So Very Thankful

Ahhh. My very favorite time of year is upon us. Thanksgiving is past, and Christmas is less than a month away. There's a bit of a chill in the air, and homes and businesses are all decked out in their holiday finery. Bliss.
I had a wonderful Thanksgiving week last week. For the first time, Elvis had the opportunity to work flex days over the summer so he could be home with us all week, and it was great. He'd been working like a dog lately, and was really looking forward to the rest. Friday AND Saturday night of last week, we took a handful of his theatre students to see shows in neighboring towns, so even though his work-week ended at 4 on Friday, he wasn't done with teacher duties until the wee hours of Sunday morning. That man works so hard for his family. We are so lucky.

After the late start to the vacation, we had a great week of doing almost nothing until Wednesday, when I spent the evening baking pies. The next morning the three of us trekked down to my parents' house this year and - for the first time ever - E's parents joined us there to celebrate. It was a really small T-giving for our family this year, but that was nice. Henry had a great audience all day, and had a blast showing off for his grandmas and great-grandma. What a little ham.

I spent most of Friday decorating our house, and it looks pretty good. I decided not to put up the big tree this year to avoid the constant shouting of "Henry, NO!" and I was a bit nervous about how our house would look sans tree. But, thanks to Pinterest, I was able to come up with some good, toddler-safe ideas. Yay!

Saturday morning we got up and snuck back to town to surprise my favorite aunt & uncle who had decided to make a surprise visit (that's right, we surprised the surprisers). We met up with my mom and Aunt Bunny at the mall, and I thought everyone was going to wet their pants with delight. Bunny hadn't seen Henry in a few months, and was sad to have missed him at Thanksgiving, so I think it made her weekend to get to snuggle with him for a few hours. Then on Saturday evening a friend of mine came over for some frolicking. She decided to stay for awhile, so we pulled out one of our homemade board games, and had a super time playing and giggling and eating pizza. It was a grand time, and I was sad when it was time for her to go home.

I could not have wished for a better week or a happier Thanksgiving day, and I'm so thankful for all my many blessings. A beautiful home; a loving husband; a healthy son; supportive friends & family scattered across the country; and a breathtaking homeland where the stars at night are big and bright, and - best of all - we can enjoy 'em in our t-shirts even at Thanksgiving.

Oh, Pinterest ...

Of course I'd heard of Pinterest, I don't live under a rock.  My favorite aunt started talking about it at Christmas this past year, saying I could find hundreds of activities and such for little Henry.  It sounded interesting until I heard there was a "waiting list" to join.  Forget about it.  I wasn't into cliques in high school, and I'm certainly not into them as an adult either.  I kept on hearing about the magic of Pinterest, though, and finally one afternoon at my parents' house I got suckered into it.  Let me be clear, I was only checking it out to help my mom in her quest for window treatments.  I checked out her pins, made a few new ones of my own, and then spent the next ... I dunno ... 63 hours or so browsing.

This was totally me.

It. Is. Awesome.
Yes, it's true.  I've been on Pinterest for about 3 weeks now, and already Elvis is just sick to death of hearing about this or that new thing I've pinned.  It's a good thing I have a toddler to look after, or I don't think I'd EVER put the iPad down.  Seriously.  I'm thinking about "multitasking" with it right now.
Anyway, a few good things actually HAVE come into our lives from The Great Timesuck, I'm proud to say.  I made a great little toy for Henry out of an old coffee can and some milk lids, and we've tried some bathtime tricks and games as well.  He's playing a Pinterest sorting game as we speak, actually, sticking the handles of his baby spoons through the holes of their dishwashing basket.  What a magical site.  Ahem.  Also, my mom AND my grandmother's Christmas presents this year are already underway, inspired by some of the beautiful DIY projects.  But what I think I'm proudest of is that I have found a house-cleaning regimen that works. 
I've only been doing it for a week, but that's about 4 days longer than I've ever stuck with any sort of cleaning regimen in the past.  Ha ha.  Seriously, though, I HATE cleaning.  So last week was pretty rough, as starting a cleaning routine always is.  I had a few weeks' worth of clutter sitting around on my tables and counters, as is typically the case at my house.  But once I got started it was so easy.  I do a few major tasks each day (today was laundry and weekend damage control) as well as a few small ones (I also wiped down the walls in the kitchen, as well as the coffee and dining tables, and the kitchen trash can).  Now my house just stays clean-ish all the time, and I can make progress on the detail work, like tidying drawers, organizing Henry's closets, washing exterior windows, and dusting the louvres on my utility room doors.  It's true, I haven't actually DONE any of those things yet, but ... well, at least now I don't have a good excuse.  Maybe next week when Elvis is home from school all week. 
Also, although I don't have the patience or the steady hands to try all the awesome nail art ideas on Pinterest, I WAS inspired to paint my nails for the first time since Henry was born.  It makes me feel a little bit like Betty Draper when I'm doing my chores.  Except that I've seen every episode of Mad Men twice now, and I'm pretty sure I never see her doing any actual housework.  So there, thanks to Pinterest I know I'm at least as good a housewife as Betty Draper.  Thanks, P.  ;-)

