This & That

Baby, It's C-C-Cold Outside

It has been amazingly and unseasonably cold here the past few days.  We haven't made it out of the 20's for several days.  I was driving home from a church activity last night and my little car thermometer registered 14 degrees.  Even for a person who really loves the colder weather, that's too cold!

And a gripe from me.  I've been trying to mail DS#3 (who is in the Ukraine as a missionary) a Christmas box.  We have carefully gathered a selection of the favorite things he can't get over there (Cap'n Crunch, peanut butter, granola bars), and Monday night we wrapped them for Family Home Evening.  I trundle off to the post office on Tuesday, and for the first time in three missionaries worth of packages, a little man behind the counter opens a book of import restrictions.  Now, I have been honest on the customs slip about what is in the box AND I have sent all of the things listed and never been questioned before.  Three trips to the post office over the course of two days later, after opening my carefully-taped box, extracting some of the more obvious contents (like the box of mac and cheese that really rattles) and filling out more customs forms, I finally got them to accept it.  No one can tell me why all of a sudden they're checking those import restrictions, or why all the stuff has gone through before, but I hope poor boy gets his peanut butter and granola bars!  The icing on the cake?  A phone message left after I get home from the third post office excursion, "We have two packages for you here at the post office that your carrier couldn't fit into her car.  Can you come and pick them up?"

Random Musings

Taking a page from my cyber-friend Mary Ruth, a random list of musings.  She makes really great lists on her blog that are very entertaining.  I don't have much rattling around in my pea-brain, but I'll give it a try.

1. I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas (and as Mary Ruth says....it's CHRISTmas, not X-mas....very irritating).  I love many things about the season itself, but the whole, week-long decorating thing can just wear a body out!  And then there's the baking, and the cards, and the shopping.  Love it....hate it.
2. One thing I really do love with no reservation is the music, though.  I'm not able to participate in as much as I usually do this year because of scheduling conflicts, but I love the old carols, the new arrangements, just the sound of holiday music floating around my house.  I have kids playing carols with varying degrees of accomplishment on the piano.  The boys and I are practicing songs we're singing for a vocal recital.  I'm practicing accompaniments for voice students and the Jr. High choir and the church choir meets in my living room to practice for the upcoming program on Christmas Eve.  There's just nothing like good music to help influence your mood.
3. I love driving around to see the lights on people's houses.  Our family has a tradition where we pick a night close to Christmas and go caroling around the neighborhood.  With the exception of DS#3 in Ukraine, the whole family will be here to do that.  It's a great tradition for us.
4. I love the smell of a fresh tree.
5. I love setting up my nativity sets to remind me of the real meaning of Christmas.
6. I love buying a special ornament each year for the tree.  This year, DD and I picked out a copy of the "Leg Lamp" from the movie Christmas Story.  We're going to wrap it and give it to the boys.  It's our little secret.
7. I love reading Christmas stories.  We have a very large collection of Christmas books and each night that we can, we like to read one before going to bed.  They range from the silly to the serious but all come with the message of "good will toward men".
8. I love the fact that my kids look forward to the traditions we've gathered over the years.  I love that my married boys are looking forward to being home....that they didn't want to miss out on the usual things we do.  In spite of the love/hate thing I occasionally feel, it's the things we do year in and year out that bind us together and I think it will be interesting to see what traditions they take with them to their own families.

It's time to deck the halls!

Thanks, Mary Ruth!

Thanksgiving Weekend

What a great weekend it's been!  I've mentioned how much I enjoy Thanksgiving....a time to sit around the table with family and think about all the things we are grateful for. 

This year we were able to have DS#2 and DIL home for the holiday.  DS#1 and his wife were with her family.  (Learning to share your children is one of those challenges you have when your kids get grown).  They will all be home for Christmas, though, except for DS#3 who is in Ukraine.

DS#2 brought us a new family member as well.  No, it's not what you think.  Meet Little Smokey.  They got her soon after they were married, but didn't really plan on how little time they'd be able to spend with her given their school and work schedules.  So she will join Bingo and Loco in the barn and happily chase mice here at our house.  She's only 5 months old, so is still enough of a kitten for DD to really enjoy that. 

