Grateful Friday...

Today I am grateful for…

Snow flurries. They make this almost winter world feel more festive.

I Believe in Father Christmas
I love the sentiment: I wish you a hopeful Christmas. I wish you a brave new year. All anguish, pain and sadness leave your heart and let your road be clear.

We have plans to get our Christmas tree with my Dad and Step-mom tomorrow. It is our tradition to traipse through the lot together in search of the perfect tree every year. Then we head to a local pub for snacks, spirits and the first sighting of the season. Billy the Brownie can be spied by the adults only as he keeps an ever watchful eye on the kids for the big guy up north. In our neck of the woods, Peak the Sneak and Larry the Looker (trust me...they only sound lewd and lascivious) keep elfin tabs. This year we are starting a new tradition…we are going to a farm to cut down our own trees. Stay tuned on whether it elicits a family feud or feelings of familial bliss.

St. Nick comes to fill stockings tomorrow night. I love this more than Santa because the kids are not overwhelmed with too many gifts so they truly appreciate even the smallest things. Some things, of course, are not small enough to fit in their stockings like cool lava lamps or sweet pink Christmas trees.

And speaking of pink…J and I were invited by my Aunt L. to a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club last night that was in an expo center, but you would never have known it because it was all decked out in pink Christmas lights. They were auctioning off trees that were wrapped in the most pretty pink lights. I would have bought one if I had the energy to get it home. Dozens of local restaurants had samples of signature dishes. My favorite was a bratwurst on a pretzel bun. J and I split the last one. We tried many different wines too.

My kids are off today and spending the day with Aunt L. She is taking them shopping so she can get an idea of what they want for Christmas. All 3 of them are very excited. I hope she can share some ideas with me. The only thing that made Miss Bit’s list thus far is the Barbie house. T. Bone basically wants video games: games for the ds, games for PS2 and games for Wii. I was at Toys R Us this week and was at my wits end trying to remember which game he wanted for which system. The clerk looked at me like I was crazy.

New windows just as the temperatures dropped. They finished the installation faster than they anticipated and didn’t hit a single snafu. I never thought I would be, could be so stinkin’ excited about windows.

Cashmere. I love…really love…my new sweater set, and I am, in fact, wearing it today.

People who go over and above. Miss Bit got on the wrong bus yesterday…she thought it was Friday since there is no school today. She didn’t realize that T. Bone and Miss O. weren’t with her. Our favorite bus driver, Miss Theresa, simply finished the route and took Lil Bit where she needed to be without a second thought.

Recently when Father Tim went to give T. Bone knocks (their version of a hand shake) as we were leaving church, T. Bone gave him the sign of PEACE and said, "Peace out man." I was speechless, but incredibly thankful that Father Tim wasn't. He chuckled and said, "Peace out T Bone...I like that."

Feelings. Miss Bit brought home a little book she made in kindergarten about them. It sweetly read like this:
I feel happy when it's Christmas.
I feel sad when I don't have a play date.
I feel mad when my brother bothers me.
I feel scared when I'm in the dark.