Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good - Psa 107:1a

Thanksgiving is one of Liesel's and my favorite holidays here in the USA! It's a time for us to reflect back on the past year and appreciate God's faithfulness, and providence that He has lavished upon us. It's also a perfect opportunity for some quality time with the family, since I had the Thursday, Friday and weekend off.

For our Thanksgiving, we were invited to some friends who are originally from Texas. Since neither our friends, nor us, have family nearby to celebrate with, it was a great idea for our families to celebrate together! Nathan loved playing with Max, Owen and Sam (their three boys) while Josh entertained himself with books and cars on the carpet. Soon it was time for the Thanksgiving meal, and it was without a shadow of a doubt, the best Thanksgiving meal we have ever had! Our Texan friends, thankfully, do not follow the Thanksgiving tradition of preparing a huge turkey. Instead, we feasted on delicious steaks that were grilled to perfection by Jeremy! Restaurants should come to him to learn the art of perfecting the steak! The meat was so tender that it hardly needed a knife to cut it. Absolutely divine!! After the second helping of steak, dessert was readied in the kitchen. This consisted of Banana Cream pie, Pumpkin pie and chocolate brownies! This was a Thanksgiving of Note!

On Friday, we were awakened to a thin layer of snow covering our yard. This was our first snowfall of the season, and a gentle reminder of what we will be used to seeing within a few weeks! Unlike last year, I did not venture out to the stores before the sun rose, to take advantage of the store's Black Friday sales.... and spent most of the time at home. Later that day I did head out to get some more LED Christmas lights to decorate our house, and found that most of the crowds of bargain hunters had dissipated. That evening was Family Fun Night, and Nathan's choice was to play some board games, which is always a great family bonding activity!


By the time Saturday rolled around, the snow had melted and was long forgotten, as the sun shone brightly in the blue northeast Ohio sky! Liesel went out for breakfast with a friend and enjoyed some rare quality shopping time. I had the boys all to myself and kept them entertained for a few hours. Once Liesel returned home, I took my mower for its last spin around the yard, mainly to pick up the leaves that were covering the grass. Once that task was done, I moved the mower to the back of the garage, and parked my snow thrower in the premium spot that the mower occupied during the last 3 seasons! Inside, Nathan and I put up our Christmas tree, and started the process of decorating it! Once it was erected, and the lights tested, I headed up onto our roof to finish hanging the lights. It is quite a nerve-wracking experience hanging lights at the extreme edges of the roof, but at least the weather was dry and warm this time!



Another gorgeous day greeted us on Sunday, and we headed to the early church service. Later that afternoon, we headed out to Crocker Park to get some hot chocolate and walk around in the unseasonal weather. Nathan got to play with the train set at Barnes and Noble, and we got to see all the beautiful Christmas decorations, including the giant Christmas tree in the center. Can't believe December is a couple of days away!!!!

Finally, I want to wish my nephew a happy 7th Birthday today! I hope you have a great day Caleb!

Happy first birthday, Josh!!!

One year ago, I was getting Nathan, with his overnight bag, into my car and heading out into Cleveland's first snow storm of the season, after a frantic phone call from Liesel, informing me that Joshua was about to come into our world! This weekend, we celebrate a year of an adventurous, care-free, loving,and energetic life with our little hurricane, Josh!



Saturday was Josh's big day, and he was the first to wake up. Once all of us were awake, we moved to the living room and handed him his first birthday gifts to open. Of course, his older brother was on hand to demonstrate the proper paper ripping techniques! He seemed to enjoy his gifts, and was moving from toy to toy, trying to determine which was most fun. Being one year old, he could now enjoy certain privileges, such as a pancake for breakfast and his very first, birthday cupcake! Being his first cupcake ever, his dessert etiquette leaves much to be desired, as is evident in the photos!


Later that day as Josh took a nap to recuperate from all the excitement, I took advantage of the above average temperatures we have been experiencing, and started to put up our Christmas lights! I will not, however, be following local shopping complexes' example, by turning the lights on so early in the season. It will only be after Thanksgiving before I flip the switch to turn the festive lights on. We also had a chance to catch up with our families in South Africa using Skype! It's so much better for the grandparents and aunts to be able to see Joshua and wish him happy birthday"face to face"!

That evening, after supper, it was Family Fun Night, and Liesel chose to play board games as our activity! Liesel and Nathan shared the victories this time round......

On Sunday, it was a rare occurrence, that I was awake before everyone else, including Josh! The reason for that was that my alarm woke me up at 6:30am as I had to be at the church at 7:30 for worship team rehearsal. This Sunday was the first time that I played lead "electric" guitar for the team. The reason I put electric in quotes, was that I still played my regular Fender accoustic guitar, but this time I had an effects pedal which converted my guitar's sounds to that of an electric! I really enjoyed this new role, and loved seeing the face of the people in the congregation who were trying so hard to find out who was playing the electric guitar! After church, Liesel prepared another delicious roast for us, and then it was all hands on deck for getting the house ready for Josh's party at 3pm! Liesel catered and as always, served up a delicious array of dishes! She had everything from mini-quiches to a spicy buffalo hot sauce dip that accompanied tortilla chips. For the sweet tooth, she had cupcakes, her signature double chocolate chip cookies,and éclairs filled with custard to name a few!

