Full Moon...

And other mental meanderings:

Received one of the regular emails from the U of U with their current LifeLong Learning Class offerings.  One was a snowshoe walk in the full moon to take place this last Friday evening.  Invited The Husband.  Too much work he said.  So we opted to take our own stroll around the neighborhood that evening.  17 degrees out.  That meant everyone else was in.  We enjoyed our moonlit walk in the peace.

My daily exercise has been slightly less than daily over the last month, with The Husband having a more relaxed schedule.  I was determined to be out in the fresh air this morning.  Barely 20 degrees out at 7 a.m.  Loved being the only one out on the trail.  The streaks across the picture are the snowflakes falling.  It was perfect.

Ran a couple errands.  Was caught in the crossfire of a mother-daughter "conversation" that took place at full volume in Kohl's - across more than one department.  Needed some noise cancelling headphones. (Or they needed some manners....)

Came to some conclusions.  Find it interesting that at my advanced age, other women still have the ability to cause twinges in my heart.  I will endeavor to emulate Jean Valjean and forgive and move on, doing my best to do my best and not fuss over other people's behavior.

Movie

Saw this movie twice this week - Thursday evening and then again tonight.  (This was my first exposure to Les Miserables.) The first time I came away thinking it was quite over-rated.  I liked it much better the second time around.  Although I do have some opinions about it - and when do I not have opinions?

- Even after the second time around I'm still not a fan of the singing/talking.  I'd much prefer the music to be totally separate - like in traditional musicals.

- I think the music would have more impact if it were done more traditionally.  The music is ok - and don't get me wrong, I absolutely love music - but this music isn't really that memorable except for a couple songs.  The dialogue (sung) and actual songs just all kind of blend together.

- I'd really like to see this done strictly as a drama.  Wonder what the treatment would be.

- This was an emotionally wrenching movie.  Not just a tear-jerker, but a thought-provoking, heart-breaking, sad commentary on the human situation.

That said, the actors were well cast, the voices up to the task and the cinematography stunning.  I will long remember the pathos that infused the movie, the difficult choices made, the drive to find sense in the world and the consistent references and dependence on God.  Clearly Victor Hugo was a religious man.

And I will continue to ponder in my mind the effects of one's actions on another - the attempts to exert one's will on another, the effects of gossip (often malicious) on others, the determination to prove to God that we are worthy of forgiveness and the never ending quest to find and give love.  Lots to think about, and lots to apply in my own meager efforts at improvement.  "To love another person is to see the face of God."

Crisco

Been hankering for some homemade bread. (I really only like whole wheat.) Purchased some high quality whole wheat flour, made sure I had honey, oil and yeast and got to work.

A friend stopped by.  Promised him some warm-fresh-from-the-oven-yummy-bread.  Shouldn't promise things I can't be sure to deliver.

Rarely buy shortening - it usually goes rancid before I can use it (even the very smallest container) and I dislike wasting money.  So...I had no Crisco.  Surely swabbing the inside of the loaf pans with oil will work, won't it?  Apparently not.

Left the bottom half of two loaves in the pan (trying to remove said loaves from pan to cool)  before I tossed the whole problem into The Husband's capable hands.

His brilliant solution - so that I would have a fairly nice, complete loaf to take to the Friend -  cut a slice along the bottom edge of the pan, slide a knife through the slice and release the bread from the bottom of the pan.  Eureka!  Success!

Spent the rest of the afternoon pulling chunks of the bottom half of the loaf from the pan, slathering them in butter and stuffing them down my gullet.  Yum!

Next stop:  the grocery for some Crisco, and down the road perhaps a stop for a new pan to replace the sacrificial one.

Today's gratitude for:  The Husband's unfailing, consistent efforts to ease my pathway through this life, hugs, a fresh stack of library books and the way Heavenly Father continues to bless this undeserving soul.

Shout Out

A shout out to one of my granddaughters who I just discovered takes a gander occasionally at this blog.

Her pajamas say it all about her - she is a really nice one.  But then there isn't a one of my granddaughters (or grandsons for that matter) who isn't a nice one.

Thanks, Granddaughter - what fun to have you interested in something I might have to say.

Love to all my grandchilluns, you're my favorite.

Boxes

I've spent the morning putting away Christmas.  The Husband is always a teensy melancholy when I do this.  He likes to leave it all up a little longer.  I just want to clean up.  He says he can't really enjoy it all before Christmas because of the stress, and likes to be able to look at it all and savor the good feelings after the success of the season.

