Kindling

Whenever someone says, "I don't know if I'd like a Kindle, I just love the smell of books, feel of books, look of books, etc." I really think what they're trying to say is that they love books. A bibliophile. Kindles are for reading. (Like iPods are for people who want to listen to music.) They won't replace books, but I do feel like they're a great addition to the sport!

I like to read all kinds of media including magazines, blogs, newspapers and books. I like a good story, for sure. My husband is a writer and he doesn't care what he writes on. Some of his best songs were written on napkins. One time he was taking our daughter to school when she was little, and he dictated a song to her. I think she used her notebook paper. They also had a wreck that morning. (fyi)

So just to comfort all you book lovers, here is a book my son gave me for Christmas. Lots of beautiful color pictures, patterns and information. A true reference book.
The Book of Wool
My birthday was last week and I had a wonderful weekend celebrating it. I went to see Leeland on Wednesday night - they are great live! Thursday my co-workers bought me a lovely, lovely cake. I believe it came from Whole Foods and was one of the most delicious cakes I've had.
Thursday night my husband took me to pick out my birthday present. You'll see it in the next post!
Friday the kids came and we all went to eat Italian, my favorite. My daughter had send a bouquet of flower which arrived during our spinning guild meeting. What a treat!!!
And our meeting went so well. We are very comfortable and respectful of one another, and the talents present at each get-together. Iron sharpens iron and I'm always so sooo inspired when it's over. My mind is almost psychadelic with ideas for new things to spin and knit! I love the variations of each person's technique and style. My friend Debra joined us, and that was an extra special bonus. We go way back with her and her husband and she's like a sister.
Here are a few shots of our show and tell.

Saturday I had a fabulous shopping all day with my daughter and son-in-law and Sunday at church I got to meet my son's girlfriend's mother. He is very serious with this little lady, and I really felt good meeting the 'mother'. I know she did a wonderful job of raising her daughter and am so thankful for all her attention to bringing up such a lovely lady. We are known by our fruits. It was a very brief encounter, as I was about to go to a meeting, but I hope to see her again soon.
Our preschool dept. is growing so quickly, almost faster than we can keep up. I truly admire my supervisor, who is such a humble and caring person. She is a great example, coming from a very dire, minimal subsistence to leading a very successful life. She still deals with many family issues, yet keeps her personal matters from limiting her work and still keeps her family priorities straight.
I finished the rustic scarf and passed it forward yesterday. I hope it's ok!
I'm off work today, as I'll be working this Friday, so I am enjoying a cup of coffee right now, looking out my office window. The photo at the top is from yesterday, and I hope you'll click on it, to see the beauty of the skyline. Even the clouds can be beautiful!

We have lift off!

I planted my lettuce last weekend, and right after I did, the gentle showers began. Perfect timing! The 15th was my goal date and I met it!
I am so blessed to have a considerate husband. He sat through an entire chick flick last night with me, and at the end, LIKED IT! Wow. What a guy.

My husband couldn’t be more thoughtful and attentive, always speaking to me respectfully and never raising his voice. My dad was a great example of how one treats a lady and I think my son is also exhibiting the same behavior with his new lady friend. We definitely taught my daughter that NO man should ever be disrespectful to you, especially in public. (I think she has found her prince! )
The Scarf is nearly finished and I’m not frustrated that there’s another one to go. Unlike the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome, a second scarf is its own creation and is in no way dependent on the other. Thank Goodness!!!!
I am hosting our spinning group meeting this Friday at my house, and I’m so excited. I need to begin to plan a snack, or goody to serve. It looks like most of the group will be able to attend and then later in the afternoon my daughter & her husband will be arriving. My birthday is this week and we’re all going out on Friday night.
Wednesday night I plan to go hear a band play in Nashville; one of my favorites! It will be a treat. Work is always a challenge but I am beginning to see the light: hope, and that is good.
Every so often I have a little break down and my boss gets to witness them on occasion. Last week I had to be really, really honest with him and he was very understanding. For that I am thankful. Praise the Lord!

Rustica Scarf

This great rustic scarf is a breeze to knit, but I’ve hardly spent any time on it. I hope to make time for it this weekend. I’ve been reading a great book lately, and have picked it up every time I had the chance. I only got it last week, but I’m tearing through it like a fireman at the scene of a house fire. I love to find books that do that to me. They are so hard to find!!

