Gimme Some FaceTime

Love these faces.

And the time we could spend with them this Advent and Christmas.  Less than 3 weeks till we get to kiss them.  Can't wait!!

Give Me A Quote

I offer you these Christmas movie quotes that are equally useful all year long:

This old thing?  Why I only wear it when I don't care how I look.
Hoity-toity Mr. God-like SmartyPants.
Don't quote me the price when I haven't got the time.
I'm cute. I'm cu-u-u-te!
I just like to smile.  Smiling's my favorite.
If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am right now.

And if you need to burst into song here is a snippet that is always of value:
Every night will end and every day will start 
with a grateful prayer and a thankful heart.
(Although you run the risk with this one of getting the accompanying musical earworm snippet "Nephew and niece to me" as well.)

Merry Christmas

(That was the Christmas blog?  It was dumb.  It was obvious.  It was pointless.  It was...short.  I loved it!)

November Extended

86,87,89.  The Advent calendar.  One application from my Bible study in Colossians this fall is that it is possible to influence others and speak into their lives from a distance.  Paul did it from prison.  Thankful that the STP and I are not in prison, and that we could share the countdown to Christmas with C&N. Also glad the STP posted pictures to FB.

90,91.  Levi David Henry.

Thankful for the safe arrival of grandchild number three.  As thankful and proud as I am to have him, I am even more thankful that my firstborn baby girl came through the pregnancy, labor and delivery well.  Such a privilege to be a mom.  Such a joy to watch my girls be moms.  Can't wait to hold this little guy.

92,93,94,95. End of the semester.  Haven't seen the grades yet, but thankful for the seemingly smooth transition from living at home to living at school.  Thankful for hugs and smiles.  

96, 97.  Project progress.  Way back during the great bathroom remodel/bedroom update of 2012 I planned a photo wall.  I gathered frames from yard sales.  I painted them to match.  I laid them out and rearranged them on the bedroom floor in anticipation of hanging them above the bed.  And then we walked around them for 8 months.  And finally this month the STP helped me move them to the wall.  Thankful for being able to walk to the bathroom in the middle of the night without dodging picture frames on the floor.  Goal for 2015?  Actually put pictures in the frames.

 

98-102.  Cookie exchange. Thankful for the church ladies who had the idea and who baked the best cookies ever.  Thankful for the chance to share my home.  Thankful for gluten free cookies that were super delicious.

Thankful for the chance to use my red and white striped straws and a punch bowl.  

103-105.  Gingerbread.  And for decorating without pressure and rules.  And my friend Addie, who reminds me how much fun it is to embrace and revel in each moment.  

It would have been a shame not to get to 100 thankful things this season.  Thankful to have finished.

30 to Go?

71.  Thankful for the House Next Door.  Four years ago I hoped it would not become a rental.  Today I own it with the intention of renting it.   Thankful that God speaks to my heart with the intention of changing it.
72.  Thankful the upstairs apartment is ready to rent.  Plan to take the month of December off before starting work on the basement apartment.
73.  Thankful for the support we have had getting to this point.  Donated toilet and doors.  Help with the plumbing.  Gifts of cash and time.  Prayers and encouragement offered.
74.  Thankful for cream puffs from Sam's.  Easy peasy fancy schmancy treat for the open house.  And, hello, some left over.  Good thing.
75.  Thankful for warm weather yesterday morning to decorate outside.

76.  Thankful for Pinterest.  For redeeming my garage sale purchase of vintage plaid picnicware.
77.  Garage Sales. Mostly I garage sale with the church ladies for the fellowship, but I love when I can decorate for $1.75.
78,79.  Thankful for cold weather and 3 inches of fresh snow.  Beautiful reminder of the Creator's creativity.  Every snowflake different?  Love it.
80,81.  Snow shovels.  Thankful for my snowshovel with the ergonomic handle.  Thankful for the general good health to be able to shovel snow.
82.  Thankful for people with snow blowers who show up when I am tired of shoveling a gazillion shovels full of a bajillion unique snowflakes.
83.  Surprise day off.  Didn't look at my December schedule until this evening.  Surprised to discover I am off tomorrow.  Good thing.  I can stay up late and finish my thankful list before the end of the month.
84.  Burlap.  Thankful the Co-op had burlap to wrap the bottoms of my front porch trees.  It almost compensated for not being able to buy strawberries in town yesterday. (Grapes do not equal strawberries, especially when one's heart is set on strawberries.)
85.  Extensions.  Thankful I can grant myself an extension on listing 100 things I am thankful for in the month of November.
Let's pick it up here tomorrow.  Cause I don't have to go to work, remember?

