“There are years that ask questions, and years that answer.” – Zora Neale Hurston You know, if I apply this philosophy while looking over 2013, I’m thinking this was a year that posed the questions. In all, it’s been a good year…with some tough spots sprinkled here and there. We’ve had our adventures, filled with…
Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That
Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without posting at least one ornament photo from my parents’ tree. Of course I picked my little ice cream spoon and construction paper angel. I have no idea how old I was when I made her, but judging by the way I wrote my name on the back, I’m thinking…
Christmas on Ice
When we left our house on Christmas Eve morning, it was cold…and dry. But by the time we’d driven about thirty or forty minutes, the entire world was sparkling. It was stunning. Every twig, berry and blade of grass was coated in ice. Here are a few glimpses from the past three days, that, I might…
If I fits, I sits.
Someone else seems to be enjoying the tree as much as we are. It’s funny, but the cats napped under the glow of the tree quite a bit prior to me stowing an un-decked wreath underneath. Now she plants herself in the middle like 18 hours a day. No idea what is so appealing about…
Dear Santa…
Me and my siblings, Christmas 1971 So today brought the last of our Christmas shopping for this year. Yes, we’d procrastinated. A lot. But after we’d run around picking up gifts and checked off all names on our lists, we settled back into the car with a sigh of relief. That’s when Tanner made a comment…
Feeling Festive
Witnessed a jazzy rendition of The First Noel next to the Fox Theater after a matinée showing of Elf. This is such a magical time of year. Everything is beautiful…cheerful…wonderful. When I saw this poem this afternoon and wondered if the author had Christmas in mind. It works. Celebration of Life Author: unknown Gather ’round and…
Sunday
A super cold race…Drew’s first (and FAST) 15k…to start the morning and a Christmas concert at the Fox to close a late evening. And a super long nap in between. I loved this day.
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
This morning…well, it’s a beauty.
Cookie Envy
While I was pleased with my kids’ cookie creations from the weekend, we’ve got nothing on my favorite bakery down the street.
Tolerance?
An ornament raffle was held as a fundraiser at the office today…and this was one of my contributions. It’s not everyone’s taste, I realize. But I’m really proud of it, so please humor me as I share. I’ve never done anything like this! Given my art background, I’ve worked with a lot of other art…
Sunday Cookie Baking
Holiday baking with the kids and their friends. These are a few of the fun results.
Halls are Decked.
As of last night, the contents of two gigantic tubs of Christmas ornaments were officially emptied onto our seven-foot tree. I seriously don’t remember when or how we accumulated so many ornaments. Or how said ornaments fit on our tree. But we pulled it off and I really love it. So many memories and fun…
Grateful
“There’s that moment every year. We sit down to a much-awaited table – the sum of the attention of to-do lists across town. Not a detail missed. Yet no matter how perfect the setting, it is something else for which we are grateful: the simple pause that comes from the gathering. That’s it. The reflection…
That’s one way to find out.
For the third year in a row, I’m posting about this disturbing topic after an afternoon of shopping. Two years ago, it was an eye punch. Last year, it was the face smash. This year, a new development. I’m sorry to say that the disfigured chocolate movement has extended its reach beyond Lindt bears. This…
Thursday
“When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the Creator.” — Mahatma Gandhi
What a Find!
Today’s blog post on Colossal provided a treasure trove of gorgeousness on multiple levels.* First, there’s this magical time lapse video of the 2013 Albuquerque Balloon Festival. My life’s “looking forward to it” list just expanded by one outrageously breathtaking visual feast. Geez, I thought OUR balloon race was awesome. It pales in comparison. Look…
You’ve Got This!
After my less-than-productive run yesterday, I went for a three mile hike with Drew. Gotta say, he’s turned into a bit of a running buff and fitness freak. He’s dropped at least 30 pounds since his chemo ended a year ago. He works out religiously and eats very healthy. It’s been fun to watch his…
Distractions
Between the fall colors, the leaves, the clouds and the wind whipping about, today’s run was one of the most distracted I’ve ever had. It’s not even fair to call it a run. It was more of a jog…look around…stop…take a picture…take another picture…look around some more…jog a bit…la…la…la. It has become painfully obvious that…
You’ve Got a Friend in Me
(a forgotten gem from our birthday adventure)
Dear So-and-So…
Well, my firstborn is 21. We celebrated with a Veteran’s Day road trip to see the Chicago Bulls play. While there, we were formally introduced to Sprinkles Cupcakes and experienced Chicago’s first snow of the season. But people-watching along the way has reminded me that I haven’t done a Dear So-and-So post in a very,…
Tonight…
…we celebrated his last day as a 20-year old. Tomorrow…a toast to 21. And a few tears from his mamma.
A Very Good Day
A year ago at this time, my oldest son had just wrapped up twelve months of chemotherapy. Today, he finished his second 5k race in 7th place out of 300 runners in a time that I can’t even fathom. While it’s true that his disease is not cured, he’s come such a long, long way….
hey there, friends 