Today I am CRAIG

Creating

Not subbing yesterday and today (the first couple days after a school vacation usually = no sub calls) means that I have ample time to work on my projects. I finished Baby Watson's gift a couple weeks ago and again, would post pictures if only I knew where our memory card adapter was. Nich's laptop isn't quite as savvy as mine, even though it's newer, and does not have a direct port for my memory card. I am now trying my best to finish Baby Josiah's quilt. The front, back, and middle are done, but seeing as it's my first quilt ever, I don't know about this basting and binding business.

I thought basting was for turkeys.

I'm not from here. I didn't even know what turkey tasted like until I was eighteen.

I'm also finishing up Baby Tiberius James Ryals' gift so that I can mail it to his grandparents in Ohio so they can deliver it when they head to Australia soon after his/her birth. And no, that's not what the baby's name really will be. Just his/her father's wishful thinking. :~)

 
Reading

When we first moved into this house, I wanted the house to look nice to Christmas, so we just shoved a bunch of boxes in the craft room/guest room closet. I needed a new journal last week, so I finally pulled out all the boxes and began going through them.

And found all my YA books.

Yippee! It's like Christmas!

So I've been reading through some of my favorites. In fact, I just finished Jacob Have I Loved (Katherine Paterson) this morning.

I love books. It's one of the several reasons why I wanted to be (am) an English teacher.

In my email this morning, I also found a heads-up from Borders about this book. I can't wait to read it.

I wish someone would pay me to read books. That would be a great job.


Appreciating

My friend Katie asked me recently how I liked our house. I'm LOVING our house. There's so much room, a huge kitchen to dance in with my gorgeous hubby, plenty of counter space for creating yummies, a fireplace to sit by during a romantic sushi dinner on Valentine's, and FREEDOM to run around in my skivvies if I wanted to.

Except it's too cold to run around in anything less than three layers of clothing.

But I'm loving the house. :~)


Inspired
 
My friend Kim is a runner. And she loves running. I admire her. I admire her spirit. Her FB status today reads, "Word to the wise: don't run if the weather report says "wintry mix." You will get wet." Which means she did exactly that. Ran in this horrible weather and got wet. And is probably still smiling. 

She is inspirational. And tough.

I refuse to run in this weather. I will be yelled at by Billy Blanks instead.

Actually, truth be told, I refuse to run most days in the winter, even when it's sunny outside. It's still too cold.


Grateful

Last night, at work, I had two customers who were having a blast shopping. They were laughing as they decided on what to put in a gift basket for a mutual friend and then what to get for themselves with the current promotions (Read: "free stuff" if you buy). :~)   

When they were ready to check out, I smiled and said, "You've been friends for a long time, haven't you?" They looked at each other, laughed again, and said, "It's been more... than thirty years!" It reminded me of that day Jess (mother of aforementioned Baby Ryals) and I went to lunch in the midst of my "Find a Wedding Dress in One Day" adventure. There were two women sitting in the booth across from us who asked us how long we had been friends. We told them about college, being engaged, etc. They had been friends for a long time, too. 


Friendship is beautiful. And although I'm lonely more often than not here and crave friends, I am grateful for the friends, 

the beautiful,
incredible,
thoughtful,
kindred spirit

friends I've already been given in my life.