Thanksgiving Day

49.  The Goob-home this weekend from college. Doesn't need anything.  Happy to hang out with us today. Thankful he had a safe trip home.  Thankful to have him here.
51.  People who invite us for meals.  Last evening we had BLTs at the Baxters.  Today we had Thanksgiving dinner with the Kunkels.  So thankful to be included and treated like family.
53.  Thanksgiving food.  Sweet potato casserole.  Turkey.  Stuffing. Ham. Green bean casserole. Pecan pie. I did not have my camera with me today.  So you will have to trust me that the turkey was absolutely beautiful.  The pies were exquisite.  Thankful for new Thanksgiving food as well.  Broccoli casserole?  Winner.
60.  Gluten free bread for sandwiches. Gluten free carrot cake. Gluten free pie crusts.  Casserole without glutenous toppings.  Thankful the STP had plenty of food choices, but more thankful for the accommodating people who thoughtfully prepared them.
65.  My stage of life.  I wouldn't trade my kids or grandkids for the world and I would have loved to be with them today, but I am seriously thankful that I didn't have to fill anyone's plate but my own.  I didn't have to worry about what anyone else was eating.  I wasn't responsible to tell anyone I thought they needed a nap.  Being old has it's advantages.
66.  Naps.  Enough said.
67.  Cranberry Jello salad.  I think this recipe came from Speecie.  Thankful for people who invited my parents (and their nap-needy kids) to share their holiday meal and their recipes.  Thankful for traditions.
69.  Leftovers.  Thankful Josh taught us the value of taking Tupperware to Thanksgiving dinner.  Thankful for hosts who were willing to share.  Looking forward to a turkey sandwich for lunch tomorrow.  (Leftovers already appeared on this year's list at number 17.  I am still thankful for them today, but can't in good conscience count them again.)
70.  A brisk walk.  Slept in this morning and then walked 3 miles with the SLD and the STP.  Thankful for people who organized the Greybull Turkey Trot.  Our official time? 54:47  Not much trotting on our part, but a good time with good people.  And 350 calories burned?  That's a slice of cherry dessert.

Serious Catching Up To Do

Not that I haven't been thankful...just that I haven't recorded it.

38.  My house.  A pellet stove to heat the big room. A couch to nap on.  A refrigerator to keep my food cold.  A bed to sleep in.  A shower with hot water.  All good.
44.  (oh, yes, we can count each of those seperately) My girls.  So blessed to have each of them.  The still pregnant Princess Anastasia.  The Queen of Queens Abigail-- mother of the best grandkids in the world.  Princess Amidala my favorite.  So glad to see their adults selves.  So blessed to have them in my life.
47,48.  Booked Flights and anticipation. Headed to PA in January.  To love on the new baby.  To celebrate Christmas with my family.  To celebrate my Mom's 80th birthday.  It may be a little early to pack my bags as Expedia suggested, but I'm thankful to have something to look forward to.

Late Thirties

37.  A complete parhelion sighting.  Thanks to some vertically aligned hexagonal ice crystals in the  very cold atmosphere this morning.  Just thinking yesterday that I don't stop to take pictures of the sunrise/sunsets as I travel anymore.  Then there was this morning phenomenon.   I double (sun) dog dare you to top that.

38.  Payday.  Worked a few extra hours the last two weeks.  Thankful that it is reflected in my paycheck.  Thankful that I am able to work and to pay the bills.

39.  Bathrooms with flush toilets.  Not the least of which is the one in the House Next Door.  The toilet was one the first things we demo'd out of the house and almost the last thing to go back in.  So close to being finished with the remodel phase of the upstairs.  

Mid Thirties

34.  Thirty percent off coupons.  Making a new sweater from Kohl's affordable.  Thankful for the chance to spend an afternoon shopping.

35.  Two hour car rides.  To Kohl's.  Long enough to finish Balthazar's stocking.  Thankful the STP drove and I could use the time productively.

