Monday, November 29, 2010

Our Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving morning, we got up and reported to the local Agricultural Building to help out with the Community Thanksgiving Dinner.  There's our fearless leader.
Thanks to the Community Dinner Foundation, Topeka serves 3,000 meals on Thanksgiving Day. Their motto is "No One Need Dine Alone." Is that awesome, or what? We were two cars of 50 or so drivers that helped to deliver 1,600 of those meals. The rest of the meals were served to people in the Ag. Bldg. Anyone can come...seriously.

We gathered our boxes.
They were then filled with turkey, stuffing, and all the trimmings. And pie, oh my! It smelled delish...like someone's grandmother had been cooking all morning. I was pretty much salivating for stuffing like nobodies business.
One last look at the map, and we were off.
Bruce, Travis, Talia and I headed out in our van to five different addresses. Grandpa and Grandma and Ella in another car to the five or so on their list. I don't have any pictures of Ella, but I hear she's thee master door bell ringer.
This was Talia and my view for the morning.
We took turns getting out, and delivering the meals. I had to hold myself back on this. I would have gotten out at every place and stayed an hour or so. I would've loved to have asked people which Macy's float was their favorite, what they love to eat, and hear about their Thanksgiving memories. Instead, we had heard there were more meals to deliver than drivers, so we did what anyone would do, we went back for more.
22 degrees? Bring it. We were in delivery mode. I couldn't get enough. Normally, I'd be complaining about the weather, but not this Thanksgiving. I didn't even really notice it was cold until I looked at the thermometer in our van. I was happy.
By the time we returned to Ag Hall at 12:30, all the meals had been delivered. I was relieved that everyone had gotten a meal before 1:00 pm, but sad that our part was over.
I like traditional Thanksgiving with my family around a big table.
But, I LOVED this.
It's a Community Thanksgiving dinner served ON Thanksgiving. Who does that?
They (the volunteers) serve people a meal, and includes anyone that needs a place to be.
Can't get out?
Not a problem, they bring it to you.

Well done, Topeka.
I might never want to do Thanksgiving the way we've always done it.
Instead I hear the voices of those who didn't have to dine alone on Thursday, and echo them.
I, too, am full.
Thank you.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

We Like to Party Party

We're home from spending the weekend with Bruce's family.
We celebrated Thanksgiving in a nontraditional way. (More on that tomorrow.)
Saw the plaza lights of Kansas City.
Celebrated Grandpa and Grandma's 44th wedding anniversary.
Had brunch with Uncle Robert and Auntie Verla.
Opened presents on our "Christmas morning".
I am exhausted, but in a good way.
I am more thankful than ever that I married into a family that likes to party.
And eat. :)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thankful Four.


Happy Thanksgiving! 

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Crafty Thankfulness

It is with a grateful heart that I sing the praises of those who enjoy leading my little ones through the messy world of an art project or craft. I am thankful every single time they bring home something they love primarily because I am not crafty. I want to be, I think. It's just not in me. I don't think I have the crafty gene.
Talia made this with Miss Emily at church on Sunday, and she's still talking about it. Thank you, Miss Emily.
I love what it says on the bottom. I don't even care if Miss Emily put her up to saying that she's thankful for Bruce and me. I have it in writing. And I'm going to show her this when she's 15, and she doesn't want to help me clean the house because we're having 50 people over for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm sure she'll be really thankful for me, then.
Ella brought home this leaf from school. She did not want to hold it, but agreed to be in the same frame as it. Sort of.
She also brought home a cutout of her little hands. She traced the words "Give Thanks". When I asked her what it said, she read it to me. I loved that the most. Thank you Koop, Linnens, and Knaak. (Ella calls all her teachers and para by their last names. Kind of cute, huh?)
There is much to be thankful for again this year.
Today I'm thankful for people who have helped my children create something crafty (Miss Emily and many others!) and for teachers who are not only teaching Ella to read, but are passing on their enthusiasm for it. We are blessed to have each of you in our life. I promise to eat a piece of pumpkin cheesecake in your honor this weekend.

WHO are you thankful for this year??? Give that person a shout out in your comment.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

There's a Mess In My Kitchen

There's a mess in my kitchen right now...I'm so thankful. Ecstatic really.
Just canned lighting, recessed lighting...whatever you call it. I am sooooo thankful for lights. There is not enough light in my kitchen. It could be because ever since I found out we were doing this project I said I was not buying new light bulbs. See what I mean?
See what we've been dealing with?!
Golden Girls.
So, while everyone is thinking about thankfulness, I'll be thankful for light, for Dan the electrician, and a pathway to my laundry room. I know it seems weird, but I felt so loved that Bruce thought to leave a pathway for me when he hung the plastic this morning.


Ignore the green ugliness of a floor that we have in our laundry room.
That will change some day.
Baby steps, I remind myself.
We're walking towards the light today.

