Bathed in shimmering love

Have I mentioned just how much I love my parents? I mean, not only do I love them, but I love spending time with them. They are, without a doubt, my biggest fans and friends. Yesterday, we went out to lunch and laughed as we tried to eat the huge servings of "meat and three" that were put before us at a small local diner. We fed each other bites of things on our own plates so we could all go "mmmmm" at the same time as we gushed about how very good this lunch was. There was fried okra, pinto beans, white beans, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, turnip greens and macaroni and cheese being consumed with the most delicious cornbread. You know... the kind that really needs no butter?

Once we got back to their house, it was time to make coffee because, well, that's the even better thing... my mom and I love to share coffee together, and so when I am there in the afternoon, we have a cup as we sit and chat. While there I also got to see their Christmas decorations and commented on the pretty gold pine cones on their tree. They told me that they'd picked them up in the yard of a house they own and spray painted them. "There are plenty more if you'd like some," said my dad. He then proceeded outside while my mom and I sipped our coffee and spray painted a plastic grocery bag FULL, just for me. By the time I left, they'd dried in this unusually warm weather we're having this week, and I brought them home to put them on my own tree. Shimmering golden pine cones... sort of how I feel... bathed in the golden light from the gift of being loved so very much by the two most wonderful friends in my world.

A hard nut to crack

Each Christmas for as long as I can remember, there were shelled mixed nuts at my mom and dad's house. They sit in a cute bowl made to look like a section of tree, and inside are the "nut crackers" and "picks" to use in order to assist in cracking and eating the nuts. We never got the shelled mixed nuts at any other time of year, and there was just something about sitting around chatting while cracking open some yummy nuts to enjoy at the Christmas season.

So, when I went to the Food Lion the other day and saw all the shelled mixed nuts, I decided to purchase some to put on my pub table in the kitchen. I knew just the cute decorative tin I could put them in too! Yesterday, just seeing them there made me smile. I cracked open a walnut, then a hazelnut (probably my favorite), a pecan, and then an almond. But then, there it was... the dreaded Brazil nut. Maybe it's just me, but I have always found that unless you get the "cracker" positioned just right, you end up with a shattered shell which does not come away from the nut easily. They are just not a clean nut to crack. As a matter of fact, even when you do get the bigger part of the shell off, most of the nut then sticks to the sides of the shell. That got me to thinking about how on earth they get those suckers out of their shells in one pretty piece! I mean, you see them in cans of mixed nuts all the time, whole and beautiful. I've yet to crack one and get an entire nut out of the shell. Somewhere there is a little man in a nut factory smiling with a secret he's kept for years...

Crazy water quest

Call me crazy, but when I find something I like, it seems to all of a sudden become scarce. Last year some time I tried the Aquafina Flavor Splash in Wild Berry and loved it! It has such a crisp, clean taste and although I have tried many other flavored waters, this one beats them all in my book. I like to keep at least two six packs on hand. All of a sudden, everyone seemed to like the Wild Berry. Oh, I could find many packs of the citrus, raspberry, or grape, but none of my favorite. When I was lucky enough to find it, I bought three or even four so that I would not run out.

When we moved, the only thing missing from my new neighborhood Food Lion was the Flavor Splash. I mentioned it to them several times, but their Pepsi man is apparently not a very customer responsive vendor and has never stocked any on their shelves. Yesterday, after getting groceries at the Food Lion, I had to go to KMart in the afternoon for some things and knew they had it last time I was there, so proceeded down the water aisle. One... they had only one pack. I really should have questioned my sanity when, without thought, I then proceeded to the Bi-Lo across the street to see if they had some. I purchased their remaining three packs to put in the refrigerator in the basement. This is water people. Flavored water. I am constantly on the prowl all over this blasted community for flavored water. I should have married a Pepsi man.

Magnificat!

Canticle 15
The Song of Mary
Magnificat Luke 1:46-55

(Antiphon)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation. [Antiphon]
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly. [Antiphon]
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever. [Antiphon]
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. [Antiphon]

Oh, how glorious it sounds when voices lift this up in song and chant! Our small group of Occasional Singers at church has been practicing this for weeks as we will be using it during Advent as our opening song of praise for worship. We will lead the congregation as they get used to the cadence of the antiphon and the chant. Done in harmony it is simply beautiful.