36.  Hot chocolate with whipped cream.  Drove through McDonald's drive through on the way home and treated the STP.  Seriously, that's like as close as we're getting to an overpriced specialty drink.,

Early Thirties

31.  Yarn.  Snuggled up this cold wintry evening--knitting. Thankful for those summer weeks 'vacationing' at Grandma Weinzierl's house in Summerhill where I learned to knit from my Aunt Millie.
32.  Christmas stockings.  Started working on Balthazar's stocking.  (Hope he is here in time for Christmas.)  This will be the 12th stocking made using thispattern in our expanding family.  Thankful for this family tradition.
33.  Warm clothes.  Glad to have a winter coat and mittens to pull out this morning. That, and my heated car seat and I could almost appreciate the frozen world around me.  Let it snow!

Nineteen Going on Thirty

19.  Peaches.  What seemed like too many peaches in the middle of a very busy week turned into some of the best peach cobblers and a couple of jars of peach/cherry jam.  And every time I spread it on anything I remember the wonderful week we made it.  Peach cherry jam tastes like this:

20, 21.  Phone calls and long drives to and from work.  Some days I sing my way to work.  Loud and exuberantly offkey.  Some days I review my bible memory verses.  Some days I call my mom.  Friday afternoons I talk to my favorite daughter who gets off work the same time as I do, two time zones away.  Love having that time with no interuptions to just chat and giggle.  Like time spent on scaffolding.

22.  Small group.  Working through  'The Good and Beautiful God' with my small group.  Spiritual soul training for this week includes silence and counting my blessings.  Counting the people who walk the walk with me among my blessings.

23.  Grace.  God's Riches At Christ's Expense.  So thankful for the grace extended to me on a daily basis.  Good things that I don't deserve.  Nothing but thankful.

24. Sunsets. The STP was interested in shooting mule deer.  I was interested in shooting the sunset.  A picture is worth a thousands words and there really are no words for this:

25.  Paint.  Accent wall in the HND kitchen because after I patched the big holes I didn't have any matching paint. New paint brush.  New gallon of paint called Whisper of Nature (also known as 'Green'.).  Just the selection process makes me happy.  This week I will eek out time to actually apply it.

26.  Weather forecasts.  Thankful for the heads up that the temperature will drop 60 degrees over the next twenty four hours.  I am not ready for winter, but it would be worse to be surprised.

27.  Football.  Sunday afternoon football is the best napping background noise.  Ever.  

28.  Mercy.  Not getting what I do deserve.  Thankful that God's mercies are new every morning.  Love having a fresh start every day.  

29. The Tonight Show.  Jimmy Fallon makes me laugh.

30.  0212

5+96   Dogs that type.  Evidently 0212 5+96 means "You aren't paying enough attention to me and I need a treat right now."

Sixteen Through Eighteen.

16. Not my child.  News out of Laramie this weekend about alcohol related fights that left one student dead and another seriously injured.   Makes a momma's heart beat faster.  Thankful the Goob was neither a victim nor a suspect.
17.  Leftovers.  Enjoyed a BBQ pork sandwich with slaw for supper tonight at work.  Three sandwiches in two days.  I'm good with that.
18. Voting.  Exercised my right to vote today.  In a close race for mayor of Dodge City every vote counted.   Thankful they counted mine.

My Small Town

13.  The Dodge City Building Center.  I live across the street from the Building Center. They have a big dog that I have to step around to shop there.  I have an account and I don't have to tell them my name to add to it.  They have a paint computer that tracks all my paint colors, They gave me my own paint deck. The BC is like Cheers and I am like Norm.  So thankful.
14.  Ron's Food Farm.  Best name ever for a small town grocery store.  Today I bought a little head of cabbage and a green pepper. An apple which claims to taste like a banana, a spaghetti squash and fresh baked rolls.   So privileged to have good food available and be able to afford to buy it.
15.  The Post Office.  Stopped by after work today to mail a package.  Anything perishable, fragile, liquid or potentially hazardous?  Why, yes, at least two of those.  In three days it will be on the doorstep of TBGITW in NYC.  Even though the Goob thinks stamps are archaic, I am thankful for the service that lets me send a treat (and maybe a trick) across the country.

10,11,12

10.  My church.  I am privileged to worship with a great group of people.  Especially good worship music and excellent sermon this morning.  I am thankful to be grafted into this branch of the vine.



















11.  Fellowship dinner.  The first Sunday of each month we stay after church and eat lunch together.  A family dinner where you can count on the usuals--hot dogs and fried chicken.  And where it is safe to try a new recipe. Who knew carrot cookies could be so good?  (I had two, but I counted that as two servings of vegetables.)  Or even to stay and eat if you brought nothing, because we all have days like that.  And you're family.

