Very Understated

Just because I have to:

Happy Birthday, honey :-)

He wanted it low-key today, and that's what he got. I didn't tell anyone - even at church!! But don't ask me to tell you his age! I have to draw the line somewhere...

Friday Fill-In: Because They're Fun!

Get Yours Here!

Friday Fill-In #99

1. The last band I saw live was so long ago I can't remember. Maybe Jeremy Camp?

2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is food at my mom's! (if you don't celebrate thanksgiving, insert your favorite holiday)

3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is going to be mostly online this year or it won't get done.

4. Thoughts of blogging and knitting fill my head (at this moment!)

5. I wish I could wear pajamas to work :-)

6. Bagpipes sound depressing in a wedding.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to snow, tomorrow my plans include bowling and Sunday, I want to celebrate Jeff's birthday!

SNOW DAY!!!

Winter Math:
A Dusting of Snow + Ice beneath = Car Left in a Strangers Driveway

I made two attempts to get to work today. Really I did! My first attempt was solo, and the steep, uphill part of my driveway did me in. I had to back downhill and around two curves just to get back to my parking spot. And I almost didn't make it back!

Fast forward an hour. My husband had shoveled a path up the driveway, and thought that he could get me to the main road.

Wrong.

He got us turned completely sideways, so that our neighbors were blocked in as well. Two bags of ice-melt later (thanks, Mark!), and we finally got out of the driveway.

To find the main roads worse than the driveway. No sand/salt trucks or scrapers here! (I love living in the sticks!)

We ventured down the street to where we could see downhill to the four way intersection we go through to get to the main highways. We had a good vantage point from the top of the hill, and watched car after car slide sideways to the intersection, sit in motionless silence for a moment, and then continue on, only to get stuck in a curve at the foot of the hill. (Edited to add: turns out it became a 13-car pileup!)

No go.

We decided just to go back home. Because we didn't want to end up like this guy:

That was easier said than done. We couldn't get back up the slight incline we had just come down. We almost left our van in two different driveways, but didn't want to block someone else in. (like THEY could get out!) Didn't want to leave it on the side of the road for someone to slide into, either.

Fortunately, we were able to navigate it behind an RV, getting us out of the road, and not blocking anyone in.

Yay!

But then we had to walk home. :-( In the snow and ice, in tennis shoes (I don't have any boots). With no gloves or hat, because they have mysteriously vanished. (Yes. I am totally prepared for winter - why do you ask??)

So, if you'll excuse me, now I'm going to find a nice hot cup of something to drink and thaw out. Because my ears and my feet are cold.

But, on the bright side, I get a free day of knitting, web surfing, and maybe a nap!!!!

Happy Snow Day!!!

List Meme - What Have You Done?

I usually like memes, and I found an easy one on Bonita's blog. You just copy the list into your blog and highlight the things you've actually done. See? It's so easy even I can do it!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (hiking)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (I sponsor one through Compassion International)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (does a charicature count?)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square (maybe in a few weeks!)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (I'm on Acts: up-to-date on my Bible-in-a-year plan!)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (it's part of my job, in a way)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

If you do this on your blog be sure to let me know in the comments so I can visit!!

Holiday Traditions & Ideas

Today is the first installment of Celebrating the Holidays at the Cafe! The topic: Holiday Traditions & Ideas.

I almost hate writing this, but my family actually has very few traditions :-( Every year I have big dreams to remedy that, BUT....we end up with the same decorations and same way of doing things every year. So, here are some of the things that are consistent each holiday season...

1. We do have an amazing nativity scene made by Willow Tree that gets prominently displayed on our fireplace. It is so simplistic, yet so beautiful. You can see it here.

2. Somewhere along the way, we acquired a set of four coffee mugs with Santa's eight reindeer on them: two per cup. We love them. Let me repeat that: we love them! I can't tell you exactly what it is about them, but my husband and I both hate when January rolls around and we have to pack them away for another year. Those are absolutely a holiday favorite!

3. Cookies and milk for Santa. I know that Santa has taken the focus off of the reason for the season, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But, I also believe that some of the most magical memories of my childhood are from waking up at 4 am Christmas morning, and sneaking through the house to see if Santa really came. I don't see anything wrong with letting my children have that same experience, as long as I also teach them about Jesus.