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to work at getting in 10,000 steps a day, according to my pedometer. I’m wearing it now. One thing is abundantly clear. The treadmill has everything to do with getting in 10k steps. Here are my results for the past several days. ( Night before last we ate out and I was so full, I could only go to bed and ask the Lord’s forgiveness for gluttony. (no treadmill for 2 days)

11, 207
9,004
3,664
8,768
10, 768
10,197
5,306
5,484
7,654
I've kept a sticky note on the bathroom mirror and I post it when I take the pedometer off at night. Last night's number is really interesting to me and I'll tell you why. When I got home from work I had only walked about 800 steps all day. After my treadmill time, I had pushed way past 7k. Can you believe that?

I had to renew my drivers license today so I took my knitting with me. I did not have to wait long, but the DMV feels a lot like jail. No one's talking and everyone's staring at the floor. What better time to get in a few more rows on my scarf.

I finally started ripping out the sapphire sweater. Two strands are harder to unwind! Some things don't ever end up like you intended. And sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get something right.
Our preschoolers had their first week in the new classrooms last week. Things weren't all perfect, but the kids never noticed. A few cried and didn't want to go in, just because it was strange and new, but mostly all the kids took to their classrooms like ducks to water. (Grownups are a little tougher to please!)

As I listen to the reports coming in about Haiti, I heard that people are using car batteries to power things. When I was a young girl, we suffered the loss of our home to a hurricane. Most of the city was without power, other than gas generators. We hadn't seen television for many days, maybe even weeks, so my dad pulled the car up next to the house and ran an electric cord from the car cigarette lighter through a first floor bedroom window. We were able to watch this small black and white portable tv for the evening and it was the biggest treat you can imagine.

I am doing really well with my resolution to look at the clouds. I hope to make a whole post soon with nothing but cloud pictures. Today is really sunny and bright so the clouds are fewer, but I'm happy to have the sun; the snow has finally melted!

Simplification or Complication

Jacques Pepin, a French chef, explained that the problem with nouvelle cuisine is that in an effort to use new ingredients and be creative in presentation, the dishes have become complicated rather than simplified, which is the essence of French cuisine. I guess I agree, because I've never been a fan of French food, mostly because it was weird and the portions were small. French cooking was developed much like soul food, where nothing was wasted and preparation was basic. Just simple and rustic.

As a knitter, I'm not one for complicated patterns and funky yarns. I tend toward the simple, straightforward patterns and am more successful there.

So,I am staying with these Leroy Brown socks, just 'cause I like 'em. They will take a while, but since they aren't complicated, I don't think I'll lose interest.

I dug through my yarn bin/stash in the garage, and found some yarns comparable to my husband's scarf yarn. He agreed that they were similar, so I cast on the needed 36 stitches on size 10 needles. 4x4 rib.
Easy enough, I just have to remember to carry the alternate yarn when I change colors. I'm not going to break off the yarn each time and tie in the new one. Wayyy to much trouble for this simple country girl.

For Christmas, I got these beautiful placemats and knew right away that this was my chance to buy some new napkins and napkin rings. There's a World Market about 45 minutes from here so last night, I found these lovely yellow napkins and brass rings.
We ate dinner across the way at a warm and cozy restaurant. It's been snowing for 3 days now and I wanted something hearty. DH had the chicken pot pie and I had the chicken cordon bleu. It was a little overdone, but very satisfying. So much so that my husband commented on how quiet I'd gotten. I didn't mean to be sullen or morose, but I finally concluded that most of our eating out is after work or after church and I'm still 'in gear'.
(We were headed to a prayer service so I guess I was a bit thoughtful.)

My son, who is somewhat like me in his no frills mentality, asked for a new computer for Christmas. We agreed to help him foot the bill, and he seems to have enjoyed it. Where would we be with out computers?

Someone paid me a compliment about my son last night. They mentioned how enthusiastic he is when he plays his drums.
I second that emotion, and am grateful that he has found a fulfilling thing to do. He is so genuine and real when he's engaged in his music. It's absolutely contagious. He has a sweet lady in his life now, and I know she brings him a tremendous amount of joy. She has offered to cook lunch for all of us tomorrow. Wow. Who could turn that down? What a treat!!

