Outside my window…it is bare.  The big ash tree that has given us shade for all these years was finally declared rotten…so today we said farewell.  The stump will be gone soon, too, but for now it makes a fun addition for backyard play.

I am remembering…a beautiful, bountiful Thanksgiving dinner at Mom and Dad’s…and I am so very thankful.

I am listening…to Joseph and William’s voices, recording a book for Andrew on the Sparkup, their voices a tiny hum amidst all the noise of Andrew and Katie who are building with Duplos and imagining a world all of their own.

I am going…to try to remember all the thoughts bouncing around in my head.  Seems like an idea bounces in and before I can react, it bounces right out again.

I am pondering…Sometimes, in order to move forward, we have to let go of dreams and of vision. We have to see how our carefully crafted ideas of the way things should be might not be part of God’s plan after all. We have to come up with new visions, ones that are colored and tempered by the experiences of life. The trick, I think, to doing this successfully, is to believe that the new vision really can be better than the old one, even if the old one was very dear, indeed. –E. Foss

I am thankful…for quiet moments early in the morning before little sleepyheads appear.

In the schoolroom…Advent plans are well underway.  There are Jesse Tree readings and ornaments to hang.  Our Advent books are all wrapped and labeled to be opened each day.  We plug along through Advent with our regular Math and Grammar, but our science and history correlate to the season.  This year, inspired by the scents of the Christmas season, we decided to embark on an herbal study.  We’re studying herbal use throughout history (this is a rich topic and so related to this season…the most obvious being the Wise Men and their gifts) and the science of using herbal remedies, using this awesome kit and game.  Our reading is focused around the Herb Fairies and this lovely book by Lesley Tierra.

Around the house…it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…we tried to hold out on decorating the tree, to keep in tune with the true spirit of Advent, but we just couldn’t wait.  So the tree is decorated, the lights are up, and if it weren’t high 70’s outside, I’d say it’s feeling like Christmas is in the air.

In the refrigerator…parsley pesto.  And it’s good.

I am wearing…a cotton knit skirt that Mom lovingly whipped together for me and a blue t-shirt.

We are preparing for…obviously…Christmas ; )

Someday I am going to miss…William’s nonstop talking.  Joseph’s constant humming.  Katie’s squealing.  Andrew’s chatter.  But just for today, a little silence would be nice.

I am reading…Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books.  Yes, that’s right.  I’ve doubled my years since the first time I read this series.  I thought it would be fun to re-read them…just to see if I still have the same sense of humor I did when I was in college.  Turns out, yep, these books are still as funny as the first time I read them. 

One of my favorite things…this girl…

A peek into my day…

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