A Year in a Minute

Things I Love Thursday

My grandmother gave me this little notebook filled with her handwritten recipes.


I still use many of them, especially her Red Velvet Cake.

That time of year again

Time to toss out the old Dayplanner.

I always like to take a look back and see all of the important things I've accomplished, such as

Call vet
Pay bills
record Top Chef Masters
Make coffee cake
fertilize garden
Crock Pot
Pay bills
Pay taxes
Freeze chicken
Egg tree to attic
Feed houseplants
Fertilize garden
MacKids blog
Wrap gifts
Book trailers off flashdrive
Smoke alarm batteries
Check on obedience classes




(Looks like the only thing I didn't get done was downloading Jim Brickman music to my iPod.)

The Christmas toy was enjoyed by all.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Look What I Got

The Japanese edition of How to Steal a Dog!

My Christmas

I had a wonderful Christmas.

Quiet time with my family.


Wonderful gifts.

My husband had this amazing blanket chest made for me by a furniture maker in Vermont. Isn't it gorgeous?

My son gave us two of his gorgeous photos from his trip to Iceland.

Santa brought us our annual remote control helicopter (much to the dismay of Ruby and Matty).

Ruby and Matty each got a toy but Ruby wasn't into sharing.

Matty eventually got even.

My friend, Gucci, came over in her mink stole.

Then it was time for dinner.

And the next day, we had a blizzard!

I am blessed.

Ho Ho Ho

My little frog

Look at my little frog paperweight!

Thank you, Grier!

Things I Love Thursday

Trader Joe's Pop-Up Sponges

Day Dreamin'

Matty's favorite spot on the windowsill.

Why Readers Abandon Books

On the wall of an elementary classroom I was in recently:

Why Readers Abandon Books

1. Unrealistic
2. Don't like first couple chapters
3. Different than what I thought
4. Didn't get to good part quickly enough
5. A part you don't like/bad words
6. No interesting words
7. Too hard/too easy; not just right

Tradition

We've cut our Christmas tree down at the same tree farm for over 15 years now.

The owner is elderly and isn't able to maintain the trees like he used to.

Some of them are kind of pitiful.

Like, um, this one.
(Yes, Stacy and Clinton, I am wearing Crocs, ugly jeans and a big poofy jacket. Come and bring me your Visa card.)

But we managed to find one!

The tradition continues.

Book Trailers by Fourth Graders

I love these book trailers!

(And that book called How to Steal a Dog looks particularly interesting.)

Things I Love Thursday

This is a little music box my husband gave me when we found out I was pregnant with my one and only son.

It plays Lullaby and Goodnight.

But you have to hear it to appreciate it:

Toy tree

In the town where I live, you have to take your trash to the dump.

There's one area there that is referred to as "The Mall."

People leave stuff there that they don't want but that somebody else might want.

There are always a lot of toys there.

A local artist collected toys from The Mall and made this tree for the town library.

A moving experience

I was recently at a school in a town that had just lost its first young soldier in Afghanistan.

The school was located on the route used to transport the soldier's body from the Air Force base to the funeral home.

Literally every tree, pole, sign, mailbox, shrub, etc. in that town had a yellow ribbon.

American flags were everywhere.

But the most moving experience of all was when all of the children in the school lined the roadside to pay their respects to this soldier and his family.

Each child held an American flag.

They removed their hats and placed their hands over their hearts.

They were totally silent and completely still.

It was evident that those children were moved by this experience.

And as the motorcade passed, that soldier's family saw the children from the window of their car and were surely moved, as well.

A dose of the sad reality of war.

Welcome to my world

I've been in charge of outdoor Christmas lights for the last twenty years.

Putting them up.

Taking them down.

For the last few years, I've been having major problems.

I test them inside. They work.

I put them on the shrubbery. They don't work.

Half of the strand lights.

Half of the strand doesn't.

Grrrrr.

*$%#@#

This year, I had about SIX strands that wouldn't work.

My husband finally decided to step in and help.

There was the implication that I was doing something wrong.

There was the implication that I just have bad luck with electricity (and more than a few reminders that I'm the only one who seems to have a problem with the car battery).

Despite this unfair implication, I gladly handed over the Christmas light task to him.

Soon, the kitchen counter was covered with fuses and light bulbs and strands and pliers and electricity tester thingies and wire strippers and electrical tape and guy-stuff like that.

Next, the kitchen was filled with more than a few CUSS words.

The final result?



No, I did not say "I told you so."

I just kept my thoughts to myself: "Welcome to my world. HA!"

Gifts for writers

How about this?

Things I Love Thursday

These drawings done by my son when he was little:

Stocking stuffer for a writer

So true.

Gifts for book lovers

You MUST visit Grace Lin's Etsy shop!!!

Another gift idea

This is a MOST worthy cause: School on Wheels.

An organization that tutors homeless children and also helps them get school supplies.

A donation would be a wonderful, appreciated gift.

Almost ready...

... for Santa

Your Santa list

Add this.

Things I Love Thursday

A miniature cedar chest made by my grandfather.

I used to keep doll clothes in it when I was little, but now I keep bills in it. (Geez, I guess I'm all grown up now.)

Ho Ho Ho

It's that time of year again.

More shopping ideas for writers....

Thanks, Professor Nana

A lovely review for Owen Jester from the amazing Teri Lesesne.

A top ten list

I'm honored to be included over on Fizzwhizzing Flushbunker's Top Ten Chapter Books of 2010 list.

Thanksgiving

My extended family is spread far and wide.

Now that all of the nieces and nephews are grown, it's harder to travel and gather us all together.

So for the last few years, the three of us have been having a wonderful Thanksgiving on Cape Cod.

You can't beat the view from your table:

Or the amazing cookie village:

My son and I:

THIS is my favorite part. The raw bar!

Who needs turkey and stuffing?

I mean, unlimited oysters? Lobster tails? Shrimp?

Seriously. All I eat is the stuff from the raw bar.

And, of course, a little dessert.