It's Beginning to Look alot Like Christmas!

Nativity scene from my friend Joni

Decked out for Christmas!

Here are some pictures of the decorations I've put up in my house this year.


Check out the world's smallest birdfeeder!




I made this while working at Michaels

Paint Brightens Kitchen

Sunday, a friend and I painted my kitchen. It hated how dark it was before. The wall paper with bunches of flowers made me want to puke. It is now a happy soft mint green that works well with my vineyard theme.


Before


After


Before


After


Before


After

Sleep # Bed For Sale!

If you or anyone you know is interested, we are selling our Sleep Number Bed. We have decided to switch back to a waterbed because Dwight prefers that. My grandparents, sister, and Dwight's aunt & uncle love their Sleep Number. We've just decided it isn't our preference because we had become too used to the waterbed feel. If you would like to try out the bed, you can come over & see what you think. Leave a comment below & I will get in touch (FYI--don't post personal info. like a phone # on this site for security sake & your protection).

Here is the info. on it:
5000 model Queen bed
Dual (means sides can be adjusted to different numbers)
Pillowtop
Remote control for sleep # adjustment

Price is negotiable. Original price was $2,000 but we will sell it for significantly less and you won't have to pay shipping or taxes.

We've had it a little over a year, but Dwight has not slept in it for over 11 months of that time so it hasn't seen much use. We didn't sleep directly on the pillowtopper itself because we added a pillow topper mattress pad of our own. (This is also for sale if desired).

Picture of bed:

















Picture of bed covered with optional pillowtop mattress cover:

New Gifts for Matthew!

Here is a video of Matthew playing with the toy given to him by his Aunt Ruth, Uncle James, & 5 cousins. He was having so much fun with this cool toy that lights up, plays music, and has many interactive pieces. Good choice, Ruth. I wanted you to be able to see him having fun with it since you couldn't be there on his birthday.

Literary Preferences Indicative of the Real Me

I’m always so surprised to learn of how people perceive me. When it comes to my taste in literature, people usually think that I’m a Jane Austen fan. I suppose I do present a composed, prim & proper front and people assume I like to read endearing British romances. Hmmm, I suppose with a title like the one on this entry, it is no wonder where people get their ideas. While I do enjoy Jane Austen movies, I suffered through Pride & Prejudice when I was forced to read it in high school. I never picked up another Austen novel. In fact, I avoid most British literature.
I prefer gritty American novels like Of Mice & Men or Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck, The Sound & the Fury by Faulkner, or Bless the Beasts & the Children by Glendon Swarthout. One of my favorites is Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I like stark realism. In Of Mice & Men I physically ache with the depth of loneliness in the lives of the ranch hands. I can’t shake free of the layer of dirt caking the skin of all who experienced the dust bowl as described in Grapes of Wrath. I’ll never forget his image of the turtle lying helplessly on its back beside the road—unable to change the fact that it will starve to death because it is powerless to flip itself over. I enjoyed both The Sound & the Fury and Bless the Beasts & the Children because the varying perspectives of the narrators reveal their struggles coming from dysfunctional families. That is a reality that resonates with me. I suppose discussing juicy tidbits from a letter while sitting under a parasol on the well-manicured lawn of a sweeping estate or waltzing with wealthy bachelors is so far removed from my own world that I find little with which to relate.

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Here is Matthew opening up his gifts. He loved the tissue paper the most!