Here's what I'm thankful for today, in no particular order:
1. Photographs. Yours, mine, and everyone else's. I love looking at them!
2. Pizza. Thank you to whoever invented it. I love it and will never tire of it.
3. My new winter coat that I found in October (there's a whole story to go with it.)
4. The Library. Our local library has a great selection of books and movies and has great kids programs. I've always loved going to libraries, and still do.
5. Palm Trees. What an awesome tree to look at.
Feel free to share what you're thankful for today!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
A Few of My Favorite Ornaments
I'm not sure why you would be the least bit interested in our tree ornaments, but I feel like posting a few photos of some of them. So there you go.
An angel blowing a trumpet. My Mom gave this to me years and years ago. I love how it reflects the tree lights.
It's hard to see, but if you look on the photo, there's an itty bitty 10 mos old baby sitting on the floor in front of the tree (hard to believe Eric was ever that small!). At the time I worked about 30 hours a week, and our baby sitter took the photo and made the ornament.
Long before Keats and Milo were adopted into our family, I had two other cats - Alice and Trixie.Shortly after I got pregnant with Charlotte, Trixie died from cancer at 15 years of age. I bought this ornament the Christmas after she passed away. I still miss her persnickety ways.
Mike knows I love pretty ornaments. He picked this one out as a gift a few years ago. It's got spun glass all around the inside of the globe and reflects all the lights from the tree. Very pretty!
And here's the newest addition.....an ornament I picked up in Orlando. The year 2008 is on the reverse side.
An angel blowing a trumpet. My Mom gave this to me years and years ago. I love how it reflects the tree lights.
It's hard to see, but if you look on the photo, there's an itty bitty 10 mos old baby sitting on the floor in front of the tree (hard to believe Eric was ever that small!). At the time I worked about 30 hours a week, and our baby sitter took the photo and made the ornament.
Long before Keats and Milo were adopted into our family, I had two other cats - Alice and Trixie.Shortly after I got pregnant with Charlotte, Trixie died from cancer at 15 years of age. I bought this ornament the Christmas after she passed away. I still miss her persnickety ways.
Mike knows I love pretty ornaments. He picked this one out as a gift a few years ago. It's got spun glass all around the inside of the globe and reflects all the lights from the tree. Very pretty!
And here's the newest addition.....an ornament I picked up in Orlando. The year 2008 is on the reverse side.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
It's A Happy Day In Illinois
I'm not a big political type person, but I have to disagree with some who say it's a sad day in Illinois. For me it's a happy day.....a day of rejoicing that our crooked governor was finally hauled off in handcuffs. For years he has abused his position and alienated the people of Illinois, who he is supposed to be serving. My prayers are for Patrick Fitzgerald and his team as they clean house in Springfield.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
So we finally got the tree decorated. I really would like to know what happened to our tree skirt. It went missing last year, and I have no idea what happened to it. It didn't magically turn up this year either. I'm positively perplexed what happened to it. Is it lost in our attic somewhere? Why didn't it get packed up in 2006? Was it thrown away, and if so, why? Guess I'll have to drag out a sheet to throw under there to give it a more finished look. Anyway, here it is. We must have at least a 100 unique ornaments on there, which you probably can't see (unless you click on it to view larger). I've been adding to the collection each year (I buy one for myself/family, each kid gets one, plus we receive them as gifts too.) It's an eclectic tree!
Our kitty boys, Keats and Milo, who thankfully only like to hunker down under the tree, rather than up in it.
And just in case you missed it, let me zoom in for you:
Our kitty boys, Keats and Milo, who thankfully only like to hunker down under the tree, rather than up in it.Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thankful Thursday
I saw this idea on someone else's blog a couple months ago and thought to myself, "What a great idea!" This time of year tends to bring out some materialism in me, which I try to rebel against, but I'm only human.....I like to spoil my children at Christmas because we don't buy much for them during the year. This year I've had to to put the brakes on the "spoiling", and it's been a real exercise in self-control. So it's good for me to pause and be thankful for what we already have instead of focusing on the have-nots! And combine this with last week's message at our church (gratitude), and I think I've got myself a topic on which to blog!
Here are five things I'm thankful for today (in no particular order):
1. A computer with an internet connection! (of course!)
2. A warm, toasty home on this frigidly cold day!
3. My dear friend, Lynda, who visited last week. I always look forward to her annual visits!
4. My husband Mike, who has not shied away from taking on some odd side jobs this past month to help make ends meet. He's such a good provider for his family!
