Three good things from the 19th

1. Swans on the lake where I work... SWANS!

2. Glitter and sparkles and color at the poinsettia festival with my friend Angela... Is it possible to have too many Christmas outings? I think not!






3. Number 3 is a tie between yakking with both our sis and youngest brother, and laughing until I almost cried when hearing about the crazy Christmas sweaters that will be on display on Sunday ... and my Jan Michael, who waited on me last night because I was a little off my feed. Let's hear it for a husband who will bring me my favorite cold-brewed green tea in my favorite mason jar and who will smooth my hair and hold my hand while I mewl and carry on about not feeling well :)

Three good things, the weekend edition

From Saturday -

1. Waking up with the early birds and watching the sky change from beautiful to brilliant to magnificent. My poor camera tried its best, but had no chance of capturing what my eyes were seeing.



2. A pretty new skirt :)


3. A visit from our brother


From Sunday -

Any and all good things about yesterday are summed up in the privilege of having one of our ministers spend the night. He has been involved in the most important events in our life, and we love him.

Three good things from the 16th

1. A few hours with three of our nearests & dearests:


while we...

2. strolled through the botanical gardens (I can't get enough of this place!) -


and...

3. watching these two yuk it up:
Uncle Jan + Miss E = my heart in a big puddle on the floor. Every single time.

Three good things from the 15th

1. Christmas surprises, and spare rooms to hide them in:


2. A Christmas care package for our youngest brother, who is far away. Far away in body, but close in our hearts!

3. A clean kitchen! Clean for a little while, anyway :)

Three good things on the 14th

1. A long overdue coffee date with two lovely ladies

2. Cozy, quiet time under quilts and Christmas lights

3. Music that gives me goosebumps:

Three good things, a double dose

From Monday:

1. Christmas moose!





2. A Christmas goose!


3. This precious baby, hearing his Mama's voice for the first time with the help of a cochlear implant:



From Tuesday:

1. The discovery of some pink, girly lotion that I'd forgotten all about

2. Easy-peasy Christmas treats, with pretzels, Hershey's kisses and red & green M&Ms:

3. A 3rd place finish at Tuesday night trivia; one of these Tuesdays we're going to shatter that 3rd place ceiling, you just wait!

Three good things on the 11th

1. Friends who are seeking to serve God and to do His will, and who encourage us in that direction; they are priceless.

2. A very nice man who was parked near me in the boondocks of the Costco parking lot and who offered to take my cart back to where it belonged. (This is not meant to take away from today's three good things, but going to Costco for milk & Jimmy Dean turkey sausage on a Sunday afternoon just 2 weeks before Christmas was not one of my better ideas. Please feel free to learn from my mistakes.)

3. "A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely." Roald Dahl

Three good things on the 10th

1. I woke up on the right side of the bed :) This doesn't happen every day, you know!

2. An early morning workout that made me feel like I'm making some progress in this fitness journey - this doesn't happen every day, either!

3. Texting with one brother and a good, long phone conversation with the other. I love those brothers of mine.

*Honorable mention: I had a cute hair day :)

Three good things on the 9th

1. Witnessing Jan Michael's unabashed delight while we cruised down the toy aisles at Target. A husband who will try on an Optimus Prime mask and slash through the air with a Jedi light saber = just the right husband for me. We will not grow up, and we're kind of proud of it.

2. Lovely, quality time together while the Caramel Corn King whipped up 6 batches for a Christmas party tomorrow. It's a treat to be his helper :)

3. Our second Christmas card in the mailbox! Keep 'em coming, people!

Three good things on the 8th

1. A construction worker on the side of the road who was using his break to feed the birds

2. Loitering in the kitchen while Jan Michael the caramel-corn-maker wooed me with his mad skills:


3. Christmas plans with our brother and the wonder-boy nephews

Three good things on the 7th

1. The things I heard at Bible study

2. Peter Pan on CD; folding laundry has never been so magical! :)

3. Peanut butter (chunky), jam (blackberry freezer) and milk - morning, noon & night

Three good things x 2 (again!)

From Monday:

1. The sun and the fog busted out a tag-team maneuver in the late afternoon, and driving through it was like moving through a golden, shimmery mist.

2. A Christmas outing with my friend Angela, which began with bundling up and wandering through this:




3. Snowflake Lane, the second star of the evening. Only very good things can come from toy soldiers drumming and elves dancing and snow falling!


From yesterday:

1. A nap with the Mr.

2. Day six of The 30 Day Shred. It's getting easier!

3. A little bit of handygal work with a hammer & nails and lots of Christmas lights strung around our bedroom. And the very best part - sitting underneath all that twinkling color and listening to Jan Michael remember the Christmas (the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! he says) when he received... the G.I. Joe Cobra H.I.S.S tank :)

Today's three good things coming soon! The day's not over yet!