So, every year we set out a special plate that my sister gave us, that is just for Santa's cookies and milk. And he eats them every year :-)

4. I'd like to say that riding around our town looking at Christmas lights is a tradition. I really would. I enjoy that a LOT. But the last few holidays, for one reason or another, we just haven't done it. Maybe I should just pick a day RIGHT NOW and set it aside as the 2008 Christmas Light Driving Tour. (Sounds all official, doesn't it?)

5. Getting together with my family. My in-laws (with the exception of my mother-in-law) live several hours away, and we just don't see them every Christmas. But my family all lives in the same area, so we meet at mom and dad's house for a few hours to exchange gifts. We used to draw names when our families started growing, but now we just buy gifts for our parents and any little ones in the family.

Mom usually cooks a huge meal for everyone, but since she's almost 80 we're thinking of scaling it back a little. Maybe just snacks?? That one's still up in the air...

6. Using the children's ornaments on the tree. (See what our tree usually looks like here.)

I have this vision every Christmas of the perfectly decorated Christmas tree, just like Martha would have in her home. And every Christmas I end up with a tree that I think needs more lights. And coordinating ornaments. It's a tree covered in construction paper wreaths that my kids made in kindergarten. And collectible ornaments that have been broken because the kids thought they were toys to be played with and got a bit too rough. And really cheesy fake-velvet bows. (WHY did I buy those again?? Had I been drinking too much eggnog?)

Don't get me wrong: some of those handmade ornaments are just precious. But some of them are just junk.

I want a pretty tree. Not a junky one. (Girls, can I please get a witness?) Maybe I should just have two trees???

7. Peppermint Pig. On New Year's Day, I always serve the traditional meal of pork, greens and black-eyed peas. (Yum!) And a few years ago, we were introduced to a new "dessert:" a peppermint pig. (Read about them here.)

Everyone takes a whack at the pig with the little hammer, and then everyone shares the broken pieces, hoping for a year of good fortune. The first two years we did this were some of the best years Jeff and I ever had. I know, the superstition stuff is hogwash (no pun intended), but it makes for a good story, especially if you give a pig as a gift to someone else!

So, considering that it's still November and my mind refuses to embrace that fact that Christmas is just a flip of the calendar page away, those are the Christmas "traditions" that come to mind right now. I'll probably think of more later. But for now, I hope you've enjoyed a little glimpse into Christmas at my house!!

Happy Holidays!!

Brought to you by the letter "K"

My four-year-old is LOVING learning his letters. His class in preschool works on a new one each week, and this week is the letter "K."

On the way home, I asked him to tell me some things that start with "K." he told me key, king, kangaroo - the usuals.

I added Kit-Kat and Kool-aid (can you tell that I have a sweet tooth?)

Then my baby shouts, "Ketchup!"

"That's right, sweetie! Ketchup starts with 'K'!"

Then I hear, "Mommy, what does honey mustard start with?"

He's so darned cute!! :-)

Book Review of Billy: The Untold Story

Recently I signed up to be a Book Review Blogger for Thomas Nelson Publishers. Within only a few days of signing up, I received my first book: Billy: The Untold Story of a Young Billy Graham and the Test of Faith that Almost Changed Everything.

"Billy" is the story of a young Billy Graham, as told by his friend and colleague, Charles Templeton. I was interested in this book because Billy's family lives in my area, and I drive past his training center, The Cove, every day. I wanted to know more about what made this man become such an amazing evangelist.

The content of the story was interesting. I didn't know that Mr. Graham was a Fuller Brush salesman, or that baseball was his first love. I didn't know that he was a college president. I didn't know that he had a serious struggle with his faith.

Learning about the events that shaped Billy Graham's life, and seeing the obvious part God played in his success, just adds another layer that deepens my respect for Billy and his family.

However, that way that the authors chose to portray some of the events in Billy's life just seemed a bit flat to me. I don't normally read biographies, so perhaps I'm just used to the action in good fiction! But the struggles seemed resolved too quickly and easily. Almost glossed over. Those, to me, are the good parts that make a biography real. I would have liked them be a bit more detailed. The dialogue at times was a bit bland as well.

Keep in mind, though, that this book isn't written from Billy's perspective: this tale comes from the mind of a dying man with Alzheimer's. His perception of the events is bound to be less intriguing than Billy's own.

So, the story itself is great, and I would recommend the book. Just look past the writing in some parts and focus on what's being described instead of how it's being described!