The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of

The stuff that dreams are made of: Great little needles (size 0's), great stretchy yarn, a fire in the fireplace, and good cabled sock pattern.
These Leroy Brown socks are really easy and I'm just using the fifth needle for the cable needle so I don't need that gadget, and I've got the pattern memorized. 2x2 rib with two cables; one forward and one back.

I received a compliment today about my knitting, just to toot my own horn. A couple of guys my husband works with saw his scarf and asked about it. Of all the things I've made, I'm probably not going to put this one on Ravelry. But they thought it was pretty cool. Rustic is what I'd say. I literally hand carded the wool in two batches, light and dark straight from the sheep. Then spun all the yarn on a spindle; my first one - Ashford 5lb (jk!). But it was a pretty hefty spindle.
It is quite a long scarf and is just ribbing, start to finish. Large needles though and it was very long. Long enough for a man. Both fellas that made the compliment will definitely get a scarf, if I can get the right wool for the job. I may have to put my little brown socks on hold for a few weeks!

And....a quick update on the watermelon hat. I gave it to my DD who really liked it. I was sure the color was out of style, but never trust an over 40 mom when looking for fashion advice. Who knew that watermelon/tangerine is the new black? Ok, maybe not, but at least it was wearable!

*newsflash - pedometer at 9pm before treadmill time is just under 5,000 steps for the day! I can do it!

And one more little show-off. Here is some of the Alice wool I've been spinning. Three ply and it's pretty well blended light gray. I'm happy with it!

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown

We made a quick little trip to Memphis and if you've ever been there, it's not Mayberry. I worry a bit about my daughter and her husband living there, but they seem to know what's what and where 'not to be'. That said, I started a new pair of cabled socks and I'm calling them my Leroy Brown socks.

I started them on New Year's Eve as we were watching Die Hard (never saw it unedited; language was worse than I remember). We had so much fun though, cause John McClain is also kinda bad. But he saves the day and his wife as well.

We had fun getting donuts prior to the movie - at Gibson's which is a local favorite.
I felt pretty safe cause there were literally several cops in the place and their cars were out front. Most stores were closed by 6pm Thursday night.
My daughter had made us Shrimp Etoufee and cheese grits (delicious!).
We slept in the next morning and had brunch at Perkins, shopped forever and had pizza at Memphis Pizza.
All great choices and enough eating out for a while. Before we ended the day, we dropped by a local bookstore similar to Barnes & Noble. It used to be a theater and they did a cool job of keeping the theater screen and projectors in the rear.
We were told that this was the theater Elvis used to frequent, staying up in the projection booth to be incognito. When word would get out that he was upstairs, he would leave quickly and the theater manager would have to yell that Elvis had left the building, so that folks would quiet down and let the movie finish. (*fun bit of trivia)
My daughter and I also share a bit of intuition or what some might call a sixth sense. She had mentioned a particular ladies' room that felt really weird and she refused to go in there. When I stopped in to take a look around, I felt the very same 'bad vibe'. Actually it was quite strong and it prompted me to pray 'in the Spirit' until I could leave. Sometimes these things are helpful, but sometimes this awareness is unsettling and bothersome. God keeps things from us for a reason.

So, I'm back at home and putting away all the Christmas stuff, getting ready to start another new year. I kept quite a few resolutions from last year and here are two of this year's hopefuls.
1. Keep an eye on the clouds - they are lovely.
2. Walk 10,000 steps a day (using a pedometer)
I have a few more, but they're more personal and I'll fill you in later, if it seems appropriate.
I have only one knitting/spinning resolution, but it's not really firm. To spin about 30 minutes a day if possible.

Lets see how we do! Happy New Year and God Bless you!!

future

(mom & dad's new house; grass soon to come!)
When the last of the holiday company leaves, your mind automatically shifts into the next gear. Of course there are things to clean and tidy, but further back in your mind are the "to do" things that you look forward to. I'm so glad there are always clean, fresh days to look forward to. We can have a bright, happy future, if we make that our goal.