Grandbaby Fever

Okay, so I used to tease my mom all the time that she started wanting grandkids a few days after I was born. She's never denied it, and I've never understood it. Until now, that is. I guess I couldn't think past the whole being-old-enough-to-be-a-grandmother aspect. Anyway, now that I know and love my own son, I can totally see the draw of grandmotherhood. 

First of all, grandma is everyone's favorite, isn't she? I know Henry is completely crazy for his 2 grandmas and his great-grandma. I mean, the clingy little monkey who wants me to carry him around all day will actually push my face away in his excitement to get to any of them. They love him and spoil him so much, it's no wonder he's head over heels. That's gotta be pretty gratifying. 

Also, grandmas don't discipline much do they? Of course they don't let him get away with ANYTHING, but ... well, almost. That's as it should be, I understand. But still, I feel certain my parents never let me do a lot of the things that are so charming coming from their grandson. 

And of course, the very idea of the child of my beloved child is pretty magical. Henry's so magnificent, I get excited about his pee (we're potty training, I'm not gross); I can only imagine how spectacular any child of his would be. I certainly don't want to rush through the years, but I have to admit I totally can't wait to hold each of his -hopefully many- babies in my arms. The very thought brings tears to my eyes. It must be pure joy to hold the magnum opus of your own magnum opus.

Happy weekend to me

Well, we had a super weekend. I didn't even realize how refreshing it was until just before bed last night. Friday was the first day of Hunting Season 'round these parts, and the men in my life (father, husband, brother) went out to the family's land to celebrate in style. That left me, Henry, and my mom with nothing to do, so we spent the weekend together. We did some Christmas shopping, went out for every meal, stayed up late watching Mad Men, and giggled at the hilarious antics of my adorable son. My grandmother came over  Saturday afternoon to see her favorite guy, and they had so much fun. I will not reveal her age, but it's amazing to see her crawling around on the floor and swinging that little dude around. They've always seemed younger than their age, but Henry has totally reinvigorated both Nana and Gramps. 

We went to church yesterday morning, and -as usual- it seemed like the sermon was just for me. "Big Milt" talked about living in your Big self (kind, patient, generous, etc) instead of your Small self (petty, gossipy, stingy, etc). This is something I struggle with pretty regularly, I admit. Being in the house with just a toddler for company all day sometimes leads me to feel resentful and angry, which leads me to behave in an unpleasant fashion sometimes. I just need to remember to think before I act or speak, and remember that, as difficult as our life can be, we have been so richly  blessed. Then, in Sunday School (during which my little monkey charmed all the ladies into playing peekaboo) we talked about Extravagant Generosity. The topic was talking about being financially generous, and the whole time I wanted to call out my mom (and dad). They are so generous in so many ways. Aside from all they do for my little family, they give generously to lots of causes, particularly schools and our military. A few months ago they anonymously paid for the lunches of a big group of soldiers who were eating a few tables over from them. They give freely of their time and energy as well, through church and work programs. I'm so proud of my parents for all they do for others. They are such wonderful role models in so many ways. 

After church we went home to put little Henry down for his nap, and I made a cake for Daddy's birthday. I had just frosted it when the guys got home from Place (the ranch still does not have an official name, after almost 3 years), and I was so pleased at how delighted my dad was with his cake. My mom does not cook, so his birthday treats are of the store-bought variety unless I make them myself (which I almost always do, of course. I'm not a perfect daughter, but I understand the importance of a homemade-with-love birthday cake!). It's so easy to make him happy (as though a whole weekend of hunting, whiskey, and off-color jokes with the guys didn't do that). 

Finally we loaded everything into the car and went home, but not before I acquired a new piece of furniture. My parents had this cabinet in the garage that they didn't know what to do with, so I took it off their hands. I had been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with our overcrowded patio out back. Now it's looking great, all my gardening junk is concealed, and the cabinet is still less than half full. This thing is going to free up so much closet space! Wow, that's a lame thing to be so excited about. Ah, the joys of growing up ... ;-)

So, after all the fun and organizing, I was exhausted and ready for bed by 10:00 last night. Elvis changed the sheets (!!!) and I was out like a light.  Ahhh, what a wonderful weekend!