I love this time of year. 
~ Happy 4th of July ~
If only these words could be celebrated every day of every year by everyone...
Wishing you a blessed and joyful Easter day...
May the loving spirit of Christmas 
Wishing everyone a blessed Thanksgiving 
Sign up for the Christmas ornament exchange by
November 24th ~
1. Specify with your comment if you prefer a certain color of ornament or if you want to be surprised. Example: Jane Doe - Gold please! or Jane Doe: Surprise me!
2. Send your mailing address to my email from the email address you would like to receive your buddy's information at.
3. Look for the details and name of your ornament exchange buddy on November 25th.
4. Purchase (or make) and mail your Christmas ornament out by December 1st.
5. When you receive your ornament share it with the rest of us by posting it on your blog!
Simple, sweet, fun. Doesn't get any better than that!
You do not have to be a regular reader of this blog to participate...everyone is welcome!
“This, then, is the state of the union: 
I wish for your Easter day to be filled with the observance of little fingers clutching the colorful delights that are found in Easter baskets everywhere...I hope you take the time to nibble the ears off a chocolate Easter bunny yourself, remembering a time when the sheer sight of one made you feel special. I so love this time of year even though my own children have outgrown many of the little events that transpire from the imaginations of zealous parenting trying to make memories for their children. There still exists a "magic" that sings out from beneath all the new blossoms and chorus of fresh leaves. I love the excitement of children looking for Easter eggs in their freshly pressed Sunday attire and the innocence in their faces as they try to wrap their minds around the correlation between jelly beans and Jesus Christ. I love that they can walk away with often a better understanding than most adults...that it's all about LOVE. 
May your Christmas day
ll Dessert Night ll
Today was a good day. I went shopping alone and I rather enjoyed it (even though I secretly missed Kristin telling me what I should buy her). The kids are so much fun to be around, but it was good to get out by myself. I think my Christmas shopping is finished. There's nothing quite like shopping on December 20th to reaffirm that I truly am getting more patient as I get older. The traffic, the crowds, the tired children crying...it all makes me smile to think of the great lengths we will go to so the ones we love will have something to open on Christmas morning. Yes indeed they are worth it and what an honor it is to get to be the one shopping for them.
Happy Tuesday! My house is finally decorated for Christmas. Last weekend was good for getting caught up. It takes me awhile to go through all of the boxes of Christmas ornaments because I like to stop and reminisce the days when the kids were little. I have one special box that gets taken down every year, but none of the ornaments go on the tree. These are very special ornaments that probably only a mother could appreciate. They are all the handmade creations that Erik and Kristin proudly presented years ago. There are colorful little origami boxes that Erik's hands carefully folded into perfection and little paper snowflakes that Kristin glued her sweet smiling face on to. These and many more like them are the most special ornaments for me to look at. I always take them out one by one and turn them over in my hands and remember the days when they were made. I won't even put them on the tree in an effort to preserve them. The kids probably think I'm silly, but someday they will understand the importance of glitter-covered toilet paper tubes that have been cut down to make festive napkin rings. There are many things they won't understand until they are parents, and then the pieces will begin to fall into place and my sentimentality won't seem so silly anymore. I absolutely love Christmas for so many reasons. It's just an excellent time to reflect on all the things that are so meaningful in life.
Thanksgiving was nice. A good time to get caught up on what everyone is doing in their lives. There was no drama until everyone left and Dave's brother showed up. I'm beginning to wonder if I should pull him out of the drama classification, because I've decided that's just who he is. If someone is constantly about drama then it really isn't drama is it? What would be the next step up? Obnoxious? Hmmm. Maybe that's too harsh. He's not disgustingly objectionable. He's just who he is. I guess everyone has someone in their families to give them reason to have caller ID. We don't have caller ID but I sure knew when he arrived. He pulled up in a long white limousine and double parked with his lights flashing. Of course it made it difficult for other cars that might want to pass through and then while he came in to visit he left his driver standing out in the cold. After about an hour he suggested we have the driver take us for a drive, so Kristin and I did. Of course everything was closed, so we just rode around listening to the driver reminisce about the good old days. Then reality hit and I remembered I had a sink full of dishes that needed to be washed. Kind of like now. I have a paper to finish writing, so off I go. If I have time I'll post some pictures from Thanksgiving. Thank you for having coffee with me last night Annette! I needed the break from writing and it's always good to spend time with friends.
Taking a moment to catch my breath. I got home from school today and got right in cooking for tomorrow. I have baked six pumpkin pies, a pumpkin roll and a huge pot of dumplings. I'll get up early and get the turkey in the oven and it should be all down hill from there. Last Thanksgiving was the last holiday Dave's dad was with us. He passed away Christmas morning and I'm sure it will seem strange not having him here. He was the only one I didn't mind showing up too early. He kind of did his own thing...relaxed on the couch...talked to the dog, but it was nice because while I was running around doing last minute things I knew he was comfortable and didn't need to be entertained. So this year I feel especially thankful for family time spent together. It's about the only time of year we get to see certain family members and the kids are all growing up so who knows what changes are in store for future Thanksgivings. I just hope everyone has a good time and I don't catch anything on fire. Blessings to all!