Three good things x 2

From today:

1. Our Sunday morning fellowship meeting

2. A walk down the valley trail. I've zoomed down this trail hundreds of times for exercise, but the days I decide to meander around and really look at what I'm surrounded by are such treats. Slowing down for a little while is such a good thing. Today, my favorite parts were these:
- The ducks, so many more than I've ever seen in the pond, and quacking to beat the band. One duck was especially exuberant, and sounded like a mix between a chicken clucking and a lady laughing, and it made me giggle out loud.
- The people I shared the trail with, including a man with a white handlebar moustache who pedaled past on his bike, an elderly man with a red stocking hat and a cane who shuffled along and taught a very good lesson (without knowing it, I'm sure) about accomplishing things that aren't easy, and a not-quite-so-elderly couple who went strolling by, arm in arm.
- The colors, which always amaze me, even in a season of dormancy and hibernation.




3. A bag of clothespins from the hardware store, some glittery scrapbook paper, and a fair amount of decoupage, which equals a fun, sparkly new way to display our Christmas cards. I like glittery, sparkly things!


From yesterday:

1. A morning date with my friend Halcyon and her two sweet, spirited kiddos

2. A peppermint latte at a cozy Main Street coffee shop

3. This video, which is a crystal clear glimpse into what life will be like 30 years down the road. If you know Jan Michael, you know exactly what I'm talking about :)

Three good things on Dec. 2nd

1. Billowy white clouds in a bright blue sky


2. Sugar snap peas and satsuma oranges

3. Trimming our tiny tree while I tell stories of Christmases past. Jan Michael has listened to my growing-up stories 500 times over, but just today he told me again how much he likes to hear them. And that gives me a happy heart :)

Three good things

I've been cross and out of sorts lately; it's ridiculous and unfounded.

To combat such rubbish, I'm invoking the find-at-least-3-good-things-everyday rule, taught to me years ago by my wise Mama. I am going to be very deliberate about it, and by it I'm going to whip myself into shape.


1. Foggy, gray December days -
They help me to be quiet, somehow.


2. This, overheard at the grocery store -

Little boy: Knock, knock!
Mom: Who's there?
Little boy: Toilet!
Mom: Don't say it! Don't you say it!! (This seemed too-little-too-late, as he'd already answered the knock, so to speak. Besides, I think it only fueled the fire for what came next, spoken with great conviction...)
Little Boy: Toi-let!!

I laughed all the way down the coffee aisle :)


3. Every year I buy a silly, cheap Advent calendar; it's my first Christmas present to Jan Michael. I'm always excited to give it, and he's always happy to get it, and of our little Christmas traditions, it's one of my favorites.



4. Psalm 139. The whole thing is wonderful, but for now, just the first few verses:

1 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Behind thankful scenes

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow." ~Edward Sandford Martin






"Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, - a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise."
~George Herbert

Cupcake Friday: Thanksgiving edition

Yum, yum, a thousand times YUM.

Whatever you are doing, stop it right now & go bake these cakes!!

ORANGE-GLAZED CRANBERRY SPICE TEA CAKES
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 cup sour cream
1 c fresh or frozen (and thawed) cranberries, finely chopped

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4-5 Tbsp whole milk
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. Spray 3 mini muffin tins (for 36 tea cakes) with non-stick cooking spray. Sift flour - nutmeg in a medium-sized bowl & set aside. Beat eggs & sugar on medium speed in a large bowl until mixture thickens and lightens to a creamy color, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer & scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, mix in applesauce - orange zest until blended. Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain. Mix in the flour mixture. Fold in cranberries. Fill muffin cups with about 1 1/2 Tbsp batter, to just below the top of each cup. Bake just until the tops feel firm & a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Let cool in muffin tins for 5 minutes. For the glaze, whisk powdered sugar, butter, 4 Tbsp milk, zest & vanilla until smooth. Add up to 1 more Tbsp milk if needed. Remove warm cakes from pans. Use a toothpick to poke 3-4 holes in each warm cake. Use a spatula to spread a thin layer of glaze over each. Let cool completely; glaze will become firm.



P.S. If you can manage not to gobble them up straight away, they're even better after they've set (sat?) overnight.
P.P.S. Would you think less of us if I confess that Jan Michael didn't even take any to work & we kept them all for ourselves?

The calm before the (very happy) holiday storm

Outside my window... Leaves are everywhere (beauuutiful!) and it's not raining, at least for now. It almost makes me consider an afternoon run. Almost, but not quite :)

I am thankful for... We know lots families welcoming - and getting ready to welcome -brand new, precious babies this fall season. I'm thankful for parents who want to be parents, who can't wait to meet these new little ones, and who will love them to pieces as they grow.