I've been watching Gone With The Wind (hi-def) and its one of those movies that steels your resilience and motivation to keep on going. If Scarlet could do it, well then frankly, I can too!
And my latest Kindle book is by Louis L'Amour, which kind of takes you to the same mental place.
Work has been really tough this week, and I am worthless tonight. Since it's raining and chilly outside, I've taken a hot bath and am ready to read for a little while before hitting the treadmill and getting to sleep at a decent hour. We are changing our billing structure/person yet again, hopefully tweaking things for the last time. It is exhausting and mentally challenging; I leave feeling like I've had jumper cables clipped to my brain for the day. And our Outlook at work has been out for two days. No email, no calendar, and no contacts. I tell you, I'm tired. Louis L'Amour, take me away!
The spinning wheel has seen a little business lately. No knitting, with company, holidays and church. I will leave tomorrow evening after work to go see my daughter for a day. Maybe I'll take a little project to knit in the car. That would be sweet!

Our church is moving into the newly built sanctuary soon. We had a 'sample' service on Christmas Eve and it was spectacular. Beautiful space and bigger than what you might imagine. The little preschoolers I work with will be moving into the new building soon as well. There's a space just for them and those little guys deserve it. They are precious in God's sight! What a joy to show this brand new place such innocent, unspoiled eyes. Of all the people, I'm glad they're getting to play and learn there. They won't be complaining if things aren't 'just so'. They'll just be glad to have new tables & chairs and crayons to color with!

My parents house got a coat of paint recently, just before we all arrived for their party. (That's it above.)

And my folks have been busy with their garden.

Raised beds and container gardening. My dad even made me this unique rubbermaid tub with holes, pipes and a drainage system that I couldn't begin to explain. When the weather improves, I'll go outside and get some pictures of the container. Here are a couple of the ones he made out back - end of the tomato season!


Click this last one and you'll see a cruise ship coming into port!

Hello!

Yesterday afternoon my daughter and I were playing scrabble and she asked me about my new year's resolutions. She knows me well and I do make them every year. You can't give up trying just because of a few failures. The more things you try, the more things you're likely to succeed at. Biographies of great individuals will prove that over and over. It's not how much you fall down, it's how many times you get back up.
I definitely want to watch the clouds this year. I have taken lots of photos already and learned one thing rather quickly. Taking pictures of clouds works better if you just take the picture and don't try to compose a shot. Just do it. Then look at it. I don't know why, but they are pretty all on their own, without any help from me. Imagine that!

We have had a really good time with family this year and it's not over yet. My husband's little brother and family will be coming over today and I'm looking forward to seeing them. We really did not focus on lots of presents this year and I'm not unhappy with that at all. One of the attorneys I work with (he has a little 2 yo girl) mentioned that Christmas can't be much fun any more now that the kids are grown. I disagreed and said it's just not about the presents and the tree anymore. It's about family and friends, having good times doing things, going places and eating lots of meals together. The last one is pretty special to me. There's something about dinner with friends and family that glues you together better than anything else I know. At least for me.

The gifts this years were all very lovely and a nice surprise, mostly because I hadn't thought much about them until I opened them Christmas morning. I won't post pictures because I am finding I need to keep at least a few things private in this world. I will say I really truly like every single gift I've gotten!

The little watermelon hat is done. So cute, though I had to do some serious decreases at the end 'cause I was running out of yarn.

I'm glad to be a knitter; it has it's definite advantages. There is a real, down to earth community with knitters. After the Tiger Woods scandal broke, one thing became very, very obvious. This was a man with so many people on his payroll (a dangerous place to put people who speak into your life!), so many women who wanted his money, and so many yes-men around him, that no one was telling him the truth any more. How sad. Beth Moore calls it BIRGing. Basking In Reflective Glory. KNITTERS on the other hand, will tell you the truth in a heartbeat. No bull-stuff. Just the God's honest truth. I absolutely love that about knitters.

The end of short days

Today officially marks the end of short days - from here on out the sun sets later and the days get longer. Woo Hoo!! We made it!

It also marks the 24th anniversary of my marriage. My husband and I tied the knot 24 years ago today and I have been married longer than not married (I was 18 that night.) He swept me off my feet those many months prior to the big day. No game playing; he was always straight up that he was interested in me and never wavered. I had never met anyone like that! What pursuit and romance. A girl needs to know that a guy's feelings are true and that he's not gonna walk away at the first sign of trouble. (Believe me, he was asking for it!)
Over the weekend we celebrated my parent's 50th anniversary and I'm sure they would say the same thing. Just because times get a little squishy between the toes does not mean you turn tail and run. I think too many couples do just that. They leave if things get a little tricky. What makes for a richer marriage is the ability to persevere and get past the tough times to all the fun times to be had. Laughter, shared reward, common experiences, and even the occasional blow up can end with a stronger, more stable marriage.

