Giving Thanks

Thanks turkeys. Your gobble gobble sacrifice is delicious when not over cooked (which it wasn't this year!). Fun turkey fact: in Spanish the turkey says "Gordo, gordo" which means "Fatso, fatso." Essentially the turkeys are calling everybody fatties. Our turkey this year looked like it had a question and is politely raising it's hand. Maybe it just wanted to call us fatsos one last time.



I am so thankful for Ezra, my special amazing fantastic boy. He gives me such fulfillment and joy. I am really, really thankful that he still takes naps, too (this year he slept through Thanksgiving dinner).



Thanks be to good will and gentleness! This photo is from a little while ago, when Grandma found two stray kittens in the freezing cold outside. We brought them in and Ezra was on duty to snuggle the kittens to warm them up. He was really, really determined and did such a great job. His father attracts stray animals and nurses them back to health (in the two months we were in Guate we took in an abused iguana, an abandoned dog, a rejected duckling, an orphan kitten and a couple of birds that barely escaped certain death in a flood) so I guess that's where Ezra gets it from. I am learning from their kindness.



Also very thankful for family, grandparents especially at this point in my life. Seeing Ezra with Grandpa and Grandma is so so so so so wonderful, not to mention the aspect of crucial child care while I try to get out lives together. A million, trillion, cadjillion thanks! Oh and we (Ezra and I) are very thankful for books and the public library that keeps us exploring new literary territory every day.



Thanks be to pets! They always find the best spot.



So thankful for root vegetables! Potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, sweet potatoes, so many that sustain us through the cold winter here in MN. A nice power mixer is also to be something to thankful for, as well as a mother who is expertly running it.



Thanks to fresh ground pepper! Mashed potatoes just aren't the same without you!



Thanks be to gravy!



Thanks be to my sister for always stirring the gravy, an arduous task that was left to me this year (I wasn't nearly as dedicated as she always was, I was too busy taking pictures of things I was thankful for for this post).



Vino!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sweet, sweet nectar.



Nature- thanks for continuing to replenish even in the face of human destruction and abuse, and for all the calm you provide in your quiet wisdom.



And lastly, plumbing. This probably should have been first on my list. I feel so fortunate to have water 24 hours a day, hot, cold, and in between to wash, bathe, and drink. Water is such an amazing luxury of life here in the US, and I am thankful and humbled by my access to it.

Snowy, snowy day

Ezra is the master of shoveling! He is a machine. We watched a movie about John Henry (the guy who beat the machine making railroad lines) and he has really channeled that sort of energy to his snow removal. We got DUMPED on in Bemidji yesterday- 10 inches!!! I was sent home from work early and barely made it home (we're driving a teensy weensy Mazda Miata that does not do well in blizzard conditions). Ezra can shovel like a champ, and now insists upon bringing his shovel where ever he goes. He calls it his "timber" and channels both John Henry and Paul Bunyan. It was a gift from Grandpa who also bought him some snow boots. For the first 48 hours he wouldn't remove the boots and clomped around, shovel or "timber" slung over his shoulder. His first memorable winter is a hit so far!




I can't even believe that the trees are able to support all the extra weight of the snow. It is quite lovely though to me, I think because this is my first MN winter in, something like 10 years! It's all so beautiful... so far.





Grandma bought Ezra this advent tree after him talking about it non stop for a month. He saw it at Joann Fabrics (my present employer, btw) and played with it for an hour and I had to tear him away. Whenever I asked him what he wanted for Christmas he would only mention this tree of little doors. I couldn't get it for him though because it was $60. This past week however Grams and Ez came by while I was working and found out that it was on sale for $8! One little door had fallen off but we fixed it right up and now Ezra spends much time opening & closing the little doors, and laying beneath it like a precious little present.

Here's some detail shots of our casa, I've been busy making new curtains and we've received some lovely house warming gifts as well.



This lamp belonged to Great Grandma Thibodo and now lightens up our living room.



The new bathroom curtains, some flowers in the midst of white.