12.  My recipe collection.  Today I made barbecued pork that I learned to make when I lived in Fort Payne, Alabama and hot potato salad--a recipe I picked up in South Fork.  Food that reminds me of people and places along the way.  For someone who doesn't particualrly like to cook, I am a big fan of food.

Let's be Thankful

As is the custom,during the month of November, I will attempt to list 100 things for which I am thankful.  As always, I am thankful to God.  And the order is not relative to the importance, value, or level of gratitude.
New this year, I will try to list three things every day.  And I will try to expound on the items.
I started early, so if you want you can catch up here and here.

7.  Grout.  The bathroom in the house next door was grouted this week.  Thankful to be one step closer to having the project done. Thankful that I chose white instead of gray grout.  Want to see why?  I will post pictures on the House Next Door Facebook page. Because I am too lazy to upload them from my phone to my computer.
8.    Hot beverages.  I really identify with Sheldon's mom here.  Offered myself a cup of green tea this morning to start my day.  Like sipping encouragement straight from the mug.
9.  Day Light Savings.  Added my hour to the middle of my day today.  Used the time to empty my rain barrel, shovel some gravel, put away my laundry, and vacuum the basement stairs.  If I had to live an extra hour this was a beautiful day to do it.

Gratitude Eve

4.  Gluten Free Mama's Pizza Crust Mix.  Gluten free pizza crust that tastes like the real thing.  So says the package.  I gave it a 4 out of 4 on ease of preparation.  And a 4 on texture and taste.
(What is the scale?  The laboratorians' scale of 0 to 4+ of course. Graded on a curve against other gluten free pizza crust mixes.)  Also the package directions say (and I quote) :  Allow to rest for about 15-30 minutes.  Gotta love a recipe that demands a rest period.   I will be adding this step to as many recipes as possible.
5.  Porch Lanterns.  First year in forever that we did not have a pumpkin to carve.  Missing one six foot tall bed sheet ghost this evening.  But flickering tealights in the porch lanterns on a beautiful fall evening welcoming little candy beggars?  Does a soul good.
6.  Cell Phone Service.  One mother traveling 65 mph south to north in rural Wyoming and one daughter traveling the speed limit (I'm sure) west to east across Pensylvania.  Only losing connection two times in an hour.  No idea how that works, but I am thankful for the time to engage in meandering travel chatter with someone who means the world to me.

Let's Start Early

1.  My husband-- who gently reminded me this morning to write down my online banking password.  Whose kindness I repaid with a look that properly interpreted said, "How about you not compare me to my dad and I won't compare you to your dad.  'Kay?"
2.  My dog--who misses her boy almost as much as I do and has set out to annoy the life out of me in his absence so I am not overcome by emptinestness.
3.  My sense of humor--the ability to amuse myself is not lost on me even if it doesn't make the thankful lists of those around me.  Like the Goob once said, "Sometimes I'm so sarcastic it's not even funny."

Three a day.  That's the goal.  Keeping myself accountable here.

Could Be Worse

Me:  I went to an Ebola meeting at work today.

STP:  Were they handing out samples?

Seeing the Future

Three of the original 4DS.  

Under the Microscope

Cat white blood cell with a nucleus shaped like the letter S.  Not something you see everyday.

  You're welcome.

Tea for How Many?

  My dad drinks milk and sugar in his tea.  This is how I learned to drink tea.  More milk than tea. Plenty of sugar.  I had a cup like that with my dad last weekend.  My dad remembers how he likes his tea.  

Not sure he remembers me.  But I'm pretty sure he still loves me.

Thank Boo Very Much

Expressing a little appreciation to those who traveled the Ghost Town Trail with me. 

Thank you, Jake and Dan, for letting me take the lead.  Five different times. 

 Thank you, STP, for sticking with me. 

 And humoring me by riding back and forth over the bridge so I could get your picture.

Thank you, Nancyann, for driving a gazillion miles so you could bike 18.

And for the t-shirts.  Glad we happen to be in the same family.

Thank you, Uncle Ronnie.  For providing extra bikes.  And helmets.  And for organizing and taking the lead.  And for riding clean-up.  And for not jumping out of the woods and scaring me right off my  bike. We couldn't  wouldn't do this without you. 

