To Give Thanks

So with the Thanksgiving weekend past, we are now officially into the Christmas season. Except that since most stores that I have walked by and in have had Christmas stuff up since (and before) Halloween, I feel it is perfectly within reason to post a Thanksgiving post after the fact. The holiday Thanksgiving was begun as a celebration of the years harvests safely gathered in. Yearly after the last of the harvests (late October into early November) neighbors and families would gather together to celebrate. Although the most celebrated and well known historical Thanksgiving was the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the pilgrims after their first successful harvest in America. But what many people don't know is that it was not a national holiday for many years. It was not declared a holiday until Lincoln, in 1863 declared the last Thursday in the month of November to be Thanksgiving. In 1941 Congress made it the fourth Thursday in the month, making planning and calender printing much easier. So now we have a four day weekend in which to celebrate a good harvest. And also to shop like crazy getting insane deals on Christmas shopping. And don't forget putting up the tree and decorating the house. Now that is a busy weekend. But back to Thanksgiving. It is a time to think about what we are thankful for in this life. People rush here and rush there rarely thinking (or thanking) those who help them along the way. The mailman (or woman) who rushes to deliver all those packages on time. The clerk at the store who always smiles. The teacher who helps your child. Children (anyone's) that smile and make your world that much brighter. The men and women who wear the uniforms of our country, states, and cities and defend our rights with their lives. There are so many things in this life to be thankful for that there just isn't room for me to post them all. Suffice it to say: we are of the lucky few. We have internet which means we have a computor, we can read, we can talk. And most of all, we are alive. Thanks for being a part of my life.

The picture of Mr O and Peaches was taken when they were 3 and 1 1/2 respectively.

The second picture is of Aunt M (who is deceaced) and Peaches when she was about 6 months.

The Big One

Well the big birthday came and went without much incident. Mr O received several items of note. Oma sent a way way cool marble tower. The pieces are clear and so the progress of the marble is quite obvious from top to bottom. Really quite fascinating to watch once it was set up. Auntie gifted two puzzle books. Now all of us who know Mr O personally know that he thrives on puzzles, any kind of puzzles. He is loving the books, repeating the same pages over and over until I read the directions on another page. The tower has been redesigned many many times and each time Mom has to come check it out and note progress. Very fun! The excitement over each gift was so much fun to see! The greats also sent a card with a poem from Gramps that has been read over and over (I nearly have it memorized). He also received a large remote control jeep from Dad and Mom. So I now have a six year old. Oh where oh where did all the time go? He is excited and enjoying any kind of learning. Reading is coming quickly and math is a natural strength. Mr O is already doing beginning multiplication and division. Scary. The cake that was made and duly appreciated was of a dragon conquering a castle and a knight trying to repel it. Really really fun to make!

Oh For the Love Of...

You know those moments in time that happen and you just want to bottle them and save them for years and years? We totally had one. Visits from Auntie happen fairly often as we are in closer proximity now. But one of those heart stopping moments happened the last time we were together. Now to understand this post I'll need to give a little background. We come from very musical roots. All the years that we were under the same roof there was music. In many different forms. Piano, vocal, violin, viola, flute and even clarinet. In the evenings it was fairly common for us girls to gather around the piano and sing. Our voices would raise in harmony, and for a short while any and all arguments were forgotten, our differences were erased, and we just shared our love for music. Growing up like that was wonderful. Having music to turn to when all else is going crazy around me. There has been a bit of upheaval in our lives and to be able to get together and share our musical talents with each other was wonderful. Auntie plays piano beautifully and I got to sing along. Oh it was wonderful to stop and enjoy the moment for what it was. Beautiful. Everyone is familiar with the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, a song is worth so much more. One that is shared and enjoyed speaks to our souls, our hearts, and our minds. Music is the common language of the earth. Play Beethoven's 5th symphony anywhere in the world and someone in the crowd will recognize it. What a beautiful way to communicate.

Tulips

So not to long ago I posted about the new chicks that were going to be added to the menagerie here. Well, they have moved into and taken over the garage. They are now 18 days old, and so much bigger! It still amazes me that they came out of such a small object. It is wonderful to watch them grow, especially for the kids. They enjoy seeing the changes that take place daily. I love seeing their wonderment and awe as they watch the unexplainable take place. Of all the wonders of the world there are two that I believe do not get as much credit as they are due: Birth and Love. Every birth is a miracle whether it be human or animal. And Love is love. Everyone needs someone (or something) to love. Without love we shrivel and become bitter. Watching my beautiful children celebrating the miracles of birth and love will always amaze me.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

While out shopping with my wonderful Handsome man the other day, we found an old felt hat. Dark blue. One of the style that was worn during the Kennedy era. Brim that can be worn curled up or down or half and half. Really a very versatile hat. I loved it. Handsome bought it for me, and I proceeded to recreate it. Originally it had just a simple ribbon and small bow as accents. I ripped all of that off, replacing it with a red cotton band, button, lace, and fun little gold ribbons. Now that is a hat that totally rocks. I'll wear that.

While I was Checking Out

Along the road of life there are many choices that we may take. Go to school, or not. Get a PhD, or not. Get a job, or not. Those are just some of the bigger choices that are out there. The little ones are the ones that worry me. PBJ or salami? Tennies or boots? Jeans or sweats? Yeah, kinda silly. But the way I look at it is this. The big things tend to take care of themselves. You go to school to get a job so that you can pay bills. Easy. It seems as if time has gone rushing by without giving me even a sideways glance. Just yesterday Handsome and I were going on our first official date. We held hands in the park and talked for hours (nearly til dawn a couple times). Then I was married to my best friend and embarking on a new life. Suddenly we were parents of not one, but two. Oh how time speeds by! I'm not complaining of my age or anything, I just want to enjoy this moment for all it is worth while I have it.

Compliments to Libbie Schille for the photo.

And if you want more...

This last week the kids, TD and I went to the aquarium. We had a membership for the past year, and this was our last trip with said membership. The kids love seeing all the fish, touching the starfish, and watching the divers swim about feeding and cleaning the tanks. All in all it is very much worth a visit, if you are in the area. We had the opportunity to see a diver in the front tank (20'x15' of 12" thick plexiglass) who answered questions with an underwater mike that projected the sound into a speaker on our side of the glass. Lots of fun. Lots of pictures. There is one moment that really stood out for me, something the the kids, TD nor I had ever seen before. A scallop swimming. You know those beautiful clam-like creatures that can move about by "clapping" their shells together. We saw it happen, and it was COOL. The kids were fascinated. I love doing field trips where I don't even have to "teach," the kids teach themselves. Fun times! When we were done there, we walked over to the next pier where there is a indoor carousel and arcade. And that my friends, was the perfect way to end our outing. That and the cookies that we made back and TD's house...MmmmHmmm!