5. Charlotte's giggles. They're infectious.
It's good to hear other people being thankful. It's not that I don't want to hear out your problems, but listening to people being thankful is uplifting, don't ya think? If you've ever listened to someone complaining all the time you can probably relate to what I'm saying. So tell me, what are you thankful for this Thursday? Just click on the "wonderful comments" link and let me know (You don't need an account to leave a comment.....just click on the Anonymous option but remember to sign your name in the body of the comment.)
Here are five things I'm thankful for today (in no particular order):
1. A computer with an internet connection! (of course!)
2. A warm, toasty home on this frigidly cold day!
3. My dear friend, Lynda, who visited last week. I always look forward to her annual visits!
4. My husband Mike, who has not shied away from taking on some odd side jobs this past month to help make ends meet. He's such a good provider for his family!
5. Charlotte's giggles. They're infectious.
It's good to hear other people being thankful. It's not that I don't want to hear out your problems, but listening to people being thankful is uplifting, don't ya think? If you've ever listened to someone complaining all the time you can probably relate to what I'm saying. So tell me, what are you thankful for this Thursday? Just click on the "wonderful comments" link and let me know (You don't need an account to leave a comment.....just click on the Anonymous option but remember to sign your name in the body of the comment.)
Monday, December 1, 2008
How I Torture My Kids Part I
I don't actually have a Part II in mind, but I'm sure something will come along that I can share with you all.
As for Part I, this is how I did it (unintentionally, of course. I would never seek to torment my own children. ;-D) Traditionally we put up our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. So Mike got down all the containers and boxes, including our pre-lit Christmas tree. Said tree is going on year 5 and has held up beautifully. But not this year, of course. Not the year Mike is laid off and we're pinching pennies more than usual. This year the pre-lit tree is only partially lit. The bottom row of branches is not lighting up. Mike tried changing the fuse, looking around for obvious problems, but nothing fixed these lights.
Of course the kids are jonesin' to decorate the tree. It's set up in the living room, it appears ready to go. But I told them they had to wait till I could do a "quick" (aka "cheap") fix for that bottom row of branches, which is blatantly unlit (to me. The kids didn't seem to notice or care). So for going on 3 days now they've been looking at this undecorated tree in our home knowing they have to wait to put their ornaments on there, although I see that there is one lonely ornament on the tree which Charlotte hung up there on Saturday night. She made an angel at church and came right home to hang it up. Each of the kids has their own little collection of ornaments going because every year I buy them an ornament, plus the ones they make, and they've also picked up a few more along the way from Grandparents. Each year they're responsible for putting their ornaments on the tree. It's been pure torture for them to wait when the tree is in plain view.
So Yesterday I had Mike pick up a $2 strand of 100 ct lights at Menards, and I finally got them strung onto the tree just moments ago (stuck them on top of all the dead lights.) The tree looks considerably better, in my humble opinion. And yes, Eric and Charlotte will get to put their ornaments on today after their lengthy wait.
As for Part I, this is how I did it (unintentionally, of course. I would never seek to torment my own children. ;-D) Traditionally we put up our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. So Mike got down all the containers and boxes, including our pre-lit Christmas tree. Said tree is going on year 5 and has held up beautifully. But not this year, of course. Not the year Mike is laid off and we're pinching pennies more than usual. This year the pre-lit tree is only partially lit. The bottom row of branches is not lighting up. Mike tried changing the fuse, looking around for obvious problems, but nothing fixed these lights.
Of course the kids are jonesin' to decorate the tree. It's set up in the living room, it appears ready to go. But I told them they had to wait till I could do a "quick" (aka "cheap") fix for that bottom row of branches, which is blatantly unlit (to me. The kids didn't seem to notice or care). So for going on 3 days now they've been looking at this undecorated tree in our home knowing they have to wait to put their ornaments on there, although I see that there is one lonely ornament on the tree which Charlotte hung up there on Saturday night. She made an angel at church and came right home to hang it up. Each of the kids has their own little collection of ornaments going because every year I buy them an ornament, plus the ones they make, and they've also picked up a few more along the way from Grandparents. Each year they're responsible for putting their ornaments on the tree. It's been pure torture for them to wait when the tree is in plain view.
So Yesterday I had Mike pick up a $2 strand of 100 ct lights at Menards, and I finally got them strung onto the tree just moments ago (stuck them on top of all the dead lights.) The tree looks considerably better, in my humble opinion. And yes, Eric and Charlotte will get to put their ornaments on today after their lengthy wait.
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