More than once we've had a conversation about the storage room and wanting to have everything organized.  I fully support that.  He asked me again this year why all the Christmas stuff isn't all in the same kind of box, same size, easily identifiable.  Because not everything fits in those boxes.  And other boxes only fit on the tops of our shelves, requiring a bit of searching for all the Christmas things.

Kind of like our lives.  It is easy to wish for things to just go where they should, to fall in line, to fit in the designated spot.  It is frustrating when we have to deal with the oddities.  Reinforcing the knowledge that we aren't really in control of anything much except our reaction to the oddities.  Leading to the thought that we are so dependent on the mercy and love of the Almighty.  Also the thought of how grateful we are for that mercy and love.  And eventually gratitude for the oddities, those things that provide spice, interest, humor, enjoyment and variety to our earthly experience.  Those things that refuse to fit in the box.

And believe it or not, after putting away the Christmas stuff, I had a box left over.  It's sitting on the shelf, waiting for something fun to fill it.  I'll keep my eyes (and my heart) open for whatever it is.

Clueless

We had an agreement this year:  since we were really scaling back on expenditures for Christmas we weren't spending very much on each other.  (Besides, we're sleeping on our gift to ourselves.)  In spite of said agreement, we've both been feeling a bit wrought over how little we've spent on each other.

The Husband kept saying to me that I was going to open my gifts and say:  what?  Hmmm...

I kept reassuring him that would not be the case.  Until I opened these two lovelies.  And I said, "what?"  The reason being I hadn't a clue what to do with either of them.

Thoughtful man that he is, and always doing his best to improve my life through technology (convenience, ease, simplification) he had bought two things to do just that.

My iMac has ports only on the back for connecting such things as iPods, Nooks etc.  Not super optimal for accessibility.  (Particularly when one considers the state of my desk.  Tidy clutter seems to be the most apt description.) Thus the USB hub - which I understood once it was explained in terms of one syllable.  And I even unpackaged and connected without assistance I might add.

The handy USB card reader will assist me in transferring pictures from actual cameras (not phone cameras) onto the computer for addition to whatever - even this blog.  That little gadget remains in the original packaging for now.  Haven't decided if I just want to use/borrow The Husband's fabulous little camera or want one of my own to use.  His computer expertise will come into play once I figure out what I want.

Thanks, My Love, you make life so fun!

Tonight my heart is full of gratitude - for family, for calm Christmas's, for loving grandchilluns, for being pretty content and not wanting more and more, and of course, most (and always) of all for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Creative

One of the things I am not is creative.  I haven't decided if it is because I am completely devoid of the creative gene, if I'm lazy, if I'm too much of a penny-pincher or if it is a combination of a couple (or all) of the aforementioned items.

We stopped last night at a sweet friend's house.  By her front door was a basket on a chair filled with these cute fabric covered tubes (first guess as to what kind of tubes they are will be the right one!).

The tubes contain an assortment of candy and goodies, mine had a mini pencil in it along with a mini Twix bar and some Hershey kisses.  Each visitor to her house through the days around Christmas gets to choose a tube to take with them on their way.  What a fun idea - we often have some sort of "thing" to give visitors at this time of year.

She said she wouldn't mind if I copied her idea.  Next year.....

Smiling on Saturday

Breakfast of Champions!

In our 42 years of marriage I don't remember ever seeing The Husband do this.  It made me smile.  So fun that even after all these years he can surprise me.

Also was smiling as we navigated the crowds looking for a pair of shoes (can you say sale?) for both of us.  Fortunately, I found a pair.  (Spent the entire amount I earned as a table judge for the recent national elections and even enjoyed the spending.) Unfortunately, the pair The Husband found wasn't in his size.  We'll keep looking.  The smile:  because our shopping for Christmas is finished.

Also smiling as we treated ourselves to a soft serve ($.79) cone at Scheel's as a reward for successfully navigating the crowds as we looked for shoes.  We managed to maintain our decorum.

Kudos to our new Scheels.  They have plenty of staff on hand to assist shoppers, they are very helpful staff, smiling all the while, and even though the store seemed nearly overrun with shoppers, it was a tidy clean environment.  Good on you, Scheels.

Today's Positives

A cold 13 degrees at Sunrise

An early morning walk on the trail.

Taking my sweet time getting ready for the day (showering, hair done, breakfasting...)

