you sure went out like a lion. (now is that your job?) snow everywhere. whipped up into fluffy drifts. whipped straight into my freezing face. actually, i'm pretty excited about it. after all, you gave us a 2 hour late start for school this morning. and now it really looks like christmas!


i plan to spend the rest of your 30th day trying to stay on task, eating cheese on crackers, and heading out to the gym. yes, i waited till the last minute to squeeze in my last visit. as usual. 


so long. good times. see you in 2011. 



ps. be sure tune in tomorrow! i'm doing things a little different..

the time has come. today is decorating day! i'm even skipping laundry in celebration. a wintry mix is falling, the pine candle is burning, my christmas playlists are in rotation, and the boxes from the basement are about to come up. yay!!

so how was your thanksgiving? mine was awesome. it was sweet and relaxing and fun to be home. i did a few other things, but mostly i ate. and left my dishes in mom's sink. (you're the best, mom!) there were barely enough meals to cover everything i wanted to eat, but somehow i squeezed it all in. and we got everything checked off our list! i love when that happens.

grandma's rolls- check.
mom's rolls- check.
sleeping in- check.
macy's parade- check.
jello salad- check.
games- check. (farkle, balderdash, take 4, steal-a-word, acquire... all my favorites!)
starbucks egg nog latte- check.
playing the piano- a tiny check, but still.
chipotle, red mango, and five guys- check.
christmas shopping- check.
football- check.
whole foods, trader joe's- check.
(as you can see, we have to squeeze in as many city errands as possible while we're there.)
3 jars of our favorite peanut butter- check.
box of clementines- check.
movies and an awesome pixar documentary- check.
my native target- check.
$10.00 jeans!!!- check. and check.
pizza- check.
4:20 am alarm for shopping- check.
leftover turkey sandwiches- check.
harry potter!- check.
putting up the tree- check.
the hanging of the ornaments- check.
the promise of seeing everybody again in a few weeks- yay.

hope your holiday was as full and happy as ours. 
have fun decking your halls!!

i'll be home, in the house where i grew up. where mom has pecan rolls waiting for me and chels will fill us in on high school happenings and dad will take us out to a movie. maybe harry potter. and my husband will be with me to enjoy it all. that's what makes holidays 10x better now than when i was a little girl! i will never get over how fun it is to have a husband and still be a daughter and a sister. using my old bathroom and having grant brushing his teeth right alongside me? that's the best. i love that he will always come home with me now, and i will always go back home with him. i am so incredibly thankful for this! for all of it.

and i have lots more thankfuls to mention. because i don't want to forget how awesome the Lord has been to us this year. He brings good things in every shape and form, even in a berry pie bar. here's what i'm thankful for in 2010.

for knowing Him, the joy of His love, and the hope of His salvation.
for a good husband, in every sense of the word. a husband who provides. protects. leads. who is unselfish. who has a noble reputation. who will trust in Him, whether we are rich or poor.
awesome health.
apple stock.
a new brother in law!
the farmers market.
another successful summer at camp.
a black skirt that i re-discovered and wore 100 times. 
guacamole.
lots of happy days.
trips to the city.
getting paid to do something i love.
figuring out my favorite kind of cake. finally. 
being almost halfway through a master's program. (yay grant!)
a house that turned into a home.
amazing friends, both inside the blogworld and out. 
granola bars. 
lots and lots of snowdays.
my first 5k. 
visits to chipotle, even though we don't live within 50 miles of one.
a guest room for company to come stay in.
that box full of oranges last march.
our trusty mazda.
two darling new nieces.
basketball game dates in the dead of winter.
a camera.
finding pancakes that i love. 
every comment you guys have ever left me.
berry pie bars.
the treadmills at the gym.
new job opportunities all around.
justin bieber. 
pomplamoose.
a new laptop.
grant's debut on the blog.
peanut butter. it really helps me out. 
good books.
a working oven for all my baking adventures. 
blogs, and all the awesome blessings they bring!
community.
sweet (cheap) furniture from the secondhand shop in town.
a vikings game.
every time my phone rings, i still hope i see grant's name. 
the diffuser on my blowdryer, for scrunchy hair. which has become my only hair. 
my preschoolers! (and their good manners.)
and last but not least, my worn-out, underlined to death, favorite in the world bible

this is my favorite thing at the thanksgiving table. not the cranberry sauce, not the stuffing, not even the pumpkin pie, this.

