I’m officially a geek

I received a package in the mail today – an early Christmas present if you will.  It was red and shiny and made my heart skip a beat.  I was a little too excited to hold in my hands a brand new…

640 GB Toshiba External Hard Drive!

Now , this was actually a necessary item since my MacBook laptop hard drive is maxed out.  And I followed my usual shopping technique of looking everywhere possible before actually making the purchase to assure I got a good deal.  Few things make me more upset than finding an item $20 cheaper the week after I purchase it.

I will admit that although this habit has been going on since I was old enough to shop, it has gotten a little more complex in the age of the e-commerce.

I will also admit, however, that I’m usually quite confident I get a good price.

OK, I’m off to play with my new toy and back up some files, making room for more.   And for anyone ready to tell me that one EHD is not safe enough back up, don’t worry I have another EHD specifically for my Time Machine, and I back up online, too.  Just wanted my files in my hot little hands as well.

Call me a geek, I’m OK with it.

Eight Minutes to Cherish

Abraham woke from his nap the other day and was still a little groggy.  He allowed me to hold him in the recliner for eight full minutes.  He was molded to my chest, clasping his blankie with one hand and holding onto me with the other.  He didn’t move except to grab a little tighter as I breathed deeply.  There was no TV, no other children and nothing urgent that needed to be done.  What I could see was a blazing fire and beautiful Christmas tree.  What I could smell was baby shampoo and a slightly wet diaper.   What I could hear was a tiny wimper in the midst of silence.

What I could feel was love.

All good things…

All good things must come to an end.  I was just hoping that this particular “thing” wouldn’t end until after we won the National Championship, again .  Bama played the game of their season, and the Gator defense decided not to show up.  That is not a good combination if you are a Florida fan.

Overall, Gator Nation is a little disappointed this morning, but fortunately in the end it is still just a game.  Now, we will see if my self control in not smack talking every time we won will pay off.  So far, it has not.

Still love my Gators!

Have I mentioned lately?

Have I mentioned lately that I love my husband?  I do.

It’s Snowing Again!

On our blog, at least.  For all of you for whom these are the only flurries you will see this season… Enjoy!

Talking to Grandy

Arabella is going through a talkative stage.  Truth be told, I have a sneaky suspicion it’s more than a phase.  Anyway, she loves to talk on the phone and Grandy makes a perfect target.  She will review every detail of her day and walk around the house chatting.  Wonder where she gets that from ?

Thanks, Grandy & Grandpa, for always listening.

Our Trees (plural)

Have I ever mentioned that I love, love, love Christmas?  I do! And one of my favorite parts of getting ready for the best holiday of the year is putting up the tree.  Well, to be honest, it’s actually having the tree up, decorated and lighting up it’s corner of the room, but the trimming part is necessary for that to be a reality.

Thanksgiving night, we headed out for our tree.  This is the 2nd year we have had a real Christmas tree and I don’t think we will ever go back.  We took the family to the lot and picked out our perfect evergreen.

Here it is in it’s “natural habitat”.  Sorry about Abe’s nose picking – what can you do?

That evening, Brad stood that baby up in our family room and the draping of light strands commenced.  Then early the next morning we created our very own version of Black Friday.

It was time to decorate our gorgeous tree.  And it was a task.  Primarily because everyone was more interested in getting to the top of the ladder to place that special ornament in a place that they could never reach if their feet stayed on the ground than anything else.

I loved it, actually, even if I did prepare myself mentally for the possibility of a quick trip to the ER and had to break out the superglue more than once to rescue fallen ornaments.

I didn’t even cry over the spilled glitter from the last remaining snowglobe I owned.  By the way, if anyone had the idea to do so, please do not give any occupant of this house a snowglobe made of glass, ever.  Thanks.

OK, for the results…

The boys had to have a small tree for their room.  Mainly because Joseph wants to test out a science experiment on it and turn it purple.  Gotta get some food coloring.

And the Princess could not be outdone.  This pink tree was unbelievably up her ally & she adores it!  I think it’s kind of cute as well, truth be told.

