thankfulness

A few months from Thanksgiving, I know, but right now I am thankful for a whole lot of things. I will list a few, since it is good to be specifically thankful.

*David, who makes me smile
*Our house, which makes me feel very very blessed
*Food, which makes me hungry and then blissfully NOT hungry
*Sunshine and rain, which both make me happy when they happen with mostly sunshine and then a nice few days of rain for a change!

Thank you, God, for everything.

My Christmas List

• safe flights
• most presents made it past security. . ,
• Stress Ball!
• "I think I'm happy. . . HOOO!"
• Wine
• Day trips
• Historical Landmarks
• Rivers & rocks!
• Ironstone Winery :)
• Daniel's pellet gun from Dad
• Daniel's .22 from the brothers. . .
• back scratches
• food
• chocolate
• leftovers
• games & stories
• tiny bed :)
• sisterly shopping
• motherly advice
• fatherly jokes
• brotherly love. . .
• old books
• Mountain Mikes Pizza
• Jamba Juice!
• Bass Pro, huzzah!
• and of course, the train museum
  
• Wonderful Christmastime!
  

Henry and the Christmas Baking Adventure

Henry the Polar Bear, a true value if there ever was one, now resides in our front yard. His leg lights are lame, and his head ones were dead, but I added a bunch so he lights up pretty much all over, if you pretend that the bottom part of his legs are stilts. He was almost extinct, I guess you could say.




This is David, sneaking things from the kitchen during the Christmas Baking Adventure.


And this is me, heading up the C.B.A. Immediately after this, the white chocolate in the microwave went beyond the melty, gooey stage and into the crusty, over-radiated stage. Silly magazine recipe for truffles. Why do I think I can make you? Although . . . they do TASTE good, even if there is crusty-ness not listed in the recipe.

Oh, and it shall snow tonight again! Yay! a fresh dusting of snow for a pre-party evening. Love it.

What!? Christmas?

We are two weeks away from Christmas. I think it came awfully fast this year. . . oh wait. The store has had trees up since September. Nevermind. It's a long time coming, and I'm so excited it's finally imminent! Last year my Christmas was sort of smashed between graduating from college, saying goodbye to my friends, getting married to and moving in with my David. I was a little distracted.

But not this year! I'm reveling in the songs, the colours, my husband's efficient help in writing/folding/stuffing Christmas letters. . . I am completely content.

And this year I'm really celebrating Happy Birthday Jesus time--2000 years and he still matters. Come, worship the King!

For Papa

He always called me "My girl" when we stopped by--How's my girl? He probably said that to all the nurses. . . the girls. . . but I didn't care. I knew he liked me plenty good, his most recently acquired granddaughter.

I hope he knew that every time I said "Goodbye, Papa, you be good!" that I really meant, "Take care of yourself, because we wanna keep you around."

I miss you, Papa; I miss the visits that I needed to keep learning about you and from you.

Now I suppose I will have to wait until I get to Jerusalem the Golden til I see you. Hope you're keeping it sprayed up there.

Proof, for starters

See, here he is! My tightrope walker neighbor.

What else? No blog since Halloween. I guess I've been too busy singing and choiring and wife-ing. And reading, some of that too.

I can't think of anything else. Long past are the days when I pulled 6 page papers out of thin air for British Lit courses! Guess I'm out of practice. I'll be back when something important happens. Something amazing and blogworthy. Like maybe tonight when I practice using my dishwasher again--take two. I've never had one before. This new house of ours is full of modern things, I tell ya!

Heffalumps and Woozles

Business isn't very busy tonight at our house, but it is very cute nonetheless. This is Addison the Elephant.
Other guests include Superman, a Black Cat, Army Dude, three teens with painted bloody faces who were "just trying to hold on to their childhood," and a nervous little cowboy.
True Value also entertained some cute dinosaurs, several dozen princesses (all on their way to the church next door), a witch, a pirate-ess (is that politically incorrect?), a couple chickens, and two football players with their buddy in camouflage--Tanner, Michael, and Michael.

Excerpt from Tanner, Michael & Michael:
T: Whoa! those are Jolly Rancher tootsie pops? I didn't know they even had those!
Smart-alec M (half the size of T): Read the cover . . . "Jolly" "Rancher" DUH!
M2: why don't we just go now. . . I guess we have to say it don't we. . . [mutters]. . uhh, trick or treat.

Happy Halloween indeed.