I can't tell you how much it has enriched my spirit to be a part of this group of talented people. I look so forward to each practice and each performance like a little kid. Even if I didn't love church, this alone would keep me going back week after week. What a blessing in my life to be able to lift up my voice in praise with others who revel in the beauty of voice.

Happy Birthday Sisterboo!

Here we are... me and my big sissy, circa 1966-67. Well, she was "big" by only 15 months. She knows me better than anyone. She has been with me through thick (and thicker) and thin. She is my best friend. She is my comforter (thanks for the Swiss Rolls). She is the one who loves me no matter what and will always be there for me. She is the one I plan to sit with on the beach when we are old and gray, sipping fruity drinks, wearing purple, and being single together once again. (Well, odds are that we'll outlive our men.)

I love you with all my heart and wish you a very happy birthday my sissy...

And so we heard the hammering...

And just look who had come to visit in the tree line behind our house! I almost peed my pants just standing there in awe of his size and splendor. Welcome Mr. Pileated Woodpecker!
(Um, next time, could you hold your head out of the direct sunlight?)

Let the magic begin...

Seeing as how there is not enough money in the world, or discounts deep enough, to lure me to the mall the day after Thanksgiving, Sam had the wonderful idea of getting our Christmas tree up yesterday. Husband was off work and so was here to cart the big part up from the basement. I was afraid of what kind of shape it might be in after our move since the movers were not overly careful in moving the base which still had the center part intact and attached. By the time they got it off the truck and into the basement, several limbs had dropped off along the way and were put into a box. Thankfully, they were all accounted for as I constructed it and "fluffed" the stems out.

We decided on white, instead of colored lights, this year, and it is truly beautiful in it's simplicity with the pop of the red apples and ornaments. Of course, Sam's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Express Train is circling the base as usual. Christmas music filled the air yesterday as the XM Holly channel played while we decorated. I love this time of year. The entire mood shifts for me.

If you've not heard it, the very best Christmas CD created in a very long time IMHO, and which everyone needs in their collection is by Jewel. Her Joy: A Holiday Collection CD is one of my all time favorites and one that gets played over and over again this time of year. The magic of the season has begun... may we all revel in the spirit of the gift given to us all.

I can see clearly now

When husband told me that he was going to call a local window cleaning company to get an estimate, I sort of balked. I mean, come on... we can clean windows, can't we? But then I started really looking at the number of very high windows on this house and realized that we certainly don't have a tall enough ladder to reach them even if we wanted to take on that sort of task, and so I told him that certainly if they could do the outside, it would be nice. But, those same windows have to be reached from the inside as well. Hmmm... maybe they could just do those windows we can't reach?

Then again, window cleaning can be very frustrating when you are using a roll of paper towels and a bottle of Windex. All the smudges and smears that you never seem to be able to get can drive you just batty. So the guy came out and gave us an estimate for the outside as well as one for inside and out. It was really very reasonable! On Tuesday, Doc showed up and with his "window cleaning tool holster" on his hip, proceeded to clean my windows like nobody's business. He had the entire house (24+ windows) done in under three hours! Of course, he had to remove all the screens as well, and once they were out, I was amazed how much more light poured into this space.

Once he was done, the difference was short of amazing. I don't suppose they've been cleaned on the outside since the house was built in 2003. The sun shining off them gave the effect of sparking diamonds it was so bright. The next day, I proceeded to remove all the screens again which really opened things up. Lordy how I love light, and now, I can see so much more clearly. Husband wins major points and hugs for this idea.

Happy Thanksgiving to all...

Thanks giving... giving thanks. Today we are all gathered with family and friends... pausing to focus on all the things we have to be thankful for. Meister Eckhart said it best... "If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is "thank you," that would suffice."

So, today as I reflect on my life, I'd like to offer up some things I am thankful for...

~I am thankful for the unconditional love I feel all around me in my life, especially from my husband and family. I know I am loved and I know what a precious gift that truly is.

~I am thankful for my faith and for knowing how little control I have in the grand scheme of things and how much that makes me smile with comfort.

