". . . And a cartridge in a pear tree."

"Babe, it's partridge."

"Mom, it's cartridge.  Like DS!" 

So I sit here on Sunday night, tuckered out and somewhat accomplished.  Laundry is twirling and swooshing in machines, the kitchen counters have been found, cookies are mounded and awaiting tomorrow evenings divvying up, we've eaten, we've played and we've accomplished much.

Friday was dough day.  I was able to make up all the cookie doughs that I needed for cookie baking this year.  What did I make?  Well, let me make you a list:

Cherry Thumbprints
Oatmeal Craisin Cinnamon Chip
Lemon Chip
Peanut Butter
Ginger Kisses
Chocolate Chippety Chunk
Red Hot Sugar Cookies
Butter Crisp
Triple Chocolate Fudge Bars

Being in the rather chilly environment that we're in, I kept the doughs in the back of my car, as it was too much to fit in the fridge.  It was freezing out there and I had to leave the dough out for a while to make it pliable enough to even work with.  If it's cold, embrace it.  What else can you do?

K- and Hubs got onto cleaning K-'s play area in the basement.  We were trying to encourage her to donate items, but the child is rather sentimental about everything-- major awards, rocks from the driveway, paper dots she's punched from homework . . .  I remembered that Goodyear was having a Toys for Tots toy drive at the blimp hangar a bit down the road.  I told her that we would make the trek to the hangar and that she could donate her new items that she never played with to the Marines that were there.  That put a spring in her step, especially after I explained to her that her donations may be the only things a child receives for Christmas this year.  The hangar closed at 6 PM, but I left more than enough time for travel and any type of line.  I had travel time right.  What I didn't have right was the time the line would take.  Last year we went, and we drove right on in.  This year the wait was an hour and 45 minutes. 

No kidding.

Hubs wanted to bag on the trip, but I was determined to allow K- donate the toys that she gathered-- tonight.  I figured that her step to thinking of others would lose steam and possibly have her reconsider her donations.  We waited, listed to K- read, listened to the radio and finally, it was our time to go in.  I had K- keep the donations in the back seat with her and she was able to pass them onto the Marine through her window.  When we left, she asked, "Mom, did I do the right thing?"  "Yes, baby.  You did."  "You know at first, it was hard.  I didn't want to give that doll away.  I put more things into the bag and it became easier."  She had received two dolls from my aunt last year that were very similar.  She had opened one, but one she never got to.  Over the years, she had amassed so many craft kits that she just didn't get to all of them.  K- didn't complain about the line we sat in, but occasionally I'd hear her in the back seat say, "Dude!  Pay attention and move up!"  Gee, where does her back seat driverism come from? 

The unexpected hours that we logged away from the house completely put me behind on the remainder of the baking.  I left the thumbprints for last, because K- told me about how her thumb was the perfect size for holes.  By the time we ate the pizza that we picked up (dinner on the fly because of the line), we bathed and only had enough time to have her help me with two sheets of thumbprints before she went to bed.  She was good with it, though. 

We did Lowe's this weekend.  She built her coal car and next week will be the third part to her three part train.  We'll be taking her friend, Rebecca, along with us.  Rebecca doesn't get to go to K-'s girl birthday party because of a family Christmas celebration that came up, but we were more than happy to party with her early.  K- and Rebecca went to preschool together and Rebecca's mom, Kay, is one of my best friends.  Kay would have done the same thing for K-. 

:yawn:

Hubs' Christmas party was Saturday night.  Talk about a snoozer.  I was able to check out the miniature golf course that Hubs and his coworkers have been crafting this past year.  That was cool.  The rest of it was rather lame.  There was dinner, which was a lovely turkey and ham, but the rest was boxed sides and the most disgusting stuffing I've ever eaten in my entire life.  They had a dinner mystery theater theme to the evening.  After dinner, Hubs scooted me out so that I could jet back home to retrieve K- from the sitter.  He said that he knew that I was hitting my limit of actors milling around and yelling at us while we ate.  He said that the evening got no better. 

Church this morning was absolutely delightful.  Pastor Karen did a visualization with us about love.  It brings shivers to me just thinking about it.  One of the teachers at K-'s school busted down out of the choir and tracked us down to fill me in a bit more on Sunday School.  (I left her a note in her mailbox at school pleading for some guidance.)  We cruised on down, had 17 in Sunday School and our topic today was what gift we would give Christ for his birthday.  It is a current issue class, which is right up our alley, but we were feeling a little wonky about it.  Today, we had different people recognize us, make us feel at home and even Pastor Karen caught us at the top of the steps and said, "The L- family!"  She double checked on K-'s name pronunciation (often mispronounced, misspelled, never remembered and just generally butchered in a number of other ways that I may not have listed) to which Hubs replied, "You are one of the few people to get it right!"  (It's not a weird name, just a really old name that isn't very popular in the states.)  I can't tell you how much it warmed my heart to have people really reaching out to us today.  I had been struggling this last week.  I just hadn't felt at home with the grove of Sunday School and this past week made a complete turn.  Even Mrs. McC-, the one who dashed down from choir, told me at school this week that she looked to see if we were there at the choir cantata last week.  (I had the tea and explained that is why we didn't get to go.)  Hubs and I are feeling more and more at home at this new church.  It really warms my heart to be able to say that. 

Now if you'll pardon me, I do believe that I have an evening of slumber and some cartridges in a pear tree to dream about.

Have a wonderful day!