At 3pm, our friends started arriving, and Nathan was thrilled to have four of his best friends spend the afternoon with him! Everybody had a great time, from enjoying the food, watching (but not enjoying) the Cleveland football team snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and just hanging out and enjoying each other's company! Ah yes, it was a great weekend! Can't wait for Josh's second birthday :)

Enjoying it while it lasts!

After taking the garbage out onto our driveway tonight at 9pm, I realized that the days when I can do that barefoot and wearing a T-shirt are very, very few! There is a definite chill in the night air, but the day time temperatures that we are enjoying at the moment, are well above average for this time of year!

On Saturday morning, the McCarthy family went to explore the Westside Market in Cleveland for the first time. This quote from the Westside Market page at About.com sums it up perfectly: "The West Side Market, at the edge of Ohio City in Cleveland, is a cultural and culinary gem. Opened in 1912, the market combines graceful Neo-Classical/Byzantine architecture with a vibrant produce and meat, poultry, and dairy market. Not only is the West Side Market an interesting and fun place to visit, it's a great place to find quality groceries at affordable prices."

It truly does cater for every culinary taste, as some of the food was very "interesting". We saw ox tongue (which brings back memories of Christmas in South Africa), lamb tongue, lamb livers, lamb hearts, and pig's feet! There was also the entire body of a slaughtered pig in one of the butcher's display fridges. I wanted to take a photo, but I thought to myself, if they could proudly display what they did to that pig, then they probably could do something similar to a curious photographer with an accent! But fear not, for I have scoured the internet and found a photo of someone who was brave enough to take a photo at the Westside market!


The market also had dozens of bakeries, boasting baked treats, delicious breads and exquisite cakes. There were stores selling different varieties of cheeses, Chinese specialties, nuts and spices! In another building, as far as the eye could see, vendors were selling fresh produce, and offering free samples of their goods. Some vendors displayed their fruit and veggies artistically, while other vendors shouted out their specials as you walked past. This venue was packed with people purchasing produce, even at 9am when we arrived there. It's doors officially open at 7am, so that could explain why it was bustling 2 hours later! We did not buy anything exotic, but Nathan got a doughnut, and Liesel and I treated ourselves to giant crepe each, covered in sugar and lemon juice! It was about the size of a large pizza, but it was delicious, with everyone in the family, including Nathan and Josh, getting a taste of the mega-pancake!

As I mentioned earlier the weather was fantastic, and when we got home, we changed into short sleeved tees, and I started up the mower to pick up the leaves that were covering the grass. While I mowed, Liesel, Josh, and Nathan came outside and kicked a soccer ball around and just loved being outdoors! After I got done with the mowing, Nathan and I played with his radio control helicopter on the driveway. Mental Note: Don't play with a radio control helicopter on a driveway, because if it falls and hits the concrete, little, yet important (ie. tail rotor), pieces will break off!

That evening we headed to the shops to do some grocery shopping, and get some items needed for Josh's party next week. Then we returned home, had dinner, bathed Josh and cut his hair, put Josh in bed and then sat down to watch Disney's Earth movie for Family Fun Night. This is more of a documentary about animals on the earth, and about the circle of life. Needless to say, it wasn't Nathan's favorite, and when I took him to bed afterwards, his words to me were: "That wasn't very fun!". Documentaries have that reputation......

On Sunday, Josh had a runny nose as a result of his teething, so Liesel stayed at home with him, and Nathan and I went to Church. While at church, Liesel and Josh went for a brisk walk around the neighborhood. We enjoyed our time at the church, and when we came home, Liesel had prepared a delicious pork roast for us for lunch, and her famous hot, chocolate pudding!! Later that day, Liesel and Nathan headed off to the library, and left me at home with a sleeping Josh. This was the perfect opportunity for me to practice on my guitar piece for church next week! When Liesel and Nathan returned an hour later, I played with the boys in the basement, before dinner time. Then it was soon time to eat, bath and into bed :)



Josh sporting his new haircut, and Nathan posing behind his "Lego City"

... and now for one of my favorite photo's: Josh fully engrossed in a volleyball match on the TV! He stood there for about 10 minutes watching :) That's my boy!

Weekend workout

As I type this blog, I can hear my muscles protesting about what I put them through this weekend! The weather this weekend was at the polar opposite of what we had to endure last weekend! Beautiful sunny and warm days (very rare in November) were served to us, and we took full advantage of this anomaly.

