whatta week!  everyone is HOME!  & I love it.  thus the lack of blogging & facebooking on my part.  an early gift to me!  monday we headed to w. lafayette to see the purdue girl play and get another win! the drive over was beautiful!  snow was falling and it was a gorgeous snow at that.  4" total accumulation.  after the game we dined at arnies!  (yum).  andy had made reservations for us to spend the night in lafayette such a nice get-a-way and timing was perfect.  sadly, matt didn't want to go along.  he's "tired of going places" so he hung with his favorite people, grandpa & grandma van ness.  tuesday brought about shopping, lunch at hooters (we flipped for options) and an oak hill basketball game v. marion.  (lost by 6...great effort on our boys part) 

wednesday, wasn't a day i was looking forward to.  it was long.  started and ended well and the middle was completed. 

thursday was my day for doing up treats in the kitchen.  chex mix, hot cocoa mix, cracker snack, peanut butter fudge, blossoms, sugar cookies & toffee bark were all made and distributed.  i look forward to the day when my kitchen is new and spacious and then perhaps i'll up the occurrence of making good stuff. 

today, friday is Christmas eve.  it's one of my favorite days of the year.  it's a day filled with tradition and i do enjoy that!  i've a few treats i'd still like to make, a few last minute presents to wrap and then we're off to the van ness' for our traditional Christmas eve.  food: oyster soup, shrimp cocktail, cheese ball & crackers, ham, tomato soup, blossoms, & veggies.  lighting of the advent candles, reading of scripture, retelling of the Christmas eve when 7 bowls of soup was consumed.  (lol) and my favorite, time together.  this year mark will be home with us.  it's been 2 years since we've seen him.  glad he could make it.  and i almost forgot, Christmas eve service. 

i can't help but feel overly blessed when i think about all that has been given to me, freely given to me.  a Savior, my husband, my children, friends, home, pets, etc, etc, etc....  i'm flawed beyond measure yet daily i'm reminded how much i am loved, in spite of all the ick. 

i'm thankful that this year i've learned (stage 2) how to slow down a bit and enjoy.  how to better keep focus on what really matters.  i'm thankful for the blog option to emote, vent, spew, whatever.  and i'm really thankful for all the people in my life.  so many have come into it over the course of the year and each as been such a blessing.  some have gone from my life but their time in it remains with the memories and i'm sure it's purpose was served. 

well, that's it for me today.  i'm off to get a move on.  Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night!