i'm talking about mom's classic corn casserole. mmmmm. mm! if you didn't grow up with this stuff, it might be time to add a new tradition.
hop over to the smithfield blog to get the recipe! (seriously, go see how easy it is!) if you need another side dish for the big feast, this one is a definite crowd-pleaser.

hello all. 
guess what? just now i'm headed over to the gym to watch grant coach basketball, and afterward we are skipping town. yes, i'm going home to nebraska tonight! do any of you full house fans remember aunt becky talking about going home to nebraska? i totally do. i thought it sounded cool. and now i'm just like her!

anyway.

wherever you will be for the holiday, enjoy every part of everything.
i'll be popping in tomorrow with my favorite thing on the thanksgiving table and my list of thankfuls.
so i'll be seeing you soon.

summer

as i'm gearing up to write my big thankful list this week, i need to write a little precursor. 

in everything, give thanks. it's so simple. but can i make it ring true in my life? some days it's hard. the past several weeks i've been sort of.. distracted. ineffective. letting the dishes pile up. procrastinating on the gym. just sort of plodding along, in a funny kind of slump. last week i mentioned to a friend that i was afraid of this spirit of "sliding by" i had let creep in on me. i was constantly keeping handy a mindset of, "hmm. i don't really feel like it." now, don't get me wrong- my days are cheery enough. after all, christmas is coming! but all the more reason for me to wonder at why i felt so out of it. then today i read this:

Heaven is not here, it's There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for. 


"Running aground," (a trial, a failure, a slump, whatever has you feeling unsatisfied) then, is not the end of the world. But it helps to make the world a bit less appealing. It may even be God's answer to "Lead us not into temptation"- the temptation complacently to settle for visible things.

elisabeth elliot
keep a quiet heart 

this was the perfect reminder to straighten me out. if everything went absolutely smoothly everyday, if i was always satisfied and never out of it, if i was completely content with how i'm doing and forever fulfilled with "visible things," i would certainly not want to leave. i would never desire heaven. i wouldn't depend on Him for my joy. everything would be all wrong. this world will never satisfy fully, and i should stop trying to make it do so. that's not what it's been designed to do.

so i can be thankful in all things, including and maybe especially a slump. (which by the way, has been fading recently) thank you Lord, for keeping me in check. thank you for trials and failures and all the little things that go wrong. thank you for reminding me that no matter how merry the days are here, they will be even more dazzling There! 

the beatles and itunes together at last! yay.
i spent a bit of my saturday browsing the songs, reading about the albums, and finding all my favorites! i think i'm going to have to buy their cover of "till there was you"..

1. next week at this time, i'll be out on the city sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style. where strings of street lights, even stoplights, blink a bright red and green. yes, it really feels like that. even the stoplights are festive on that magical morning. the morning when i wake up extra early to get my annual fix of christmastime in the city. with me will be mom and sister (we'll miss you haley!). in our car, there will be newspaper ads, gift lists, and christmas music playing. in my back pocket, there will be a small stash of cash. in my hand, there will be coffee. on my face, there will be a huge smile. and in the air will be a feeling of christmas. how i love the city. and my girls. and the bustle. it is my favorite friday of the year.

2. lemon chess pie for thanksgiving?! i could get into that.

3. my brother-in-law sent me this amazing video of a 3 year old "conducting" to beethoven's 5th. each tiny hand movement is incredible! make sure you see 2:29 and 4:03.



happy friday!

image from whitney smith

i click on it once or twice a day.
i stare at it.
the wreath.
the mirror.
the tiny trees.
the room i can see in the reflection.
i love it.
i want to bring it to life.

i think i should step it up this year and make my own cool christmas wreath.
everybody's doing it.
(anyone want to send me some acorns from their backyard? i have a walnut tree... with no walnuts.)

