Our Best Day So Far

We spent a wonderful morning helping Betty Kaiser to decorate her house. It involved carrying in all the trimmings from her very tidy shop and then setting them up. We got to look at some of Lowell's treasures out there--his unfinished wood projects, his 24 karat gold- plated tool set given him from Chrysler for his years of hard work and integrity, his perfectly organized workplace. The morning was sprinkled with stories of Lowell.

Once all the decorations were carried in, we paused for some more stories. Betty really recognizes the many ways the Lord has taken care of her family through the years. It makes me more aware of the small miracles in our own family.

Our morning ended with singing. Betty loves Bruce--really everything about him. I think one of her favorite things on earth is to hear him sing. We all joined in on a few.

I can't describe how much I've loved this Christmas. We haven't spent a single day shopping. We plan to wait until the last minute, see how things turn out with Bruce's prospective job, and then buy a few things accordingly. Our children understand and are fine with it. Normally, I think I'd be sad about the situation, but this year I've felt complete peace. It's been all about people--our loved ones coming, little simple opportunities to serve, stories every night together. Finally, after all these years of trying to capture that illusive Christmas spirit, I've discovered it.

Christmas is Coming!

The tree is trimmed, the halls are decked. Now we have to wait. I've never been more excited to see everyone.


Did I mention that we painted the kitchen? It's so pretty and it really adds to all the Christmas things. The problem of course is that I want to keep painting and painting now and never stop til every room is done.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving would have been a lonely thing around here if not for Mikelle. She breezed into town for a few days and made us all happy. Dinner was divine. Brian and Mikelle made the pumpkin pie entirely alone! And it was perfect. The boys were a bit sore after a very rugged Turkey Bowl, but aside from that, the day was joyous.

After eating, we just left the dishes on the table and watch Up. We knew that since we had barely made a dent in dinner, we'd want it all readily available in a couple of hours.


In the evening, we went to the Carters for snacks and games. It's becoming a tradition to do that and I love it. We noticed though, that even though Jessica and Mikelle were home, the crowd seemed sparse. Can't wait for Christmas when the masses will arrive and every day is a party.