Wishing You All

Recipe For A Wonderful New Year

Take twelve whole months.
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.
Now cut each month into 28, 30 or 31 parts,
but don't make up the whole batch at once.
Prepare it one day at a time out of these ingredients:
Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience, one part of courage,
and one part of work.
Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.
Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation,
and one good deed.
Season the whole with a dash of good spirits,
a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupful of good humor.
Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness.

Enjoy!!!



Wishing everyone a happy,
prosperous and frugal New Year!

Here

We're still here. A wonderful holiday followed by a not so wonderful virus. I have downloaded nothing. I'm just now keeping my head above water. I'll post tomorrow. Maybe.

Small World

Seen in Bejing



I was sent this interesting article.
Who knows?

"There is so much we do not know, about the history of this world of ours. There is so much to discover, both about the most far off places and those that are under our own noses. And between the "heres" and "theres", between the "nows" and "thens" there are ties, lots of them, hidden and manifest, connecting each of our small worlds to the wide world, that is - when all is said and done, a single, unique world.
Let's remember, let's rejoice and let's give thanks for all this.
Merry Christmas. Happy New Year." Viviana

Winter Solstice

The Shortest Day
Susan Cooper

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!

Crack!

Why am I up at 4:22 am? Got me. Could be dh's snoring or the ice cracking I hear outside my window. The predicted apocalyptic ice storm seems to have come but I've got power so it's all good. Now if dh can make it to work and they don't cancel school (a delay, please a delay) my day can go on as planned. I need to speed sew some things and get to a store while I am kid free (well, except for Addie) but she usually just sits in the cart and flirts with people so she can receive the adoration that is her due. (It is, just ask her). I hear dd's phone alarm. I will be so glad when today's finals are over. I know people think they would love to have a grade obsessed teen who studies all the time but really, you wouldn't. I have repeated and repeated that the world will not stop revolving if she's not valedictorian but....she is her father's daughter. Now ds is not troubled by these thoughts. TIme to find a snack and have another cup of tea. I swore I wouldn't turn the coffee on until 5am but tea's okay, right?

Just A Little Scroogy

Tonight is the middle school band concert and I'm looking like this

Bad mommy confessions. I don't really like music much. I really don't like it when it's played by 7th graders in a gymnasium with acoustics that are just about what you'd expect. You get to listen to said music in a metal folding chair that makes it impossible to even see your child. Quite frankly, if I never attend another recital, concert, ceremony or graduation it'll be a-okay with me. Humbug.

Because Nothing Says Christmas

like a fence.

At least we know the tree won't make a sneaky get away in the night.

Thirteen Years Ago

I was hugely pregnant during what was being touted as the snowiest December in years. I trudged through the knee deep drifts that morning, carrying S who was 20 mo. After our trip out I gave E and S lunch and put S down for a nap. I laid on the couch and E laid her head on my hip. All of a sudden my water broke. I made for the bathroom with a little voice asking why I peed my pants, lol. C was born after 4 hours of labor. He weighed 9-8 and had a huge head. That was the first thing I noticed about him, lol. He's smart, really smart, weirdly smart. He didn't want me to take his pic this morning but here's one from last summer when his baseball team won the local championship.

HIs birthday request this year...a tube of pre-made cookie dough to eat all by himself with a spoon. YUCK!

Better

What you make when your kid has snacks and you forgot.



How is it better than a bag of pretzels with a chocolate kiss and an m&m thrown in. I don't know, it just is.

A New Song

12 Cookies Baking
11 Socks a Drying
10 Cups of Coffee
9 People Griping
8 Pans a Soaking
7 Children Needing
6 Errands Waiting
5 Concerts to Attend
4 Appointments Scheduled
3 Meals a Day
2 Drinks I Need
and a
Toddler Getting Teeth Today.

What I Did Do

Wrap gifts or maybe even buy some? NO. Get and decorate a tree? NO. Attend festivities? NO
I firmly ignored Christmas yesterday. I did plan menus though, since I have dentist, eye and vet appointments this week.



Sunday-swiss steak, rice, carrots
Monday-pancakes&sausages, oranges
Tuesday-spaghetti&sauce, garlic bread, broccoli
Wednesday-popcorn chicken, fries, corn
Thursday-meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
Friday-pizza
Saturday-stew, biscuits

Already

It's Thursday already? And not one stinkin' exciting thing to post. I'm continuing the bake-a-thon because evidently my family KNOWS food is love. Poor Ad has a bleeding diaper rash. I don't think my other kids have had so much as pinkness. I'm coating it with white pasty substances and giving lots of bath time (like 3 quick dips/day) and if it doesn't resolve I'll take her to the doc. It seems rather ridiculous that I'm a newbie at diaper rash. Tomorrow night I'm taking 4 of the kids to a Walk to Bethlehem. I can't believe it was the 16yo's idea. It should be nice. Saturday said 16yo is going to Chicago and I'm taking the Girl Scouts to Scrooge. Somehow after an afternoon keeping them in line and wondering what horror could have befallen the oldest I believe I'll set aside Saturday evening for drinking. At some point I might consider dragging out some Christmas decorations too. Maybe. Sorta. Later.

It's Beginning to Look

And I've been elbow deep in baking.