Most Amazing Christmas Card received this year...the winner is: Jennifer Jessen Staver. Jenny is the mother of five, count them in the photo, FIVE children, ages 6-13, and yet MADE her cards, complete with photo and letter, including handwritten addresses on the envelope, mailed on time...well, let me just say that all this effort and work should not go unnoticed and unappreciated! Indeed, the most amazing holiday greeting card to arrive here this year. (And, justsoyouknow, that does not mean that we did not appreciate and LOVE every single card and greeting that arrived this year, because WE ABSOLUTELY DID!)
READING: New camera instruction book...This camera can do everything: Bake bread, clean the house, do the laundry, run errands...okay, maybe not, but it can do a whole lot of other fun stuff! I couldn't think of any "N" names that seem to fit, so in honor of Didgy, I have decided to go with a "D" name, this one is definitely a girl and Dixie seemed to fit as Nikon D40x has a "D" and an "x". It's cute...going for cute these days. As a joke, Mark said, "Great, I can take this to New York with me on the choir trip!" I just smiled and said, "Sorry, pal, not happening...." I knew he was kidding. (For those who don't know, Mark LOST Didgy in Rome on the first day of the Italy choir trip this summer, so he has sort of been suspended in camera privileges for any further use of my favorite camera. Or at least that's the plan for now. However, he is rather cute and nice, so camera privileges could be reinstated with a simple request should he really desire them.) I guess I can toss Didgy's manual now as I figure he is not coming back. Hope whoever has him is being good to him. It's hard to lose a friend.
POOLSIDE READING: Carolyn Hart's mysteries.
LISTENING TO: Classical; some Christmas yet; Frank Sinatra; JCM (inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently...and he's an Indiana boy); Matchbox Twenty...just floating about listening to whatever comes to mind.
COOKING THROUGH: Susan and Al gave me Alice Waters' new cookbook The Art of Simple Food for Christmas...it is part instruction book, part cookbook, part history, part Green...well, lots of "parts" and I am starting on page 1 and going to work my way through the entire book...right now I am reading about the benefits of being in a CSA, which I already know as I have done that...more on that another time.
FAV NEW FIND: My fancy new camera...yes, indeed, a very fine camera...thank you, Cindy, for helping pick it out, Mark was very grateful that he didn't have to do it alone...you were right: I love, love, love it!
FAV THING TODAY: Getting "late" Christmas cards, letters, photos in the mail...it makes Christmas last longer and cushions the disappointment, after going to the mailbox each day in December and finding actual fun mail there, of realizing that the influx of fun snail mail is coming to a halt. That's what I LOVE about email: you know there is always going to be a fun greeting there every day!
GOING TO: Museums every day these next two weeks...just try to stop me: I have hardly any volunteer work, the kids and husband are home and willing to accompany me, and I intend on making these two weeks a vacation! Come on and go with us...we will meet you there...it will be FUN, really...come on...what else are you going to be doing?
PRAYING FOR: Safe travel and much success for Suzanne Hayes Drayer and her team going to Haiti from today until January 5th on a mission performing eye and dental care/work, please join me.