HAPPY BOXING DAY!!!

The day after Christmas is Boxing Day. Here's the history of it...

Curiouser and curiouser

It has been windy and wet this morning.

The house has been rattling, the screens on the windows have been waving, and the dog almost got blown off course when he went to investigate yet another mole-hole in the backyard.

I was standing at the kitchen window, watching him brave the wind and rain when something flashed past me at eye level.

A leaf... that was my first thought. But, no! It came back into view from the other direction and it hovered momentarily in front of the window... a hummingbird! A dazed, confused, blown-about-by-every-wind-of-nature hummingbird!

Poor little thing. I don't even have a hummingbird feeder. I have some multicolored patio lights, which it probably mistook for a feeder, but I have no actual food for a hummer. It must have been eating somewhere, but not at my house.

If I were the kind of person that wore a camera at all times, I would have been able to snap a photo for you. But, I am not that kind of person (contrary to popular belief).

I'm not sure if this sighting is a sign of global climate change (whatever that means), or a nudge to me to go to the store and get a hummingbird feeder. Regardless, glimpsing a bird like that is always a reminder of my Father's care for all his creation- including me.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26 NIV

Is this...?

Is this the little girl I carried...

...home from China in January 2002?

She looks so good in red. Believe it or not, the dress in the top photo was purchased at Spanky's Consignment Store! She picked it out especially for the Christmas program at school. She was thrilled to have such a grown-up, fancy dress. (And I was thrilled to find something so nice on the cheap!)

I can't believe we have been together almost 9 years.

Merry Christmas, kiddo!

When is a desk not a desk?

When it is a fort!

As you can see, this corner fort has been outfitted with the very latest in necessary fort gear - quilt, pillows, toys, books, a green front door flap, and most importantly, glow sticks for light and ambiance. (It is amazing what one can do when one has been grounded from the TV and DS...)

During the day on Saturday, I went to ask her a question and found her happily occupying her new space while listening to Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik blasting from the CD player on top of the desk, er, uh, I mean fort. On Sunday, I discovered that she had slept in the fort Saturday night. She told me it was moderately comfortable, but she felt stiff because there had been no room to stretch out. I suggested that she stick her feet out the door, but she didn't think that was a good idea. I guess it compromises the security of the green door flap.

Apparently, she wasn't sore enough because she opted to sleep there on Sunday night as well!

Tonight, we are back to the regularly scheduled bed with the many blankets piled on top.

Will update you from Fort Abby as the need arises.

Turkey Day!!!

How about just a little photo essay of the day...

The table is set and we are ready to celebrate the good things God has given us.

Roscoe is not very happy at his place in the living room- far, far away from the table...

We had rolls,

famous broccoli salad,

sweet potatoes,

stuffing,

amazing delicious succulent turkey,

creamy mashed potatoes,

gravy,

sparkling cran-apple

(and I don't know why this is underlined- I can't get rid of it!),

funny cousins,

silly Uncle John taking pictures of the food...

(ok, I started it by taking pictures of the food. He was mocking me, but we had a good time watching him do it...)

Ooops. I forgot to take a picture of the pumpkin dessert. It was yummy.

It's good to be thankful all year long,

but it's especially good to be thankful together with family and friends.

It's flurry-ing!

It started shortly after 1pm, and it came down hard for about an hour. Then, it was on and off- big flakes and small...

So pretty.

The temp is above freezing, but it will cool off tonight so I don't know about school tomorrow.

Maybe a 2-hour late start...? (I love those because we don't have to make them up but we do get to sleep in.)

Here's His Royal Shortness in the flurries...

I had to throw some treats out there to get him to explore long enough to get pics.
He's close to finding the last treat.
After 3 minutes, he is done with the snow.

May I go in now?

Thanks. I'm exhausted. That was hard work. (you can still see bits of snow in his fur.)

On a completely different note- I won a contest! Check out the 5 Inky Fingers blog and you'll see!!

Flurries

Flurry. What a great word. It's almost like a combination of "fluffy" and "furry".

Flurry. Say it slowly... fuh-luuuuurrrrrreeee. It's beautiful, really.

Why? Because it is often proceeded by another beautiful word: snow.

Snow flurries. Possibly brought to you on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010 by weather.com and accuweather.com.

Not probably, just possibly.

That's enough to get me all a-tingle.