I am learning... to control my irritation when I go through self check-out at Safeway. The computerized voice that always says "Have you scanned your club card?" makes me madder than a wet hen. Jan Michael has had to correct me several times about the absurdity of getting angry at a silly machine.

From the kitchen... The kitchen is about to become a crazy flurry of activity; Thanksgiving is 10 days away!! Very soon I'm going to make a list of when to make what (three cheers for make-ahead mashed potatoes!) - I think the frenzy will begin Saturday.

I am wearing... nothing fancy & nothing special. The usual :) In just a bit I will be wearing a big pile of blankets while I take a nap.

I am creating... Our Thanksgiving table has jumped out of my idea notebook and into real life. I have made - and I'm quite pleased with my ingenuity - chargers to sit underneath our dishes. I used pizza pans from the dollar store and covered them with three cans of gold glitter spray paint, and if I do say so myself, they are a far cry from the cheap-o, scuffed, scratched, unevenly painted jobs I've seen in stores.

I am going... to fold a pile of laundry that has been growing exponentially. I am going to make the beds and clean the bathroom (but probably not today.) I am going to clean out the refrigerator to make room for a Thanksgiving feast (but definitely not today.)

I am reading... In my read-the-Bible-in-one-year schedule, we are in the middle of Ezekiel and John. Actually, we're at the end of Ezekiel and will begin in Daniel tomorrow; I'm looking forward to that. Also, I just started re-reading (for the 700th time) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

I am hoping... that we do not have any unwelcome company for Thanksgiving. (See below.)

Around the house... There is, and I hesitate to say this in case we never have visitors again, a mouse in the house. Actually, no - there is a RAT in the house. We thought it was a mouse, but a very nice, helpful exterminator confirmed just last week that we have a rat. Then, not two days after he showed us the hole that the rat is using as his front door, I SAW IT RUNNING THROUGH THE COMPUTER ROOM. I've said before that finding a slug in the house was the last straw, but a rat darting around in broad daylight is outrageous.

I am hearing... the clack of the keyboard and not much else.

One of my favorite things... on a Thanksgiving relish tray is a pickled beet.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
- A date with our favorite 3-year-old girlie
- Cooking and baking, baking and cooking
- On Friday we pick up Soren at the airport, which is the official kick-off to our second annual week-long, we-hardly-ever-get-to-see-Soren party.
- On Saturday there will be football and board games, and a house full of boys. I can't wait!
- Also on Saturday, I'll run in the Poultry Predictor race. If I run 4 miles in the time I predicted when I registered (42 minutes, which is a gross under-estimation; I don't know what I was thinking), I'll win our Thanksgiving turkey!

Mud & Chocolate

This morning I ran in my first official race.

No, wait. This morning I ran/walked in my first official race, because about halfway through, my knee said "NO WAY, WOMAN."

But nevermind. The point is that I trained for it, and barring creaky, old lady joints, I am quite capable of running 4.5 miles.

Now, some lessons learned:
- Eating my weight in Mexican food the night before is possibly not the best pre-race preparation.
- The next time I run in a trail race (which, for information's sake, is precisely 3 weeks from today) I will wear two knees braces, and maybe also two ankle braces. My body is a fan of braces, it seems.
- The next time I run in any race at all, I will be sure that my ipod is playing well before I hear, "Ready, set, go!" I didn't do this today, and my fingers were too frozen to get it to work. Any and all running is made better by Lionel Richie and songs from the Top Gun soundtrack, you know.

Now, some things I already knew but were confirmed again today:
- Any and all running is made better by wearing a running skirt. I feel sorry for boys that have to wear boring, old shorts.
- We have fun, enthusiastic, seriously awesome friends. Craig, Caleb & Jen were totally on board with this from the get-go, and I'm grateful for it. We didn't all run at the same pace, but I loved knowing we were all out there together, working toward the same thing.
- Encouraging, you-can-do-it words from our very supportive family friends are just the neatest, sweetest things. I need to remember this whenever I have the opportunity to help build someone else up.
- I am married to my biggest fan :)

My husband was born to run; I've mentioned this before. In high school he ran cross country, and one year this was printed on their t-shirts. Paying homage to him 20 years later = super fun :)
Was it cold?...
YES IT WAS.
Ready to rumble!

I am loved and here's some proof: While we were out huffing & puffing on the course, Jan Michael was hoofing it himself - he wanted to be able to meet us along the route in order to record our smiling faces & to scream our names. 3 miles in a parka & non-running shoes is just adding to the list, people.
Finished! And with chocolate medals to show for it! :)

We ride.

This year's sequined awesomeness made possible by our sis.
And Happy Halloween from Gus, too!