Monday, November 22, 2010

We Have a Winner

A Monday is about to get made...the winner of the Message Bible is number 17.......
amy said...
i would probably gift this to my mother. that way we could read together!
Congratulations, Amy! I will get this in the mail to you just as soon as you email me your address! :) Check out Amy's blog One Day at a Time here. Someday, I hope to meet this lady.  I'm guessing we could spend a week shopping and swapping stories.

Thanks again to the lovely Molly for making this giveaway possible.
Very un-Martha like. Wink. Wink.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

What I Love About Sunday

What I really love about today is the fact that I had time to plant some tulip bulbs. I've wanted to do it since we moved in two years ago.
I had a little help. The bag even says it's a great family project.
Does it mean anything when the skins are half falling off of most of them?
We may be in trouble if that's a bad sign. There were a lot of them that were shedding.
I'm off to take a nap---my absolutely favorite thing about Sunday. But before I go, don't forget to enter the Message Giveaway, if you haven't. You have until 9 pm tonight!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Top Pot Doughnuts

This morning over breakfast, Bruce and I started talking about Top Pot Doughnuts, and now I can't stop thinking about them. When we were in Seattle in July, he said he wanted to take me to get a doughnut. Not just any doughnut, a Top Pot Donut. The official doughnut of the Seattle Seahawks. Does anyone else think it's weird than an NFL team has an official doughnut? They even sell them at the stadium.
Bruce loves doughnuts of all kinds. He knows that I refuse to eat a bad one. You know the ones. They are in  the plexiglass case at the local quick shop. No, thanks. When I saw these, I knew they were going to be good. I had a hard time deciding on which one would be mine.
Pink Feather Boa...love the name.
Valley Girl Lemon...totally.
Hello, Raspberry Bismark, you might have a boring name, but I love you.
When I was in my early 20's I tried to inhale one during a morning commute and it pooped its raspberry goodness all over my suit. I had to turn around, drive home, and change. I was late to work, and my boss laughed when I told her. She also asked me why I didn't bring her one.

Bruce pledges his love to anything with maple frosting. 
My bismark is half as big as my face. Love.
I don't recommend wearing black to eat this thing.
I really couldn't care less, I just wanted to drink that filling.
We sat for awhile. People came and went. 
Here's a little advice from me to you about doughnuts.

Finding a great doughnut is like finding the perfect dress.
When you find it, you buy it, whether you need it or not. 
And while you're at it, buy two.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Give It Away

If you've been reading me for any length of time you probably already know that I love the Message Bible. When I was in Virginia two weeks ago, my friend Molly, gave me one. And it's beautiful. She gave Marjie one, too. Did I mention that we really love Molly???
 She said I could keep it, or give it away.
It would fit in my purse.
It's the same size as my wallet. It weighs about the same, too.
I could take it anywhere.
But I'm not keeping it.
I'm giving it away.
I can't stop. I won't. Not until everyone I know has won multiple opportunities to win one.
I doubt Oprah will have this on her Ultimate Favorite Things show this Friday,
 but if I had a favorite things list you can bet it would be on mine. 

Here's a sampling. A Thanksgiving Psalm...
On your feet now---applaud GOD!
Bring a gift of laughter, 
sing yourselves into his presence.

Know this: GOD is God, and God, GOD.
He made us; we didn't make him.
We're his people, his well-tended sheep.

Enter with the password: "Thank you!"
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank him. Worship him.

For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love,
loyal always and ever.
Psalm 100, The Message

To enter the giveaway once, leave a comment answering this question:
What are you most thankful for this year?

To enter twice (you want to win it for someone on your Christmas list, right?) answer this second question in a separate comment:
Who would you gift the Message Bible to if you won? (Don't worry, I doubt they read this thing, and if they do, I won't tell.)

Comments will close at 9:00 pm, CST on Sunday, November 21st. The winner will be chosen by a random generator at random.org.

I can't wait to see who is going to win this one.
Thanks, Molly.
I love you more than peanut butter M&M's.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The comments are now closed. Check back for tomorrow's post to see who the winner is!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

SRN...I was.

Every time my parents come for a visit I tell myself that I'm going to take tons of pictures. I took this as we were running out the door to take my mom to the airport this morning. Ella had already gone to school. Grrr..
Nice laundry basket...is someone doing laundry around here? How I wish they would.

Although my mom was here for a week, I have to admit, I had many many Screaming, Running, Naked moments. Not due to her, mind you. She's the easiest houseguest you could ever have. Bruce was gone for about five days for work, both girls had the stomach flu, I continued to work and in general I just felt overwhelmed by it all. (You picked a great week to visit, Mom. I hope you decide to come back. :)

Now that the girls are feeling better and Bruce is home, I knew there was one thing that could get me out of my SRN funk.
I cannot be around a puppy and not feel better. 
I cannot be around Talia playing with a poodle and not feel optimistic.
Therapy dogs for SRN mothers.
Who knew?
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