The Simple Woman's Daybook 11/24/08

FOR TODAY November 24...

Outside my window... it is a bit warmer than the last few days, but it's also raining. A good day for cleaning!

I am thinking... that this is the last Thanksgiving with all of our kids at home, and that next year we will be the 'home' that Jon will be wanting to travel to. That will bring a whole new dynamic to the planning table!

I am thankful for... family. All of it. Lumps, bumps, and grumps included. When I look around me and see fractured families everywhere, I am ever more thankful for the one I have--it's imperfect, at times really dysfunctional, but we're together. Our extended family's distance makes closeness a challenge, but hopefully in the next few years.....maybe all that will change!?

From the learning rooms... Kelsey will spend today, tomorrow, and Wednesday working on an essay. She detests doing large writing assignments, because she really cannot stand putting so much work into a rough draft and then having to revise it. I'm not sure what to say about that; I've always loved the writing process. I just tell her that critique and revision is the way of life--that something will always need "tweeking", that very few things are perfect on the first try. The little girls and I are taking a break this week, but they're going to be enlisted into the hospitality army--learning to clean, prepare a home for guests, and preparing the Thanksgiving meal as well. It's never TOO early to learn, especially when they love helping so much!

From the kitchen... we'll be baking the rest of the carrot cake cookies from the monstrous bowlful of batter that I made for the cookie exchange last Saturday. There was just WAY too much to bake up in one night, but those cookies were wonderful! Pete can take some to work, I will give Jon some to share in the barracks, maybe even the neighbors would like some! I'm also going to make a pot of chicken noodle soup today, so we can have some wonderful leftovers during the week when busyness overtakes meal preparation.

I am wearing... jammies. Waiting for my jeans to dry.

I am creating... the last-minute shopping list. I already cleaned up my scrap disaster-area, so I've set aside the scrapbooking that had me addicted last week.

I am going... to Kroger and Wal-Mart later on today to pick up the last few items on the aforementioned shopping list.

I am reading... nothing right now, but since I read that the new issue of Hobby Farm Home magazine is out.....I may be picking one up! Thank you, Peggy, for that little tidbit of news!!!

I am hoping... to be able to get all the necessary "stuff" done so I can spend time just enjoying Thanksgiving and our visit with Pete's dad and his wife.

I am hearing... Dani crunching the apple I just cut for the girls. Back up JUST a tad...you're getting apple juice in my ear, short stuff! (she loves to look over my shoulder while I'm blogging)

Around the house... well, obviously, we're going to be preparing for Thanksgiving. That pretty much covers it all. We had plans to get at least some of the things hung on the walls that we've been meaning to get hung for a while, but our hearts aren't into it. It's just a bit too obvious to me and to Pete that this is a VERY temporary 'home' for us, and hanging up his souvenirs from deployments and all the big things that require wall anchors...well, that just seems too permanent!

One of my favorite things... STUFFING!!!!! I can't wait!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Pete has been proclaimed the official family Grinch, and I'm decreeing that from henceforth, we will be putting our Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Thankfully, we know where all of our decorations are, but the tree? Hmm, I guess we have to replace that big artificial tree that didn't fare so well in our German basement. Pete wants to take his dad and Kathy (plus the kids) on the Christmas lights driving tour at the Botanical Gardens before they go home to Tennessee. Hey, maybe there's at least some hope for the Grinch yet?

Here is picture thought I am sharing... cookie thief!!!

Go check out some of the other Daybook participants' entries at The Simple Woman's Daybook!