merry christmas thursday things!

merry christmas eve, folks! today we're having a lovely day cuddled up watching christmas movies and talking about what time santa will probably get here. we've decided to put a sign on the front door to make sure that he knows it's okay to come in. for my thursday things today, i'm going to list what i've yet to do, and hopefully will accomplish before tomorrow morning.

-bake santa's cookies and zucchini bread for our family party tonite

-wrap presents and stuff stockings

-give all the kids a bath and get them dressed in their finery

-charge the camera battery

-try not to miss my lovey too much while he's working today, hopefully he'll be home before 10.

-a few other tasks i cannot post for fear the recipient of the gifts would read my blog today... hi mom!

i'll probably think of many more things along the way, but that's a good start.

i hope everyone has a very merry and bright christmas, full of love and peace and contentment. hug your babies, sip your cider, kiss your honey and have a beautiful holiday, i'll be doing the same.

i probably won't be posting until the new year, i'm working on a big blog post: my year in review.

love to you all.

thankful.

today i am thankful for:

-nice weather!
-my funny babies "hiding" under the blankets when i went to wake them up this morning
-e-mail, so i can communicate with far away family easily
-my sweet honey who works so hard. i'm very excited about the next few days of hanging out with him! also: that he doesn't have to work tomorrow like he did last year!
-holidays! when can i start decorating?!
-all of the modern conveniences we have: ovens, microwaves, dishwashers... i'd much rather cook thanksgiving now than 100 years ago!
-having my computer fixed (even though i have to learn how to use linux, i guess i should be grateful for the opportunity to gain more knowledge)
-the gift of music.
-theodore welcome, and all of his baby cuddles.
-COFFEE!!
-knitting, and how it injects a bit of tranquillity and peace into whatever moment i pick up a project and knit a few rows.

blessings, pt. 2

-a new gorgeous coffee table, nearly free from a garage sale. the man said he wanted it to go to a good home, and i guess we were the folks to take it in!
-we got a package from brady's brother aaron! he sent us some wonderful gifts, there are pictures on my flickr.
-3 bags of yarn from my grandma
-got the first photo for a project i'm working on. only 49 more to go!

today, i'm going to clean and organize and purge and bless my home. what are you doing today?

thursday things.

i don't have many links or much excitement to post today. instead, i'm going to list ten things i'm grateful for this morning.

1) birdsongs and fresh morning air
2) falling leaves, and watching them dance to the ground
3) reading lovey e-mails from 2002
4) perusing etsy for christmas presents and trinkets
5) lovey calling right as i pick up the phone to call him
6) allowing myself to participate in nanowrimo, and thoroughly enjoying it
7) my children, for keeping me on my toes.
8) motivation, not procrastination.
9) the calloused yet tender hands that mine fit perfectly into. the first time we held hands, we were at my little brother's football game. it was quite cold, and everyone had blankets and hats and scarves and was acting like it was a blizzard. we were sitting by each other, and kept doing the pinky thing, feeling out whether the other wanted to hold hands. after about ten minutes of piddling around, i took a deep breath and over-exaggeratedly grabbed brady's hand. we both kind of laughed, and then were relieved to find that they fit together perfectly. and after seven years, they still fit perfectly. i'm so grateful for that. i'm more than certain we will never outgrow each other.
10) so many projects! so much creativity! i've really hit a burst of energy, and i'm flowing with it. knitting hats, knitting a sweater, taking pictures, working on the novel, nursing my baby, running my home, cooking breakfast, lunch & dinner, dealing with tantrums and fits from preschoolers, entertaining and playing with the kids: it's all art. and i'm feeling in stride and graceful about all of it. dare i say that i feel i've hit a stride i haven't felt in quite some time.

one extra: 11) you! i'm grateful for the folks that read my blog, and take the time to email or comment and let me know they appreciate what i write. i'm glad to have something that's resonated with people, and it's lovely to feel interconnected on this crazy information superhighway.