"The fellow who doesn't like dogs or little children must be regarded with suspicion. There is something wrong with the man who cannot make friends with a a dog or a baby, or who will not try, who cannot gain their affection. The chances are that he is not worthy of the respect or affection of men either." 

Peter Marshall

this is exactly the kind of happy (and honest) humor i'm enjoying lately.
am reading A Man Called Peter, the biography of the senate chaplain during the 1930s and 40s. it's written by his wife, and is really wonderful. full of his endearing scottish charm and glowing with sincerity. his ministry was spectacular. and how fun to read about washington back in the day.


what are you reading these days?

friday night we went to bed singing "white christmas".. and by saturday morning, the snow had arrived. and it kept blowing all day. snow makes an awesome saturday.


because of the snow, grant asked if i was going to dress extra warm and cozy. yes! i had to be cozy, and stay inside all day, because of the snow.


and because of the snow, i was totally in the mood to wrap the first christmas present of the year.  


and because of the snow, i had to make cookies. (which turned out to be weird.. like meringues. my egg must've been too big. oh well, they still tasted like peanut butter.)


and best of all, because of the snow.... class was cancelled and i got to keep grant home with me all day! he worked on the budget while i baked. he loves to do that. and we shopped on amazon and talked christmas lists and ice rinks. (grant wants to make one in our backyard) and we liked our friday night pizza so much that i made it again saturday night. you know.. because of the snow. 


ps. for our pizza, i used this crust recipe, only i didn't make it deep dish. i just spread the dough out on my biggest cookie sheet instead of splitting it up into cake pans. (you'll still want to oil the pan.) we topped it with a thin layer of crushed tomatoes, sprinkled with oregano and basil, then mozzarella and parmesan. perfect. 

friday already?!


yes, it's here! where did this week go? i can't even tell you how it was spent, but i do know early morning basketball practices began and there were about 4 interviews with president bush mixed in there somewhere. anyway, here's what i'm loving this week.


1. piano possibilities on craigslist (if one eventually gets in our house, i will cry from happiness)
2. making granola and practicing our christmas program at preschool (jingle bells included)
3. spinach quiche!
4. the arrival of my new niece, louisa. oh that name, love it. 
5. special knee-high circulation socks.. hopefully these will help my forever-freezing toes!
6. will these help my circulation too? 
7. judy brought me a berry pie bar. we both agree: we could eat these everyday.
8. the nearness of clementine season.. how exciting.
9. the december issue of martha stewart living (spritz cookies, baby!)
10. this sweeeet hair-do. i totally want to try it. 
11. the thought of going to my favorite antique store this weekend...
12. a phone chat with mom
13. mmmmm... cornbread. or better yet, mom's thanksgiving corn casserole.
14. an awesome review of natural laundry soaps. thanks for doing all the work for me, testers!
15. leggings and slippers.
16. proverbs 11:25.. whoever refreshes others will himself be refreshed. how sweet is that?
17. whitney's easiest pillow you'll ever make. 
18. a giant chalkboard for sale outside of a shop in our town... why didn't i get it?!
19. best room ever? you have to see this totally awesome, amazing, beautiful nursery. i want it to be my bedroom. 
20. grant comes home in half an hour! pizza and a movie tonight.

at deer hunting, the girls usually do something girly. one year we made mini scrapbooks. last year grandma marian gave us all a class on her blue ribbon apple pie. this year, we got to make sweet cake stands! you know i was super excited about this. they're so simple-quick and practical. all of us girls were saying how much we love a 5-minute craft, especially one that you can actually use. i'm so hooked on the ease of it that i might just be making hundreds in the next few weeks. seriously, they would make such fabulous christmas gifts.




what you need: 
1. one pretty plate, as fancy or plain as you please. 
2. one small vase, candlestick holder, or goblet. 
3. a strong glue that says it works on glass or metal.

fyi: our plates and bases came from thrift stores. (where else?!)

what you do:
1. turn your plate upside down.
2. squeeze a ring of glue onto the rim of your base, and place in the center of your plate.
3. let dry. don't move your stand until the base is completely secured to the plate.  