I thank the Lord for my husband who has loved me through thick and thin, no matter how freaky I got, he was still there. I love him for that! Bless his heart! He is a wonderful, thoughtful man, and I don't deserve it.

My parents anniversary party went perfectly. There was an enormous amount of food, the decorations turned out great and the old, dear friends who came made for a perfect party. I'm so thankful for my parents and their example to all who've watched over the years. Always generous, never meeting a stranger, but wise in countless ways. Guiding without pushing. Praying, encouraging and listening.

I pray that I will be the kind of person they are.

Although we had someone taking professional photos, here are a couple of random snapshots from the event.


First our initial setup the night before, then the actual day of; my sister Terri and her husband, then my brother Sam.

Hopefully I'll have some really good photos soon. We were just so busy setting up (and tearing down after it was over) that this is about it.

Here we go

We are preparing for a trip this week. A trip to my hometown for my parents' 50th anniversary. Everyone is coming and I am sooo excited to see everyone - it will be the first time all of us have been together since 2003. Too long. I hope to post a few shots of the event when I get back Sunday; we leave first thing Friday morning and the party is on Saturday morning. It's a brunch and my brother in law, the chef, will be cooking. Can't wait!
The watermelon hat is getting close to being finished. I'm in the decrease round and running out of yarn. I hope it'll be ok, but it's always a nail-biter when this happens.
(The hat looks more tangerine than watermelon in this evening/kitchen light. It's not really. )
Because you're a knitter, you know what I'm doing in the back of my mind. That's right, I'm already planning the next project. The elusive pay-off. The project that you dream about, like the red rider bb gun in A Christmas Story.

I have pretty much decided to rip out (frog) the sapphire sweater and just do a set of gloves and scarf, or some felted purse-kinda project. We'll see.

We had our office Christmas party the other day and it was a big let-down. The restaurant is new and they don't have it together yet. Service was slow, the room was way to cool (I wore my coat the whole time) and the food was just average. I realize now that their focus will be on the beer, since it's a brewery, but they aren't serving beer yet. I don't drink beer, but it just didn't make sense to open up before you had your stuff together.

And speaking of not having it together. It's almost Christmas and I have really got to get it together when we get back from Mobile. Our shower head is not working properly. Somehow its gotten stripped when you adjust the thing and it's permanently set on "atomic". Not gentle shower, or pulsating massage. I'm talking mafia machine gun. At least my hair is getting clean; what's left on my head after the shower!
And I really need to clean the floors, especially in the bathrooms. I have a pet peeve about dirty bathroom floors. And seats. In public restrooms women sometimes have difficulty maintaining aim if you know what I mean. Some women teach their daughters "not to touch anything" but forget to say that when you're done, you should clean up. I take little preschool boys to the potty during Sunday School and they have better aim than some women I know! I'm not kidding. (Sorry if that's TMI.)
So, as soon as we get home Sunday afternoon, I've got to get cleaning. Right after I do some knitting during the football game. I'm in the fantasy football playoffs, you know!! (Go Dallas!)

Holiday Season

Yesterday I had the honor and privilege of meeting with my spinning group buddies to celebrate Christmas. We have a little potluck party every year and this year was a special time with better than average fare.

Mixed green salad with lettuce from Brenda M's garden (and homemade dressing), Shepherd's pie made by our very own New Zealander Sally, Potato Soup from our German hostess Susie, Avocado & Grapefruit salad from our resident cookbook author Marty, Hummus and chips, casserole, chocolates and cream puffs,....I'm telling you it was nice.

Pleasant conversation ranging from European vacations to disastrous power outages. And then the reason for the season, presents! (just kidding!)

Here's what I brought home. Amazing hand knit neck scarf made from handspun alpaca and wool. Merry Christmas to me!

Show and tell brought up lovely handmade things as usual.
Beautiful! The shawl below was hand combed and hand spun and hand crocheted from 2 fleeces.

We are so blessed to have such abundance at our fingertips. I got to share with the ladies that a man from our church told my husband he would GIVE me several llama fleeces, as he burns them every year and doesn't know what to do with them. All the girls' jaws dropped when I said this (and I think I saw some green flashes of envy/can I have one?).