~I am thankful for the tapestry of friends I've developed and how each person has contributed so much to my life journey, especially those I've never met in this blogging community.

~I am thankful for the ability to really contemplate my life with the open heart and mind one needs to continue to reach and grow.... I grow and grow each day.

~I am thankful for enough. Enough food, enough shelter, enough love, enough faith, and enough wisdom to embrace the grace so freely offered to me. I am so truly blessed.

Blessings to all of you who share in this life's journey with me...

Winter surprises

So I was going down the front steps yesterday to get the mail when a flash of pink... whaaa? ... pink?.... caught my eye. I turned to look, and there was this lovely camellia, present when we moved into this new house, absolutely chock full of blooms about to burst open, with one lone pink bud bloomed out! Huh? Are you kidding me? Blooming things in November? I had never heard that some camellias bloom in the winter. And I've lived in the south all my life!
After a google search, I found that this is most probably a Camellia Japonica which will bloom from winter to spring. What a pleasant surprise of gentle color for the winter months.

When we did some renovation of the landscaping back in the fall, we moved it from the very bottom of the stairs back to this corner where it would have more room to grow, according to our master landscape gardener Janet. It had some tight buds on it then, but I figured they maybe just didn't bloom out because of the transplant shock of being moved. I had no idea it was just gearing up for it's regular blooming season. I do love beautiful surprises!

Readying for winter

For some weeks now, the activity at my feeders has been down. On Saturday, I decided to replace some of the seed that did not seem to be popular and fill the feeders up again. Since that time, the temperatures have really dropped, and we even had snow flurries yesterday. I saw more birds than I've had in weeks as they have finally started stocking up for the cold winter months ahead. This sweet Tufted Titmouse was sitting in the crepe myrtle holding a seed with the sun shining on it's breast and I was lucky enough to get this nice image.

A man alone with cleaning products

Yesterday, Sam and I went to visit Nana and Papa for a bit. While there, my cell phone rang. It was husband wondering where the small foot stools were. I told him there was one in the garage and one in the laundry room. Oh, how I wish I'd asked him why he needed one.

Seems he decided that our cherry kitchen cabinetry was looking rather dull. I had told him earlier the day before that I usually just use the Old English polishing wipes to wipe them down. Little did I know he would take it upon himself to do the task. Well, except that he got the wipes out and decided that they didn't really do much in terms of polishing them like he wanted them polished. So, he went exploring in my cleaning products and found... gulp.... Old English Scratch Cover for dark wood that I had purchased to discretely cover some scratches on my floor created when they moved our refrigerator into the house.

He took one look at this product and decided it would cover a multitude of scratches and sins, and so as I walked in the door, I found my very proud husband on said foot stool, a saturated paper towel scrunched in his hand, "finishing up" the last of the cabinetry which he had fully covered with the hide-the-scratches product. "Doesn't it just pop now?" he asked with a beaming grin on his face. I had to slowly bring my chin back up to close my mouth as I decided to measure my response with his openly displayed pride in a job well done. "Um... well.... it's..... definitely not showing any scratches any longer," said surprised wife trying not to let him know that this product was not meant to be applied liberally to all wood surfaces. Thankfully, they do still look like cherry cabinets, and they do look cleaner and have a sheen that was not there before. Except they are still not dry this morning either. A man and his "cleaning" ideas... can be a dangerously interesting thing.

I'm with you Leonard

Once again, my fav op-ed columnist has hit the nail right on the head with this wonderfully written piece about the Ted Haggard sadness and why we need to just let people "be."
Why can't we just all embrace that we are all wonderfully made by God... there ending the debate. There is no denying who you are at your core, and why should you have to?

Being in an odd place

I am in an odd place right now. Odd in that I have not worked since September 29 and do not feel the urge to get back into the work fray in the least bit. The first two weeks I was home, I felt this sense of urgency to find something new, and had a hard time just letting myself "be" for a while without needing to rush out and see what was to come next in my career. Once I gave myself permission to have a couple of weeks where I did not actively look, this odd sense of complacency started to set in. Gee, the urge to rush back out there sort of went away all together.