On Friday evening, Nathan decided that he wanted to go have dinner at Max & Erma's for his family fun night. So I met up with Liesel and the boys there on my way home from work. The best part of the meal was the steaming hot chocolate chip cookies that were delivered on a baking tray at the end of the meal!

The real workout began on Saturday. I took Nathan and Josh with me to Home Depot to purchase a rake. We headed home and I put Josh into his stroller and positioned him in our front yard overlooking the ever-increasing collection of leaves on our lawn. Nathan and I then proceeded to rake up the fallen foliage into a heap by the curb. After about 15 minutes, Josh was quickly reaching his "nap by:" date and Nathan's interest in raking had waned, I took the boys inside and put Josh down for his nap. Liesel and Nathan started preparing that evening's dinner, while I grabbed a tin of paint and put the final coat of paint on our wrap around porch railings. That took me to 5pm when it was time to bath the boys as we were expecting friends over for dinner at 6pm. Our friends then joined us for a lovely evening, eating Liesel's homemade pizzas and topping that off with her double chocolate chip cookies (also straight out of the oven!) The rest of the evening was spent in front of the TV as my friend/Wii nemesis battled it out for first place in a number of different events :)

Liesel was on nursery duty on Sunday so she left for church early, giving me full custody of the boys. The boys and I got to church on time, and after dropping them off in the child care wing, I could sit back and enjoy the service. When we got home it was lunch time. Afterwards, Liesel and Josh settled down for their nap, and Nathan and I headed back out to the yard. We (98% me, 2% Nathan) turned the soil in one bed for Liesel to plant some bulbs, turned my compost heap, and finished raking the front lawn. A bit later when everyone was up, we went for a walk around the neighborhood because the weather was still enjoyable. This was the first time we put Josh and Nathan in the red wagon together (which I pulled), and the brothers seemed very happy with their close fellowship. Once home, I fired up my grill to cook us some chicken kebabs for dinner. That was a great way to close out this weekend, and celebrate the weather that accompanied it!



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Josh

Josh watching me grill outside

Signs of winter are upon us

Cleveland's weather was surprisingly pleasant on Friday, with temperatures holding at 70(21C)! The sun was shining and the wind negligible... so it was the perfect opportunity to get the family out for a stroll (while Daylight Savings Time was still in place!) Not only do we (Liesel and myself) get some exercise, but it is also lovely to see the last of the tree's multi-colored leaves clinging desperately onto the branches!!

On Saturday, in terms of the weather, Monty Python had the most applicable saying that relates to us in Cleveland, "..and now for something completely different!" The glorious weather had dissipated, and the temperatures dropped 20F(10C) degrees overnight, rain clouds filled up the vacant sky and the wind made it's unwelcome return! The combination of rain and wind has now stripped most of the remaining leaves off the trees, leaving them bare and lifeless. I guess we have to get used to this sight for the next five months! Our morning activities consisted of a bit of grocery shopping, and some clothes shopping for me, as all my jeans had more tear than wear in them! Once we returned from the stores, I donned my cap, gloves, put my headphones on and headed into the yard with my trusty lawnmower. But with the rain from a few hours earlier, parts of my yard had been transformed into swampland!! You can imagine how much I love mowing in the cold air, with the wind blowing and my feet sinking into soft mud! At least, I had the best looking yard for the annual Halloween event.

Each year, our city has a strict time that children need to adhere to when they go trick or treating. At 6pm, Nathan was outfitted in his spiderman costume, and the two of us hit the neighborhood streets. Liesel and Josh stayed at home and dished out candy to everyone who came to our door. About 45 minutes later, Nathan decided that he had enough calories in his "pumpkin" and the cold air was penetrating his mittens and winter hat - so we turned around and headed home! By 7:30pm, the cut off time for trick or treating, the boys had been bathed and ready for bed.

October 31, besides being Halloween, was also the night that we adjusted our clocks an hour back (so now we are 7 hours behind South African time!) For most people, this meant an extra hour of sleep, but unfortunately our Joshua doesn't comprehend the significance of daylight savings just yet. I had to be at the church early anyway, since I was again in the band. This morning we did another song combining the talents of the Providence Orchestra, choir and our band, and it really was spectacular! Hopefully the recording of that song will find its way to the internet, since I know that our church was streaming live again today.

Even though the temperatures were cool, the sun was shining, and again there was no wind this afternoon. Later that afternoon we all jumped into the car and headed to the local recreation center for a brisk stroll, with Liesel pushing Josh in his stroller, and me pulling Nathan in his wagon. We also brought along his soccer ball and had lots of fun kicking it into the goal's net, and letting Nathan and Josh get their fix on the swings before heading home to a lovely roast for dinner!

Below is a video of Nathan at his pre-school, at their annual Halloween party! Enjoy :) Remember, Nathan is Spiderman.....