A Little Bit of This and That

So I'm sitting here on my comfy couch, all cozy and warm with the Christmas tree softly lighting the living room, a pine needle candle tricking my nose into thinking my tree is real, and wishing I could stay home tomorrow with a book! I think Thanksgiving break spoiled me. We returned home from Southern Indiana on Sunday after a WONDERFUL and much-needed break. John was only able to be with us long enough to eat Thanksgiving dinner, so it was bittersweet. His manager at Costco is asking all employees to work full time until after the holidays, so he had to return to Missouri early to work the weekend. Meanwhile, the kids and I relished every moment away. I think they spent every waking moment with one of their cousins, and I enjoyed hanging out with my mom and sisters. Saturday we traveled to Nashville, Indiana, for a beautiful, sunny, 60-degree day of shopping at all of the unique and rustic shops there. What a treat! Anna's highlight was probably finding a dress for her 8th grade dinner and theater social coming up on the 10th. The hardest part was helping her try on all of those dresses with her cast. Yes - I did say cast. My children attract broken bones like honey attracts flies, though the doctors keep assuring me there's nothing wrong with them. Anna was playing volleyball with a friend at recess (it will be two weeks this Friday), ran backwards, tripped and tried to catch herself with her left arm. Her left arm didn't cooperate, and she ended up with a badly broken wrist. Thankfully, everything has stayed where it's supposed to and she should be in a short cast by next Monday. We even scoped out the cast colors when we were at the doctor's office the first time and they do have a black cast - the perfect accessory for all of your evening wear. As someone who speaks from experience, I have to observe that a 13-year-old with a broken bone is somewhat more of a challenge than an 11 or 9 or 7 or 5 year old with a broken bone. Let's just say younger children don't require any shaving and generally aren't as particular about their hair. Noah's highlight was probably an outing he had with his Papaw and cousin, Olivia. My dad treated them to an afternoon at the mall where he bought Noah some basketball shoes that are WAY too nice for the son of a part time Costco employee to be wearing. We keep reminding Noah to tell everyone they were a gift! Overall, life is treating us well and we cherish our many blessings including a strong marriage, great kids, our "daily bread" and then some, and the peace we have in knowing that God's will is perfect, pleasing and good. Still no news on the job front, but we will keep you posted. Well, hopefully that gives you a little window into our world for the time being. Until next time, may God richly bless you and make your Christmas season truly joyous.