The thing is, initially I was busy with getting our basement finished and so that occupied a good bit of my time. But, now it's done and so there are no pressing day-to-day projects to get completed. So.... here I am, still feeling really ambivalent not only about going back to work, but wondering exactly what I want to do at this juncture in my life. I worked in the Wound Center on Thursday and did not enjoy it very much. The sense of camaraderie that I once felt when working in there years ago is no longer present, and I found that I did not enjoy the each man for himself attitude that now seems to prevail. As a matter of fact, at the end of that day, I was wondering if I still want to do anything wound care related at all.

What is next for me and why is my brain so very muddled about it all? My husband is now making comments about my finding something after the first of the year. It's so wonderful that he's supported my leaving that stressful job and is now OK with my being at home for a while. But I fear the longer I stay home, the less inclined I will be to want to jump back into the work force. I wish I could just quiet my brain and find some direction or some path to take. I am not used to being in such flux and it's disconcerting. I can't even seem to be quiet enough to pray and listen... an odd place indeed.

The happy couple

Much love and happiness to newlyweds Anne and Ken!

Thanks for letting me be a part of your wonderful celebration...
Know that your friendship blesses my heart.
(and thanks for sharing this beautiful photo)

A cool visitor

On Tuesday, I glanced over to a neighbor's yard and saw a huge bird light in a pine tree. Could it be? I had heard them around here, but had never seen one. I ran to get the binos and sure enough, there he was... a huge Pileated woodpecker across the street! I stood and stared at him for the longest time, and then he took off and flew over the top of my house. I then ran to the back of the house to see if he might land in our line of trees, when I heard this commotion outside. Several crows were screeching at something in the trees.

The crow was on the branch of a tree behind this visitor and standing his ground. I ran to get my zoom on my camera hoping he'd stay a bit longer, and sure enough, I was able to sneak out onto the deck and get this shot of what a helpful expert tells me is probably a juvenile Cooper's hawk. (Thanks Mike!) He stayed just long enough for some photos and then took off across the street. Another friend to add to my Chickadee Lane birds list. Wish he'd invite the Pileated woodpecker over so I could get a closer look.

A frog in our throat

Yesterday, just as I was getting deep into my house cleaning, the phone rang. It was Nurse Laura from school saying that Sam was in her office complaining of a frog in his throat. She said that his teacher gave him a pass to her office and there he was saying that he needed to go home. She reported that he did not have a fever, and I told her it was most likely allergies as he was fine that morning when I dropped him off. I asked her to offer him a Tylenol (power of suggestion and all) and to remind him that after school we were going to go to the dollar store to spend his bounty from his Nana and Papa. I figured that might motivate him to stick it out, and it did. He got in the car, and the first thing he said was, "Where's my ten dollars?" The promise of new books always wins.

But, alas, this morning we awoke with another frog in our throat. Just where are those darn frogs coming from? Normally, I'd get his Clarinex in him, and cajole him upward and onward, but it's raining cats and dogs outside (we're supposed to get upwards of 3" of rain today) and I am less motivated to convince him he'll be fine when I know that as soon as I get him there, I'll be again receiving a phone call from patient Nurse Laura. So, it's a good day to stay in, keep dry, and find a way to make those frogs find another location to hang out.

November reindeer on Chickadee Lane?

So, what is the rule in your neck of the woods? Egads, my neighbors in the end of cul-de-sac already have lighted reindeer in their yard. It's not even Thanksgiving people. Why do we rush the season so much? I know it's exciting that Christmas is almost here again, especially if you have young children, but shouldn't there be a rule like no white after Labor Day and such? Then again, there are those people who will just leave those ice lights up on their porch all year long as if no one notices?

Here in this household, our unspoken rule is the weekend after Thanksgiving to get the tree and decorations up. Yes, I know... that's a wee bit early too, but then again we want to enjoy it for a good bit, don't we? Aren't I just the snob??? The tradition in my church says that Advent is a time of quiet waiting... patiently, ahem... for the King's arrival, and so many die-hard cradled Episcopalians don't even decorate until Christmas Day and then leave it up for the 12 days, and poof, they are done. OK, so I am not a cradled Piskie and some childhood traditions must be kept. Oh, and the other one? It all has to come down the Saturday after Christmas in preparation for the New Year. (You know, because it's bad luck and all?) And so who am I to judge my neighbor's early reindeer? I am apparently just as nuts.

