Ryan leaves tomorrow morning to drive cross country to his next duty station.  So, to steal a quote from a family favorite he’s preparing his last meal “in the old Bailey boardinghouse,” and what a meal it is going to be.  We are being treated to gourmet pizza tonight.

Since early afternoon he has been chopping and making doughs and generally making this house smell very inviting.

Layn has been doing his part as well.  This morning MK took down the Christmas tree.  Since we heat with wood, no matter how much water we pour into the pail the tree dries out very quickly in this house. 

Layn was doing his impression of Jacob Marley while helping his Auntie pack the beads away for the next Christmas tree.

Then he took a break this afternoon to watch an episode of one of his DVD’s and have a cup of juice.  Being good and very helpful is hard on a little guy.  He’s refueling for when his mom comes home from work.

Outside my window…the wind is blowing and all of the snow is gone. This is sure shaping up to be one of those blah winters. We have had snow a couple of time but it has quickly melted and left the world looking brown and tired.

I am thinking…of things to come and things past. This is the time of the year when everyone thinks about resolutions, changes, and making promises that they may either keep or not.  I don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions as such.  Rather I try to make weekly resolutions, not that I am any better at keeping them than anyone else.  Today is Monday and one of my resolutions for this week is about patience. I have been falling down in that department lately and so I need to pay more attention to not losing what little patience I might have over very little things.

I am thankful for…the love, generosity, and kindness that my children show to each other and to those that they come into contact with.

From the kitchen…our pizza plans from Saturday were shifted to tonight. Ryan, Brett and Matthew will be the cooks.  All I have to do is make sure that they have a clean kitchen to work in.

I am wearing…a pink flannel nightgown.

I am creating…a new look. Let us hope that my hubby likes it!

I am going….to find asparagus for the big guy and then that is about it for today. One more day to have him at home, I don’t want to miss a moment of it.

I am reading…nothing right at the moment.

I am hoping….that Ryan has a safe journey across this great country of ours.

I am hearing…Martina McBride singing about satin sheets in the sewing room, Layn playing with his trains in the dining room, and MK sorting records in the livingroom.

Around the house….everything is a bit discombobulated.  MK took down the tree this morning since it was getting a bit dry and droopy.  Now the livingroom looks like an explosion happened in it. 

One of my favorite things…the smell and feel of the house after a good bout of cleaning.

A few plans for the rest of the week…time in the pool, time with Our Lord, family time and alone time.  Sounds like a whole lot of status quo.  I like status quo.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you…

The boys got together and surprised their father with a new chainsaw for Christmas.  I love the look of surprise and delight on his face.  It is not easy to surprise this man nor is it easy to buy for him. He wants not a thing and he gets by with very little.  The boys hit the nail right on the head this year.