Hope you had a really wonderful Thanksgiving!

Blessed

Yes, I am.  Thanksgiving is honestly one of my favorite holidays.  It doesn't have quite the frenzy that Christmas has and it often causes me to reflect on what's really important in my life....on those core values that get me through, on the fact that family is one of the only things that I can't get along without.  Everybody has problems, some harder to deal with than others, but looking at the world situation, as a country, we are blessed beyond measure.  I look so forward to this time of year that brings that point home to me.

Poetic Justice

Occasionally there is true poetic justice in the world.  DH called last night to check in and incidentally tell me, "Happy Anniversary."  He and his dad have hunted in rain and snow all week and haven't even seen anything they could shoot.  There is a God, and He doesn't thing it's a good idea to plan hunting trips for the weekend of your anniversary either.  :)

27 Years

27 years ago today I was a blushing bride.  It's funny that in a lot of ways, the time has gone by so quickly.  I mean, sometimes I feel like I just barely turned around and got from there to here.  Then I take the time to think about all DH and I have been through in the intervening years....

We somehow completed extended schooling while having 4 of our 6 kids.  We had those six kid, and have gotten 3 of them out of the nest, with another starting to flap his wings.  We've lived through the traumatic birth of one of those kidlets, a cancer diagnosis, several broken limbs, many moves,  and many proud moments. We've been together through it all, loved, scolded, nagged, cried.

27 years ago, I was a bride...totally unaware of the life that was ahead.  And even though he's hunting in Montana and I could cheerfully wring his neck, I wouldn't trade my DH  for anything.   Happy Anniversary, Sweetie, I love you more than anything, but really, right about now, I hope you're cold and wet out hunting for those stupid deer.  Love and Kisses!   

Men Are Clueless....

Yes, they are.  This Thursday will be DH and I's 27th wedding anniversary.  DH will be spending it deer hunting in Montana with his dad.  I will be the grown-up at home, making sure everything is running smoothly.  I realize that I should be mature enough to rise above this whole "it's the day that's special" thing.  I mean 27 years is a monument unto itself and should stand for something, but really, why is it that men are clueless about that sort of thing?  That it ought to be a special day and that we should be together.  So I'm feeling a little, well, unappreciated.   Men are clueless...

What Do You Miss?

I think it's going to be a quiet day here....the calm before the storm of getting ready for a traveling weekend.  I'm in a break between music commitments and it's been really nice to take it easy and do some catching up around home.  I'm toying with the idea of doing online banking and bill-paying.  Those I've talked to that have switched to this can't say enough good about it.  For me change is always a little difficult, though, so hopefully I can figure the whole process out. 

I was going through a stack and found this sweet little drawing done by my daughter.  It is several years old and water-spotted, but made me feel very nostalgic for days gone by when life was a little simpler with her.  I love every stage but, admittedly, there are challenges that go along with each one.  So I decided to put it on a layout documenting something I miss.   I also miss cuddling and singing to tiny kidlets.  I miss the crazy questions young children ask and the amazing explanations they can come up with.  I miss every-night story reading which has given way to homework and school projects.  I miss the puppy dog smell of little boys. I miss my kids believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.  Boy, this sounds like a layout in the making.  What do you miss?

Election Day

Some of you know that I was born in Canada.  I changed my citizenship when I was expecting my 5th son.  This was after working for several years and paying taxes, but not being able to vote.  It was a great feeling to be able to walk into the polls for the first time and use my "voice".  It was wonderful not to have to register every January as an alien.  I'll admit that I get a little discouraged with the political rhetoric that flies around constantly.  Sometimes I feel as though I can't believe anything anybody says anymore.  I'm tired of political phone calls invading my home.  I'm tired of negative, mud-slinging ads.  But at least I have a voice in how I want things to be.

Use your voice today.  Cast your vote and express your opinion.....and don't complain about the state of the country if you don't.

The Result...

As I said, the design idea came from Pebbles in My Pocket.