A (very) rare nap in the afternoon.

Picking up an item from the jeweler that we'd left to be repaired and being happy with the work.

Stopping by the library to pick up a book I'd placed on hold to find - yes - two books waiting for me.

Enjoying the unexpected blossom on one of my orchids.

Taking another couple orchids in for repotting, and finding a simple fix (instead of a repot - there's a blossom stem growing, not optimal timing for repotting)  for one and the other only taking a couple minutes to repot.  And having the whole expedition cost only a fraction of what we'd expected.

Vegetables (yes, a frequent craving of mine) for dinner and I didn't even have to cook them.

Sunshine!  (Much rather have it be cold and sunshiny than hot and sunshiny.)

Deck The Halls

Deck the halls with bodies pudgy,  fa la la la la, la la la la

All the stress makes me feel grumpy, fa la la la la, la la la la.

Don we now our tight apparel, fa la la, la la la, la la la,

Thus we end this awful carol, fa la la la la, la la la la.

Early Christmas

The gifting has begun.  After thinking over the purchase for many months, then shopping around for a bit and systematically trying out every single mattress in more than one shopping location, today was delivery day.  Our Christmas gift to ourselves:  several years of good sleep!

Before Sheets

                                                                                                                                                         

After Sheets

I'm looking forward to a good night's rest tonight.  The Husband is in doing a trial nap as I sit here.  

I even got a new pillow!  YAY!  

I don't often check out the gifts under the tree, but I did today and found a notation on one to open immediately.  So...I did.  Inside was a package of this lovely biscotti variety.  What a luxury.  And what a thoughtful gift.  (Of course, I'm good at sharing, too.)

We were given some tickets to tonight's performance at the Conference Center - "Savior of the World."  I am so looking forward to it.  If the weather will cooperate, and the whole rest of the valley won't also be in attendance, it will be do wonders for instilling in us the Christmas spirit.  Today's gratitude is for the kindness of those who gave us the tickets.

Today's oddity:  stopping at the deli for some sliced ham.  Watching the lady behind the counter unwrap the ham for slicing then juggle / drop it on the floor.  The entire ham.  Haven't seen that before.  Hope to never see it again.  Her face was red.

It Happened Again

Standing in the store, a strange guy (well, actually I guy I don't know) asks me for help.  There were several other women around, but he chose me.  We had a semi-lengthy discussion about the meaning of a particular sign and if it was true what a deal it was and how he cooks those things....etc. I'm always a bit puzzled by this, but at the same time grateful that I somehow have the look of someone who is approachable.  (In spite of my prickliness.)

This is representative of my afternoon's efforts.  I'm so grateful we had the resources to provide a small indicator of our love and affection to our family.  Notice the lack of ribbons on the packages.  We had to discontinue the use of ribbon on anything when we discovered our cat had a particular affinity for eating anything that dangled (after a $400 surgery).  Our sweet cat has been gone for about 6 years, still miss her, still can't use ribbons.

I've always been a big fan of the "tis better to give than receive" philosophy.  Grow to like it more and more as the years go by.  Now if only I could figure out what to give, that giving thing would be full of delight!

Change Is Certain

Answered the phone this morning to a Bishopric counselor requesting a quick meeting with me just before church.  Uh-oh...I must be in trouble.

Came out feeling fine.  Someone else (yet to be revealed) will take over the emergency preparedness for the ward (I'm thinking about all those preparedness magnets with my information on them that we distributed to every home in the ward boundaries....).  The Husband was a teensy disappointed that it isn't him (at least so far).

I'm back in music and very content about that.  Playing for Sr. Primary.  It will be great.

I seriously needed a break from it, and I confess I had been hurt.  But, different people are in all the music positions and I have actually (surprising even myself) missed that richness from my life.  Haven't been motivated to continue the filling of the walls of our home with music.  Looking forward to that.

Next week the kids will have their enactment of the Nativity, complete with music.  I think I will enjoy the way that will touch my heart.  It seems there is no end to the way that Heavenly Father delights to bless us, often even when we didn't even know we needed a particular blessing.  I'm grateful.

True

One of our YSA's was married this morning - invited us to the ceremony.  So love when that happens.  This morning was particularly memorable.  The official wasn't especially charismatic or full or presence, at least not by the world's standards.  But when he opened his mouth to speak I was spellbound.  One of those occasions I wished to have a photographic memory, and wished the same for the young couple getting married.  It would be extraordinary to be able to go back in years to come and pluck that memory from the shelf and be re-inspired by the words that were spoken.  There were more wet eyes there today than dry.

