And then on Thanksgiving...

I took these pictures in the morning:

Why was I out in the icy cold? Because my family was invited to do this:

...with some families from church. Yes, they are playing football. It turned out to be the Hydes, Jones, and Howatts, which is a REALLY fun combination! It was David Hyde's idea, I do believe, and they all really got into it.

Team MVPs:

Is this legal? Or what they call holding?

They want to make it a tradition, I do believe the flyer said first annual. I'm not sure Bill will be able to handle it very many years, though!!

More old stuff...

Been meaning to post these, too, you know, since I took them on November 19th.

He's three, and he can almost always dress/undress himself. He only runs into trouble with pulling things over his head. And snaps.

His taste choices are not always good, though. He outgrew this before I got it in the drawer this summer. Since he can't wear it next year, and Bill and I aren't having more boys, and we heat with wood (aka our house in 90 degrees all winter) he was allowed to wear it. Until it was time to leave the house, anyway!!

Anyone up for a game?

Old News

Our trees were massacred recently. I took pictures.

The "tree people" as they have been dubbed by my family have now been in the area for a few weeks. When they appeared outside my house, they said they were contracted to clear all along the roadside, eight feet back. We debated the merits of having them just cut down, but three or four cars a winter slide into that ditch, and I don't want any of them in my yard. I plan to look for saplings along the power lines in the spring, and plant them between the older ones. The older ones we'll cut when the saplings are large enough.

A few feet back, that is. And we hope to prune them, so that this needn't happen again down the road.

They do it to prevent power outages from wires being in the branches. The irony is, we never lose power, and last week (after the devastation) our power flickered off three times. Oh well.

For those who (like me) don't know, pines won't grow back where they have been cut. So these will be like this until we cut them.

I WROTE A POEM

To a form, even, called a pensieve. Robin, over at Pensieve, (and yes the spelling is a play on pensive Nicki and mom, read her blog post for the explanation!) created her own style of poem, she describes it like this:

Pensieve: A titled, five-line poem; each line correlates to one of the five senses--sight, sound, scent, taste, touch--and describes the subject (title). The goal is for the reader to take on the poem as his own, being able to "experience" your subject through your words, by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling what you described.

I totally loved the thought. She is holding a contest, you can enter either a haiku or a "pensieve" on the subject of Winter or Christmas.

I chose both ;-).

So, here it is, be gentle.

Christmas Tree Hunting

The cold bites the skin, but the hopefuls press on
The laughter fills my ears, as snowballs are tossed OVER my head!
The green of the firs is deep and everlasting, as our Savior they represent,
The smells are faint, teasing, but promise to explode in the warmth of our home,
The cocoa warms the soul, comforting and bringing peace.




*edited to add*

click here for more poetry with the same guidelines!

Nicki asked if you can vote for me, I don't think so, but leaving her a comment about liing mine could never hurt!! She's supposed to pick her favorite, and their IS a prize at stake!!

Innocence

My kids are playing on the living room floor. There's a race track, you snap it together and then have little push things to make the cars go, two at a time. They are laughing, they are joking, making wise-cracks about little old ladies' driving, and naturally arguing a bit here and there.

The TV is blaring the evening news, national news. Completely unawares, my boys are having a wonderful time while the words and phrases unemployment, poor sales, financial bailouts, and recession are thrown around the room, literally over their heads.

Ah, to be a kid again. It's the ONLY moment of my life that I have ever thought that.

Christmas Meme

In need of something cute and happy to post, I decided not to email, but blog this reply to an email my mom sent. So, the Christmas edition of "Getting to Know You":

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Definitely wrapping paper, just like my mom, But unlike her I prefer to go boxless and have quirky shaped packages under the tree!!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real, not only for the smell and the fun of watching my husband crawl under it to water it, but because we go and cut our own, and those are memories I refuse to give up!!

3. When do you put up the tree? After Thanksgiving, we start looking for Saturdays when no one has to work, no activities are planned, and then we wake up and squeeze it in somewhere and tell the kids no we don't have time to decorate it until way too late at night and then we are all cranky!!! Oh, and I insist on videoing the whole thing. Good times.

4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever I get to it. Usually I can't take looking at it anymore a day or two after Christmas. When I had Michael (the day after Christmas) I agonized that he wouldn't feel like we did his birthday the way we did all the others. So for the first few years I raced that morning to get it down, out, and cutesy birthday things up. Then when I knew I wouldn't have much time last year, I asked Michael how he felt about it. He said the tree made his birthday even more festive! So, I'm back to whenever!

5. Do you like eggnog? LOVE it! But it has a weird after-taste, so you have to keep drinking more!!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I've had a lot. But the first that came to mind was an overgrown stuffed dog. It was HUGE. My Dad said he had picked it out, and that was just cool.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My stepmother

8. Easiest person to buy for? Well, my mom said "ME!!", and while she is easy to buy for, I would have to say Zachary.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, and my kids are more than welcome to play with it, as long as they play with it on top of the dresser I put it on.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, around 40 in fact!!

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I would never tell, because I wouldn't want to hurt the giver's feelings.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the original cartoon. My family watches, and recite every line!!!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever something strikes me as cute, I've been known to pick up one thing in February or something like that. The bulk begins around November, though. I am just about done now, except for what I make.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yup. Well, sort of. I don't give them away, but we have given them to people to give away in the past. Sue me.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Aunt Janet's peanut butter fudge, it's dry without being grainy, just the way I like it.

16. Lights on the tree? Duh. The more the better, and I always remind Bill to put some way in by the trunk. I love lights. And they MUST be colors, white lights look very sterile. And I don't like them to flash, you should always be able to see ALL of them!

17. Favorite Christmas song? Little drummer boy, normal renditions. The poor boy gives all he has, his talents, and the baby Jesus smiles at him, what greater gifts are there?

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Christmas morning in our own beds, but we drive to grandparents to visit for the day.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Only if you want me to sing! "You know Dasher..." yeah, I didn't think you wanted to hear that!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? "Angel. She has to tell Santa if we are being good!" said my mom. She took the words right out of my mouth!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning, and Santa's gifts don't come wrapped, just presents from Mommy and Daddy are wrapped.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Trying to cut costs without disappointing people. It's not an easy juggling act.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Anything my kids make at school.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? "Anything as long as I don't have to cook it." said my mom. Ditto. My favorite thing to eat is Grammy's potato casserole. It used to be cranberry sauce, until I learned you can buy it in the grocery store. Now I get that whenever I have the craving!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? "A trip to Hawaii and warm sunny weather all winter long. I know . . . ain't gonna happen! I'll settle for happy kids and grandkids and not TOO much commotion on Christmas Day." said my mom. I want an apology (not from her, from someone else). I guess we both dream big. I will settle for a level of understanding in my heart that makes me stop needing the apology. That might actually be possible.

Oh crap, this was supposed to be cute and light. Maybe I should move that last one up?

Too much work, just go back and read #19, ok?

Thanksgiving

If a blogger does not blog on Thanksgiving,

does that mean they are not thankful?

(think tree in the woods being cut down when you read that!!)

Well not in this case. I'm in financial zone as a part of trying to regain my life perspective (that whole finding a new normal) and there isn't much pleasant to talk about with that. But, going through the schoolwork my 2nd grader brought home, I found this, and thought I would share:

He's just so sweet!!

BTW, we still call him Michael. He just writes Mike because it's easier to spell!!