randomness

It's funny how quickly time passes, and suddenly it's been a week (or more) since I last posted.  How does this happen??

I've been busy, which is how it happens, I guess.

I've been constructing tracks and racing marbles with my boy.

I've been silly.

 

The two previous pics are from a conference that my friend and I went to for girls and young women.  We don't really fit into the target demographic any more (sigh), but we work with the junior high girls at church.  So we got to go.  There were challenging speakers, worship sessions, and photo booths with awesome props!

While I was at the conference, Hubby exercised his culinary skills and made a dessert for a meal we were going to with some friends.  All I had to do was help eat it.  YUM.

I have also been going through old clothes and handing them down to a friend.

While I was going through clothes, the football game was on in the background and Hubby and Kiddo were playing a game together.  Hubby has stacks of board games and Kiddo loves to pull them out and learn how to play.

Speaking of hand-me-downs, they are going to this little guy: 

Aren't they just too cute?  This was my first time taking family pics for someone else.  Scary stuff.  But it was really fun!  Thanks, M and B, for letting me practice on your family!

We are just a few days away from finishing our 30 days of gratitude.  Here is an update on some of the things we've been thankful for over the past couple of weeks:

toilet paper
Kim's kinderGARDEN contest
matchbox cars
clean laundry
hugs and kisses
Sudafed
Kiddo's school and teacher
markers
hands
color
blogs and bloggy friends
recess
our dentist (no, really!)
that we can all eat supper together
books

I am trying not to panic about Christmas.  I hate that stressed-out, crazy rushed feeling during the holidays, when I most want to be relaxed and at peace and able to just enjoy being together with family and friends, making meaningful memories.  However.  Christmas has been creeping up on me, unsuspected, and I am woefully unprepared.  Ugh.  Kiddo (and everyone else, for that matter) seems hard to shop for this year.  The past two years, Kiddo and I have enjoyed making our own ornaments throughout the month of December and then giving them away as gifts, but I have no ideas at the moment.  Not one.  I'm open to suggestions.  :)  I also want to be intentional about Advent this year, to focus on the real meaning and the whole story of Christmas.  But do I have a plan for Advent yet?  Nope.

I will take a deep breath, make some lists, and chip away.  And enjoy it. 

I hope you are all having a wonderful week!  I am looking forward to Friday - Hubby took the day off.  We are going to drop Kiddo off at school and then head to the wonderland of Ikea.  We have never been.  We've decided the time has come.  After Ikea, we're planning on having lunch together, and then maybe window shopping or doing some odd jobs around the house until it's time to pick Kiddo up from school.  It sounds wonderful.  To me, anyway!  :)