Dad crafted these awesome pegs so that we don't have to hang all of our gear on the back of chairs! New shear, plaid curtain on the kitchen door too!



This lovely lady came to us at our house warming potluck. Her name is Sister Sunshine.



These birds came with Sister Sunshine. New bark pattern curtain in the kitchen!



What does this mean about Ezra? Is he Type A? He meticulously arranged all of his Halloween candy, classified by type, size, and color. Adorable. I think he gets this from his father.




I have been having some fun on my own out and about. There's a place called the Blue Ox in town that has good live music on the weekends. I went out with Tracy, Holly and Corina last weekend and Tracy & I had shots of Patron! There's another show this Friday night, more fun! Thanks to the grandparents for enabling long over due nights on the town.

Bemidji Science Museum

The first three shots are from the Science Museum here in Bemidji. It's pretty small, but it really packs in a lot of cool stuff. To boot, all of the exhibits are obviously home made and pieced together in a thoughtful, economic fashion. It's kind of relieving how cool things can be with the right knowledge and resourcefulness. I think we are going to need to spring for a membership! The coolest thing there in my opinion is the harmonograph- we made some stunning art to fill up all of our white, white walls!

The last picture was taken at Diamond Point Park this past week. It was so stinking warm Ezra went barefoot! I actually had thought that I'd forgotten his shoes at his Grandpa's house but later found them in the car. Luckily it was warm enough for no shoes, imagine that, northern MN in November! We are truly lucky.

Although it's getting chillier today... time to eat potatoes!

Halloweiner 2010

Most of these are from my night out on the town as a pregnant second wife of Ezekeal, but the first is Ezra the horse and me the cowgirl- pretty adorable. There was a costume contest and I will have you know we the polygamists did not win, but in fact the cop with his prisoner in a straight jacket snagged the prize. They deserved it. Homer was a little freaky. The most popular costumes here in Bemidji were Vikings and Mad Hatters. FYI.

Our Cozy Casa!

Isn't it cute? We think so. There's some really nice built in shelves, and a big basement where we put all of Ezra's toys that I would rather not look at on a regular basis. There's a guest room in the basement too, so visitors come one and all!

New Home! (Not new problem...)

Hello hello, yes I am very proud to report that Ezra and I have our very own little house! It is very sweet, cozy, and full of love. I promise to post some photos soon to give you a little tour!

The problem is, once again, no freaking internet access! Bemidji, where we live now, is one of those places where you have to have a phone line to get internet access, meaning it's all more expensive. They just want you to get the full bundle, spend a little bit more for the land line, internet, and cable tv. I really don't like paying for things I don't want, even if it is a "spend more to save more" situation. So, I'm not quite sure what we'll do about that. Go to wi fi places, hang out at the parents' houses where internet abounds, plan ahead for my moments of onlinedness.

At least the house has plumbing! And windows! And an attached bathroom!

Still no job however, I have been rejected by the likes of JCPenney AND Kmart! What the heck is right!?!? Tomorrow I have two interviews, one at JoAnn Fabric and the other at Bath & Body Works. I would prefer JoAnn, less stinky and frankly I prefer crafty old ladies to lotion and bath salts. Hopefully something pans out for criminy sake.

Although I haven't been altogether unemployed, I've been substituting for the Wednesday night Bible study at the Union Congregational Church in Hackensack. Tonight was my second Wednesday, and let me tell you the 5th grade girls are a major pain in my butt. They constantly argue with me about everything, criticize my dress (tonight one of them was wearing saggy baggy sweats and an old holey t-shirt asking me about my fitted plaid trousers, ahem) and are so disrespectful to everyone I could hardly do anything but agree when another girl called them b*tches. At the end of the night I went to put on my coat and a little note fell out of my hood that said "I hate you."

To all of my many readers, ha ha, what should I do? I have one more Wednesday night left with these little prissy poo poos. Kill them with kindness? Ignore them? Give them back their note? Think of some very involved chore to assign them? Hmmm.

I'll post some photos of our Halloweiner and little house soon. Don't worry, I love you.