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.

Outside my window….it is chilly with a light dusting of snow on the ground.  We had a green Christmas and then the joke was on all of us, the snow, such as it was, came down after midnight.

I am thinking…about holidays, past present and future.  About trying to make this one as memorable as holidays past and at the same time, unique for its own special happenings.

I am thankful for…family near and far.  The gifts are great but the thoughfulness and creativity with which they were chosen always warms and amazes me.

From the kitchen…more party fare is on the menu.

I am wearing…a pink tee and jeans.

I am creating…Chrismas memories and family togetherness.

I am going…to get some time in at the pool this afternoon and then, who knows.

I am reading…Outlines of Romantic Theology by Charles Williams

I am hoping…things that cannot be expressed but that I pray for constantly. 

I am hearing….Melissa murmuring to Savannah as she feeds her and rocks her to sleep, MK mumbling to herself as she writes her DB post for school, and the sound of the bubbler on the fish tank.

Around the house….everything is festive and warm. 

One of my favorite things…watching each of the kids, young and old, enjoy the thoughtfulness of others.

A few plans for the rest of the week…make the most of the celebration of the Octave of Christmas.

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

Grandpa and Savannah sharing some Chrismas love with each other.

That’s Matthew carrying our Christmas tree out of the woods this morning.  As his brothers have done so did Matthew this morning.  Those are some mighty big shoes to fill. (He’s man enough!)

meet Savannah!

She’s impressed!

with a 5-gallon pail! 

My oldest son, Ian is a mechanic (among all his other talents) who has inherited his mother’s obsessive-compulsive tendancies when it comes to his tools.  That’s my round-about way of saying he likes to keep them all in order even when he is using them.  A lot of jobs here on the farm require that the shop be brought to the patient rather than the patient being brought into the shop.  It was with those jobs in mind that I made this handy pail for Ian’s Christmas present.

It has lots of large pockets inside and out so that he can keep his tools organized and the pail is sturdy enough to handle just about anything that it encounters. 

Matthew and Brett had a friend over yesterday to spend some time on the range shooting.  After they came in Layn decided that he needed to spread around some of that charm for which he is so famous. 

She didn’t have a chance.

Outside my window…the sun is shining and I suspect that it is cold out there since the snow hasn’t melted. The forecast is for warmer temps today but clear skys and sun.

I am thinking…about snotty noses and chapped faces.  It has been many years since we have had either of those in this house.  I need to reach back into my memory and remember what was in my arsenal of palliatives for both.

I am thankful for…quiet times and family gathered all around.  Mornings such as this one spent with two of my children simply sitting and enjoying each other’s company.

From the kitchen….there are lots of leftovers from the weekend.  I cooked both on Saturday and Sunday so there is plenty of food to get us to tomorrow.

I am wearing…long johns and a sleep shirt.

I am creating…the last of the Christmas gifts.

I am going…to be staying home.  My car is in the shop getting some much needed work on the transmission and the brakes so I will be here in my nice warm cozy and welcoming home.

I am reading…Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” This is a yearly thing for me.  It is my favorite story, movie, and well of personal and moral insperation.

I am hoping…that the Big Dude has good weather and safe travels for his trip home tonight.

I am hearing…Melissa and Layn upstairs doing something in her room.  I love the way that Layn chatters.  MK is in the kitchen making herself some toast and Matthew is muttering over something on the computer.

Around the house…all is status quo.  There are toys scattered around the livingroom floor and Layn’s blankie sits abandoned.  The remnants of Ian and Doug’s breakfast sit on the kitchen table waiting for me to rouse myself to clean up.  The sewing room is neat and clean! (only because I didn’t use it this weekend).

One of my favorite things…the utter normalcy of the scene in this house and yet there are some normals that may seem a bit odd to others.  Yesterday afternoon is a good example.  Picture me baking a cake in the kitche while Matthew cleans his rifle on the table and Brett and their friend Emily watch an episode of “Good Eats” on the laptop.  While all this is going on Layn is running back and forth entertaining everyone.  Normal for us but not so normal for others.

A few plans for the rest of the week…greet the arrival of the Big Dude with all the love and boisterousness that this family can muster tonight.  I don’t have a fatter calf to kill but there are a couple of chickens that I have my eyes on.  Have to finish up a couple of final gifts and get them wrapped and we have to procure a tree.  Then we will let the celebrating commence.

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

Take the camera out and the little ham is ready for a photo shoot.  Poor guy is sensitive to tomatoes and he ate a couple with dinner last night.  The rash doesn’t seem to bother him though.