It feels good:

At the end of a dreary Monday, when a cold rain is forecast to turn into heavy wet snow, to be home where the temperature right now is hovering in the upper 70s. And I mean upper.

To not have backed into anything
 To not have run out of gas (with a newborn in the vehicle)
(May or may not be topics for future posts)
 To not have to watch, read or listen to any more Black Friday promotions
To have spent Black Friday entirely in my pjs, doing nothing more than wondering if I should get dressed.
To have spent time yesterday with this little guy and this big guy

And this sweet girl--who was the beneficiary of my $5 "while they last" scarcity mentality WalMart purchase

To have a cheap digital camera instead of relying on my phone. (Although I have a couple cute photos I can't find on it)

To have cooked 3 pumpkins

With a little help from Olivia and Mom.


To have postponed Monday night supper. And to have another week to get my house decorated and in order.
To have dinner thawing on the counter and just needing to be put in the oven. Don't judge until you've tasted this. I don't have the luxury of take-out, fast food or other options. I usually make every meal from scratch. Until I've discovered:

To have spent the time while dinner was in the oven reading to Mom: The Land Magazine, her first Christmas letter, pumpkin recipes and an Advent devotional.

To have surprised Sam with his favorite dessert.

To focus on the things that feel good.

From turkey to toy story

Dinner was great--Sam was the most thankful. He did not have to wash all my dirty pots and pans! No matter how hard I try to clean up after myself, the kitchen is always a disaster when I make a big meal. We have plenty of leftovers for later and 4 pies to consume. It's snowing and blowing right now.
Everyone is watching Toy Story 3 now, Mom's napping in the chair.
Are you ready for a Thanksgiving treat?  Well, here you go:

Sorry the photo isn't better--used my phone.

the first guests have arrived

With the dinner! we ordered the prepared meal from Jubas. All we have to do is carve the turkey.
 Mom is peeling home grown sweet potatoes
The punch is ready.
I'm off to butter the lefse and add brown sugar or cinnamon sugar.

Thanksgiving thoughts continued

My bedside clutter is in a bag in my closet
But my laundry is all folded and put away.

Should I use the good glasses that can't go in the dishwasher or the ones that match my dishes?

At least I've had a shower...

Thanksgiving thoughts

thought # 1
It's the little things
Today I am thankful for many things. Right now I am most thankful that I did not have to stick my hand up a turkeys hiney and pry out the still frozen giblets.


Thought # 2
Having a clean refrigerator on Thanksgiving is a good thing.
Cleaning the refrigerator on Thanksgiving morning is a really bad idea.
Back to cleaning up the mustard sauce that's all over the floor and cupboards....

No Treble

Ummm, am I taking this whole treble thing too far? Quite possibly. Have no fear, it will end soon, as soon as I finish my grand treble finale.


After church on Sunday, Denise, Amber, Olivia, Harrison and I headed to the Presbyterian church for their annual Swiss Steak Dinner (Attention Chicago Manual of Style freaks, myself first and foremost included, this event is worthy of capitalization) We decided to do take-out this year. Mom went to the dinner with Carolyn so we wanted to get in our comfy pants and plop at home and eat. The guys were deer hunting so we also figured we could eat their pie and then feign shock, surprise and outrage that "someone" must have forgotten to give it to us.

Mom arrived back home as we were finishing our lunch and quickly settled into her chair. Baby Harrison  fell asleep in her arms and the rest of us settled in to watch the Vikings . Denise was crocheting but soon was sound asleep. Mom's head nodded as she fought a losing battle to stay awake. Her arm was falling asleep so I took Harrison. On the love seat across from me, Amber's eyes were closed leaving Olivia and I to amuse ourselves--quietly--as Harrison was on my lap.

Here's a snippet of our whispered conversation:
"Omee, how do you know which one is a daddy deer and which one is a mommy deer?"
"The daddy deer have antlers," I replied holding my hands up on each side of my head to demonstrate.
"Those aren't antlers, they're horns," was her response.
"No, antlers"
"Horns"
"Antlers"
"Horns"
"ANTLERS"
"HORNS"
I realize that I am trying to win an argument with  a 4-year old, "OK, horns then," I surrendered.
Olivia giggled with glee and said, "No they're not, they're antlers."
What can I say--I was set up. By a 4-year-old.

While Olivia played with her Barbies, I decided to take a few pictures of Harrison;

All that's missing is the background symphony of snoring. \

Here comes big sister

And I discovered the joy of a nap without ever closing my eyes.

Decorating Treble

One item that didn't make the cut can only be described as the seashell equivalent of the Poker Dogs paintings.

You know the one I mean 

It should come as no surprise that Sam is the person responsible for finding this whimsical addition to our home decor

 I don't know, they're awfully cute

The attention to detail is breathtaking

 This little guy reminds me of Sam's Uncle Steve.

So, after hours of soul-searching, gut-wrenching deliberation, these little guys have been relegated to the closet containing out-of-favor decorating items.
Did I make the right decision?