Wrapping Paper, Lunch from Walmart, Kept in a Jar

1. Who would think purchasing Christmas wrap could take an entire afternoon?! I went to Walmart, Target, and Tuesday Morning. While the selection vs. price was appalling, I did have fun poking around all the stores, especially Tuesday Morning. The gift wrap results of these three stores is as follows:

a.Walmart has the largest selection of the three and the lowest prices.
b. Target has a line of pretty, coordinating papers, but they're $5.00 per (thin) roll. The less expensive paper on the opposite side of the aisle was not attractive to me.
c. Tuesday Morning has almost no paper, but the little they have is very pretty. Prices are still moderately high considering square footage on the roll.

Paper-choosing neurosis aside, I purchased five rolls at Tuesday Morning and none of it matches. I'm proud of myself for breaking the need to have coordinated wrapping paper. Breaking free of this habit makes me feel like I just won something.
2. Lunch was a bag of peanut M&M's and they were delicious.
3.The peach preserves I put up last August taste just like summer.

By Hand, Much Better, Burning

1. B. sent over a loaf of bread that she baked. It's so pretty I hate to cut into it but, at the same time, I can't wait to eat it!
2. Yesterday was one of those irritating days when everything was out of sorts and nothing went right. I told myself that it was just one of 'those' days and it would pass. The silver lining in this is that I am aged enough to know it's true!
3. I walked without a jacket this afternoon and the sun really heated up the back of my neck. The weather person said cold air is barreling down from the north so I tried to soak up all the sunshine I could today.

Bravery, A Favorite Dinner, Birthday Month

1. A young father maneuvers two shopping carts up and down the aisles of Walmart. He's pushing one cart with a baby in a car seat in it and pulling the other cart, which he carefully loads with groceries. He is the picture of calm and happiness. I smile and nod to him and he explains that his wife works third shift at the hospital. I tell him I think he is a brave and a wonderful husband and father.
2. This recipe for Chicken and Gnocchi has become one of our all-time favorites. It's a satisfying, comforting dinner for a cold and blustery evening like tonight.
3. How could I forget to mention that Jack turned two this week! I talked to him on the phone and Claire said he listened intently. Then, Mari got on and chatted quite a bit with me. Her birthday is also this month as will be their new baby brother or sister who arrives in two weeks!

Good Deals, We Were Not Alone, The End, Ready for Baking Season

1. I stopped at Heritage Family Market to get another loaf of Italian Cheese bread. (I thought it would be great for grilled cheese sandwiches.) I saw bay leaves, which I needed, and coriander, and corn meal. My hands were getting full so I broke down and got a shopping cart and added a bunch more stuff. Obviously I wasn't just stopping in for a loaf of bread any more. This store is too fun and their prices are incredibly low.
2. The wind didn't trouble Henri and me too much because the road followed a low spot through the woods. But, it blustered and rattled the dry leaves in the upper tree branches. It made such a racket that it sounded like we were accompanied by a thousand tempests who wouldn't leave us alone to walk in peace and quiet.
3.We shared the very last, vine-ripened tomato from the garden.
4. Those spices I bought in #1 caused me to clean out and rearrange my spice and baking drawers. That was fun!

Love is Not Hearts and Bows, A Little Shopping, Pop's

1. I saw this video over at Sayable where Brene Brown talks about love and forgiveness; real-life topics which both fascinate and overwhelm me.



2. I purchased my first Christmas gifts today. I discovered that two of our daughters desire the same gift and neither is aware of it. How fun is that?!
3. We headed over to Pop's in Grandin. It was a nice day to be out with another day of mild weather.
I ordered an afternoon cup of coffee hoping it would get me over the slump later this evening with the time change. (It did!) They serve the most amazing gluten-free cakes at Pop's. We shared a huge wedge of coconut creme cake.

Bounty, By the Road, Bread and Butter

1. This must be a good year for pears. Down a back road, we walked past two pear trees that had dropped their heavy crop to the ground. We filled our pockets with unspoiled pears and munched on another while we continued our walk.
2. That walk gave me more energy than a nap. It was filled with beautiful things to see as well. Bittersweet tumbling over fences and hedgerows, rose hips also climbing a fence post, and leaves in reds and golds still clinging to the trees.
3. Oh my goodness, the bread from Heritage Family Market is so good! Chelsea brought us a loaf of Italian Cheese Bread and we ate it with our soup. As I slathered a second slice with butter, Steve gave me a look. I said, "What? I walked three miles today." And he said, "Yes, but you spread ten miles worth of butter on there."

The Gray Month, Applying It to Life, A Warm and Safe Place

1. Snow flurries dart and scatter under the light at the front door. Whose inner child doesn't leap at the sight of first snow!
2. I'm drawn to the beauty of the hills and mountains that fill the view from the church windows. This is one place where it is okay to gaze out the windows and ponder things, seemingly daydreaming, yet hearing every word.

"And this mountain that is in front of me will be thrown into the midst of the sea."

3. A walk after dinner is now a walk in the dark. Up on the hill, I turn back and see the smoke rising from our chimney and I smell the wood fire burning. I watch the smoke rise and curl in the wind.