make a few and stack them on top of each other for a tiered look. use them to serve your holiday goodies. or as a stand for candles and garland. or create an elegant centerpiece. or even better.. wrap them up and put them under the tree for all your favorite girlies!


ps. have you started your christmas shopping yet? 

deer hunting was awesome, as usual. the weather was perfect. a deer was shot. the vikings won. the food was amazing. the family keeps getting bigger. we drew names for christmas. we sang together before each meal. and heidi sent me home with a bottle of homemade vanilla extract. it went too fast, of course, but i loved it!

the monday after deer hunting always feels like, okay, it's christmastime now, right? i don't know if you're as hyper for it as i am, but no matter. i think we can all agree that there's something about this pre-holiday season that generates a need to bake. (or at least to eat what is baked.) so i'm here with an idea for you. today i posted my favorite favorite ultimate chocolate recipe on the smithfield blog. please scope it out. maybe it's what you need for the chocolate-lovers at your thanksgiving table. because not everyone is a pie person.. i can testify to that.

tonight, the annual harms family deer hunting holiday begins. (which is basically our thanksgiving with grant's side of the family) i am SO excited!

the brothers will be out hunting by sun-up tomorrow morning, while all of us sisters get to sleep in and spend the day chatting, snacking... and cooking. there will be 36 of us to feed this year, so it's a good thing we all really enjoy the kitchen! we'll probably get a chance to go out with our guys on the hunt once or twice too, and that is always the best. i don't actually ever hunt, but i can't wait to put on some blaze orange and go watch!

meanwhile, i'm baking cookies and making roasted red pepper hummus and wishing it were already dark outside and time for family to be headed our way...

happy weekend to you, and don't forget to set your clocks back! (yay!)

i keep forgetting to show you! here's a peek at a few of the photos i took of my little sister. not my twin.. although some pictures would like to try to prove us wrong on that. she was an amazingly easy subject to work with. i was so proud of her for not being afraid of the camera! (she has always been braver than me.)

thanks for making my job easy and fun, chels. what an honor for a big sis to do your senior pics. loves.








and i love this one in color.

am sharing a list of pure fall-ness (and a favorite fall recipe) on the smithfield blog today.
please pop over and add to my list in the comment section!

i bet you didn't know. he bought it when he lived in california. and he can ollie.
it's just one of the thousand cool things about my husband.

other cool things include..
1. he wrote a song called tyte gangsta buddies (it's on my ipod right now)
2. he's in a tie-wearing contest with another teacher at school, and he's winning
3. he owns his own bowling ball and shoes
4. he can keep his eyes open while he sneezes
5. in today's photos, he's wearing a jacket that says "FUNK'S G"


over the weekend grant taught our nephew a little bit about skateboarding.


eventually, the lesson turned into skateboard sledding.. which is sure to be a popular new sport.

in other news, it's election day!
happy voting, all.
isn't it awesome that we get to do this?
grant and i will be heading to the polls together after school. yay.
i love nights where we camp out in front of the news!

..looked like a big jack-o-lantern! i loved it. we couldn't find any orange tissue paper, so we ended up using sheets of parchment paper, and the lamp light from our living room gave it a nice orangey glow. we are so saving this and sticking it in the bay window again next year.

..saw 75 trick-or-treaters!! we ran out of candy. it was awesome.

..watched brett favre get hurt in the 4th quarter. did any of you see it? it was the scariest part of halloween night. he looked really out of it. and old.

.. ran out of matches. we had just enough to get my pumpkin lit!

.. stayed surprisingly warm, even though we were opening the door every 5 minutes.

.. went to bed early and discussed thanksgiving being 3 weeks away, basketball season (coaching season) starting soon, what we want for christmas, and how we couldn't fall asleep.


and.. here's the scoop this morning. halloween has only been over for a few hours (and our big window pumpkin is still in place), but i am totally, completely ready for the holidays. has it hit you yet? it's november. november! these 30 days of anticipation make what is possibly the sweetest month of the year. so happy november to you! let's use it well. i need to figure out just how i'm going to do that. i'll be back later this week with a plan. what are you going to do in november?


more soon!