A magical weekend

We are back from The Wedding Weekend, and it was magical from start to finish. How embarrassed I am to admit that I forgot to pack the camera... oy, oy, oy.

We arrived at the hotel to be handed a lovely gift bag from the happy couple with snacks, a map/guide to Nashville, along with a printed card including all information/times regarding the schedule for the wedding weekend.

Rehearsal at the cathedral was that evening and started with an intimate chapel service which put everything into perspective. After we practiced our walks up and down the aisle and positioning at the altar rail, we headed to the Wild Horse Saloon for a delicious buffet dinner and toasts to their happiness. We all received such thoughtful gifts from them. Mine included this beautiful Willow Tree figurine called Angel of Healing... it says "for those who give comfort with caring and tenderness." Notice she's also holding a bird? How much more perfect could that be? :c)

Saturday for lunch, the bridal girls all went to Amerigo for a scrumptious lunch and time to get to know one another and spend time with the bride. After lunch, we met up in her hotel suite as her talented hairdresser did her "do" and make-up. We all met at the cathedral at 4PM for photos and then it was time for the big event.

The ceremony was just extraordinarily beautiful and moving. How wonderful it was to see two very special souls in my life look into one another's eyes and profess their love until they are parted by death. I was about to spill the tears, but remembered that I had a fist full of flowers and no tissues. The reception that followed in the lobby of Union Station was exquisite. Every detail was evident in the planning of an event on this scale, and the bride and groom simply outdid themselves to make it not only a memorable event in their lives, but a joyous occasion for all of us lucky enough to share in the delight. BRAVO and best wishes for happiness always and forever!

Listening to myself

Yea! Husband is finally home! He left on Monday to head to Los Angeles for the week. It's been a long time since he's been gone that long, and I must say, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. I missed him so very much. And, I really missed just talking to someone. It is amazing how much we get accustomed to having someone around to bounce thoughts and ideas off of and how much we realize that void when they are not there. I told him that it amazed me to realize a) either we talk a good bit, or b) I just like to hear myself and he's gracious enough to respond when I open my mouth. So many times this week, I found myself starting to say something to him, or make a comment... to the empty room. Sam is just not much of a conversationalist to say the least, but he does thoroughly enjoy talking to himself. ;c)

This is how wonderful my husband is in my eyes today... he flew into Nashville from LA yesterday around 3:30PM, and instead of just staying there overnight, he drove home to me. Wouldn't be a big deal, except we are leaving here today around lunchtime to go to The Wedding Weekend... yes, in Nashville. I could have put on my big girl panties and driven myself up there to meet him today, but was really wanting the time to share this weekend together. And he wants me to be happy and loves being with me. How's that for a great guy?

So, we're off for the wonderful weekend of happy "I do's" and misty faces. I am feeling very blessed today indeed. Going on 17 years ago, we said our own "I do's" and I am happy I got such a keeper.

Strolling down memory lane

A recent post on birding by Lynne at Hasty Brook got me to thinking back on my very earliest birding experiences. When I was young and just out of nursing school, my sister (who was going to graduate in December that year) and I took a brave trip. In the late summer of 1984 we chose to visit Montego Bay, Jamaica as our graduation gift from our parents. We'd never been out of the country, and so this was going to be the adventure of a lifetime, no doubt. And, it truly was...

One of the places the locals told us to visit was Miss Lisa Salmon's bird feeding station in St. James. And so, one afternoon we took a taxi to this remote, charming place in the hills and were transported to another world. We were quite the novice bird people at that point in our lives, and I now wish I could go back and relive that one afternoon. This lovely lady, who I read sadly passed away in her 90's in 2000, started this bird sanctuary in the 1950's and welcomed visitors at set feeding times daily. She had us sit on her patio, and instructed us in being still as we held small airline size liquor bottles with thin rubber stoppers tilted up in one hand and our fingers beside the bottle as a "perch." We then watched in amazement as exotic hummingbirds, like the swallowtail above, flew in to sit on our fingers and drink the nectar. Birds of all species and types flew in creating a symphony of sound when only moments before it was silent in the woods. They knew exactly what time to come to her feeding station. We shared a moment in time with other travelers who also were transfixed by the sheer number of feathered friends who had grown to love and trust the sweet spirit of Miss Lisa. She was enthusiastic and charming as she shared stories of her beloved birds and the sanctuary she'd created high in the hills of this tropical paradise. It was an experience I will never, ever forget and shaped my fascination and hunger to know and love the birds for a lifetime.

