagawea Golden Dollar, was first issued in 2000 as a replacement for the ill-received Susan B. Anthony dollar coin. The Sacagawea coin depicts the young Shoshone woman with her infant son, Jean-Baptiste, slung on her back. Sacagawea and her infant served as a "white flag" of peace for the expedition, which was as much a military expedition as a scientific one. They entered potentially hostile territory well armed but undermanned compared to the Native American tribes they met. Because no war party was ever accompanied by a woman and infant, the response of the Native Americans was curiosity, not aggression. They talked first, and Sacagawea often served as the translator. Not a single member of the party was lost to hostile action. 

8 Presidential coins: 2007-Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809); 2008-James Monroe (1817-1825); (2)2009-William Henry Harrison (1841); 2009-James Polk (1845-1849); 2010-Milard Fillmore (1850-1853); (2)2011-Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877). The program began on January 1, 2007, and is similar to the State Quarter program in that it will not end until every eligible subject is honored. The program is to issue coins featuring each of four presidents per year on the obverse, issuing one for three months before moving on to the next president in chronological order by term in office. The U.S. Mint calls it the Presidential $1 Coin Program. The reverse of the coins bears the Statue of Liberty, the inscription "$1" and the inscription "United States of America". Inscribed along the edge of the coin is the year of minting or issuance of the coin, the mint mark, 13 stars, and also the legends E Pluribus Unum. The edge-lettering looks like this: ★★★★★★★★★★  2009  D  ★★★  E PLURIBUS UNUM; before 2009, “In God We Trust” appeared in place of the stars on the edge lettering. The legend "Liberty" is absent from the coin altogether, since the decision was made that the image of the Statue of Liberty on the reverse of the coin was sufficient to convey the message of liberty.

1/2 Franc = I have no idea.
$.25 Camen Islands coin.
25 Pesos should I visit Mexico or $1.86 if I decide to convert.
$2.27 in Canadian money, if I decide to take a trip to Canada.
$2.70 in euros. That's $3.72 in US currency. 
$51 in the Republic of Liberia coins- one has Nolan Ryan 7 No Hitters on it and the other has the face of Mars on it. How do I have these things? I have no idea!
1 Dwight D. Eisenhower brass commemorative coin
5 Texas Ranger tokens
1 Showplace Lanes token
1 Chuck-E-Cheese token
1 Namco token
1 Aladdin's Castle token
1 token to somewhere, anywhere, I don't know where and
1 widow's mite from Bethlehem at Berean two years ago.

I used to have some really old dollar bills and some $2 bills, but I don't know where any of those things are. I suppose they are not mine anymore.


 
 Now, I must go and wash my hands. Coins stink!

findJoyintheJourney
-kym^