Later on we went to their open house - which seemed like more of a family reunion (the bride is one of 9 children).  How remarkable that we felt almost adopted into their large clan.

We heard the word "true" a few times today.  I was so struck by this word I looked it up in the dictionary.  Lots of meanings.  The applicable one here:  honorable, faithful, steadfast (my favorite word).  How appropriate that it was used in conjunction with admonitions and blessings for this young couple embarking on their earthly journey together.  There has been much to ponder today.

They looked so young!  The Husband remarked that we probably looked just as young when we were married.  How blessed I feel that we found each other.  And how I wish I could remember what was spoken at our ceremony.  More pondering would be quite beneficial.

Woke up to the winter wonderland of snow that has been fairly scarce this year.  (Our young friends will most likely remember that it was snowing on their wedding day.)

The Husband plowed and plowed and then shoveled some more.  Our entire area is under a winter storm/snow warning from now until Wednesday.  Today's gratitude:  for The Husband's little John Deere that makes clearing the driveway and front walk so pleasant.  (I think the reason all the guys in the neighborhood get right on that snow removal is because they so enjoy their snow removal toys!)

Movie

Treated ourselves to a movie today since tomorrow will be filled with a wedding (ceremony and reception).

I'm not really a fan of fantasy, and had no burning desire to see either this one or any of the Lord Of The Rings movies, but yes, did see them all.

And liked them all.  Including this one.  The Husband was particularly taken by a few sentences spoken by Gandalf about how evil is fought - by the little things (kindnesses) one does on a regular basis, by spreading love.  It was very well expressed and I wish I could remember the exact words.

The one that really stuck in my mind was: "Loyalty, honor and a willing heart.  I can ask no more than that."  Reminds me how important those qualities are in anyone at any time.  Hopefully qualities I can acquire and magnify in my own life. I think that would be pleasing to The Almighty.

Part One

Proof I'm a dufus.  Partway through my morning jaunt on the trail I discovered the reason the neck on my t-shirt was bothersome was because I was wearing it backwards.  Gave The Husband ammunition for a snort-laugh.

Tried to wish a friend Happy Birthday via email.  Left out one of the letters in his name changing it from a masculine to a feminine form.  He's going to tease me endlessly about this.

Picked up my phone to find a text.  What fun, I thought as I excitedly opened it up - to find: a text from my dentist telling me I'm overdue for a checkup.  (Don't want to go in and go through all the between-insurance-hassle so I'm playing ostrich.)

Received what was clearly a Christmas card in the mail.  Revealed to be from the company that we hire to fertilize and baby the trees in our yard.  Sigh.

If this is representative of my day...I'm going back to bed.

I Feel Like Such An Idiot

Was preparing the other day for the annual Christmas lunch with my friends of 20+ years.  Was so dismayed to find that I got them each the same thing last year for Christmas.  Same...but different.  Still, though, the same.

Feel kind of like Flo in Flo and Friends where she states that she's needing to re-think how she shops for others.  That the gag gifts at the white elephant party she went to were all gifts she had given in years past.  Now I get that when you give a gift you relinquish all ownership and expectation.  Still...can't I at least be original once in awhile?  I promised my friends that I won't do the same thing again next year, although I suppose the third time would make it a tradition.  (Thanks, my friends, for your graciousness.)

I've longed to be not only original, but creative.  I'd love to be able to throw a fabulous party, find fun things to do with people (i.e. the grandchilluns) when they come over, to manage just the right gift, to be a great hostess.  And more.  I can't.  It just isn't in me.  I quake at the thought of large groups / noise / confusion / mess.  Not really into spending money for all the aforesaid items.  Thus, I always feel lacking and failing in the obvious comparison to those whose talents in that arena are clear and beckoning to all. (Although I would hope to draw the line at bringing a broccoli tree to a potluck dinner.)

The answer, of course, is to find a way to shine in my own way.  Like Rudolph.  I think he has the copyright on the red nose.  I'll keep looking (I think my shiner has burnt out.) In the meantime, if we have a party, I'll leave the games to the guests, the hosting to The Husband and I'll be the one in the kitchen, behind the scenes.  It's more comfortable for me there.

More Food?