Love the chickadees

I have always loved the chickadees, but now that we live on Chickadee Lane, they have become even more special to me. So, imagine my glee when I found this cute canvas in the new Personal Creations catalog!

Not sure I'd want mine and husband's names on the heart, so maybe it does not need personalization at all. So, for those who are wondering what would be a nice Christmas gift (hint, hint to Mother or Sister?), this would tickle me pink.

Just please vote

Today is election day and I, for one, am glad as can be. If I see one more negative campaign ad I am going to lose my ever loving mind. There's been quite the contentious Senate race in neighboring Tennessee and we get all the wall to wall, very nasty ads on the local channels ad nauseam.

I voted last Monday in Georgia when early voting started so I would not have to fight the crowds today. It's supposed to rain today as well, so I hope others voted early too, or don't mind getting a bit damp.

Whatever your political persuasion or which ever candidates you support, the important thing is to let your voice be heard. It's a gift we don't appreciate so much these days. One voice can change things. One voice can transform the world. One voice can be powerful. Just vote.

Speaking of sharks...

Yesterday, my dad called to say he and my mom would be coming by to give husband his birthday present and good wishes since he is leaving today (yes, on his birthday... pooie) on a business trip. They arrived around 4PM, and we all gravitated downstairs to the pool table. My dad grinned and said, "I haven't had a cue stick in hand for over 50 years, Jayne Lynn," when I asked him if he'd like to play me in a round of eight ball.

I handed him the breaking cue stick, and he performed a great break for someone who had not played in so very long. My humble I-Haven't-Played-In-50-Years dad then proceeded to kick my butt. He banked shots, he ran shots around my balls, and even called his pockets. Whhhhhaaaaaat??? All the while, he was grinning and reminiscing about his days in a pool hall as a young man. He said if he'd studied as much as he'd hustled pool...

Well, now... the things we learn about our parents! He then proceeded to kick husband's butt as well. I think he thoroughly enjoyed showing us youngsters a thing or two about how to play pool. I can't remember a time when I enjoyed getting beat so much.

Oh, and for his birthday, I got husband the above poster from one of his favorite movies as a kid (The Hustler with Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman) to have framed for the pool room wall. We are going to practice, practice, practice and then invite the true family shark back for a rematch.

Rules? What rules?

Since we got the pool table installed on Wednesday, we've been playing a good bit each day. Husband had not played much at all in his earlier years, and so it's been a fully new learning experience for him. As I had mentioned, I used to play a good bit in college, but it's been years and years ago. Being the competitive perfectionist he is, he's determined to get really good and really accurate, and the quicker the better for him.

I have been searching the recesses of my mind in terms of the general rules of the game, but they have been sketchy at best. But when he started hitting my balls intentionally to get to his, I put my foot down. "You can't do that," I protested. "And why not?" asked the very determined new pool player. "Um, because you just can't," I weakly replied. We both laughed and laughed. I'd scratch and he'd take the cue ball to place it just where ever he wanted to. "Um, no... I think it has to be behind that line of the arrows on the side of the table I scratched on." Like I said, somewhere in the deep memory spots in my brain, that sounded right. "Huh, sounds like a 'Jayne rule' to me," said he who wants to win all the time.

So, on Friday, I found myself waiting outside the door of Books-A-Million when they opened at 9AM. I promptly walked back to the gaming section and smiled as I reached for The Complete Idiots Guide to Pool and Billiards. Smugly, I presented it to him that evening, and even more smugly (and with a sweet grin), he placed his cue ball in-hand just where he wanted on the table as he smiled and said, "Told you so." OK, so my brain can only remember so much... like I said, it's going to be a fun winter in our basement.

