Any Similar Revival

Our house was built in 1837. It's really, really old, and parts of it just don't work so well. Like the lovely old storm door we used to have. It was wooden with a multi-paned insert for winter and a tattered screen for summer. The latch hardly worked, and after we removed it for the porch painting project, we decided it was time to retire the old door and get a new one. The guy installed it this morning, and while it is still dirty and fingerprinty, we are so, so thankful for the stopped draughts!

Please ignore the ugly pink insulation and broom. They aren't even there. Don't look at them. Look at the door.

Someone else in our house is thankful too. Now she can see!

We are never, ever going to to grow up. EVER.

Proof:

And if you would like to laugh at me laughing at myself, go here and play the video:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=1063865712525

Not sure if the link will work, but it's worth a shot.

I missed a day! Arrggghh! And I was doing so well!  I realized it around 11:30 last night, all cozy in my bed, drifting off so nicely. The thought kind of wandered through my head, and I did consider, for about 1/2 a second, getting up and going downstairs and posting. Then I thought, "I don't care," and went to sleep.

So I am thankful for a second chance to resume my thankfulness series! And I'm thankful for all my readers, who probably won't even notice that I missed a day. I'm thankful for my cousins who've been reading and commenting, which is even better! (Hi Maria! Hi Rebekah!) I'm thankful that Heidi, Frank, and Cynthia arrived safely in Hawaii last night, and that Chad and I fly out in five days. (WOOOHOOO!!!) I'm thankful for this hot, fresh tea I just poured in my cup, elixer of the gods, amen.  I'm thankful that I have today and tomorrow off and can go sledding with Jordan. I'm thankful, thankful, thankful.

I LOVE snowy pumpkins! It's the best of two worlds.

I'm thankful for the grace of God, which is the best second chance out there. And third and fourth and fifth. . .

Yep, I love it! I really, really do. I'm not just saying! It was a beautifully snowy day here in northeastern Ohio, and we took full advantage. The sky was breathtaking and glowering and awesome.

It wasn't really that blue. My little point-and-shoot has trouble in the snow.

Gone away is the bluebird! Here to stay is a new bird!

Ahhh, winter! Time for snuggliness and fires and blankets and tea! Time for kitties on laps and slippers and books and sewing projects! Time to sit and stare into the fire and listen to the crackling. Time to spend many minutes telling the other person why he is so much better suited to getting up out of his comfy nest to stoke the fire and add logs than you are.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family today. There were lots of people, an enormous amount of food, and it was good. All of it. It was kind of fun to look around and see my cousins' kids running around the way we used to when we were small.

And just to show you that it definitely runs in the family:

Sorry Rebekah. I told you it would end like this.

Blurry but worth it. Tickle-torturing Michelle.

I forget how much I love this book, and then I reread it. I love the way C.S.Lewis sees things, and I love the way he makes me think.

and now I'm off to reread that hideous strength. (Which I love just as much as, if not more than, Perelandra).

It's weird that they're not human, because they might know me better than anyone. They know who I am when I'm alone, what makes me cry, what songs I sing, what I choose to do. They follow me from room to room, fight over my lap, sit on my book while I'm reading it, and have an uncanny ability to know when i'm about to have an emotional breakdown. They are constant, steadfast friends, a comfort in loneliness, a purring fluffiness when I'm feeling bleak, a steady stream of comic relief. As much as they depend on me for food, shelter, water and exercise, I depend on them for companionship and unconditional affection. I love them, and I'm so thankful for them.

My old ladies, who've been through everything with me:

And the new guy, who has stolen my heart.

Missy and the kids came out to see us today! Thanks to a glitch with their GPS, they are staying the night too! Yay! That means Uncle Chad will make pancakes for breakfast! We played up at the square this afternoon.

I love my lair. This is where I spend much of my time, and it usually isn't this clean. I'm between projects right now, so it won't be this tidy for long.

And this is where I sit to talk to you:

I am very, very thankful to have a place to make a mess, and so is Chad.

He went grocery shopping with me tonight. And that's a silly reason to choose to post about him today, but it really took some mental pressure off me this busy, sickly week. Someone to man the cart, do quick math, and carry the heavy bags: what more could a girl want? I love it that he is eager to go to the store with me just because he loves me and wants to hang out with me. I love it that he is still clutching the bottle of expensive, pure maple syrup even after we decide to get the cheap stuff. I love it that even after eleven years of marriage, grocery shopping can still be a hot date.

I know, I know. I'm a little early with this one. I've been planning and teaching Christmas classes though, and I have to listen to Christmas music to get myself in the right mood! And now I just can't stop. I know I'll probably be sick of it WAY too early this year, but still, I just can't stop.

If you are new to this blog, check out "Carol Contemplations 2007" over in my categories in the sidebar. Last December, I chose a carol to contemplate every day, and the whole exercise has impacted the way I hear the music.

Christmas music makes me smile. It makes me cry. It makes me sing and dance in my car. It makes me a menace on the road, especially when it's the "Hallelujah Chorus." It puts me in the right frame of mind and takes me on wild trips through space and time.

I'm going to make good on my promise to get new music every year. And I'm going to do it early. MP3s, here I come.

If you read Heidi's blog, you will see some pictures that will remind you of these. We went on an outing last Wednesday, and as usual, it was So Much Fun. Heidi, Cynthia, and I are usually the only people there, but I convinced Jordan to come with us at the last minute. I love these people.

First we had lunch at the Post House:

(he's trying to look too cool for the Post House, but we all know better.)

Then we went to the Oak Cupboard:

And finally, we went to Marshallville, where I started cheering the moment I saw the french fry carni:

Jordan tried to hide from my camera. Boy was that dumb.

Because Heidi and I double-teamed him.

I am thankful that they are in my family, that we live so close to each other, and that we like each other so much. That's a tough combination to find.

I'm sitting here with a bad sinus headache, a runny nose, aches all over, and a general fog before my eyes. I just want to say that I am thankful that I am not usually sick, because it's no fun and I'm not good at it. People say a dumb phrase a lot: "Well take care of yourself, because if you don't have your health, what do you have?" Um, actually you have everything you usually have, you just don't have the same access to it. And I'm sick now, and I still have everything. Except energy. And good sleep. And clarity of thought. And not being contagious.

I'm thankful for my normally good health.