Landing

Mom has good days and bad, depending on how much she tries to do any given day. Things are best when she stays on top of the pain and avoids too much activity when she is feeling good. She will be here at least through the 11th, possibly through Christmas, depending on how her appointment on the 10th goes.

Well, THAT was fun. NaBloPoMo year #4 wasn't what I thought it would be, but that's OK. I have been doing what I should be doing.

In the last month I've made significant progress on some Christmas knitting. I made a pig's ear of a section last week by accidentally yanking my needles out of a cabled section - the horror! - but some time in the knitting store gave me the confidence I needed to sit at a table there and pick up the stitches again. Until then, the thought of fixing the mess that I had made of that project almost made my stomach hurt. I'm back on track, and I like it again. It only took five minutes. I seem to know more than I think I do. I can handle things when the wheels fall off. I'm learning to take a wee time-out and then dive in again. Knitting is paralleling life and teaching me, among other things, that It's Not Always All That Bad. Thank you, my dear internets, for reading and being my time out during a crazy month.

Take your needle, my child, and work your pattern - it will come out a rose by and by. Life is like that...one stitch at a time, taken patiently. - Oliver Wendell Holmes (thank you, Posie!)

Launch

If you can get past the truly awful credits in the beginning, this is an amazing video compilation of the recent STS-129 launch highlights. Many camera angles were of stuff I've never seen before. Enjoy!

STS-129 Ascent Video Highlights from mike interbartolo on Vimeo.

Looking for Christmas

So, for understandable reasons, I'm just not in the Christmas spirit. Pretty much no money for presents, things have been stressful...how do you, my dear internets, get that "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" warm and fuzzy feeling?

I'll be pulling out It's a Wonderful Life and all my iterations of A Christmas Carol this week. I have Christmas knitting that must must must be done. It all feels like tasks to be done, with little of the magic and joy. Friends have already decorated and put up their trees, put lights on their houses (we've been here in our first house for two Christmases and haven't put up lights yet), and one insane woman I know is done with her shopping. If you are one who poo-poohs the twinkle and shine of the season, please don't dump your gloom into my comments. I understand the deeper meanings, thank you. Tomorrow is the first day of Advent. Right now, however, I'm on a twinkle-shine hunt. Bring it.

Thanksgiving Pix

Five nieces and nephews, five liquid amber trees, and a yard that hadn't been raked in a week.

Give Thanks

I'm thankful for all I've been blessed with - family, friends, and an eternal Father who knows me and loves me anyway. I'm thankful for the Sharp family yeast roll recipe and that Thom made a quadruple batch. Im thankful we all still cram into one room and sing together, and that we can cover all four parts well. I'm thankful that there was pumpkin pie in Atwater and pecan pie in Sacramento. I'm thankful for seat warmers and light traffic. I'm very thankful that family got together today, and that Mom was not only able to go with us, but had a wonderful time.

Sent from my iPhone

Yet One More Thing

Mom called the SPCA in Fresno and scheduled a time for them to go collect her kitty. She hung up the phone, and we hugged and boo-hooed for a while. I have come to learn the cat is not all that nice - she tends to scratch and nip at Mom, and dive under her feet. The cat needs to go. Still, she is mom's kitty, and Mom is heartbroken.

Pickwick, with his own kitty sense of what is going on, has taken to sleeping next to her feet all night. Good boy.

Another Post! A Second One! Two Tonight!

1080p. You're welcome. Smooches!

Taking Care of Bizness

I'm so thankful for Walt and Llona Fennel. They came to visit with Mom today, made her laugh, and prayed with her. I did not fully realize how much history she has with Walt, who would make patient visits when Mom worked at Sierra Hospital while I was just a toddler. Despite Llona's recommendation, I'm not sure my crafting skills are up to hot-gluing a sequined ornamental bustier onto Mom's brace, but I might give it a go if it will make her laugh like that again! In other news, she woke up from an afternoon nap and, other than a little tightness here and there, she didn't really have any pain at all right then. Yeah. It feels like she turned a small corner recently - a corner on a dodecahedron rather than a square, so there are a lot of corners to turn, but still, it's encouraging.

I raided many boxes in the garage this evening, and scrounged up all my Pampered Chef goodies. Yep, I'm signing up again! My Pampered Chef years were great, and I enjoyed my kitchen shows. Moving to Calabasas when Rick started grad school made starting up again too difficult - our apartment was only 740 square feet and had a 1 1/2 butt kitchen, with not really enough room for two full butts. I didn't have room for most of my regular equipment, let alone what I needed for PC. There are seasons in our lives. It has been almost ten years (!) and I'm ready to launch again. I've decided to go with a local director rather than my director in Fresno; my new director is a National Executive Sales Director and trainer, has been with Pampered Chef for 19 years, and is as excited as I am to help grow my business. One of the reasons I respect this company is their mission - "We are committed to providing opportunities for individuals to develop their God-given talents and skills to their fullest potential for the benefit of themselves, their families, our customers and the company." Sorry, guys, you're third on the list. Perhaps second, if we are related.

So, I am booking for December, January and February shows! I don't have a stitch of information for you yet - there are monthly specials, featured products, and host/hostess bonuses galore. My blog will not be All Pampered Chef All The Time. However, if you need a few good cutting boards that can go in the dishwasher or a multi-tasking stoneware baking dish, know that I've got your back.