Stopping the drips

When I went shopping for my last coffee maker, it was important to me that it have some sort of ridge on the back of the lid you raise to put in the water and coffee as my last coffee maker did not, and every time I went to open it, water condensation poured all down the back of the thing onto the counter. Then, as I'd slide it back against the back of the counter top, water would be spread all over the place. I hated that. Consequently, I found a cheapie Black and Decker that did have a way to divert the water and seemed to be the answer to my frustration.

However, it's had problems of it's own. For some odd reason, the pour spout on this carafe is so small that unless you pour very slowly, it tends to drip all over the place down the front of the coffee pot. My husband, who is not known for his slow pouring, has been driven batty by this design flaw. So, imagine my glee yesterday when I was at Target picking up some things and saw this Hamilton Beach Brewstation coffee maker! Ha! No carafe at all! The brewed coffee stays in the collection chamber, and all you have to do is put your mug under it and push the bar to dispense the coffee. How cool is that? It was worth the $49.95 to see the tech whore grin on his face this morning as he filled his mug. And so timely too as his birthday is Monday. What a nice gift... no more frustrating drips. (Yes, I do have him another gift.) ;c)

Ok, so just call me cheap and non-trendy

I found myself at the mall yesterday going from store to store trying on all sort of jeans. I went to the petite departments where I was more likely to find something for my 5'2" frame. I tried on the Bill Blass, the Gloria Vanderbilt, the various and sundry other name brands that Belk and Parisian offered.

First, can I just say that all that crap all over the pockets and all the distressed look is just soooo not me. All I wanted was a plain pair of jeans people. Most of them were so dirty looking (on purpose) and so embellished you'd have to take them to the dry cleaners. It was then that I realized how non-trendy I am.

So, after hours of tedious disappointment and still no jeans that fit my body, I ended up at.... yes.... Wal-Mart, where I found these Riders by Lee... the eased fit. Read... more "seat" room. They fit like a glove, and I paid the exorbitant price of $16.97 for them. As my dad used to say, "For that price, if they don't work out, we'll wash the car with them." And so, with three pairs in tow, I left with a smile on my face, knowing that some poor girl just got her embellished jeans pocket hung on something somewhere.

We are loved

From today's Forward Day by Day:

Luke 11:53-12:12. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

How do you judge your self-worth? When our children became teenagers an expression crept into their speech that gave me a start: "Loser," as in "He (or she) is a loser!" It was a five-letter word that tormented me more than all four-letter words put together. I tried to banish it from their lexicon, at least in our house. God has not made any losers. None. Not one. Yet who has not lost some contest, some thing, someone? Who has not tasted bitter disappointment? Who has not felt the wretchedness of despair? Who has not felt loss? And who has not looked up into a blue sky combed with pale white wisps of strato-cirrus clouds, seen the treetops brighten with yellow-gold rays of dawn, and heard little sparrows greet the day with song that delights the ear and warms the heart? If we—like sparrows—are not forgotten creatures of a loving God, how can we be daunted by the prospects of the day, or any of the events that will occur?

ALL the hairs on our head are counted... he knows them ALL. We don't know why bad things happen, but they do. Through it all, we are loved. Completely and totally loved, just because we are his, and he knows us. What a gift, that grace we are showered with each and every day.

Ta-da!

Waiting for an older and wiser pool shark to emerge...

Return of the shark?

Today, we will truly "finish out" the basement with the addition of this very cool pool table in a honey maple color. The store is supposed to be here later this morning for the installation and we are excited!

Yours truly used to be quite the pool shark in college. I remember many a "Hump Night" party (not what you are thinking... they were keg parties held on Wednesday nights... the "hump" in the middle of the week) at the Kappa Sigma house where I, a dedicated little sister (Stardusters we were called), would run the table with one of the pledges all night long. We were unbeatable. As Queen screamed "We Will Rock You" from the speakers overhead shaking the lights over the table, we made shot after shot. Those were the days...

But alas, I've not had a pool cue in my hand in over 22 years really. So it will be like learning how to play all over again. I loved it when I played it then, and can't wait to try and show Sam how to play. Husband says I'll have to teach him too, but I think we'll both just have to learn together. Should be a fun, fun winter in the basement on Chickadee Lane...