Now THAT's more like it

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles (ha ha, now you have Fiddler on the Roof in your head!), behold, the desert drinks!
Let's see if I survive a day of rain with a toddler!

A Yule-B-Cue

We're bbq-ing kebobs and eating outdoors. To quote Peter Sagal from "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," "This is the time of year when you folks go from being miserable to being smug." Oh yes, indeed.

So begins Christmas

Is it just me, or is this NOT what a Christmas forecast should look like?

But hark! In the yonder distance, a chance of rain! Hooray! Pray for rain!


In other news, this is sad, sad, sad. Beaten by my husband, who no longer cares about Fantasy Football...

And finally...
If you don't know who this is, you can ignore this. If you do know who this is, you know what this means!

Off to make apple crisp for my sis-in-law for post-Thanksgiving. She was one of the hard-working souls who give up holidays to keep us safe. Thanks, Jen!

A lovely day

A few shots from our day...

Lucy having a pre-festivities tea party

Grammie's pretty table

We felt very fancy serving a cheese board.
My sweet things.

Lucy testing out what appears to be playground equipment.

Cozy at home

We made it to Selma in record time yesterday... amazing at this time of year. I woke up this morning and went right off to the grocery store with Mom. We've been cooking on and off ever since. Chopping veggies, pulling bread for stuffing, doing any prep work we can. I made pumpkin pie (Steve loves it), and a lemon tart. Then I realized I forgot to bake the tart crust first, so I made another one. Yeesh! I will take pictures of them tomorrow, because they are so pretty.

Tomorrow we will have my parents, our little family, my brother, my grandfather and his wife, and an obscure aunt and her son. I haven't seen the aunt in years, and I'm not sure I've ever met her 60-year-old son. Apparently they are a bit quirky, but we discovered they generally don't do much for Thanksgiving, and were really excited to be invited. The son was going to have a frozen turkey T.V. dinner. That breaks my heart to think of, and it delights me to think I've been cooking all day to make people happy. I love to love people with cooking. I get to do this all again next week because Steve's sister is working this whole weekend, and I decided she needs a proper turkey dinner with family, even if it is a bit late.

Lucy woke up last night in the middle of the night and asked for a midnight snack. We did yogurt in the semi-darkness. I'm wondering if she's remembering Thanksgiving last year... =) I'm such a wuss about getting up in the middle of the night now! So it is off to bed with me.

I love my job!

This is Lucy and I this morning. I was having a slow start this morning, so I decided to go out in the back and sit at our patio table. How is it that just moving locations can inspire you? I am sitting here with my coffee and Lucy and I are chowing (her words!) on Cheerios. Reminds me of college when I used to bring a Dr. Pepper and a bag of Cheerios to Acts.

Yes, folks, here's me in the morning.

I finished another shopping bag last night, and the picture of the little red sweaters are coming soon. I started the last of the four sweaters (hopefully... this is assuming they all fit!) last night, and I hope, hope, hope to blaze through it. I have a car ride coming up next week, so hopefully I will get lots of crocheting done and then I can start my kitchen rug. Or maybe I'll just try to get rid of some of my stash, which is getting a little unwieldy.

My brother, while a well-trained supporter of all things Jenny, couldn't hide the tiny twitch in the corner of his mouth that said, "Why in the world do you care what your shopping bags look like??" Luckily he knows the answer, even if he doesn't understand it. Because I fall into the class of people (not just women, and not all women), that needs certain things to be pretty. Not necessarily expensive, but pretty. It is one of those things in my soul that needs satisfying, and I am grateful to have the means to answer that call. Well, only 1 minute remaining on my battery... must publish before I lose it!

More craftiness

This used to have the Stater Brothers logo on it... now it's cute. =)

Marvels of modern parenting

We are in week 3 of nap issues. We are generally doing the "cry it out method," which actually does work for Lucy, but she's still got some residual stuff going on. She climbed out of the crib for the 2nd time today. I am disciplining her for that, as it is not safe and she needs to know that bedtime and naptime are the law. She could see me peeking in the door, even at the bottom, and it aggravated her, so I got out the iSight (luckily we still have a separate one!), plugged it in and shoved it into the room. I sat out in the hall with my computer and watched her so I could take care of it if she climbed out. It was like observing an animal in her own habitat. Poor baby nearly fell asleep slumped over the railing.

The magic slippers

I have finished 3 of 4 red sweaters for the Earle-girl cousins for Christmas pictures. I'll make a matching scarf for Tanner, and we'll attempt a picture. Heavy emphasis on "attempt. =) I'm also in the middle of making slippers for the my sisters' girls. A heavenly thing to hit on a pattern that is so simple and fast, and yet makes something that people will really treasure.

I was thinking as I am working on these slippers that I learned to do this just a little too late. There are several people in my family that used to knit and crochet that are gone now, and oh how I wish that I could connect with them on these things now. My uncle used to make little toys and balls and things, and a special aunt on the other side of the family made the slippers and blankets. I wish I could just pour a cup of coffee and sit and work with them. There is something so wholesome about the idea of them. I have decided that I will be satisfied with honoring them and thinking of them and keeping their memories alive as I work. And I have an immense joy in connecting with my mom and with my mother-in-law over yarn.

The Living Desert

Yesterday we went with Mimi and Papa to the Living Desert in Palm Desert. Gorgeous weather, wonderful day, and just loads of fun. Lucy even got adventurous! She had a grand time.

Brushing the goats. Mmmmmmmmeeeeeeh!
My favorite kind of snake!
Ferferfly and her lovely assistant.

My awesome sister!

Birthday wishes to my best friend and sister! I love and respect her so much, and I'm so proud of the wonderful life she has built for her family. We had so many rough days as kids--we weren't always the best of friends growing up--but now we are super tight and call or ichat every day. She is one of the most creative, inventive people I know, she is fiercely loyal, intelligent and fun. So here's to Sari! (Sair-ee, phonetically.)

Christmas 1977


High school... I think this was when we became friends. (Like my socks with my flats??)
My matron of honor. Doesn't she look so pretty??

Smorgasbord

Well, I'm sick. Blech. Started last night with just weary body, feeling like I just had to sit down. Had a horrid sleep with resultant achy body. By mid-afternoon today, the nose-faucet turned on. Ah well. Steve is home today, which I'm so grateful for. Tomorrow, Lucy gets to watch lots of television!

Had my craft boutique this weekend, and I was delighted that one of my sweaters sold! The remainder will go to sister-in-law Amy, who is auctioning some items for a family who is dealing with leukemia (the dad). I just started the sweaters for Lucy and 3 of her girl cousins, and I'm laughing at the mistakes that my fuzzy sick brain caused. Luckily I think they are not irrevocable.

Started some Christmas shopping, and I'm delighted to be buying 4 gifts from the same website, saving a ton on shipping. Hooray! Figured out inexpensive gifts for all the nieces and nephews. Ah, that is lovely. Very excited about a couple of my ideas this year. If you have good ideas, especially for fathers-in-law and brothers-in-law, do share!

Have a good, kleenex-free week, all.