Thank you sag wagon crew.   For hauling downed bikes and tired and pregnant bikers.

 For delivering lunch.

And driving us home.

And thank you, Uncle Michael, for being so good looking.  

It's not every day that you get to ride bikes with a cello player and a ukulele player.  With a handicapped lady and a pregnant lady.  With a Jedi knight and Captain America.

Truly, I am thankful.

Driving Myself Crazy

Drove myself to Denver today.  See this map?  All three white lines are Quebec Street.  Two of them are mono-directional. In opposite directions. The third Quebec street is the one I wanted.  And see E 40th Ave.?  It is also called Sandown Street.  This is good info--too late.
My GPS tried to help.  Arriving at destination?  Sure, if I wanted to park on the un-named yellow on ramp to I-70 E and jump a chain link fence with my suitcase.  Recalculating?  I think so.
A trucker tried to help by beeping his horn at me.  Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) I don't understand city horn honking. Believe me, if I knew where to go and what to do, I would have already been doing it.
A young woman thought it might be helpful to express her displeasure at my merging skills.  I hope her gesture made her feel better.  It wasn't particularly encouraging to me.
When I finally arrived at my hotel, (after circling it twice and a short unplanned drive on I-70 E) they let me park wherever I wanted. (Which I did like a champ!)  They processed my reservation without any problem.  And they offered me a warm chocolate chip cookie.  The beautiful young woman at the desk asked me how many cookies I needed.
One.  I just needed one.   Dozen.
So looking forward to the shuttle which will take me to class tomorrow am.

Lacking Wisdom

Gave the Goob my dentist appt. in August to have his teeth cleaned before he left for school. Because we had to cancel his appt earlier in the summer and they couldn't get him in again until September. He and the STP came home from the Tuesday appt with an appt to have his 4 wisdom teeth removed on Thursday.  

Seriously?  I think it is like a woman taking her car to the garage to have the oil changed and they convince her she needs new brakes and the transmission may be bad.  

Hey, we have this cancellation for wisdom teeth extraction day after tomorrow.  

Look, this kid has 4 wisdom teeth.  Lets take them out.

So they did.  The dentist commended him for being a great patient because the extraction wasn't easy. Filed that under 'things I never thought I would hear a dentist say about the Goob'.  He had to spend a couple of days swishing his swollen mouth and limiting his activity to video games on the couch. Big stretch there.
A little iffy to have your wisdom extracted a week before you leave for the university.  Just saying.

Really just recording this here, because I couldn't remember if all the girls had their wisdom teeth removed or not.  This blog is as close as I have to a medical record.

Sixteen Letters

First week of college and I have already received 16 letters from the Goob.  All of them in response to my text messages. I am trying not to be a helicopter mom, but after six days I needed to know if he was still alive.  So I just asked him.  Which ellicited a three letter response.  

 After a full week, I made contact again.   I used a minimum number of characters to share a little information to let him know we were carrying on life even in his absence, and I let him know we were still here to support him--in the form of a question, which garnered another 3 letter response.  

Late Saturday night I sent him a message just to let him know I loved him (and to see if he was staying up late).

His 10 letter response?  Love you too

Sixteen letters.  That about says it all.

The Envelope Please

Helping the Goob pack for college...

Me:  I'll put in a couple of envelopes and stamps.
Goob: Why?  Do you really expect me to write you a letter?
Me: (slight hesitation)  Umm...
Goob:  Did my sisters ever write you a letter when they went to college?
Me:  (more hesitation)  Umm, no.  (I put the envelopes back)
Me:  If you needed to...would you know where to find and envelope and a stamp?
Goob:  In a museum?

I might miss that boy.

Later in the packing process...
Me:  Are you taking your afghan that grandma made for you?
Goob:  Yes, I am.  I might take a picture and send it to her.
Me:  You will need an envelope.

You Might Be From Wyoming...

 ...if you have enough antlers in garage to spar with all the grandkids.  And the kitchen is a perfectly acceptable place to do it.

Adding to the Not A Sandpail List

 6.  Go tent camping at a Wyoming State Park.

 

7.  Wear matching head gear with some of my favorite people.

8.  Make cherry peach jam.

9.  Go fishing

 More than once.

11.  Just Dance.

12.  Picnic on the mountain.

13.  Kayak every chance I get.

14.  Ride the RZR.

15.  Feel the Christmas Baby move.

Think this needs to be my EBS list--

Especially Blessed Summer