Good Things.

I don't know if we can say it enough: thank you for sharing in our lives. I know it's hard sharing in our suffering and missing Maelee with us. I know it was hard to read the former post about our scare. I know it's easier to just share in our joy but I wanted to say thanks for sharing in the tough stuff with us, too. Many thanks. So here's some solidly good things from my day and week: Today I got out of the house and had lunch with two dear friends. Living in community, sharing our lives together is a treasure. I often get all secluded in my own little no-job, no-kid world that I forget that there are some seriously great people that I could be spending my time with. And lunch dates make both me and baby very happy! Amanda and I headed to the Fresh Market after and that was another pure warms-my-heart moment. I never go to that side of town so I've only been there a couple times... but man, this place... this place is what I would like to be like if people were described as grocery stores. (Actually it would be Kowalski's but we don't have that here). We couldn't afford to shop/eat there without going broke, but such delights exist there! As in the following treats I bought today: One loaf of delicious Italian bread that will pair oh-so-well with the homemade chicken noodle soup that is currently simmering to near perfection (I hope) in my hand-me-down big 'ol Le Creuset (thanks mom!). Two Heath Bar Crunch Cookies that surprisingly made it in the photo (I began tasting the bread so that's why they survived to be dessert). One loaf of Pumpkin Nut bread and one loaf of Zucchini Nut bread... they were BOGO and haven't been sampled... yet. And one container of spendy vegetable chips (dried sweet potatoes, beans, zucchini, etc.) that I had a long time ago and have searched for ever since ... and yes, I opened them on the drive home and yes, it was worth the wait. You are hungry now, eh? You want some starches, dontcha? Another most blessed thing that I mentioned before was that it snowed this week. It snowed a lot. Greg stayed home Monday. And looking out from our porch Monday, we saw a whole lot of glorious snow: It did get a little frustrating, being cooped up all week. Normally I wouldn't have thought much about driving in this weather but I did not (and do not) trust these southern drivers on ice. Case in point: a visitor to our neighbors across the street took 10 minutes to leave their house because his car was sliding on the ice and he thought if he just kept pushing the gas pedal harder, he would go. We had a great time watching him spin his wheels. Not very neighborly of us however. The snow was sort of captured by some ice Monday night which is the real reason for all the cancellations and closings (yes, they didn't have school all week). We've had snow before (this is our fourth winter here) but it never lasts. I took this shot this afternoon of the house (and Gramps, the car): It's still here! It's melting fast but both Greg and I are overjoyed to have seen snow all week as we are out and about. There is just something therapeutic about seeing snow on the trees, on the side of the road, even when it gets all brown and nasty. It's like a little slice of our life growing up in ND brought down to the armpit of the south, just for us. It's going to go away soon as the forecast is 50s and 60s next week. But I am one happy camper for the week of it! I've been hanging different outfits of Maelee's in her room... just a few special things that she would be wearing if she were here. It's hard to see them on her dresser or door... but it makes me smile. This is what is hanging on her door now, my mom got it for her last year to wear at Christmas. It's soo girly! So since most of big sister's things are indeed all girl, we are needing to boy things up. We aren't ready for the room change (that will come sometime in February when my parents come). But I am making steps. The first one was a little retail therapy. Greg's brother got the baby a $50 gift card to amazon for Christmas (to buy boy stuff) but I spent it on a tea pot and a book (for us). So I went out to Once Upon A Child and bought $50 worth of clothes. The best part? They were having a sale so certain items were on sale for $1. I bought 50 items of clothes for $50. Some are brand new! Some were three piece sets for $1! And if he ends up not wearing something, oh well, it cost $1. I did buy sizes from 0-4T so don't worry, I was wise in my choosing. Here's the loot: I did realize one thing. I still love brown. And not a huge fan of baby blue and neither is Greg. Also, since I'm not ready to take Maelee's stuff out yet, there is no place for boy's stuff so it's just going to stay there for awhile. That's okay. But I did start some "nesting" and bought a bunch of storage bins. That's another step. I love organizing. I love organizational supplies. Do you want me to come to your house and organize your closets? I would. I could totally work at The Container Store. And finally, on my list of solidly good things. Here's our boy from our appointment in December when we learned he was a he. In the cute frame that the Simons sent, too! Also, a random list of other things I am thankful for at 5:45pm this Friday:

• Greg coming home from work, ready for a meal and a movie together!
• My eyesight. The human body is so crazy but the eyes, especially, are a completely creative miracle of God. I think seeing is the best sense and I'm so grateful for having it. Also, modern medicine to fix my nearsightedness.
• Our library. You can reserve things online, they show up at our library down the street, easy peasy.
• Martin Luther King Jr Day on Monday. Sadly I'm probably more thankful for a day off for Greg than the man himself... but I am grateful for him and his work, too.
• JT, our mail man, who comes back to our house in the afternoon if he misses me in the morning to deliver my Norwex packages. That, my friends, is service!
• The Bears play on Sunday. And I am excited to watch the game. Seriously.
• The fact both our colds are hopefully going away. After over two weeks of sickness for me, I finally woke up and could breathe at one point last night. To me, that means the end of this is near.
• Tea. Because of aforementioned colds, we've consumed a crazy amount of decaffeinated tea in the last weeks. And it really is quite soothing. Try some.

I hope that you have many solidly good things in your lives as well, my friends. -Heather