I'm sitting here at nearly 10 p.m. trying hard to restrain (with difficulty) my groans from my overfull stomach.  Went to lunch with a couple friends.  Tried to eat light.  Wasn't successful.  What is it about talking with friends (and I do w-a-y too much talking) that allows me to practically lick my plate clean without even thinking about it?  (Wonder if that would work on some small child unwilling to eat their dinner?)

Went to dinner and a movie with some friends to celebrate his birthday.  Ate at Market Street Grill - one of our favorites.  Thought I would eat light:  a slice of their heavenly sourdough bread, a small salad and a bowl of clam chowder.  I got so full that trying to bend to remove myself from the backseat of their car was more than a little troublesome.

Declined a goodie at The Rocky Mountain Chocolate store, but practically ripped the wrapping off the plate of cookies our friends gave us (after we waddled our way into the house) in order to cram 3 of them (successively, not simultaneously) into our mouth.  Num, num, num!

Tomorrow is another day during which I shall attempt to rein in the eating impulses.  And while I don't really enjoy the actual process of eating, I certainly do enjoy the taste.

Warm Gratitude

This is what the yard looked like this afternoon after intermittent snow all through the weekend and throughout today.  It was cold out.

Which meant it was a good time to try out our wood stove.  It has been several years since we had a fire in it, I was nervous about the chimney being clear of bird nests, etc.

Our stove in the basement isn't used as much as we'd like, we aren't down in that family room very often.  I'm grateful that we have this little stove to keep our home snug and warm.

Oddly enough:  our furnace was misbehaving today.  Didn't discover this until after The Husband had built a fire and tended it for awhile.  More gratitude for a husband who has the ability to fix stuff.  And isn't afraid to get dirty doing it.  How weird that we decided to have a fire in the stove at the very same time the furnace wasn't working.

Found out today someone I know and love is sponsoring some soldiers for the holidays.  Good on you!

And finally, managed to get a family's Christmas purchased, wrapped and ready to take to FedEx tomorrow for shipping.  Feeling gratitude for the ability to exhibit (in a small measure) our affection by sending gifts.  Hope they like them.

Amused; Kudos & Crafty Husband

Visiting the restroom at our local Target I was unavoidably entertained by the conversations between the little guy (roughly 4 yrs. old) and his Mom.  He was basking in her praise at having accomplished his bathroom tasks and ended with:  And you know what?  I'm not wearing any underwear!  I made a bit of a quicker exit than planned so as to not be there when he showed his Mom the proof!  Too cute.

Kudos today to Barnes and Noble.  When my Nook couldn't be easily fixed there in the store, they voluntarily swapped it with another unit (refurbished, but still...).  I couldn't have been more pleased with my treatment and service.  A good reason to do business with a physical (rather than internet based) store:  instant gratification.  No tantrum required. (Tantrum wasn't really on the agenda anyway.)

This is what The Husband put together today in about 2 minutes flat.

I came across the directions for this little oil lamp on one of the preparedness blogs I read.  The jar was $.80, the wick about $.50 and we already had some premium lamp oil.  The flame is pretty bright.  Much, much better than any oil lamp we could buy and this will burn for roughly 100 hours.  Super easy, plus, The Husband had fun doing it.  Now if the power goes out, we'll be able to see pretty well.  Not hoping for power outages.

Ambidextrous

This is my trusty computer mouse.  Notice the orientation:  just right for this right-handed person.

We were sitting across the desk the other day from another right-handed person.

He was using the keyboard with his right hand.  And using the mouse simultaneously with his left.  Made me envious.  I so wish I were even remotely ambidextrous.

On another note:  Have Ward Christmas parties always been so calm?

Almost The Weekend

Allowed myself the extra time to walk the trail this morning.  I don't often do it in the winter because the days are so short - it is dark so far into the day and I'm a'skeered of the dark.  I wore my slicker this morning because I expected to get rained on - this was what it looked like at 7:45 a.m.

Aren't those mountains pretty?  I promise there are mountains behind those clouds.


Half an hour later this was the view:

See - I promised there were mountains there.  It turned out to be such a lovely morning.  I love the skies around here when there's weather.  There is always something interesting to see in the clouds / sun / rain, etc.








Had to laugh - The Husband came in and asked me if I was talking to myself.  Yes.  I was.  The reason for my laughter:  I had just come from visiting 3 different stores and in each one I noticed someone (and maybe more than one someones) talking to themselves - and no they weren't on their cellphones.  So, I take comfort in the knowledge that I have company when I talk to myself.