~ ~ ~
My watermelon hat is a breeze, yet it reminds me more and more of my need to wear glasses when knitting in less than perfect light. I will be 45 this January and eventually I'll have to start coloring my hair and taking pills and wearing glasses for more than needlework. I am ok with all that. Life has been so good to me and there's so much more to come; I can hardly wait to see what's next.

I've really enjoyed my Kindle this week. Well into my mystery novel and already looking for the next book to read. The night I got it (FYI, kindle is like an iPod for books) I downloaded The Lifted Veil by George Eliot and a few samples of books to see what I'd like to buy. I read the book in a couple of days and loved it! Public domain books are generally free and there are lots of them to get. There's such a large selection to choose from, it really takes a while to make a decision. (Not to mention that if they are free that helps me decide more quickly.)

This Tuesday is our office Christmas party and we are going to a new restaurant in downtown Franklin, TN. A brewery that is owned by a local celebrity. Last year we weren't able to get bonuses but did receive an extra paid vacation day. Funny thing is, I still haven't used all my days from last year and I'm now into my 'new year' at work. I've been there three years now (didn't get an evaluation but I'm sure of my facts. I know my work anniversary!) Starting my fourth year has been better than I thought it would be. Things are changing daily around there, but more and more I feel a sense of confidence with my job. Thank you Lord for a good job!

Watermelon, Watermelon

I’ve heard that when singers don’t know the words to the song they’re singing and people are watching, it’s best to say watermelon, watermelon to at least look like you know what you’re doing.
With that in mind, I’ve selected this Watermelon yarn to start a new hat; imagine that I know what I'm doing.

I also have some Tangerine yarn that I’ll add after the ribbing. We dyed these yarns at our dye day last year and they have been begging me to find a project for them . They just want to be seen and not left in the storage bin like the Velveteen Rabbit.

This pattern is now a no-brainer; just like socks with an afterthought heel. The hat starts with 120 sts and k2p2 rib for 8 rows. Then an abrupt increase, knit straight for a while (or insert some lace, etc.), decrease and tie off. Easy!

Tonight on the drive home from work I had almost an hour for my stocking feet to dry in the nice warm heated floorboard of my car. Rain all day; then walk to the car with an umbrella - this does not protect my tootsies from puddles and windy, sideways raindrops. So I'm thankful for the nice slow traffic that gave my feet lots of time to dry. (See? Giving thanks in all things!)

It's Tuesday night and normally I would be catching up with the latest episode of Castle, but the finale of Biggest Loser is on and my friend Liz has been a finalist. She looks fantastic by the way. She is a very, very kindhearted person and a southern belle to boot!

Gone to Seed

I've gone and done it. I ordered some seeds to plant in my garden this spring; lettuce in a few different varieties. I have planted from seed before and I know the risks. It's better to start seeds in pots or order plants, because seeds tend to germinate and then flop over and die once they've gotten off to a good start.

But now that my husband has fixed me up with some little flourescent lights in the kitchen, I may be able to start some seeds inside this winter and have plants to put in the soil. I had thought I would put out bulbs but it's getting late. Maybe too late in the fall for bulbs. We'll see..

Ever since I can remember, there's been a natural inclination in me to do things the old fashioned way. Planting gardens, sewing, cooking from scratch and of course spinning and knitting. Maybe it comes from reading books and the way writers romanticize these things. I'm not sure why, but I know that I'm curious to at least try something once.

Right now I am working on two books. One is an audio book by Jacques Pepin, and it's his autobiography.
The other book is on my Kindle; a PD James novel. She's sort of a Sherlock Holmes type of writer, but modern and a woman. I really like getting on the treadmill with my book - it's so much easier than trying to carry a paperback and reading a shaky text. Now I just prop the little thing on the dashboard (?) of the treadmill and press the button to turn the page as I'm reading. Too cool!

The weather here in Tennessee is getting quite cool by the way. We're all dashing in and out of buildings, trying to get warm and drinking lots of hot drinks. (Maybe I should be knitting a scarf instead of reading!) It seems like the economy/stock market is perking up a bit, and shoppers are spending more than they did last year. That could be wishful thinking but it is December and Christmas is right around the corner. And of course that means a new year and in my book that means New Year's resolutions. I've already started to ponder the lighter ones. I think this will be the year of watching the clouds. I noticed the most beautiful sky last Sunday morning on my way to church. I realized that God gives some pretty spectacular shows, right in the middle of the day, if we just look up!