I am thankful.

I am thankful that my son is here with me for Thanksgiving. He brought a buddy home with him, and I am thankful for him too. I am also Thankful that my son made it quickly through a little health scare the first night he was here. I am full of love for that boy.

I am thankful that my thirteen year old pup still seems to have some spring in her step and still adores me.

I am thankful for Friendship.

I am thankful for my entire family, all the originals plus the in-laws.

Would this list really be complete without being thankful for the hero? He who is my best friend, companion in life? (Markie you are on the bottom of the list because I wanted to frame the list with my two best guys.) I actually have to say that because I know him so well he will wonder why I'm mentioning him all the way at the bottom.

Where I've Been

I really didn't mean to just disappear, step out and not return, switch my status to "away" and never change it back. But one thing led to another, and days added up to weeks, but I'm here now. Back with you. Online. So what have I been up to, you may be wondering? Outside the blogging world, I've been busy getting my house in order, STILL. Damn that is a never ending task, but also I've been swimming in creativity and inspiration, which I adore, and at the end of every day I feel a little high when I look around and see what I've accomplished. The hero and I are working on a fairly tight budget this move, since our house cost a considerable amount more than our previous one. I've decided that to begin, I'm going the use what you have route when decorating. You know what? It has turned out lovely. I'm re-purposing things all over the house. We are living the definition of recycle! It has been both challenging and fun. Like a puzzle. I've only had to purchase things like a couple bookcases, a few lampshades, shower curtain, towels, and only two bigger ticket items... a sofa and love seat for two separate rooms and some area rugs which we found at very reasonable prices. God I love the thrill of the hunt. I'm like a hunter stalking its prey looking for great values.

As far as wall art is concerned, I've used what I have. It is fine. Great, actually. Not fancy or valuable, just that I like what I have. I'm filling in with old Black and White family photos.. This house is feeling like a home. Speaking of home, my kid is coming home today! Hee! (At some point the teddy bear border in his new room is going to have to come down, it is on the list.)

Another thing I've been doing is thinking. Now that I've moved, and said goodbye to my beloved home town, and hello to my new life, I've been wondering which direction to take this blog. I sort of feel at a crossroads here. I have so many interests, so many things I like to talk about, (often whine about, I know.. I know) I'm not so sure how to classify this little piece of my heart anymore. Personal journal? If it is that, then I would feel odd talking about food or decorating or many of my other interests. I don't want it to be too schizophrenic an undertaking, yet I would like to express my whole self. Hmmm. See what I mean? I've been busy in my own head.

So, with all that going on in my head this past Sunday, I came up with my Holiday page header up there at the top. I hope you like it. I do think I need to tweak the font a bit to make it a bit easier to read. I've been out there gathering all kinds of fun tools to use on Blogs, and that is something else I'd like to perhaps pass along. See? Me with all the ideas. I'm a thinker, I tell ya.

Happy Tuesday all.

A Day is Not Enough.

A big heartfelt thank you to the Veterans of this country, all twenty-five million of you, who have served to protect this great United States of America. You deserve so much more than a day named in your honor.

Damn, I hate it when I fail and other news.

We are what, 10 days into November? Ten whole days. November seemed like a great month to participate in NaBloPoMo again. The concept is simple enough. You write a post for your blog every day for a month. November is great this year... there is no theme, you just write! Good God, that should be easy for someone like me with an abundance of things to say at any given time. Heck, I did it in August when the theme was "Hot." But you know what you guys? Less than a third of the way into the month, I fell flat on my face. I got quiet, maybe I just feel tired from all that is going on outside the world of the web. So, tonight I will unceremoniously remove my November NaBloPoMo badge. Perhaps I'll try again in January. I'm not doing that to myself in December.

I'll still be here writing, just not challenging myself to that goal.

In other news, hospitality is the word for this weekend. We were invited to a little party by the neighbors on Friday evening. A wine and cheese event. The evening's host is a Sommelier, (um seriously, spell checker doesn't know this word! wants me to use smellier, lol) so the wine choices were lovely and he was knowledgeable and patient with those of us who don't really know our Boone's Farm from our Reunite (me).

Hero and I are looking forward to hosting a guest later this week from back home, his sister will be visiting for a week. I can't wait to see her! Then my baby will come home for a few days the week of Thanksgiving. So much to look forward to and be thankful for.

So, I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I missed a day, I slept for 20 hours on Saturday. I knew I was headed for a crash and I crashed. So weird when that happens! But today its back to being up and around and out and about.

See ya Monday!

They Call Me Mel-o Yellow...

originally uploaded on Flickr by "Amelia"

I took a drive six miles to a neighboring village for a doctor's appointment today. The drive was beautiful, no traffic to speak of, the roads curvy and the trees showy with fall color. The weather today was seventy degrees and sunny. Just a perfect day. Tomorrow I believe things take a turn, weather-wise, so the best dog ever and I enjoyed fresh air in the sun room this afternoon. Peaceful, beautiful, lovely. So peaceful I'm too mellow to say much more this evening. I'm just quiet. And that, my lovelies is peaceful for the hero.

Election Night!

Although it is too early to call, the talking heads covering the election have already predicted a win for Obama. Locally, in Chicago, there is a big shindig going on for Obama in Grant Park which is sure to turn into a massive celebration, and rightly so. I'm stating the obvious here... this is sure to be a win of historic proportions on many levels. I'm exhausted, and can't stay up all night to find out the official outcome, but regardless who wins... change is coming.

See you tomorrow.

Keeping Tabs on the Election

I found this link over at Tuck Goes to the Arch. See my sidebar for the link. Thanks Pat for the heads up!

Dexter...

“I am the punishment of God...If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.”

-Genghis Khan

Dexter - Showtime Sundays 9 p.m.

Hero and I are huge fans of this show. (I just tacked that quote up there on top because I think it fits.) Anyway, with everything going on the last few weeks we have fallen behind on watching Dexter episodes, so today we got almost all caught up. This season is very exciting so far and different from the previous ones... I am really liking the way Dexter's character is evolving.

See you tomorrow!

My Hair is a Hot Mess, Y'all.

I missed my last appointment with my stylist back in KC before we moved. She was ill and it was the day before we were moving, so rescheduling was out of the question. July was the last time my roots have been touched up and the ends trimmed and the layers shaped. More and more lately, I wake up and this is what I see in the mirror...
Sadly, as far as styling goes, this is what I've resorted to. The early nineties Elaine 'do. Only not as cute. And so sad that my current hairstyle is nearly twenty years old and on closer inspection makes me think of those women on that polygamist compound down in Texas. Just put me in a prairie dress and I'll be good to go. Thankfully my hair is long, because I fear if I cut it short I'll end up looking like Phil Spector.

On really bad hair days, I resort to wearing one of my many ball caps. I'm thinking of buying this little guy, though. Available through Cafe Press. I think it says it all.

If anyone knows of a great salon in the NW suburbs of Chicago... please advise. I'm on the hunt. And Adrienne, I miss you.