And the family tree…

It is fabulous!

And will be enjoyed by all of us throughout the entire season.

Merry Christmas.

In no particular order, l’m Thankful for…

• I’m thankful for my beautiful family – “My cup runneth over”.  And even though the contents usually spill on the carpet, I wouldn’t trade a moment of the chaos.

• I’m thankful for breath.  A few weeks ago I had the Flu and could not take a deep breath without coughing or experiencing chest pain.  I never realized how such a simple, involuntary act could be such a wonderful thing.

• I’m thankful for my MacBook Pro.  I’m not a total Mac snob yet, but I’m getting there.

• I’m thankful that my mother lets me get away with a minimal contribution to Thanksgiving dinner.  I’m the only female in my family who didn’t get the “I love to cook & I’m really good at it” gene and the thought of cooking a big family meal totally stresses me out.

• I’m thankful for my coffeemaker that grinds the beans for me.

• I’m thankful for caffiene in those beans and for flavored creamer that allows me to better enjoy the coffee I make with my awesome coffeemaker.

• I’m thankful for CrossPointe.  An imperfect church filled with imperfect people that I am blessed to run with for the sake of the Gospel.

• I’m thankful for my fireplace that I can flip a switch to turn on – coziness and laziness all at once.

• I’m thankful for a husband that loves and serves God with all his heart.

• I’m thankful for the internet that I use as a tool for procrastination, communication, research, and entertainment.

• I’m thankful for a clean house, on the rare occasion that I have one.

• I’m thankful for my dishwasher.  It has been out of commission recently awaiting an ordered part and washing dishes for the 6 of us the old fashioned way is the pits.

• I’m thankful for Martha.  She loves my kids like her own and is more of a blessing to our family than she will ever know.  Even if she is scared of our cats, and our dog, and our snake, and bad weather, and most everything else.

• I’m thankful for healthy kids.  I do not take that for granted, especially when I see what some precious children struggle with physically on a daily basis in my office.

• I’m thankful that God is so much bigger than my mother’s cancer, or anything else that will come our way.

• I’m thankful for a father who brings me flowers for my table on a random Tuesday just because he loves me.

• I’m thankful for my newest fashion accessory – the scarf.  It really does help me hide some of the parts of my body that I am not thankful for.

• I’m thankful that my mother is my best friend.

• I’m thankful for friends that I can laugh and cry with & for friendships that withstand the decades.

• I’m thankful for the seasons that change and for the rare moments when I am so aware of God’s wonder that I have no choice but to pause and soak in the beauty of His creation.

• I’m thankful for my Salvation because without it, all else would be complete folly.

• I’m thankful for Diet Coke, but I’d rather you not share that with my dentist.

• I’m thankful that my children know and love all four of their grandparents.

• I’m thankful for the gift of intelligence that was given to each of my kids and that, for the moment, Brad & I are still smarter.

• I’m thankful for Christmas – the colors, the fuss, the lights, the tree and the celebration of the King of Kings.

• I’m thankful that Arabella is sitting next to me rattling off all of the things she is thankful for.

• I’m thankful that my house has come to life this morning and I will have to end this post. Joseph & Jacob are hungry, Abraham is yelling for me and Arabella is still talking to me despite my apparent lack of interest.

I could keep adding to this list for hours, but I know you are thankful that I will not.

Happy Thanksgiving.

The CrossPointe Tribe

We had a great time with our CrossPointe family at our 4th Annual Cook-out this weekend and the Hords were fantastic hosts!

It was complete with an industrial strength bubble machine,

tons of awesome food,

a hayride or two, a huge bonfire perfect for marshmellow roasting, and of course good friends.

It was wonderful to watch people celebrating life together and I am blessed to be a part of such a wonderful church!

Oh, and there was even a potato gun to provide even more entertainment.  Of course, Brad had to get his hands on that .

Everyone had a great time!

My Best Friend

I felt creative tonight and couldn’t sleep.

I don’t need to say anything more.