Appreciation for Nature's Bounty

Jackson has been great at helping me tend our little garden this year. Our eggplants were late bloomers, so Jack just finished picking the last of its fruits. Here he is my proud little farmer with a bowl full of our shining purple eggplant.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Bryan and I had a great idea to decorate our backyard this year with Christmas lights instead of the front of the house. Now, every evening we can enjoy their warm, jolly glow and bask in the sweetness of the season. Here are some pics of Bryan and Jack putting up lights out back and of our trimmed tree waiting for Santa's visit.

The Greats

Grandma Jokki(83) and Grandpa Don(87) came to Arizona for a visit after Thanksgiving. They stopped over for some of my famous Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares and coffee and of course to play with Jack for a bit! We had a lovely visit and Bryan was kind enough to capture the moment. Wish we had an extra set of hands to get my handsome husband into the picture.

RIP Princey

I had to do the hardest thing I have ever done in life today. I had to say goodbye to my beloved Prince. Some would say he was just a cat, but to me he was my baby, my cheerleader, my faithful, everloving friend. Today as I said goodbye to my Prince, my mind replayed the moment we first met, all of his stinky kisses, his many near death encounters(he was quite the escape artist) and the way he would curl his arms around my neck like a baby does when they are carried. I will miss the freckles on his nose(that I once thought was skin cancer, but turned out to be aging), his barely there meow and the way he walked into the room like he owned it. I will miss the fact that while he loved my husband and son, I was his human and he craved my affection like people crave chocolate. This morning I knew it was the end, but knowing it would happen did not prepare me for how excrutiating it would be to experience his moment of departure. I felt his last breath and knew that there was no more pain, no more fear and that I will see my friend again someday at the Rainbow Bridge. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I will be thankful for so many things, my family and friends, but mostly, tomorrow I will be thankful for spending the last 15 years with my precious boy, Prince. RIP Prince. I will always love you.

Heart

Today, I was driving home from the zoo having a conversation with Jack as we usually do. Then the conversation took an amazing turn and here's how it went:

Jack: Mom, you think I am cute, don't you?
Me: Yes, you are cute. What do you think makes you cute?
Jack: My good heart.

Now I know I have done something right.

Because you are treasured...

As you know, Jack loves to play dress up. He loves funky hats, boots, and costumes of all sorts. Usually, it is some combination of all of the above resulting in an irresistable concoction that brings back memories of The Village People. For Christmas, our dear boy is going to get a dress up box filled with all kinds of wonderful costumes to indulge his creative spirit. I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what kind of box would hold all of these wonderful things and it hit me! A treasure chest, of course! I searched high and low for a weathered old chest that could be made over to be something special. So here begins my journey.
A coat of antique gold spray paint begins the transformation(and my index finger is still numb this morning, but what is a little nerve damage, right?)
By now it is sunset and I am feverishly hand glueing on tons of acrylic jewels. If you look closely, you can still see the fresh glue!
And the finished product! A treasure for my treasure!

Fall

What will you find on a typical fall morning in my backyard? A cat enjoying the crisp morning air and sunshine, a little boy in footed dinosaur pjs with lots of 'tude and flowers blooming in a window box. I love fall at home.