Simple Woman's Daybook 11.14.09

My Simple Woman's Daybook entry, AKA my Saturday evening post.

Outside my window...
it's dark. Why do I always post these "day"books at night? Today was grey and cool, but the early evening was refreshingly warmer.

I am thinking...
about way too much right now: how we'll do Thanksgiving; my sister coming in the day after; my dad's party the 29th; family dynamics; wanting a new family room and kitchen.

I am thankful for...
the smell of leaves.

From the kitchen...
came what I call comfort food--Chicken Roll-ups that Sarah made from scratch, with a side of fresh asparagus I popped in the microwave to "help" her. Right.

I am wearing...
a blue Tommy Hilfiger knit top, brown capris, peek-a-boo socks, and tennis shoes. I can't believe I went out in public like this. But I rationalized it by saying I was going to the Thrift Store and didn't want to be overdressed for the occasion. Too bad I decided to swing by TJ Maxx afterward. Oprah would call it a schlumpadinka outfit. The only thing that would be worse is if I were wearing a denim A-line skirt with my hair pulled back in a ponytail.

I am creating...
zip, zero, zilch. I thought about creating a scrapbook for my dad, but my sister advised against it. She convinced me that I'd spend 40 hours making it and he'd spend one hour looking at it. He'd love it for that hour, but we are not sure it wouldn't sit on a shelf for the rest of his life.

I am going...
mattress shopping tomorrow. Paul wants me to do the legwork and let him know when I've narrowed the choice to three. He can sleep on rocks as long as I don't hog all the covers.

I am reading...
Anne's House of Dreams.

I am hoping...
to find inspiration for my Ladies' Christmas Breakfast table. This is the first year I haven't known well in advance the theme I want to use. Any suggestions?

I am hearing...
strains from the movie "Up" coming up from the basement TV.


Around the house...
is evidence of a busy cleaning day, led by my dear husband. How did I get such an organized, industrious man to share a home with? It's almost embarrassing how much more he can accomplish than I can in the same amount of time.

One of my favorite things...
is Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. I get my stash of it at TJ Maxx in the housewares and food aisle. Of course I wanted to buy way more than coffee while I was at it, but opted for using a lot of self-control instead.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
The rest of the week has an hour and 34 minutes left in it. I have no plans except to sip some tea to try to relieve a stomach ache.

A picture thought I am sharing...
Joel did a series of marker drawings a while back. I'm amazed how much he knows about football players and their uniform colors. He's kind of a mini-Ben when it comes to being an NFL guy. My favorite picture is Troy Polamalu in the lower right corner there). Notice all the various action poses all these players are in. His art delights me. So does his humor. At Walmart yesterday, after being told by the customer service lady that they weren't taking returns on Halloween costumes (not even brand new, never-opened one like I had) Joel looks up at me and says, "Mom, you should just have another baby and wait for him to grow into it." He also told me, in the same day, quite matter-of-factly that he has changed his mind about what he wants to be when he grows up. "I did want to be a newscaster, but now I want to be an underwear model."