what shall we call him? oatmeal!

thankful for frosty

christmas movies and coffee

five days off this week

she said, hugging dad

and blankets, i said coffee

and holiday lights

a table pile

of tiny dolls and empty

mugs in november

(brittany from the home ground has been soliciting seasonal haikus)

this is the first year since grace was born that i haven't had to work straight through thanksgiving. this is the first year we've been home for five days straight - wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, and today - sunday. i haven't even looked at my homework. i've been crocheting non-stop, and finally got out my noro kureyon yarn for a shawl. we've watched the secret garden, and yesterday when our dvd player broke i went out and got us a new one ($20? yes please) and a bunch of christmas movies - frosty, rudolph, santa claus is coming to town. remember the claymation christmas films? we also watched whisper of the heart, a miyazaki film, that was absolutely incredible. 

what's on your gratitude list?

chocolate covered cherries (one of my favorite holiday things)

this guy

^this kid (and my computer)

very attractive men who knit

the university writing center

a recipe for chai tea concentrate (haven't tried it yet)

pinterest

family

a new (to us) couch

kitties (to keep the want-a-cat-in-our-home feelings at bay)

wool socks, always

banana bread

supportive faculty, the english department as a whole, writing process as scholarship, poetry, the library, coffee, kindness between strangers,over the counter,among friends, christmas music, choir, the spirit of a kid whose physical self is fighting some germs, downstairs neighbors, blogs, preschool and wonderful teachers, post-it notes, good soap and hot water, letters, peppermint...