Having issues finding just the "right thing" to get for the chilluns and grandchilluns for Christmas.  My brain is dead.  I better talk to myself and see if I can't revive the ol' noggin.  Any ideas for gifts, send them my way.

The Celebration Continues

Our gratitude for the new job continues unabated.  As does our celebration in the form of food consumption.

We had to run downtown SLC today.  The Husband humored me and we made a pass through this newly opened store.  (In my mind its a lot of fuss about just-another-organic-grocery.) It probably contained more people than individual products!  We were easily able to emerge without spending.

Then...The Husband humored me again by stopping for lunch at SLC's one and only (as far as I can discern) Mongolian BBQ.  It was pretty tasty, although I still favor the one in Palo Alto.

Lots of yummy veggies and sauces to choose from.  And good egg-drop soup just right for this rainy day.

On the way home, the car - apparently all on it's own - diverged from the freeway to one of our favorites.  Their frozen custard is delightful.

Now, it is after 7 p.m., The Husband has gone dinnerless to YM.  We were both so full from all the celebratory eating that neither one of us could face more food.

How grateful we are for 1) the new job 2) good health 3) each other....and the list is nearly endless it seems.  Heavenly Father has reached His hand into our lives once again and blessed us beyond our hopeful imaginings.

Cwrinkles

Isn't that a great smile?

I've become a big fan of cwrinkles!  Those fun lines and creases in a person's face that give it character.

I started noticing that I was noticing these, oh, probably a couple years ago.  (Maybe it was about the time we got our first HD TV with improved visibility of such things.) Whenever it was, I started being aware of the little lines around someone's eyes when they smiled, and then when their face relaxed, a teensy remnant of the lines were left.  Making me think the smile still lingers somehow.

Actors and Actresses have endeared themselves to me when they get to be about late thirties or early forties; the smile lingers just a bit longer by way of the small lines.  It makes people more real to me somehow.

I love seeing those cwrinkles.  And if I look extra intently into your face, I'm just enjoying your smile.  Thanks for sharing it with me.

Decorating

I spent the better part of today getting the Christmas tree up and putting out what few Christmas decorations I have.  I missed out on that "decorating" gene - I'm easily able to dispense with decorating for any and all holidays and don't mind not doing it at all.

I just don't want the bother.  Don't want to have to store stuff, take care of stuff (dust it) , dislike spending money on stuff.  I'm not really a big "stuff" person.  It isn't an attribute or fault, it just is.

But...I do love Christmas nativities.  I've been teased about having them out until June in the past.  Don't care, love them.  Love the reminder of where our hearts should be.

This little cutie has a regular place on our mantel.  It's so fun to have something "Christmas" that is blue!  Clever of them to have made Mary and Joseph in the exact center of the word.

The Precious Moments figurines have always been a favorite of mine.  This particular set was a Christmas present from The Husband probably 20+ years ago.  I still love it.

But this one is my all-time favorite Christmas nativity.  In fact, it never gets put away.  It sits on a shelf all year long.  I saw it in a catalog years and years ago.  It was pricey.  Dislike spending money.  But The Husband saw how much I loved it and got it for me.  It comes from Germany.  One of the few trips I've longed to take is to visit Germany where these are made.  I'd love to see the other incarnations.

I have other nativities - I used to try to collect one a year.  Eventually faced that fact that I really don't need all the tchotchkes (don't like to store them, don't like to take care of them (dusting), dislike spending money on them) so I called a halt to the acquiring of any more.

Still, I'm happy that I have the ones I do.  It's the only part of Christmas decorating that I enjoy.  And who knows, perhaps I'll leave them up until July this time.

Subjects from Saturday and Sunday

We are still mentally celebrating The Husband's job, though he won't start until January.

Went to the Temple last night and had another of those very small tender mercies that seem to serve as a sort of virtual hug.  They don't happen often, but then I guess if they happened oftener we would tend to take them for granted.  I am so grateful for those tender mercies The Almighty sees fit to send my way.  I hope to always be totally aware of them in my life.

I'm grateful for kind people - those who just "are" and don't seem to be aware that that particular trait is part of them.  (There's a couple that sits in front of us at church that instantly spring to mind.)

And I think there is a special place in heaven for those sweet souls who staff the church nursery.  My stint in there today has me pert' near ready for bed (after something for my headache) - 8 little munchkins between 18 months and 3 years for two solid hours = fun, albeit exhausting fun.  (I'm not as young as I used to be.)