8 things - past lives and alter egos.

this is my first 8 things post, so i'm kind of excited. this week's topic is past lives and alter egos. i fancy myself multi-faceted enough to embody all of the following:

1. mary poppins.
2. children's librarian.
3. 1950's housewife.
4. a crazy, bohemian, hermit writer surrounded by composition notebooks, classic literature and tons of highliters in every color.
5. holocaust survivor. i don't know if i believe in past lives, but i know for sure that there is something to this. i remember having these extremely vivid nightmares as a tiny girl, and not having the words to explain them. and then when i learned about the holocaust and saw photos and heard stories, i knew that's what i'd been dreaming about for so long.
6. buddhist monk.
7. simone weil.
8. a zoologist.

praises for today.

-beautiful music: http://www.greatcomfortrecords.com/mp3/Bifrost-Arts_Come-O-Spirit.mp3
-beautiful misty, foggy weather.
-beautiful new baby! congratulations to maggie and austin, on this special, wonderful day. prayers of peace and joy for them.

what is it?

it's the feeling of laying in bed, surrounded by my sweet little family; it's the first cup of coffee in the a.m.; it's cardigans; it's the edge of autumnal crisp in late august evenings and early august mornings.; it's rain; it's little weedy flowers strewn all over the house; it's pictures colored by preschoolers hung up every where imaginable; it's new bags sewn; it's planning projects; it's spending time with the family i was born into; it's real & composed music; it's the first hug&kiss attack when daddy is home from work; it's suppertime, listing our thankfuls and talking about our days; it's emma saying "clume" for climbed; it's the way violette wants to be tucked in with "flower" every nite; it's theodore's precious, chunky, slobbery smile; it's my husband's devotion and love for me; it's every tree, rock, flower, & blade of grass; it's the sky, the sun, the stars, the moon; it's the ocean, it's the desert; it's you, it's me. it's the divine.

3.

1. thankful for emma, and her passion for flowers and all things glitter.
2. thankful for violette, and her love of running and playing and having fun.
3. thankful for theodore, and his desire to spend most of his time resting.

and especially thankful for lovey, who accommodates us all.

3 days til the "due date"'...

still contracting regularly, though the baby is NEVER coming.
call it off, folks!
every time the phone rings, i cringe. because i know it's someone wanting "news", and i have no news for anyone. i can assure everyone, you will know when the baby is here. it's not gonna be a week old before we get around to informing the world.

wishing folks would keep their advice to themselves. no, i will not take castor oil. yes, herbs can help.

i hate feeling so edgy constantly, being in persistent pain really takes it's toll.

time to list the happies:
-we found a couch on the side of the road, it's in great shape and very comfy.
-new sheets from the thrift store
-getting our hot water heater fixed
-spending lots of time with lovey.

list-love.

things i'll miss when i'm no longer pregnant.
-having a really nifty "shelf" for folding laundry
-playing "poke the baby" and having it kick back
-cracking up at the crazy alien baby movements... watch out for twilight baby, though.
-having an excuse for awful food choices. frozen pizzas and jelly bellies are highly nutritional...
-being able to nap in the afternoon, i've only ever been able to sleep in the daytime during the last month of pregnancy

my contractions have slowed down a lot today, for which i'm very grateful. i can definitely handle two more weeks of this. i realized today i'm due on memorial day, here's hoping i don't have a holiday baby.

hooray for nesting and newfound energy, 3 loads of laundry done and pizza dough rising for supper.

i really want to know: what are you having/what did you have for dinner?

happiness!

instead of complaining, which i so want to do, i will note my happiness for today.

-crocheted afghans on the back of chairs.
-stacks of books, preferably filled with marginalia.
-synchronized nap/quiet times!
-a cup of tea, and starlight mints.
-a tidy house. (most appreciatively, with a little help from my friends.)

oh, we should all move to bhutan, where happiness is a measure of success.

what has made you happy today?

p.s. fixed the comments... turns out they didn't work on the other layout.