Tradition.

Not because it's possible that I will get any of these things, but because I do it every year. OK. Maybe it's possible I'll get one of these things.

Merry Retailing.

Today I:

source

Did something I've never done that was important.

and

Cracked a 2nd grader up.

Win, win.

Outtakes.

Christmas card pictures needed to be taken.

I knew I wanted black and white, so I told them

Put on your puffer coats.

I did not notice that Em was wearing shorts.

Dogs tend to get off task during the picture taking process,

and they often take the children with them.

The End of November

Emma had her 9th birthday party and her first "not at home" birthday party. This was a big deal. We had the party at Alley Cats, and they got to bowl, eat pizza and cake and each kid got a game card. It was fun for the girls, I think, and totally easy for me, and not that much more money.

We were going for the "Taylor Swift-ish" look, and I don't even want to tell you how long I spent on this particular hairdo that ended up looking like an old perm. Ugh.

She liked it though.

Em has some really cute friends.

And we have some really cute dogs. Yes. I am aware that they are wearing matching bright shiny purple puffer coats. They were 2.50 at the dollar spot at Target. Maxie loves hers and practically leaps into it. Minnie HATES hers, and will barely move once you put it on her. She just looks totally disgusted. (see above photo where Maxie evidently is being a bit too enthusiastic in expressing her love for her coat and Minnie is feeling precisely the opposite.)

Duh-nah duh-nah duh-nah duh-na BAT DOG!

I had some idea to do a book this year to keep track of all the fun holiday things we do, but perhaps I will just blog a bit more. We shall see.

It was a lovely thanksgiving at Mom and Dad's. Dinner was perfect (except for my rolls, which were underdone. Note to self: take rolls out of fridge a significant amount of time before you bake them.) I had a gorgeous nap on the floor behind the couch and then Bo and I took Bill to see HP7. Loved it yet again. Bo got to ice skate because we got to the mall early and had an hour to kill and they had a 5.00 skate Thanksgiving special. Came home, crammed more turkey and dressing down my gullet and went to bed.

I worked home health for most of the day today, but then we went over to the Tuckers for spaghetti and Elf + White Christmas. On the way to Jen's I did manage to score some black friday bargains at Tarzhey. The 8 dollar crock pot and this lovely throw which I have been coveting and which was half price! Huzzah!

Tomorrow we commence to decorate for Christmas. Wish me luck!

The Goose is Getting Fat

source

Yes, yes. I know it's early.

But the only real time I have to decorate is Thanksgiving weekend.

So there. nyah.

So I'm thinking that I love these candle holders,

and to be honest,

they were the only thing I loved in the new Crate and Barrel catalog.

The Mrs. Shop is another story.

Happy Mid-November!

PS. My daughter is nine. How is this possible?

Show Up.

Isn't it funny what clicks?

This morning the art teacher and I were moaning about Monday and she said that she read something written by a 92 year old woman that she wanted to pass out to the staff. She couldn't remember all of it, but said it was really simple and the first three things were

"Get up. Get Dressed. Show up."

And I was inspired to present in my job today. And it helped because there were some things that needed my involvement.

Show up.

Here's another good list:

42 Things To Always Remember:

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

3. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

4. When you say, “I love you”, mean it.

5. When you say, “I’m sorry”, look the person in the eye.

6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

7. Believe in love at first sight.

8. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt, but it’s the only way to live life completely.

10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

11. Don’t judge people by their relatives.

12. Talk slowly, but think quickly.

13. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”

14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

15. Say “bless you” when you hear someone sneeze.

16. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

17. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.

18. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

19. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

21. Spend some time alone.

22. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

23. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

24. Read more books and watch less TV.

25. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll get to enjoy it a second time.

26. Trust in God, but lock your car.

27. Create a loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.

28. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

29. Read between the lines.

30. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.

31. Be gentle with the earth.

32. Pray. There’s immeasurable power in it.

33. Never interrupt when you are being flattered.

34. Mind your own business.

35. Don’t trust a man/woman who doesn’t close his/her eyes when you kiss.

36. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

37. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. That is wealth’s greatest satisfaction.

38. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.

39. Learn the rules then break some.

40. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.

41. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

42. Remember that your character is your destiny.

And the Years Fly By. A Retrospective.

Legos, Deodorant, clearasil, abercrombie, cheerfulness, sperrys, facebook, cotillion, punk rock.

Legos, Rock, Wizard 101, soccer, guitar hero, pumas, laptop.

Legos, early onset angst, old friends, cell phone, attitudes, transition, pokemon.

Legos, Pokemon, playstation, Harry Potter, the beach, Maple Story, student council, stitches.

Legos, Harry Potter, game cube, Yu-Gi-oh.

Legos, Magic Tree House books.

Legos, Thomas the Tank engine, Magic Treehouse Books.

Duplos, Thomas the Tank Engine

Duplos, Thomas the Tank Engine, Temper Tantrums

Thomas the Tank Engine, Spirit the Horse.

Go Dog Go, Baths and Cuddles and Kisses.

puppy lovin'.

I'd hate to be one to admit that true love is conditional, but in this case, our love is much truer now that the bladder leakage has stopped. This one is rascally. She is, to quote Neena, "Full of the Dickens." She actually currently has Emma in full-on tears because she won't stay on her bed and cuddle. Emma + Full-on tears = Never happens. Come ON, Maxie. Be a good dog!

Minnie, on the other hand, is low key, patient, eager to please, obedient and knows her rightful place as low man on the totem pole in this house. Who knew the low man on the totem pole got such love? Must be nice. According to this face, though, you'd think it was barely tolerable.

Photographs.

Minnie and Maxie are my companions today as the children are off investing in their respective talents. Bo is here, and Emma is here. This is what Bo said about strings camp: "Mama? What if I didn't like going to strings camp? Ha. Like I suppose there is anyway you could not like it. Imagine, Mama, if you got to play your violin ALL day and then eat lunch and Subway or Chick-fil-a!"

Bo and Emma before we left for the ballet. I really love this picture of Emma. Bo really likes wearing a suit. No, seriously. He does.

Do you like my wreath? It's a fun little DIY project forwarded to me from my friend Kimmy. The instructions are here. Super cool, and super easy!

I've been pretty crafty these days. It's nice for a change. I made this pillow for my bed:

Here's a close up of the wreath...This was made with old books that had been sprayed with glimmer mist, rather than paint.

I do have some other projects in the works...but I don't want certain persons who read this blog and are having a baby to see!!!

PS. Should I open an etsy store? Sell pillows? or something else? Sigh. I just don't know.

Shadowfeet

Sometimes life feels, well, oxymoronic. (if I just made that word up, you are very welcome.)

Like there are two currents.

The madness, sometimes good, sometimes bad, of a busy life, keeping occupied with the daily: the children fussing, the dishes and the cooking, the waking and sleeping, and the getting through the grey spots that threaten my otherwise happy little life.

and

The steady pace of eternity, that goes on, like breathing even when I am not aware, or (keep your shirt on) don't care. It's hard to pursuit....to exercise....to be diligent....oh heavens. I don't even know how to put it any more. "Find the Lord" is so overused in my experience. I think I'm gonna have to resort back to the old-school "pray" because it just sounds the truest right now.

Anyway. It's hard to pray to God, Whose corporate nature is so very real, when I'm alone. I really think that is the gist of it. It's not an excuse. It's not even a very good reason. It's just habit. Habit of practice and a habit of thinking.

Alan Knox posted about finding a community, and it got me to thinking. Am I actually ready to make the sacrifices that are needed to pursuit the Lord in a group setting? Really? . It just takes SO long, and it really is hard. I know the payoff is worth it. I KNOW it is.

The answer is "no" for right now. Like I said earlier, I am still learning to pray. Still learning to remember "the kind intention of His will" during the tricky bits of each day. It's like I've forgotten Language, and I'm learning, little by little, to speak and to listen. I'm ok with this.

Maybe when my ears and my mouth work better, the Lord will bring along some folks with whom I can listen and sing. I look forward to that day, but for now, I will wait.

Sweet and Pretty

from this sweet blog

From Oh Joy!

From Ikea Family Live. Yummaaay.

My ALL TIME FAVORITE author. Such a pretty cover!